cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of serotonin 5-HT1A agonist in advanced Parkinson's disease.

Intermittent stimulation of striatal dopaminergic receptors seems to contribute to motor dysfunction in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). With severe dopaminergic denervation, exogenous levodopa is largely decarboxylated to dopamine in serotonergic terminals. If 5-HT1A autoreceptors regulate dopamine as well as serotonin release, in parkinsonian patients inhibition of striatal serotonergic neuron firing might help maintain more physiological intrasynaptic dopamine concentrations and thus ameliorate motor fluctuations and dyskinesias. To evaluate this hypothesis, effects of a selective 5-HT1A agonist, sarizotan, given orally at 2 and 5 mg twice daily to 18 relatively advanced parkinsonian patients, were compared with baseline placebo function during a 3-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept study. Sarizotan alone or with intravenous levodopa had no effect on parkinsonian severity. But at safe and tolerable doses, sarizotan coadministration reduced levodopa-induced dyskinesias and prolonged its antiparkinsonian response (P ≤ 0.05). Under the conditions of this study, our findings suggest that 5-HT1A receptor stimulation in levodopa-treated parkinsonian patients can modulate striatal dopaminergic function and that 5-HT1A agonists may be useful as levodopa adjuvants in the treatment of PD. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society
670G EVALUATION OF CHILDREN WITH FUNCTIONAL MURMURS BY ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

The evaluation of children with heart murmurs and normal hearts remains an important function of the pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist. Increasing use of echocardiography has made reliance on a pure auscultatory diagnosis less common. To assess the usefulness of single crystal echocardiography in patients with a clinical diagnosis of functional murmur, 25 consecutive children in whom this diagnosis was made on a first visit to Pediatric Cardiology Clinic arbitrarily had an echocardiogram performed. In each patient, the diagnosis of functional murmur had been made on auscultation by 2 cardiologists. Chest x-rays and ECG's were normal. Patients' ages ranged from 2-14 years (mean = 6.7 years). In all 25 patients intracardiac structures and relationships were recorded normally echocardiographically. In 23/25 patients, echocardiographic dimensions were within the range of normal for this lab; in 1 patient right ventricular diastolic dimension was mildly increased and in another, left ventricular diastolic dimension was mildly increased. In no patient was evidence of significant structural heart disease obtained. The study suggests that in children in whom a careful auscultatory diagnosis of functional murmur has been made, single crystal echocardiography adds no useful information.
Effects of illumination on activity following superior colliculus and caudate lesions in young and older rats.

Abstract Illumination dependent hyperactivity following lesions of the superior colliculus and the head of the caudate nucleus, separately and in combination, was studied in young and older rats tested in the light and dark. While control animals of both age groups exhibited an illumination effect, there were age related differences in the pattern of locomotor activity during the test session as well as over days that interacted with illumination level. None of the lesions appeared to alter activity in the young animals. In the older animals, separate lesions of the superior colliculus and the head of caudate produced hyperactivity in the light but not in the dark, which showed a recovery of function. Simultaneously lesioning these structures eliminated the light-dark effect immediately after surgery and delayed recovery of function. These results support the notion of a functional system regulating illumination dependent activity.
Investigation of hardness in tetrahedrally bonded nonmolecular CO 2 solids by density-functional theory

Stability and compressibility of several nonmolecular (polymeric) ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ solids in structures analogous to those of ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$ have been investigated with ab initio density-functional theory. Contrary to the recent experimental reports of a ``superhard'' high-pressure tridymite form of ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2},$ we find that metastable tetrahedrally bonded ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ polymorphs, such as tridymite, cristobalite, and quartz, are relatively compressible, with bulk moduli K of only 1/2 to 1/3 of the reported experimental value. In addition, theory finds that the experimentally reported lattice parameters are not stable for ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ ${P2}_{1}{2}_{1}{2}_{1}$ tridymite. Finally, none of the calculated x-ray spectra of the fully relaxed structures of ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ polymorphs obtained from theory agrees with the experiments. The significant discrepancy between experiments and density-functional theory suggests that further studies on nonmolecular ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ solids are necessary, and that the assumptions that density-functional theory can describe these materials correctly, or that the framework of the new nonmolecular ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ solids contains only ${\mathrm{CO}}_{4}$ tetrahedra, must be re-examined.
US health‐care revolution: cost and quality challenges

Discusses challenges facing the US health‐care system now that prepaid or capitated health plans are gaining market share. Investigates how this affects providers, payers and policy makers and the concerns for the maintenance of a quality system. Concludes that the current changes in the US health‐care system are driven by the changing role of the consumer, concerns for quality and efforts to contain costs. Maintains that further research is needed to provide better guidelines to help these challenges to be met.
Surface depressions (Lacunas) on Bering Glacier, Alaska: a product of downwasting through differential ablation

