cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endothelin-1, endothelin converting enzyme-1 and endothelin receptors in the porcine corpus luteum.

Abstract Porcine corpora lutea (CL) fail to show a luteolytic response to prostaglandin-F-2α (PGF-2α) (ie, luteolytic sensitivity [LS]) until about day 12-13 of the estrous cycle. Although little is known of the control of LS in any species, endothelin-1 (EDN1) is believed to play a role in LS control in ruminants. Therefore, we measured mRNA and protein expression and examined the cellular localization of EDN1 precursor (pre-pro EDN1, or ppEDN1), EDN-converting enzyme-1 (ECE1), and EDN receptors (A, EDNRA and B, EDNRB) in porcine CLs collected on days 4, 7, 10, 13, and 15 of the estrous cycle to look for differences between CLs displaying (days 13-15) versus those lacking (days 4-10) LS. Abundance of ppEDN1 mRNA was greatest (and significant vs all other days) on day 7 of the cycle, whereas EDN1 protein expression did not vary during the cycle and was localized exclusively to endothelial cells (EC). Abundance of ECE1 mRNA was also greatest on day 7 (vs all other days), but ECE1 protein was significantly elevated on day 10 (vs day 4) and was immunolocalized to ECs and large luteal cells (LLC). Abundance of EDNRA mRNA was also maximal on day 7 (vs all other days) of the cycle, whereas EDNRA protein expression was not significantly changed during the cycle and was observed in LLCs, ECs, and small luteal cells (SLC). On day 13, EDNRB mRNA was significantly decreased (versus day 7). Expression of EDNRB protein was decreased on day 10 (versus all other days), and on days 13-15 (vs day 4), and was primarily localized to ECs. In conclusion, the observed elevation in ECE1 protein concentrations on day 10 and the presence of EDNRA on LLC suggests a possible role for EDN1 (resulting from the actions of ECE1) acting via EDNRA in the control of LS in the pig.
A real-time 448 000-channel multiparameter pulse-height analysis system

Abstract A multiparameter pulse-height analysis system, operating on a small multiprogrammed computer with auxiliary magnetic disk memory, has been developed. The method enables experimentalists to collect data in arrays up to 448 000 channels, at coincidence rates of over 300 per second. The data may be viewed as it is collected, and is ready, in histogram form, as soon as data-collection is completed.
Inferior pontine segmentation abnormality in a child with sensorineural deafness: DTI analysis of fiber tracts

MRI/DTI data are presented in a child with sensoneurinal hearing loss and swallowing disorder. MRI/DTI revealed hypoplastic 8th cranial nerves and an inferior pontine segmentation abnormality. Color-coded FA-maps revealed diminished/absent fiber tracts within the affected brainstem segment. This report may add another small puzzle piece to the ongoing research on brainstem malformations.
Brain hemorrhages in cocaine-exposed human fetuses

Autopsies of 4 fetuses exposed to maternal cocaine are reported. Brain examination revealed hemorrhages in 3 of the fetuses involving the germinal matrix. The hemorrhages resembled subependymal germinal matrix hemorrhages seen as postnatal complications in premature infants with idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome. One of the placentas had sonographic evidence of abruption which could not be confirmed pathologically. The findings are discussed in light of reports of neurobehavioral deficits and other congenital anomalies in children and animals exposed to cocaine in utero. Speculations about the pathophysiologic events leading to these findings are made.
Comparison of pro-choice and pro-life activists: their values, attitudes, and beliefs.

This article reports a survey of two statewide abortion related organizations: Missouri Citizens for Life and the Abortion Rights Alliance (N=524). The two groups differed signficantly on 12 of 18 Rokeach terminal values and on eight of 13 NORC instrumental values. Salvation was the value which most successfully differentiated the two groups. The two groups were used to establish the construct validity of 18 abortion attitude items. Members of the two groups also differed significantly on each of 18 beliefs, indicating that they tend not only to accept assertions made by their own group but also to reject assertions made by the other group. Anti-abortion were more likely than pro-abortion respondents to expect an increase in restrictions on abortion five years from now. Proabortion respondents attributed significantly more pro-abortion sentiment to U.S. adults than did the anti-abortion respondents.
Use of IDEF modeling to develop an information management system for drug and alcohol outpatient treatment clinics

Few information systems create a standardized clinical patient record in which there are discrete and concise observations of patient problems and their resolution. Clinical notes usually are narratives which don't support an aggregate and systematic outcome analysis. Many programs collect information on diagnosis and coded procedures but are not focused on patient problems. Integrated definition (IDEF) methodology has been accepted by the Department of Defense as part of the Corporate Information Management Initiative and serves as the foundation that establishes a need for automation. We used IDEF modeling to describe present and idealized patient care activities. A logical IDEF data model was created to support those activities. The modeling process allows for accurate cost estimates based upon performed activities, efficient collection of relevant information, and outputs which allow real- time assessments of process and outcomes. This model forms the foundation for a prototype automated clinical information system (ACIS).© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
5′ Adenosine monophosphate prevents collagen degradation in culture but does not prevent corneal ulceration

