cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spectral sensitivity of screening-pigment migration in retinula cells of the crayfish Procambarus.

Abstract In photoreceptors of insects and some other arthropods, the migration of screening pigment granules has been shown to have the same spectral- or polarization-sensitivity as the visual response. We demonstrate that for a crustacean, the crayfish Procambarus clarkii . the sensitivity spectrum of pigment migration matches the sensitivity spectrum of the electroretinogram. This provides further support for the theory that the visual response initiates the migration of screening pigment.
Countably additive gambling and optimal stopping

A theory of discrete-time optimal stopping is presented within the more general framework of countably additive gambling theory. In particular, offered here is a substitute for a fundamental theorem of optimal stopping due to Chow, Robbins, and Siegmund.
Segregation patterns in V-blenders

Abstract We report several segregation patterns in V-blenders partially filled with mixtures of glass beads differing in size. Three dominant patterns are found, including one in which larger and smaller particles migrate to opposite halves of the blender. Changes in the rotation rate by as little as 3% can cause a change of pattern. Analysis of particle pathlines suggests that segregation in this vessel may be dominated by ‘trajectory segregation’, i.e. the inability of larger, more inertial, particles to navigate sharp bends in pathlines.
An active learning approach for segmenting human activity datasets

Human activity datasets collected under natural conditions are an important source of data. Since these contain multiple activities in unscripted sequence, temporal segmentation of multimodal datasets is an important precursor to recognition and analysis. Manual segmentation is prohibitively time consuming and unsupervised approaches for segmentation are unreliable since they fail to exploit the semantic context of the data. Gathering labels for supervised learning places a large workload on the human user since it is relatively easy to gather a mass of unlabeled data but expensive to annotate. This paper proposes an active learning approach for segmenting large motion capture datasets with both small training sets and working sets. Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are learned using an active learning paradigm; after the classifiers are initialized with a small set of labeled data, the users are iteratively queried for labels as needed. We propose a novel method for initializing the classifiers, based on unsupervised segmentation and clustering of the dataset. By identifying and training the SVM with points from pure clusters, we can improve upon a random sampling strategy for creating the query set. Our active learning approach improves upon the initial unsupervised segmentation used to initialize the classifier, while requiring substantially less data than a fully supervised method; the resulting segmentation is comparable to the latter while requiring significantly less effort from the user.
Relationship Between Body Condition Scores and Milk Yield in a Large Dairy Herd of High Yielding Holstein Cows

This study investigated the relationship between body condition and milk yield of dairy cows. Holstein cows (n = 779) on a commercial dairy farm were scored for body condition weekly beginning at dry-off and continuing until 120 d of lactation. Multiple linear regression and principal component analysis were used to characterize relationships. Mean body condition scores were 2.77 and 2.66 at dry-off and parturition, respectively. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the collinearity among independent variables, to calculate new parameter estimates, and to rank the relationship of each variable with milk yield. Results indicated that change in body condition during the dry period was ranked first, followed by lactation number, and then body condition score at dry-off for multiparous cows. A one-point increase in body condition score between dry-off and parturition was associated with 545.5 kg more milk in the first 120 d of lactation. Each additional point of body condition at dry-off was associated with 300 kg less milk at 120 d of lactation. Results suggested that cows that gained condition during the dry period yielded more milk in the first 120 d of lactation and had an accelerated rate of increase in milk yield. The results of this study indicate that body condition score is an important tool for monitoring dairy herds.
Chronic Hypoxia Promotes Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cell Proliferation through H2O2-Induced 5-Lipoxygenase

Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a progressive disorder characterized by endothelial dysfunction and proliferation. Hypoxia induces PH by increasing vascular remodeling. A potential mediator in hypoxia-induced PH development is arachidonate 5-Lipoxygenase (ALOX5). While ALOX5 metabolites have been shown to promote pulmonary vasoconstriction and endothelial cell proliferation, the contribution of ALOX5 to hypoxia-induced proliferation remains unknown. We hypothesize that hypoxia exposure stimulates HPAEC proliferation by increasing ALOX5 expression and activity. To test this, human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAEC) were cultured under normoxic (21% O2) or hypoxic (1% O2) conditions for 24-, 48-, or 72 hours. In a subset of cells, the ALOX5 inhibitor, zileuton, or the 5-lipoxygenase activating protein inhibitor, MK-886, was administered during hypoxia exposure. ALOX5 expression was measured by qRT-PCR and western blot and HPAEC proliferation was assessed. Our results demonstrate that 24 and 48 hours of hypoxia exposure have no effect on HPAEC proliferation or ALOX5 expression. Seventy two hours of hypoxia significantly increases HPAEC ALOX5 expression, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) release, and HPAEC proliferation. We also demonstrate that targeted ALOX5 gene silencing or inhibition of the ALOX5 pathway by pharmacological blockade attenuates hypoxia-induced HPAEC proliferation. Furthermore, our findings indicate that hypoxia-induced increases in cell proliferation and ALOX5 expression are dependent on H2O2 production, as administration of the antioxidant PEG-catalase blocks these effects and addition of H2O2 to HPAEC promotes proliferation. Overall, these studies indicate that hypoxia exposure induces HPAEC proliferation by activating the ALOX5 pathway via the generation of H2O2.
Semantics and feature discovery via confidence-based ensemble

