cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Acute Stress on the Pituitary Gland: Changes in Blood and Pituitary ACTH Concentrations

ACTH concentrations in the pituitary glands of normal rats remain unchanged 2.5 min after sham adrenalectomy, a time at which ACTH concentrations in the blood are known to reach a maximum. Four hr later, the ACTH concentration in the gland is about half that of unstressed control animals. A second similar stress applied at this time results in a similar release of ACTH into the blood at 2.5 min, but the pituitary now shows a 2-fold increase in ACTH concentration. Similar increases in pituitary ACTH concentrations occur 2.5 min following the stress of ether anesthesia 8 hr after the stress of adrenalectomy. Rats adrenalectomized 30 days show an elevated circulating ACTH level and a pituitary ACTH concentration 3 times that of normal animals; this pituitary concentration is doubled 2.5 min after ether stress. In contrast with normal animals, rats, 5, 10, 20 or 30 days after adrenalectomy, do not show a decrease in pituitary ACTH content 160 min after stress. A single “blocking” dose of hydrocortisone preven...
Ironic effects of drawing attention to story errors.

Readers learn errors embedded in fictional stories and use them to answer later general knowledge questions (Marsh, Meade, & Roediger, 2003). Suggestibility is robust and occurs even when story errors contradict well-known facts. The current study evaluated whether suggestibility is linked to participants' inability to judge story content as correct versus incorrect. Specifically, participants read stories containing correct and misleading information about the world; some information was familiar (making error discovery possible), while some was more obscure. To improve participants' monitoring ability, we highlighted (in red font) a subset of story phrases requiring evaluation; readers no longer needed to find factual information. Rather, they simply needed to evaluate its correctness. Readers were more likely to answer questions with story errors if they were highlighted in red font, even if they contradicted well-known facts. Although highlighting to-be-evaluated information freed cognitive resources ...
Cauliflower mosaic virus: pathways of infection

This short review summarizes what is known, and points out some of the unknown features, about the molecular biology of the natural spread of cauliflower mosaic virus into a susceptible host and its subsequent replication in that host.
Asbestos plaques in a typical veteran's hospital population

Previous authors have described several pleural abnormalities on chest radiology as being pathognomonic for asbestos exposure. We sought to determine the percentage of admissions and outpatients at a typical Veteran's Affairs hospital with these findings, and researched medical records to verify the frequency at which patients having positive radiographs were suspected either by clinical/occupational history or radiologically to have had prior significant exposure to asbestos. Radiographs of 1,212 consecutive patients were evaluated by a certified B reader, and the medical records as well as previous radiology reports of all positive patients were reviewed. Twenty-eight (2.3%t) of the radiographs had pleural abnormalities consistent with asbestos exposure, with the patients, all male, ranging in age from 50 to 98 years (mean 75.6). Radiology reports described pleural plaques in only 12 of the 21 (57%) cases with prior exams available; in only seven (33%) was an asbestos etiology considered by the interpreting radiologist. The plaques were misdiagnosed in four instances as being indicative of other, unrelated pathology. A history of known dust exposure was expressed by only five patients (18%). Eleven described working in occupations now known to have a high incidence of exposure, but neither patient nor examining physician expressed consideration of dust inhalation. In conclusion, we have found that a significant percentage of patients in certain subpopulations show radiographic evidence of asbestos exposure that may be a harbinger of related pathology. Unfortunately, because of a low index of suspicion, thorough environmental histories are often deferred, many radiographic changes are either not recognized or are misdiagnosed, and these patients are not followed with the stringent protocols they deserve.
European Peace Movements and Missile Deployments

Antideployment peace movement activity in Europe has declined in intensity since deployments of intermediate-range nuclear forces began in December 1983; the issue, however, will likely remain on the political agenda for several years as these deployments continue. Peace movements are nationally oriented with much less transnational collaboration than is usually imagined. The movements vary from country to country, with Dutch peace activities relatively the strongest in terms of effective political influence. Peace movements tend to be stronger in northern European Protestant areas; less so among European Catholics. Explanations for this are speculative but include such factors as religious doctrinal differences, guilt among some churchmen for not having taken stronger moral positions on state matters during the Hitler period, and success in postwar demilitarization policies. In any event, Western publics will likely remain a central part of the negotiations/deployment, two-track process as they have from...
A Troponin-T Mutation Initiates Cardiac and Skeletal Myopathy due to Impaired Inhibition of Contraction in Drosophila Melanogaster

