cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feasibility and acceptability of a televideo physical activity and nutrition program for recent kidney transplant recipients

Post-transplant weight gain affects 50–90% of kidney transplant recipients adversely affecting survival, quality of life, and risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Diet modification and physical activity may help prevent post-transplant weight gain. Methods for effective implementation of these lifestyle modifications are needed. The objective of this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a remotely delivered nutrition and physical activity intervention among kidney transplant recipients. Secondary aims were to estimate the effectiveness of the intervention in producing changes in physical activity, qualify of life, fruit and vegetable intake, and consumption of whole grains and water from baseline to 6 months. A randomized controlled study for stable kidney transplant recipients between 6 and 12 months post-transplantation was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to a technology-based, lifestyle modification program (intervention) or to enhanced usual care (control). The first 10 kidney transplant recipients screened were eligible and randomized into the intervention and control groups with no significant between-group differences at baseline. Health coaching attendance (78%) and adherence to reporting healthy behaviors (86%) were high. All participants returned for final assessments. The weight in controls remained stable, while the intervention arm showed weight gain at 3 and 6 months. Improvements were found for physical activity, quality of life, and fruit and vegetable intake in both groups. All participants would recommend the program to other transplant recipients. Our data suggest that a remotely delivered televideo nutrition and physical activity intervention is feasible and valued by patients. These findings will aid in the development of a larger, more prescriptive, randomized trial to address weight gain prevention. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT03697317 . Retrospectively registered on October 5, 2018.
COVID-19 pandemic and challenges in pediatric gastroenterology practice

The current coronavirus pandemic is imposing unpreceded challenges to the practice of pediatric gastroenterology. These are highlighted in their impact on performing aerosol-generating endoscopy procedures and the need to accommodate longer room turnaround time for disinfection, ensuring appropriate and consistent safety measures for patients, staff and providers, and emphasizing the importance for screening patients for active coronavirus disease (COVID) infection before endoscopy when possible. Pediatric patients are less likely to exhibit severe COVID-related symptoms so survey-based screening would not be a sensitive measure to identify patients with active infections. To address the restrictions of patients coming for face to face clinic encounters, there has been rapid expansion of telehealth services in a very short time period with several difficulties encountered. To survive these challenges, pediatric gastroenterology practices need to adapt and accept flexibility in clinical operations with ongoing commitment to safety for patients and healthcare workers.
Stopping information search: An fMRI investigation

Abstract Facilitating information search to support decision making is one of the core purposes of information technology. In both personal and workplace environments, advances in information technology and the availability of information have enabled people to perform much more search and access much more information for decision making than ever before. Because of this abundance of information, there is an increasing need to develop an improved understanding of how people stop search, since information available for most decisions is now almost infinite. Our goal in this paper is to further our understanding of information search and stopping, and we do so by examining the neurocorrelates of stopping information search. This is a process that involves both stopping the search and the decision to stop the search. We asked subjects to search for information about consumer products and to stop when they believed they had enough information to make a subsequent decision about whether to purchase those products while in a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) chamber. Brain activation patterns revealed an extensive distributed network of areas that are engaged in the decision to stop searching for information that are not engaged in search itself, suggesting that stopping is a complex and cognitively demanding neurological activity. Implications for theory, particularly information overconsumption, and for IT design are discussed.
Executive Functioning with the NIH EXAMINER and Inference Making in Struggling Readers.

Executive functioning (EF) is a domain-general process implicated in reading, but there remains lack of clarity within the domain due to varied assessment methods. We investigated the relation of E...
Blood-brain barrier breakdown in non-enhancing multiple sclerosis lesions detected by 7-Tesla MP2RAGE ΔT1 mapping.

Although the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is altered in most multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, gadolinium enhancement is seen only in acute lesions. In this study, we aimed to investigate gadolinium-induced changes in T1 relaxation time in MS lesions on 7-tesla (7T) MRI as a means to quantify BBB breakdown in non-enhancing MS lesions. Forty-seven participants with MS underwent 7T MRI of the brain with a magnitude-prepared rapid acquisition of 2 gradient echoes (MP2RAGE) sequence before and after contrast. Subtraction of pre- and post-contrast T1 maps was used to measure T1 relaxation time change (ΔT1) from gadolinium. ΔT1 values were interrogated in enhancing white matter lesions (ELs), non-enhancing white matter lesions (NELs), and normal appearing white matter (NAWM) and metrics were compared to clinical data. ΔT1 was measurable in NELs (median: -0.139 (-0.304, 0.174) seconds; p < 0.001) and was negligible in NAWM (median: -0.001 (-0.036, 0.155) seconds; p = 0.516). Median ΔT1 in NELs correlated with disability as measured by Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) (rho = -0.331, p = 0.026). Multiple measures of NEL ΔT1 variability also correlated with EDSS. NEL ΔT1 values were greater and more variable in patients with progressive forms of MS and greater in those not on MS treatment. Measurement of the changes in T1 relaxation time caused by contrast on 7T MP2RAGE reveals clinically relevant evidence of BBB breakdown in NELs in MS. This data suggests that NEL ΔT1 should be evaluated further as a biomarker for disease severity and treatment effect in MS.
Spinach, Table Beets, and Other Vegetable Chenopods

The Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot) family of about 75 genera has only a few vegetable members and several important field crops; most species are weedy. Some family characteristics are succulent tissues, tolerance to salinity, and small wind-pollinated inconspicuous flowers.
Solubilization of arachidonate-CoA ligase from cell membranes, chromatographic separation from nonspecific long-chain fatty acid CoA ligase, and isolation of mutant cell line defective in arachidonate-CoA ligase.