Providing accurate and scalable solutions to map low-level perceptual features to high-level semantics is essential for multimedia information organization and retrieval. In this paper, we propose a confidence-based dynamic ensemble (CDE) to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional static classifiers. In contrast to the traditional models, CDE can make dynamic adjustments to accommodate new semantics, to assist the discovery of useful low-level features, and to improve class-prediction accuracy. We depict two key components of CDE: a multi-level function that asserts class-prediction confidence, and the dynamic ensemble method based upon the confidence function. Through theoretical analysis and empirical study, we demonstrate that CDE is effective in annotating large-scale, real-world image datasets.
Forest carbon use efficiency: is respiration a constant fraction of gross primary production?

Carbon-use efficiency (CUE), the ratio of net primary production (NPP) to gross primary production (GPP), describes the capacity of forests to transfer carbon (C) from the atmosphere to terrestrial biomass. It is widely assumed in many landscape-scale carbon-cycling models that CUE for forests is a constant value of � 0.5. To achieve a constant CUE, tree respiration must be a constant fraction of canopy photosynthesis. We conducted a literature survey to test the hypothesis that CUE is constant and universal among forest ecosystems. Of the 60 data points obtained from 26 papers published since 1975, more than half reported values of GPP that were not estimated independently from NPP; values of CUE calculated from independent estimates of GPP were greater than those calculated from estimates of GPP derived from NPP. The slope of the relationship between NPP and GPP for all forests was 0.53, but values of CUE varied from 0.23 to 0.83 for different forest types. CUE decreased with increasing age, and a substantial portion of the variation among forest types was caused by differences in stand age. When corrected for age the mean value of CUE was greatest for temperate deciduous forests and lowest for boreal forests. CUE also increased as the ratio of leaf mass-to-total mass increased. Contrary to the assumption of constancy, substantial variation in CUE has been reported in the literature. It may be inappropriate to assume that respiration is a constant fraction of GPP as adhering to this assumption may contribute to incorrect estimates of C cycles. A 20% error in current estimates of CUE used in landscape models (i.e. ranging from 0.4 to 0.6) could misrepresent an amount of C equal to total anthropogenic emissions of CO2 when scaled to the terrestrial biosphere.
FASE: finding amplitude-modulated side-channel emanations

While all computation generates electromagnetic (EM) side-channel signals, some of the strongest and farthest-propagating signals are created when an existing strong periodic signal (e.g. a clock signal) becomes stronger or weaker (amplitude-modulated) depending on processor or memory activity. However, modern systems create emanations at thousands of different frequencies, so it is a difficult, error-prone, and time-consuming task to find those few emanations that are AM-modulated by processor/memory activity. This paper presents a methodology for rapidly finding such activity-modulated signals. This method creates recognizable spectral patterns generated by specially designed micro-benchmarks and then processes the recorded spectra to identify signals that exhibit amplitude-modulation behavior. We apply this method to several computer systems and find several such modulated signals. To illustrate how our methodology can benefit side-channel security research and practice, we also identify the physical mechanisms behind those signals, and find that the strongest signals are created by voltage regulators, memory refreshes, and DRAM clocks. Our results indicate that each signal may carry unique information about system activity, potentially enhancing an attacker's capability to extract sensitive information. We also confirm that our methodology correctly separates emanated signals that are affected by specific processor or memory activities from those that are not.
Assessing performance and tradeoffs of bioforensic signature systems

Chemical and biological forensic programs rely on laboratory measurements to determine how a threat agent may have been produced. In addition to laboratory analyses, it may also be useful to identify institutions where the same threat agent has been produced by the same (or a similar) process, since the producer of the agent may have learned methods at a university or similar institution. In this paper, we evaluate a Bayesian network that combines the results of laboratory measurements with evidence from scientific literature to probabilistically rank institutions that have published papers on the agent of interest. We apply techniques from multiattribute decision science to assess and compare the performance of various implementations of the Bayesian network in terms of three attributes: fidelity, consumption of the forensic sample, and document curation intensity. The mathematical approach we use to compare the various implementations is generalizable to the evaluation of other signature systems.
Changing perspectives on regeneration ecology and genetic diversity in western quaking aspen: implications for silviculture

A conventional view of regeneration ecology of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) in western North American holds that reproduction is strictly vegetative and, except on some marginal sites, only successful following high-severity disturbance. This view has strongly influenced silvicultural treatment of western aspen and has led to low expectations concerning genetic diversity of stands and landscapes. However, recent discoveries are fundamentally altering our understanding of western aspen regeneration ecology and genetics. For example, there are clearly multiple pathways of aspen regeneration and stand development. Research on a variety of fronts indicates that seedling establishment is common enough to be ecologically important and that genetic diversity is substantially greater than previously thought. We review conventional understanding of western aspen and put this into the context of silvicultural practice. We then review recent developments in aspen research and assess the silvicultural i...
Overexpression of Xgsk-3 disrupts anterior ectodermal patterning in Xenopus.