Abstract Alkali-burned rabbit corneas were treated topically with 5′ adenosine monophosphate (5′ AMP) in an attempt to prevent corneal ulceration. Drug treatment did not reduce the frequency or the severity of ulceration compared to treatment with an osmotically-matched saline control. Ulcerating corneas were cultured subsequently in control medium or in medium containing 5′ AMP. Corneas that had received saline in vivo produced high levels of collagenase activity and showed extensive explant degradation when cultured in control medium. When cultured in the presence of 5′ AMP, however, such corneas produced barely-detectable levels of collagenase, and explants were not apparently degraded. Corneas that had received 5′ AMP in vivo also produced high levels of collagenase activity and showed extensive explant degradation when cultured in control medium. When cultured in medium containing 5′ AMP, however, such corneas showed minimal degradation as evidenced by their appearance and by the very low hydroxyproline levels in the media. Significantly, media harvested from such cultures contained high levels of collagenase activity.
Mixed-Integer Linear Programming Model for Gasoline Blending and Distribution Scheduling

Oil refineries are increasingly concerned with improving the planning of their operations and optimizing not only single production units but the whole production enterprise. However, the modeling of the overall refinery operation from the crude oil arrival to the distribution of oil products gives rise to intractable mathematical models. Thus, decomposition methodologies have long been recognized as the major avenue to overcome this computational burden. Following the spatial decomposition which distinguishes the receiving, producing, and delivery end of the refinery, the problem of gasoline blending and distribution is addressed in this paper. The problem involves the optimal operation of gasoline blending, the transfer to productstock tanks, and the delivering schedule to satisfy all of the orders. An efficient mixed-integer linear programming formulation is developed based on continuous representation of the time domain. The assumption of constant recipes is used for the blending stage. The formulatio...
Evaluation of composite wear with a new multi-mode oral wear simulator

Abstract Objectives. The goals of this study were to develop a machine which simultaneously produces wear through the two main oral wear mechanisms of abrasion and attrition by the action of an enamel antagonist and to compare the results obtained for dental composites using this machine to those obtained from clinical studies and other in vitro studies. Methods. The accuracy of this new wear tester was determined by examining 11 commercial composite filling materials and 1 amalgam. Specimens were subjected to three-body abrasion and attrition wear for 50,000 cycles. Profilometry was used to quantitate wear of the composites. Linear regression analysis was used to correlate the results to those obtained from clinical studies, as well as from other in vitro were testers. The area of enamel wear was also determined by image analysis. The SEM was used to evaluate the wear surfaces. Results. The lowest abrasion wear was recorded for the amalgam and the microfill and smaller-particle composites. Attrition wear was enhanced for the microfill composites and one small-particle hybrid. There was a strong correlation between the results obtained with the new wear tester and those obtained in the clinical trials cited in the literature. Wear of the enamel antagonist was the greatest for the composites with the largest particle sizes. The wear tester showed a reasonable correlation with other wear-producing machines. Significance. A new wear tester developed to evaluate and discriminate abrasion and attrition wear provided results similar to those reported in the literature for a variety of commercial composites. The new machine is capable of characterizing the behavior of a material in multiple wear modes simultaneously with one simple, realistic test.
Fundamentals of layered nanoparticle covered pyramidal structures formed on nickel during femtosecond laser surface interactions

Abstract The formation of nanoparticle covered pyramidal structures using femtosecond laser pulses with a fluence near the ablation threshold is reported for the first time. These unique structures form through a combination of preferential ablation of flat regions around the pyramids and redeposition of nanoparticles created during the ablation process. The structures are demonstrated on nickel and stainless steel 316. When produced by rastering Gaussian pulses across the sample, layers of nanoparticles join together by sintering to form unique layered shells.
PLANTS OF JAMAICA USED BY NATIVES FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES

W HEN traveling in Jamaica one is struck with the fact that the natives attribute medicinal properties to most common plants. This is true for both white and black populations, and the knowledge of their uses is quite uniformly distributed. The general method of preparation of the medicine is to boil the leaves; the liquid resulting from this is known as "tea." This "tea" is generally taken internally. Definite leaves are used as poultices for aches and pains, and in some plants the roots are used for medicine instead of the leaves. It is necessary in welfare clinics constantly to advise mothers not to give the baby these "teas" since it is often one of the first drinks the infant receives.
Ownership mix of addiction treatment centres in the USA