Publisher Summary The chapter presents a study on solubilization of arachidonate-CoA ligase from cell membranes, chromatographic separation from nonspecific long-chain fatty acid CoA ligase, and isolation of mutant cell line defective in arachidonate-CoA ligase. Two important pieces of evidence suggested the existence of an arachidonate-specific acyl-CoA synthetase, which was different from the previously characterized acyl-CoA synthetase, showing broad specificity for long-chain fatty acids. First, when crude homogenates of platelets were heated to 45 degree for 30 minutes, arachidonoyl-CoA-forming activity was lost four times faster than nonspecific long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase activity. Second, a mutant cell line defective in arachidonate incorporation into phospholipids was isolated and found to lack arachidonoyl, but not nonspecific acyl-CoA synthetase activity. However, the conclusive proof for the existence of an arachidonate specific acyl-CoA synthetase was provided by chromatographic separation of this enzyme activity from the nonspecific long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase. The fatty acid substrate specificity of arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase includes all fatty acids that can subsequently be converted by cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase to eicosanoids. Nonspecific long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase and arachidonoyl-CoA synthetase activities are assayed.
Chapter 10 – Macrophages

Publisher Summary Macrophages are a family of mononuclear leukocytes that are widely distributed throughout most tissues. They largely vary in phenotype depending on the local microenvironment. Within tissues, macrophages play important homeostatic roles by regulating the local and systemic environment through diverse plasma-membrane receptors and secretory products. Macrophages secrete more than a hundred substances whose multiple activities contribute substantially to inflammatory and immune processes. A marked increase in the number of macrophages and neutrophils in the airways is the most consistent early effect of exposure to cigarette smoke. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the abnormal accumulation of inflammatory cells persists throughout the disease process, even when the exciting agent, cigarette smoke, is removed. In asthma, macrophages are the likely sources of cell-specific chemoattractants. Leukotrienes are the best studied macrophage-produced mediators involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. Cysteinyl leukotrienes, in particular, promote mucus hypersecretion, airway inflammation, and prolonged contraction of smooth muscles in airways.
Enhanced recA protein binding to Z DNA represents a kinetic perturbation of a general duplex DNA binding pathway.

Abstract recA protein binding to duplex DNA is enhanced when a B form DNA substrate is replaced with a left-handed Z form helix. This represents a kinetic rather than an equilibrium effect. Binding to Z DNA is much faster than binding to B DNA. In other respects, binding to the two DNA forms is quite similar. recA protein binds to B or Z DNA with a stoichiometry of 1 monomer/4 base pairs. The final protein filament exhibits a right-handed helical structure when either B or Z form DNAs are bound. There are only two evident differences: the kcat for ATP hydrolysis is reduced 3-4-fold when Z DNA is bound, and recA binding at equilibrium is less stable on Z DNA than on B DNA. At steady state, the binding favors B DNA in competition experiments. The results indicate that Z DNA binding by recA protein follows the same pathway as for recA binding to B DNA, but that the nucleation step is faster on the Z form helix.
The Determinants of Territorial Property Rights in a Spatial Commons Experiment

We study the conditions under which effective institutions of commons management emerge in a context-rich spatiotemporal environment. We build an experiment that allows individuals to make costly commitments to specialize in the collection of certain types of a heterogeneous common resource with stochastic but independent replenishment rates. We demonstrate that the presence of costly specialization can facilitate the emergence of effective commons-management institutions. In particular, when specialization is costly, groups establish stronger territorial property rights, and the establishment of these rights allows groups to avoid the tragedy of the commons.
Adenotonsillectomy Normalizes Hormones and Urinary Electrolytes in Children With Nocturnal Enuresis and Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Objective To assess (1) plasma levels of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and urinary levels of electrolytes in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB), with or without nocturnal enuresis (NE), and (2) the effect of adenotonsillectomy (T&A) on urinary electrolytes and the secretion of ADH and BNP in children with NE and SDB. We previously reported post-T&A improvements in plasma levels of BNP and ADH in children with SDB and NE. However, the differences in plasma concentration of these hormones in SDB children with and without NE, and their relationships with urinary electrolytes, have not yet been addressed. Methods This prospective study compared concentrations of urinary electrolytes and plasma ADH and BNP in (1) children with SDB and NE (study group) and an age- and sex-matched control group of children with SDB without NE, and (2) the study group before and 1-month after T&A. Results Compared with the control group (n = 31), the study group (n = 37) exhibited significantly lower ADH ( P = .04) and higher BNP ( P = .009) plasma levels. The differences in urinary electrolytes were not significant. Post-T&A, the study group showed significantly decreased BNP ( P = .018), urinary sodium-to-creatinine ratio ( P = .02), and urinary calcium-to-creatinine ratio ( P = .007) compared with the pre-T&A values. Post-T&A changes in urinary calcium were significantly correlated with changes in sodium excretion ( P = .002) and in plasma levels of BNP ( P Conclusion The presence of NE is associated with altered ADH and BNP levels in children with SDB. T&A led to normalization of ADH and BNP, probably through a calcium- and sodium-dependent mechanism.
Do they get what they expect?: the connection between young adults' future expectations before leaving care and outcomes after leaving care