Abstract TheXenopushomolog of glycogen synthase kinase-3, Xgsk-3, plays a major role in regulating the formation of the dorsal–ventral axis, most likely through effects on the mesoderm. To determine whether Xgsk-3 is involved in ectodermal patterning, Xgsk-3 was ectopically overexpressed in the presumptive ectoderm. This approach resulted in a dramatically expanded cement gland, which is due to early changes in cement gland specification at the anterior end of the embryo. Explant experiments were used to show that Xgsk-3 overexpression enhances the response of ectoderm to cement-gland-inducing signals from the mesoderm and to the intercellular signaling factor noggin. Expression of two other noggin-inducible genes,Xotx2andXANF-2,was also expanded in whole embryos, while the expression of the epidermal marker,Xgbx-2,was eliminated. These results suggest that Xgsk-3 may play a role in anterior ectodermal patterning as a component of an intracellular pathway that regulates the ectodermal responsiveness to endogenous inducing signals.
Synthesis of 3-Noradamantamine

Abstract Bridgehead primary amines in the bicyclic and tricyclic category have served as important intermediates in organic synthesis. When transformed into azo compounds, they can be used as a source of bridgehead free radicals.1 These amines also serve as precursors of azides which, when subjected to photolysis, lead to bridge-head imines (limits of Bredt's rule).2 The N,N-dichloro derivatives undergo skeleton rearrangements in the presence of strong Lewis acids resulting in ring expansion with incorporation of nitrogen.3 Bicyclic and tricyclic bridgehead amines and their derivatives exhibit a wide spectrum of pharmacodynamical properties.4
Family Emotional Expressiveness as a Predictor of Early Adolescent Social and Psychological Adjustment

Parents' support of their children's emotional expressiveness was examined in relation to the children's social and psychological adjustment over a 3-year period. Nonhostile expression of emotion within the family (both observed and self-reported) appears to have provided a buffer against psychological problems over the transition to middle school and to have enhanced concurrent and long-term developmental outcomes, as evidenced by greater peer popularity, more positive self-concept for girls, and more positive social behavior in the classroom for boys. Parents' and children's levels of observed emotionality were highly intercorrelated, suggesting that parents were modeling a level of emotional expressiveness that was similar to the level they allowed or supported in their children.
Effects of baroreceptor activation on spontaneous activity in the sweat glands and nictitating membrane of the cat.

Abstract (1) In chloralose-anesthetized cats, elevation of carotid sinus pressure caused blood pressure, sweat gland potentials and nictitating membrane tension to decrease. (2) The onset and recovery of the sweat gland and nictitating membrane responses usually preceded the respective phases of the blood pressure (depressor) response; the latencies of the sweat gland and nictitating membrane responses agreed with the latencies predicted for neural reflex pathways. (3) The sweat gland and nictitating membrane responses were evoked less consistently than the depressor response. (4) In experiments where only the sweat gland potentials and blood pressure were studied: (a) the sinus pressure threshold for inhibition of sweat gland activity was similar to the threshold for the depressor response; (b) cutting the sinus nerves, or blocking the efferent neural activity to the sweat glands, eliminated the effects of sinus pressure elevation on the sweat gland potentials; (c) with carotid sinus pressure held constant, decreases in blood pressure, produced by stimulating the peripheral end of the vagus nerve, did not affect the sweat gland potentials. (5) These results indicate that baroreceptors can reflexly modulate activity in sympathetic neurons whose target organs are not fundamentally involved in blood pressure regulation.
EFFECTS OF DENSITY INVERSION ON FREE CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER IN POROUS LAYER HEATED FROM BELOW

Abstract A study was conducted to investigate the effects of density inversion on free convective heat transfer in a porous layer heated from below. Glass beads in water composed the porous medium. For upper boundary at 4 and 8°C, thus eliminating the effect of density inversion on the onset of convection, the critical Rayleigh number was found to be 4π2. The effect of density inversion was evaluated by maintaining the upper boundary temperature at 0°C. The onset of convection was found to be dependent on two thermal parameters which are functions of the boundary temperatures and the coefficients representing the fluid density-temperature relation. The Nusselt number can be represented in terms of a modified Rayleigh number. The effect of density inversion on heat-transfer rate was found to be significant and to decrease as the temperature difference across the layer increases. For small AT, the effect of density inversion causes heat-transfer rate to be as much as 100 per cent less than under non-density inversion conditions.
Network coding in Underwater Sensor Networks