Abstract. Bering Glacier lacunas are steep-sided, flat-floored hollows ranging in size from 40 to 60 m wide, 80 to 120 m long, and 35 to 50 m in deep. They are confined within a band of clean ice (1.5 km wide, 5 km long) paralleling the eastern margin of the Bering piedmont lobe. The 1993–1995 surge displaced the lacuna band several kilometers onto the foreland. Specifically significant is the formation of a new band of lacunas 5–6 years later in the same location occupied by the displaced band prior to the surge. Conditions essential to lacuna formation were initiated during the surge as overriding ice was thrust into position across the trend of a subglacial trough, leading to stagnation of ice within the trough. Stagnation combined with saturation at depth altered ice texture and density. Exposure of this ice through normal ablation led to areas of differential ablation and the formation of lacunas.
MURINE IN VIVO CARRIER -SPECIFIC IgG MEMORY TO DNP-FICOLL: VARIATION AMONG INBRED STRAINS

BALB/cAnN and C3H/HeN mice were primed and challenged with DNP-Ficoll, a thymic independent (TI-2) antigen. They developed significant carrier-specific IgG memory responses: DNP-pneumococcal polysaccharide or DNP-hemocyanin challenge did not elicit memory responses. NZB/B1NJ mice failed to develop this memory response. Genetically controlled events apparently regulate the phenotypic expression of this effect.
On The Structure Of Gorenstein Ideals Of Deviation Two

The purpose of this short paper is to give a structure theorem for certain Gorenstein ideals.
Aldimine to ketoamine isomerization (Amadori rearrangement) potential at the individual nonenzymic glycation sites of hemoglobin A: preferential inhibition of glycation by nucleophiles at sites of low isomerization potential.

The relative roles of the two structural aspects of nonenzymic glycation sites of hemoglobin A, namely the ease with which the amino groups could form the aldimine adducts and the propensity of the microenvironments of the respective aldimines to facilitate the Amadori rearrangement, in dictating the site selectivity of nonenzymic glycation with aldotriose has been investigated. The chemical reactivity of the amino groups of hemoglobin A forin vitro reductive glycation with aldotriose is distinct from that in the nonreductive mode. The reactivity of amino groups of hemoglobin A toward reductive glycation (i.e., propensity for aldimine formation) decreases in the order Val-1(β), Val-1(α), Lys-66(β), Lys-61(α), and Lys-16(α). The overall reactivity of hemoglobin A toward nonreductive glycation decreased in the order Lys-16(α), Val-1(β), Lys-66(β), Lys-82(β), Lys-61(α), and Val-1(α). Since the aldimine is the common intermediate for both the reductive and nonreductive modification, the differential selectivity of protein for the two modes of glycation is clearly a reflection of the propensity of the microenvironments of nonenzymic glycation sites to facilitate the isomerization reaction (i.e., Amadori rearrangement). A semiquantitative estimate of this propensity of the microenvironment of the nonenzymic glycation sites has been obtained by comparing the nonreductive (nonenzymic) and reductive modification at individual glycation sites. The microenvironment of Lys-16(α) is very efficient in facilitating the rearrangement and the relative efficiency decreases in the order Lys-16(α), Lys-82(β), Lys-66(β), Lys-61(α), Val-1(β), and Val-1(α). The propensity of the microenvironment of Lys-16(α) to facilitate the Amadori rearrangement of the aldimine is about three orders of magnitude higher than that of Val-1(α) and is about 50 times higher than that of Val-1(β). The extent of nonenzymic glycation at the individual sites is modulated by various factors, such as thepH, concentration of aldotriose, and the concentration of the protein. The nucleophiles—such as tris, glycine ethyl ester, and amino guanidine—inhibit the glycation by trapping the aldotriose. The nonenzymic glycation inhibitory power of nucleophile is directly related to its propensity to form aldimine. Thus, the extent of inhibition of nonenzymic glycation at a given site by a nucleophile directly reflects the relative role ofpK a of the site in dictating the glycation at that site. The nonenzymic glycation of an amino group of a protein is an additive/synergestic consequence of the propensity of the site to form aldimine adducts on one hand, and the propensity of its microenvironment to facilitate the isomerization of the aldimines to ketoamines on the other. The isomerization potential of microenvironment plays the dominant role in dictating the site specificity of the nonenzymic glycation of proteins.
Ethics perspectives on end-of-life care

Abstract Aggressive medical management of the terminally ill has given rise to significant issues in the ethics of end-of-life care. The major ethics principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice help frame existing research finding. A wave of national initiatives to improve end-of-life care is occurring.
Multifunctional Superparamagnetic Janus Particles