Muscle contraction results from a series of molecular events that involve transient interactions between myosin-containing thick and actin-containing thin filaments. The high affinity of myosin for actin suggests that without regulation, muscle would remain in a continuous state of contraction. Regulation of striated muscle contraction is primarily achieved by Ca2+-dependent modulation of myosin crossbridge cycling on actin by the thin filament (TF) troponin-tropomyosin complex. Alterations in various subunits of the complex trigger contractile dysregulation and myopathy. For example, point mutations located over a span of ten amino acids (130-39) of human cardiac troponin T (cTnT) are associated with distinct cardiomyopathic responses. The Drosophila up101 (E88K) mutation localizes to the end of this well-conserved region of TnT. Here we examined the consequences of the lesion on distinct muscle types from the fly. Cardiac performance and morphology were assessed using direct immersion DIC optics, high-speed video imaging and motion analysis. Relative to controls, up101 hearts displayed a phenotype reminiscent of human restrictive cardiomyopathy. End-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions and percent fractional shortening were significantly reduced. Furthermore systolic intervals were significantly prolonged. This suggests TF dysregulation initiates excessive periods of force production and diastolic dysfunction. To characterize the fundamental cause of cardiac remodeling, we isolated TFs from the indirect flight muscles (IFM). The constitutively expressed up101 mutation results in flightlessness due to severe IFM hypercontraction. Electron microscopy and three-dimensional reconstruction of IFM TFs revealed Ca+2-dependent tropomyosin movement, typical of control filaments, was not a general feature of the TnT mutants. The vast majority of Ca+2-free mutant TFs exhibited tropomyosin associated with successive actin monomers over actin subdomains 3 and 4, distal to known myosin binding sites. Thus, up101 TnT likely promotes TF dysinhibition and ubiquitous myopathic remodeling.
Open string self-energy on the lightcone worldsheet lattice

We continue our study of open-string perturbation theory on the lightcone worldsheet lattice, which is an $M\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}N$ rectangular grid. Here $M$ is the number of ${P}^{+}$ units, and $N$ is the number of $i{x}^{+}$ units. We extend our previous analysis to the bosonic open-string one-planar-loop self-energy. We find that, when all open-string coordinates satisfy Neumann conditions, the ultraviolet worldsheet divergences associated with the closed-string tachyon and boundary effects can be canceled by renormalization of bulk ($A{M}^{1}$) and boundary ($B{M}^{0}$) worldsheet ``cosmological constants.'' The bulk divergence for the open string matches that for the closed string. The open-string tachyon mass shift displays the dilaton logarithmic divergence with the correct coefficient for its consistent absorption by renormalization of the string tension. The ultraviolet contribution to the open-string gluon mass shift vanishes, in accord with its interpretation as a gauge particle. We also find that when the bosonic string ends on a D-brane, additional negative powers of $\mathrm{ln}﻿M$ multiply the bulk and boundary divergences. These can no longer be canceled by the ``cosmological constants,'' perhaps pointing to the need, in the presence of D-branes, for the cancellations of divergences provided by supersymmetry.
Katherine Philips in Ireland

AbstractThis essay argues that Philips' translation of Corneille's La Mort de Pompee emerged as part of a complex, cross‐cultural network of allegiance and competition that centered on the English court but stretched across the English Channel and Irish Sea. Harping in particular on the play's Dublin production and reception, Philips' Pompey and its commendatory matter present the Restoration Anglo‐Irish elite as displaced but renewed exemplars of continental culture and courtly Englishness. In doing so, they cast women as bearers of court values that bind together cross‐kingdom ruling blocs in the aftermath of violent civil war and in the context of a restored, multi‐kingdom monarchy. (C.G.)
The Tethyan Pacific during Late Jurassic and Cretaceous times

Abstract During Mesozoic times, the Pacific Ocean occupied almost an entire hemisphere, plus a great wedge of ocean that lay between eastern Gondwana and Laurasia and extended westward from the Pacific into the gradually widening Tethys sea in the Mediterranea, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico. As the Atlantic widened, the Pacific narrowed apace, and the Pacific Plate expanded at the expense of bordering plates. During the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous, connections between the Atlantic and Pacific, via passageways between small continental plates in Central America, gradually widened, permitting a globe-circling, mainly west-flowing current system in low latitudes. Except for tectonic slices preserved along the adjacent American and Asian continents, all pre-Jurassic Pacific oceanic sediments have been subducted. Middle and Late Jurassic oceanic crust is inferred from magnetic data, and one drill hole reached Middle Jurassic crust. Pacific Cretaceous pelagic sedimentary rocks are typically nannofossil limestone above the calcite compensation depth and brown, zeolitic clay and radiolarian mudstone below. Chert is common as nodules in both limey and clayey sediments, and siliceous sediments appear to have been deposited over a wide band of latitudes in the Cretaceous. Lower Cretaceous black shale is present on several plateaus, at paleodepths of 500–1500 m, but contemporaneous sediments in adjacent basins are oxidized. Cretaceous vulcanism was on a stupendous scale: in the western equatorial Pacific, a region of about 4x106 km2, centered on the Ontong Java Plateau, is covered almost entirely by mid-plate tholeiitic flood basaltic flows and sills, probably emplaced mainly during the earliest Aptian. Emplacement of these huge masses in a relatively short time may have had important consequences not only for global sea level, but also for the chemistry of the oceans and atmosphere. A striking link to Tethyan facies in the other hemisphere is the presence of shallow-water platform and reefal sediments on the summits of many Pacific Cretaceous seamounts. Several dozen Early Cretaceous seamounts built to heights above sea level, and doubtless many more existed on crust now subducted along the margins of the Pacific. As the seamounts subsided, shallow-water rudist/coral platforms gradually covered them, eventually forming atolls. The platforms are the Pacific expression of the “Urgonian” platforms of the Tethys. Many—perhaps most—of the Pacific Early Cretaceous platforms drowned in the latest Albian, and are guyots today. New volcanic chains rose later in the Cretaceous, but there is a gap in rudist reef development from the Cenomanian through the Santonian. Campanian and Maestrichtian rudist reefs flourished in equatorial latitudes, but hermatypic reefs appear to have been absent during the Paleocene.
Tropical air-sea interaction in the navy coupled data assimilation/modeling system

