cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Achievement motivation in relation to achievement-related recall, performance, and urine flow, a marker associated with release of vasopressin

Administration of the pituitary hormone, arginine vasopressin (AVP), enhances memory in animals and humans. Since AVP is the antidiuretic hormone, its release can be inferred from reductions in urine flow. Forty-six male adults recalled the contents of a complex story and then either were exposed to achievement arousal or were not. Significantly more of the subjects in the aroused than the nonaroused condition showed a decrease in urine flow, and the greater the decrease in urine flow among the achievement-aroused subjects, the better the recall of achievement-related story content 24 hours later. Subjects high inn Achievement, in the achievement-oriented condition, showed lower urine output at the outset of the second day and greater improvement in learning to unscramble words. Since lower urine output was also related to improvement in unscrambling words, achievement arousal may have released AVP which in turn may have facilitated achievement-related retention and performance.
Foot bones from Omo: Implications for hominid evolution

We reanalyze a hominid talus and calcaneus from Omo dating to 2.2 mya and 2.36 mya, respectively. Although both specimens occur at different localities and times, both tarsals articulate well together, suggesting a single taxon on the basis of size and function. We attribute these foot bones to early Homo on the basis of their morphology. The more modern-like tarsal morphology of these Omo foot bones makes them very similar to a talus from Koobi Fora (KNM-ER 813), a specimen attributed to Homo rudolfensis or Homo erectus. Although the Omo tarsals are a million years younger than the oldest known foot bones from Hadar, both localities demonstrate anatomical differences representing two distinct morphological patterns. Although all known hominid tarsals demonstrate clear bipedal features, the tarsal features noted below suggest that biomechanical changes did occur over time, and that certain features are associated with different hominid lineages (especially the robust australopithecines).
The origins of symmetry relations for membrane diffusion

Abstract Ternary diffusion across chemically well-defined membranes containing mobile carriers often shows symmetrical behavior consistent with the Onsager reciprocal relations. This symmetry, exact at small gradients and a good approximation at large gradients, is a result of stoichiometric restraints.
Bandwidths of micro-twisted-pair cables and fusion-spliced SIMM–GRIN fiber

Abstract The SLHC is designed to increase the luminosity of the LHC by a factor of 10. In the present ATLAS pixel detector, electrical signals between the pixel modules and the optical modules (opto-boards) are transmitted in ∼1 m of micro-twisted-pair cables. The optical signals between the opto-boards and the off-detector optical modules are transmitted in fiber ribbons. Each fiber link consists of 8 m of rad-hard/low bandwidth SIMM fiber fusion spliced to 70 m of rad-tolerant/medium bandwidth GRIN fiber. We currently transmit optical signals at 80 Mb/s and expect to transmit signals at 1 Gb/s in the SLHC. For the SLHC optical link, we would like to take advantage of some of the design features of the present pixel optical links and the many years of R&D effort and production experience. If the present architecture can transmit signals at the higher speed required by the SLHC, the constraint of requiring no extra service space is automatically satisfied. We have measured the bandwidths of the transmission lines and our preliminary results indicate that the micro-twisted-pair cables can transmit signals up to ∼1 Gb/s and the fusion-spliced fiber ribbon can transmit signals up to ∼2 Gb/s.
Mycorrhizae alter quality and quantity of carbon allocated below ground

PLANTS and soils are a critically important element in the global carbon–energy equation. It is estimated that in forest ecosystems over two-thirds of the carbon is contained in soils and peat deposits1. Despite the importance of forest soils in the global car-bon cycle, fluxes of carbon associated with fundamental processes and soil functional groups are inadequately quantified, limiting our understanding of carbon movement and sequestration in soils. We report here the direct measurement of carbon in and through all major pools of a mycorrhizal (fungus-root) coniferous seedling (a complete carbon budget). The mycorrhizal symbiont reduces over-all retention of carbon in the plant–fungus symbiosis by increasing carbon in roots and below-ground respiration and reducing its retention and release above ground. Below ground, mycorrhizal plants shifted allocation of carbon to pools that are rapidly turned over, primarily to fine roots and fungal hyphae, and host root and fungal respiration. Mycorrhizae alter the size of below-ground carbon pools, the quality and, therefore, the retention time of carbon below ground. Our data indicate that if elevated atmos-pheric CO2 and altered climate stressors alter mycorrhizal colonization in forests, the role of forests in sequestering carbon could be altered.
Nonfumigant alternatives to methyl bromide for management of nematodes, soil-borne disease, and weeds in production of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)

Two field experiments were conducted in north Florida to examine effects of solarization and reduced-risk pesticides on weeds, nematodes, soil-borne diseases, and yield of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus). Five treatments were replicated five times in a randomized complete block design: fumigation with 80:20 methyl bromide:chloropicrin, solarization, solarization + Kodiak® (product with Bacillus subtilis), solarization + Biophos™ (product with dipotassium phosphonate and dipotassium phosphate), and non-treated control. Methyl bromide was generally superior to treatments involving solarization, which in turn were superior to the control, for improving flower yield and managing weeds, nematodes, and mortality due to plant disease. In the second year, solarization was more effective than methyl bromide in reducing plant mortality; however, surviving plants were larger and more productive following methyl bromide. In the second year, Biophos™ + solarization was as effective as methyl bromide in improving plant ...
Winter desiccation and injury of subalpine red spruce

