cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An English Neurologist, Neurophysiologist and Neuro-anatomist Who Discovered a Bundle in the Brain Stem

James Samuel Risien Russell, MD, FRCP was an Anglo-African experimental neurophysiologist, neuroanatomist, and astute clinical neurologist (see Figure 1). Russell was born in 1863 to a Scottish fat...
COPPER CMP MIMICKED WITH ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY

To optimize chemical mechanical polishing CMP process, one needs to get information on the interaction between the abrasive slurry particles and the surface being polished. To study such interactions, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM). An AFM tip was used to mimic a single abrasive silica particle typical of those used in CMP slurry. Studying copper CMP, we found that the AFM scanning removes the surface oxide layer in different rates depending on the depth of removal and the pH of the solution. Oxide removal happens considerably faster than the CMP copper removal. This is in agreement with generally accepted models of copper CMP. Both long-range and the friction forces acting between the AFM tip and surface during the polishing process were measured. The correlation between those forces and the removal rate is discussed.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Evaluation of substrates for 90° peel adhesion—A collaborative study. I. Medical tapes†

As part of a method development for peel testing, an interlaboratory comparison among Food and Drug Administration-Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration-Center for Devices and Radiological Health and Southwest Research Institute was conducted using medical tapes. The aim was to determine which readily available substrate [stainless steel (SS), high density polyethylene (HDPE) or Vitro-Skin(R)] would best distinguish among various medical tapes. Five medical tapes (3M 1523, 3M 1525L, 3M 1776, Mepiform(R) and Mediderm(R) 3505) were evaluated on four different substrates (SS, HDPE, Vitro-Skin, and human cadaver skin) using the following peel parameters: approximately 3 min dwell time, 90 degrees peel angle, and 300 mm/min peel rate. No substrate mimics cadaver skin for all five tapes. SS had the best ability to distinguish among the medical tapes. Overall, for quality control purposes (yielding good discrimination and precision), SS would be the optimal substrate.
Neutron flux distribution from a 14 MeV neutron generator

Abstract In order to carry out accurate activation analyses using a neutron generator employing the 3 H (d, n) 4 He reaction, it is important to know the neutron flux distribution relative to the tritium target. Methods have been developed for determining this flux distribution and typical examples are presented.
The structure of civil commitment

The contents and provisions of civil commitment codes are shaped by a number of influences. This article examines those influences and categorizes them as either falling within the civil commitment system itself or as being external to that system. From an analysis of those internal and external influences, it is concluded that the structure of civil commitment is very much dependent upon the environment in which such laws operate and upon the intricate and integral relationship between civil commitment and other important forms of mental health legislation (incompetence to stand trial, the insanity defense, etc.).
Anaerobic Hydrocarbon Degradation in Petroleum-Contaminated Harbor Sediments under Sulfate-Reducing and Artificially Imposed Iron-Reducing Conditions

The potential use of iron(III) oxide to stimulate in-situ hydrocarbon degradation in anaerobic petroleum-contaminated harbor sediments was investigated. Previous studies have indicated that Fe(III)...
Development of novel inhibitor probes of DNA polymerase III based on dGTP analogs of the HPUra type: base, nucleoside and nucleotide derivatives of N2-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)guanine

6-(p-Hydroxyphenylhydrazino)uracil (H2-HPUra) is a selective and potent inhibitor of the replication-specific class III DNA polymerase (pol III) of Gr+ bacteria. Although formally a pyrimidine, H2-HPUra derives its inhibitory activity from its specific capacity to mimic the purine nucleotide, dGTP. We describe the successful conversion of the H2-HPUra inhibitor prototype to a bona fide purine, using N2-(benzyl)guanine (BG) as the basis. Structure-activity relationships of BGs carrying a variety of substituents on the aryl ring identified N2-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)guanine (DCBG) as a nucleus equivalent to H2-HPUra with respect to potency and inhibitor mechanism. DCBdGTP, the 2'-deoxyribonucleoside 5'-triphosphate form of DCBG, was synthesized and characterized with respect to its action on wild-type and mutant forms of B. subtilis DNA pol III. DCBdGTP acted on pol III by the characteristic inhibitor mechanism and formally occupied the dNTP binding site with a fit which permitted its polymerization.
Risk Factors for Long-Term Brain Dysfunction after Chronic Critical Illness

Rationale: Factors associated with long-term brain dysfunction (LTBD) in survivors of chronic critical illness (CCI) have not been explored but may be important for clinical practice and planning by patients, families, and providers.Objectives: To identify risk factors for LTBD after treatment for CCI and to explore the association between acute delirium and coma during hospital treatment and LTBD.Methods: A prospective cohort study of adults admitted to a respiratory care unit for treatment of CCI.Measurements and Main Results: Using the Confusion Assessment Method for ICU and the Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale, we evaluated patients for delirium and coma during their hospital treatment for CCI. We collected data on other potential risk factors for LTBD by prospectively reviewing the patients’ medical records and interviewing surrogates. We contacted survivors by telephone at 6 months after discharge to assess brain function using the telephone Confusion Assessment Method. Among 385 patients treat...
Impression management, overclaiming, and perceived unethical conduct: The role of male and female managers