The dominant presence of private Addiction Treatment Centres (ATCs) raises questions about how changes in ownership mix affect access to and quality of care. This paper examines the relationship between an ATC's ownership choice and the ownership mix in its market. Organisational and market characteristics are considered by using data from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, North American Industry Classification System, Internal Revenue Service's Business Master File, US Census Bureau Population Estimate Survey, Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data and Local Area Unemployment Statistics. We use linear probability models to link the facility's choice of ownership with the ownership status of its competitors. The results indicate that the value of being non-profit is higher in markets where many ATCs are non-profit and lower in markets where many are for-profit. The likelihood of a non-profit status appears to be more influenced by the presence of incumbent non-profits, rather than by high earnings or longevity.
Detecting epileptic seizures in awake rats with diffuse optical tomography

We report methods that allow diffuse optical tomography (DOT) to study hemodynamics in awake rats during acute seizures. Results obtained from simultaneous optical and neural recordings are presented.
A Feynman-Kac gauge for solvability of the Schrödinger equation

Let {X"t, t >= 0} be Brownian motion in R^d (d >= 1). Let D be a bounded domain in R^d with C^2 boundary, @?D, and let q be a continuous (if d = 1), Holder continuous (if d >= 2) function in D@?. If the Feynman-Kac ''gauge'' E"x{exp(@K"0^@t^"^Dq(X"t)dt)1"A(X"@t"""D)}, where @t"D is the first exit time from D, is finite for some non-empty open set A on @?D and some x@eD, then for any @? @e C^0(@?D), @f(x) = E"x{exp(@K"0^@t^"^Dq(X"t)dt)@?(X"@t"""D)} is the unique solution in C^2(D) @? C^0(D@?) of the Schrodinger boundary value problem (12@D + q)@f = 0 in D, @f = @? on @?D.
Case report 596

* Supported in part by VA Grant =~ SA306 Address reprint requests to: Donald Resnick, M.D., Department of Radiology, VA Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92161, USA tory o f t r auma , and the pa t i en t is o therwise heal thy. M o d e r a t e l imi tat ion o f left h ip f lexion was present . Conven t i ona l r o e n t g e n o g r a m s d e m o n s t r a t e d a calcif ied o r ossif ied mass pos t e r io r to the head o f the left femur (Fig. 1). A c o m p u t e d t o m o g raph ic (CT) scan (Fig. 2) d e m o n s t ra ted a 5 . 5 x 3 . 0 c m i r regular , a m o r p h o u s , dense mass ar is ing f rom the do r sa l aspect o f the pos t e r io r colu m n o f the left a c e t a b u l u m ; the mass was b r o a d b a s e d and wi thou t a defini te assoc ia ted soft t issue mass. A 99m-Tc me thy lene d i p h o s p h o n a t e bone scan d e m o n s t r a t e d increased up t ake in the left pos t e r io r ace tabular region. CT o f the chest was no r mal . A n incis ional b iopsy and subsequent excis ion o f the lesion were performed.
Sequence-induced DNA curvature at the bacteriophage λ origin of replication

DNA replication in bacteriophage λ begins at a unique origin between residues 39,000 and 39,200 of the λ genome1. This segment of DNA serves a dual function since it also lies within the coding sequence of the λ replication initiator protein O which binds origin DNA2,3. The λ origin sequence contains four 19-base-pair (bp) segments (iterons) which have dyad symmetry, followed by a 40-bp A + T-rich zone of highly asymmetrical base composition2. It was noted earlier4 that λ origin DNA exhibits an anomalous electrophoretic mobility on gels; that is, the length of DNA as determined by DNA sequencing is ∼20% less than is predicted from electrophoretic mobility. Recent studies of kinetoplast minicircle DNA (K-DNA) from the protozoan Leishmania tarentolae have led to the proposal that sequence-induced DNA curvature could account for such electrophoretic anomalies by alteration of the shape of the DNA molecule5–8. We now present evidence that the λ origin contains a static curve.
A model of an organization–public relationship for the banking industry

Abstract This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of healthy relationship outcome indicators—control mutuality, satisfaction, trust, and commitment—on a public's behavior and attitude toward the banking industry. The relationships between five national retail banks and their customers were measured to test for effects on customers’ attitudes and behavior. Results indicated that all four of the relationship outcome indicators played a significant role in predicting publics’ attitudes toward most of the banks examined.
Structure, composition, and properties of MOCVD ZrO 2 thin films

ZrO 2 films were deposited on silicon substrates at temperatures from 350 to 550 °C by metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using zirconium acetylacetonates. Depositions were carried out at both atmospheric and low pressures. The optical properties, structure, microstructure, and composition of these films were characterized by Ellipsometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), respectively. The deposition was kinetically controlled at low temperatures and mass transfer controlled at high temperatures. Use of zirconium (IV) acetylacetonate resulted in cubic ZrO 2 with some carbon contamination whereas, tetragonal pure ZrO 2 were obtained with the precursor zirconium (IV) trifluroacetylacetonate. The tetragonal ZrO 2 films are fine grained and showed preferential orientation. The measured values of dielectric constant, refractive index, and electrical resistivity of ZrO 2 films are 18, 2.0, and 5E13 Ohm.cm, respectively.
Direct observation of phase and morphology changes induced by lung surfactant protein SP-B in lipid monolayers via fluorescence, polarized fluorescence, Brewster angle and atomic force microscopies

