cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activity of deep cerebellar nuclear cells during classical conditioning of nictitating membrane extension in rabbits.

The activity of neurons in the interposed and dentate nuclei of the cerebellum was investigated during differential classical conditioning of the rabbit eye blink/ nictitating membrane response. Forty-seven percent of the 165 cells in the study responded to the orbital stimulation used as the unconditioned stimulus (US). The latency distribution of US-elicited responses was bimodal with peaks at 7 and 19 ms. Twenty-one percent of the cells responded with short latencies to the tones used as conditioned stimuli (CSs). These cells typically responded to both the reinforced and nonreinforced CSs. Forty-one percent of the cells responded on conditioned response (CR) trials but not on trials without CRs. The average lead of the neural response to the CR was 71.4 ms. Cells that responded on CR trials were more likely to respond to the CSs, or to the CSs and the US, than cells that did not respond on CR trials. For about half of the cells that responded on CR trials the latency of response followed trial-by-trial variations of CR latency. For the remainder, the response was time-locked to CS-onset. Cells whose responses paralleled the CR may be involved in the initiation or modulation of the CR, while those whose responses were time-locked to the CS may be involved in sensory processing underlying the initiation of the movement. The pathways that may underlie the US- and CS-elicited responses are also discussed.
Inhibitors of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase devoid of α2-adrenoceptor affinity

Abstract A series of 3-trifluoromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines was synthesized and evaluated for their phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) inhibitory potency and affinity for the α2-adrenoceptor. Although their PNMT inhibitory potency decreased compared with corresponding 3-methyl-, 3-hydroxymethyl- or 3-unsubstituted-THIQs, some of them showed good selectivity due to their extremely low α2-adrenoceptor affinity.
Rapid, high-yield cleavage of enol and dienol methyl ethers under mild conditions using chlorotrimethylsilane/sodium iodide

Abstract A number of enol and dienol methyl ethers are rapidly cleaved to aldehydes and ketones in quantitative yields by the use of chlorotrimethylsilane/sodium iodide.
THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION AND PERIODIC HEALTH EXAMINATIONS

WHEREAS, The need and value of periodic medical examinations of persons supposedly in health are increasingly appreciated by the public, it is recommended by the Council on Health and Public Instruction, that the House of Delegates authorize the Council to prepare suitable forms for such examinations and to publish them in The Journal of the American Medical Association; and that the county medical societies be encouraged to make public declaration that their members are prepared and ready to conduct such examinations, it being understood that the indigent only shall be examined free of charge and that all others are expected to pay for such examinations.
MÖSSBAUER AND SUSCEPTIBILITY STUDY OF A SPIN-COUPLED HIGH-SPIN FERROUS SYNTHETIC HEME COMPOUND

High-field, variable-temperature Mossbauer and magnetic susceptibility data have been recorded for the synthetic five-coordinate ferrous heme [Fe(TPP)(OH)]—as its polycrystalline salt [Na(dibenzo-18-crown-6)(THF)2][Fe(TPP)OH)]—(TPP=tetraphenylporphyrinate, OH= hydroxide). This compound is a model for the P-460 center of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase from Nitrosomonas europae, an ammonia-oxidizing bacterium. An analysis of the data suggests that the extra d-electron of the iron is located in an oblate orbital. The data are also consistent with an intermolecular spin-coupling between pairs of iron atoms. Although a crystal structure is not available for this compound, a structure determination for a closely related compound is consistent with a pairwise iron-iron exchange but does not rule out more complex schemes.
The Modigliani-Miller Theorem for Equity Participation

The paper shows that the use of an equity participation loan has no effect on the value of the firm, and that taxation of the borrowing firm and lender reduces firm value. The paper includes the assumption that firms borrow at an interest rate that is greater than the rate at which they can lend, so the value of the firm declines with the amount borrowed. Also, it is assumed that the firm may go bankrupt, which introduces the need for financial intermediation, as discussed by McDonald [1]. A state-preference model is employed.
Stability And Precipitation Kinetics In Si1-yCy/Si and Si1-x-yGexC/Si Heterostructures Prepared by Solid Phase Epitaxy

This study investigates the stability of Metastable Si1-yCy/Si heterostructures during rapid thermal annealing (RTA) over a temperature range of 1000 – 1150° C Heterostructures of Si1-yCy/Si and Si1-x-yGexCy/Si (x=0.077, y ≤ .0014) were formed by solid phase epitaxy from C implanted, preamorphized substrates using a 30 Minute 700° C anneal in N2. The occupancy of C in substitution lattice sites was monitored by Fourier Transform Infrared Absorption spectroscopy. The layer strain was monitored by rocking curve x-ray diffraction and the structural changes in the layers were determined using plan-view and X-sectional transmission electron Microscopy (TEM). For anneals of 1150° C or above, all the substitutional C was lost from the Si lattice after 30 seconds. TEM verified that the strain relaxation was the result of C precipitating into highly aligned βSiC particles rather than by the formation of extended defects. No nucleation barrier was observed for the loss of substitutional C Preliminary results will also be discussed for Si1-x-yGexCy/Si heterostructures where there is the additional factor of the competition between strain energy and the chemical driving forces.
Commentary: The multifaceted nature of maternal depression as a risk factor for child psychopathology – reflections on Sellers et al. (2014)