In this study, we report the microfluidic-based synthesis of a multifunctional Janus hydrogel particle with anisotropic superparamagnetic properties and chemical composition for the bottom-up assembly of hydrogel superstructures. In a uniform magnetic field, the resulting Janus magnetic particles fabricated in the present method exhibit chainlike or meshlike superstructure forms, the complexity of which can be simply modulated by particle density and composition. This controllable field-driven assembly of the particles can be potentially used as building blocks to construct targeted superstructures for tissue engineering. More importantly, we demonstrated that this method also shows the ability to generate multifunctional Janus particles with great design flexibilities: (a) direct encapsulation and precise spatial distribution of biological substance and (b) selective surface functionalization in a particle. Although these monodisperse particles find immediate use in tissue engineering, their ability to self-assemble with tunable anisotropic configurations makes them an intriguing material for several exciting areas of research such as photonic crystals, novel microelectronic architecture, and sensing.
Pediatric Chest Imaging

Children are frightening. Frightening? In nearly all contexts this statement would be indefensible. In medicine, however, children are often frightening. For one thing, clinical evaluation in young children can be more difficult than with adults. In addition, in the acutely ill or injured child, reserve can be limited and appropriate assessment, including imaging evaluation, and subsequent care are critically important in improving outcome. Many care providers are not pediatric specialists by practice, and evaluation and treatment of children is less familiar than with adults. Moreover, the spectrum of disorders that affects the pediatric population can be quite different from disorders more easily recognized in adults. Often there is an extra layer of emotional concern, or anxiety, because a child is involved. Together, these issues reinforce the importance of resources which facilitate the diagnosis and care of the sick or injured child. This is especially relevant to chest disorders, because thoracic abnormalities are common in children, and is also relevant to radiologists, because imaging evaluation of the chest is frequently one of the first (or only) tools used after the clinical assessment. Presumably, you are reading this because you are an imager, or interested in imaging evaluation,
Effects of estrogen on urethral function in women with urinary incontinence.

In a prospective study, 2 gm of conjugated estrogen vaginal cream was administered daily for a total of 6 weeks in a group of 11 postmenopausal women with urodynamically proved genuine stress incontinence. Midurethral cytologic studies and a complete clinical and urodynamic evaluation were performed twice at 6-week intervals. Clinically, six of the 11 patients (54.5%) were cured or improved significantly after estrogen treatment, whereas the other five patients (45.5%) were clinically unchanged. The favorable clinical response correlated with urodynamic findings of increased urethral closure pressure and improved abdominal pressure transmission to the proximal urethra ( p p
Fitting the Methodology with the Research: An Exploration of Narrative, Self-Study and Auto-Ethnography.

Sharpening our approaches to methodology in self-study research can strengthen our work and clarify questions that arise for readers unfamiliar with this research genre. Our article considers three...
Merit Aid: The Practice of Giving Money to Those Who Do Not Need It.

This chapter examines some of the salient features of merit-based student financial aid. The author explores the role of merit aid in college admission and how it is used in today's competitive market.
Topological considerations in coupling magnetic scalar potentials to stream functions describing surface currents

The problem discussed is that of coupling cuts for magnetic scalar potentials to cuts for stream functions describing currents on the orientable boundary of a good conductor or on thin, possibly nonorientable, conducting sheets. The solution of this problem is of interest both for its own sake and for the insight it gives into the general case of volume distributions of current. It is shown how the topological formalism clearly articulates the lumped parameter aspects. It is also shown that cuts for stream functions can be made on a nonorientable surface and that the discontinuities in the magnetic scalar potential can be systematically related to discontinuities in stream functions by a suitable choice of cuts. >
Site Amplification in the Los Angeles Basin from Three-Dimensional Modeling of Ground Motion

It is well established that sedimentary basins can significantly amplify earthquake ground motion. However, the amplification at any given site can vary with earthquake location. To account for basin response in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, therefore, we need to know the average amplification and intrinsic variability (standard deviation) at each site, given all earthquakes of concern in the region. Due to a dearth of empirical ground-motion observations, theoretical simu- lations constitute our best hope of addressing this issue. Here, 0-0.5 Hz finite- difference, finite-fault simulations are used to estimate the three-dimensional (3D) response of the Los Angeles basin to nine different earthquake scenarios. Amplifi- cation is quantified as the peak velocity obtained from the 3D simulation divided by that predicted using a regional one-dimensional (1D) crustal model. Average ampli- fication factors are up to a factor of 4, with the values from individual scenarios typically differing by as much as a factor of 2.5. The average amplification correlates with basin depth, with values near unity at sites above sediments with thickness less than 2 km, and up to factors near 6 above the deepest (! 9 km) and steepest-dipping parts of the basin. There is also some indication that amplification factors are greater for events located farther from the basin edge. If the 3D amplification factors are divided by the 1D vertical SH-wave amplification below each site, they are lowered by up to a factor of 1.7. The duration of shaking in the 3D model is found to be longer, by up to more than 60 seconds, relative to the 1D basin response. The simu- lation of the 1994 Northridge earthquake reproduces recorded 0-0.5 Hz particle velocities relatively well, in particular at near-source stations. The synthetic and observed peak velocities agree within a factor of two and the log standard deviation of the residuals is 0.36. This is a reduction of 54% and 51% compared to the values obtained for the regional 1D model and a 1D model defined by the velocity and density profile below a site in the middle of the basin (DOW), respectively. This result suggests that long-period ground-motion estimation can be improved consid- erably by including the 3D basin structure. However, there are uncertainties con- cerning accuracy of the basin model, model resolution, the omission of material with shear velocities lower than 1 km/s, and the fact that only nine scenarios have been considered. Therefore, the amplification factors reported here should be used with caution until they can be further tested against observations. However, the results do serve as a guide to what should be expected, particularly with respect to increased amplification factors at sites located above the deeper parts of the basin.
Boundary Point Least Squares Analysis of the Free Edge Effects in Some Unidirectional Fiber Composites

