cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Developmentally Sensitive Approach to Clinical Hypnosis for Chronically and Terminally Ill Adolescents

Adolescents who suffer from terminal and/or chronic medical illnesses must face difficult developmental issues coupled with increased burdens of physical discomfort and uncertainty about survival. Clinical hypnosis is one technique that can be used to help these individuals gain a sense of comfort and control over their lives. I describe the use of a developmentally sensitive hypnotherapeutic intervention for chronically and terminally ill adolescents. I have used the technique for the reduction of various types of physical and psychological discomfort secondary to a range of medical problems such as cancer, end-stage renal disease, organ transplant, and HIV disease. The treatment focuses on the use of personalized procedures that attempt to increase perceptions of control through interactive formats. Movement through a personally intriguing journey is used as a metaphor for controlling and moving away from discomfort. I also present three case examples as well as general treatment recommendations for clinical use.
Multitask Learning with Feature Selection for Groups of Related Tasks

Multitask learning has been thoroughly proven to improve the generalization performance given a set of related tasks. Most multitask learning algorithm assume that all tasks are related. However, if all the tasks are not related, negative transfer of information occurs amongst the tasks, and the performance of traditional multitask learning algorithm worsens. Thus, we design an algorithm that simultaneously groups the related tasks and trains only the related task together. There are different approaches to train the related tasks in multi-task learning based on which information is shared across the tasks. These approaches either assume that the parameters of each of the tasks are situated close together, or assume that there is a common underlying latent space in the features of the tasks that is related. Most multi-task learning algorithm use either regularization method or matrix-variate priors. In our algorithm, the related tasks are tied together by a set of common features selected by each tasks. Thus, to train the related tasks together, we use spike and slab prior to select a common set of features for the related tasks, and a mixture of gaussians prior to select the set of related tasks. For validation, the developed algorithm is tested on toxicity prediction and hand written digit recognition data sets. The results show a significant improvement over multitask learning with feature selection for larger number of tasks. Further, the developed algorithm is also compared against another state of the art algorithm that similarly groups the related tasks together and proven to be better and more accurate.
Two types of medial hypothalamic inhibition of lateral hypothalamic reward.

Abstract Electrode-implanted rats pressed a lever to self-stimulate a reward mechanism in their lateral hypothalamus (LH) each time with a brief train of pulses. Interdigitation of a medial hypothalamus (MH) train into the ipsilateral LH train inhibited the reward as indicated by a reduced lever pressing rate. Such interdigitation into the contralateral LH train resulted in only a minimal inhibition accounted for by an across-midline current spread, thus indicating only an ipsilateral MH-to-LH route for inhibiting reward. By varying the phase of interdigitation according to a pulse-pair technique13 (cf. 20), the time course of this ipsilateral reward inhibition proved bimodal. The peripheral administration of strychnine, a glycine transmitter antagonist, resulted in disinhibition of the fast rising, fast decay (0.1–2.0 ms) intervals, while peripheral administration of picrotoxin, a GABA transmitter antagonist, increased bar pressing only at the slow rising, slow decay (2–20 ms) intervals. The placement of the MH electrodes was then varied dorsoventrally and the strength of the MH current was reduced to minimize dorsal-ventral current spread. From the resulting differential reductions in the two modes it was inferred that the neural elements in the MH responsible for short duration inhibitory effects on LH reward are concentrated more dorsally whereas those responsible for the longer duration inhibitory effects are concentrated more ventrally. These findings demonstrate the relevance of the pulse-pair technique for visualizing congruences between over behavior and underlying neurophysiological, neuroanatomical and molecular events.
Producing citizens, reproducing the "French race": immigration, demography, and pronatalism in early twentieth-century France.

This essay examines how, in the context of depopulation and mass immigration, members of the French pronatalist movement advanced a policy favouring immigrants from Italy, Spain, and Poland. Because the ‘demographic crisis’ created a shortage of citizens as well as workers, pronatalists held that foreign workers must also be assimilable, and able to produce French offspring. While the racial difference of colonial subjects was deemed immutable, pronatalists called for the immigration of white foreigners whose less ‘modern’ condition promoted fecundity, traditionalism, and gender dimorphism. Evidence is drawn from demographic studies, the press of France's largest pronatalist movement, and a pronatalist advisory committee created by the Ministry of Health in 1920.
Enhancement of the vulnerability of the ventricle to fibrillation (VF) by regional hyperkalemia