While much has been learned about depression in mothers as a risk for the development of psychopathology in offspring, many questions about how the risk is transmitted remain unanswered. Moreover, maternal depression is too often considered to be a unitary construct, ignoring the likely diversity among mothers with depression, which could play essential roles in understanding not only mechanisms of risk but also moderators of risk, i.e. for whom the association between maternal depression and adverse offspring outcomes may be stronger. Sellers et al. address both mechanisms and moderators, thereby contributing to the understanding of risk to offspring of depressed mothers in these two important ways. There is much to learn from this work, on many levels and for different audiences, including both researchers and practitioners. A key take-home message of this study for all readers is that understanding the role of maternal depression in associations with child psychopathology requires a nuanced view of the nature of risk to children from depression in mothers. The often co-occurring disorders and highly correlated additional aspects of the context in which depression occurs play important roles in the development of psychopathology in the offspring of depressed mothers.
Industrial life cycles and learning curves: Interaction of marketing and production

Abstract The price-oriented experience curve has been widely utilized as a model to design marketing strategies. Yet, it is cost over which many firms exercise the most control. This article explores the cost-oriented learning curve in conjunction with the product life cycle model as joint strategy constructs. Implications of variations in the learning curve parameters are examined.
Two arguments against the punishment-forbearance account of forgiveness

One account of forgiveness claims that to forgive is to forbear punishment. Call this the Punishment-Forbearance Account of forgiveness. In this paper I argue that forbearing punishment is neither necessary nor sufficient for forgiveness.
Rotational reflectance properties of Arkoma Basin dispersed vitrinite: insights for understanding reflectance populations in high thermal maturity regions

Abstract Analysis and interpretation of dispersed vitrinite reflectance data in regions of high thermal maturity (> 2% vitrinite reflectance) have been equivocal partly because of an increase in width and complexity of reflectance histograms with increasing mean reflectance. Such complexity is illustrated by random reflectance (Rran) data from the Arkoma Basin that display a linear increase in standard deviation of Rran with an increase in mean Rran from 1 to 5%. Evaluating how much of the dispersion in these data is the result of vitrinite anisotropy and how much is the result of mixing of kerogen populations by sedimentary processes and/or sampling procedures has been problematic. Automated collection of reflectance data during polarizer rotation provides preliminary data for solution of this problem. Rotational reflectance data collected from a subset of Arkoma Basin samples reveal positive, linear relationships among maximum (R′max), random (Rran), rotational (Rrot), and minimum (R′min) reflectance, as well as a systematic increase in bireflectance (R′max–R′min) with increasing reflectance. R′max and Rrot display lower standard deviations and narrower, more nearly unimodal histograms than Rran and R′min, suggesting that R′max and Rrot are superior (less ambiguous) indices of thermal maturity. These data patterns are inferred to be mostly an indication of increasing vitrinite anisotropy with increasing thermal maturity, suggesting that the linear covariance observed between mean Rran and standard deviation in dispersed organic data sets from regions of high thermal maturity may be explained mostly as the result of increasing vitrinite anisotropy with increasing thermal maturity.
Prolonged Gray Matter Disease without Demyelination Caused by Theiler's Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus with a Mutation in VP2 Puff B

Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) is divided into two subgroups based on neurovirulence. During the acute phase, DA virus infects cells in the gray matter of the central nervous system (CNS). Throughout the chronic phase, DA virus infects glial cells in the white matter, causing demyelinating disease. Although GDVII virus also infects neurons in the gray matter, infected mice developed a severe polioencephalomyelitis, and no virus is detected in the white matter or other areas in the CNS in rare survivors. Several sequence differences between the two viruses are located in VP2 puff B and VP1 loop II, which are located near each other, close to the proposed receptor binding site. We constructed a DA virus mutant, DApBL2M, which has the VP1 loop II of GDVII virus and a mutation at position 171 in VP2 puff B. While DApBL2M virus replicated less efficiently than DA virus during the acute phase, DApBL2M-induced acute polioencephalitis was comparable to that in DA virus infection. Interestingly, during the chronic phase, DApBL2M caused prolonged gray matter disease in the brain without white matter involvement in the spinal cord. This is opposite what is observed during wild-type DA virus infection. Our study is the first to demonstrate that conformational differences via interaction of VP2 puff B and VP1 loop II between GDVII and DA viruses can play an important role in making the transition of infection from the gray matter in the brain to the spinal cord white matter during TMEV infection.
Neurenteric cyst: Surgery and diagnostic imaging

