cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Socioeconomic and Genomic Roots of Verbal Ability

ABSTRACT Cognitive ability is one of the most potent and contentious human traits. Many issues surrounding cognitive ability especially those related to heredity is highly charged. Yet, all of the discussion on heredity has been based on non-DNA evidence. It is largely neglected that DNA and environmental data at individual level are indispensable for understanding the development of cognitive ability. In this article, we report findings from a study that uses both ability-related polygenic scores (PGSs) and a rich set of socioeconomic measures from Add Health. In an all-ethnicity sample excluding blacks, a social-science model predicts verbal ability well yielding an R2 of 17.5%. Adding two ability-related PGSs increases this R2 by 1.7%. Such models yield more accurate estimates of the effects of the PGSs and those of SES context, and provide an estimated degree to which SES context is influenced by parental genomes. Schooling and neighborhood remain important to verbal ability even after an early measure of verbal ability is adjusted in the model. Although the influence from the genome is evident, the influences of SES context are critical and cannot be dismissed.
Analysing Vascular Structure to Determine Intra Retinal MicroVascular Abnormalities (IRMA)

Retinal fundus images are coloured images obtained through specially designed cameras through a dilated pupil of the patient. Analysis of these images is being used to detect retinal vascular abnormalities to provide insight into onset or severity of retinopathies specially hypertensive or diabetic retinopathy. One of the common yet significant change that occurs is the change in vascular shape; in that the vessel(s) becomes non-periodically twisted; more generally termed as an increase in tortuosity. This paper presents a simple and reasonably accurate algorithm to classify a vessel as abnormal or not through determining a set of features. A new set of features is proposed in this paper for reliable detection of vascular changes. The proposed method uses One Class SVM (OC-SVM), commonly used for anomaly detection. The reason of using OC-SVM is that the ratio of tortuous vessels as compared to normal ones is very low and they mostly appear as anomaly when compared with normal vessels. A local dataset of 100 fundus images is used for evaluation. The dataset has normally extracted vessels, veins and arteries as ground truth and also contains annotation with respect to vessel tortuosity. The experiments are conducted by randomly dividing data into 60 percent for training and 40 percent for testing. The experiments are repeated 10 times and average results are reported. The results show that the proposed system provides an efficient non-invasive technique to detect tortuous vessels and an important step towards detecting IRMA.
Biosorption of glycerol impurities from biodiesel production onto electrospun chitosan-based nanofibers: equilibrium and thermodynamic evaluations.

The increase in biodiesel production has been leading to an excess amount of crude glycerol and, consequently, serious environmental issues. For this reason, electrospun chitosan-based nanofibers (CB-EN), composed by chitosan and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), were synthesized to apply in the biosorption of impurities from industrial glycerol. To evaluate the biosorption efficiency, the chitosan-based nanofiber was compared to other chitosan-based biosorbents (chitosan biopolymeric film and chitosan powder). The equilibrium and thermodynamic studies were successfully performed to comprehend the interaction mechanisms through the biosorption of glycerol pigments onto electrospun chitosan-based nanofibers. The temperature effect was evaluated by experimental equilibrium curves. Freundlich and BET models were used to estimate isotherm parameters. Gibbs free energy change, enthalpy change, entropy change, and isosteric heat of biosorption were quantified. The equilibrium curves showed that the highest equilibrium relative adsorption (340.7 g−1) was reached at 60 °C. The BET model was the most suitable to represent the equilibrium behavior. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the biosorption was spontaneous, exothermic, random, and energetic heterogeneous. Therefore, this work developed a green and efficient alternative to refine industrial glycerol.
Excess glutamate secreted from astrocytes drives upregulation of P-glycoprotein in endothelial cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Abstract In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), upregulation in expression and activity of the ABC transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) driven by disease advancement progressively reduces CNS penetration and efficacy of the ALS drug, riluzole. Post-mortem spinal cord tissues from ALS patients revealed elevated P-gp expression levels in endothelial cells of the blood-spinal cord barrier compared to levels measured in control, non-diseased individuals. We recently found that astrocytes expressing familial ALS-linked SOD1 mutations regulate expression levels of P-gp in endothelial cells, which also exhibit a concomitant, significant increase in reactive oxygen species production and NFκB nuclear translocation when exposed to mutant SOD1 astrocyte conditioned media. In this study, we found that glutamate, which is abnormally secreted by mutant SOD1 and sporadic ALS astrocytes, drives upregulation of P-gp expression and activity levels in endothelial cells via activation of N-Methyl-D-Aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors. Surprisingly, astrocyte-secreted glutamate regulation of endothelial P-gp levels is not a mechanism shared by all forms of ALS. C9orf72-ALS astrocytes had no effect on endothelial cell P-gp expression and did not display increased glutamate secretion. Utilizing an optimized in vitro human BBB model consisting of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, we showed that co-culture of endothelial cells with patient-derived astrocytes increased P-gp expression levels and transport activity, which was significantly reduced when endothelial cells were incubated with the NMDAR antagonist, MK801. Overall, our findings unraveled a complex molecular interplay between astrocytes of different ALS genotypes and endothelial cells potentially occurring in disease that could differentially impact ALS prognosis and efficacy of pharmacotherapies.
Delivery of maize mosaic virus to planthopper vectors by microinjection increases infection efficiency and facilitates functional genomics experiments in the vector.

The corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis, not only causes direct damage to plants by feeding, but also transmits maize mosaic virus (MMV) to the plant hosts. The virus is transmitted in a propagative manner but the acquisition of MMV by the vector feeding on infected plants can result in low acquisition and inoculation efficiency. Here, we increased the acquisition efficiency by delivering the virus directly into the hemocoel through microinjection, which resulted in efficient virus infection of the insect and transmission to maize. We found that delivery of virus by injection of 10 ng MMV (50 nl, 200 μg/ml virions) into P. maidis resulted in 93% transmission efficiency. In dose-response experiments, MMV abundance in insects and transmission efficiency decreased as the amount of virus inoculum delivered into the hemocoel was reduced. Examination of virus distribution in the vector using immunolabeling and confocal microscopy revealed similar tissue distributions in the injected insects when compared to those of previous studies using feeding on plants for virus acquisition. The utility of virus inoculation by microinjection for functional analysis in virus-vector interaction was explored. Co-microinjection of MMV virions and the dsRNA of PI3Kδ (a transcript that is less abundant in MMV-infected insects), resulted in a reduction in PI3Kδ expression and higher virus titers in P. maidis. These findings demonstrated that virus microinjection is a robust method for obtaining large numbers of infected planthoppers that are competent in transmitting MMV and, in combination with RNAi, could significantly facilitate the functional analysis of P. maidis-MMV interactions.
Polytopic Trees for Verification of Learning-Based Controllers.

Reinforcement learning is increasingly used to synthesize controllers for a broad range of applications. However, formal guarantees on the behavior of learning-based controllers are elusive due to the blackbox nature of machine learning models such as neural networks. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for verifying learning-based controllers—in particular, deep neural networks with ReLU activations, and decision trees with linear decisions and leaf values—for deterministic, piecewise affine (PWA) dynamical systems. In this setting, our algorithm computes the safe (resp., unsafe) region of the state space—i.e., the region of the state space on which the learned controller is guaranteed to satisfy (resp., fail to satisfy) a given reach-avoid specification. Knowing the safe and unsafe regions is substantially more informative than the boolean characterization of safety (i.e., safe or unsafe) provided by standard verification algorithms—for example, this knowledge can be used to compose controllers that are safe on different portions of the state space. At a high level, our algorithm uses convex programming to iteratively compute new regions (in the form of polytopes) that are guaranteed to be entirely safe or entirely unsafe. Then, it connects these polytopic regions together in a tree-like fashion. We conclude with an illustrative example on controlling a hybrid model of a contact-based robotics problem.
Genetic Deletion of Emp2 Does Not Cause Proteinuric Kidney Disease in Mice

Nephrotic syndrome is one of the most common glomerular diseases in children and can be classified on the basis of steroid responsiveness. While multiple genetic causes have been discovered for steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome, the genetics of steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome remains elusive. Mutations in Epithelial Membrane Protein 2 (EMP2), a member of the GAS3/PMP22 tetraspan family of proteins, were recently implicated as putative monogenic cause of steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome. We investigated this hypothesis by developing Emp2 reporter and knockout mouse models. In lacZ reporter mice (engineered to drive expression of the enzyme β-galactosidase under the control of the endogenous murine Emp2 promoter), Emp2 promoter activity was not observed in podocytes but was particularly prominent in medium- and large-caliber arterial vessels in the kidney and other tissues where it localizes specifically in vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) but not in the endothelium. Strong Emp2 expression was also found in non-vascular smooth muscle cells found in other organs like the stomach, bladder, and uterus. Global and podocyte-specific Emp2 knockout mice were viable and did not develop nephrotic syndrome showing no evidence of abnormal glomerular histology or ultrastructure. Altogether, our results do not support that loss of function of EMP2 represent a monogenic cause of proteinuric kidney disease. However, the expression pattern of Emp2 indicates that it may be relevant in smooth muscle function in various organs and tissues including the vasculature.
Exercise Addiction in Long Distance Runners

Exercise addiction is a complex construct that examines maladaptive patterns relative to exercise behavior. This phenomenon, though not clinically recognized as a disorder, describes a condition where an individual has a compulsion to exercise excessively, often causing detriments to his or her physical and psychological wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to identify which psychosocial and behavioral factors are best able to predict exercise addiction in long-distance runners. Two hundred forty-eight self-identified runners at least 18 years of age participated in the study. Each subject completed an online survey that included questions referring to demographics, training history, the 10-item Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), and the 11-item Running Addiction Scale (RAS). Multiple linear regression was used to predict the relationship between several variables to the overall RAS score. The significant predictor variables were the AIMS score (p < 0.01), the number of runs taken per week (p < 0.001), and the number of injuries in the previous 2 years (p < 0.05). The best prediction equation was RAS = 36.99 + (0.13 × AIMS score) + (1.14 × runs per week) − (0.17 × body mass index) − (0.21 × number of years running) + (0.93 × number of injuries). This study shows that higher scores on the RAS were associated with a greater identity as an athlete, more injuries and runs per week. Although not statistically significant, body mass index (p = 0.084) and the number of years running (p = 0.098) were both negatively related to the RAS score, indicating the need for a larger and more diverse sample of self-identified runners to explore the relationship between running addiction and other participant characteristics.
Data-Driven Models Support a Vision for Over-the-Air Vehicle Emission Inspections