Montane red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) in the northeastern United States has undergone a decline during the past two decades. One symptom associated with the decline syndrome is the episodic browning of first-year foliage in early spring. To examine the potential role of winter desiccation in this browning, the water relations of red spruce foliage in a subalpine forest on Mt. Moosilauke, New Hampshire, USA, were monitored from January to May, 1989. All sampled trees lost water during the winter and the first-year foliage on some trees turned brown in early spring. The relative water content of first-year shoots during the winter was a significant predictor of spring browning; red spruce trees that showed browning had desiccated faster and reached lower relative water contents. Damaged trees also had more closely packed needles and lower cuticular resistances to water loss. The first-year shoots had a significantly lower average relative water content than older shoots before and after browning. Cuticular resistance to water loss decreased with elevation. Sun-exposed shoots lost more water than shaded shoots because of solar heating of needles. Winter desiccation can occur before the decline-related spring browning of red spruce foliage.
RADIAL SOLUTIONS FOR WEIGHTED SEMILINEAR EQUATIONS

In this paper we prove the exact cut-off between existence and nonexistence of radial solutions in a class of problems of the Brezis–Nirenberg type. We obtain this by studying the existence/nonexistence of positive solutions in for -vtt+¼v=vp-1 +λe-ctv, for different values of the parameters c>0 and λ, for p≥2.
Use of IR absorption of the carboxyl group of amino acids and their metabolites to determine pKs, to study proteins, and to monitor enzymatic activity

The absorption spectra of 20 amino acids (Gly, Ala, Val, Leu, Ile, Ser, Thr, Asp, Asn, Glu, Gln, Lys, His, Arg, Phe, Trp, Cys, Met, Pro, and hexafluorovaline) and some of their metabolites (α-ketoglutarate, oxalacetate, pyruvate, succinate, citrate, and acetate) were determined in the infrared (IR) region from 1300 to 1700 cm−1 under conditions that are appropriate for biological studies (i.e., in phosphate-buffered D2O solution). The strongest transition in this region is , with an extinction coefficient ∼1 mM−1 cm−1, and an emphasis was made to demonstrate use of this transition for enzymatic assays and to study proteins. To these ends, these relevant features were demonstrated. The value for is a function of the residue pK: the higher the frequency, the lower the pK of the carboxylic acid. The high extinction of permits detection of carboxyl groups in parvalbumin, a protein that is rich in Asp and Glu. The IR profiles for the amino acids and their metabolite products are sufficiently characteristic so that IR can be used to monitor enzymatic reactions involving amino acids. We show that transaminase reactions, which interconvert amino and keto acids, can be monitored by IR. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biospectroscopy 3: 457–467, 1997
Quality Improvement Partnerships with Industry Using Student Teams

The 1993 Quality Challenge is a cooperative partnership between Milliken and Company, the National Science Foundation and three North Carolina Universities. The project goal was to activate a multidisciplinary team of students, faculty, and industry representatives in a real-world quality improvement project. The 1993 project was an expanded follow-up to the 1992 University Challenge Project, also sponsored by Milliken. Based upon past experience, project coordinators broke the 1993 project into three components: Preparation, Identification, and Action. Preparation included a preliminary course held in the Spring to teach students fundamental Total Quality Management tools, team building skills and communication skills needed in industry. A team of students was selected from the course to participate in the summer Identification and Action phases of the project. The Identification phase included introduction to project goals, team process training, specialized team formation and project focus. The Action phase of the project included process capability studies, shade variation studies, root cause trials and a statistical design of experiment on shade variables. The project resulted in many recommendations to improve the process and reduce shade variation. The overall project methodology and approach can be applied to industries other than textile manufacturing. Educational benefits for all participants included: team building and teamwork experience, enhancement of effective communication skills, experience in design of experiments, engineering design and practice, greater self confidence, and industrial experience with real-world quality improvement opportunities.
Unacquainted influencers: When strangers interact in the retail setting

Abstract We explore the phenomenon of influence between unacquainted consumers in the market setting. Using three qualitative techniques that entailed 60 hours of observation in a variety of retail settings, depth interviews with eight consumers, and a prescribed format of shopping with five consumers, data are compiled and interpreted to reveal a number of overt and covert interpersonal influences and roles assumed by both influencers and recipients of influence as the dyads interact. For example, recipients of influence who proactively act as help-seekers or influencers can assume the role of either proactive or reactive helper in a social exchange. Marketing implications are offered for retail sales personnel, such as appropriateness to intervene between competitors or the strategy not to intervene between help seeker and reactive helper.
HLA Antibodies after Lung Transplantation: Early Results of the HALT Study