A region of intermittent hyperkalaemia was produced in dogs by the intracoronary infusion of K+ in a concentration of 40 m-equiv/1. at a rate of 0·06-0·13 μ-equiv K+/kg/sec. The rate of K+ infusion was selected on the basis of its ability reproducibly to produce systolic and diastolic injury currents and Q-T shortening in electrocardiograms recorded from areas perfused by K + . Moreover, K+ infusion displaced the vulnerable period to the left, accompanied by a greater than 50% decrease in the stimulus strength necessary to induce MVR or VF, while the tendency for MVR to degenerate into VF was distinctly enhanced. These studies have documented that infusion of an amount of K+ into a local coronary bed which produces electrocardiographic evidence of injury resulted in changes in excitability and vulnerability similar to those occurring in acute experimental ischaemia. Further, they suggested that the electrophysiological effects on refractoriness and vulnerability to VF resulting from local enhancement of extracellular K+ may indeed contribute importantly to the 'excitatory factors' related to arrhythmias during acute myocardial ischaemia in man.
Oscillations and Travelling Striations in an Argon Discharge Tube

The effects of current and external circuit conditions on the frequency of travelling striations were observed. Some information concerning the voltage fluctuations at different parts of the tube was obtained. Electron temperatures in the positive column were determined at different pressures. A set of wave-lengths bearing simple relations with the length of the tube were calculated by means of Tonks' and Langmuir's theory of electric sound waves and the experimental values of the flash frequency.
Human Papillomavirus Oncoproteins Alter Differentiation-Dependent Cell Cycle Exit on Suspension in Semisolid Medium

The suspension of keratinocytes containing episomal forms of the human papillomavirus (HPV)-31 genome in semisolid medium results in the induction of viral late functions. In this study, the suspension in semisolid medium was used to analyze how HPV deregulates the process of cell cycle exit during differentiation. In cells that contain the entire HPV-31 genome, induction of late protein synthesis was found to be linked with the expression of cyclin A. Consistent with analyses in organotypic rafts, the expression of the high-risk E7 oncoprotein alone was sufficient to retain cyclin A expression during suspension-induced differentiation. The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CKIs) p27 and p57 were found to be up-regulated in normal keratinocytes, as well as in the lines that express the HPV oncoproteins. The up-regulation of these CKIs is coincident with the inhibition of cyclin/cdk activity in normal keratinocytes. Cells expressing E7 were found to retain significant cdk2-associated kinase activity, although it was partially inhibited, coincident with CKI induction. When the phosphorylation state of Rb was examined during differentiation, cells expressing E7 retained phosphorylated forms of Rb, whereas Rb in normal keratinocytes was hypophosphorylated. As previously reported, E7-expressing cells were found to contain less Rb protein than normal keratinocytes. Interestingly, the Rb levels decreased during normal keratinocyte differentiation, and this differentiation-dependent reduction in Rb levels was enhanced by EG and E7 expression. This study identified proteins that may be critical for cell cycle regulation during normal epithelial differentiation and demonstrated that HPV oncoproteins alter their activities.
Aging of proteins and nucleic acids: what is the role of glucose?

Abstract Glucose and other non-reducing sugars can react non-enzymatically with proteins to give, via a series of reactions, a family of advanced glycosylation end-products which crosslink proteins. This article proposes that the accumulation of these products with age might account for conditions associated with old age and thus with the eventual death of the organism.
Enzyme profile of rat bile ductular epithelial cells in reference to the resistance phenotype in hepatocarcinogenesis.

An extensive bile ductular cell hyperplasia with the formation of well-differentiated bile ductules is the most prominent feature of rat liver at 6 to 15 weeks after bile duct ligation. We have improved our previous cell isolation procedure and are now routinely able to obtain from such livers high yields of viable bile ductular epithelial cells. These cells were characterized with respect to their specific activities of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and β-glucuronidase and of select Phase I and Phase II enzymes of biotransformation. At the time of their isolation, only a very small number of the bile ductular epithelial cells were observed to be in DNA synthesis. In addition, in histological sections prepared from intact hyperplastic bile ductular tissue isolates, only the bile ductular epithelial cells exhibited histochemical staining for γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity. Typically, greater than 95% of the cells isolated from this tissue were also found to be histochemically positive for γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity, and no hepatocytes were seen contaminating this cell population. Biochemically, the isolated bile ductular cells exhibited a γ-glutamyl transpeptidase specific activity that was 100 times higher than that of hepatocytes isolated at the same time from the bile duct-ligated rats and more than 300 times higher than the specific activity of the enzyme of freshly isolated normal rat hepatocytes. The bile ductular cells also expressed a β-glucuronidase specific activity that was higher than that measured in normal rat hepatocytes, but in contrast to normal liver, they did not contain a detectable amidopyrine demethylation (Phase I) activity. On the other hand, they exhibited specific activities for the Phase II enzymes UDP-glucuronosyl-transferase and glutathione S-transferase that were relatively close in amounts to those obtained with hepatocytes from the bile duct-ligated rats. Substrate and/or inhibitor studies further suggested that the forms of the Phase II enzymes expressed by the bile ductular cells were similar to those shown by immunohistochemistry to be present in the interlobular bile ducts of normal untreated rats. Our findings represent the first direct biochemical measurements of Phase II enzyme activities of isolated bile ductular epithelial cells and indicate possible mechanisms which may favor their resistance to the cytotoxic and mito-inhibitory effects of at least some types of hepatocarcinogenic and hepatotoxic chemicals.
Effect of Surface Wettability on Active Nucleation Site Density During Pool Boiling of Water on a Vertical Surface