Emissions inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs for light-duty motor vehicles manage ambient air quality by enforcing emissions standards and requiring non-compliant vehicles to be repaired or retired. I/M programs in the United States typically identify over-emitters through on-board diagnostics (OBD) systems and vehicles' proprietary firmware (i.e., indirect tests), rather than through physical measurements of exhaust gases (i.e., tailpipe tests). Analyzing data from Colorado's I/M program, this study finds the OBD test to have an accuracy of 87%, but a false pass rate of 50%, when predicting the result of a corresponding tailpipe test. As an alternative, transparent data-driven models--using logistic regression and gradient boosting machines--to consistently identify over-emitting vehicles are proposed. These models were up to 24% more accurate, or 85% more sensitive than the current OBD test in a stratified data sample. A key benefit of transparent statistical models--jurisdictions' ability to tune the test methods to best suit program needs--is also assessed. Finally, this study shows how these results support a vision for cloud-based, selective I/M programs where statistical models are applied to OBD data--collected over-the-air from vehicles--to identify and require additional inspection for only the most probable over-emitters.
The cancer glycocalyx mediates intravascular adhesion and extravasation during metastatic dissemination

The glycocalyx on tumor cells has been recently identified as an important driver for cancer progression, possibly providing critical opportunities for treatment. Metastasis, in particular, is often the limiting step in the survival to cancer, yet our understanding of how tumor cells escape the vascular system to initiate metastatic sites remains limited. Using an in vitro model of the human microvasculature, we assess here the importance of the tumor and vascular glycocalyces during tumor cell extravasation. Through selective manipulation of individual components of the glycocalyx, we reveal a mechanism whereby tumor cells prepare an adhesive vascular niche by depositing components of the glycocalyx along the endothelium. Accumulated hyaluronic acid shed by tumor cells subsequently mediates adhesion to the endothelium via the glycoprotein CD44. Trans-endothelial migration and invasion into the stroma occurs through binding of the isoform CD44v to components of the sub-endothelial extra-cellular matrix. Targeting of the hyaluronic acid-CD44 glycocalyx complex results in significant reduction in the extravasation of tumor cells. These studies provide evidence of tumor cells repurposing the glycocalyx to promote adhesive interactions leading to cancer progression. Such glycocalyx-mediated mechanisms may be therapeutically targeted to hinder metastasis and improve patient survival.
How to Pack for the 'Other Refugee Crisis': My Diary from Dilley

This piece contains my reflections on the week in the small town of Dilley, Texas, that I spent volunteering with the CARA Pro Bono Project. This piece is a compilation of the nightly emails from Dilley that I sent to friends and the generous folks who donated financial support for a week, edited a bit. I have kept my unedited reactions and impressions- shock, anger, shame, hope, joy- in hopes of conveying the reality of this experience.
Simpson Grade I Removal of Tuberculum Sella Meningioma Through the Supraorbital Approach: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