Purpose The development of donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA) after lung transplantation (LT) is a significant risk factor for bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). The HALT study aimed to determine the incidence of DSA development & characterize DSA profiles early after LT. Methods and Materials We conducted a prospective observational study at 6 US LT centers that used similar induction & maintenance immunosuppression. Recipients were screened for DSA using the LABScreen® Single Antigen assay at 10, 30, 60, 90, & 120 days after LT, & if clinically indicated. DSA was defined as bead reactivity with an absolute MFI>1000, & an increase in MFI>30% & an increase in absolute MFI≥500 when compared to pre-LT reactivity. Results 115 patients were enrolled at the 6 sites between 12/2011 and 6/2012.[table1]Study follow-up will be complete in 11/2012. An interim analysis through 8/2012 showed that 40 of the 115 (35%) recipients developed DSA after LT; 6 (5%) had class I DSA only, 22 (19%) had class II DSA only, & 12 (10%) had class I & class II DSA. DSA were identified a mean 29.6±24.4 days after LT.[ figure 1 ]The median DSA MFI was 4534 (range: 1068-18150). Conclusions DSA development is common early after LT & most DSA are directed at class II HLA. Future studies should evaluate long-term outcomes after early DSA development & the potential benefit of preemptive DSA depletion. The HALT Study is funded by the NHLBI (R34 HL105412). Recipient Demographics (n = 115) Variable Age, mean (SD) 56.8 (12.4) Female, n (%) 47 (41%) Diagnosis, n (%) COPD 37 (32%) ILD 51 (44%) CF 17 (15%) PAH 2 (2%) Other 8 (7%) Bilateral, n (%) 86 (75%) Allosensitized pre-LT, n (%) 16 (14%) Number of HLA mismatches for A, B, C, DRB1, DQ, median (IQR) 8 (3)
Ultrastructural evidence for a granule-containing sensory-motor-interneuron in Hydra littoralis.

An electron microscopic survey of all identifiable neural tissue in Hydra littoralis has revealed the presence of a single type of central neuron having unique features. Except for its location near the bases of epitheliomuscular cells this neuron closely resembles a peripheral sensory cell. It has a cilium, a pair of centrioles, striated rootlets, and membrane-bounded granules that appear to arise from the Golgi apparatus. Granules that are transported into the neurites may function either as neurosecretory granules or as dense-cored synaptic vesicles; those that aggregate near the cilium may function as pigment granules. The neuron has synaptic junctions with both effector cells (nematocytes and epitheliomuscular cells) and other neurons. Evidence is presented that the unique neuron is the ganglion, neurosensory, and neurosecretory cell described separately by others. It is morphologically primitive in that it has features of sensory, motor, and interneuronal cells of higher animals; therefore, I propose it be called a sensory-motor-interneuron.
An adaptive low-power receiver architecture for IEEE 802.15.4 standard

As increase applicability of unplugged wireless systems, much effort to reduce power consumption in transceiver has been invested. Most of publications, however, target in RF front-end, ADCs and DACs, or in the digital baseband architecture individually. This paper proposes an adaptive system level architecture focus on ADC and digital receiver power safe. It uses a robust algorithm to digital receiver baseband, a Sigma-Delta ADC, and a feedback control block based on packet SNR measure. The system was designed targeting standard IEEE 802.15.4. Simulations show up to 13% of system power reduction and still meeting the standard requirements.
T cell clonal expansions detected in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis express CX3CR1

Abstract The intrahepatic biliary destruction of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) appears secondary to a multi-lineage response that includes autoantibodies, biliary apotopes, and cellular responses. Although there has been considerable effort in defining the role and specificity of anti-mitochondrial autoantibodies, a major challenge has been the characterization of T effector pathways. This difficulty is due in part to the limitation of current technologies for directly isolating and characterizing autoreactive T cells from patients. Herein, we successfully demonstrate a novel technology for characterizing the surface phenotype of T cell oligoclonal expansions directly ex vivo. Using PBC as a prototypic disease we were able to detect clonal T cell expansions in 15/15 patients examined. Although the T cell expansions from different patients expressed different TCRVβ gene segments, the surface phenotype of the cells was the same. The clonal T cell expansions in PBC patients are CX3CR1+ Fas+ effector-memory T cells, a finding of particular importance given the known up-regulation of fractalkine on injured biliary epithelial cells (BEC). In contrast to the persistent aberrantly expanded T cells observed in the PBC patients, T cell expansions detected in response to a herpes viral infection were very dynamic and resolved over time. This protocol can be used to characterize T cell expansions in other autoimmune diseases.
Spray Drift Reduction Technology Adjuvant Evaluation