Pool boiling of saturated water at 1 atm pressure has been investigated. In the experiments, copper surfaces prepared by following a well-defined procedure were used. The cumulative number density of the cavities and their shapes were determined with an optical microscope. The surface had a mirror finish and had a surface Ra (centerline average) value of less than 0.02 μm. The wettability of the surface was changed by controlling the degree of oxidation of the surface. In the experiments with the primary surface, the wall heat flux and superheat were determined with the help of thermocouples embedded in the test block. The density, spatial distribution, local distribution, and nearest-neighbor distance distribution of active nucleation sites in partial and fully developed nucleate boiling were determined from still pictures.
HPV test results stratify risk for histopathologic follow-up findings of high-grade cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia in women with low-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesion Pap results.

Objective: Age-adjusted evaluations have explored the possible utility of human papillomavirus (HPV) test results in women with low-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesion (LSIL) Paps. We document LSIL correlation data with HPV test results and histopathologic follow-up from a large academic women’s hospital practice. Study Design: LSIL Pap tests with intermediate-/high-risk HPV DNA testing between July 1, 2005 and April 30, 2008 were studied along with follow-up histopathologic diagnoses. Patients were divided into age groups, and tissue diagnoses were correlated with HPV test results. Results: 1,083 (80.2%) of a total of 1,351 LSIL Pap samples tested HPV positive. HPV prevalence declined in older age groups. 719 women with LSIL Pap and HPV test results had at least 1 follow-up cervical biopsy result. 89 of 612 patients with HPV-positive LSIL (14.5%) had a follow-up histopathological diagnosis of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2/3. Only 4 of 107 patients with HPV-negative LSIL (3.7%) had CIN 2/3. Conclusions: In the largest study to date to document histopathological follow-up of older women with LSIL and HPV test results, no histopathological CIN 2/3 diagnoses were identified in women 50 years and older with HPV-negative LSIL. HPV test results stratified women with LSIL cytology findings into lower- and higher-risk groups for follow-up histopathologic CIN 2/3 outcomes.
Studies on the Propagation in Vitro of Poliomyelitis Viruses. III. The Propagation of Poliomyelitis Viruses in Tissue Cultures devoid of Nerve Cells.

Cells like fibroblasts, having no resemblance whatever to nerve cells were obtained in morphologically pure cultures from monkey testicular tissue and were found to support the growth in vitro of poliomyelitis virus, Type 2, Yale-SK strain. Moreover, these cells were destroyed as a result of the multiplication of this virus within them. Similarly, "fibroblasts" propagated in primary explant cultures of testicle were destroyed by poliomyelitis viruses, Types 1 and 2. Type specific antibodies neutralized the pathogenic effect of poliomyelitis virus on monkey testicular fibroblasts.
Regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase

Within the last few years considerable evidence has accumulated which indicates that changes in HMG-CoA reductase are due primarily, if not solely, to changes in enzyme quantity. These include the changes caused by insulin, glucagon, cholesterol, mevalonolactone, cholestyramine, compactin, cyclic monoterpenes and the diurnal rhythm. Investigations of whether these changes in enzyme quantity primarily represent changes in rates of enzyme synthesis or degradation are just beginning. Regulation of reductase activity by reversible phosphorylation seems unlikely when all the available data are critically examined.
A bioaccumulation bioassay for freshwater sediments

A laboratory bioassay is described for determining the bioavailability of contaminants from freshwater sediments. The bioassay consists of 10-d exposures to whole sediments under flow-through conditions. After testing five species, the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) and the earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) were recommended for use in the test. When the availability of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Hg and Zn from Great Lakes sediments was examined in laboratory exposures, only the PCBs were accumulated. A field validation study demonstrated that the magnitude of accumulation in laboratory exposures was similar to that in organisms caged in the field. A protocol is recommended for using the test as a standardized bioaccumulation bioassay.
Price and interest rate dynamics induced by multiperiod contracts

Abstract This paper suggests a mechanism by which nominal price rigidities can create a transmission mechanism for monetary shocks through relative price distortions in an economy with both spot and contract markets. The globally unique equilibrium time path of interest rates and prices following an impulse shock to the money supply is characterized. The model predicts that prices and interest rates cycle around the new steady state, with real interest rates initially falling and prices overshooting in the case of a positive shock. The volatility of spot prices and interest rates exceeds that of contract prices.
Anomalous diffusion and Tsallis statistics in an optical lattice