This study examines the impact of impression management and overclaiming on self-reported ethical conduct of 174 managers (67 male, 107 female) who worked for a large not-for-profit organization. As anticipated, impression management and overclaiming positively influenced perceived unethical conduct of managers. Female managers were more prone to impression management than male managers. There was no significant difference in perceived unethical conduct or level of overclaiming of male and female managers.
Multidimensional ultrasonic imaging for cardiology

Previous extensions of two-dimensional ultrasonic imaging to three dimensions used lattice diagrams which give measurement information, but no anatomic detail. The authors conducted three sets of experiments to test the hypothesis that complete acoustic backscatter data should be retained to produce useful information about heart structure and function. First, in vitro compound B-scans were taken under ideal conditions; second, in vitro rotating conventional sector scans were taken to test clinically applicable methods; and third, clinical in vivo rotating conventional sector scans were taken of a human volunteer. It is concluded that the resulting images show details of cardiac anatomy and have great clinical promise. Interactive analysis and surface and volume displays give context and perspective information which should improve diagnostic accuracy, communication with noncardiologists and yield more precise measurements of anatomical structure and function. >
Public health responses to arsenic in rice and other foods.

Inorganic arsenic and its methylated metabolites are powerful toxicants and carcinogens.1 Arsenic has always been present at varying levels in drinking water and various foods. Recently, however, there has been heightened concern about rice, fruit juices, and chicken as sources of dietary arsenic.2–5 There are many questions about the appropriate public health responses.
Interferometric analysis for small rotation

Abstract Both holographic interferometry and speckle interferometry are used to analyse small rotation. The experimental set-up and results are presented. A brief comparison of the two methods is also given.
The tail‐darkening reaction of phyllomedusine tadpoles

A tail-darkening reaction is described for tadpoles of the phyllomedusine frogs, Agalychnis dacnicolor and Phyllomedusa trinitatus. Tails are pale in the light because melanophores in the dermis of the fin are punctate. In darkness the melanophores become dendritic and the tail appears black. This photosensitivity is local since tail-darkening in isolated tails and in intact tadpoles occurs equally well. Tails cultured for many days retain fully the capacity for tail darkening. Correlations between tail darkening and filter feeding and swimming are made from comparisons with Xenopus tadpoles.
Further Observations on Winter Pause in Single Comb White Leghorn Pullets

Abstract THE condition referred to as winter pause was first described by Pearl and Surface (1911). Since that time a number of workers have studied winter pausing and a considerable amount of descriptive data have accumulated. Investigations on this subject have been carried out at the University of California since 1934 as part of a general study of the inheritance of the component characters of egg production. Information of considerable interest on the genetics of pausing has been obtained in the course of this and related studies. The present paper supplements the previously reported work (Lerner and Taylor 1936, 1939) and is intended to contribute to a clarification of the problem. The early investigations of winter pausing (Ball and Alder, 1917; Goodale, 1918) were largely concerned with the question whether or not the cessation of production during the winter months was an indication of the existence of a winter cycle of . . .
Impact of proteins on pasting and cooking properties of waxy and non-waxy rice

Abstract Changes of RVA viscosity and texture properties of waxy rice (n=9) and non-waxy rice (n=10) were analyzed through protein removal or disulfide bond disruption. Protease or DTT had similar effects on the pasting behavior of the waxy rice, but affected differently that of non-waxy rice. For all waxy rice flour treated with DTT or protease, the peak, breakdown and consistency viscosity values all significantly decreased, and the viscosity curves barely rose from the baseline. Pre-incubation of flours with a protease increased RVA pasting temperatures, decreased viscosities along all the points of the curves and the slopes of the linear parts of the curves for all non-waxy cultivars. DTT decreased RVA pasting temperatures and peak viscosities of all non-waxy flour, but increased breakdown viscosities in six non-waxy rice cultivars. With DTT-added cooking water, the hardness of cooked waxy and non-waxy rice, as determined by Instron, generally decreased. With DTT-added cooking water, the adhesiveness of all cooked waxy rice significantly decreased, while it increased significantly or remained the same in all cooked non-waxy rice. The above results indicated that the protein agent of a network linked by disulfide bonds increased the RVA gelatinized paste rigidity, the hardness and adhesiveness of cooked rice of all waxy cultivars, while in non-waxy cultivars, both the network and the increase of the gelatinized paste concentrations resulting from protein hydration contributed to the enhancements of the RVA paste rigidity and the cooked rice hardness.
Facultative planktotrophy in the tropical echinoid Clypeaster rosaceus (Linnaeus) and a comparison with obligate planktotrophy in Clypeaster subdepressus (Gray) (Clypeasteroida: Echinoidea)