Neurenteric cysts are rare, with fewer than 30 cases noted in the literature. We report the case of a newborn infant with respiratory distress caused by a large neurenteric cyst that was identified by prenatal ultrasound. Treatment consisted of excision of the mass through a right posterolateral thoracotomy. The cyst adhered to the spine at the level of the first thoracic vertebra and communicated with the jejunum through a posterior diaphragmatic defect. Postoperative studies with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) disclosed an anterior meningocele and tethering of the spinal column. This is the second reported case of a neurenteric cyst demonstrated by prenatal ultrasound. The presence of an intrathoracic cyst associated with spinal abnormalities is characteristic of this anomaly. With imaging techniques such as MRI and CT, we may detect residual intraspinal disease associated with neurenteric cysts.
Hemorrhagic Transformation after Ischemic Stroke in Animals and Humans

Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a common complication of ischemic stroke that is exacerbated by thrombolytic therapy. Methods to better prevent, predict, and treat HT are needed. In this review, we summarize studies of HT in both animals and humans. We propose that early HT ( 18 to 24 hours after stroke) that relates to ischemia activation of brain proteases (MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9, and endogenous tissue plasminogen activator), neuroinflammation, and factors that promote vascular remodeling (vascular endothelial growth factor and high-moblity-group-box-1). Processes that mediate BBB repair and reduce HT risk are discussed, including transforming growth factor beta signaling in monocytes, Src kinase signaling, MMP inhibitors, and inhibitors of reactive oxygen species. Finally, clinical features associated with HT in patients with stroke are reviewed, including approaches to predict HT by clinical factors, brain imaging, and blood biomarkers. Though remarkable advances in our understanding of HT have been made, additional efforts are needed to translate these discoveries to the clinic and reduce the impact of HT on patients with ischemic stroke.
Geometric computation with smart pixels

"Smart pixels" are sensor pixels which have been imbued with a limited amount of processing power. Consider a model of computation in which a grid of these smart pixels can perform simple arithmetic, store a small amount of data, and communicate with their direct neighbors. In this video, we review recent algorithms for well-known geometric problems developed within such a model. Specifically, given a black-and-white image on a w by h grid of smart pixels, we show how the sizes, orientations, centers of gravity, and convex hulls of multiple objects on the grid can be computed simultaneously in time O(w + h).
Regulatory roles for Tiam1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rac1, in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic β- cells

Abstract Using various biochemical, pharmacological and molecular biological approaches, we have recently reported regulatory roles for Rac1, a small G-protein, in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). However, little is understood with respect to localization of, and regulation by, specific regulatory factors of Rac1 in GSIS. Herein, we investigated regulatory roles for Tiam1, a specific nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rac1, in GSIS in pancreatic β-cells. Western blot analysis indicated that Tiam1 is predominantly cytosolic in distribution. NSC23766, a specific inhibitor of Tiam1-mediated activation of Rac1, markedly attenuated glucose-induced, but not KCl-induced insulin secretion in INS 832/13 cells and normal rat islets. Further, NSC23766 significantly reduced glucose-induced activation (i.e. GTP-bound form) and membrane association of Rac1 in INS 832/13 cells and rat islets. Moreover, siRNA-mediated knock-down of Tiam1 markedly inhibited glucose-induced membrane trafficking and activation of Rac1 in INS 832/13 cells. Interestingly, however, in contrast to the inhibitory effects of NSC23766, Tiam1 gene depletion potentiated GSIS in these cells; such a potentiation of GSIS was sensitive to extracellular calcium. Together, our studies present the first evidence for a regulatory role for Tiam1/Rac1-sensitive signaling step in GSIS. They also provide evidence for the existence of a potential Rac1/Tiam1-independent, but calcium-sensitive component for GSIS in these cells.
Ectopic pregnancy rates after in vitro fertilization: a look at the donor egg population

In an 8-year review of ectopic pregnancy (EP) rates in donor egg recipients and standard patients undergoing in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer (IVF-ET) at a large university-based program, we report an EP rate of 0.6% in donor egg recipients and 0.9% in standard IVF patients, a difference that is not statistically significant. Donor egg recipients were found to have a significantly lower incidence of tubal disease compared with standard IVF patients; however, tubal disease was not found to be an independent risk factor for EP in our practice, perhaps owing to aggressive management of tubal disease.
Multicomponent redistribution equilibria between methylsilanes and methylgermanes

Abstract Redistribution equilibria of the substituents Cl, Br, and I (System I), and Cl, Br, I, and OC6H5 (System II) between the methylsilicon and methylgermanium moieties have been studied quantitatively by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The experimental data have been evaluated in terms of a minimum-number set of 16 equilibrium constants for Systems I and 35 equilibrium constants for Systems II. These sets of constants in turn have been used to compute theoretical equilibrium distributions. As a result of preferential affinities of the redistributing substituents for either silicon or germanium, certain species do not appear at equilibrium in detectable amounts. For System I compounds with SiCl, GeBr, and GeI bonds are strongly favored and for System II compounds with SiCl, SiO, GeBr, and GeI bonds predominate.
Gonadal hormones and sensory function

Abstract Evidence concerning an involvement of gonadal hormones in sensory function of man and animal is reviewed. It is suggested that such involvement does exist and that hormones exert their influence in two ways: by acting directly upon discrete peripheral structures and by affecting the processing of certain stimuli by the central nervous system.
Has the Bayh-Dole act compromised basic research?