As described by Cushing1 in the chiasmatic syndrome, tuberculum sellae meningiomas induce progressive asymmetrical, incongruous visual loss, which would lead to blindness. The surgical removal of these lesions has been rewarding in regard to visual preservation, or recovery, and has passed the test of time. Optic canal extension, in one or both canals, is a consistent feature of these tumors, and removing the tumor from the optic canals is paramount in the treatment of these lesions.2 Despite the small target volume, radiosurgery is not applicable because of the lack of safe distance from the optic pathways. Tuberculum sella meningioma has been distinguished with good surgical outcomes and low recurrence rates; thus, Simpson grade I removal (tumor, dura, and bone invasion) confers a prospect of cure. Safe and successful resection of tuberculum meningiomas is achieved through the skull base supraorbital approach3 with several critical objectives: (1) visualization of the tumor without brain retraction; (2) 270° opening of the optic canal proximally and distally for safe tumor removal; (3) preservation of the vascular supply to the optic pathways and pituitary; (4) microsurgical dissection under high magnification on a short working distance to the encased carotid and anterior cerebral arteries; (5) complete resection of involved dura and bone at the skull base, particularly laterally; and (6) a robust skull base reconstruction with a vascularized pericranial flap.4 We present the case of a 45-yr-old female with a tuberculum sella meningioma who underwent Simpson grade I removal with an uneventful outcome. The patient consented for surgery. Image at 2:59 reprinted with permission from Al-Mefty O, Operative Atlas of Meningiomas. Vol 1, © LWW, 1998; Image at 9:33 public domain.4.
Interleukin-22 mitigates acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Background The goal of this study was to determine if IL-22:Fc would Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Summary background data No therapies exist for ARDS and treatment is purely supportive. Interleukin-22 (IL-22) plays an integral component in recovery of the lung from infection. IL-22:Fc is a recombinant protein with a human FC immunoglobulin that increases the half-life of IL-22. Study design ARDS was induced in C57BL/6 mice with intra-tracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at a dose of 33.3 or 100 ug. In the low-dose LPS group (LDG), IL-22:FC was administered via tail vein injection at 30 minutes (n = 9) and compared to sham (n = 9). In the high-dose LPS group (HDG), IL-22:FC was administered (n = 11) then compared to sham (n = 8). Euthanasia occurred after bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL) on post-injury day 4. Results In the LDG, IL-22:FC resulted in decreased protein leak (0.15 vs. 0.25 ug/uL, p = 0.02). BAL protein in animals receiving IL-22:Fc in the HDG was not different. For the HDG, animals receiving IL-22:Fc had lower BAL cell counts (539,636 vs 3,147,556 cells/uL, p = 0.02). For the HDG, IL-6 (110.6 vs. 527.1 pg/mL, p = 0.04), TNF-α (5.87 vs. 25.41 pg/mL, p = 0.04), and G-CSF (95.14 vs. 659.6, p = 0.01) levels were lower in the BAL fluid of IL-22:Fc treated animals compared to sham. Conclusions IL-22:Fc decreases lung inflammation and lung capillary leak in ARDS. IL-22:Fc may be a novel therapy for ARDS.
Ethical Choices in Contemporary Medicine: Integrative Bioethics

Ethical Choices in Contemporary Medicine examines the epistemological foundations of medicine to show that many of todays bioethical problems have their roots in how medical knowledge is established, evaluated and transmitted. These epistemological concerns frame the medical choices and claims we make, from how medical responsibility is sanctioned to how medical care is allocated. The present predicaments of medicine are examined within a broad cultural context that exposes the expectations individuals have of their health-care providers and of themselves. The authors explore some of the historical roots of these concerns and suggest that rational discourse and parochial ethical dialogue may be futile in the face of competing and incommensurable frameworks, attitudes and wishes. The authors show that, in the postmodern age, two interrelated issues surface when it comes to medicine. On the one hand, there is a strong critique of science and the privileges associated with the scientific discourse and, on the other, there is still a deep-seated quest for certainty in all medical matters. Ethical Choices in Contemporary Medicine investigates the fundamental nature of medicine and medical knowledge in health-care provision today and offers a radical and practical rethinking of medical ethics. It will be required reading for philosophers of medicine and will be of interest to those working in bioethics, sociology of medicine and philosophy of science more generally, as well as to health-care practitioners interested in the foundational issues of their discipline.
PeV neutrinos and a 3.5 keV x-ray line from a PeV-scale supersymmetric neutrino sector

Recent measurements of PeV energy neutrinos at IceCube and a 3.5 keV x-ray line in the spectra of several galaxies are both tantalizing signatures of new physics. This paper shows that one or both of these observations can be explained within an extended supersymmetric neutrino sector. Obtaining light active neutrino masses as well as phenomenologically interesting (keV--GeV) sterile neutrino masses without any unnaturally small parameters hints at a new symmetry in the neutrino sector that is broken at the PeV scale, presumably tied to supersymmetry breaking. The same symmetry and structure can sufficiently stabilize an additional PeV particle, produce its abundance through the freeze-in mechanism, and lead to decays that can give the energetic neutrinos observed by IceCube. The lightest sterile neutrino, if at 7 keV, is a nonresonantly produced fraction of dark matter, and can account for the 3.5 keV x-ray line. The two signals could therefore be the first probes of an extended supersymmetric neutrino sector.
Pre- and postsynaptic inhibition by opioids in rat striatum

The physiological role of opioid peptides in the rat striatum was sought by intracellular recording in vitro. Excitatory synaptic potentials (mediated by glutamate or aspartate) and inhibitory synaptic potentials (mediated by GABA) were isolated pharmacologically and/or by positioning the stimulation electrode over the external capsule. Opioid agonists and antagonists selective for mu-, delta-, and kappa-receptors were applied by superfusion. Two main actions of opioids were observed. First, mu- and delta-selective opioids presynaptically inhibited the excitatory postsynaptic potential, whereas only delta-selective opioids decreased the inhibitory synaptic potential. Second, a small subpopulation of cells (not medium spiny neurons) were hyperpolarized by delta-selective agonists. The results indicate that the main action of opioids on striatal neurons is presynaptic inhibition of the corticostriate excitatory synaptic input.
The measured performance of a millimeter wave beam splitter [in gyrotrons]