Abstract Larval development to metamorphosis and early juvenile growth and survivorship were examined in Clypeaster subdepressus (Gray) and C. rosaceus (Linnaeus). C. subdepressus has an obligatorily planktotrophic larva that metamorphoses after 16 to 28 days at 27°C. The larva of C. rosaceus can, but need not feed prior to metamorphosis, which occurs after 5 to 7 days at 27°C. Feeding by larvae of C. rosaceus does not change the time to metamorphosis but does increase size at metamorphosis, early juvenile growth and may increase juvenile survivorship relative to unfed larvae. Size at metamorphosis increases in larvae of C. rosaceus that feed for several days after they are competent to metamorphose, but there may be a limit to this increase because the condition of the rudiment degenerates after a period of time. The development of C. rosaceus may represent a transition between planktotrophy and lecithotrophy. This intermediate state has advantages for the juvenile stage that are not included in the trade of fecundity against risk to offspring usually considered in life history discussions of developmental mode of marine invertebrates.
A nuclear reactor analog simulation for undergraduate nuclear engineering education

The theory and design of an analog nuclear reactor simulator for undergraduate nuclear engineering edu cation is presented. The simulator mimics the behavior of a 1000-MWe pressurized water reactor and its thermal-to-electrical energy conversion plant. In addition, several model parameters may be hand- selected,allowing for variations in dynamics and power levels and for accidents. Actual simulator results are presented and discussed.
Sesbania drummondii cell cultures: ICP-MS determination of the accumulation of Pb and Cu

Abstract Sesbania cell cultures grown in the presence of different concentrations of Pb (0–1000 mg/L) and Cu (0–500 mg/L) were assayed for growth, metal accumulations and activities of antioxidative enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX). These cultures tolerated Pb up to a concentration of 500 mg/L, registering a fresh weight growth of 500% in 3 weeks. At the same time, cultures registered a growth of 200% in 3 weeks at a Cu concentration of 100 mg/L showing less tolerance than Pb. However, Sesbania cells accumulated more Cu than Pb, as determined by ICP-MS, at all the treatments tested. Cu accumulation reached 3000 mg/kg (dry weight) at a Cu treatment of 100 mg/L, while Pb accumulation was only over 150 mg/kg (dry weight) at 500 mg Pb/L. Metal accumulations were positively correlated with induction of SOD and CAT activities in both the metal treatments. SOD activity of callus was 105 U/mg (fresh weight) at a Pb treatment of 500 mg/L and the corresponding Pb accumulation of 160 mg/kg (dry weight), while the activity rose to 300 U/mg (fresh weight) at a Cu treatment of 100 mg/L and the corresponding Cu accumulation of 3000 mg/kg (dry weight). The pattern of GPX activities was, however, different, particularly in Pb treatments where activities declined with increasing concentrations of Pb in the cells as well as growth medium. This study shows how Sesbania cells withstand heavy metal stress by induction of antioxidative enzyme activities.
Origin of variability in quantal size in cultured hippocampal neurons and hippocampal slices.

Abstract The size of synaptic quanta has been found to display considerable variation in cultured hippocampal neurons, but the source of this variability was previously unknown. We have now compared the properties of locally evoked miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in cultured hippocampal neurons and in thin hippocampal slices using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. The variability in miniature excitatory postsynaptic current size was similar in both preparations and occurred in cultured neurons when only one or a few synaptic boutons were stimulated. Thus, the variability in miniature excitatory postsynaptic current amplitude is not an artifact of cultured neurons and arises predominantly from variability within a single bouton. Possible origins of this variability are discussed.
Creep of 2618 Aluminum under Side Steps of Tension and Torsion and Stress Reversal Predicted by a Viscous-Viscoelastic Model.

Abstract : Nonlinear constitutive equations were developed and used to predict the creep behavior of 2618-T61 Aluminum at 200 C (392 F) for combined tension and torsion stresses and under varying stress histories including side step stress changes and stress reversals. The constitutive equations consist of 5 components: linear elastic; time-independent plastic; nonlinear time-dependent plastic recoverable; nonlinear time-dependent nonrecoverable under positive stress; and nonlinear time-dependent nonrecoverable under negative stress. For time-dependent stress inputs, the modified superposition principle and strain hardening are used to describe the behavior of nonlinear time-dependent recoverable and nonlinear time-dependent nonrecoverable respectively. The theory which combines all these features, the viscous-viscoelastic theory, and other modified theories were used to predict from information from constant stress creep the creep behavior of 2618 aluminum under the above stress histories with very satisfactory agreement with the experimental results. (Author)
Sexual Orientation, Partnership Formation, and Substance Use in the Transition to Adulthood