This study examines the future expectations of young people in out-of-home placements in the last year before leaving care and the association between those expectations and their outcomes after leaving care. The study examines the hypothesis that care leavers with higher future expectations will have better outcomes in the areas of housing, educational achievements, economic status, adjustment to military service, and life satisfaction. The study was conducted through 277 interviews with the young adults at their last year in care and 236 interviews a year after they left care. Higher future expectations while in care were positively correlated with satisfaction in accommodation, economic status and educational achievements and adjustment to required military service after leaving care. These findings emphasize the role of future expectations as a source of resilience and motivation. They also illustrate the importance of designing programs that address care leavers' self-perception and future outlook and offer preparation in concrete areas as the youth transition to adult life.
SRF Involvement in Egr-1-dependent Signaling in Acrolein-mediated Inflammatory Responses

Acrolein, a major environmental pollutant has been linked to impaired vascular reactivity but the precise mechanism is not clear. Involvement of inflammatory pathways has been proposed as one of the mechanisms involved. Serum response factor (SRF), a transcription factor, regulates cell development, differentiation and proliferation. Early growth response-1 (Egr-1), a nuclear protein, functions as a transcriptional regulator and activates the transcription of several hundred genes. This study explored regulatory influence of SRF on Egr-1-dependent signaling in acrolein-mediated inflammatory responses. Male sprague-dawley rats (8 weeks old) were exposed to 2 mg/kg/day of acrolein (gavage, 1 week) alone or in combination with rosiglitazone (ROZ, 10 mg/kg/day, gavages, 1 week) or clofibrate (CLO, 250 mg/kg/day, i.p. 1 week). At the end of the treatment period isoprostane level was measured in urine. Changes in the expression of SRF and Egr-1 proteins in kidney homogenate were determined by western blot. Our ...
Mechanics and dynamics of social construction: Modeling the emergence of culture from individual mental representation

Abstract This paper presents a parsimonious model of social construction that can be extended and applied by researchers interested in unpacking how culture emerges from individual meaning-making. Using a review of contemporary cognition research, it first hones in on the mental representation processes which drive individual sense-making in social situations. It then uses agent-based modeling (ABM), a modern simulation tool used to theorize how emergent phenomena arise from individual behaviors, to systematically demonstrate how this cognitive mechanism generates macro-level dynamics. Specifically, it shows how mental representation processes can account for cultural emergence and subgrouping, cultural path dependency and lock-in, endogenous cultural change, and the manifestation of these collective dynamics as variations in individuals’ experiences of culture. The final part of the paper discusses a few initial implications of this work including the expanded use of ABM in cultural theory, testing and verification of this theoretical work using Implicit Association Testing (IAT) and large-scale quantitative analyses, and this model's significance for existing qualitative approaches to the study of culture.
Thermoleophilum album gen. nov. and sp. nov., a bacterium obligate for thermophily and n -alkane substrates

Several bacterial strains that are obligate for both thermophily and hydrocarbon utilization have been isolated from a number of thermal and non-thermal environments. Mud and water samples obtained from geographic sites across the United States were subjected to enrichment procedures at 60° C with n-heptadecane as sole growth substrate. Organisms forming very small white colonies on agar surfaces were often evident on primary enrichment. These bacteria were Gram negative, aerobic, small, and rodshaped. They lacked pigmentation, motility, and the ability to form endospores. Growth occurred in the temperature range from 45° C to 70° C with the optimum around 60° C and at a pH near neutrality. Only n-alkanes from 13 to 20 carbons in length were utilized by these organisms as growth substrate. The mol% guanine plus cytosine values for these strains were between 68 and 70%. The physiological and morphological characteristics of these organisms are distinctly different from any previously described thermophilic microbes. It is proposed that they be placed in a new genus, Thermoleophilum gen. nov. with the type species being Thermoleophilum album gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain in ATCC 35263.
The effect of chloroquine and hyperthermia on murine neuroblastoma