The navy global coupled modeling system consists of atmospheric and oceanic circulation forecast models, combined with data assimilation procedures that produce nowcasts of the atmosphere and ocean state on daily basis. This system is used to study the air-sea interaction the in tropical convective systems. The effects of surface heat, momentum and fresh water fluxes on the ocean temperature and salinity are examined. The influence of SST feedback on development and predictability of modeled convection, on the time scales ranging from daily to intraseasonal, is evaluated.
A supervised learning approach to landmark-based elastic biomedical image registration and interpolation

Biomedical image registration often requires local elastic matching after initial global alignment. Due to their universal approximation property, neural networks may be used for landmark-based elastic registration. A supervised learning approach using backpropagation, Bayesian regularization, Gauss-sigmoid networks, and radial basis function networks is presented for 2D elastic registration.
Arabidopsis Chlorophyll Biosynthesis: An Essential Balance between the Methylerythritol Phosphate and Tetrapyrrole Pathways

Chlorophyll, essential for photosynthesis, is composed of a chlorin ring and a geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP)–derived isoprenoid, which are generated by the tetrapyrrole and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) biosynthesis pathways, respectively. Although a functional MEP pathway is essential for plant viability, the underlying basis of the requirement has been unclear. We hypothesized that MEP pathway inhibition is lethal because a reduction in GGPP availability results in a stoichiometric imbalance in tetrapyrrolic chlorophyll precursors, which can cause deadly photooxidative stress. Consistent with this hypothesis, lethality of MEP pathway inhibition in Arabidopsis thaliana by fosmidomycin (FSM) is light dependent, and toxicity of MEP pathway inhibition is reduced by genetic and chemical impairment of the tetrapyrrole pathway. In addition, FSM treatment causes a transient accumulation of chlorophyllide and transcripts associated with singlet oxygen-induced stress. Furthermore, exogenous provision of the phytol molecule reduces FSM toxicity when the phytol can be modified for chlorophyll incorporation. These data provide an explanation for FSM toxicity and thereby provide enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of FSM resistance. This insight into MEP pathway inhibition consequences underlines the risk plants undertake to synthesize chlorophyll and suggests the existence of regulation, possibly involving chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signaling, that may monitor and maintain balance of chlorophyll precursor synthesis.
Effect of wire bond and die layout on electrical performance of power packages

In power packages, the DC test for R DS(ON) , AC test for various parameters, test for fusing current capability, and unclamped inductive load (UIL) or unclamped inductive switching (UIS) test, are important and critical for assurance of the robust product performance, quality and reliability. The fusing current capability test tries to simulate which case has the highest fusing current capability. The fusing current is generally used to determine the maximum current capability of a certain package. An unclamped inductive load represents an extreme electrical stress condition since the energy stored in the inductor during the on-state is dumped directly into the device when it is turned off. The device UIL capability rating is also termed as “ruggedness”, which is a scale of how much power the body diode can handle before it is destroyed. During the assembly process, some modifications might be made to achieve high machine throughput without affecting much electrical performance. However, this must be carefully investigated. In this paper the layout of wire bond is thoroughly investigated by experimental work and FEA modeling. The initial design has three 8mil source wires (3–8) bonded on 3 pads of the die. Two evaluation cases using two 12mil source wires (2–12) bonded on 2 different pads are studied and compared with the control case. Both current fusing test and UIL test are simulated by FEA. It is indicated that the FEA simulation results have good correlation with the experimental results.
Imaging Mechanism and Quantification of Scanning Probe Microscopies on Ferroelectric Surfaces

In the last few years a wide spectrum of non-contact, intermittent contact and contact scanning probe microscopies have been applied to imaging ferroelectric surfaces. The imaging mechanism in non-contact SPM is ultimately related to the total charge distribution on the ferroelectric surface, including both polarization and screening charges. Contact voltage modulation (piezoresponse) force microscopy (PFM) is sensitive to both local polarization via electromechanical coupling and surface charge via capacitive interactions. In the present research we analyze the electrostatic and electromechanical contrast in PFM using analytical solutions for the electrostatic sphere-dielectric plane problem and for the piezoelectric indentation problem. The contribution of electrostatic forces to the image is estimated. Variable-temperature PRI imaging of domain structures in BaTiO3 is performed and the temperature dependence of the piezoresponse is compared with the Ginzburg - Devonshire theory.
Haptic perception of object curvature in Parkinson's disease.