The effect of a free edge on the stress distribution in several uni directional composite plates is presented. Plates with one, two, and three rows of equally spaced fibers are considered. The fibers and matrix are elastic and isotropic. Two types of loading conditions are investigated. The first is a uniform extension transverse to the fiber direction. The second is a linearly varying "bending" displacement transverse to the fiber direction. Stress and displacement solutions are obtained by the boundary point least squares method. For both loading conditions considered, the results show that the effect of the free edge extends only to the outer fiber nearest the free edge and the stress distribution in and around the remaining "inside" fibers is essentially equivalent to stresses for a fiber embedded in a doubly periodic array. For the case of uniform extension, effective transverse moduli are computed for the one, two, and three fiber plates and compared with the effective transverse modulus for an infi...
Generalized impedance boundary conditions in scattering

The authors present generalized surface impedance conditions that improve medium characterization. One of the most common conditions that is often used to simulate a dielectric coating is the standard impedance boundary condition, and the improved boundary condition discussed can be viewed as a generalization of this, distinguished by the presence of higher-order derivatives of the field. By virtue of the derivatives, the conditions are less local in character, and the additional degrees of freedom can be used to better simulate the material properties of a surface. Following a review of the standard impedance condition, the new conditions are introduced. Several forms are presented, each with coefficients which are functions of the geometry and material properties of the surface. The applications of these to a variety of scattering problems are then discussed. >
Pharmacokinetics of ponezumab (PF-04360365) following a single-dose intravenous infusion in Japanese patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease: Preliminary results

Background: The Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) is the most commonly used primary efficacy measure in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials. In general, the (11 item) ADASCog has demonstrated sensitivity to change across a range of dementia severities. However, some clinical research studies now include some additional items (e.g. delayed word recall, maze test and digit cancellation) hoping to better assess the early stages of dementia as well as executive functioning. Earlier research has demonstrated considerable variability in how raters have been trained to administer and score the (11 item) ADAS-Cog in clinical trials. Additionally, with increased globalization of studies, the potential for considerable differences in rater experience exists. Initial qualification rates for raters attempting to participate in studies utilizing the 11 item ADAS-Cog were compared to studies utilizing some or all of the additional items. Methods: A proprietary database identified all raters who were trained on and who attempted to qualify to administer and score the ADAS-Cog in 32 clinical trials. Raters were stratified into 2 groups those tested on the original 11 item ADAS-Cog and those tested on scale versions that incorporated additional item(s). Testing consisted of watching and scoring a video of the scale being administered to a patient. Initial qualification rates (scoring to a predefined criteria) were compared. Results: In 26 studies employing the 11 item ADAS-Cog, 4223 of 4587 raters (92.1%) qualified to rate on their initial attempt. Additionally, 1313 raters out of 1595 (82.3%) potential raters in the 6 studies utilizing additional item(s) were successful on their initial attempts to qualify to rate. A chi-square analysis determined that this difference in initial qualification rates is significant (<0.0001). Conclusions: The incorporation of additional item(s) into the original 11 item ADAS-Cog appears to provide an added challenge to raters who attempt to qualify to rate in those studies. Possible explanations include training variability; lack of familiarity with these items, their administration and scoring, and what they aim to assess. Given the difference in initial qualification rates when additional item(s) are used, surveillance and analysis of raters’ performance on these items throughout a trial is warranted.
THE LAST LAST WAVE

Hurricane Katrina was a horrible tragedy. Rather than reprising the obvious pitfalls of governmental response or the dire consequences of social inequalities, however, I pose a series of questions. In particular, I seek to highlight the blind spots and silences that the media frenzy generated. These range from the fate of the Native Americans and the complexity of New Orleans' racial history to the explanatory adequacy of the dominant narrative and the unreflective premise of the reconstruction effort. The precarious state of nature and civilization demands a way to think and act beyond short-term palliatives.
Multi-hop framework for battery-less devices using passive RF communication