In this paper, we expand upon previous work in the application of network coding to Underwater Sensor Networks (UWSN). Network coding allows information from multiple packets to be encoded into a single packet and decoded upon receiving sufficient linearly independent encoded packets, improving throughput and providing redundancy for error recovery. Encoding and decoding algorithms for network coding are reviewed, and an algorithm capable of implementing network coding on an UWSN with arbitrary block size, packet length, and symbol size is presented. The network coding algorithms are implemented on real UWSN nodes utilizing our hardware and software platforms and tested using our UWSN testbed. Initial results indicate improved throughput with less overhead than other error-recovery techniques.
After the Laughter

AbstractWe humans laugh often and it is not always because something is funny. We laugh in the face of the pathetic or the powerless; sometimes we laugh at our own powerlessness or pathos.In short, we laugh at both the comical and the difficult. Here I am especially interested in the laughter that is sparked by what is difficult and how that laughter—and all laughter—breaks through to mark a range of emotional states: fear, nervousness, shame, confusion and others not viewed as positive, as well as joy, delight, interest, relief and other states that are viewed as positive. I also am interested in understanding what and how laughter reveals and what and how it conceals. As I explore both interests in this article, I make a compound point about laughter in educational settings: that laughter marks a breakdown of experience and that same laughter creates space for reflective listening and thinking, for diffusion of difficult affect, and for the disruption of habit that makes growth possible (and even likely...
Theophylline in rats during maintenance phase of post-ischemic acute renal failure.

Theophylline in rats during maintenance phase of post-ischemic acute renal failure. We have shown previously that theophylline increases both renal plasma flow (RPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) during the initiation phase of post-ischemic acute renal failure (ARF) in rats. The purpose of the present experiments was to determine the effects of theophylline during the maintenance phase of ARF, five days after initiation. Clearance techniques were used to measure renal function in a control group of pentobarbital anesthetized rats (group C) and in three experimental groups, five days after subjecting the left kidney to a thirty-minute period of complete ischemia. Group SS received saline during both the ischemic episode and the clearance measurements; group ST received saline during ischemia and theophylline, acutely, during the clearance measurements; group TS received theophylline during ischemia and saline during the clearance measurements. In comparison with the values for the control group (group C), RPF and GFR of the post-ischemic left kidneys of group SS were approximately half normal. In groups ST and TS, RPF and GFR of the left kidneys were higher than in group SS. Collectively, these results demonstrate that pretreatment with theophylline during the initiation phase of ischemia-induced ARF leads to increased RPF and GFR during the maintenance phase, and that acute theophylline treatment during the maintenance phase acutely increases RPF and GFR. Since increases in GFR were associated with increases in RPF, and since theophylline is an adenosine receptor antagonist, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that adenosine-mediated hemodynamic changes play a pathogenic role in ischemia-induced ARF in rats.
Multivariate Prediction of Rockfish Habitat Suitability in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Del Monte Shalebeds, California, USA

Due to the decline of fisheries throughout the world, there is an ever-increasing demand among fisheries managers for more and better data regarding the distribution and abundance of commercially important fishes. Along the Pacific coast of North America, there are insufficient stock data for most rockfish species, which compose one of the most valuable commercial and recreational fisheries in California. One approach being explored for increasing our understanding of fish distribution patterns and potentially generating stock assessment data over large areas is the use of habitat-based assessment. The general hypothesis is that because rockfish are not randomly distributed across habitats, it should be possible to model and predict their distribution and abundance based on habitat maps and biological data. Furthermore, to the extent that these models are robust and portable, they should be applicable across a variety of locations and physical settings. We attempt to test these hypotheses using predictive...
Teacher Behaviors that Foster Creativity

The literature on teacher behaviors that influence the development of creative abilities in children was reviewed. A historical overview of the concept of creativity within an educational context served to highlight the importance of the role of the teacher in providing the type of classroom environment that is conductive to creative learning. Teachers who show a humanistic philosophical orientation, have developed their own creative competencies, and implement specific creative methods and techniques in their classroom are more effective in enhancing students' creative abilities than teachers who follow more traditional instructional approaches.
Dietary vitamin e in an atherogenic hamster model

