cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
1-Bromo-3-(1′,1′-dimethylalkyl)-1-deoxy-Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinols: New Selective Ligands for the Cannabinoid CB2 Receptor

Abstract Δ 8 -Tetrahydrocannabinol ( 26 ), 3-(1′,1′-dimethylbutyl)- ( 12 ), 3-(1′,1′-dimethylpentyl)- ( 13 ), 3-(1′,1′-dimethylhexyl)- ( 14 ) and 3-(1′,1′-dimethylheptyl)-Δ 8 -tetrahydrocannabinol ( 15 ) have been converted into the corresponding 1-bromo-1-deoxy-Δ 8 -tetrahydrocannabinols ( 25 , 8 – 11 ). This was accomplished using a protocol developed in our laboratory in which the trifluoromethanesulfonate of a phenol undergoes palladium mediated coupling with pinacolborane. Reaction of this dioxaborolane with aqueous-methanolic copper(II) bromide provides the aryl bromide. The affinities of these bromo cannabinoids for the cannabinoid CB 1 and CB 2 receptors were determined. All of these compounds showed selectivity for the CB 2 receptor and one of them, 1-bromo-1-deoxy-3-(1′,1′-dimethylhexyl)-Δ 8 -tetrahydrocannabinol ( 10 ), exhibits 52-fold selectivity for this receptor with good (28 nM) affinity.
Hormonal and metabolic disturbances during acute and subacute myocardial infarction in man

To investigate the cause of glucose intolerance (GIT), frequently seen during acute myocardial infarction (AMI), seventeen males without history of diabetes were studied with intravenous glucose tolerance tests within seventy-two hours after uncomplicated myocardial infarction and again three weeks later. Seventy percent (12/17) of the patients showed GIT during AMI. In 7 of these patients (41%) glucose tolerance (GT) remained abnormal after 3 weeks. In addition, all 7 showed markedly diminished insulin responses to glucose during both the acute and subacute phase. Therefore, their GIT was considered to be due to newly-recognized chemical diabetes. In the remaining patients in whom the initially depressed GT improved during SMI elevated serum levels of FF A, insulin, HGH and cortisol suggested the temporary presence of insulin antagonism. Increased adrenal medullary activity was not found to be a major factor inhibiting glucose tolerance.
TNFα Transport across the Blood–Brain Barrier Is Abolished in Receptor Knockout Mice

The presence of transport systems at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) enables some cytokines in blood to reach specific targets in the brain and spinal cord. The "transporters" function in a way different from conventional receptors, in that cytokines are chaperoned from blood to the CNS rather than being degraded in the specialized endothelial cells composing the BBB. Here we present the first study to determine whether the transporter for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) is identical to its receptors. Three types of TNFalpha receptor knockout mice were used, and the influx of (125)I-TNFalpha from blood to brain and blood to spinal cord was measured. In either p55 or p75 receptor knockout mice, the influx of (125)I-TNFalpha was significantly, but not completely, decreased in spinal cord, whereas the decrease in brain was not statistically significant. This indicates that both receptors are partially involved in the transport of TNFalpha across the BBB but that neither receptor is the sole transporter. By contrast, in double knockout mice lacking both p55 and p75 receptors, the entry of (125)I-TNFalpha into brain and spinal cord was completely abolished. Therefore, both receptors are necessary for transporting TNFalpha across the BBB. The results clearly demonstrate that the transport of TNFalpha across the BBB is a complicated process involving additive or even synergistic activities of both receptors, thus differing from typical ligand-receptor binding and downstream signal transduction.
Surface Chemical Study of Sheet Molded Composite (SMC) as Related to Adhesion

Abstract Surfaces of commercial sheet molded composite (SMC) materials have been characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) before and after various surface treatments. Surface treatments included cleaning with methylene chloride, abrasion using methylene chloride and a Scotch Brite ® abrasive pad, and application of an isocyanate primer. The pretreated SMC materials were bonded using a polyurethane adhesive. Bonded coupons were tested under a variety of conditions using the lap shear technique. Lap shear test results for specimens bonded following the abrasion and primer pretreatment indicated a favorable fracture force and mode of failure. Surface analysis studies were used to characterize the pretreated and failed surfaces.
Mechanisms of Slow Ventricular Tachycardias in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Unifocal ventricular rhythms with rates between 60 and 100 per minute were classified as slow ventricular tachycardias when occurring in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Analysis of selected electrocardiograms showed that the paroxysms were usually automatic, nonparasystolic and intermittent However, in one case, the arrhythmia resulted from the exit block of a faster, parasystolic, ventricular tachycardia. The first ectopic beat in each series appeared either as an escape or as a late extrasystole. Variations in rate attributed to a disturbance of automaticity and/or conductivity were frequently observed. The erratic and unpredictable behavior of this arrhythmia probably reflected the unstable condition of the injured cells during the early stages of myocardial infarction.
Strategic cognitive sequencing: a computational cognitive neuroscience approach