Abstract A number of reports suggest that hyperthermia is an effective adjunctive treatment modality in management of neural crest tumors. Recent studies have demonstrated a synergistic effect of induced hyperthermia when coupled with chloroquine in an in vitro model. This study examines the effect of chloroquine and hyperthermia in an in vivo murine neuroblastoma model. Forty-seven Ajax white mice (weighing 20 to 30 g) received a subaxillary tumor burden (C-1300 murine neuoblastoma) per trochar (1.25 × 10 6 cells). The tumor was then incubated for 9 days. Mice were then divided into four groups: group 1, controls (n = 15); group 2, hyperthermia (n = 12); group 3, chloroquine (n = 10); and group 4, chloroquine with hyperthermia (n = 10). Hyperthermia was induced with 40 to 69 mW/cm 2 at 2,450 MHz microwave radiation for 4 minutes to achieve a temperature of 41.5°C for 10 of 14 treatment days. Chloroquine was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 40 mg/kg body weight for 10 of 14 treatment days. Mice were weighed and tumor size was determined daily. Animals were killed on day 21 and postmortem examination was performed, with tumors graded histologically. Animal weight, tumor weight, and tumor size were similar for all groups ( P > .05). Mortality was 6% in group 1, 25% in group 2, 50% in group 3, and 40% in group 4 ( P P
A comparison between polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and traditional techniques for the diagnosis of leptospirosis in bovines.

Leptospirosis is caused by Leptospira, gram negative spirochaetes whose microbiologic identification is difficult due to their low rate of growth and metabolic activity. In Colombia leptospirosis diagnosis is achieved by serological techniques without unified criteria for what positive titers are. In this study we compared polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with microbiological culture and dark field microscopy for the diagnosis of leptospirosis. Microbiological and molecular techniques were performed on 83 samples of urine taken from bovines in the savannahs surrounding Bogota in Colombia, with presumptive diagnosis of leptospirosis. 117 samples of urine taken from healthy bovines were used as negative controls. 83 samples were MAT positive with titers ≥ 1:50; 81 with titers ≥ 1:100; and 66 with titers ≥ 1:200. 36% of the total samples (73/200) were Leptospira positives by microbiological culture, 32% (63/200) by dark field microscopy and 37% (74/200) by PCR. Amplicons obtained by PCR were 482 base pair long which are Leptospira specific. An amplicon of 262 base pairs typical of pathogenic Leptospira was observed in 71 out of the 74 PCR positive samples. The remaining 3 samples showed a 240 base pair amplicon which is typical of saprophytic Leptospira. PCR as a Leptospira diagnosis technique was 100% sensitive and 99% specific in comparison to microbiological culture. Kappa value of 0.99 indicated an excellent concordance between these techniques. Sensitivity and specificity reported for MAT when compared to microbiological culture was 0.95 and 0.89 with a ≥ 1:50 cut off. PCR was a reliable method for the rapid and precise diagnosis of leptospirosis when compared to traditional techniques in our study. The research presented here will be helpful to improve diagnosis and control of leptospirosis in Colombia and other endemic countries.
Degradation in FH-MFSK mobile radio system capacity due to Rayleigh fading and log-normal shadowing

A frequency-hopped multilevel frequency-shift-keying (FH-MFSK) system has been proposed for digital mobile radio communications. The performance of the system is evaluated by studying average probability of error caused by transmission impairments. The degradation in performance due to Rayleigh fading and log-normal shadowing environments is determined. With perfect transmission, where the degradation in the system performance is due to mutual interference between users only, the system can accommodate up to 209 simultaneous users at an average bit error rate of 10/sup -3/. The system capacity decreases to 110 users as a result of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), mutual interference, frequency-selective Rayleigh fading, and log-normal shadowing with normalized area mean of 20 dB and standard deviation of 6 dB. >
Naloxone increases the frequency of pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion in women with hyperprolactinemia.

The ability to change the frequency and amplitude of pulsatile GnRH secretion may be an important mechanism in maintaining regular ovulatory cycles. Hyperprolactinemia is associated with anovulation and slow frequency LH (GnRH) secretion in women. To assess whether the slow frequency of LH (GnRH) secretion is due to increased opioid activity, we examined the effect of naloxone infusions in eight amenorrheic hyperprolactinemic women (mean ± se, serum PRL, 160 ± 59 μg/L). After a baseline period, either saline or naloxone was infused for 8 h on separate days, and LH was measured in blood obtained at 15-min intervals. Additional samples were obtained for plasma FSH, PRL, estradiol, and progesterone. Responses to exogenous GnRH were assessed at the end of the infusions. LH pulse frequency increased in all subjects from a mean of 4.0 ± 0.5 pulses/10 h (mean ± se) during saline infusion to 8.0 ± 1.0 pulses/10 h during naloxone infusion (P < 0.01). LH pulse amplitude did not change, and mean plasma LH increased ...
Growth rate limiting mechanisms of YBa2Cu3O7 films manufactured by ex situ processing

Abstract YBa2Cu3O7 films were fabricated on SrTiO3 substrates using the BaF2 ex situ process. Precursor films 1, 3 and 5 μm thick were processed in an atmospheric pressure reactor using a gas mixture of oxygen, nitrogen and water vapor. The films were processed at different water vapor pressures and it was observed that the film growth rate was independent of film thickness and proportional to the square root of the water vapor pressure. The dependence of the film growth rate on film area was also investigated for film areas varying from 10 to 160 mm2. Surprisingly, it was observed that the growth rate was inversely proportional to square root of the area of the film. A theoretical model is developed and applied to the experimental results presented in this paper. The model correctly predicts the inverse square root dependence of the film growth rate on sample area. In addition, it predicts that it will be difficult to process long samples, such as tapes, in simple reactor geometries.
Eye movements in skilled transcription typing