Both human lung surfactant protein SP-B and its amino terminus alter the phase behavior of palmitic acid (PA) monolayers by inhibiting the formation of condensed phases and creating a new fluid PA-protein phase. This phase increase the compressibility of the monolayers by forming a network that separates condensed phase domains at coexistence and persists to high surface pressures. The network changes the monolayer collapse nucleation from a heterogenous to a more homogenous process through isolating individual condensed phase domains. This results in higher surface pressures at collapse, and monolayers easier to respread on expansion, factors essential to the in vivo function of lung surfactant. The network is stabilized by low line tension between the coexisting phases are confirmed by the formation of extended linear domains or 'stripe' phases. Similar stripes are found in monolayers of fluorescein-labeled amino terminus, suggesting that the reduction n line tension is due to the protein. Comparison of isotherm data and observed morphologies of monolayers containing amino terminus with those containing amino terminus with those containing the full length SP-B protein shows that the peptide retains most of the native activity of the protein, which may lead to cheaper and more effective synthetic replacement formulations.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Personality disorders and dimensions in pathological gambling.

Comorbid DSM-IV Axis II personality disorders appear to be common in pathological gambling (PG) and may contribute to the chronic problems often associated with the disorder. This study sought to examine the relationship between PG, personality disorders, and impulsivity in a sample of pathological gamblers. Personality assessments included the SCID-II, Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire, Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. A total of 77 individuals with DSM-IV PG were included in this study, of which 35 (45.5%) met criteria for at least one personality disorder. Specific aspects of impulsivity were associated with certain personality disorders in PG when grouped by cluster, yet the presence of a personality disorder was not positively correlated with gambling severity. It remains unclear how the presence of a personality disorder and aspects of impulsivity may affect treatment outcome. Further exploration of these disorders and dimensions of personality may encoura...
Performance measurement techniques for concentrator photovoltaic cells

Abstract Concentrator solar cells operate in a high irradiance environment which differs considerably from the 1 sun environment of flat-plate solar cells. Because of the high irradiance, additional difficulties are encountered in accurately measuring cell performance, and special measurement techniques have been developed. This paper is concerned with the additional problems in concentrator cell measurements.
No Soy de Aqui ni Soy de Alla Transgenerational Cultural Identity Formation

The transgenerational cultural identity model offers a detailed understanding of the immigration experience by challenging agendas of assimilation and by expanding on existing theories of cultural identity. Based on this model, immigration is a complex phenomenon influenced by many variables such as sociopsychological dimensions, family, oppression, and quality of reception in the new country. These factors produce different outcomes of cultural identity. Potential applications of the model for educational institutions serving Latina/o students are discussed.
The Rhetoric of the Moral Majority: An Analysis of Romantic Form.

This essay examines the rhetoric of the Moral Majority, Inc., arguing that its appeal is a function of its romantic form. It suggests that romantic rhetoric invites auditors to participate in an idyllic world of simplified moral constructs, provides them with an opportunity to simultaneously elevate themselves above the morally imperfect world which surrounds them and remain an active part of that world, and establishes criteria for evaluating claims of truth and falsity which transcend concepts of empirical verifiability.
Mass-Elite Equilibrium of Federal Constitutional Legitimacy

William Riker ((1964) Federalism: Origin, Operation, Significance. Boston: Little Brown) stressed the problem of the contested nature of federal institutions and argued that federations existed amidst the ongoing challenge to their rules, that federal institutions were being continuously endogenously produced in the interaction of political parties rather than serving as self-enforceable constraints on the political process. As parties changed, so did federalism, and eventually the balance was bound to shift to either one or the other extreme as far as the degree of centralization was concerned. An alternative approach to essentially the same problem of federal instability was to conceptualize the underlying game differently, as a game of coordination, so that institutions would be accepted as constraints and would therefore be self-enforceable because they allow the players to avoid the chaos and successfully converge to an outcome with payoffs exceeding their reservation values (Hardin, 1989, Ordeshook, 1992). The third proposed solution, consociationalism, emphasizes the elite effort to overcome the conflictual nature of the institutional choice (Lijphart, 1977). Here, as in the coordination argument, the hope is that one could create incentives for politicians to view the existing rules as advantageous and to avoid redistribution by means of the institutional revision. Yet, just like the coordination argument, it is based on an implicit assumption that politicians are more easily motivated to act “cooperatively” than are their constituencies. The missing step in the literature is the mechanism by which this more or less “cooperative” behavior of elected politicians could be sustainable in the environment of popular accountability. An essential component in building the theory of institutional design is to show the possibility in a democracy of elected politicians cooperating on institutional matters even when each of their constituencies would prefer to adjust the constitutional terms to its own advantage. Elite “cooperativeness” must be sustainable even in the presence of outside challengers promising to stay closer to the constituent preferences. Here, I present a model of mass-elite equilibrium of constitutional legitimacy, which demonstrates the possibility to motivate the incumbents to sustain the institutional stability while at the same time protecting them from electoral defeat. I also discuss the difficulties and limitations that such a solution faces, in particular, in plural societies.
A Novel Sea Urchin Nuclear Receptor Encoded by Alternatively Spliced Maternal RNAs