We point out a connection between anomalous transport in an optical lattice and Tsallis' generalized statistics. Specifically, we show that the momentum equation for the semiclassical Wigner function which describes atomic motion in the optical potential, belongs to a class of transport equations recently studied by Borland [Phys. Lett. A 245, 67 (1998)]. The important property of these ordinary linear Fokker-Planck equations is that their stationary solutions are exactly given by Tsallis distributions. An analytical expression of the Tsallis index q in terms of the microscopic parameters of the quantum-optical problem is given and the spatial coherence of the atomic wave packets is discussed.
Resonant non-linear vibrations in continuous systems—I. Undamped case

Abstract A method is presented for obtaining periodic solutions to forced oscillations of non-linear systems governed by equations of the form u ss − u yy −e f ( u , u , y , u yy …, s ) = 0. The method is presented by application to the equation u ss − u yy −e u 2 y u yy = 0 which governs the vibrations of a soil layer that is free on the top surface and is forced harmonically at the bedrock. It is shown that unlike the ODE case (Duffing equation), the PDE requires an infinite number of periodicity conditions to correctly characterize the resonant region and these conditions lead to an infinite number of branches in the dispersion spectrum. Calculations indicate that these branches tend to an envelope curve. The uniform approach presented by Millmann and Keller is discussed in order to determine in what sense it can be viewed as an effective approximation for the fundamental mode.
Reviving Perry: An Analysis of Epistemological Change by Gender and Ethnicity Among Gifted High School Students

This study examines development along Perry's intellectual and ethical scale among three successive graduating classes of students identified as gifted and talented in mathematics and science. Perry posits that intellectual development proceeds from a basic dualism through nine stages ("positions") and culminates with a sense of personal identify and commitment. Perry suggests that the college years act as the agent of intellectual development, but others have argued that Perry's scheme is not flexible enough to account for gender- and culture-based differences. This study uses a paper-and-pencil questionnaire to describe developmental characteristics of gifted high school students and examines between-group differences between gender and ethnic groups at the high school sophomore and senior years. All groups showed significant improvement from sophomore to senior year. There were no differences by gender or ethnicity at the sophomore year, but by senior year, significant developmental differences existed among ethnic groups.
Potato embryo culture

Immature embryos of the potato were culturedin vitro, and grown to seedlings of a size that could be transplanted to soil in pots. Embryos excised and transplanted to culture medium seventeen days after pollination were grown successfully.
Unmanned Rotorcraft Tight Formation Flight Control Using Sliding Mode Control Driven by Sliding Mode Disturbance Observers

An autopilot design for autonomous closed-formation flight of three unmanned rotorcrafts is considered and addressed via Higher Order Sliding Mode Control (HOSM) and sliding mode control driven by sliding mode disturbance observers (SMC/SMDO). The research is based on previously developed and tested HOSM-based formation strategies adapted to the tight formation flight of X4-Flyers unmanned rotorcrafts. The proposed multi-time scale, nested SMC/SMDO-formation flight controller provides the unmanned rotorcrafts with bounded, continuous output tracking suitable for tight formation flight. The performance of the proposed controller is achieved via SMC/SMDO techniques which include translation tracking controller, attitude tracking controller and speed controller for the four propellers.
Targeting monocyte recruitment in CNS autoimmune disease.

Monocytes and macrophages play a pathogenic role in a number of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. Recent studies in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of multiple sclerosis, have identified a critical chemokine-mediated mechanism of monocyte homing to the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we summarize the current findings in EAE, develop a rationale for targeting the chemokine axis in order to treat CNS inflammatory disease, and review currently available molecule-specific therapeutics that inhibit monocyte trafficking to the CNS.
The Effect of Host Genetic Diversity on Disease Spread

Abstract: Host genetic diversity is thought to reduce the likelihood that disease will spread in natural populations. In this study, I present an epidemiological model for the intrinsic rate of spread ( \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontCommand{\textcyr}{\cyr} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \landscape $R_{0}$ \end{document} ) for an infectious disease. The results show that the average value for \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} ...
Purine Biosynthesis by the Trypanosomid Flagellate, Strigomonas oncopelti*

SYNOPSIS. The steps leading to purine ring closure were examined in Strigomonas oncopelti. The flagellate has an obligate adenine requirement (hypoxanthine and guanine are inert) when grown without p-aminobenzoic acid. The imidazole counterpart of adenine but not the imidazole counterpart of hypoxanthine was active. A pathway for purine biosynthesis compatible with these results is sketched.
Intestinal length of three California pinniped species