Typical wireless multi-hop networks employ active communication where RF signal is actively generated by a sending node. In contrast, backscatter communication modulates backscattered RF signal that requires significantly less energy to operate than the active one. This paper proposes a novel, multi-hop architecture for such backscatter-based communication that is not currently present in the literature. Such a system consists of a powerful reader and small, battery-less nodes. The reader generates the original RF signal, while the passive devices backscatter this signal to communicate among themselves thus enabling multihop transmission from far-away nodes. The paper presents the generic analysis of the system capabilities and demonstrates the feasibility of such multi-hop network. Also, it studies the connectivity models in terms of k-connectivity of such network with uniformly distributed tags.
Short Selling during Extreme Market Movements

This study examines the short selling of NYSE stocks contained in the S&P 500 on days with extreme increases (up days) and extreme decreases (down days) in the index. Although Diether, Lee, and Werner [2009] showed, using contemporaneous returns of individual stocks, that short sellers are generally contrarian, Blau, Van Ness, Van Ness, and Wood find that short selling in stocks increases (decreases) on large down (up) days for the S&P, which suggests that during extreme market movements short sellers tend to follow the crowd. Further, the authors’ results show that short sellers do not anticipate down days, indicating that these event days are largely unforeseen. When examining the return predictability of short sellers on event days, the authors observe that short sellers on up days are significantly better at predicting negative next-day returns than short sellers on down days, suggesting that market-induced contrarian short selling is more profitable than momentum short selling.
Red Man Syndrome Following Intraperitoneal Vancomycin in a Child with Peritonitis

Red Man Syndrome has frequently been reported to occur with intravenous vancomycin therapy. However, there have been few reports of this complication during intraperitoneal treatment with vancomycin. This report describes an 11-year-old boy with end stage renal disease who developed Red Man Syndrome 45 minutes into the initial loading dose of intraperitoneal vancomycin for the treatment of bacterial peritonitis with a vancomycin level of 38.8 mcg/mL. The patient developed this adverse reaction despite appropriate initial loading dose per ISPD guidelines for continuous treatment (1000 mg/L). This case emphasizes the importance of monitoring for adverse reactions of vancomycin therapy, and raises dosing considerations that differ slightly from the currently recommended ISPD guidelines for intraperitoneal vancomycin treatment in the treatment of bacterial peritonitis.
CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES OF MUSKMELON RELATED TO TEXTURE

Effects were investigated of certain physical and chemical characteristics on muskmelon texture as described by sensory evaluation. Turgor pressure, moisture content and concentrations of total sugars, alcohol insoluble solids, three pectin fractions, starch and cellulose were determined in 50 melons purchased randomly from a retail market. Sensory assessments included crispness, fibrous-ness, and resistance to cutting, biting and crushing. Results indicated that the texture of muskmelon is determined largely by the type and amount of cell wall constituents. Maturity, inferred from starch and protopectin content, also affected sensory panel scores. Moisture, alcohol insoluble solids, total sugars and pectic substances, except protopectin, were not reliable texture indicators. Although turgor pressure was not related significantly to any textural characteristics, a trend was observed suggesting that this variable warrants further investigations.
Muscle recruitment during terrestrial locomotion : how speed and temperature affect fibre type use in a lizard

Summary Synchronized electromyography and cinematography were used to study the activity of the red and white regions of the iliofibularis muscle in savannah monitor lizards, Varanus exanthematicus (Bosc), during locomotion. Analysis of variance on results from four individuals moving at speeds of up to 1.5 km h" 1 at two body temperatures (25 and 35 °C) revealed that all kinematic variables were significantly affected by speed but none was affected by temperature. Hence, patterns of limb movement at any speed were similar at both temperatures. However, this similarity resulted from differences in muscle activity. Analysis of variance on electromyographic variables for activity in the red and white regions showed widespread significant effects of both temperature and speed. The red region was active at all speeds, and it displayed regular bursts of activity which usually occurred when the foot was above the ground, the femur was being abducted and the knee flexed. Variables measuring the intensity of red region activity generally increased with speed until a maximum was attained and no further change occurred with additional increases in speed. The speed at which maximum red activity was attained at 25 °C was less than that at 35 °C. For equal locomotor speeds, amplitudes of electromyograms (EMGs) from the red region at 25 °C were greater than those at 35 C C. In contrast to the red region, the white region was active only above some threshold speed, and activity was often rather irregular compared to that of the red region. At 25°C the threshold speed for recruitment of the white region (O^kmh" 1 ) was less than that at 35°C (l.Skmh" 1 ). The relationship between locomotor speed and activity per minute for the red region was very similar to the relationship between speed and rate of oxygen consumption described in previous studies of lizards, and the threshold speed for recruitment of the white region was also similar to the maximal aerobic speed previously reported for this species. Hence, lizards increase speed and compensate for lower temperature by increasing intensity of activity within the red region and recruiting fibres in the white region. We suggest that compensation for muscle function at decreased body temperature may involve recruitment of greater numbers of motor units.
Northern Forest (B): The Sawmill Trade Group's Views