Twelve commercial drift reduction agents were evaluated for their characteristics in the three most commonly accepted parameters for spray droplet size formation—extensional viscosity, dynamic surface tension, and kinematic viscosity. Samples were sprayed in both water and in the presence of a commercial herbicide formulation. The spray droplet spectra for these agents were then determined under rigorous control, in still-air conditions, using a Sympatec HELOS/KF laser diffraction particle size analyzer. Spraying an actual pesticide formulation that contains a wetting agent is important because the surfactant present reduces dynamic surface tension and can significantly reduce spray droplet diameter. The aerosol particle size distributions were measured using an electronic actuator that moved the nozzle spray pattern through the laser in a reproducible manner. There are multiple mechanisms that can influence both volume mean diameter and percent fines below 105 microns. There are natural and synthetic water-soluble polymers that function by increasing extensional viscosity. There are oil products that produce emulsions that keep small spray drops from forming. The droplet spectra for the different commercial products were grouped according to their specific drift reduction mechanism in order to see if a better correlation could be made on how they individually affected the resulting droplet particle size distribution.
Oxyradicals and multivitamin tablets

Abstract Ingestion of a single multivitamin tablet leads to hydroxyl radical production equivalent to a radiation dose rate of 53 Gy/h.
Onset of tolerance to discriminative stimulus effects of morphine.

Abstract Experiments assessed the onset of tolerance to discriminative stimulus effects of morphine in rats treated repeatedly with twice daily doses of 10 mg/kg morphine. Saline and 3.2 mg/kg morphine were established as discriminative stimuli for food-reinforced fixed-ratio performances in several groups of rats, and initial ED 50 values were determined for stimulus and rate-altering effects of morphine. To assess onset of tolerance, training was halted and 10 mg/kg doses of morphine were administered repeatedly at 12-h intervals. In separate experiments, ED 50 values were redetermined after various treatment periods. One treatment with 10 mg/kg morphine did not alter the ED 50 for stimulus effects of morphine, whereas treatment for one or three days increased the ED 50 by approximately 2-fold. Comparisons with published data showed even greater tolerance when treatment lasted one or two weeks. Tolerance to stimulus effects of morphine generally was accompanied by tolerance to its rate-decreasing effects. Repeated treatment with morphine also produced cross-tolerance to morphine-like stimulus effects of methadone and buprenorphine. As with morphine itself, greater tolerance developed with longer treatment. These results suggest that tolerance to discriminateve stimulus effects of morphine develops gradually, with magnitude of tolerance increasing as a function of treatment duration.
Collapse of the spin gap with pressure in spin-ladder compounds

We introduce a model of weakly coupled spin ladders using a decomposition into triplet and singlet Majorana fermions. We show that a weak coupling between the ladders causes the triplet gap to vanish. Assuming that pressure enhances the interladder coupling, we find that the triplet gap vanishes with increased pressure. We suggest that this is the explanation of recent nuclear magnetic resonance experimental data in superconducting spin-ladder compounds such as Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 12}Cu{sub 24}O{sub 41}. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Experimental evaluation of filter effectiveness (extended abstract)

Evaluation of a spatial join typically has two steps: a filter step that applies the join on approximations of spatial objects and a refinement step that determines the actual intersection of two spatial objects. In this paper, we study the effectiveness of filters with different approximations including minimum bounding rectangles, rectilinear approximations, minimum 5-corner bounding convex polygons, and convex hulls. We compare the effectiveness of filters by comparing the number of “false hits” in the filter result using these approximations. We analyze the impact of parameters such as approximation quality and aspect ratios of input polygons on the filter effectiveness.
Why Can't We All Just Get Along: The Reasonable vs. the Rational According to Spinoza

Spinoza presents a picture of the good human life in which being rational and being reasonable or sociable are mutually supporting: the philosopher makes the best citizen, and citizenship is the best route to philosophy and adequate ideas. Crucial to this mutual implication are the roles of religion and politics in promoting obedience. It is through obedience that people can become “of one mind and one body” in the absence of adequate ideas, through the presence of shared empowering imaginations and emotions.
The Structures and Meanings of Social Time

In the years since Sorokin and Merton published their groundbreaking article [1937, see Chapter 4 in this volume] on the sociology of time inviting us to probe its qualitative and meaningful features, a number of insightful books and articles have dealt with aspects of social-time. Most sociologists, however, treat time as incidental to other sociological problems rather than meriting investigation in its own right. Consequently, there is a dearth of theoretical work on the sociology of time that might lead to a general paradigm for integrating the disparate empirical studies in this developing subfield.
The behavioral effects of acute Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and heroin (diacetylmorphine) exposure in adult zebrafish

The use of psychotropic drugs in clinical and translational brain research continues to grow, and the need for novel experimental models and screens is becoming widely recognized. Mounting evidence supports the utility of zebrafish (Danio rerio) for studying various pharmacological manipulations, as an alternative model complementing the existing rodent paradigms in this field. Here, we explore the effects of acute 20-min exposure to two commonly abused psychotropic compounds, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and heroin, on adult zebrafish behavior in the novel tank test. Overall, THC administration (30 and 50 mg/L) produces an anxiogenic-like reduction of top swimming, paralleled with a slower, continuous bottom swimming. In contrast, heroin exposure (15 and 25 mg/L) evoked a hyperlocomotor response (with rapid bouts of bottom swimming and frequent 'bouncing' motions) without altering anxiety-sensitive top/bottom endpoints. The behavioral effects of these two compounds in zebrafish seem to parallel the respective rodent and human findings. Collectively, this emphasizes the growing significance of novel emerging aquatic models in translational drug abuse research and small molecule screening.
Electrical activity in single muscle cells of a spider heart.