We address strategic cognitive sequencing, the "outer loop" of human cognition: how the brain decides what cognitive process to apply at a given moment to solve complex, multistep cognitive tasks. We argue that this topic has been neglected relative to its importance for systematic reasons but that recent work on how individual brain systems accomplish their computations has set the stage for productively addressing how brain regions coordinate over time to accomplish our most impressive thinking. We present four preliminary neural network models. The first addresses how the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and basal ganglia (BG) cooperate to perform trial-and-error learning of short sequences; the next, how several areas of PFC learn to make predictions of likely reward, and how this contributes to the BG making decisions at the level of strategies. The third models address how PFC, BG, parietal cortex, and hippocampus can work together to memorize sequences of cognitive actions from instruction (or "self-instruction"). The last shows how a constraint satisfaction process can find useful plans. The PFC maintains current and goal states and associates from both of these to find a "bridging" state, an abstract plan. We discuss how these processes could work together to produce strategic cognitive sequencing and discuss future directions in this area.
Migration, common property, and communal labor: cultural politics and agency in a Mexican village

Abstract This article examines the politics of migration in an indigenous Oaxacan village (Mexico), and finds that the village acts, with measured success, to shape the timing and rhythm of migration. Villagers regard migration as necessary yet problematic. Migration provides income for village families yet undercuts traditions of community service and disrupts the integrity of local development networks that link the community to NGOs, state bureaucracies, and product markets. As a consequence, villagers engage in a cultural politics of negotiation and contestation that moulds both the meanings of migration, and the village social practices that regulate migration. Regulation operates via the setting of norms for village communal labor participation: those who do not undertake assigned tasks (cargos and tequios) face loss of usufruct of communal lands. This finding of strong sending community agency is contrasted with recent migration studies that emphasize the agency of migrant networks and transnational spaces. The paper presents a case study of migration that examines the exercise of community agency via collective labor participation, and the study concludes by calling for a greater analytical focus on the cultural politics of sending communities.
Mapping conformational pathways between known functional protein states

Understanding and elucidating the conformational rearrangements that protein systems undergo to transition between different functional states is an important but challenging problem in computational biology [1]. Wet-lab techniques allow resolving representative structures of a protein's functional states but rarely provide the microscopic picture of transition trajectories connecting these states. While computational methods based on Molecular Dynamics in principle offer to incorporate dynamics and obtain transition trajectories, the computational complexity of the problem results in impractical running times. Foregoing dynamics allows computing conformational paths in an efficient manner. MD-based techniques can be employed to map conformational paths to actual transition trajectories [1].
Treating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by targeting endothelial cell transcription

Exacerbation of, rather than improvement in, a hypoxic injury after reperfusion of ischemic tissues is recognized as the specific clinicopathologic entity referred to as ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Arguably, one of the most common forms of I/R injury occurs during cardiac surgery, which has a mandatory period of myocardial ischemia required to allow surgery in a bloodless, motionless field, followed by coronary artery reperfusion after removal of the aortic cross-clamp. In this review, we examine the endothelial cell activation phenotype that initiates and propagates myocardial I/R injury. Emphasis is given to the biology of one transcription factor, NF-κB, that has the principal role in the regulation of many endothelial cell genes expressed in activated endothelium. NF-κB-dependent transcription of endothelial cell genes that are transcribed in response to I/R injury may be a favorable approach to preventing tissue injury in the setting of I/R. Elucidating safe and effective therapy to inhibit transcription of endothelial cell genes involved in promoting injury after I/R injury may have wide applicability to the patients with heart disease and other forms of I/R injury.
UPt3 crystal growth and characterization