This case series (see also the A [UVA-OM-1107], C [UVA-OM-1111], D [UVA-OM-1112], E [UVA-OM-1113], F [UVA-OM-1156], and G [UVA-OM-1158] cases) focuses students on the boom-and-bust behaviors in the Northern Forest sawmill industry. Stakeholders, from landowners to sawmill owners to government officials to environmentalists, all want to make sure that the overall demand for saw logs, as driven by sawmill capacity, does not exceed the rate at which the trees are growing. They do not want sawmill demand to overshoot the productive capacity of the forest resource, a classic problem in renewable-resource economies that the region had experienced approximately a century earlier. Students are called upon to use system-thinking skills (analysis of reference modes of behaviors, causal-loop mapping, and stock-flow mapping) in creating their causal hypotheses of the underlying system structure. Students are asked to design system-structure policies to help sustain both the industry and the natural resources of the region. The B case describes the views of the trade group for sawmills and veneer mills of the Northern Forest.
Ca(2+)-activated C1- channels in a human biliary cell line: regulation by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase.

Biliary epithelial cells contribute to bile formation through absorption and secretion of fluid and electrolytes. Recent studies indicate that membrane Cl- permeability is regulated in part by increases in intracellular Ca2+ concentration. The purpose of these studies was to evaluate the effects of intracellular Ca2+ on channel activity, using the human Mz-ChA-1 cholangiocarcinoma cell line as a model, and to assess the possible roles of Ca(2+)-dependent kinases in channel regulation. Exposure to ionomycin (1 microM) activated ion channels in the cell-attached configuration in 63 of 74 attempts, increasing open probability (NPo) from 0 to 0.26 +/- 0.15 (n = 17). Multiple channels were present in each patch, and the effects of ionomycin were reversed by subsequent addition of ethylene glycol-bis (beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'- tetraacetic acid (2 mM) to the bath. With Cl(-)-containing solutions, channels had a slope conductance of 14 +/- 4 pS (n = 11), and the mean open time was estimated to be 5.3 +/- 1.8 ms. These channels were anion selective, and currents were carried by efflux of Cl- at the resting potential. Exposure to the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) antagonist calmidazolium (100 microM) decreased NPo in ionomycin-stimulated cells to 0.02 +/- 0.06 (n = 19). The protein kinase C antagonist chelerythrine (50 microM) was without effect. In parallel studies in subconfluent cell monolayers, CaMKII antagonists were also potent inhibitors of ionomycin-stimulated 125I efflux. These findings indicate that Ca(2+)-dependent increases in membrane Cl- permeability are related in part to opening of 14.pS anion channels through a mechanism that depends on both Ca2+ and CaMKII. These channels represent a potential target for pharmacological modulation of biliary cell transport and function.
Nationwide Hospitalization Trends in Adult Congenital Heart Disease Across 2003–2012

Background We aimed to assess trends in hospitalization, outcomes, and resource utilization among patients admitted with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). Methods and Results We used the 2003–2012 US Nationwide Inpatient Sample for this study. All admissions with an ACHD were identified using standard ICD codes. Resource utilization was assessed using length of stay, invasive procedure utilization, and cost of hospitalization. There was a significant increase in the number of both simple (101%) as well as complex congenital heart disease (53%)–related admissions across 2003–2012. In addition, there was a considerable increase in the prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors including older age, along with a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity, chronic kidney disease, and peripheral arterial disease. Besides miscellaneous causes, congestive heart failure (11.8%), valve disease (15.5%), and cerebrovascular accident (26.1%) were the top causes of admission to the hospital among patients with complex ACHD, simple ACHD without atrial septal defects/patent foramen ovale and simple atrial septal defects/patent foramen ovale patients, respectively. In‐hospital mortality has been relatively constant among patients with complex ACHD as well as simple ACHD without atrial septal defects/patent foramen ovale. However, there has been considerable increase in the average length of stay and cost of hospitalization among the ACHD patients during 2003–2012. Conclusions There has been a progressive increase in ACHD admissions across 2003–2012 in the United States, with increasing healthcare resource utilization among these patients. Moreover, there has been a change in the cardiovascular comorbidities of these patients, adding a layer of complexity in management of ACHD patients.
Employment in the engineering profession

Between 1930 and 1934 there was a substantial net loss of employment among those engineers in the United States who entered the profession before 1930, and a considerable absorption in employment of newcomers to the profession. This is one important conclusion reached by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor after analyzing reports from 52,589 professional engineers obtained in the 1935 survey of the engineering profession conducted by the Bureau at the request and with the co-operation of American Engineering Council. This article,∗ third in the series reporting the results of this survey, presents data pertaining to the employment of engineers during 1929–34.
Toward reducing the ambiguity of adverse drug reactions: a computerized system.