Abstract 1. 1. The mean resting potential recorded from cardiac muscle cells of the spider Geolycosa missouriensis is 45 mV (S.E. 1·7 mV). 2. 2. Correlated with each heart contraction there is recorded within the muscle cells an initial rapid depolarization of 22 mV (S.E. 3·8 mV) followed by a lesser maintained oscillatory depolarization. The total duration of the activity is approximately 450 msec.
Platelet GPIIb/IIIa antagonist, XV459, in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a serious, immune-related complication of heparin therapy. One of the most severe manifestations of HIT is the development of thromboembolic events, which is based on platelet activation and aggregation caused by HIT-associated antibodies. Therapeutic options for patients with HIT are limited despite advancement toward the development of alternative (nonheparin) anticoagulants, such as direct thrombin inhibitors and indirect anti-factor Xa agents. Platelet GPIIb/IIIa receptor antagonists have been shown to be the final common pathway for platelet aggregation regardless of the use of activator or anticoagulant. In this study, the ability of a novel platelet GPIIb/IIIa antagonist, a free acid form of roxifiban (XV459), to block platelet activation/aggregation in response to highly characterized heparin-PF4 antibody-positive plasma/heparin was examined using light transmittance aggregometry, serotonin release, and 125 I-fibrinogen binding assays to human platelets. XV459 at 20 nM maximally inhibited (P < 0.001) the platelet-activation/aggregation responses as mediated by the HIT antibody-positive plasma (in the presence of therapeutic heparin concentrations). Compared with controls, both HIT antibodies/heparin and TEAC (a mixture of thrombin [0.1 IU/ml], epinephrine [1 mg/ml], arachidonate [0.1 mM], and collagen [10 mg/ml]) resulted in significantly higher levels of fibrinogen binding to human platelets (5–7-fold increase; P < 0.001). Concentration-dependent profiles of XV459 on the mean percent inhibition of 125 I-fibrinogen binding in the presence of HIT antibodies and TEAC were achieved (*50% inhibition at 10 nM XV459). The platelet GPIIb/IIIa receptor antagonist (XV459) might be of potential benefit in the management of thrombotic thrombocytopenia produced by heparin and/or related glycosaminoglycans. Am. J. Hematol. 82:276–282, 2007. V C 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Pupil function splitting method in calculating acoustic microscopic signals for elastic discontinuities

This paper deals with the output signals of scanning acoustic microscopes observing the elastic discontinuities on sample surface, and presents a new method of calculation. The formulation is based on the angular-spectrum method together with a ray-optical approximation. The key treatment is splitting of the pupil function into two parts. This method clarifies the image-forming factors in acoustic microscopy including large and fine fringes parallel to discontinuities. Calculation for an edge and a metal/ceramic joint showed good agreements with the experimental results.
Expression and regulation of protein K, an Escherichia coli K1 porin, in Escherichia coli K-12

Using a modified lambda phage as a vector and a procedure developed in Dr. C. Schnaitman's laboratory, we have cloned the structural gene for protein K from an Escherichia coli K1 strain to an E coli K-12 strain. The cloned inserts consist of two HindIII fragments, 4 kb and 6.5 kb in size. The protein produced by the insert is nearly identical to "authentic" protein K when chymotryptic peptides of 125I-labeled proteins are compared. Protein K was found to respond to changes in the osmolarity of the medium, being favored in trypticase soy broth (high osmolarity). This fluctuation was not dependent on a functional ompR gene. However, protein K was not expressed in strains carrying the envZ-473 mutation. Thus, protein K appears to be within a class of exported proteins whose expression is regulated by the envZ gene independent of the ompR gene.
Idiopathic hirsutism: an uncommon cause of hirsutism in Alabama

Abstract Objective: To determine the prevalence of idiopathic hirsutism among a population of consecutive hirsute patients. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: University-based clinic. Patient(s): Premenopausal women with a complaint of hirsutism who were not receiving hormonal therapy. Intervention(s): Evaluations for total and free testosterone, (T), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-HP), and DHEAS serum levels. Main Outcome Measure(s): Ovulatory function in women with cycles of ≤35 days in length was assessed with a basal body temperature (BBT) calendar and day 22–24 progesterone levels. Result(s): Of 132 consecutive hirsute women studied, 68 had cycles of >35 days in length. Of the remaining 64 patients, 25 also had oligo/anovulation by BBT and day 22–24 progesterone level. Of the 39 patients with hirsutism and regular ovulatory function, 22 had total and free T and DHEAS levels within normal limits. Conclusion(s): If idiopathic hirsutism is defined by the presence of hirsutism, regular ovulation, and normal androgen levels, only 17% of consecutive hirsute patients can be diagnosed with the disorder. Alternatively, if idiopathic hirsutism is based solely on the presence of hirsutism and regular ovulation, regardless of androgen levels, then 29% of the total hirsute population can be considered as having idiopathic hirsutism. Importantly, 40% of hirsute patients with a history of "regular cycles" were actually oligo/anovulatory, indicating the need to objectively assess ovulatory function in such patients.
Tuberculosis-associated haemophagocytic syndrome