Evidence suggests that lesbian and gay young adults use substances more frequently than their heterosexual peers. Based on the life course perspective, we argue that this difference may be due to the unavailability of marriage as a turning point in the lives of lesbian/gay young adults. We use data from a nationally representative sample of youth (N = 13,581, 52.4% female, 68.6% white, ages 18—26) to examine sexual orientation differences in substance use and explore whether these differences vary by romantic partnership formation in young adulthood. We find that the formation of more serious partnerships (e.g., cohabitation, marriage) is associated with less frequent substance use among heterosexual young adults, though this pattern does not hold for lesbian and gay young adults. We conclude that the partnership options available to lesbians and gay men do not provide the same health-protective benefits that marriage does for heterosexuals.
Focus on hereditary endocrine neoplasia

I am grateful to many colleagues in NIDDK and NHGRI with whom I have participated in studies on MEN1 and McCune-Albright syndrome, and especially to Stephen Marx for helpful comments on the manuscript. I also apologize to the many authors whose work could not be cited because of space limitations.
Pleistocene High Altitude Amphibians and Reptiles from Colorado (Alamosa Local Fauna; Pleistocene, Irvingtonian)

ABSTRACT Amphibian and reptile fossils were recovered from a high-altitude (2300 meters) montarne desert in south-central Colorado. The locality spans nearly 0.2 million years during the Irvingtonian land mammal age and Nebraskan Glaciation, with three main time/climatic zones apparent from analysis of the herpetofauna. A warm and dry period preceded a cold, wet period that correlates with glacial advance down the surrounding mountains, followed by a cold and dry period after the retreat of the glacier. Ambystoma alamosensis is described as a new species of salamander related to A. tigrinum. Other salamanders show evidence of neoteny in some units.
Protoporphyrin‐IX as a Substitute for Nitrite in Cured‐Meat Color Production

The iron-free heme derivative protoporphyrin-IX, was added to a cooked emulsified beef product to mimic the typical cured-color obtained with nitrite. Although the pigment was stable and could be recovered from the emulsion it imparted a purple hue as noted by visual observation and Hunterlab color values (L,a,b). The possible implications of this pigment as a meat colorant are discussed.
Choice in a continuous procedure.

A pigeon lived in a situation in which all its food was obtained by pecking at two disks. The proportion of pecks allocated to either disk equalled the proportion of food obtained by pecks at the disk, confirming a well-known matching relation. The finding strengthens the view that the matching relation is an intrinsic property of the behavior of higher organisms.
IL-2 in the therapy of melanoma and other malignancies

IL-2 as a single agent has been approved for use in both renal cancer and melanoma, and it has achieved widespread use in these malignancies for selected patients with metastatic disease. For these diseases, a role for IL-2-based therapy in the adjuvant setting has not been demonstrated, and current investigations involve the use of less toxic and less complex therapies. The activity of IL-2 has been studied extensively in other malignancies, particularly hematologic diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. To date, IL-2 used either as a single agent or as a component of regimens containing one or more additional agents for diseases other than melanoma or renal cancer has shown promise, but the rapid emergence of safer agents for these and many other malignancies has tempered enthusiasm for IL-2-based regimens. Many investigations have been directed at enhancing the therapeutic ratio of IL-2, mostly by adding chemical modulators of downstream molecules associated with IL-2 toxicity. Other approaches, including variations on the chemical composition of IL-2 to alter its receptor-binding characteristics or its pharmacokinetic profile have been tried with limited success. The addition of targeting molecules co-administered with IL-2 or covalently bound to produce bispecific IL-2 containing molecules have shown promising activity and remain under investigation.
Higher Order Moments in the Entrainment Zone of Turbulent Penetrative Thermal Convection

Mesures effectuees pour comprendre la dynamique de la region interfaciale chapeautee par une couche stable, stratifiee lineairement. Obtention: des valeurs instantanees des composantes horizontales et verticales de la v a l'aide d'un aneurometre laser Doppler, a 2 composantes et a double faisceau, et des moments ponctuels, moyennes horizontalement, incluant le flux de chaleur ainsi que les moments conjoints du 3eme ordre pour la v verticale-t. Il s'avere que la region de flux negatif de chaleur est bien definie dans la zone d'entrainement et varie en epaisseur avec les differents gradients de t de la couche stable. Le mecanisme d'entrainement est probablement le plus important seulement dans la partie sommitale de la zone interfaciale
Student and Teacher Perspectives on the Usefulness of Content Literacy Strategies.