An essential component of any high power transmission system is a directional coupler that provides a sample of the forward and reflected power when this power is being delivered to the intended load. In the case of millimeter power delivered through a highly oversized corrugated waveguide, there is the much more complex issue of mode purity. The authors use a true beam splitter that provides a sample of the fields in the entire cross section of the waveguide. Our proposed means of overcoming the heat removal problem is to make the mirror an edge cooled CVD diamond disk having a very thin copper coating on the high power side of the mirror. A two dimensional array of holes is etched through the copper. An image of the incident wave free of aliasing is launched on the opposite side of the copper film. This process is easily scaled to frequencies greater than 170 GHz.
The Competitive Significance of Segmented Markets

The Justice Department's new Merger Guidelines place a greater emphasis on mergers in homogeneous product markets than on mergers in heterogenous markets.' This emphasis is a result of the Department's focus on price fixing as the most important competitive problem to arise from concentrated markets. According to the Guidelines, homogeneity is a condition that facilitates reaching consensus and detecting deviation.' This Article argues that there may be cause for greater concern in segmented (i.e., non-homogeneous) markets. For example, consider the lawfulness under the new Guidelines of a merger in a hypothetical beverage product market: Two merging beverage firms have market shares of 9% and 5%. Their merger would increase the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI)3 from 1200 to 1290 points. The product is differentiated by three quality categories (special, premium and regular) and by two quantity categories (bulk sales to taverns and restaurants, and bottle sales to individuals). Despite the similarity of production processes, only two of the fourteen firms in the industry have a significant presence in more than one product category. All the beverages are further differentiated by heavy advertising and brand loyalty.
Club Formation Games with Farsighted Agents

Modeling club structures as bipartite networks, we formulate the problem of club formation as a game of network formation and identify those club networks that are stable if agents behave farsightedly in choosing their club memberships. Using the farsighted core as our stability notion, we show that if agents' payoffs are single-peaked and agents agree on the peak club size (i.e., agents agree on the optimal club size) and if there sufficiently many clubs to allow for the partition of agents into clubs of optimal size, then a necessary and sufficient condition for the farsighted core to be nonempty is that agents who end up in smaller-than-optimal size clubs have no incentive to switch their memberships to already existing clubs of optimal size. In contrast, we show via an example that if there are too few clubs relative to the number of agents, then the farsighted core may be empty. Contrary to prior results in the literature involving myopic behavior, our example shows that overcrowding and farsightedness lead to instability in club formation.
Risk and resiliency factors influencing onset and adolescence-limited commercial sexual exploitation of disadvantaged girls.

BACKGROUND: Previous research into age-related variables relevant to girls and young women being involved in commercial sexual exploitation (including prostitution) has not distinguished between its onset and limitation to adolescence and its early onset and persistence into adult life. AIMS: The aims of this study were to examine variables associated with adolescent versus adult onset of commercial sexual exploitation and identify potential risk and resiliency factors differentiating adolescence-limited sexual exploitation and early-onset-adult persistent exploitation. METHOD: Interviews with 174 vulnerable mostly African-American women, 23% of whom reported commercial sexual exploitation in adolescence and/or adulthood, yielded data, which were analysed using multinomial logistic regressions. RESULTS: Adolescent sexual victimisation, younger age at first alcohol/drug use, being a victim of intimate partner violence and sense of stigmatisation of sexual self/others were all variables associated with adolescent onset of commercial sexual exploitation. Educational attainment differentiated adolescence limited from adolescent-adult persistent exploitation; exploitation had ceased by adulthood among over two-thirds of those who completed at least high school education, but only 13% of those exploited into adult life had finished high school. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: As level of education was linked to cessation of exploitation by adulthood, support for vulnerable girls to complete education at least to high school level may be protective. The link between early onset of substance misuse and persistent exploitation suggests that education and support specifically targeted within this field could reduce likelihood of persistent abuse. Work directed at improvement of self-image may also reduce risk of persistent exploitation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Language: en
Dynamical Downscaling–Based Projections of Great Lakes Water Levels

AbstractProjections of regional climate, net basin supply (NBS), and water levels are developed for the mid- and late twenty-first century across the Laurentian Great Lakes basin. Two state-of-the-art global climate models (GCMs) are dynamically downscaled using a regional climate model (RCM) interactively coupled to a one-dimensional lake model, and then a hydrologic routing model is forced with time series of perturbed NBS. The dynamical downscaling and coupling with a lake model to represent the Great Lakes create added value beyond the parent GCM in terms of simulated seasonal cycles of temperature, precipitation, and surface fluxes. However, limitations related to this rudimentary treatment of the Great Lakes result in warm summer biases in lake temperatures, excessive ice cover, and an abnormally early peak in lake evaporation. While the downscaling of both GCMs led to consistent projections of increases in annual air temperature, precipitation, and all NBS components (overlake precipitation, basinw...
FMRFamide modulation of secretory machinery underlying presynaptic inhibition of synaptic transmission requires a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein.