Two typists’ eye movements were recorded while they transcribed short passages of text. Typists’ eye movements were found to be substantially different from eye movements of readers who read the identical stories for comprehension (Inhoff, 1984). In particular, typists’ fixation durations were increased and saccade lengths were decreased when compared to those of readers. Furthermore, eye fixations in typing appeared to be completely insensitive to contextual constraints; fixations of readers, on the other hand, are highly sensitive to contextual constraints. However, both readers’ and typists’ oculomotor behavior was affected by word frequency.
Spin-Peierls ground states in an electron-lattice periodic Anderson model

Novel dimerized antiferromagnetic (homogeneous spin-Peierls) and inhomogeneous-lattice antiferromagnetic (inhomogeneous spin-Peierls) ground states are found in a one-dimensional (1-D) and a two-dimensional (2-D) electron-lattice periodic Anderson model, respectively. Coexistence and mutual enhancement of the Peierls lattice distortion and the antiferromagnetic long-range-order are emphasized. The stoichiometric (half-filling) phase diagrams for the 1-D and 2-D cases are strongly dependent on the hybridization and electron-lattice coupling. For non-stoichiometric fillings, local lattice distortion (coupled spin-charge-lattice small-polaron) states are found: these are discussed in the context of, for example, Ce-based, heavy-fermion systems. Relations to volume collapse phenomena and inorganic spin-Peierls systems, and the similarity of the phase diagrams to those of organic superconductors are also described.
Homology between human and simian repeated DNA.

A RELATIVELY small proportion of the total DNA of eukaryotic cells has been considered to be transcribed and translated; the rest of the genome may be variously categorised into several subsets such as spacer and repeated DNAs. Such nontranslated sequences presumably have a role in the modulation of transcription and in the organisation of chromosomes. Some satellite DNAs may be extremely simple in sequence1, even in human DNA2. Other repeated DNAs showing greater sequence complexity have been considered to form a separate subset of repeated DNAs2,3. Very recently, the exact base sequence of such complex repeats has been determined in a few organisms4,5. The conservation of such sequences between related species, and even more extensively in the evolutionary tree, is not known. We report here data which indicate the base order of a subset of human repeated DNA which is fairly complex in sequence. We have shown that such human DNA repeats are quite well conserved both in nucleotide sequence order and in nominal repeat length between human and lower primates.
Rate quantization modeling for rate control of MPEG video coding and recording

For MPEG video coding and recording applications, it is important to select quantization parameters at slice and macroblock levels to produce nearly constant quality image for a given bit count budget. A well designed rate control strategy can improve overall image quality for video transmission over a constant-bit-rate channel and fulfill editing requirement of video recording, where a certain number of new pictures are encoded to replace consecutive frames on the storage media using at most the same number of bits. In this paper, we developed a feedback method with a rate-quantization model, which can be adapted to changes in picture activities. The model is used for quantization parameter selection at the frame and slice level. Extra computations needed are modest. Experiments show the accuracy of the model and the effectiveness of the proposed rate control method. A new bit allocation algorithm is then proposed for MPEG video coding.
Pseudoaldosteronism (Liddle's Syndrome): Evidence for Increased Cell Membrane Permeability to Na+

A 10-month boy was found to have pseudoaldosteronism (Ps. Ald.) characterized by hypertension (178/116), alkalosis (HCO3–35 mEq/1, pH-7.50), hypokalemia (3.0 mEq/1) and very low aldosterone secretion rates (ARS) (0.9–5.8 μg/d). The hypertension and hypokalemic alkalosis were worsened by salt-loading and unchanged by treatment with spironolactone and dexamethasone. Treatment with triamterene, plus severe Na+ restriction (<2 mEq/d) for 12 days, led to normal b.p., and serum electrolytes, and an elevation of the ASR (60 μg/d). Long-term therapy has been successful with triamterene, hydrochlorthiazide and moderate salt restriction. Because triamterene is a specific therapy for Ps. A.d. and because it reduces epithelial surface Na+ permeability of isolated frog skin, an increased permeability to Na+ of the luminal membrane of distal renal tubular cells is postulated in Ps. Ald. On no therapy, the patient's RBC Na+ uptake was increased (2.6 μEq/c.c. cellls/h) compared to controls (1.9 μEq/c.c. cells/h, p <0.01), and RBC [Na+] was 15.7 mEq/1 (controls – 10.1 ±1 mEq/I, p <0.01) After 2 weeks of severe Na+ restriction and triameterene therapy, RBC Na+ uptake was 2.35 μEq/c.c. cells/h (significant decrease, p <0.01) and RBC [Na+] was 11.9 mEq/1. Thus, RBC's show the increased Na+ permeability and increased [Na+] postulated for the distal tubular cells, in which the increased [Na+] would stimulate the Na+-K+ exchange pump leading to Na+ retention and K+ excretion.
Amplification and detection of lentiviral DNA inside cells