Screening of a genomic library from the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus with a human COUP-TF I cDNA probe revealed the presence of a novel gene member of the steroid-thyroid-retinoic acid receptor superfamily, which was named SpSHR2 (S. purpuratus Steroid Hormone Receptor 2). Sequence analysis of the isolated genomic clone revealed that the DNA binding domain of this orphan receptor is most homologous to the human TR2 receptor. Using this sea urchin genomic fragment as probe, a S. purpuratus embryonic cDNA library was screened and two distinct but homologous cDNA clones were isolated. The two cDNAs encode the same DNA binding domain as the SpSHR2 gene and carry an almost identical 3'-untranslated sequence. One of the clones, however, is missing an entire region of about 1100 nt which includes the putative ligand binding domain. Genomic DNA hybridization suggests that SpSHR2 is a single-copy gene in the S. purpuratus genome. Exon skipping during splicing of a single primary transcript appears to be the reason for the differently sized mRNAs. RNA blot hybridization results suggest that SpSHR2 transcripts are stored as maternal RNA in the egg and are not detected beyond the blastula stage. In vitro transcription and translation of the full-length cDNA produced a polypeptide which specifically binds to the hormone response element in the 5'-flanking region of the sea urchin actin CyIIIb gene. In vivo labeling of proteins synthesized by cleavage stage embryos followed by immune precipitation of the SpSHR2 protein using specific antibodies reveals that the maternal SpSHR2 mRNA is being translated during early embryonic development.
A general polyatomic potential energy surface fitting method

A general technique will be outlined which provides a systematic means for fitting polyatomic potential energy surfaces. Use is made of both ab initio energy and gradient data to fit the surface about an N-dimensional reference curve connecting stationary points. The reference curve may be modified iteratively during the course of the fitting. A particular iteration will specify a new set of points which need to be calculated to improve the accuracy of the surface. An application of this method to a model potential energy surface is discussed.
Document quality models for web ad hoc retrieval

The quality of document content, which is an issue that is usually ignored for the traditional ad hoc retrieval task, is a critical issue for Web search. Web pages have a huge variation in quality relative to, for example, newswire articles. To address this problem, we propose a document quality language model approach that is incorporated into the basic query likelihood retrieval model in the form of a prior probability. Our results demonstrate that, on average, the new model is significantly better than the baseline (query likelihood model) in terms of precision at the top ranks.
Changes in heat index associated with CO2-induced global warming

Changes in Heat Index (a combined measure of temperature and humidity) associated with global warming are evaluated based on the output from four extended integrations of the GFDL coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model. The four integrations are: a control with constant levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), a second integration in which an estimate of the combined radiative forcing of greenhouse gases and sulfate aerosols over the period 1765–2065 is used to force the model, and a third (fourth) integration in which atmospheric CO2$ increases at the rate of 1% per year to double (quadruple) its initial value, and is held constant thereafter. While the spatial patterns of the changes in Heat Index are largely determined by the changes in surface air temperature, increases in atmospheric moisture can substantially amplify the changes in Heat Index over regions which are warm and humid in the Control integration. The regions most prone to this effect include humid regions of the Tropics and summer hemisphere extra-tropics, including the southeastern United States, India, southeast Asia and northern Australia.
Magnetic resonance lipid signals in rat brain after experimental stroke correlate with neutral lipid accumulation.

Abstract Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) signals from lipids in brain have been observed to increase after ischemic brain injury. However, neither the chemical identity nor the cellular location of these lipids has been established. The aim of the present study was to identify the origin of MRS lipid signals in rat brain after temporary (90 min) middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Fatty acyl proton signals were detected by short-echo one and two dimensional 1H MRS in superfused brain slices from the infarcted hemisphere 1–5 days after MCAO. The intensities of these signals were strongly correlated with the amount of triacylglyceride and cholesterol ester in lipid extracts from the samples (r2=0.96, P
Identification of a novel nuclear localization signal in Tbx1 that is deleted in DiGeorge syndrome patients harboring the 1223delC mutation

DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) is the most common human chromosomal deletion syndrome and is frequently associated with deletions on chromosome 22q11. Approximately 17% of patients with the phenotypic features of this syndrome have no detectable genomic deletion. Animal studies using mouse models have implicated Tbx1 as a critical gene within the commonly deleted region, and several mutations in TBX1 have been identified recently in non-deleted patients, including missense and frameshift mutations. The mechanisms by which these mutations cause disease have remained unclear. We have identified a previously unrecognized and novel nuclear localization signal (NLS) at the C-terminus of Tbx1 that is deleted by the 1223delC mutation, thus explaining the mechanism of disease in these patients. This NLS is conserved across species, among a subfamily of T-box proteins including Brachyury and Tbx10, and among additional nuclear proteins. By providing functional data to indicate loss-of-function produced by the 1223delC TBX1 mutation, our results provide strong support for the conclusion that TBX1 mutations can cause DGS in humans.
APAP and Alternative Titration Methods

Positive airway pressure therapy (PAP) is a commonly prescribed treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Traditionally, a sleep technician determined the optimal pressure for treatment of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) through manual titration of the device during polysomnography. However, alternative methods for determination of optimal PAP, such as autotitrating PAP (APAP), have seen tremendous growth over the past decade. The purpose of this article is to improve understanding of the currently available alternative methods for titration of PAP in patients with SDB with special emphasis on OSA. Recent prospective randomized studies of alternative methods of titration suggest that pressure determinations made by these devices are comparable to traditional manual titrations made in the sleep laboratory. Obstacles to the adoption of these alternative modes of titration into daily practice may be attributable to issues surrounding appropriate patient selection, differences between devices, reimbursement policies of third-party payors, consensus among sleep experts, and individual physicians' practice patterns and volumes. Although newer generations and types of APAP devices are entering the sleep field constantly, providers' knowledge and time availability remain limiting factors. Tremendous growth is occurring in technology and scientific evidence supporting alternative modes of PAP titration for SDB, but barriers to implementation remain.
205 CAPACITATION OF STALLION SPERMATOZOA EVALUATED BY FERTILIZATION OF BOVINE OOCYTES

In vitro fertilization in the horse does not work reliably. Several methods of capacitating sperm in other species fail in the horse. The goal of this experiment was to develop a method to capacitate equine spermatozoa using calcium ionophore A23187 or phosphatidylcholine 12 (PC12). We also studied effects of maturing bovine oocytes for 24 or 28 h on fertilizability by capacitated equine sperm, hypothesizing that longer maturation would yield oocytes more easily fertilized by equine spermatozoa. Two sets of bovine oocytes were aspirated from 3 to 8 mm follicles of abattoir ovaries 4 h apart, but fertilized at the same time. On the day of fertilization, semen from 1 of 3 stallions was collected, evaluated, and centrifuged through 33% Percoll to remove seminal plasma. The resultant pellet was extended to 5 × 107 cells mL–1 in M199 containing 0.6% BSA, 2 mm caffeine, and 5 mm CaCl2. Sperm were treated with A23187 (1 or 3 μm) or PC12 (40 or 70 μm) or both A23187 and PC12 (1 μm/40 μm) in 500- μL aliquots. Sperm were incubated at 39°C for 10 min (for A23187 and combination treatments) or 15 min (for PC12 treatments), and then diluted 1:20 for fertilization. Oocytes from each maturation time were fertilized using the same semen preparation for each treatment. Oocytes and sperm were incubated together for 18 h in FCDM in 5% CO2 at 39°C (De La Torre-Sanchez et al. 2006 Reprod. Fertil. Devel. 18, 585–596). Presumptive zygotes were cultured for 30 h in CDM-1, vortexed to remove cumulus cells, and evaluated for cleavage. Oocytes were also co-incubated with killed sperm to determine the level of parthenogenesis. Cleaved embryos were stained with orcein to ensure that each cell had a nucleus. Number of cell divisions were recorded as 0 for a 1-cell, 1 for a 2-cell, 1.5 for a 3-cell, etc. More oocytes cleaved after 28 h (18%) than 24 h (14%) maturation (P < 0.01). Sperm of Stallion 1 resulted in higher overall cleavage (24%) than Stallions 2 or 3 (11 and 12%; P < 0.01). Highest cleavage was seen with 28 h maturation and 70 μm PC12 and 3 μm A23187 (27 and 24%, respectively). The most cell divisions were seen with 28 h maturation and 70 μm PC12 (0.48); 28 of the 49 cleaved in this treatment reached ≥4-cell stage. In conclusion, both A23187 and PC12 were able to capacitate equine sperm in a dose-dependent manner as determined from cleavage of bovine oocytes matured for 28 h; maturation for the conventional 24 h was an inferior model for this purpose. Table 1. Mean responses of bovine oocytes fertilized by equine sperm
The Criminal Body and the Body Politic: Punishments in Early Imperial China