Forty-eight intestinal tracts, extracted from both sexes of California sea lions, Harbour seals and Northern elephant seals, were measured. The majority of intestinal tracts were removed from stranded animals that died from various causes. The sea lions and elephant seals, approximately equal in size, were larger than the Harbour seals. All species possess a small intestine which is significantly longer than even the entire gastrointestinal tract of herbivores of comparable size. Elephant seal small intestines, averaging approximately 25 times the seal's body length, were considerably longer than the small intestines of either sea lions (averaged more than 18 times the body length) or Harbour seals (averaged nearly 16 times the body length). However, the large intestines of elephant seals were shorter than either of the other two species. Among the sea lions and Harbour seals the large intestines were approximately equal in length. Sea lions and Harbour seals also showed a close correlation between standard length and total intestinal length. Among elephant seals these two parameters showed greater variability. The functional significance of the extremely long small intestine remains unclear. Certainly, the large body mass and high energy requirements of these animals has contributed to the development of a long intestinal tract. It also appears likely that diet and the high motility rate of digesta influenced the intestinal development. Comparatively, the significantly shorter large intestine of elephant seals probably relates to this species' remarkable capabilities in water conservation and metabolic water retention.
Characterization of the PCMBS-dependent modification of KCa3.1 channel gating.

Intermediate conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels are gated by the binding of intracellular Ca2+ to calmodulin, a Ca2+-binding protein that is constitutively associated with the C terminus of the channel. Although previous studies indicated that the pore-lining residues along the C-terminal portion of S6 contribute to the activation mechanism, little is known about whether the nonluminal face of S6 contributes to this process. Here we demonstrate that the sulfhydral reagent, parachloromercuribenze sulfonate (PCMBS), modifies an endogenous cysteine residue predicted to have a nonluminal orientation (Cys276) along the sixth transmembrane segment (S6). Modification of Cys276 manipulates the steady-state and kinetic behavior of the channel by shifting the gating equilibrium toward the open state, resulting in a left shift in apparent Ca2+ affinity and a slowing in the deactivation process. Using a six-state gating scheme, our analysis shows that PCMBS slows the transition between the open state back to the third closed state. Interpreting this result in the context of the steady-state and kinetic data suggests that PCMBS functions to shift the gating equilibrium toward the open state by disrupting channel closing. In an attempt to understand whether the nonluminal face of S6 participates in the activation mechanism, we conducted a partial tryptophan scan of this region. Substituting a tryptophan for Leu281 recapitulated the effect on the steady-state and kinetic behavior observed with PCMBS. Considering the predicted nonluminal orientation of Cys276 and Leu281, a simple physical interpretation of these results is that the nonluminal face of S6 forms a critical interaction surface mediating the transition into the closed conformation, suggesting the nonluminal C-terminal portion of S6 is allosterically coupled to the activation gate.
Biochemical plasticity of short-axon interneurons: increased glutamate decarboxylase activity in the denervated area of rat dentate gyrus following entorhinal lesion.

Abstract The entorhinal cortex of adult rats was destroyed unilaterally, thus denervating the outer two-thirds of the molecular layer of the ipsilateral dentate gyrus. The biochemical response of short-axon GABAnergic interneurons intrinsic to the dentate gyrus was subsequently determined by laminar analysis of glutamate decarboxylase, an enzyme associated with boutons of these neurons. Glutamate decarboxylase activity was unaffected by entorhinal lesion for at least 10 days. However, when measured 29–38 days after operation, the absolute and specific activities of glutamate decarboxylase were respectively 45 and 63% greater in the outer part of the molecular layer of the operated side than in the corresponding zone of the control side. The difference between the two sides in specific activity was still significant, though reduced in magnitude, 90 days or more after operation. All statistically significant changes in glutamate decarboxylase activity were confined exclusively to the denervated region. Therefore, inhibitory projections of intrinsic interneurons, like intact excitatory afferents in close proximity to the degeneration, respond to entorhinal lesion in a manner suggesting increased input to the granule cells in compensation for the loss of excitatory entorhinal input. We suggest that additional GABAnergic boutons may be formed by axon sprouting or, alternatively, that an increase in glutamate decarboxylase activity within existing connections may be transsynaptically induced.
Does the SEC think we're close to globalized accounting?

Many have long argued that a common, global-wide set of accounting principles would encourage cross-border offerings. We'd have easier access to foreign financial markets—and vice versa. The SEC seems to agree. But how much progress have we made, from the SEC's point of view? © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mapping the dynamics of force transduction at cell–cell junctions of epithelial clusters