Background The haptic perception of the curvature of an object is essential for adequate object manipulation and critical for our guidance of actions. This study investigated how the ability to perceive the curvature of an object is altered by Parkinson's disease (PD).
Testing efficiency of storage in the subsurface: frio brine pilot experiment

Can we demonstrate that subsurface storage is an effective method of reducing emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere? The Frio Brine Pilot Experiment is designed to test storage performance of a typical subsurface environment in an area where large-volume sources and sinks are abundant, near Houston, Texas, USA. We employed extensive pre-experiment characterization and modeling to identify significant factors that increase or decrease risk of leakage from the injection zone. We then designed the experiment to focus on those factors, as well as to test for presence or absence of events that are not expected. A fully developed reservoir model of heterogeneous reworked fluvial sandstones of the Frio Formation documents three-dimensional compartmentalization of the injection horizon by faulting associated with salt-dome intrusion and growth. Modeling using the TOUGH2 simulator showed that a significant source of uncertainty for subsurface performance of injected CO2 is residual CO2 saturation during storage. If initial displacement of water during injection is efficient and capillary effects create the expected residual saturation of 30 percent CO2, the volume occupied by the plume will be limited, and long-term storage can be expected even in an open system. If, however, during injection, CO2 moves out from the injection well along high-permeability pathways, it may not contact most pores, and residual saturation will have a smaller effect on storage. Our experiment is therefore designed to monitor plume geometry and CO2 saturation near the injection well and closely spaced observation well. Leakage out of the injection zone as a result of well engineering or other flaws in the seal is also monitored in the sandstone immediately overlying the injection zone and at the surface using multiple techniques. Permitting strategies include cooperation among two State agencies, as well as Federal NEPA assessment, because of the innovative aspects of the experiment.
Challenges of measuring diurnal cortisol concentrations in a large population-based field study.

Summary Objectives Longitudinal examinations of associations between daily stress, diurnal cortisol concentrations, and physiological parameters in population-based studies are needed. This study evaluates issues related to consent, collection, and protocol adherence for a low-burden saliva collection protocol. Methods In the 2007 pretest (n = 193) for Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) a three-sample, one-day, unsupervised saliva collection protocol was pilot tested. Embedded experiments allowed for examination of adherence and effects of monetary incentives. Results Although most (97%) study participants consented to collection, only about 80% actually mailed back samples. Use of a time-stamping TrackCap allowed comparison of self-reported and stamp-recorded collection times. Of returned samples, self-report of collection time was missing for about a quarter, and only about one in three respondents (of those for whom adherence was calculable) fully adhered to the collection protocol, indicating significant potential for bias. Consent, return, and protocol adherence were unrelated to key sociodemographic characteristics, and did not improve with higher monetary incentives or knowledge of being monitored. Conclusions Despite the relatively low-burden collection protocol and use of multiple strategies thought to improve collection and protocol adherence, response and adherence were poor, leading to a decision to drop cortisol measurement from the Wave IV Add Health protocol. Large field studies should carefully evaluate the feasibility of collection and protocol adherence for unsupervised collection protocols before implementing costly, and potentially unusable, biological measurements.
Narratives or Sources? Active Learning and the Teaching of Ancient Jewish History and Texts

During my career, I have regularly taught a survey course on the history of Jews and Judaism in the Persian, Greek, and early Roman periods (ca. 520 BCE – 70 CE). Student performance in the course has long concerned and puzzled me. By the end of the course students demonstrated familiarity with the narratives and concepts we covered, but most did not really “think historically.” They had great difficulties using and applying the historical tools they learned to new situations and evidence. In 2006 and again in 2010 I overhauled the course not only to improve it, but also to figure out how my students learned history. Using a wiki exercise, I traced how students learned and then applied these insights the next time I taught the course. In this essay I report on what I learned.
Auditory Hypersensitivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

A review of records was completed to determine whether children with auditory hypersensitivities have difficulty tolerating loud sounds due to auditory-system factors or some other factors not dire...
In Vitro Activity of Structurally Diverse Nucleoside Analogs against Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 with the K65R Mutation in Reverse Transcriptase

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) with a lysine-to-arginine substitution at codon 65 (HIV-165R) of reverse transcriptase (RT) can rapidly emerge in patients being treated with specific combinations of nucleoside analog RT inhibitors (NRTIs). A better understanding of the activity of approved and investigational NRTIs against HIV-165R is needed to select optimal therapy for patients infected with this mutant and to devise strategies to prevent its emergence. Therefore, we tested a broad panel of NRTIs that differed by enantiomer, pseudosugar, and base component against HIV-165R to determine how NRTI structure affects activity. Drug susceptibilities of recombinant wild-type (HIV-165K) or mutant HIV-165R were determined using a single-replication-cycle susceptibility assay with P4/R5 cells and/or a multiple-replication-cycle susceptibility assay with MT-2 cells. All d, l, and acyclic NRTIs were significantly less active against HIV-165R than against HIV-165K except for analogs containing a 3′-azido moiety. Pseudosugar structure and base component but not enantiomer influenced NRTI activity against HIV-165R. These findings support the inclusion of 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine in drug combinations to treat patients having HIV-165R and to prevent its emergence.
A New Method for Face Recognition Based on Color Information and a Neural Network