Visna virus and human immunodeficiency virus are prototypes of animal and human lentiviruses, respectively, that persist and are disseminated despite the host immune response because cells in the tissues and the bloodstream harbor viral genomes in a covert state. To facilitate identification of these latently infected cells, the polymerase chain reaction has been adapted to amplify viral DNA in fixed cells for detection by in situ hybridization. By using a multiple primer set that generates DNA segments with overlapping cohesive termini, visna virus DNA can be amplified, retained, and detected in infected cells with sensitivities that exceed those of existing methods by more than 2 orders of magnitude. This advance in single-cell technology should prove useful in diagnosing and gaining insight into the pathogenesis of viral infections and provide new opportunities to look for viruses in chronic diseases of unknown etiology.
THE TIME OF ORIGIN OF THE PARABIOTIC ANASTOMOSIS.

The course of development of parabiotic anastomosis was followed with respect to time in Holtzman (Sprague-Dawley) parabionts. Comparison of non-irradiated pairs was made to pairs in which one of the partners had received 800 r. The development of the anastomosis was studied by determining the per cent transfer of CR51 labeled erythrocytes (which represented a cellular element) and radio-iodinated serum albumin (which represented a molecular element) from one partner to the other. Erythrocytes were found in the non-injected animal in small numbers at 22 hours after pairing; at 47 hours the rate of transfer became much more rapid. RISA was detected in the non-injected partner as early as five hours after pairing and accumulated steadily thereafter. Irradiation had no effect on the course of development of the parabiotic anastomosis as evidenced by similarity of accumulation rates of Cr51 labeled erythrocytes and RISA when compared to the non-irradiated pairs.
Science, sentience, and animal welfare

I sketch briefly some of the more influential theories concerned with the moral status of nonhuman animals, highlighting their biological/physiological aspects. I then survey the most prominent empirical research on the physiological and cognitive capacities of nonhuman animals, focusing primarily on sentience, but looking also at a few other morally relevant capacities such as self-awareness, memory, and mindreading. Lastly, I discuss two examples of current animal welfare policy, namely, animals used in industrialized food production and in scientific research. I argue that even the most progressive current welfare policies lag behind, are ignorant of, or arbitrarily disregard the science on sentience and cognition.
Why Use the Operating Microscope in Orbital Surgery

Summary We think the use of the operating microscope in deep orbital surgery is essential for a safer and more accurate removal of the tumors that occupy this difficult surgical location.
Ethanol sleep times and hepatic alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities in mice.

Abstract The roles of hepatic alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities in the determination of individual differences in ethanol-induced sleep time were investigated in a genetically heterogeneous population of mice. Both dehydrogenase activities correlated signigicantly with sleep time when a 90-min interval was allowed between ethanol challenge and biochemical assay, but not when a 42-day interval was allowed. Alcohol dehydrogenase activity appears to be important in the determination of sleep time presumably because this enzyme catalyzes the rate limiting step in ethanol metabolism. Aldehyde dehydrogenase appears to be somewhat less important in the determination of sleep time than is alcohol dehydrogenase. Increases in alcohol dehydrogenase activity due to a single challenging dose of ethanol were also investigated in three inbred mouse strains. Significant increases were observed in the C57BL/6J strain, but not in the BALB/cJ and DBA/2J strains. The peak effect was observed at 90 min post-injection.
Dominant mutations affecting both sporulation and sterigmatocystin biosynthesis in Aspergillus nidulans.

The initiation of conidiophore development in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans is a complex process requiring the activities of several genes including fluG, flbA, flbB, flbC, flbD, and flbE. Recessive mutations in any one of these genes result in greatly reduced expression of the brlA developmental regulatory gene and a colony morphology described as fluffy. These fluffy mutants have somewhat diverse phenotypes but generally grow as undifferentiated masses of vegetative hyphae to form large cotton-like colonies. In this paper we describe a genetic screen to identify dominant mutations resulting in similar fluffy colony morphologies. We have identified 36 dominant fluffy mutant strains and shown that 29 of these mutants have greatly reduced brlA expression as compared to wild-type. In addition, we have found that 19 of these mutants are not only developmentally altered but also fail to produce the toxic, carcinogenic, secondary metabolite sterigmatocystin. At least three of the mutants isolated result from dominant activating mutations in fadA which encodes the Gα subunit of a heterotrimeric G-protein. Another of the mutants results from a dominant interfering mutation in brlA. We discuss the approaches taken to characterize these potentially important regulators of growth, development and secondary metabolism.
Reactive Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Suspended Thin Films and Semipermeable Membranes at Interfaces Created Between Aqueous and Organic Phases