Regular consumption of fruits, vegetables and cereals moderates development of coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis in humans, possibly as a result of antioxidants present in these foods. The aim of this study was to develop a hamster model sufficiently sensitive to test the effects of nutritional rather than pharmacological amounts of food components on the development of atherosclerosis. The effect of vitamin E on aortic lipid deposition was investigated in hamsters fed a hypercholesterolemic diet containing per kilogram 2 g cholesterol, 90 g butterfat, 35 g vitamin E-stripped corn oil, 25 g fish oil and either the minimum requirement of 3 international units (IU) vitamin E or 30 IU. After 30 weeks, lipoprotein cholesterol fractions did not differ between groups, and the 6:1 LDL-cholesterol : HDL-cholesterol ratio was atherogenic. Early atherosclerosis was measured by lipid staining of aortic arch sections with oil red O and quantified by a photomicroscopy color-scanning technique. The area of lipid deposits in the 30 IU vitamin E group (7.9 ± 1.3%, mean ± SEM) was 58% less than in the 3 IU vitamin E group (18.7 ± 4.4%, p < 0.03). Hamsters fed a mixture of saturated and n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids plus cholesterol became hypercholesterolemic and were sensitive to vitamin E with respect to development of atherosclerosis. This model provides a tool to test atheroprotective effects of individual food components in vivo.
Big-bang nucleosynthesis limit to the number of neutrino species

Concern about the systematic uncertainty in the {sup 4}He abundance as well as the chemical evolution of {sup 3}He leads us to reexamine this important limit. It is shown that with conservative assumptions no more than the equivalent four massless neutrino species are allowed. Even with the most extreme estimates of the astrophysical uncertainties a meaningful limit still exists, less than five massless neutrino species, and illustrates the robustness of this argument. We show that a definitive measurement of the deuterium abundance in high-redshift hydrogen clouds can sharpen the limit. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Validity of universal wedge equation over the range of 60Cobalt to 25 MV photon beam energies.

Abstract Purpose : Evaluating the validity of the universal wedge equation over the range of 60Cobalt (60CO) to 25 MV photon beam energies. Methods and Materials : The universal wedge equation relates the beam weight of the wedged field to the effective wedge angle produced by combining the wedged field to the nonwedged field and is expressed as tan (θ) = B tan (θw), where B is the normalized weight imposed on the wedged field, θw is the maximum wedge angle of the wedge filter, and θ is the effective wedge angle. The isodose distributions from 60Co to 25 MV photon beam energies were used. For each photon energy, the isodose distributions of wedged and nonwedged fields were combined in different proportions. The effective wedge angle was determined from each resultant isodose distribution. Results : The relationship between the weight of wedged field and the effective wedge angle was found to be nonlinear for wedge filters with maximum wedge angle greater than 30°. The universal wedge equation predicts the effective wedge angle to within 2° compared to the measured value.
Peripheral blockade of topical morphine tolerance by ketamine

Repeated topical administration of morphine daily produces tolerance within three days. Ketamine alone has little effect in the radiant heat tailflick assay. However, with administered with morphine, topical ketamine prevented the development of morphine tolerance in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, topical ketamine also slowly reversed pre-existing morphine tolerance. These observations imply that topical morphine tolerance is mediated, at least in part, through peripheral N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and raises the possibility of the use of topical NMDA receptor antagonists clinically.
Chlorothioformates of sugars from the corresponding chloromethylsulfenyl chloride derivatives

Abstract Reaction of bis[3- O -(chloromethylsulfenyl chloride)-1,2:5,6-di- O -isopropylidene-α- d -glucofuranose] disulfide ( 2 ) with sodium iodide g
Rossby wave action, enstrophy and energy in forced mean flows

Abstract Assuming there is a separation in scale between the mean flow and fluctuations, the linearized potential vorticity equation is solved using the WKB method. Attention is focused on wave properties such as action and enstrophy which in some circumstances are conserved. In the most general case of Rossby waves supported by an arbitrary mean potential vorticity field, q = f/h, and propagating through a forced mean flow neither action nor enstrophy is conserved. It is shown that action is produced by the forcing which drives mean flow across q contours, while enstrophy is produced both by complicated q contours and by horizontal divergence of the mean flow.
Comparison of Basal Gene Expression in Cultured Primary Rat Hepatocytes and Freshly Isolated Rat Hepatocytes

Cultured primary hepatocytes are one of the most suitable in vitro models for hepatic toxicological studies. Unfortunately, there is a temporal loss of liver-specific function in culture that limits their utility for some applications. Plating hepatocytes on a substratum has been shown to stabilize the differentiated phenotype for short-term culture. In order to identify the substratum that best supports in vivo basal hepatocyte gene expression profiles in vitro, the gene expression profiles of primary rat hepatocytes plated on collagen I in hepatocyte maintenance medium (HMM) or hepatocyte culture medium (HCM), or on matrigel in HMM medium for 2 h, 16 h, or 72 h were compared to the expression profiles of freshly isolated rat hepatocytes using the Atlas rat stress array. After 16 h in culture, there were differences in gene expression between cultured primary hepatocytes and freshly isolated hepatocytes, but no apparent substratum effects. At 72 h, the expression of 9 genes was altered in hepatocytes pla...
Fine structure of an unusual cytoplasmic inclusion in the diatom genus,Rhopalodia