Study demonstrates that color information makes contribution and enhances robustness in face recognition. Yet, most of the approaches to face recognition still use gray-scale images, mainly due to the extra processing and storage costs of the larger input size for color images. Multi-layer neural networks (MLNs) have been widely used in face recognition applications and yielded highly competitive results. This paper proposes a new method that makes a full use of color information without noteworthy extra processing cost, and demonstrates that the neural network in the proposed method is compatible with the existing MLN training algorithms based on error back propagation (EBP). Experimental results verify the superiority of the proposed method in face recognition.
Dependency and insecurity in romantic relationships: Development and validation of two companion scales

This article presents self-report scales for the assessment of perceived dependency and insecurity in a romantic relationship. These scales were originally developed many years ago (Fei & Berscheid, 1977) but were never published. The process of original scale development is summarized, and results from five studies (total N = 1,283; including data from the original Fei & Berscheid studies) are presented showing evidence for (a) scale reliability and validity; (b) the association between dependency and insecurity and the relationship conditions that moderate this association; (c) the association of dependency and insecurity with other theoretically relevant dimensions of close relationships; and (d) dyadic-level issues of partner similarity and correlates of discrepancies in levels of dependency and insecurity. The results indicate that the two scales are reliable, valid, and associated with many other relationship constructs (e.g., commitment, love, closeness, and attachment). Believing that dependency and insecurity are fundamental dimensions underlying romantic relationships, two decades ago Fei and Berscheid constructed two scales to assess these properties of relationships. Al
A monoclonal antibody to the insect prothoracicotropic hormone

The prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) is an insect cerebral peptide that stimulates the prothoracic glands to produce the steroid hormone ecdysone thus initiating molting and metamorphosis. "Big" PTTH, one of several molecular forms of the neurohormone, was isolated from brains of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta, and fractionated by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) for use in antibody production. A murine polyclonal antiserum and a monoclonal antibody (MAb) have been generated using this highly purified preparation of big PTTH. Antisera and hybridoma supernatants were screened with an indirect, brain whole-mount immunocytological assay, and antibody specificity was confirmed by immunocytological, ELISA, and functional criteria. In brain whole-mount preparations, the MAb (A2H5) and antiserum specifically immunostained the lateral protocerebral neurosecretory cells (L-NSC III), the prothoracicotropes, which produce PTTH. This immunostaining was blocked by preadsorbing the antibodies with big PTTH. Analysis of the elution of HPLC-fractionated big PTTH with an in vitro bioassay for the neurohormone and an ELISA employing the A2H5 MAb resulted in peaks of activity that were superimposable. Finally, the antiserum and A2H5 MAb inhibited big PTTH activation of the prothoracic glands to synthesize ecdysone in the in vitro bioassay for the neurohormone. With these specific antibodies, the organization of the PTTH neuroendocrine axis has been defined. It is now evident that both of the peptidergic neurons that comprise the L-NSC III are prothoracicotropes, and that the corpora allata are the neurohemal organs for the release of big PTTH into the hemolymph. This study indicates that these specific antibodies will be useful in investigations of numerous aspects of the biology of this cerebral neuroendocrine axis.
Distance geometry generates native‐like folds for small helical proteins using the consensus distances of predicted protein structures

For successful ab initio protein structure prediction, a method is needed to identify native-like structures from a set containing both native and non-native protein-like conformations. In this regard, the use of distance geometry has shown promise when accurate inter-residue distances are available. We describe a method by which distance geometry restraints are culled from sets of 500 protein-like conformations for four small helical proteins generated by the method of Simons et al. (1997). A consensus-based approach was applied in which every inter-Calpha distance was measured, and the most frequently occurring distances were used as input restraints for distance geometry. For each protein, a structure with lower coordinate root-mean-square (RMS) error than the mean of the original set was constructed; in three cases the topology of the fold resembled that of the native protein. When the fold sets were filtered for the best scoring conformations with respect to an all-atom knowledge-based scoring function, the remaining subset of 50 structures yielded restraints of higher accuracy. A second round of distance geometry using these restraints resulted in an average coordinate RMS error of 4.38 A.
Molecular cloning, tissue distribution, and hormonal control in the ovary of Cx41 mRNA, a novel Xenopus connexin gene transcript