The contemporary Chinese state's preoccupation with controlling, measuring and extracting human and material resources from its rural population has deep roots in the Chinese tradition. So too the ...
NeuroD induces the expression of visinin and calretinin by proliferating cells derived from toxin-damaged chicken retina

Muller glia have been shown to be a potential source of neural regeneration in the avian retina. In response to acute damage Muller glia de-differentiate, proliferate, express transcription factors found in embryonic retinal progenitors, and some of the progeny differentiate into neurons and glia (Fischer and Reh [2001a] Nat. Neurosci. 4:247-252). However, most of the cells produced by proliferating Muller cells appear to remain undifferentiated. The purpose of this study was to test whether the neurogenic gene NeuroD can promote the differentiation of proliferating cells derived from the postnatal chick retina. We used recombinant avian retroviruses to transfect green fluorescent protein (GFP) or NeuroD. The majority of cells transfected with GFP remained undifferentiated, with a few cells differentiating into calretinin-immunoreactive neurons. Many cells transfected with the NeuroD-virus expressed calretinin, neurofilament, or visinin, while most cells remained undifferentiated. The number of calretinin-expressing cells that were generated was increased approximately 20-fold with forced expression of NeuroD. In addition, we found that cells transfected with NeuroD never expressed glutamine synthetase, a marker of mature Muller glia, suggesting that NeuroD suppresses glial differentiation. We conclude that NeuroD stimulates cells from the toxin-damaged chicken retina to acquire some neuronal phenotypes. We propose that most of these cells were derived from Muller glia.
Refrigeration for the Livermore superconducting Levitron

Toroidal confinement schemes have certain advantages in the study of fusion reactions. One of the machines designed to take advantage of this type of field configuration is the superconducting levitron. This device uses the magnetic field produced by a current-carrying ring, a set of coils that produces a poloidal field, and a toroidal wound magnet (Fig. 1).
The Yield of Head CT in Syncope: A Pilot Study

Although head CT is often routinely performed in emergency department (ED) patients with syncope, few studies have assessed its value. To determine the yield of routine head CT in ED patients with syncope and analyse the factors associated with a positive CT. Prospective, observational, cohort study of consecutive patients presenting with syncope to an urban tertiary-care ED (48 000 annual visits). Inclusion criteria: age >8 and loss of consciousness (LOC). Exclusion criteria included persistent altered mental status, drug-related or post-trauma LOC, seizure or hypoglycaemia. Primary outcome was abnormal head CT including subarachnoid, subdural or parenchymal haemorrhage, infarction, signs of acute stroke and newly diagnosed brain mass. Of 293 eligible patients, 113 (39%) underwent head CT and comprise the study cohort. Ninety-five patients (84%) were admitted to the hospital. Five patients, 5% (95% CI=0.8%–8%), had an abnormal head CT: 2 subarachnoid haemorrhage, 2 cerebral haemorrhage and 1 stroke. Post hoc examination of patients with an abnormal head CT revealed focal neurologic findings in 2 and a new headache in 1. The remaining 2 patients had no new neurologic findings but physical findings of trauma (head lacerations with periorbital ecchymoses suggestive of orbital fractures). All patients with positive findings on CT were >65 years of age. Of the 108 remaining patients who had head CT, 45 (32%–51%) had signs or symptoms of neurologic disease including headache, trauma above the clavicles or took coumadin. Limiting head CT to this population would potentially reduce scans by 56% (47%–65%). If age >60 were an additional criteria, scans would be reduced by 24% (16%–32%). Of the patients who did not have head CT, none were found to have new neurologic disease during hospitalisation or 30-day follow-up. Our data suggest that the derivation of a prospectively derived decision rule has the potential to decrease the routine use of head CT in patients presenting to the ED with syncope.
Asymmetric Event-Driven Node Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks

Localization of wireless sensor nodes has long been regarded as a problem that is difficult to solve, especially when considering characteristics of real-world environments. This paper formally describes, designs, implements, and evaluates a novel localization system called Spotlight. The system uses spatiotemporal properties of well-controlled events in the network, light in this case, to obtain locations of sensor nodes. Performance of the system is evaluated through deployments of Mica2 and XSM motes in an outdoor environment, where 20 cm localization error is achieved. A sensor network consisting of any number of nodes deployed in a 2,500 m2 area can be localized in under 10 minutes. Submeter localization error in an outdoor environment is made possible without equipping the wireless sensor nodes with specialized ranging hardware.
The Impact of a City-Wide Indoor Smoking Ban on Smoking and Drinking Behaviors Across Emerging Adulthood.