The neuropeptide FMRFamide modulates synaptic transmission between identified neurons of the pond snail Helisoma trivolvis. FMRFamide causes a presynaptic inhibition of transmitter release by actions on ion channels and secretory machinery (Man-Son-Hing et al., 1989). The actions of FMRFamide on secretory machinery were studied using giant synapses that form between somata in culture. Using the calcium cage DM- nitrophen, synchronized, calcium-clamped release of neurotransmitter was promoted by UV photolysis. A series of UV flashes (15 msec duration) repeatedly promoted the transient synchronized release of neurotransmitter. Addition of FMRFamide reduced the magnitude of these flash-evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Under conditions of synchronized transmitter release, FMRFamide modulates the secretory responsiveness to internal calcium. The release of neurotransmitter at somasoma synapses was determined to be quantal in nature. To test for the involvement of G-proteins in mediating the effects of FMRFamide on secretory machinery, the modulation of the frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (MIPSCs) was examined. Addition of FMRFamide reduced the frequency of MIPSCs without affecting intracellular free calcium measured with fura-2. Injection of a nonhydrolyzable analog of GTP, GTP gamma S, mimicked the effect of FMRFamide and reduced MIPSC frequency. Preinjection of the presynaptic soma with the A-protomer of pertussis toxin (PTX) prevented FMRFamide from reducing MIPSC frequency. Thus, a PTX-sensitive G-protein mediates the action of FMRFamide on secretory machinery. Similarly, preinjection of the presynaptic soma with PTX prevented FMRFamide from reducing the magnitude of action potential-evoked IPSC. Dose-response curves for the actions of FMRFamide on secretory machinery and calcium current were constructed and demonstrated that secretory machinery can be modulated at concentrations of FMRFamide (less than or equal to 10(-7) M) that do not affect calcium current magnitude. At a concentration of 10(-7) M FMRFamide, action potential-evoked synaptic transmission was reduced. Thus, synaptic transmission can be regulated by the modulation of secretory machinery, without a requirement for the modulation of ion channels.
Relational victimization and proactive versus reactive relational aggression: The moderating effects of respiratory sinus arrhythmia and skin conductance

This research examined the moderating effect of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) on the associations between relational victimization and reactive and proactive relational aggression. Both branches of the ANS, the parasympathetic nervous system (indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity; RSA-Reactivity) and the sympathetic nervous system (indexed by skin conductance level reactivity; SCL-Reactivity), were examined. Emerging adults (N = 168) self-reported on relational victimization and proactive and reactive relational aggression; RSA-Reactivity and SCL-Reactivity were assessed in response to a laboratory stressor. Relational victimization predicted heightened reactive relational aggression given RSA augmentation/high SCL-Reactivity (i.e., coactivation) and RSA withdrawal/low SCL-Reactivity (i.e., coinhibition). In addition, relational victimization predicted heightened reactive relational aggression given RSA augmentation/low SCL-Reactivity (i.e., reciprocal parasympathetic activation). This study extends previous research on relational victimization and provides novel evidence that (a) exposure to relational victimization is associated with reactive relational aggression, but not proactive relational aggression, and (b) parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system reactivity jointly moderate the link between relational victimization and reactive relational aggression.
The effect of clinical nursing instructors on student self-efficacy

Clinical practicum experiences for nursing students provides the students an opportunity to apply concepts learned in class, practice skills learned in lab, and interact with patients, families, and other nurses. Although students look forward to these experiences, they often feel intimated and anxious about them. Clinical instructors play an important role in this experience and can either help or hinder student learning and self-efficacy. Using Bandura's Social Learning Theory as foundation, this descriptive study examined the relationship between perceived instructor effectiveness and student self-efficacy. Data were collected from a BSN school of nursing at a Midwestern USA comprehensive masters university. The instruments used were the Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory (NCTEI) and the student self-efficacy (SSE) questionnaire. Participants (n = 236) were from a traditional nursing program with 86% female and 14% male. Data was analyzed using Pearson's correlation and MANCOVA. Results indicated: Out of the five areas of attributes, one area showed significant (p < .01) difference between the lower and higher self-efficacy groups and with specific teacher behaviors within the Evaluation category. Students with high self-efficacy reported faculty who suggested ways to improve, identified strengths and weaknesses, observed frequently, communicated expectations, gives positive reinforcement ad corrects without belittling. This can help faculty develop behaviors that increases student learning and student self-efficacy.
Carcinoid of Meckel's diverticulum.

Summary Eleven cases of carcinoid of Meckel's diverticulum have been briefly reviewed. The twelfth such case, the fourth in which an associated diverticulitis was noted, has been presented.
The Optical Sensors in FM-1

In the PPL FM-1 Machine, the plasma containment volume is shaped, in part, by a levitated superconducting ring which is stabilized and positioned by servoed currents in stationary tilt and slide coils. The instantaneous position of the ring is sensed, in the required five degrees of freedom, by external non-contacting reflex optical sensors. Design and construction of these sensors is described and results of performance tests, both off and on the FM-1, are presented.
Photochemical micropatterning of carbohydrates on a surface.