The purpose of this study was to explore the similarities and differences between high school students and their teachers' perspectives on the usefulness of content literacy strategies for learning. Based on 88 teacher surveys, 500 student surveys, 10 teacher interviews, 12 student interviews, and 30 classroom observations, we note the perceived effectiveness of specific content literacy strategies and how they are used. Implications for future professional development and use of content literacy strategies are noted.
Safety Implications of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Blockade for Subjects Receiving Intravitreal Anti–Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Therapies

Purpose To evaluate potential safety risks associated with nonspecific inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Design A perspective, reviewing the current literature. Methods Herein, we discuss the systemic safety of VEGF-targeted therapies, address safety issues for VEGF-targeted therapies in neovascular age-related macular degeneration, and propose the consideration of methods for identifying low rate systemic safety signals from patients treated with these agents. Results Several prospective, randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that intravitreal anti-VEGF therapies generally are well tolerated. However, within these trials, there is some circumstantial evidence that links systemic VEGF inhibition to systemic adverse events, particularly systemic thromboembolic events. Because all of the intravitreal anti-VEGF agents have been associated with detectable levels in the systemic circulation, there is a scientific rationale for the occurrence of potential systemic adverse events. However, if safety issues are present, they occur at very low rates and may go undetected in controlled clinical trials of premarketed drugs. Conclusions We propose that highly sensitive methodologies be put into place for identifying low rate safety signals, including postmarketing clinical trials, chart reviews, electronic medical records, and various national and international registries and databases, to evaluate the systemic safety of antiangiogenic agents in ocular diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
The resonant DC link converter-a new concept in static power conversion

A novel approach to realizing efficient high-performance power converters is presented. The concept of a resonant DC link inverter has been proposed and realized with the addition of only one small inductor and capacitor to a conventional voltage source inverter circuit. The proposed technology is capable of switching almost an order of magnitude faster than state-of-the-art voltage source inverters at significantly improved efficiencies using the same family of devices. The topology is especially suitable for high-power applications using gate turn-off devices. A 4.5 kW inverter has been fabricated and tested extensively in the laboratory, and the superior characteristics of the resonant DC link topology have been verified. >
Mi-2/NuRD complex function is required for normal S phase progression and assembly of pericentric heterochromatin.

The mechanism for heterochromatin assembly and maintenance after replication is poorly understood. Here we show that the Mi-2/NuRD complex is critical for maintenance of chromatin structure and pro...
Parallel activities of fatty acid methyl esters and analogous phorbol diesters toward mouse lymphocytes.

Abstract Linear saturated fatty acid methyl esters were comitogenic with lectins for mouse lymphocytes, the degree of comitogenicity being strongly dependent on the length of the acyl group, and maximal for methyl tetradecanoate. Lesser effects were found for analogs with 10, 12 or 16 acyl carbon atoms, whereas those with fewer than 10 or more than 16 were inactive. Analogous structure-function relationships have been described for various membrane-active and tumor-promoting phorbol diesters, where there is a similar dependence on ester acyl group length for many activities. The fatty acid esters may therefore represent simple model compounds for studying mechanistic aspects of phorbol diester activity.
Source and drain resistance studies of short-channel MESFETs using two-dimensional device simulators

A method for calculating the parasitic source and drain resistances in MESFETs using two-dimensional device simulators is discussed. The source and drain resistances are calculated using the power dissipation and the electron heating in the parasitic resistance regions of the device structure. The parasitic resistances are calculated as a function of both the gate and the drain bias voltages. The resistance calculation method for MESFETs has been applied to three semiconductor device simulators: a drift-diffusion method simulator, an energy transport method simulator, and a Monte Carlo particle method simulator. >
Video Quality Assessment Based on Structural Distortion Measurement

Objective image and video quality measures play important roles in a variety of image and video pro- cessing applications, such as compression, communication, printing, analysis, registration, restoration, enhancement and watermarking. Most proposed quality assessment ap- proaches in the literature are error sensitivity-based meth- ods. In this paper, we follow a new philosophy in designing image and video quality metrics, which uses structural dis- tortion as an estimate of perceived visual distortion. A com- putationally ecient approach is developed for full-reference (FR) video quality assessment. The algorithm is tested on the video quality experts group (VQEG) Phase I FR-TV test data set. Keywords—Image quality assessment, video quality assess- ment, human visual system, error sensitivity, structural dis- tortion, video quality experts group (VQEG)
Aging with Disability and Disability with Aging

People with early-onset disabilities are said to "age with disability," while those with mid- or late-life onsets are said to have "disability with aging." This is stereotypic since disability and ...
The use of codes to connect mental and material aspects of brain function: comment on: "Natural world physical, brain operational, and mind phenomenal space-time" by A.A. Fingelkurts, A.A. Fingelkurts and C.F.H. Neves.