INTRODUCTION Almost one-third of college students report recent cigarette use, primarily as "social smoking," and often in conjunction with alcohol use. While city-wide indoor smoking bans effectively reduce the number of social opportunities to smoke (eg, bars and music clubs), little is known about how these bans may impact the smoking behaviors of college students. Furthermore, nothing is known about how indoor smoking bans may impact students' drinking behaviors. The current study aims to determine the impact of a city-wide comprehensive indoor smoking ban on smoking and alcohol behaviors among a longitudinal sample of emerging adults. METHODS Data are from a 6-year longitudinal study (10 waves of data collection) that began the summer before college enrollment. Participants (N = 2244; 60% female) reported on their past 3-month smoking and drinking behaviors using Internet-based surveys at each wave. Piecewise linear growth modeling was used to determine how a city-wide comprehensive indoor smoking ban (implemented in the Fall of 2005 between Waves 4 and 5) impacted smoking frequency, cigarette quantity, drinking frequency, and number of binge drinking episodes. RESULTS Smoking and alcohol use increased from the summer before college through the semester before implementation of the city-wide smoking ban. While smoking frequency (P < .001) and cigarette quantity (P < .05) declined after the ban, drinking frequency increased (P < .001) and the number of binge drinking episodes remained stable. CONCLUSIONS Current findings suggest that comprehensive indoor smoking bans can influence the smoking behaviors of emerging adults, whereas trajectories of drinking are relatively unchanged.
Analog Logic Automata

Analog logic circuits work on digital problems using an analog representation of the digital variables, relaxing the state space of the digital system from the vertices of a hypercube to the interior. This lets us gain speed, power, and accuracy over digital implementations. Logic automata are distributed, scalable and programmable digital computation media with local connections and logic operations. Here we propose analog logic automata (ALA), which relax binary constraints on logic automata states and introduce programmability into analog logic circuits. The localized interaction and scalability of the ALA provide a new way to do neuromorphic engineering, enabling systematic designs in a digital work flow. Low-power, biomedical, decoding and communication applications are described and a 3times3 ALA chip is prototyped, which works at 50 kHz, with a power consumption of 64 muW. With the chip configured as a programmable noise-locked loop (NLL), we obtain a bit error rate (BER) of 1E-7 at an SNR of -1.13 dB.
Dehydration protection provided by a maternal cuticle improves offspring fitness in the moss Funaria hygrometrica.

†Background and Aims In bryophytes the sporophyte offspring are in contact with, nourished from, and partially surrounded by the maternal gametophyte throughout their lifespan. During early development, the moss sporophyte is covered by the calyptra, a cap of maternal gametophyte tissue that has a multilayered cuticle. In this study the effects on sporophyte offspring fitness of removing the maternal calyptra cuticle, in combination with dehydration stress, is experimentally determined. †Methods Using the moss Funaria hygrometrica, calyptra cuticle waxes were removed by chemical extraction and individuals were exposed to a short-term dehydration event. Sporophytes were returned to high humidity to complete development and then aspects of sporophyte survival, development, functional morphology, and reproductive output were measured. †Key Results It was found that removal of calyptra cuticle under low humidity results in significant negative impacts to moss sporophyte fitness, resulting in decreased survival, increased tissue damage, incomplete sporophyte development, more peristome malformations, and decreased reproductive output. †Conclusions This study represents the strongest evidence to date that the structure of the calyptra cuticle functions in dehydration protection of the immature moss sporophyte. The investment in a maternal calyptra with a multilayered cuticle increases offspring fitness and provides a functional explanation for calyptra retention across mosses. The moss calyptra may represent the earliest occurance of maternal protection via structural provisioning of a cuticle in green plants.
Logical versus Empirical Readability and Human Interest Scores for Introductory Texts Published between 1977 and 1988

Two studies, on using 58 and other 59 general psychology textbooks published between 1977 and 1988, compared readability and human interest scores computed two ways. Correlations indicated that Flesch's (logical) scores were not comparable to students' (empirical) ratings. Students were generally consistent in performing the task, although the method for selecting paragraphs, either randomly (Study 1) or on the basis of uniform content and length (Study 2), did not provide dependable information about the overall readability and human interest levels of the books as calculated by Flesch's procedures.
Species and genotype diversity drive community and ecosystem properties in experimental microcosms

Species diversity is important to ecosystems because of the increased probability of including species that are strong interactors and/or because multiple-species communities are more efficient at using resources due to synergisms and resource partitioning. Genetic diversity also contributes to ecosystem function through effects on primary productivity, community structure and resilience, and modulating energy and nutrient fluxes. Lacking are studies investigating the relationship between ecosystem function and diversity where hierarchical levels of biological diversity are systematically varied during experimentation. In this experiment, we manipulated both species and genotypic diversity of two Daphnia species in microcosms initially seeded with Chlamydomonas and measured community- and ecosystem-level properties to determine which level of diversity was most important for explaining variation in the property. Our results show that species diversity alters bacterial community composition while high genotypic diversity reduces bacterial richness and primary productivity. In addition, the highest levels of genotypic and species richness appear to increase community and ecosystem stability. These findings reveal that species and genotypic diversity are significant drivers of community and ecosystem properties and stability.