Suspended thin films of polymer (i.e., films or membranes that are not supported entirely by a solid substrate but rather are suspended across or within the open ends of channels, pores, or microcavities) are of interest in a broad range of fundamental and applied contexts. Thin films suspended across micropores or nanopores, for example, have been investigated as sensory membranes,[1-4] as membranes within microfluidic devices,[5-7] and as permeable or semipermeable membranes for both separations[8-11] and the controlled administration of therapeutic agents.[12-14] Here, we demonstrate a straightforward "reactive" layer-by-layer approach[15] to the fabrication of suspended, covalently crosslinked, and chemically reactive thin-film composites that makes use of liquid/liquid interfaces created between immiscible aqueous and organic phases as templates for film fabrication. Removal of these liquid templates post-fabrication yields porous and semipermeable membranes suspended across pores and orifices with sizes ranging from tens of micrometers to many millimeters in diameter. These suspended films are mechanically robust and can be used directly as membranes for the separation of mixtures of small and/or large molecules. Our results thus suggest the basis of a general and facile approach to the design and rapid fabrication of suspended polymer membranes of interest in the contexts of biotechnology, sensing, catalysis, and separations-based applications.
Endocannabinoids and their receptors as targets for treating metabolic and psychiatric disorders

The CB1 receptor is arguably one of the most abundant GPCRs in the CNS and has long been attractive as a therapeutic target for a wide variety of therapeutic indications including pain, weight gain, emesis and mood disorders. Its cousin, the CB2 receptor, is highly localized in the immune cells regulating immune function and inflammatory pain. Direct acting nonselective agonists, while providing potentially broad therapeutic efficacy, also cause undesirable sedative and hypnotic side effects. New approaches to leverage cannabinoid biology for therapeutic benefit show promise of providing the therapeutic benefits without the buzz.
Why are there glitches in product development

Managers and scholars emphasize the importance of inter-departmental integration to successful product development and emphasize the importance of product development capabilities to firm performance. Interdepartmental integration can increase shared knowledge; this in turn can reduce the severity and incidence of seemingly unnecessary and costly mistakes leading to more efficient and effective product development. This paper examines the sources of shared knowledge problems across functional and product-based groups. Using interviews, product development plans, and time-sheet data, we look at the underlying factors behind two sources of knowledge sharing problems: (1) a serial product development process (i.e. little or no face-to-face communications) and (2) ineffective use of integrating mechanisms because of sticky knowledge. For each problem source, we find two key causal factors. We discuss the problems, their factors, and the implications for management and theory.
Weighted Differential Scheduler

The Weighted Differential Scheduler (WDS) is a new scheduling discipline for accessing shared resources. The work described here was motivated by the need for a simple weighted scheduler for a network switch where multiple packet flows are competing for an output port. The scheme can be implemented with simple arithmetic logic and finite state machines. We are describing several versions of WDS that can merge two or more flows. An analysis reveals that WDS has lower jitter than any other weighted scheduler known to us.
Elastic-Plastic Finite-Element Analyses of Compression Precracking and Its Influence on Subsequent Fatigue-Crack Growth

Compression precracking has been used in a renewed effort to generate fatigue-crack growth rates in the threshold and near-threshold regimes, as an alternative to the traditional load-reduction procedure. But concerns have been expressed on the influence of tensile residual stresses resulting from compressive yielding at the crack-starter notch. This paper uses elastic-plastic, finite-element analyses to study the influence of the tensile residual stresses induced by compression precracking on simulated crack growth under constant-amplitude loading. High-fidelity finite-element models (60 000 to 160 000 DOF) using two-dimensional plane-stress analyses were used to model plastic yielding during compressive loading and simulated fatigue-crack growth through the tensile residual-stress field. The finite-element code was ZIP2D and the course mesh had an element size of 2 μm. A refined mesh had an element size four times smaller (0.5 μm) than the course mesh. Fatigue-crack growth and crack-closure effects were simulated over a wide range in stress ratios (R=0 to 0.8) and load levels, after compression precracking. The crack-tip-opening displacement (CTOD) concept was used to judge the extent of the influence on the tensile residual stresses and the stabilization of the crack-opening loads. It was found that the tensile residual stress field decayed as the crack grew under cyclic loading. Once the crack had reached one compressive plastic-zone size, the tensile residual-stress field had dissipated. However, the stabilization of the crack-opening loads and merging of the CTOD values with and without compression precracking was found to be about 1.5 to 2 times the compressive plastic-zone size at R=0 loading. The effects dissipated at smaller distances from the notch tip for the higher stress ratios. The present results have validated the crack-extension criterion that had been proposed for use in the compressive precracking threshold test method, beyond which, cracks are growing under constant-amplitude (steady-state) behavior.
Differences in Young Children's Expectations of Women's and Men's Intervention in Aggression:

This paper reports two experiments which examined children's expectations of women's and men's intervention in aggression. In Exp. 1, 91 preschool children were randomly divided into 2 groups and shown separate video tapes: (1) subjects viewed a man passively watching young children's simulated fighting and (2) subjects viewed a woman passively watching identical simulated fighting. Upon questioning, 17% of subjects in the male-adult condition reported adult intervention while 4% of subjects in the female-adult condition reported intervention. In Exp. 2, 30 preschool boys were randomly divided into 3 groups and subjects viewed a tape of either (1) an adult male passively watching simulated fighting, (2) an adult female interrupting simullated fighting, or (3) irrelevant material (control). Tapes were discussed and rerun with subjects to ensure comprehension, then subjects were observed in free play during which the adult they had viewed was present but behaved passively. Aggressive acts were recorded for ...
M100907, a serotonin 5-HT2A receptor antagonist and putative antipsychotic, blocks dizocilpine-induced prepulse inhibition deficits in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats.