1. Ellipsoidal to ovoid inclusions in the diatomsRhopalodia gibba andR. gibberula were examined in the electron microscope. 2. The inclusions are 4 to 6 microns wide, 5 to 7 microns long and separated from the diatom cytoplasm by a five-layered wall. 3. Lamellae about 16 mμ wide and 25 mμ apart occur near the periphery, with oil droplets and aggregations of 18 to 22 mμ particles occurring between them. 4. They are neither pyrenoids nor oil bodies. 5. They may be unique cell organelles whose function is unknown or possibly modified coccoid blue-green algae. 6. The cytoplasm of the two species ofRhopalodia resembles that of other diatoms.
Suspended Identity: Identity Transformation in a Maximum Security Prison

This article presents an empirically-grounded model of identity transformation that differs both from the gradual transformation processes that characterize most adult identity changes and from such radical transformation processes as brainwashing or conversion. Data for the study are derived from participant observation and focused interviews with first-time, short-term inmates at a maximum security prison. By attempting to suspend their preprison identities and constructing inauthentic prison identities through impression management, these inmates are able to forestall more radical identity change and to maintain a general sense of identity continuity for most of their prison careers.
Clarithromycin-resistant helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer in the united states

Abstract Background: Clarithromycin is a key component of several antimicrobial treatment regimens for Helicobacter pylori. Cure rates with clarithromycin-containing regimens are significantly decreased when resistance is present. Resistance develops by a point mutation in the ribosomal RNA of some organisms exposed to clarithromycin. We studied the prevalence of clarithromycin-resistant organisms in patients with duodenal ulcer in the United States from 1993–96. Methods: Patients with endoscopic evidence of a duodenal ulcer were studied. Gastric biopsies were cultured for H. pylori and antimicrobial sensitivity was determined by the E-test (epsilometer agar diffusion gradient). Results: In 1993–94, three of 78 patients (4%) had clarithromycin-resistant strains of H. pylori. In 1995–96, 44 of 348 patients (12.6%; p = 0.025) had resistant strains of H. pylori. Patients who had previously failed antimicrobial treatment for H. pylori accounted for much of the increase in resistant strains (25%). Conclusions: Failed therapy with clarithromycin-based regimens is a growing cause of antimicrobial resistance in H. pylori in the United States. Whereas the overall rates of primary resistance are low, the increase in secondary resistance over a short period of time is worrisome. New treatments that prevent the emergence of resistance may be important in the future.
Sex Differences in Methods for Suicide

Men and women did not have different suicide rates by solids or poisons in nations of the world in 1980. Men had higher suicide rates by all other methods.
Lactobacillus gasseri KS-13, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1, and Bifidobacterium longum MM-2 Ingestion Induces a Less Inflammatory Cytokine Profile and a Potentially Beneficial Shift in Gut Microbiota in Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study

Objective: This study determined whether older adults who consumed a probiotic mixture would have a greater proportion of circulating CD4+ lymphocytes, altered cytokine production, and a shift in intestinal microbiota toward a healthier microbial community.Methods: Participants (70 ± 1 years [mean ± SEM]; n = 32) consumed a probiotic (Lactobacillus gasseri KS-13, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1, and Bifidobacterium longum MM2) or a placebo twice daily for 3 weeks with a 5-week washout period between intervention periods. Blood and stools were collected before and after each intervention. The percentage of circulating CD4+ lymphocytes and ex vivo mitogen-stimulated cell cytokine production were measured. In stools, specific bacterial targets were quantified via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and community composition was determined via pyrosequencing.Results: During the first period of the crossover the percentage of CD4+ cells decreased with the placebo (48% ± 3% to 31% ± 3%, p < 0.01) but did...
On Lg-splines☆

Abstract : Spline functions associated with a general linear differential operator L which interpolate prescribed data with respect to arbitrary linear functionals are investigated. (Author)
Living donor liver transplantation for hepatorenal syndrome: to do or not to do? That is the question