In order to produce high quality UPt3, a crystal growth facility has been constructed which includes an ultra high vacuum (UHV) electron beam zone refiner and an UHV electron beam annealing furnace. We have produced high quality single crystals having rocking curve widths near the theoretical minimum value. The annealed crystals clearly have two superconducting transitions as observed by specific heat measurements. Our crystals have been characterized by x-ray rocking curve, residual resistivity ratio (RRR) and specific heat measurements. These characterization results will be presented.
Whole exome sequencing detects homozygosity for ABCA4 p.Arg602Trp missense mutation in a pediatric patient with rapidly progressive retinal dystrophy

Background A pediatric patient presented with rapidly progressive vision loss, nyctalopia and retinal dystrophy. This is the first report of homozygosity for the p.Arg602Trp mutation in the ABCA4 gene. The child became legally blind within a period of 2 years.
Oral Bioavailability and Intravenous Pharmacokinetics of Amrinone in Humans

Abstract Fourteen healthy males received two 75-mg doses of amrinone as a single capsule and as an intravenous solution in a single-dose crossover study. The mean (± SD) bioavailability, based on the area under the plasma concentration versus time curves, was 0.93 ± 0.12. The plasma data for these subjects during the intravenous phase was described by an open two-compartment body model with a mean (± SD) apparent First-order terminal elimination rate constant, β, of 0.19 ± 0.06 hr –1 , which corresponds to a half-life of 3.6 hr.
EWOD-driven droplet microfluidic device integrated with optoelectronic tweezers as an automated platform for cellular isolation and analysis

We report the integration of two technologies: droplet microfluidics using electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) and individual particle manipulation using optoelectronic tweezers (OET)—in one microfluidic device. The integrated device successfully demonstrates a sequence involving both EWOD and OET operations. We encountered various challenges during integration of the two different technologies and present how they are addressed. To show the applicability of the device in cellular biology, live HeLa cells are used in the experiments. The unique advantages of EWOD and OET make their integration a significant step towards a powerful tool for many applications, such as single cell studies involving multiplexed environmental stimuli.
Raising Standards of Practice in School Psychology through the Use of Field-Based Training.

Abstract A model is presented for upgrading school psychology practice in an entire state by raising the level of entry for school psychology certification. A central feature of the plan is that it permits those who currently do not meet the revised standards to participate in a field-based program. This allows them to increase their knowledge and skills so that they may continue to hold positions, but at a higher level of competence. The development of the program, its implementation, and an evaluation of its efforts over a five-year period are presented.
The electrochemistry of hemin in dimethylsulfoxide

Abstract The electrochemistry of iron(III) protoporphyrin IX chloride (hemin) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) was examined under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Under anaerobic conditions, two redox processes were observed , and a diffusion coefficient of 1.3 × 10 −6 cm 2 s was calculated for the iron(III) form of hemin. In the presence of oxygen, new peaks were observed, in particular a peak at −0.40 V evidently due to reduction of an oxygen adduct of hemin. This process occurs at a potential of about 0.4 V less negative than the reduction of oxygen in the absence of hemin. Spectroelectrochemistry, hydrodynamic voltammetry and chronocoulometry were used in conjunction with cyclic voltammetry to characterize the hemin redox system. Possible application of the system to the development of a porphyrin based oxygen sensor is discussed.
Approximate Model Spaces for Model-Robust Experiment Design

Optimal designs depend upon a prespecified model form. A popular and effective model-robust alternative is to design with respect to a set of models instead of just one. However, model spaces associated with experiments of interest are often prohibitively large and so algorithmically generated designs are infeasible. Here, we present a simple method that largely eliminates this problem by choosing a small set of models that approximates the full set and finding designs that are explicitly robust for this small set. We build our procedure on a restricted columnwise-pairwise algorithm, and explore its effectiveness for two model spaces in the literature. For smaller full model spaces, we find that the designs constructed with the new method compare favorably with robust designs that use the full model space, with construction times reduced by orders of magnitude. We also construct designs that heretofore have been unobtainable due to the size of their model spaces. Supplementary material (available online) ...
An error theory of biotechnology and the ethics of chemical breakups: it is the reasons, not the pharmaceuticals, that are important in defending against perilous love.