Gap junctions (GJ) are aggregates of intercellular channels, composed of connexin (Cx) protein, between adjacent cells. The vertebrate ovarian follicle contains homocellular (granulosa cell-granulosa cell) and heterocellular (granulosa cell-oocyte) GJ. However, the function of GJ during final oocyte differentiation (maturation) is controversial. The objectives of this study are to reexamine the number and identity of Cx genes that are expressed in the Xenopus ovary, and to examine the potential role of GJ in oocyte maturation by determining the temporal association between changes in ovarian Cx mRNA content and the process of maturation. We used reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to amplify ovarian cDNA fragments using degenerate Cx primers. We amplified three Cx-like fragments: one was novel and two corresponded to known Cx of Xenopus ovaries (Cx38 and 43). The novel fragment was used to screen an ovarian cDNA library. One positive clone was identified and its nucleotide sequence determined. Its deduced amino acid sequence showed that it corresponded to a novel Cx, Cx41, belonging to the Group II class of Cx. Xenopus Cx41 showed the highest homology to rat Cx37 (65% identity, 80% similarity). Also, the last 10 C-terminal amino acids of Cx41 were identical to those of rat, mouse, and human Cx37. Cx41 transcripts were detected by riboprobe mapping in ovarian somatic cells, heart, leg muscle, liver and eye, but not in brain or in oocytes of any developmental stage. Full-grown follicles incubated in vitro with human chorionic gonadotropin became committed to mature within 1-4 hr, and physical signs of maturation (germinal vesicle breakdown) were seen at 4-5 hr. Significant reductions in the levels of Cx41 and 43, but not 38 transcripts were seen at 4 hr, after oocytes had committed to mature. Thus, if availability of Cx mRNA determines availability of Cx protein and GJ, our results would suggest that irreversible commitment to maturation occurred prior to major declines in follicular GJ during the periovulatory period. The present study is the first to report the presence of at least two hormone-responsive Cx gene transcripts (Cx41 and 43 in Xenopus) in ovaries of a single animal species.
Sponge-feeding by the Caribbean starfish Oreaster reticulatus

The common Caribbean starfish Oreaster reticulatus (Linnaeus) feeds on sponges by everting its stomach onto a sponge and digesting the tissue, leaving behind the sponge skeleton. In the San Blas Islands, Republic of Panama, 54.2% of the 1549 starfish examined from February 1987 to June 1990 at eight sites were feeding, and 61.4% of these were feeding on sponges, representing 51 species. Sponges were fed on disproportionately heavily in comparison to their abundance, which was only 9.7% of available prey. In feeding choice experiments, 736 pieces of 34 species of common sponges from a variety of shallow-water habitats, and also 9 ind of a coral, were offered to starfish in individual underwater cages. Acceptance or rejection of sponge species was unambiguous for 31 of the 34 species, and there was a clear relationship between sponge acceptability and sponge habitat. Starfish ate 16 of 20 species that normally grow only on the reefs, but only 1 of 14 species that live in the seagrass meadows and rubble flats surrounding the reefs. The starfish live in the seagrass meadows and rubble flats, and avoid the reefs, and so the acceptable reef sponges are generally inaccessible until a storm fragments and transports them into starfish habitat. After Huricane Joan washed fragments of reef sponges into a seagrass meadow in October 1988, starfish consumed the edible species. When the seagrass meadow was experimentally seeded with tagged reef sponge fragments in June 1994, O. reticulatus consumed edible species and accumulated in the area seeded. Reef sponges that were living in a seagrass meadow, from which O. reticulatus had been absent for at least 4 yr (from 1978 to 1982), were eliminated when the starfish migrated into the area, and the sponges have been unable to recolonize up to June 1994. O. reticulatus feeding and habitat preferences appear to restrict distributions of many Caribbean reef sponge species to habitats without O. reticulatus and may have exerted significant selective pressure on defences of those sponges that live in O. reticulatus habitats.
An LSO scintillator array for a PET detector module with depth of interaction measurement

Presents construction methods and performance results for a production scintillator array of 64 optically isolated, 3 mm/spl times/3 mm/spl times/30 mm sized LSO crystals. This scintillator array has been developed for a PET detector module consisting of the 8/spl times/8 LSO array coupled on one end to a single photomultiplier tube (PMT) and on the opposite end to a 64 pixel array of silicon photodiodes (PD). The PMT provides an accurate timing pulse and initial energy discrimination, the PD identifies the crystal of interaction, the sum provides a total energy signal, and the PD/(PD+PMT) ratio determines the depth of interaction (DOI). Unlike the previous LSO array prototypes, the authors now glue Lumirror reflector material directly onto 4 sides of each crystal to obtain an easily manufactured, mechanically rugged array with the authors' desired depth dependence. With 511 keV excitation, the authors' obtain a total energy signal of 3600 electrons, pulse-height resolution of 25% FWHM, and 6-15 mm FWHM DOI resolution.
Hemorrhage risk and clinical features of multiple intracranial arteriovenous malformations