Abstract We examine three hypotheses regarding the effects of the Bayh-Dole Act on research effort of faculty. The first hypothesis we call the status quo hypothesis and it asserts that there has been no effect on research profiles. The second hypothesis, which we call the negative hypothesis, asserts that faculty have been diverted from their traditional role in basic research toward research with more commercial potential. Our final hypothesis is derived from prior theoretical work that suggests that both basic and applied research is greater when faculty can benefit from commercialization of their research effort; we refer to this as the positive hypothesis. The data we examine are the research and invention disclosure of faculty at 8 US universities over the period 1983–1999. Using a citation based measure of basic research publications we relate basic research effort to invention disclosures. Our findings are clear in that they do not show any support for the negative hypothesis and they show substantially greater support for the positive hypothesis than for the status quo hypothesis.
Mucosal expression of genes encoding possible upstream regulators of Na+ transport during pneumococcal otitis media

Objective --Recently, we reported that gene transcripts encoding 3 Na+ transport proteins (pump, channel and exchanger) in the middle ear mucosa (MEM) were simultaneously suppressed at 12 and 48 h after Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) challenge of rat middle ears. Material and Methods --From cDNA microarray screening of those specimens, several gene clusters, including Nos2 and the transcription factors Fos, Fosl1, Jun and Nfkb1, were identified as possible upstream regulators of Na+ transport protein expression. The altered expression of those genes in MEM was validated and quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction and MEM protein expression for Atp1a1, Nos2 and Nfkb1 was studied using Western blot and/or immunohistochemistry assays. Results --At both time-points. Atp1a1 mRNA and protein were decreased and Nos2 mRNA and protein were increased in MEM. While Nfkb1 protein was decreased at those times. the corresponding mRNA was increased at 12 h but decreased at 48 h. Gene expression for Fos was s...
The Medical Anthropologist as Health Department Consultant

Medical anthropology is often poorly understood by those who are not a part of the discipline. When working with other health care professionals, medical anthropologists are commonly asked to explain what their field is, what they do, and how they can assist clinicians and public health officials in appropriating better health care for their patients/clients. Many assume that medical anthropologists are always on excavations like archaeologists or that we are very similar to biologists. To counteract such misconceptions and misinterpretation, we need to develop practical applications of our work so that others can benefit from our expertise, and we need to market our skills better. In sum, practical strategies are needed in applied medical anthropology in order to justify our existence in economic and sociopolitical terms with various health organizations.
Soot-Ozone Reaction Kinetics: Spectroscopic and Gravimetric Studies

Studies on the kinetics of soot-O3 reactions, at various soot and ozone concentrations, have been conducted under flow conditions with ozone ranging from 50 to 15,000 ppm and soot from 2 to 350 mg. At lower concentrations, the initial rates of CO2 and CO formation are found to be half order with respect to soot and first order with respect to ozone. At higher concentrations, CO2 formation exhibits a more complex pattern. The initial rate for the formation of CO2 for a first stage is half order with respect to soot and 1.5 order with respect to O3, while the second stage is zero order in both species. Differences between data at higher and lower concentrations are discussed, and mechanisms for the formation of CO2, CO, and carboxylics during ozonation are suggested. Mass balance calculations on low concentration data reveal that only a small portion of the ozone is used to produce CO2, CO, H2O, and carboxylic species, most of it being decomposed catalytically over soot. At higher concentrations of O3, the rate of formation of carboxylic functionalities during the hexane soot-ozone reaction under static conditions has been examined. The initial rate, as determined by the Elovich equation, suggests that the soot-ozone reaction is nearly 6 times faster under equivalent conditions than the soot-NO2/N2O4 reaction reported earlier from this laboratory.
Analyzing sedentary behavior in life-logging images

We describe a study that aims to understand physical activity and sedentary behavior in free-living settings. We employed a wearable camera to record 3 to 5 days of imaging data with 40 participants, resulting in over 360,000 images. These images were then fully annotated by experienced staff with a rigorous coding protocol. We designed a deep learning based classifier in which we adapted a model that was originally trained for ImageNet [1]. We then added a spatio-temporal pyramid to our deep learning based classifier. Our results show our proposed method performs better than the state-of-the-art visual classification methods on our dataset. For most of the labels our system achieves more than 90% average accuracy across different individuals for frequent labels and more than 80% average accuracy for rare labels.
Exposure factor and toxicity data for California wildlife: data availability and sources of uncertainty for ecological risk assessments.