In this commentary, I offer an account of an error theory of biotechnology and apply it to Brian D. Earp, Olga A. Wudarczyk, Anders Sandberg, and Julian Savulescu's (2013) ethical framework for che...
Objective Tropical Cyclone Intensity Estimation Using Analogs of Spatial Features in Satellite Data

AbstractAn objective method for estimating tropical cyclone (TC) intensity using historical hurricane satellite data (HURSAT) is developed and tested. This new method, referred to as feature analogs in satellite imagery (FASI), requires a TC's center location to extract azimuthal brightness temperature (BT) profiles from current imagery as well as BT profiles from imagery 6, 12, and 24 h prior. Instead of using regression techniques, the estimated TC intensity is determined from the 10 closest analogs to this TC based on the BT profiles using a k-nearest-neighbor algorithm. The FASI technique was trained and validated using intensity data from aircraft reconnaissance in the North Atlantic Ocean, where the data were restricted to include storms that are over water and south of 45°N. This subset comprised 2016 observations from 165 storms during 1988–2006. Several tests were implemented to statistically justify the FASI algorithm using n-fold cross validation. The resulting average mean absolute intensity e...
Effects of diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP) on CA3 and CA1 responses in rat hippocampus.

Diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP), an insecticide, is a potent anticholinesterase that binds essentially irreversibly to acetylcholinesterase, resulting in severe, acute neurologic pathology, and less severe, but longer-lasting, dalayed neuropathy. We report here on the short-term effects of bath-applied DFP on extracellularly recorded responses from CA3 and CA1 of rat hippocampus. Exposure to 10 μM DFP evokes low amplitude, spontaneous bursts in CA3 generally within 10 minutes, and the bursting does not reverse with washing. The CA1 neuronal population usually bursts synchronously with CA3, but the population events are of low amplitude and sometimes not detectable, implying a differential sensitivity to DFP. These effects were partially blocked by the muscarinic antagonist atropine, while the cholinergic antagonist gallamine had little effect. Also, the reversible anticholinesterase physostigmine could, within temporal limits, protect slices from DFP’s effects, implicating the cholinergic system as the probable mediator in the first stages of DFP-induced epileptogenesis.
Simulation of community metabolism and atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations in Biosphere 2

Abstract The complexity and scale of Biosphere 2 under materially closed conditions represented a unique opportunity to investigate couplings between elemental cycles and community metabolism. For this paper, simulation models were developed to explore individual biome effects on atmospheric composition and carbon cycling inside the enclosure. Results suggest soil respiration rates, light intensity, and acid–base equilibrium control atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen under materially closed conditions. Experiments with the overall Combined Biome model indicate: (1) the agriculture biome has a greater effect on atmospheric composition than the other biomes due to its large area, high net productivity, and biomass harvests; (2) the rainforest, which occupies ≈20% of Biosphere 2 area, may be responsible for 50% of total community production and respiration of oxygen; (3) the savannah and wetland biomes may be sources of carbon dioxide in the long term; (4) the ocean biome has less effect on atmospheric composition than the terrestrial biomes; and (5) the desert biome may lower carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as much as 2000 ppm during low light. Diurnal curve analyses of oxygen and carbon dioxide from early 1995 produced an average community gross production rate of 23 g O2/m2 per day, a community respiration rate of 25 g O2/m2 per day, and an average carbon dioxide absorption rate of 0.2 g CO2/m2 per h.
Proteins searching for their target on DNA by one-dimensional diffusion: overcoming the "speed-stability" paradox.

The sequence dependence of DNA-protein interactions that allows proteins to find the correct reaction site also slows down the 1D diffusion of the protein along the DNA molecule, leading to the so-called “speed-stability paradox,” wherein fast diffusion along the DNA molecule is seemingly incompatible with stable targeting of the reaction site. Here, we develop diffusion-reaction models that use discrete and continuous Gaussian random 1D diffusion landscapes with or without a high-energy cut-off, and two-state models with a transition to and from a “searching” mode in which the protein diffuses rapidly without recognizing the target. We show the conditions under which such considerations lead to a predicted speed-up of the targeting process, and under which the presence of a “searching” mode in a two-state model is nearly equivalent to the existence of a high-energy cut-off in a one-state model. We also determine the conditions under which the search is either diffusion-limited or reaction-limited, and develop quantitative expressions for the rate of successful targeting as a function of the site-specific reaction rate, the roughness of the DNA-protein interaction potential, and the presence of a “searching” mode. In general, we find that a rough landscape is compatible with a fast search if the highest energy barriers can be avoided by “hopping” or by the protein transitioning to a lower-energy “searching” mode. We validate these predictions with the results of Brownian dynamics, kinetic Metropolis, and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of the diffusion and targeting process, and apply these concepts to the case of T7 RNA polymerase searching for its target site on T7 DNA.
Near-optimal execution policies for demand-response contracts in electricity markets