The intestines, liver, and skin are all examples of organs that perform specific functions. Organs are comprised of tissues, which are themselves made up of cells. Epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of tissue found in animals, and it occurs in almost every organ in the body. For example, epithelial tissue makes up the outermost layer of the skin, and the lining of the lungs and the intestines; the cells in epithelial tissues are attached to one another via ‘adhesion molecules’. Organs and tissues need to be maintained throughout life in order for them to work properly. Epithelial cells in particular are very short-lived and must be constantly replaced. If epithelial tissue is cut or damaged in any way, the surrounding healthy epithelial cells must work together to repair the wound and restore the tissue's integrity. These processes require individual epithelial cells to communicate with one another. While chemical signals provide one means of cell-to-cell communication, cells also sense and respond to the physical presence of surrounding cells. In adults, organs and tissues generally do not change shape or size; as such there is a tightly balanced exchange of mechanical forces between the individual cells. Damage to the tissue causes a detectable change in these mechanical forces, which is sensed by nearby healthy epithelial cells and causes them to work towards healing the wound. While the importance of mechanical forces in maintaining tissue integrity is widely recognized, there were few tools to study these forces; this meant that mechanical communication through cell–cell adhesion sites was not well understood. Now Ng, Besser et al. describe the development and use of a new method for measuring and mapping the exchange of mechanical forces at cell–cell adhesion sites. Changes in the strength of the forces exchanged between cells could be measured across clusters of multiple cells or for specific parts of individual cells. Ng, Besser et al. found that when an epithelial cell in a cluster started to divide to form two new cells, the cell exerted less mechanical force on its neighboring cells. Ng, Besser et al. found that the forces exerted between cells were strongest when there was more of an adhesion molecule called E-cadherin in the cell surface membrane at the cell–cell adhesion sites. The opposite was also true, as these forces were weakest at cell–cell adhesion sites with fewer E-cadherin molecules. The new method and findings will now help to guide future studies into how mechanical forces are transmitted between living cells.
Student Behaviors Associated With Remediation A Content Analysis

A content analysis was conducted to identify student behaviors associated with remediation. Identifying student behaviors associated with remediation could provide information to consider when deve...
Gut Hormones and Related Concepts

This is the first in a series of articles on presentations at the American Diabetes Association’s 66th Scientific Sessions, Washington, D.C., 9–13 June 2006. At a symposium at the 2006 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions on the implications of taste perception, Robert F. Margolskee (New York, NY) discussed the molecular biology of taste. Multiple taste buds are contained within papillae of the tongue. Taste receptors are present in cells of the front, side, and posterior portion of the tongue, with different taste responses in different areas. The innervation of the taste buds involves the facial nerves and vagus. Each taste bud contains 50–100 taste receptor cells, specialized epithelial cells with neuron-like properties making contact with taste stimuli in the oral cavity, leading to activation of an intracellular cascade with subsequent neurotransmitter release. Two taste qualities, salty and sour, are mediated by microvilli in the superior portions of the taste receptor cells, with salty taste involving sodium-specific channels and sour taste involving a number of different mechanisms (either receptors or via blockade of apical potassium entry). The three other tastes are bitter, sweet, and umami (Japanese for “delicious,” the taste of monosodium glutamate), all mediated by G-protein receptors. Bitter taste receptors have 25–30 different structures coupled to a specific G-protein, while umami and sweet depend on a different family of taste receptors—T1R2 and T1R3 for sweet, and T1R1 and T1R3 (as well as other complex combinations) for the taste of glutamate. Both the sweet and umami receptors have large extracellular domains. Sweet taste genetics have been studied in inbred mice strains to determine the saccharine taste locus, with some strains tasting and others not tasting this. In humans, similar studies allowed identification of loci on chromosome 1p38.33 with a candidate gene identified for T1R3, which was previously thought to be …
Cell Lineages and the Logic of Proliferative Control

It is widely accepted that the growth and regeneration of tissues and organs is tightly controlled. Although experimental studies are beginning to reveal molecular mechanisms underlying such control, there is still very little known about the control strategies themselves. Here, we consider how secreted negative feedback factors (“chalones”) may be used to control the output of multistage cell lineages, as exemplified by the actions of GDF11 and activin in a self-renewing neural tissue, the mammalian olfactory epithelium (OE). We begin by specifying performance objectives—what, precisely, is being controlled, and to what degree—and go on to calculate how well different types of feedback configurations, feedback sensitivities, and tissue architectures achieve control. Ultimately, we show that many features of the OE—the number of feedback loops, the cellular processes targeted by feedback, even the location of progenitor cells within the tissue—fit with expectations for the best possible control. In so doing, we also show that certain distinctions that are commonly drawn among cells and molecules—such as whether a cell is a stem cell or transit-amplifying cell, or whether a molecule is a growth inhibitor or stimulator—may be the consequences of control, and not a reflection of intrinsic differences in cellular or molecular character.
Prepaid group practice staffing and U.S. physician supply: lessons for workforce policy.