The aim of this report is to examine clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, and annual hemorrhage incidence rate for patients with multiple arteriovenous malformations (MAVM). The PubMed and EMBASE databases and the arteriovenous malformations (AVM) database at The Johns Hopkins Hospital were searched to identify patients with MAVM. Data related to demographics, clinical features, management, and treatment outcomes were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Thirty-eight patients met the inclusion criteria. The annual hemorrhage incidence rate was 6.7%. Surgical intervention remained the most common single-modality treatment from 1949-2011. Between 1990 and 2011, multiple-modality treatment strategies (36% of cases) were employed more frequently. The most common presenting features were neurological deficit (74%) and hemorrhage (63%). In patients undergoing staged treatment of MAVM, hemorrhage of an untreated nidus (n=5), visualization of a new nidus (n=9), and disappearance of an untreated nidus (n=2) were observed. Limitations of this study include small sample size and reporting bias. The annual hemorrhage incidence rate for MAVM patients was approximately two- to three-fold greater than the reported annual hemorrhage rates for solitary AVM. Combining different treatment modalities has become the most common management strategy. The potential instability of remaining nidi with staged or incomplete treatment necessitates close follow-up in these cases.
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE USE OF CERTAIN ANALYZING CRYSTALS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF SILICON AND ALUMINUM

During the past several years, a number of analyzing crystals have been prepared in the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Laboratories. Crystals such as alkaline acid malonates, sucrose, pentaerythritol (PET), and several others have been grown with the sole purpose of application in X-ray fluorescence analysis of silicon, aluminum, and other elements of low atomic number. Crystals from natural sources, such as quartz, mica, and gypsum, have also been procured from different parts of the world for this purpose.
Characteristics, demographics, outcomes, and complications of diabetic traction retinal detachments treated with silicone oil tamponade.

Purpose To describe the characteristics, demographics, anatomic and functional outcomes, and complications of diabetic eyes with traction retinal detachment (TRD) or combined traction/rhegmatogenous retinal detachment that underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) silicone oil (SO) tamponade. Methods In this retrospective chart review, exclusion criteria included previous PPV. Results Forty eyes were identified. The mean preoperative complexity score (CS) of the TRDs was 5.95 (range 4-8). In patients with ≥6 months of follow-up (33; 82.5%), eyes with lower CSs had a better mean final visual acuity (VA): ~20/400 for CS 4, and hand motions (HM)-1/200 for CS g5. Eyes with macula-sparing TRDs had better final VA (~20/400) than those with a detached macula (~HM). Eyes with g3 panretinal photocoagulation sessions attained better mean final VA (20/400) than eyes without any history of laser treatment (~HM). The most frequent complications were cataract (46%), preretinal fibrosis (33%), recurrent TRD (15%), oil migration to the anterior chamber (12%), corneal edema (12%), and oil emulsification (9%). Eleven (27.5%) eyes underwent SO removal. Conclusions The average complexity score was high in this series. Use of SO tamponade for diabetic TRDs is not without complications, but may be beneficial in stabilizing vision in eyes with otherwise poor prognosis.
Bovine fetal pituitary concentration and in vitro synthesis of prolactin, GH, and LH.

SummaryLuteinizing hormone, GH, and prolactin were quantified by radioimmunoassay in 34 fetal bovine pituitaries. Pituitary LH concentration increased with fetal age from 323 to 474, and to 535 ng/mg at 90, 180, and 260 days, respectively. Pituitaries cultured in vitro synthesized significant quantities of LH. Differences in LH synthesis due to sex or age of pituitary donor were not significant. Fetal pituitary GH increased during gestation (4.2, 8.9, and 18.1 μg/mg at 90, 180, and 260 days, respectively). GH for male and female fetuses was similar at 90 and 180 days, but pituitaries from males contained less GH (12.1 μg/mg) than females (25.3 μg/mg) at 260 days. Growth hormone was not synthesized in vitro in significant quantities. Fetal pituitaries contained increasing quantities of prolactin (72, 1150, and 2508 ng/mg for 90, 180, and 260 days, respectively) with advancing fetal age, and synthesized in vitro more prolactin than LH. Pituitaries from female fetuses synthesized three times more prolactin t...
Modeling and Testing of 9m Research Blades

Wind turbines and their blades continue to grow in size. The resulting increase in blade mass and cost requires the implementation of new design concepts. Among these is the selective use of carbon fiber. In 2002, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) initiated a research program to investigate the use of carbon fiber in 9m subscale blades. Two sets of blades were designed, one with a carbon spar-cap and the other with off-axis carbon in the skin which produces bend twist coupling. Blades of each design have recently undergone modal and structural testing. In addition, finite element analysis (FEA) of both blades has been performed. This paper describes the design, testing, and analysis work that have been completed.
Effect of Fluorine on the Dopant Diffusion of Through-Oxtoe Implanted Boron in Si - a Correlation with Microstructural Defects

In case of boron through-oxide implant, it has been shown that the knocked-in oxygen atoms segregate at initially nucleated dislocation sites during the incubation and no significant junction movement is detected. The trapping of oxygen proceeds up to a certain time at which oxygen-precipitation occurs and this leads to an ejection of excess Si interstitials and further enhancing boron diffusion. However, with fluorine addition we believe that fluorine incorporation in SiO 2 and/or SiO 2 /Si interface not only releases the strain gradient but also suppresses the silicon interstitials ejection and by this means suppresses the oxidation-enhanced boron diffusion. Correlated results of TEM microdefect structures and spreading resistance profiles are used to further support our postulation.
Bad Apples or Bad Barrels' A Former CEO Discusses the Interplay of Person and Situation With Implications for Business Education