Demand side participation is essential for achieving real-time energy balance in today's electricity grid. Demand-response contracts, where an electric utility company buys options from consumers to reduce their load in future, are one of the important tools to increase the demand-side participation. In this paper, we consider the operational problem of optimally exercising the available contracts over the planning horizon such that the total cost to satisfy the demand is minimized. In particular, we consider the objective of minimizing the sum of the expected lβ-norm of the load deviations from given thresholds and the contract execution costs over the planning horizon. We present a data driven near-optimal algorithm for the contract execution problem. Our algorithm is a sample average approximation (SAA) based and we provide a sample complexity bound on the number of demand samples required to compute a (1 + e)-approximate policy for any e > 0. Our SAA algorithm is quite general and can be adapted to quite general demand models and objective function. For the special case where the demand in each period is i.i.d., we show that a static solution is optimal for the dynamic problem. We also conduct a numerical study to compare the performance of our SAA based DP algorithm. Our numerical experiments show that we can achieve a (1+e)-approximation in significantly smaller number of samples than what is implied by the theoretical bounds. Moreover, the structure of the approximate policy also shows that it can be well approximated by a simple piecewise linear function of the state.
STRIP DISTRIBUTED TRANSFER FUNCTION METHOD FOR ANALYSIS OF PLATES

A semi-analytical method, called the strip distributed transfer function method, is developed for analysis of plate structures that are composed of rectangular plates. In the method, a rectangular plate (substructure) is divided into a number of strips; the response of each strip is interpolated in the unknown nodal line displacements, which are functions of the strip longitudinal co-ordinate and time. The nodal line displacements are determined in an exact and closed form by the distributed transfer functions that are defined along the strips. Synthesis of the substructures using the strip distributed transfer functions yields accurate prediction of the static and dynamic response, natural frequencies and buckling loads of the structure. The proposed method is compared with some existing techniques in numerical examples.
Psychological distress in grandmother kinship care providers: the role of resources, social support, and physical health.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate predictors of psychological distress in grandmother kinship care providers. More specifically, it was hypothesized that social support, family resources, and physical health would predict psychological distress in grandmothers raising grandchildren. Method: One hundred and two grandmothers raising grandchildren in parent-absent homes completed the Brief Symptom Inventory, Short Health Form–36, Family Resource Scale, Family Support Scale, and a questionnaire requesting background and demographic data. Results: Results indicated that psychological distress was predicted by family resources, participants’ physical health, and to a lesser extent, social support. Conclusion: The findings indicate that family resources, social support, and physical health affected psychological distress in grandmothers raising grandchildren. Grandmothers who reported fewer resources, less social support, and poorer physical health tended to experience higher levels of psychological distress. This study suggests that greater attention be given to interventions aimed to decrease psychological distress and improve the financial resources and physical health of grandmothers raising grandchildren.
Soil Clean Up by in-situ Surfactant Flushing. III. Laboratory Results

Abstract Data on the solubilization of p-dichlorobenzene (DCB), naphthalene, and biphenyl in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) (0-100 mM concentration) indicate increases in effective solubilities of these hydrophobic compounds by factors of roughly 20 to 100. DCB is effectively removed from spiked clay-sand mixtures by leaching with SDS solutions in laboratory columns. Surfactant solutions loaded with DCB are satisfactorily treated by gentle extraction with hexane, and the recovered surfactant solution satisfactorily solubilizes biphenyl. A simple model for predicting the solubilization behavior of surfactants is developed and tested experimentally.
Product attributes for business markets: Implications for selling and sales management

This article offers a conceptual framework for classifying attributes of offerings in a business-marketing context. Typologies on the nature of product-related attributes and classification of industrial products are synthesized for viewing levels of product meaning. Repertory grid procedures first developed in clinical psychology and recently adapted for use in business settings are presented as an approach for eliciting salient/determinant attributes. Enhanced effectiveness of the classic industrial selling process is demonstrated along with implications for managing the sales force. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The development and validation of an instrument to assess an optimal Afrocentric world view.