In this report, we demonstrate a versatile method for the immobilization and patterning of unmodified carbohydrates onto glass substrates. The method employs a novel self-assembled monolayer to present photoactive phthalimide chromophores at the air−monolayer interface. Upon exposure to UV radiation, the phthalimide end-groups graft to surface-adsorbed carbohydrates, presumably by a hydrogen abstraction mechanism followed by radical recombination to form a covalent bond. Immobilized carbohydrate thin films are evidenced by fluorescence, ellipsometry and contact-angle measurements. Surface micropatterns of mono-, oligo-, and polysaccharides are generated by exposure through a contact photomask and are visualized by condensing water onto the surface. The efficiency of covalent coupling is dependent on the thermodynamic state of the surface. The amount of surface-grafted carbohydrate is enhanced when carbohydrate surface interactions are increased by the incorporation of amine-terminated molecules into the m...
Estimation with Inadequate Information

As a possible explanation for the existence of absurd UMVU estimators, a class of estimation problems is defined: estimating the probability of an “unobservable” event, for example, estimating the probability of an event of interest occurring over a long period of time from observations over a much shorter period. It is pointed out that in typical cases of this kind, no reasonable unbiased estimator can exist. Consideration of the maximum likelihood estimator suggests the possibility that in fact there may then often exist no reasonable estimators.
Responses of hyperactive boys to a behaviorally focused school attitude questionnaire.

The Teacher Approval-Disapproval Scale was administered to three groups of elementary school boys: those considered by a teacher as hyperactive and referrable; those considered as among the most active but not referrable; and normoactive classmates. The three groups of boys differed significantly in their responses to 8 of 11 individual scale items, which ask the child about the amount of teacher approval and disapproval directed toward himself personally or about the frequency of his own happiness and unhappiness in the classroom. The three groups of boys differed significantly on only 2 of 11 counterpart class items, which ask the child about teacher behaviors toward the class as a whole or about the happiness and unhappiness of the entire class. The hyperactive boys said they received significantly less approval from teachers for academic, motivational, and social behaviors than did the normoactive boys and significantly more general disapproval. The present study is among the few that report differences between hyperactive and comparison groups on self-report questionnaires. The results suggest that what appears to be greater teacher disapproval of boys than of girls may in fact be simply greater teacher disapproval of children with disruptive behavior problems, most of whom are boys.
Studies on the Feasibility of the Determination of Sulfuric Acid Aerosol in Auto Exhaust Gases by Laser Induced Infrared Excitation

Abstract The feasibility of determining sulfuric acid aerosol by laser-induced infrared emission has been demonstrated. Spectral emission from sulfuric acid was induced by focusing a carbon dioxide laser, with a principal lasing line of 10.6 microns, into sulfuric acid aerosol produced by an aspirator. The emission spectrum of excited sulfuric acid was somewhat different from the spectrum obtained by thermally heating the molecule. A characteristic sulfuric acid infrared emission band was then monitored to determine the sulfuric acid.
Myo-inosose-2 reactivation of reduced UDP-D-galactose 4-epimerase from Escherichia coli.

Abstract myo -Inosose-2, a ketoinositol with the same stereochemistry around C-2 and C-3 as the proposed 4-keto intermediate in the epimerization reaction catalyzed by UDP- d -galactose 4-epimerase (EC 5.1.3.2), was found to reactivate the UMP and d -galactose-reduced enzyme. Cyclohexanone, dihydroxyacetone and acetone had no effect.
A Conductivity Sensor for Nearbed Sediment Concentration Profiling

Abstract A new sensor that measures the vertical profile of nearbed sediment concentration is described. The conductivity-based sensor is composed of eight electrode pairs separated in the vertical by 2.5 × 10−3 m. Electrode pairs are sampled at 16 Hz, with higher rates achievable. Each electrode pair response is linear over the range of conductivity tested from 0.2 to 0.65 mS cm−1 that exceeds the range of conductivity values corresponding to sediment–water mixtures from clear water to the packed bed limit of 0.65 m3 m−3. A laboratory test over a planar sloping beach indicates the capability of the sensor to simultaneously quantify sediment concentration profiles from roughly 0.01 m below to 0.1 m above the at-rest bed. The data indicate that the upper few millimeters of the bed are highly mobile and that bed dilation and sediment mobility vary considerably over a swash cycle.
Haupt's Gelatin Adhesive Mixed with Formalin for Affixing Paraffin Sections to Slides

(1974). Haupt's Gelatin Adhesive Mixed with Formalin for Affixing Paraffin Sections to Slides. Stain Technology: Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 116-117.
Doing justice to allosteric regulation

Abstract Jacques Monod gave us not only our first regulatory system, but also our first smart molecules – i.e., he gave us allosteric proteins. But both of these contributions hung in a certain tension with his primary commitments. In particular, I focus here on the ways in which his ontological commitments constrained his thinking about the power of allostery. Although he wrote that “so far as regulation through allosteric interaction is concerned, e verything is possible ”, for him, not everything was conceivable. In particular, what was not conceivable was a challenge to the primacy of DNA.
Humean Causation and the Necessity of Temporal Discontinuity

The claim of this paper is that the discontinuity thesis is essential to the intelligibility of Hume's account of causation. I shall argue this by showing that the temporal contiguity requirement,2 which is taken to be central to the Humean view, can only be defended given discontinuity.3 The argument rests on Russell's famous attack on the contiguity requirement. Russell's lesson to a Humean (not Hume, for Hume understood this point) is the necessity of temporal discontinuity.
Capsule commentary on Turner et al., chronic opioid therapy urine drug testing in primary care: prevalence and predictors of aberrant results.