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are clinical judgments that are often imprecise and subject to various interpretations. Because of lack of consistency in diagnosing the reactions, most current ADR reporting systems generate data of limited usefulness. A standardized method for analyzing an ADR and attributing it to the suspected drug, using preset criteria, is presented. Definite or probable reactions are then coded for computer analysis. The data elements collected and the classification systems used for reactions and drugs are described. Further validation of the reaction is obtained by comparing clusters of reactions in a computerized registry.
On chilling tolerance of South-China double cropping super rice varieties(combinations) with chilling stress at initial heading stage

Five new-bred South-China double cropping super rice varieties(combinations) Yuxiangyouzhan,Tianyou 122,Tianyou10 hao,Wufengyou128 and Teyou138,were chosen to study the chilling tolerance at initial heading stage in Guangzhou in the late season,2007.The results showed that 1) The main spike yield of all the varieties(combinations) deeply dropped differently under the chilling stress of 16 ℃ treated 5 d at initial heading stage,and moret,he main spike yield of the hybrid rice droped more with the treating time longer.2) Either treated 5 d or 7 d,the chilling stress of 18 ℃ and 22 ℃ did not cause the main spike yield of Teyou138 to drop.But the main spike yield of Yuxiangyouzhan,Tianyou 122,Tianyou 10 hao and Wufengyou128 dropped differently under the chilling stress of 18 ℃ and 22 ℃.3) Chilling stress at initial heading stage caused the yield of main spike to decline through declining its seed-setting rate.Chilling stress at initial heading stage had no effects on both the length and the total pellets of the main spike,and also it had no effects on the single pellet weight of the main spike.4) In this experiment,the chilling tolerance of Teyou 138 was the highest among the varieties and combinations,Yuxiangyouzhan was the second high,and Tianyou 10 hao,Tianyou122 and Wufengyou128 were low.
Large-area object search and recovery using sector-based aerial acousto-optic scanning and reflection sensing

A sector-based angular scanning system intended to identify and spatially locate relatively small objects scattered over a large terrain is described in this paper. The system is modeled as a planar surface on the horizontal (XY) plane, with an acousto-optic Bragg cell on board an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operating in the XZ plane. The Bragg cell is excited by a chirped RF signal with a designed frequency ramp. As the scanning beam reflects off the horizontal surface, a detector placed strategically at a suitable altitude (in the analysis shown to be on board the UAV itself) picks up the reflected wave and thereafter evaluates the refractive index of the material at the location using the Fresnel reflection coefficient. For large area coverage, the UAV makes alternate 180-degree turns at the end of each row-scan, thereby after several row scans, a practical surface area is covered. The usefulness and limitations of this scanning method are discussed.
THE ROLE OF CONCEPTS IN SCIENCE TEACHING

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the knowledge and skills that should be taught and the optimal methods for transmitting them. It focuses on the knowledge in science important to transmit and the methods that may be most appropriate for transmitting this knowledge. The course of science education, similar to that of the history of man, has shown periods of rise and decline in the importance of identifiable factors. From Aristotle's and Lucretus' conceptions of natural phenomena through the decay of learning in the Dark Ages and a rebirth conceptual ordering with Copernicus and Newton, science and science teaching with emphasis on concepts has continued to ebb and flow. Each new cycle, however, has added new dimensions. The movement toward greater emphasis on themes or major concepts in science, which is seen taking form again, brings with it this time strong reinforcement from rapidly advancing learning theory. Other factors also mediate in favor of science instruction centered on developing an understanding of basic concepts in science. New knowledge emerges at an increasing pace and with increasing impact on the society. New technological devices for transmitting knowledge, together with society's increasing ability and willingness to pay for these, render obsolete the student's dependence on the teacher for new knowledge characteristic of the schools and colleges.
Intercellular Networks Underlying Developmental Decisions

In this issue of Neuron, Yuzwa et al. (2016) identify secreted factors that influence the cell fates of embryonic neural progenitor cells. Surprisingly, the major contributors are trophic factors from the GDNF family and a cytokine, interferon-γ. Advanced analysis of proteomic and transcriptome data discovered ligand receptors that influence cell-cell communication.
Neonatal Guillain-Barre’ Syndrome

A term female infant presenting with generalized hypotonia, paucity of lower limb movements, and diminished DTRs was diagnosed as a case of Guillain-Barre’ syndrome at the Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Canada.
Early Pleistocene Fossil Snakes (Reptilia: Squamata) from Okinawajima Island in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Southwestern Japan