ABSTRACT: This paper describes staffing at eight large prepaid group practices (PGPs) serving more than eight million enrollees at Kaiser Permanente and two other health maintenance organizations (...
Application specific CMOS output driver circuit design techniques to reduce simultaneous switching noise

Application specific CMOS circuit design techniques to reduce simultaneous switching noise (SSN-also known as Delta-I noise or ground bounce) were analyzed. Detailed investigation on the CMOS output driver switching current components was performed. The limitations in using current controlled (CC) CMOS output drivers in high-speed (>30 MHz) design applications are explained. Application specific, high-speed, controlled slew rate (CSR) CMOS output drivers were studied and designed. For a given device channel length, once the predriver and driver device sizes are fixed, the performance (speed, switching noise, sink/source capabilities) is determined. With controlled slew rate output drivers, more than 50% improvement was found in the input receiver noise immunity (measure of maximum tolerable SSN) compared to conventional drivers, while the speed and sink/source capabilities are preserved. This effective SSN reduction improvement is achieved with only a small increase in output driver silicon area. The CSR output driver uses distributed and weighted switching driver segments to control the output driver's slew rate for a given load-capacitance. These CSR CMOS output drivers were compared with standard CMOS output drivers, showing significant reduction in effective switching noise pulse width. >
A Remarkable New Naucorid Water Bug (Hemiptera)

Through the kindness of Mr. J. C. Lutz, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I have been privileged to study an interesting little bug that was collected in Paraguay by Alberto Schulze. This tiny bug is so much smaller than the Naucoridae known to us and structurally so different that it is necessary to propose a new genus for this new species. Its diminutive size compared to other Naucorids is like that of the Tenagobia among the Corixidae.
Two Dissociable Components of Behavioral Sensitization Following Repeated Amphetamine Administration

The acute administration of moderate to high doses (>2 mg/kg) of amphetamine (AMPH) to rats produces a multiphasic behavioral response consisting of an initial period of locomotor activity followed by episodes of intense stereotyped behavior, and a period of post-stereotypy locomotion. Repeated administration of the drug results in a sensitization with two components: more rapid onset of stereotypy and enhancement of the post-stereotypy locomotor activity. The studies presented below provide converging evidence that the two components of the sensitization are dissociable. 1. Rats from ten different strains or suppliers all exhibited more rapid onset of stereotypy following repeated AMPH pretreatment, whereas only five of these strains or supplier groups exhibited significantly enhanced post-stereotypy locomotion. 2. The time course differed for the development of these two components of the sensitization. 3. The recovery from sensitization differed for these two components of the behavioral response. Following withdrawal of the drug, post-stereotypy motor activity diminished within 2 months while the more rapid onset of stereotypy persisted for at least 3 months. These observations have particular relevance to future studies directed at specifying the biochemical substrates of the sensitization.
Fiber based measurements of domain characteristics in bismuth substituted iron garnets

Bismuth substituted iron garnets (BIGs) are magneto-optic materials which exhibit Faraday rotation in an applied magnetic field. In the absence of an applied field, individual domains still exhibit Faraday rotation, though the bulk material does not. Using single mode fiber where the half power beam width is smaller in dimension than the magnetic domains of the material, individual magnetic domains of BIG samples are identified. A method for differentiating domains and determining domain alignment is presented. The Faraday rotation of individual domains is measured and reported.
Response of fetal prostanoids, nitric oxide, and ductus arteriosus to the short- and long-term antenatal administration of celecoxib, a selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor, in the pregnant rabbit.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the maternal administration of therapeutic doses of celecoxib would not affect ductus arteriosus patency or alter renal and hepatic prostanoids in the fetal rabbit. Study design Pregnant rabbits received celecoxib from 13 to 20 days (celecoxib-A), from 13-28 days (celecoxib-B), or vehicle from 13 to 28 days by gavage. Fetal serum and lung tissue were analyzed for nitric oxide oxidation products. Fetal plasma, liver, and kidney were analyzed for prostaglandin levels. Results The ductus arteriosus was patent in both treatment groups. Celecoxib induced elevations of plasma prostaglandin E 2 production. In celecoxib-B liver and kidney, the 6-keto-prostaglandin F 1α and prostaglandin F 2α levels were increased, and the prostaglandin E 2 and thromboxane B 2 levels were decreased substantially. Conclusion This preliminary evaluation demonstrates that the maternal administration of celecoxib does not influence fetal ductus arteriosus patency adversely in rabbits.
Statistical estimation of route expiry times in on-demand ad hoc routing protocols

On-demand routing protocols discover routes only when the source node has a packet to send to the destination. These protocols cache previously discovered routes in order to reduce the routing overheads as well as to decrease the route discovery latency. Mobility of the nodes in ad hoc wireless networks impact the performance of the routing protocols significantly. Mobility alters the validity and lifetime of routes cached by the nodes. However, due to the on-demand nature of the routing protocol, the link status will not get updated until it is used. For example, even if a link is up, some of the routes associated with this link may still be invalid because of other failed links in their paths. In this context, route expiry time plays a critical role in determining the performance of the routing protocol. Inefficient choice of route expiry time results in stale routes or early expired routes which degrade the overall performance of the protocol. The route expiry time should be chosen in such a way that it reduces the control overhead caused by the route discovery process. This paper presents a statistical model for estimating route expiry time adaptively, that results in reduced control traffic in on-demand ad hoc networks
From Festies to Tourrats: Examining the Relationship between Jamband Subculture Involvement and Role Meanings:

I introduce two continuous measures of subculture involvement (ideological embeddedness and behavioral-relational involvement), and use them to examine the relationship between involvement in the jamband subculture and the affective meanings (evaluation, potency, and activity) associated with 18 roles that are relevant to that subculture. I expect the two measures of involvement to be related positively to the evaluation and potency of fourteen subculture roles (deadhead, drinker, drug user, environmentalist, festie, hippie, phishhead, rainbow person, rastafarian, raver, stoner, tourrat, vendor, wharfrat), and negatively to the evaluation and potency of four authority roles (capitalist, nark, police officer, venue security officer). Using data from self-administered surveys (N = 418 for familiar subculture and authority roles, N = 219 for less familiar subculture roles), I find that subculture members learn meanings for relevant roles as a result of their socialization in the subculture; more specifically...
Heat/mass transfer from a cylinder in the strongly oscillating flow of a pulse combustor tailpipe

Abstract This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the mass transport from a sintered cylinder placed inside the tailpipe of a pulse combustor. Evaporation rates were measured at several different oscillating and mean flow conditions. Also measured were time resolved velocity profiles and high speed laser schlieren video at a single operating condition. Velocity data were taken in front of and behind the cylinder as well as through the cylinder boundary layer, providing quantitative information on the temporal flow behavior. Both the velocity data and schlieren video indicate that the momentum field is non-quasi-steady. Over the range and combination of operating conditions studied, the results show that mass transfer rates are strongly affected by the pressure amplitude, weakly affected by the mean flow Reynolds number and unnoticeably affected by frequency.
Explosive eversion and functional morphology of the duck penis supports sexual conflict in waterfowl genitalia

Coevolution of male and female genitalia in waterfowl has been hypothesized to occur through sexual conflict. This hypothesis raises questions about the functional morphology of the waterfowl penis and the mechanics of copulation in waterfowl, which are poorly understood. We used high-speed video of phallus eversion and histology to describe for the first time the functional morphology of the avian penis. Eversion of the 20 cm muscovy duck penis is explosive, taking an average of 0.36 s, and achieving a maximum velocity of 1.6 m s−1. The collagen matrix of the penis is very thin and not arranged in an axial-orthogonal array, resulting in a penis that is flexible when erect. To test the hypothesis that female genital novelties make intromission difficult during forced copulations, we investigated penile eversion into glass tubes that presented different mechanical challenges to eversion. Eversion occurred successfully in a straight tube and a counterclockwise spiral tube that matched the chirality of the waterfowl penis, but eversion was significantly less successful into glass tubes with a clockwise spiral or a 135° bend, which mimicked female vaginal geometry. Our results support the hypothesis that duck vaginal complexity functions to exclude the penis during forced copulations, and coevolved with the waterfowl penis via antagonistic sexual conflict.
Multiple-quantum 13C solid-state NMR spectroscopy under moderate magic-angle spinning

Abstract A new method for the excitation and detection of high-order 13 C multiple-quantum (MQ) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals in solids under magic-angle spinning (MAS) condition is presented. In this experimental scheme, high-order 13 C MQ coherences are generated by relaying several sequentially generated 13 C double-quantum (DQ) coherences in dipolar coupled networks. Numerical simulations and experimental implementations are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of this method under a moderate MAS frequency regime. 13 C MQ signals up to 10-quantum coherences are observed experimentally on the model compound 1- 13 C-labeled glycine, at an MAS frequency of 12 kHz.
Law and Citizenship in Early Modern France

Scholars of French history have long maintained that the modern French notion of citizenship - including the concept that citizenship endows one with certain civil rights - is a product of the Enlightenment. But this book argues that many of the ideas that found their way into Enlightenment tracts in fact had their roots in the French Renaissance. Wells shows how an understanding of the "droit d'aubaine" - the legal disabilities of foreign-born residents of the French kingdom - helps to identify the implied rights of native citizens. She then describes how such 16th-century jurists as Jean Bacquet, Reno Choppin, and Jean Bodin combined Roman law and feudal principles into an organized concept of citizenship. Through an examination of key 17th-century trials, Wells demonstrates how French "citizens" were gradually transformed into "subjects" during the absolutist reign of Louis XIV. A century later, however, jurists and such writers as Diderot and Montaigne rehabilitated earlier notions of citizenship, thus providing the foundation for further developments in political and legal theory.