Physics of Life Reviews 7 (2010) 260–261 www.elsevier.com/locate/plrev Comment The use of codes to connect mental and material aspects of brain function Comment on: “Natural world physical, brain operational, and mind phenomenal space–time” by A.A. Fingelkurts, A.A. Fingelkurts and C.F.H. Neves Walter J. Freeman Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3206, USA Received 29 April 2010; accepted 29 April 2010 Available online 15 May 2010 Communicated by L. Perlovsky Keywords: Electrocorticogram (ECoG); Neural codes; Perception The authors propose the hypothesis that the brain’s “operational space–time” connects “subjective space–time” to “physical space–time reality”. They pose the major challenge of explaining the neural mechanisms that so rapidly transpose stimulus energies to abstract concepts – from the specific to the generic, from the material to the mental. They describe and use three levels of explanations, which I conceive in terms of neural codes [1]. As neurobiolo- gists they connect the microscopic properties of conditioned stimuli to intervals and frequencies in trains of action potentials evoked by stimuli and carried by topographically organized axons. As cognitivists they connect mesoscopic symbolic codes to bursts of action potentials from hierarchically organized feature-detector neurons that represent phonemes, lines, odorants, pressures, etc., which object-detector neurons bind into images of stimuli. As dynami- cists they connect perceptions of the world to continuous spatial patterns of oscillatory fields of dendritic activity, which self-organize and evolve on trajectories through high-dimensional brain state spaces. This macroscopic code is expressed in landscapes of chaotic attractors. Unlike other scientific codes such as those of DNA and the Periodic Table, these neural codes have no alphabets or syntaxes. They are epistemological metaphors that neurobiologists require to measure neural activity and that engineers use to design models of higher brain functions such as recognition, prediction, decision and intentional action (summarized with references in [1]). Their hypothesis posits two sets of ‘connections’ between three states: that of the world (including the body), the brain activity, and thoughts. Thoughts take time and are shallow or deep, wide or narrow, so ‘connections’ can be posited without risk of getting mired in the Cartesian swamp or the ‘hard problem’ of qualia. My data show DOI of original article: 10.1016/j.plrev.2010.04.001. E-mail address: dfreeman@berkeley.edu. 1571-0645/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.plrev.2010.04.010
Identification of the healthy neurotic: Personality traits predict smoking after disease onset

Personality traits are known predictors of health behaviors and health status. However, most of this work focuses exclusively on how personality influences health outcomes rather than how personality influences response to disease. Using a large, national study (N = 7051), we investigated whether conscientiousness and neuroticism were associated with smoking behavior after the onset of a disease. After the onset of a major chronic disease, high levels of neuroticism predicted less smoking when paired with high levels of conscientiousness, a combination described as healthy neuroticism. Healthy neuroticism only predicted smoking behavior after the onset of disease, not before, suggesting that the relationship between personality and responses to health problems differs from the relationship between personality and the onset of health problems.
NADH, a new player in the cardiac ryanodine receptor?

In this issue of Circulation Research , Cherednichenko et al1 describe an NADH oxidase activity that regulates the ryanodine receptor ion channel (RyR2) in cardiac muscle. Mammalian tissues express three closely related 560-kDa ryanodine receptors (RyRs) encoded by separate genes. RyR1 is the predominant isoform in skeletal muscle, and RyR2 predominates in heart. RyR3 is widely expressed at low levels. RyRs control diverse cellular functions by releasing Ca2+ ions from intracellular membrane-bound Ca2+ stores. In cardiac muscle, release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) into the cytoplasm leads to muscle contraction. Released Ca2+ returns to SR by an ATP-dependent Ca2+ pump, resulting in muscle relaxation. The RyRs are regulated by myriad pathways through small diffusible molecules such as Ca2+, Mg2+, and ATP and by calmodulin, kinases, and phosphatases.2,3 The RyRs are also targets for redox active molecules (Figure).3,4 Active muscle produces reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species that modulate RyR2. Changes in oxygen tension or the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione modulate RyR2 activity by reducing and oxidizing cysteine residues (J. Sun and G. Meissner, unpublished data). RyR2 is endogenously S-nitrosylated,5 and an association of RyR2 with neuronal nitric oxide synthase has been described,6 suggesting NO and related molecules are physiological modulators of cardiac muscle excitation-contraction coupling. The study by …
Finite element analysis of PWB warpage due to cured solder mask-sensitivity analysis

This paper describes the impact of different types of cured solder mask and mask thicknesses on printed wiring board (PWB) warpage. Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to study the sensitivity of board warpage to changes in the mask material properties (different types of solder mask), and to variations in mask thickness. The sensitivity analysis of the influence of cured solder mask and variations in mask thickness on PWB warpage are the focus of this paper. The study reported in this paper was carried out with four different board designs, and the results are presented here. The results of these analyses have resulted in general guidelines which should be observed when selecting masking materials.
Growth of Hmong Children

Objective: To investigate the growth of a group of young Hmong children. Design: In this descriptive, comparative study, length and weight measures of Hmong children were abstracted from medical charts for each previous clinic visit (newborn to most recent visit) where both measures had been recorded, and measures were compared with National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standard percentiles. Visits occurred from 1988 to 1994. Participants and Setting: Participants were 579 Hmong children, ages 0 to 5 years, who were active patients at a family practice residency clinic. Main Outcome Measures: Length and weight. Results: This group of Hmong children showed lengths similar to those of the NCHS reference population for the first 6 to 12 months of life, after which they lagged behind reference lengths. By the 24th month, median length for Hmong girls and boys was less than the NCHS 25th percentile. The Hmong children's average weight was slightly higher than the NCHS median until about 8 months of age, after which the distributions were similar. Conclusions: Compared with children who comprise the NCHS reference population, the Hmong children in this study were slightly heavier in the first several months of life, and shorter thereafter. Therefore, in general, the Hmong children were proportionately heavier than other children of similar height. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1996;150:1295-1298
A lighting model for fast rendering of forest ecosystems