Data needs for terrestrial ecological risk assessments are generally diverse, consisting of a large array of chemicaland wildlife species-specific information for exposure and effects evaluation. Normalizing factors (e.g., body weight and metabolic rate), contact rates (e.g., ingestion rates, dietary composition and inhalation rates), population dynamics information (e.g., home range size) and seasonal activity descriptions (e.g., migration patterns) for mammalian, avian, amphibian and reptile species of concern are often required for exposure estimation (U.S. EPA, 1993). Toxicity data needs for these species vary with the assessment endpoints of the ecological risk assessment but may include individual-, populationor community level endpoints (U.S. EPA, 1998). While new site-specific data may be collected for an ecological risk assessment, initial phases of the assessment are likely to utilize existing data from the scientific literature. Databases of ecological exposure and effects information are available but they generally address a limited range of information or number of species. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has compiled exposure factor data for thirty-four mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians (U.S. EPA, 1993). In order to address ecological risk assessment data needs in California, we developed Cal/Ecotox, a database of exposure factors and toxicity data for sixtytwo species of California mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians (see http://www.oehha.ca.gov). One of the key difficulties encountered in ecological risk assessments is the lack of exposure factor and toxicity data for many wildlife species (SETAC, 1987). Extrapolation of existing data provides an approach to overcome these data gaps but this method contributes uncertainty to the ecological risk assessment (Warren-Hicks and Moore, 1998). In this paper, we describe Cal/Ecotox and provide a survey of data currently in the database to assist in the identification of data gaps and potential sources of uncertainty for ecological risk assessment. Identification of these data gaps may contribute to prioritizing current research needs in ecological risk assessment.
Interconnection Pricing, Standed Costs, and the Optimal Regulatory Contract

Given the potential for strategic gaming inherent in network providers' reliance on their competitors for the supply of vital inputs, interconnection pricing or the setting of prices at which networks sell access to their facilities and their customers to other networks has become a critical issue in the design of policies to promote competition in telecommunications markets. Debate has focused on the prices entrants should pay for access to the facilities and customers on the incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) who until recently were protected monopolies. A critical question is the size of the contributions competitors should make to incumbents' fixed costs and regulatory burdens in the prices they pay for network elements and services purchased from ILECs. Copyright 1997 by Oxford University Press.
Fast-Cycle Curriculum Development Strategies for E-Business Programs: The Bentley College Experience.

Abstract Many academics find it difficult to keep up with the rapid pace of change in e-business, let alone to introduce new course materials that adequately explore these business and technology challenges. This article discusses two types of “fast-cycle” curriculum development processes—research-driven and stakeholder-driven initiatives—that have led to new course modules, elective courses, and graduate programs on e-business at Bentley College during its transformation into the “B-School for the Information Age.” Suggestions are offered for faculty, together with organizational mechanisms that can facilitate fast-cycle curriculum development processes on emerging e-business issue.
Multiple frequency spin-lattice relaxation time and ionic conductivity measurements of Li2S + SiS2 glasses from 1 Hz to 40 MHz

Abstract Many measurements have been made of the temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation time T1 for ionically conducting glasses and the ubiquitous observation is that the activation energy for T1 ranges from a factor 2–5 lower than the dc ionic conductivity activation energy for the same glass. This has prompted much deserved discussion and yet a definitive solution to the discrepancy has not yet been advanced. In this study, wide frequency range measurements of both T1 and σac have been made on glasses in the highly conducting series Li2S + SiS2 to test the hypothesis that the source of the discrepancy lies not in two fundamentally different phenomena being measured by the two different techniques, but rather in the simpler fact that the timescales that they use to measure the same phenomena are vastly different. In NMR, the frequencies used are always above 1 MHz and always correspond to a frequency-dependent regime of T1, whereas the conductivity is measured as a frequency-independent quantity. These highly conducting glasses provide the rare opportunity to compare activation energies for both NMR and conductivity under conditions of frequency independence and it is found that the two activation energies thus determined agree within experimental error. The source of the discrepancy reported until now is suggested to be due to the fact that the conductivities of glasses have not been high enough to show frequency-independent behavior at the NMR frequencies below Tg.
Properties of the polarization ray tracing matrix

The properties of a 3 × 3 polarization ray tracing matrix formalism are presented and the role of this method in optical design. Properties of diattenuator matrices are derived and methods for analyzing diattenuation of arbitrary homogeneous and inhomogeneous matrices are presented. The 3 × 3 matrix formalism is used to analyze polarization properties of an example corner cube.
Selective Regulation of T-Cell Development and Function by Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide in Thymus and Spleen: An Example of Differential Regional Regulation of Immunity by the Neuroendocrine Systema