An optimal Afrocentric belief system is characterized by a holistic, nonmaterialistic, and communal orientation in persons. An instrument to assess one's degree of adherence to an abstraction of th...
Urea extraction of Z bands, intercalated disks, and desmosomes.

Specific extraction of Z bands, intercalated disks and desmosomes was accomplished with molar concentrations of urea. Thick and thin filaments and M line material were undisturbed, demonstrating that the Z band protein is not similar to actin, myosin, or the M-line protein. The literature indicates that the tropomyosins are the only other structural proteins present in sufficient amounts to account for the extracted Z bands. However, the evidence for a lipid-protein association in the Z bands is considered and is further supported by the close association of the dense material of the Z bands, intercalated disks, and desmosomes with the lipoprotein cell membranes.
Evolution of a Multisite Network Information System: The LTER Information Management Paradigm

urban watershed, coastal estuary, eastern deciduous forest, tropical rain forest, tallgrass prairie—these are just a few of the ecosystems represented in the 24 sites of the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network (Franklin et al. 1990). By combining information from the diverse ecosystems represented in the LTER network, participants have a unique opportunity for large-scale investigations of complex phenomena like climate change, biodiversity, soil dynamics, and environmental policy. In 1996, to facilitate data exchange and synthesis from its multiple sites, LTER launched the LTER Network Information System (NIS), based on an independent site and central office organizational infrastructure. Other organizational partnerships provide examples of earlier efforts also focused on communications and data sharing: the Worm Community System, the Flora of North America Project (FNAP), and the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS). The Worm Community System was developed—before Internet connectivity became available—as a collaborative software environment through which its 1400 widely dispersed researchers could share information on the genetics, behavior, and biology of the soil nematode species Caenorhabditis elegans. Insight into the complexity of a network structure was gained through attention to the design and analysis of both the system’s structure and usability (Star and Ruhleder 1996). The FNAP system, in contrast, was developed with Internet technology. The FNAP, with a goal of identifying and cataloging all plant species, uses online technology to create
Experimental comparison of atmopsheric pressure plasma actuator geometries

Summary form only given. In this study we examine two configurations for the asymmetric surface barrier plasma actuator. This discharge is designed to generate air flow near its surface, and has been shown, when placed on a surface, to increase the angle of attack at which flow separation occurs. Such a device could be used as a "virtual flap" by controlling flow over an airplane wing. The configurations studied include systems with one exposed electrode above the dielectric surface and one sealed electrode below and two encapsulated electrodes below the surface. We present data describing the light emission, current-voltage characteristics, and induced air flow of each discharge
Gamma oscillations are generated locally in an attention-related midbrain network

Summary Gamma-band (25–140 Hz) oscillations are a hallmark of sensory processing in the forebrain. The optic tectum (OT), a midbrain structure implicated in sensorimotor processing and attention, also exhibits gamma oscillations. However, the origin and mechanisms of these oscillations remain unknown. We discovered that in acute slices of the avian OT, persistent (>100 ms) epochs of large amplitude gamma oscillations can be evoked that closely resemble those recorded in vivo. We found that cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic mechanisms differentially regulate the structure of the oscillations at various timescales. These persistent oscillations originate in the multisensory layers of the OT and are broadcast to visual layers via the cholinergic nucleus Ipc, providing a potential mechanism for enhancing the processing of visual information within the OT. The finding that the midbrain contains an intrinsic gamma-generating circuit suggests that the OT could use its own oscillatory code to route signals to forebrain networks.
Validation of Use of Rectoanal Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue for Immunohistochemical Diagnosis of Chronic Wasting Disease in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

The examination of rectoanal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT) biopsy specimens for the diagnosis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies has been described in sheep, elk, and small numbers of mule and white-tailed deer. Previous sample numbers have been too small to validate examination of this type of tissue as a viable antemortem diagnostic test. In this study, we examined RAMALT collected postmortem from 76 white-tailed deer removed from a farm in Wisconsin known to be affected by chronic wasting disease (CWD) and from 210 free-ranging white-tailed deer harvested from an area in Wisconsin where the overall prevalence of CWD among the deer was approximately 4 to 6%. The results of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of the RAMALT sections were compared to the results of IHC staining of sections from the brain stem at the convergence of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve, sections of the medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RLNs), and sections of tonsil (sections of tonsil only from captive animals were tested). The sensitivities of the IHC staining test with RAMALT sections were 81% for the captive animals and 91% for the free-ranging animals. False-negative results were usually associated with early infection, indicated by a low intensity of immunostaining in the obex and/or a polymorphism at PRNP codon 96. While the RLN remains the tissue of choice for use for the diagnosis of CWD in white-tailed deer, the results of the present study further support the use of RAMALTs collected antemortem as an adjunct to testing of tonsil biopsy specimens and surveillance by necropsy for the screening of farmed deer which have been put at risk through environmental exposure or exposure to deer with CWD.
Misguided optimism among college student smokers: leveraging their quit-smoking strategies for smoking cessation campaigns.