Abstract A number of fossil snake vertebrae were collected from Early Pleistocene deposits exposed on a hill surface at Gogayama, Nakijin village, Okinawajima Island, along with many other vertebrate fossils. These represent the oldest fossil records of snakes for the whole Ryukyu Archipelago. We identified each of these fossil snake vertebrae to the lowest taxonomic category possible based on diagnostic features elucidated in our previous study of extant snakes from Japan and adjacent regions. As a result, the vertebrae of at least four genera—Cyclophiops and Dinodon of the family Colubridae, Protobothrops (formerly Trimeresurus) of the family Viperidae, and Sinomicrurus of the family Elapidae—were recognized. Of these, vertebrae identified as belonging to the genus Dinodon were further divided into two distinct forms, although both resembled D. rufozonatum, an extant species that does not presently occur in Okinawajima or any of the surrounding islets in the central Ryukyus. Vertebrae identified as belo...
Novel application of a Radial Water Tread maze can distinguish cognitive deficits in mice with traumatic brain injury.

Abstract Introduction The use of forced-swim, rat-validated cognition tests in mouse models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) raises methodological concerns; such models are vulnerable to a number of confounding factors including impaired motor function and stress-induced non-compliance (failure to swim). This study evaluated the ability of a Radial Water Tread (RWT) maze, designed specifically for mice, that requires no swimming to distinguish mice with controlled cortical impact (CCI) induced TBI and Sham controls. Methods Ten-week-old, male C57BL6/J mice were randomly assigned to receive either Sham (n = 14) or CCI surgeries (n = 15). Mice were tested for sensorimotor deficits via Gridwalk test and Noldus CatWalk gait analysis at 1 and 32 days post-injury. Mice received RWT testing at either 11 days (early time point) or 35 days (late time point) post-injury. Results Compared to Sham-treated animals, CCI-induced TBI resulted in significant impairment in RWT maze performance. Additionally, CCI injured mice displayed significant deficits on the Gridwalk test at both 1 day and 32 days post-injury, and impairment in the CatWalk task at 1 day, but not 32 days, compared to Shams. Conclusions The Radial Water Tread maze capitalizes on the natural tendency of mice to avoid open areas in favor of hugging the edges of an apparatus (thigmotaxis), and replaces a forced-swim model with water shallow enough that the animal is not required to swim, but aversive enough to motivate escape. Our findings indicate the RWT task is a sensitive species-appropriate behavioral test for evaluating spatial memory impairment in a mouse model of TBI.
Distinct cellular and molecular environments support aging-related DNA methylation changes in the substantia nigra.

Aim: We aimed to couple brain region-specific changes in global DNA methylation over aging to underlying cellular and molecular environments. Materials & methods: We measured two major forms of DNA methylation and analyzed Dnmt, Tet and metabolite levels in the striatum and substantia nigra (SN) over aging in healthy male mice. Results: The ratio of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine to 5-methylcytosine increases over aging in the SN, and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine increases preferentially in dopaminergic neurons. Additionally, this age-dependent alteration in methylation correlates with a reduction in the ratio of α-ketoglutarate to succinate in the SN. Conclusion: Distinct cellular and molecular environments correlate with aging-associated methylation changes in the SN, implicating this epigenetic mechanism in the susceptibility of this brain region to age-related cell loss.
Examining the pozzolanicity of supplementary cementitious materials using isothermal calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis

Abstract It has recently been proposed that the pozzolanicity of supplementary cementitious materials can be determined by monitoring the heat released when supplementary cementitious materials are mixed with calcium hydroxide at high temperature and high pH. In this study, the heat release is measured using this procedure for a variety of different supplementary cementitious materials. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis is performed on the reacted material to determine the amount of calcium hydroxide consumed. The heat release and calcium hydroxide consumption can be used in conjunction to compare supplementary cementitious materials. Calcium hydroxide consumption can be used to determine the extent of reaction of supplementary cementitious materials in pastes where supplementary cementitious materials are used to replace a portion of cement.
Practical Philosophy and Theory of Action in the Decameron

This chapter deals with ethics and argues that the characters of the Decameron experience cognitive journeys that involve an ethical approach to the world. The frame texts of the Decameron alluding to the medieval concept of ‘honesty’ suggest a well-defined model of life that can be traced back to the practical philosophy concerning which Boccaccio—as a reader of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas—had long meditated. The guiding principle of Natural Law evoked in the Introduction to the Decameron is most properly understood in relation to the Thomistic ethical system. Such a reading elicits a theory of action that has significant implications for the transition from scholastic philosophy to humanism.
Fast detection of significantly transformed areas due to illegal waste burial with a procedure applicable to Landsat images

ABSTRACTThe problem of illegal waste burial is a serious threat to human health and ecosystems. These illegal activities occur most often in areas which have been heavily modified and considered de...