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in patients with end-stage liver disease with an estimated prevalence of 20% at the time of liver transplantation (LT). The evolution of renal dysfunction in the context of liver failure ranges from insidious to rapid and from mild to severe. For patients who do not undergo LT, AKI is associated with a 90% in-hospital mortality rate. Therefore, the development of AKI adds an element of urgency for the patient and strategic complexity for the transplant program in making appropriate and timely decisions. Unfortunately, the utility of the current evidence is incomplete for defining appropriate management algorithms for this patient population. Studies in the published literature have usually been retrospective and single-center, and they have suffered from small sample sizes, reporting bias, and varying definitions of AKI; this makes study comparisons very difficult. The majority have demonstrated pretransplant AKI to be an independent predictor of post-LT mortality. However, these studies have failed to categorize patients according to the etiology of AKI. In a recent single-center, retrospective study, the etiology of AKI was shown to affect posttransplant outcomes: patients with hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) at the time of transplantation achieved survival outcomes similar to those of patients who had no AKI, regardless of the dialysis duration, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, or the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. The prognosis of patients with HRS and especially patients who develop type 1 HRS is extremely poor, and HRS is a terminal event for patients with advanced cirrhosis with a median survival of approximately 2 weeks. Therapies such as terlipressin and albumin dialysis provide only a modest survival benefit (if any), and the only chance for survival is LT. However, because of concerns about outcomes and ethical issues related to coercion and donor risk, many transplant centers have been reluctant to offer living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) to patients with high MELD scores, including patients with type 1 HRS. In this issue of Liver Transplantation, Chok et al. report the outcomes of patients with HRS who underwent LDLT or deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) at their institution. Seventy-one of 726 adult patients who underwent LT at a single center in Korea were considered to have had HRS at the time of transplantation, and 48 of these patients underwent LDLT. Although overall survival was lower for patients with HRS versus patients without HRS, the survival of LDLT recipients with HRS was better than or at least no worse than the survival of DDLT recipients with HRS. A subgroup analysis of patients with high MELD scores ( 30) and patients with type 1 HRS also demonstrated similar survival
Analysis of PKR Structure by Small-Angle Scattering☆

Protein kinase R (PKR) is a key component of the interferon antiviral defense pathway. Upon binding double-stranded RNA, PKR undergoes autophosphorylation reactions that activate the kinase. PKR contains an N-terminal double-stranded RNA binding domain, which consists of two tandem double-stranded RNA binding motifs, and a C-terminal kinase domain. We have used small-angle X-ray scattering and small-angle neutron scattering to define the conformation of latent PKR in solution. Guinier analysis indicates a radius of gyration of about 35 A. The p(r) distance distribution function exhibits a peak near 30 A, with a broad shoulder extending to longer distances. Good fits to the scattering data require models that incorporate multiple compact and extended conformations of the two interdomain linker regions. Thus, PKR belongs to the growing family of proteins that contain intrinsically unstructured regions. We propose that the flexible linkers may allow PKR to productively dimerize upon interaction with RNA activators that have diverse structures.
Pathophysiologic mechanisms of acute graft-vs.-host disease

Abstract Graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) remains the major toxicity of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Mechanistic studies in experimental animal models provide a better understanding of the complex relationships and cascade of events mediated by cellular and inflammatory factors. Also, advances in basic immunology have cleared the way for a more precise view of allogeneic reactions between donor and host. In addition, the use of mutant mice lacking critical cytolytic proteins has helped map out the molecular pathways by which GVHD targets organ damage. In this article, these mechanisms are reviewed and synthesized into a coherent conceptual framework, providing a state-of-the-art summary of the pathophysiology of acute GVHD. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 1999;5(6):347-56.
Improving Supervisors' Interpersonal Communication.

(1978). Improving Supervisors' Interpersonal Communication. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 51, No. 7, pp. 343-345.
Effects of industrial effluents, heavy metals, and organic solvents on mallard embryo development

Abstract Mallard eggs were externally exposed at 3 and 8 days of incubation to 7 different industrial effluents and to 7 different heavy metal, organic solvent, and petroleum solutions to screen for potential embryo-toxic effects. This route of exposure was chosen in order to simulate the transfer of pollutant from the plumage of aquatic birds to their eggs. Five of the effluents including mineral pigment, scouring effluent, sludge, and tannery effluent resulted in small but significant reductions in embryonic growth. Treatment with methyl mercury chloride solution of 50 ppm (Hg) impaired embryonic growth but much higher concentrations were required to affect survival and cause teratogenic effects. Oil used to suppress road dust was the most toxic of the pollutants tested and only 0.5 μl egg caused 60% mortality by 18 days of development. These findings, in combination with other studies suggest that petroleum pollutants, or effluents in combination with petroleum, may pose a hazard to birds' eggs when exposure is by this route.
Effects of medium-modified form factors in quasielastic electron scattering from C 12

We present calculations of the longitudinal and transverse response functions for (e,e') inclusive reactions on $^{12}\mathrm{C}$. The calculations are made in the impulse approximation and use the medium-modified electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon which we calculated recently. Most of our calculations were made using a Fermi-gas model, however, we also present results for calculations which make use of wave functions of a finite-nucleus model. (In the latter case we include the medium-modified form factors in a local-density approximation.) One finds a very good fit to the longitudinal response using the medium-modified form factors. The fit to the transverse response is less satisfactory and indicates the presence of a significant amplitude in the response which is not described by the quasielastic nucleon-knockout mechanism. The fit of the longitudinal response achieved here suggests that the nucleon form factor is modified in the medium. These calculations support similar conclusions we have drawn from our study of the longitudinal response functions of $^{56}\mathrm{Fe}$ and $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$.
Ki‐67 and coagulative tumor necrosis are independent predictors of poor outcome for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma and not surrogates for each other