In a recent study using Wistar rats, the serotonergic 5-HT2 receptor antagonists ketanserin and risperidone reduced the disruptive effects of the noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist dizocilpine on prepulse inhibition (PPI), suggesting that there is an interaction between serotonin and glutamate in the modulation of PPI. In contrast, studies using the noncompetitive NMDA antagonist phencyclidine (PCP) in Sprague–Dawley rats found no effect with 5-HT2 antagonists. To test the hypothesis that strain differences might explain the discrepancy in these findings, risperidone was tested for its ability to reduce the PPI-disruptive effects of dizocilpine in Wistar and Sprague–Dawley rats. Furthermore, to determine which serotonergic receptor subtype may mediate this effect, the 5-HT2A receptor antagonist M100907 (formerly MDL 100,907) and the 5-HT2C receptor antagonist SDZ SER 082 were tested against dizocilpine. Recent studies have found that the PPI-disruptive effects of PCP are reduced by the α1 adrenergic receptor antagonist prazosin. Furthermore, the α1 receptor agonist cirazoline disrupts PPI. As risperidone and M100907 have affinity at the α1 receptor, a final study examined whether M100907 would block the effects of cirazoline on PPI. Risperidone partially, but nonsignificantly, reduced the effects of dizocilpine in Wistar rats, although this effect was smaller than previously reported. Consistent with previous studies, risperidone did not alter the effects of dizocilpine in Sprague–Dawley rats. Most importantly, M100907 pretreatment fully blocked the effect of dizocilpine in both strains; whereas SDZ SER 082 had no effect. M100907 had no influence on PPI by itself and did not reduce the effects of cirazoline on PPI. These studies confirm the suggestion that serotonin and glutamate interact in modulating PPI and indicate that the 5-HT2A receptor subtype mediates this interaction. Furthermore, this interaction occurs in at least two rat strains. [Neuropsychopharmacology 20:311–321, 1999]
Focused DNA microarray analysis for sex-dependent gene expression of drug metabolizing enzymes, transporters and nuclear receptors in rat livers and kidneys

Cytochrome P450(CYP)s are known to show a sexual dimorphic expression in rat livers. However, the comprehensive analysis for the sex-dependent gene expressions of drug metabolizing enzymes except for CYPs, transporters and nuclear receptors in rat livers and kidneys has not been investigated yet. The purpose of the present study was to identify the novel drug metabolizing and pharmacokinetics (DMPK)-related gene(s) which show the sex difference in the mRNA expressions in rat livers and kidneys. Total RNAs were prepared from livers and kidneys in both male and female rats (Crl:CD(SD) and Crlj:WI). A DNA microarray analysis using a "GeneSQUARE Multiple Assay DNA Microarray Drug Metabolism Gene Expression for Rat" was performed. DMPK-related genes which showed sex differences in the mRNA expression were identified in rat livers or kidneys. Especially, the female dominant expressions of UDP glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) s were seen in rat livers and kidneys. The sex difference of UGT expressions in rats might be one of the causal factors of the sex difference of the biological response to UGT substrates.
Applying the fundamentals of quality to software acquisition

Historically, software developed under government contracts often does not stand up under real-world use, and defects frequently result in cost and schedule overruns. While proposed development activities from contractors commonly list measures to improve quality, these descriptions cannot be used to select a winning bidder if they are not part of the evaluation criteria. By making software quality requirements explicit at the proposal stage, contractor selection can be influenced by criteria based on best practices in software development.
Pairwise and many‐body contributions to interaction potentials in Hen clusters

High level ab initio calculations have been carried out to assess the pairwise additivity of potentials in the attractive or well regions of the potential surfaces of clusters of helium atoms. A large basis set was employed and calculations were done at the Brueckner orbital coupled cluster level. Differences between calculated potentials for several interacting atoms and the corresponding summed pair potentials reveal the three‐body and certain higher order contributions to the interaction strengths. Attraction between rare gas atoms develops from dispersion, and so helium clusters provide the most workable systems for analyzing nonadditivity of dispersion. The results indicate that the many‐body or nonpairwise contributions tend to be less than a few percent of the attractive interaction across regions around the minima of the potential energy surfaces of small clusters. Dipole–dipole–dipole dispersion and dipole–dipole–quadrupole dispersion are noticeable parts of the small three‐body terms.
RACE AND IMPRISONMENT DECISIONS

The possible race differences in judicial sentencing have been of long-standing interest to social scientists. We argue, however, that prior research on the issue either uses crude measures of offe...