: In the course of our studies, we have shown the presence of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) by immunocytochemistry in cell bodies and nerve fibers of the murine thymus and in a sparce innervation of the spleen. Receptors for CGRP have been characterized within these glands, and their activation by physiological levels of CGRP was found to suppress Con A-stimulated proliferation of thymocytes and splenic T cells as well as antigen-specific T-cell proliferation. This suppression is blocked by the antagonist for CGRP (CGRP 8-37). Within the thymus cultures, the antagonist CGRP (8-37) alone enhanced proliferation of thymocytes during Con A stimulation, most likely by inhibiting the endogenous release of CGRP into the culture medium by resident thymocytes. Some of the CGRP-induced suppression of mitogenic stimulation of thymocytes, but not of splenocytes, was due to apoptosis. The antagonist, CGRP(8-37), did not block apoptosis caused by Con A or CGRP but rather enhanced it. Flow cytometric analysis of CGRP-treated cultures using antibodies to cluster determinates (CD) showed that the majority of thymocytes undergoing apoptosis induced by CGRP were of the CD4/CD8 double-positive type. These data indicate that apoptosis in the thymocytes is mediated by a CGRP receptor not sensitive to the antagonist CGRP(8-37). Because proliferation of thymocytes and splenocytes induced by Con A is blocked by this antagonist and splenocytes are refractory to CGRP induced apoptosis, CGRP appears to mediate at least two separate functions on subpopulations of thymocytes and T cells via two different CGRP receptors within the gland. These effects of a neuropeptide exemplify the phenomenon of differential regional regulation of immunity by the autonomic and neuroendocrine systems.
The Motion Analysis of Nonrigid Membranes

In this paper we discuss the problem of determining the shape and motion of a nonrigid 2-dimensional membrane, and specific information about the physics of the membrane, from a sequence of monocular perspective images of the membrane in motion, initial and terminal depth information, and generic information about the physics of the membrane. We model a nonrigid 2-dimensional membrane by a surface without thickness, and the motion of a membrane by a second-order partial differential equation (PDE). We fit a family of surfaces to the image data and use initial and terminal depth information?together with the PDE?to determine both the position of the membrane at intermediate times and the constants that characterize membrane physics. The techniques presented have been applied to real membranes, and implementation results are presented.
A phase II trial of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) plus chemotherapy as initial treatment for local failures or advanced prostate cancer.

Purpose Long-term hormonal ablation in prostate cancer is associated with decreased overall health and quality of life. Few reports emphasized the role of chemotherapy in the management of early stage prostate cancer. This study analyzed the safety and efficacy of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) plus chemotherapy as initial treatment for patients identified as local failures or not eligible for prostatectomy or radiation therapy due to advanced disease presentation.
Prognostic implications of ventricular arrhythmias during 24 hour ambulatory monitoring in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for coronary artery disease

The prognostic importance of ventricular arrhythmias detected during 24 hour ambulatory monitoring was evaluated in 395 patients with and 260 patients without significant coronary artery disease. Ventricular arrhythmias were found to be strongly related to abnormal left ventricular function. A modification of the Lown grading system (ventricular arrhythmia score) was the most useful scheme for classifying ventricular arrhythmias according to prognostic importance. When only noninvasive characteristics were considered, the score contributed independent prognostic information, and the complexity of ventricular arrhythmias as measured by this score was inversely related to survival. However, when invasive measurements were included, the ventricular arrhythmia score did not contribute independent prognostic information. Furthermore, ejection fraction was more useful than the ventricular arrhythmia score in identifying patients at high risk of sudden death.
Field edge smoothing for multileaf collimators

Abstract Purpose : To smooth the scalloped dose pattern that occurs for stepped leaves at a treatment field edge defined by a multileaf collimator. Methods and Materials : Fields with centers shifted slightly in space were superimposed to blur the staggered dose distribution at the field edge. Film dosimetry was used to monitor changes. The dose distribution for a single field position was compared to the distribution for one and three shifts. Three depths were examined and divergent alloy blocks were included in the comparison. Results : The structure that appears at an edge for a single field when leaves are staggered was nearly eliminated when the field was shifted three times to give a total of four different positions. However, shifting the field one time so that two fields were superimposed gave an intermediate result with only slight improvement in the undulating dose distribution. For the four superimposed fields, the 50 % isodose pattern converged to a smoothed line running along the center of the original undulating pattern. The 80 and 20 % isodoses did not converge to the center of their scalloped patterns. Instead, these isodose lines were spread leaving a larger penumbra width than a divergent alloy block. Conclusions : Shifting and adding fields is an effective method for smoothing the staggered dose distribution that results when the leaves of a multileaf collimator are stepped to form an irregular field pattern. However, the width of the penumbra for the combined fields is wider than the penumbra for a cerrobend block.
Lubrication studies of head-disk interfaces in a controlled environment: Part 1: Effects of disk texture, lubricant thermal treatment and lubricant additive on the durability of the head-disk interface