Haemophagocytic syndrome is a disorder characterised by fevers, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenias, and hyperferritinaemia due to dysregulated activation and proliferation of macrophages, leading to uncontrolled phagocytosis of platelets, erythrocytes, lymphocytes, and their haematopoietic precursors throughout the reticuloendothelial system. Primary or familial haemophagocytic syndrome appears to have a genetic aetiology, whereas secondary haemophagocytic syndrome may be associated with malignancy, autoimmune disease, or infection. Epstein-Barr virus is the most common infectious aetiology implicated in haemophagocytic syndrome, but the syndrome has been associated with a variety of other viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens. We describe a case of haemophagocytic syndrome associated with disseminated Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We review all cases of M tuberculosis-associated haemophagocytic syndrome reported in the English language literature and discuss important issues pertaining to the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of this disease.
Inhibition of TLR8- and TLR4-induced Type I IFN induction by alcohol is different from its effects on inflammatory cytokine production in monocytes.

Background: Prolonged alcohol consumption is a significant co-factor in the progression of chronic viral infections including hepatitis C and HIV, which are both single-stranded RNA viruses. Toll like receptor 8 (TLR8), a pattern recognition receptor expressed in monocytes, senses viral single stranded RNA as a danger signal and leads to the induction of Type I interferon (IFN) as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) ligand, was shown to affect inflammatory cell activation after alcohol consumption and in HIV and HCV infections. Here we hypothesized that alcohol exposure modulates TLR8- and TLR4-ligand-induced monocyte activation and affects both type I IFN and inflammatory cytokine induction. Results: The TLR8 ligand, CL075, as well as the TLR4 ligand, LPS, resulted in a significant induction of TNF alpha both at the mRNA and protein levels in human monocytes. We found that both acute and prolonged alcohol treatment resulted in inhibition of type I IFN induction by either TLR8 or TLR4 ligands in human monocytes at the protein and mRNA levels. In contrast to Type I IFN production, the effects of acute and prolonged alcohol were different on inflammatory cytokine activation after TLR8 or TLR4 ligand stimulation. Acute alcohol inhibited TLR8or TLR4-induced TNF alpha protein and mRNA induction while it augmented IL-10 production in monocytes. In contrast, prolonged alcohol treatment augmented TNF alpha without affecting IL-10 production significantly in response to either TLR8 or TLR4 ligand stimulation. Conclusions: These novel results suggest first, that alcohol has a profound inhibitory effect on Type I IFN induction regardless of intracellular (TLR8) or cell surface-derived (TLR4) danger signals. Second, both acute and prolonged alcohol exposure can inhibit antiviral Type I IFN pathway activation. Third, the opposite effects of acute (inhibitory) and prolonged alcohol (augmentation) treatment on pro-inflammatory cytokine activation extend to TLR8-induced signals beyond the previously shown TLR4/LPS pathway.
Histopathology of longleaf pine needles infected by Ploioderma hedgcockii (Dearn.) Darker

The histopathology of Ploioderma hedgcockii on longleaf pine needles was examined. Abnormal host tissue was confined to the visible lesion and to tissues external to the endodermis where collapse of mesophyll cells was the predominant abnormality. Resin ducts exhibited necrosis and dissolution of epithelial cells. l Hyphae, intra- and intercellular, were frequent to profuse in inter-cellular spaces resulting from mesophyll cell collapse. Hyphae were external to the endodermis and appeared limited to the symptomatic tissue by an intercellular matrix at the lesion bound-aries Hysterotheca were subepidermal and appeared seated on the hypodermis. Asci appeared contain foui “two-stage” ascospores. The presence of a toxin was not indicated in the host/pathogen relationship.
Modeling and simulation of flexible robot manipulator with a prismatic joint

This correspondence investigates the modeling and simulation of a single link flexible robot arm (beam) having both rotational and translation motions, and the effects of higher-order dynamics on the response of the arm. The model is suitable for the development of control strategy to suppress the vibration of the arm. Assumed modes techniques have been reported in the literature where only two or three modes are retained and the rest are truncated which in many cases is inadequate for high performance control system development. In this study, an analytical model of the manipulator, characterized by an infinite number of modes, is developed using Euler-Bernoulli beam equation and modal expansion method. The infinite-dimensional transcendental transfer function for the robot arm is formulated without modal approximation that is conveniently transformed into state-space form. The effects of higher-order dynamics are demonstrated through computer simulations using National Instrument's LabVIEW software package. In this approach, adding modes or increasing the order of transfer function is straightforward and provides a straightforward check of the effect of ignoring higher-order terms. The results are illustrated for different modes through an example.
Health Care Investing: Is a Higher Dose of Health Care Good for the Portfolio?