Real-time rendering of large-scale, forest ecosystems remains a challenging problem, in that important global illumination effects, such as leaf transparency and inter-object light scattering, are difficult to capture, given tight timing constraints and models that typically contain hundreds of millions of primitives. This paper proposes a new lighting model, adapted from a model previously used to light convective clouds and other participating media, together with a distribution of ray processing across multiple GPUs, in order to achieve these global illumination effects while maintaining near real-time performance. The lighting model is based on a lattice-Boltzmann method in which reflectance, transmittance, and absorptance parameters are taken from measurements of real plants. The lighting model is solved as a pre-processing step and requires only seconds on a single GPU. The ray tracing engine uses the well-known short-stack algorithm, due to Horn, Sugerman, Houston, and Hanrahan. Both the pre-processing step and the ray tracing engine make extensive use of NVIDIApsilas compute unified device architecture (CUDA).
Scattering from apertures in infinite ground planes using FDTD

A scattered field version of FDTD for scattering from an aperture in an infinite ground plane is presented. In this formulation the fields reflected from the infinite ground plane are computed analytically, not as FDTD scattered fields. This is necessary to eliminate scattering from the edges of the ground plane, where it is terminated at the FDTD outer boundary. Also, the fields scattered by the ground plane are usually of much higher amplitude than the desired aperture-scattered fields. In this formulation these fields need not be absorbed by the FDTD outer boundary. This provides more accurate calculation of low amplitude scattering from the aperture. The formulation can include materials in the aperture and on both sides of the infinite ground plane. For example, scattering from an aperture antenna with a dielectric cover backed by an aperture filled with lossy dielectric can be computed with this formulation. >
Ethical Issues in the Care of the Neonate: Overview

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the points of outcome studies that require careful review. 2. Compare the outlook of parents and clinicians in anticipating outcome. 3. Delineate the philosophical, emotional, and psychological costs of withdrawing life-sustaining therapy. 4. Describe the factors that can affect the prediction of outcome based on an infant’s birthweight. Since the early days of neonatal intensive care, clinicians have reflected on the ethics of caring for critically ill neonates for whom there is significant morbidity and mortality. Sound ethical reasoning requires accurate assessment of the individual infant and accurate prognostic data on which to base discussions and decisions. Literally hundreds of studies have been published over the years regarding these outcomes. The interesting phenomenon is that the same basic questions continue to be asked about populations of infants who have lower birthweights and younger gestational ages as the specialty has progressed. Commentary from earlier periods questioned aggressive care for infants weighing less than 1,500 g, as did later commentaries about infants who weighed less than 1,000 g, and now we are discussing the same questions for those weighing less than 500 to 600 g. There always has been question and commentary from neonatologists, obstetricians, parents of “preemies,” the media, and the courts about the wisdom of treating these extremely preterm infants. More recently, partly in response to requests from clinicians, national and regional bodies have developed guidelines for decision making in the delivery room for extremely preterm infants (Table ⇓). Some of these have been strictly consensus-based and others were consensus-based after detailed review of the published evidence. Whether attempting to make clinical decisions for a specific infant, developing guidelines for care, or questioning the moral underpinnings of care for this population, the published outcome studies form the framework. Several recent reviews have addressed …
The changing epidemiology of non-valvular atrial fibrillation: the role of novel risk factors

The growing ‘epidemic’ of atrial fibrillation (AF), with its associated morbidity and mortality, intersects with a number of risk factors including ageing and other conditions including thromboembolism, stroke, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and also perhaps metabolic syndrome and systemic inflammation. Currently in the USA, ∼2.3 million people are diagnosed with AF and, on the basis of the US census, this number is expected to rise to 3.3 million by 2020 and to 5.6 million by 2050. This may even be a substantial underestimate: recent data from Rochester, MN, USA suggest that there has been an almost three-fold increase in the prevalence of AF over the last three decades, after adjustment for age. The explanations for this phenomenon are likely multifactorial, and the socio-economic implications considerable. Ongoing efforts towards understanding AF are driven, in part, by the concept that the primary causal factors of AF in most patients may be the consequence of a systemic condition of reduced vascular compliance, atherosclerosis, obesity, and inflammation. Such epidemiological investigations must be undertaken in association with studies aimed at defining the structural and electrical phenotypes and molecular genetics of AF, which may provide additional insights into their potential interactions with age and environmental factors.
Basement Membrane Derived Inhibitors of Angiogenesis