BACKGROUND. Ki-67 is a cell proliferation protein associated with aggressive clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). A recent report suggests that Ki-67 may represent a surrogate marker for coagulative tumor necrosis. Thus, the goal was to directly test whether Ki-67 and necrosis convey similar or distinct information for the prognostic assessment of ccRCC. METHODS. Tumor specimens from 741 consecutively treated patients who underwent surgery for ccRCC between 1990 and 1999 were evaluated. Tumor specimens were assessed for various clinicopathologic features, including levels of tumor cell Ki-67 expression. Associations of these features with death from RCC were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS. At last follow-up, 396 patients had died, including 238 who died from ccRCC at a median of 2.1 years after surgery. Although tumor cell Ki-67 expression and coagulative tumor necrosis were highly correlated, the prognostic information conveyed by these 2 markers failed to overlap. For the subset of patients with necrotic tumors, high levels of Ki-67 more than doubled the risk of death from RCC (risk ratio, 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52–3.11; P < .001). For patients with tumors lacking necrosis, high levels of Ki-67 expression were similarly correlated with an increased risk of death from RCC (risk ratio, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.66–3.77; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS. Prognostic information conveyed by Ki-67 and coagulative tumor necrosis are not interchangeable. Thus, Ki-67 and coagulative tumor necrosis should not be treated as surrogates for one another and both of these features should be evaluated when generating outcome predictions for patients with ccRCC. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Augmenting Urethral Closure Pressure Profiles

Augmenting urethral closure pressure profiles are used to identify the voluntary ability of the patient to contract her periurethral and pelvic striated musculature around the urethra to effect an increase in intraurethral pressure. This effort is identical to that of progressive resistance exercise or Kegel’s maneuver and represents the urodynamic measure of this activity. In the prior chapter in Figure 15.2 we noted that the patient was not able to augment her urethral closure pressure nor functional length by contracting the pelvic floor. The absence of an increase in closure pressure and functional length during these profiles may represent a failure of the patient to understand the maneuver, partial or total denervation of the pelvic skeletal muscles, or a rigid fibrotic urethra which cannot respond to extrinsic efforts to increase intraurethral pressure.
Novel resequencing chip customized to diagnose mutations in patients with inherited syndromes of intrahepatic cholestasis

Background & Aims: Inherited syndromes of intrahepatic cholestasis commonly result from mutations in the genes SERPINA1 (α1-antitrypsin deficiency), JAG1 (Alagille syndrome), ATP8B1 (progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 1 [PFIC1]), ABCB11 (PFIC2), and ABCB4 (PFIC3). However, the large gene sizes and lack of mutational hotspots make it difficult to survey for disease-causing mutations in clinical practice. Here, we aimed to develop a technological tool that reads out the nucleotide sequence of these genes rapidly and accurately. Methods: 25-mer nucleotide probes were designed to identify each base for all exons, 10 bases of intronic sequence bordering exons, 280–500 bases upstream from the first exon for each gene, and 350 bases of the second intron of the JAG1 gene and tiled using the Affymetrix resequencing platform. We then developed high-fidelity polymerase chain reactions to produce amplicons using 1 mL of blood from each subject; amplicons were hybridized to the chip, and nucleotide calls were validated by standard capillary sequencing methods. Results: Hybridization of amplicons with the chip produced a high nucleotide sequence readout for all 5 genes in a single assay, with an automated call rate of 93.5% (range, 90.3%–95.7%). The accuracy of nucleotide calls was 99.99% when compared with capillary sequencing. Testing the chip on subjects with cholestatic syndromes identified disease-causing mutations in SERPINA1, JAG1, ATP8B1, ABCB11, or ABCB4. Conclusions: The resequencing chip efficiently reads SERPINA1, JAG1, ATP8B1, ABCB11, and ABCB4 with a high call rate and accuracy in one assay and identifies disease-causing mutations.
Prevalence and correlates of Capgras syndrome in Alzheimer's disease.

Objectives This study examined the prevalence and clinical correlates of Capgras syndrome (CS) in Alzheimer's disease. Design Cross-sectional study of elderly patients evaluated at an outpatient memory disorders clinic classified according to the presence or absence of CS. Subjects One hundred and fifty-one consecutive patients diagnosed with probable (N=110) or possible (N=48) Alzheimer's disease (AD) utilizing NINCDS–ADRDA diagnostic criteria. Materials The Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Blessed Dementia Scale (BDS). Results CS was observed in 10% of the sample (N=16). Associated factors included other delusions, lower MMSE scores and higher BDS scores. The relation between CS and both cognitive and functional status remained significant after controlling for other delusions. Conclusion CS was prevalent in approximately 10% of our community-dwelling AD sample. This syndrome was more common at the later stages of the illness and showed relations with increased functional impairment and other psychotic symptomatology. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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