The health care industry has grown five-fold as a percentage of total U.S. market capitalization since 1930 and has been a relevant economic force in the U.S. equity markets since the mid-1980s. This study analyzes the health care industry as an investment opportunity and finds that overweighting the U.S. equity portion of a portfolio toward health care generates greater returns, enhanced diversification, and positive alphas. In terms of risk and return, the industry also expands the attainable set of investment portfolios beyond those formed using other major industries’ equities. Over the past 25 years, health care industry returns have generated an annual alpha of 180 (360) basis points over the CAPM (four-factor model). These appealing aspects of the health care sector suggest that a slightly increased dosage of health care in a portfolio “did no harm.”
Producing Public Television, Producing Public Culture

Producing Public Television, Producing Public Culture. Barry Dornfeld. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998. + 240 pp., notes, references, filmography, index.
Inhibition of Caspase-1/Interleukin-1β Signaling Prevents Degeneration of Retinal Capillaries in Diabetes and Galactosemia

The proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin (IL)-1beta, is known to induce vascular dysfunction and cell death. We investigated the role of IL-1beta and caspase-1 (the enzyme that produces it) in diabetes-induced degeneration of retinal capillaries. Caspase-1 activity is increased in retinas of diabetic and galactosemic mice and diabetic patients. First, we investigated the effect of agents known to inhibit caspase-1 (minocycline and tetracycline) on IL-1beta production and retinal capillary degeneration in diabetic and galactose-fed mice. Second, we examined the effect of genetic deletion of the IL-1beta receptor on diabetes-induced caspase activities and retinal capillary degeneration. Diabetic and galactose-fed mice were injected intraperitoneally with minocycline or tetracycline (5 mg/kg). At 2 months of diabetes, minocycline inhibited hyperglycemia-induced caspase-1 activity and IL-1beta production in the retina. Long-term administration of minocycline prevented retinal capillary degeneration in diabetic (6 months) and galactose-fed (13 months) mice. Tetracycline inhibited hyperglycemia-induced caspase-1 activity in vitro but not in vivo. Mice deficient in the IL-1beta receptor were protected from diabetes-induced caspase activation and retinal pathology at 7 months of diabetes. These results indicate that the caspase-1/IL-1beta signaling pathway plays an important role in diabetes-induced retinal pathology, and its inhibition might represent a new strategy to inhibit capillary degeneration in diabetic retinopathy.
Characterization of the Organic Hydroperoxide Resistance System of Brucella abortus 2308

The organic hydroperoxide resistance protein Ohr has been identified in numerous bacteria where it functions in the detoxification of organic hydroperoxides, and expression of ohr is often regulated by a MarR-type regulator called OhrR. The genes annotated as BAB2_0350 and BAB2_0351 in the Brucella abortus 2308 genome sequence are predicted to encode OhrR and Ohr orthologs, respectively. Using isogenic ohr and ohrR mutants and lacZ promoter fusions, it was determined that Ohr contributes to resistance to organic hydroperoxide, but not hydrogen peroxide, in B. abortus 2308 and that OhrR represses the transcription of both ohr and ohrR in this strain. Moreover, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting revealed that OhrR binds directly to a specific region in the intergenic region between ohr and ohrR that shares extensive nucleotide sequence similarity with so-called “OhrR boxes” described in other bacteria. While Ohr plays a prominent role in protecting B. abortus 2308 from organic hydroperoxide stress in in vitro assays, this protein is not required for the wild-type virulence of this strain in cultured murine macrophages or experimentally infected mice.
Potential for utilization of pepper germplasm with a variable reaction to Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. to develop southern blight-resistant pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars

The bell-type pepper cultivar Golden California Wonder, a source of resistance to southern blight, was crossed with the susceptible cultivar Sweet Banana. The F1, F2 and backcross progenies of this cross and the parental lines were evaluated in an inoculated field study for their reactions to Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. A categorical rating system was used to rate plants for severity of wilting and severity of stem-lesion development. The plants within all three non-segregating populations (the resistant parent, the susceptible parent and the F1) displayed a range of reactions to S. rolfsii. Variable reactions to S. rolfsii among homogeneous pepper populations were expected because this phenomenon is well documented in the literature and we had observed similar responses in field trials conducted over multiple years. The high level of variation for reactions to S. rolfsii exhibited by the parental and F1 hybrid populations and the categorical system of rating individual plants placed severe limitations on the effective use of any quantitative type of analysis. Accordingly, a weighting procedure was used to correct the F2 and backcross populations based on frequencies of apparent mis-classifications in the parental and F1 populations. Examination of the comparative frequency distributions of the parental and progeny populations and examination of the weighted segregation data suggest that the southern blight resistance in ‘Golden California Wonder’ is conditioned by a single recessive gene. The level of resistance conditioned by this reputed recessive gene appears high enough to recommend it for use in pepper breeding programmes.
Solving the credit assignment problem: explicit and implicit learning of action sequences with probabilistic outcomes