One of the great public health challenges in this country is the use and misuse of opioid pain medications. Drug overdose deaths now outnumber deaths due to motor vehicle accidents, and a growing proportion of these deaths are due to opioid medications.1,2 The use of urine drug screening (UDS) to monitor compliance and to detect the use of other substances is a part of many opioid treatment programs. However, guidelines vary in their recommendations for UDS use,3 and surprisingly little is known about risk factors for aberrant results. Turner and colleagues have added an important study to inform this discussion.4 Among primary care patients who underwent UDS while enrolled in a chronic opioid therapy program at an integrated group practice, 30% had aberrant results, including 12.3% for non-detection of the prescribed opiate. This is a group of particular concern, as opioid non-detection can be a marker of possible diversion. The chance of any aberrancy was higher in males, younger patients, those with a prior substance use disorder, and current smokers – all risk factors for opioid misuse. Importantly, the study authors further categorized the risk factors for each different reason for aberrant UDS result and found significant variation. For example, the presence of THC was more common in males, while other illicit drug identification was not. Lack of opiate detection in urine was more common among patients less than 45 years of age and with prior substance abuse disorders. This topic reveals the intersection of epidemiology and stereotype in medicine. On the one hand, there are groups of patients who have statistically higher rates of aberrant UDS results, and applying a targeted testing policy to these patients could be supported as a potentially cost-effective way to monitor those at highest risk of misuse. On the other hand, given the stigma surrounding opioid monitoring, selective testing based on demographics has the real potential to negatively affect provider-patient relationships and to ostracize patients who might otherwise benefit from these medications. While risk factors for aberrant test results can’t be ignored, they are probably best left as informative characteristics rather than fundamentals of policy, and it seems prudent to test uniformly, regardless of demographics.
Characteristics of expected quark-antiquark resonances based on the quantum-chromodynamic potential

The energy spectrum and leptonic and radiative decay widths of the expected tt-bar and a possible higher resonance (b'b-bar') is calculated using the quantum-chromodynamic potential proposed earlier by the authors. A simplified model of the effective coupling constant is used without any free parameters. The energy difference between the ground and first excited states is found to be 0.6 GeV for psi/J, 0.56 GeV for UPSILON, 0.6 GeV for tt-bar with a mass of 30 GeV, and 0.9 GeV for b'b-bar' with a mass of 90 GeV.
Headaches due to nasal and paranasal sinus disease

Sinus infections are much less common today than they were in the preantibiotic era, but they still are overdiagnosed. Acute sinusitis, a relatively uncommon cause of headache, is the result of infection of one or more of the cranial sinuses. Acute sinusitis usually is characterized by purulent discharge in the nasal passages and a pain profile determined by the site of infection. Sinusitis is overdiagnosed as a cause of headache because of the belief that pain over the sinuses must be related to the sinuses. In fact, frontal head pain more often is caused by migraine and tension-type headache. It should not follow that if a patient fails to respond to treatment for migraine and tension-type headache one should reconsider the diagnosis of sinus disease. Whether or not nasal obstruction can lead to chronic headache is controversial. Paradoxically, sinus disease also tends to be underdiagnosed, as sphenoid sinus infection frequently is missed.
Longevity in the Chukar Partridge

Abstract Survival rate was studied over a 10-year period in 2 groups of chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar). During the first 5 years of life, the birds were kept in confinement under either continuous stimulatory (16L:8D) or nonstimulatory (8L:16D) photoperiods. Twenty percent of the hens of both groups survived 4 years, with one hen surviving 10.5 years. Approximately 54% of the males survived 4 years and 4 males survived 10.5 years. Limited evidence showed that higher rates of mortality are generally associated with more intense periods of lay.
The role of interparticle forces in the fluidization of fine particles

Abstract The effect of gas adsorption on van der Waals forces has been studied theoretically using the Hamaker theory. The calculated results show that the adsorption of CO 2 on FCC particles increases the van der Waals forces by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude, corresponding to pressure from 1 to 15 bar at room temperature. The effects of particle deformation have also been studied using the Hamaker theory by integrating molecular interactions over two deformed spheres and a new equation has been derived. The effects of surface roughness have also been studied using a ‘sandwich’ model of the contacting system and the results show that, for FCC-FCC contact, particles could be treated as smooth when the surface asperities are less than 0.01 μm; however, it is the surface asperitics rather than the parent particles which begin to dominate the van der Waals forces when the surface asperities are more than 0.1 μm.