Recent corporate scandals have directed public attention to the importance of business ethics and social responsibility. Although culpability can be assigned to a myriad of causes, there is no ques...
F 1 ANTI-PARENT CELL-MEDIATED LYMPHOLYSIS: AUTOREACTIVE EFFECTORS AND REQUIREMENT OF PARENTAL T CELLS FOR STIMULATION

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the importance of autoreactive effectors and the requirement of parental T cells for stimulation. Responder spleen cells of B6D2F1 hybrid mice cultured in vitro with irradiated parental B6 SC generate cytotoxic T lymphocytes that specifically lyse target cells sharing H-2 antigens with the parental stimulators. The chapter discusses three main issues related to the in vitro development of F1 anti-parent cell-mediated lympholysis (CML): (1) identification of the genetic region of the H-2 complex coding for or regulating the expression of target determinants, (2) recognition of the autoreactive nature of the response, and (3) requirement of irradiated parental T cells for induction of F1 anti-parent CTL.
Pathogenesis of lymphomas

Cancer is, in essence, a genetic disease in which an accumulation of mutations leads to activation of oncogenic pathways and impairment of normal controls in growth and survival. Recent developments in high throughput sequencing technologies have produced an increasingly detailed record of the genomic alterations present in malignant lymphomas. Acquired (somatic) genetic alterations seen in malignancies include single nucleotide variants (SNV), small insertions and deletions (indels), copy number variations (CNV), and other large structural variations.
Working with Type-2 Fuzzy Sets

This chapter explains how to work with type-2 fuzzy sets (T2 FSs). Most of its topics are needed in the rest of this book. Coverage includes: set-theoretic operations (union, intersection, and complement) for general type-2 fuzzy sets (GT2 FSs) computed using the Extension Principle, set-theoretic operations for interval type-2 fuzzy sets (IT2 FSs), set-theoretic operations for GT2 FSs computed using horizontal slices, type-2 relations and compositions on the same product space and on different product spaces, compositions of a T2 FS with a type-2 relation, type-2 hedges, Extension Principle for IT2 and GT2 FSs, functions of GT2 FSs computed using \( \alpha \)-planes, Cartesian product of T2 FSs, implications, an appendix about the properties of T2 FSs and an appendix that has detailed proofs of many theorems. 27 examples are used to illustrate the chapter’s important concepts.
Optical excitation of transition-metal ions via intramolecular energy transfer

Luminescence from (nd)6 (n = 3, 4, 5) systems is reported. When excited at 77 °K by visible and near-ultraviolet light, specific complexes of Co (III), Ru (II), Os (II) and Ir (III) with cyanide and organic ligands exhibit unique intense luminescences in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum. Tentative assignments are given for the luminescences on the basis of an octahedral ligand-field model.
A Membrane Form of Estrogen Receptor-α Mediates Estrogenic, Nongenomic Effects

Evidence has accumulated for a number of years that rapid membrane-initiated steroid signaling can occur (1;2) in conjunction with the binding of steroids to cellular surfaces (3). However, the identification of the class of protein which mediates this binding, and initiates the accompanying signals, has remained controversial. Our earlier collaborative studies on the membrane glucocorticoid receptors (see chapter 6) demonstrated that a monoclonal antibody (Ab) to the intracellular form of that protein could be used as a tool to identify and study an additional form of the receptor on the cell surface; the presence of this receptor could be correlated with a subset of glucocorticoid-initiated responses. Subsequently, we looked for an appropriate, rapidly estrogen-responsive cell model in which to investigate the presence and identity of a membrane estrogen receptor linked to nongenomic actions.
Impact of Accountable Care Organizations on Psoriasis Care

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented the groundwork for health care providers to use integrated delivery models, such as accountable care organizations, which are designed to improve quality of care while decreasing costs. The objective of these units is to promote health maintenance through primary care services and to avoid inpatient hospitalizations. This strategy may not account for the role of specialty services, like dermatology, that are primarily conducted in an outpatient setting. Psoriatic patients, who are regularly seen in dermatology clinics, represent a model patient cohort with a chronic, complex, and debilitating skin disorder that incurs significant annual costs. Accountable care organizations can hinder appropriate referrals for these at-risk patients, leading to greater morbidity and possibly even greater costs. While rising health care costs make reforms necessary, it is crucial that the impact of accountable care organizations across all facets of healthcare be ex...
Comorbidity of Diagnosis in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous disorder with considerable comorbidity not only with conduct disorder but also with depressive and anxiety disorders. Current research findings suggest that subgroups of children with ADHD might be delineated based on the presence of comorbidity. These subgroups may have differing risk factors, clinical course, and pharmacologic responses. Thus, their proper identification may lead to refinements in preventive and treatment strategies. Investigation of these issues should help to clarify the etiology, course, and outcome of ADHD.