Blood vessel growth during development and disease is likely governed by the balance between proand antiangiogenic factors. Numerous reports have focused on the important role of various growth factors during angiogenesis. Peptide fragments derived from basement membranes constitute a relatively new and expanding class of antiangiogenic factors with a potential for clinical relevance. These factors have been studied in a variety of disease models, and genetic evidence for their role in controlling angiogenesis is beginning to be realized. This chapter highlights several of these factors and their mechanism of action as we understand them to date. Gaining additional insight into the full compliment of these antiangiogenic fragments from basement membranes, how they are derived, and their full mechanism of action represents an important challenge in vascular biology today. The vascular basement membrane (VBM) is a complex structure composed of a variety of functionally diverse glycoproteins and proteoglycans (Fig. 11.1) [1]. The primary molecules detected in the VBM are the heparan sulfate proteoglycans (such as perlecan and type XVIII collagen), laminin, niodogen, entactin, fibulin, as well as type IV collagen. While providing structural support to the vessel, these molecules also serve important functional roles in endothelial cell (EC) signaling and adhesion. Therefore, these basement membrane molecules play a critical role in EC proliferation, migration, morphogenesis, survival, and vessel stability [2]. Much of the interactions and subsequent biological activity of VBM macromolecules are due to their ability to engage endothelial cell surface receptors, namely the integrins [3]. In some instances, evidence suggests that the antiangiogenic functionality of basement membrane molecules is elicited only when cryptic fragments of these molecules are revealed through proteolytic processing [4]. These findings highlight an essential role for (1) understanding the structural organization of the VBM in normal and disease states, (2) identifying the full complement of antiangiogenic entities derived from the VBM and other basement membranes, and (3) defining the mechanisms by which changes in the vascular microenvironment, and subsequent changes in the balance of angiogenic mediators, occur. This chapter highlights the origin and biological activity of some recently discovered basement membrane derived antiangiogenic molecules.
Normal cardiac physiology: A background for understanding the cardiac effects of growth hormone

Cardiac pump performance, which is measured as cardiac output (the product of stroke volume and heart rate), can be significantly affected by growth hormone (GH) deficiency or excess. All of the determinants of stroke volume including preload, afterload, contractility and diastolic function are individually affected by GH. Recent data suggest that replacement therapy in GH-deficient patients may reduce the incidence of cardiac morbidity and mortality. Also, new studies are emerging which suggest that GH may be an important new adjunctive therapy for the treatment of heart failure. Thus, this article provides a brief overview of normal cardiac physiology and cardiac pump performance as a background for understanding the cardiac effects of GH and the implications of GH administration in patients.
Do Troubled Times Invite Cloudy Budget Reporting? The Determinants of General Fund Expenditure Share in U.S. States

Fiscal controls require monitoring and transparent reporting. Financial documents with multiple funds, transfers, and inconsistent year-to-year categorization of revenues and expenditures provide opportunities to obscure a negative fiscal picture. We hypothesize that fiscal stress increases obfuscation. We investigate the relationship between the share of total governmental expenditures in U.S. states' general funds and independent variables drawn from the literature. Consistent with our hypothesis, deficit and debt are the most important explanatory variables. A one standard deviation increase in the deficit as a share of total expenditures is predicted to decrease the general fund share by one percentage point.
On Decoupling Probability from Kinematics in Quantum Mechanics

A means for separating subjective and objective aspects of the electron wave function is suggested, based on a reformulation of the Dirac Theory in terms of Spacetime Algebra. The reformulation admits a separation of the Dirac wave function into a two parameter probability factor and a six parameter kinematical factor. The complex valuedness of the wave function as well as its bilinearity in observables have perfect kinematical interpretations independent of any probabilistic considerations. Indeed, the explicit unit imaginary in the Dirac equation is automatically identified with the electron spin in the reformulation. Moreover, the canonical momentum is seen to be derived entirely from the rotational velocity of the kinematical factor, and this provides a geometrical interpretation of energy quantization. Exact solutions of the Dirac equation exhibit circular zitterbewegung in exact agreement with the classical Wessenhoff model of a particle with spin. Thus, the most peculiar features of quantum mechanical wave functions have kinematical explanations, so the use of probability theory in quantum mechanics should not differ in any essential way from its use in classical mechanics.
Novalis and Varian Systems

The Novalis Tx™ and TrueBeam STx are both high-precision linear accelerator systems designed for image-guided stereotactic treatment delivery to the brain and body. Both systems have multiple photon energies, 1 or more high-dose-rate flattening filter free beams, high-definition multileaf collimator (MLC), MV portal imaging, kV planar imaging, and cone beam CT. Brainlab ExacTrac stereoscopic image guidance (infrared and X-ray) and robotic couch top are included on the Novalis Tx™ and optional for the TrueBeam STx. Both systems include software for automatic image registration, remote patient positioning, motion tracking, gated delivery, and treatment planning. Measurements with phantoms and patients have demonstrated a positioning accuracy of the order of 1 mm as well as long-term stability in dosimetry and imaging. Both systems have the accuracy and image-guidance capabilities needed for successful stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).