AbstractDecomposition and tribological performance of Z-Dol and X-1P lubricants on the magnetic recording thin-film disks are studied during sliding in a high-vacuum environment. Gaseous products generated from the head-disk interfaces and frictional force are detected and monitored as functions of the sliding distance by using a quadrupole mass spectrometer and friction measurements. The thin-film disks with mechanical and laser texture were used and different thermal treatments were applied to the lubricant films. The effects of the disk texture, lubricant thermal treatment and lubricant additive on the degradation and durability of head-disk interface, are studied in detail. Experimental results show that, firstly, fluorocarbon fragments are generated from lubricants during a period of sliding with a low and stable coefficient of friction, followed by a sharp rise in the frictional force and generation of gaseous products of diamond-like carbon overcoat material. The disk texture has effects on the dec...
A bedload trap for aeolian sand transport

Abstract This paper describes a bedload trap designed to separate bedload from saltation load in aeolian environments. The trap is installed below the sand surface and features a chimney that can be adjusted to the height of the surface. The chimney houses an internal wall to separate saltation load from bedload. Bedload particles are funneled to a piezo-electric sensor that converts grain impacts to voltages that can be sampled at very high frequencies (44,000 Hz in this example). Grains are then collected in a container that is easily retrieved so that sand samples can be obtained for weighing and subsequent grain size analysis. An algorithm to isolate single grain impacts is described. The version of the trap presented here is intended for the study of the initiation of grain motion.
Students' Ethics Ratings of Demonstrations in Introductory Psychology

There are important differences among instructors about whether or not a potential classroom demonstration is judged to be ethical. Presumably, the students themselves are the best judges of whether a demonstration would offend their sense of dignity or propriety. Introductory psychology students read procedures for 10 published demonstrations designed for introductory classes, judged each study as ethical or unethical, and rated their confidence in each judgment. If a demonstration is defined as questionable when 5% or more of the participants consider it to be unethical, then 6 of the 10 demonstrations are questionable. These results indicate the need for greater concern about ethical issues in classroom demonstrations.
Loss of Bone Mineral Density in Women Athletes During Aging

Total and regional bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy-X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and bone turnover were tested in 50 highly trained women athletes and 21 sedentary control women (18–69 years; BMI < 25 kg/m2). VO2max (ml · kg−1· min−1) and lean tissue mass (DXA) were significantly higher in the athletes versus controls (both P < 0.0001). Total body BMD did not decline significantly with age in the athletes whereas lumbar spine (L2–L4) BMD approached statistical significance (r =−0.26; P= 0.07). Significant losses of the femoral neck (r =− 0.42), Ward's triangle (r =−0.53), and greater trochanter BMD (r =−0.33; all P < 0.05) occurred with age in the athletes. In the athletes, total body BMD, L2–L4 BMD, and BMD of all sites of the femur were associated with lean tissue mass (r = 0.32 to r = 0.57, all P < 0.05) and VO2max (r = 0.29 to r = 0.48, all P < 0.05). Femoral neck and greater trochanter BMD were higher in the athletes than in controls (both P < 0.05) and lumbar spine and Ward's triangle BMD approached statistical significance (both P= 0.07). Bone turnover was assessed by serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (B-ALP), urinary deoxypyridinoline cross-links (Dpd), and urinary aminoterminal cross-linked telopeptides (NTX). There were no relationships between B-ALP or Dpd with age whereas NTX increased with age (r = 0.46, P < 0.05) in the entire group. Levels of B-ALP and NTX were negatively associated with total body, L2–L4, femoral neck, Ward's triangle, and greater trochanter BMD (P < 0.05). B-ALP and Dpd were not significantly different between athletes and controls whereas NTX was lower in the athletes than in controls (P < 0.001). The high levels of physical activity observed in women athletes increase aerobic capacity and improve muscle mass but are not sufficient to prevent the loss of bone with aging.
Agreement between hospitalized adolescents' self-reports of maltreatment and witnessed home violence and clinician reports and medical records.

Abstract Seventy-one consecutive psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents (34 males and 37 females) were systematically asked about their experiences of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and witnessing home violence using a reliable 46-item self-report measure of maltreatment, the Traumatic Events Questionnaire-Adolescent Version (TEQ-A). Subjects' responses were compared with a “best-estimate” source consisting of data from child protective service and police reports, medical records, and clinician interviews. Rates of agreement varied from 88% (kappa value [κ] = .75) for sexual abuse, to 83% (κ = .65) for physical abuse, to 75% (κ = .49) for witnessing home violence. Disclosures of maltreatment were not significantly influenced by the gender, age, educational level, or ethnicity of the adolescent. Disclosures were highest for sexual abuse (86%) and lowest for witnessing home violence (68%). The results show that psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents' self-reports of maltreatment experiences generally concur very well with best-estimate sources.
Optics at langley research center.