In most problem-solving activities, feedback is received at the end of an action sequence. This creates a credit-assignment problem where the learner must associate the feedback with earlier actions, and the interdependencies of actions require the learner to remember past choices of actions. In two studies, we investigated the nature of explicit and implicit learning processes in the credit-assignment problem using a probabilistic sequential choice task with and without a secondary memory task. We found that when explicit learning was dominant, learning was faster to select the better option in their first choices than in the last choices. When implicit reinforcement learning was dominant, learning was faster to select the better option in their last choices than in their first choices. Consistent with the probability-learning and sequence-learning literature, the results show that credit assignment involves two processes: an explicit memory encoding process that requires memory rehearsals and an implicit reinforcement-learning process that propagates credits backwards to previous choices.
Reduced effect on apoptosis of 4-hydroxyhexenal and oxidized LDL enriched with n-3 fatty acids from postmenopausal women

Background: Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) promotes apoptosis in atherosclerotic plaques in the vascular wall, a process mediated through its oxidized lipids. 4-Hydroxynonenal (HNE) and 4-hydroxyhexenal (HHE), derived from oxidation of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids, respectively, are among the major oxidized products in oxLDL. Hypothesis: This study hypothesized that eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid (EPA/DHA)-rich versus linoleic acid-rich oxLDL obtained from postmenopausal women and HNE versus HHE differentially influence apoptosis in U937 cells. Experimental Design: Thirty healthy postmenopausal women were supplemented with 14 g/day safflower oil (SO), 7 g/day of both fish oil and SO (low dose LFO) or 14 g/day fish oil (high dose HFO) for 5 weeks. Low-density lipoprotein, obtained after supplementation, was oxidized with 5 µM CuSO4 at 37°C for 6 h. The concentration of cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides (CEOOH) and conjugated dienes was measured in the oxidized LDL (oxLDL). U937 cells were incubated with the oxLDL, 10 µM of HHE, 7 µM of HHE plus 3 µM of HNE, 5 µM of both HHE and HNE or 10 µM of HNE and the extent of apoptosis measured three ways. Results: The concentration of CEOOH and conjugated dienes in oxLDL did not differ among the three treatment groups. The percent of apoptotic cells was approximately 40% lower when incubated with oxLDL obtained from the HFO-supplemented group than the SO- supplemented group measured by both the Annexin V and the DNA fragmentation assays (P=.04 and .004, respectively). Apoptosis of U937 cells was significantly lower in cells incubated with 10 µM of HHE, and mixtures of HHE and HNE than the 10 µM HNE when measured by the Annexin V, DNA fragmentation and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Conclusions: These data suggest that the cardioprotective properties of n-3 fatty acids may derive in part from their less reactive oxidized lipid metabolites.
Portfolio Decision Analysis Framework for Value-Focused Ecosystem Management

Management of natural resources in coastal ecosystems is a complex process that is made more challenging by the need for stakeholders to confront the prospect of sea level rise and a host of other environmental stressors. This situation is especially true for coastal military installations, where resource managers need to balance conflicting objectives of environmental conservation against military mission. The development of restoration plans will necessitate incorporating stakeholder preferences, and will, moreover, require compliance with applicable federal/state laws and regulations. To promote the efficient allocation of scarce resources in space and time, we develop a portfolio decision analytic (PDA) framework that integrates models yielding policy-dependent predictions for changes in land cover and species metapopulations in response to restoration plans, under different climate change scenarios. In a manner that is somewhat analogous to financial portfolios, infrastructure and natural resources are classified as human and natural assets requiring management. The predictions serve as inputs to a Multi Criteria Decision Analysis model (MCDA) that is used to measure the benefits of restoration plans, as well as to construct Pareto frontiers that represent optimal portfolio allocations of restoration actions and resources. Optimal plans allow managers to maintain or increase asset values by contrasting the overall degradation of the habitat and possible increased risk of species decline against the benefits of mission success. The optimal combination of restoration actions that emerge from the PDA framework allows decision-makers to achieve higher environmental benefits, with equal or lower costs, than those achievable by adopting the myopic prescriptions of the MCDA model. The analytic framework presented here is generalizable for the selection of optimal management plans in any ecosystem where human use of the environment conflicts with the needs of threatened and endangered species. The PDA approach demonstrates the advantages of integrated, top-down management, versus bottom-up management approaches.
Rectangular Uniform-Chromaticity-Scale Coordinates

The advantages and limitations of the I.C.I. coordinate system and the trilinear coordinate system yielding uniform chromaticity scales as proposed by Judd are compared. The advantages for engineering applications of a system combining rectangular coordinates with the uniform chromaticity scale (U.C.S.) are pointed out. The U.C.S. triangle is transformed to give such a system. A slight modification of the constants and a simple translation give a system of coordinates in which the first quadrant contains only greens, the second blues, the third purples and the fourth reds and yellows. The resulting diagram is compared with that obtained by MacAdam. Transformation equations for obtaining the rectangular uniform-chromaticity-scale coordinates from the I.C.I. coordinates and for the reverse transformation, the distribution coefficients for an equal-energy spectrum and for the spectrum of the Planckian radiator at 2355°K and at 2842°K, and also the ordinates to be used in computing rectangular uniform-chromaticity-scale coordinates by the Hardy selected ordinate method for a source at 2842°K are included.