The specialized tools of optics have played an important part in Langley’s history of aeronautical and space research. Schlieren systems for photographing aeronautics and space models in wind-tunnel investigations have contributed to the available knowledge of aerodynamics. Optics continues to be an important part of Langley’s research program, including new techniques for measuring the sensitivity of photomultiplier tubes, spectrographic techniques for radiation measurements of wind-tunnel models, research into large orbiting telescopes, horizon definition by ir radiation measurements, spectra of natural and artificial meteors, measurement of clear air turbulence utilizing lasers, and many others.
Photophysical processes in single molecule organic fluorescent probes

The use of organic fluorescent probes in biochemical and biophysical applications of single molecule spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy techniques continues to increase. As single molecule measurements become more quantitative and new developments in super-resolution imaging allow researchers to image biological materials with unprecedented resolution, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how the properties of the probes influence the signals measured in these experiments. In this review, we focus on the photochemical and photophysical processes of organic fluorophores that affect the properties of fluorescence emission. This includes photobleaching, quenching, and the formation of non-emissive (dark) states that result in fluorescence blinking in a variety of timescales. These processes, if overlooked, can result in an erroneous interpretation of the data. Understanding their physical origins, on the other hand, allows researchers to design experiments and interpret results so that the maximum amount of information about the system of interest can be extracted from fluorescence signals.
Mapping of stream microhabitats with high spatial resolution hyperspectral imagery

Maximum likelihood supervised classifications with 1-m 128 band hyperspectral data accurately map in-stream habitats in the Lamar River, Wyoming with producer's accuracies of 91% for pools, 87% for glides, 76% for riffles, and 85% for eddy drop zones. Coarser resolution 5-m hyperspectral data and 1-m simulated multiband imagery yield lower accuracies that are unacceptable for inventory and analysis. Both high spatial resolution and hyperspectral coverage are therefore necessary to map microhabitats in the study area. In many instances, the high spatial resolution hyperspectral (HSRH) imagery appears to map the stream habitats with greater accuracy than our ground-based surveys, thus challenging classical approaches used for accuracy assessment in remote sensing.
Mucociliary transport and cough in humans.

The mucus lining of the respiratory tract originates from products of secretory cells interspersed among mucosal cells or within submucosal glands and protects the underlying mucosa from dehydration. Current understanding is that the lining is a two-fluid model in which the upper layer is a viscoelastic gel (mucus, cross-linked glycoproteins) that overlies a sol layer (serous). Thus mucus propelled by ciliary beating, flows above the sol layer and contains sloughed cells and xenobiotic materials that come into contact with it. Sensory stimuli enhance mucus secretion and cause bronchoconstriction; responses that are usually coupled to cough and two-phase gas-liquid clearance of mucus. Airway clearance can be measured by scintigraphy using insoluble radio-labeled markers deposited by aerosol delivery onto the mucus layer. In a healthy airway, lung inflation/deflation reflexes and perhaps shearing forces at the airway surface during high rates of airflow, stimulate mucociliary clearance. During the early stages of smoke-related airway pathology and mucus hypersecretion, mucus layer transport is delayed, and abnormal clearance predominates in the smaller peripheral airways. If high velocity of expiratory airflow is preserved then even with chronic exposure to respiratory irritants and cigarette smoke, mucus clearance remains effective due to cough and two-phase, gas-liquid interactions. However, in patients with advanced airway obstruction and incapable of generating forceful expiratory flows, cough and shearing are ineffective and mucociliary clearance is disparate with markedly slowed mucus layer transport within central airways. Mucolytic therapy for patients with advanced airway obstruction improves ventilation and reduces the frequency of exacerbation.
Global Positive Expectancies of the Self and Adolescents' Substance Use Avoidance: Testing a Social Influence Mediational Model

Grounded in theories of global positive expectancies and social influences of behavior, this investigation posited a model in which global positive expectancies are related to substance use as mediated by attitudes, subjective norms, self-efficacy, and intentions. Using a cohort sample (n = 525), structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized predictions of future substance use. The findings suggest that, relative to adolescents with lower global positive expectancies, adolescents with higher global positive expectancies use substances less frequently over time because of their protective attitudinal and control-oriented perceptions towards that behavior. Additionally, results from the current investigation also extend prior findings on the factor structure of global positive expectancies, suggesting these expectancies can be viewed as a second-order factor representing optimism and two components of hope-agency and pathways.
lga972: a cross-platform application for optimizing LD studies using a genetic algorithm

Summary: lga972 is a user-friendly cross-platform application with a graphical interface for determining the design features of two-stage genetic linkage disequilibrium studies that minimize the genotyping burden. Availability: lga972 is freely available at http://www.vipbg.vcu.edu/~edwin. Supplementary information: Program instructions and more detailed technical information can be found in the manual that can also be downloaded from the aforementioned website.