College student smokers are a unique group who typically plan to quit smoking by the time they graduate, but few succeed and those who do require multiple attempts. This study examines the strategies of college student participants who successfully quit smoking. They tell a story of trial and error in achieving their goal—one that is more likely to end in another failed attempt than a successful effort unless they learn from past mistakes. Their stories not only show misplaced optimism for quitting but also ineffective smoking-cessation efforts.
Effects of altered ephrin-A5 and EphA4/EphA7 expression on tumor growth in a medulloblastoma mouse model

Background Members of the Eph/ephrin gene families act as key regulators of cerebellar development during embryogenesis. Aberrant signaling of Eph family of receptor tyrosine kinases and their ephrin ligands has also been implicated in human cancers. Medulloblastoma is an aggressive primitive neuroectodermal tumor that originates from granule neuron precursors in the cerebellum. Previous studies have suggested a role for the ephrin-A5 ligand and its receptors, EphA4 and EphA7, in granule cell-precursor formation and in guiding cell migration. In the present study, we investigated the effects of genetic loss of ephrin-A5, EphA4, and EphA7 on the spatiotemporal development of medulloblastoma tumors in the context of the smoothened transgenic mouse model system.
User Behavior Identification for Trust Management in Pervasive Computing Systems

Pervasive computing systems are becoming widespread as the next generation of computing systems. In pervasive computing systems, the users are frequently hopping from one computing space to another, which makes user profile management an essential component of the system. Because such a dynamic-populated computing system has to be new corner-friendly, malicious users with bad reputation to a system may take advantage of the system by claiming themselves as new users. In addition, user identity can also be compromised by controlling the victim node via normal invasions or even by inside identity thefts. A valid user identity is the foundation and prerequisite of trust. Failures to correctly identify a user are catastrophic to trust management system. Traditional intrusion detection systems can only detect an attack when it already happens. But before the intrusion the attackers may have some specific behavioral signatures indicating of their suspicious identities. We need a more powerful and practical system to identify these suspicious behaviors and signal an early warning to stop them. In this paper we assume that user identity is compromised either by attacking and controlling a node or by malicious users' claiming themselves as new users. We introduced a novel user behavior identification and profile management system to detect the suspicious behaviors, and a dynamically triggered reaction module to monitor the suspicious node and collect the necessary evidences
Interface solutions for low voltage applications in desktop and portable systems

As industry explores low voltage systems, solutions that allow ASIC and memory to a wider variety of environments, will give system designers greater flexibility to evolve into lower operating voltage platforms. The interface solutions that provide this advantage will bring low voltage systems to the end users sooner.
An Evaluation of Tour Scheduling Heuristics with Differences in Employee Productivity and Cost

This study focuses on the manpower tour scheduling problem using data from a lockbox system of a commercial bank. The lockbox system uses employees who differ in productivity, hourly cost, number of available working hours per week, and days-off constraints. These specific problem characteristics require a more general problem formulation and solution procedure for the manpower tour scheduling problem than addressed in previous research. Four heuristic methods for solving the problem (three developed here and a simple round-up procedure) are tested on a set of forty problems. The results of this study show the effort to develop sophisticated heuristic methods for this class of problems is well justified.
Input recovery from noisy output data, using regularized inversion of the Laplace transform

In a dynamical system the input is to be recovered from finitely many measurements, blurred by random error, of the output of the system. As usual, the differential equation describing the system is reduced to multiplication with a polynomial after applying the Laplace transform. It appears that there exists a natural, unbiased, estimator for the Laplace transform of the output, from which an estimator of the input can be obtained by multiplication with the polynomial and subsequent application of a regularized inverse of the Laplace transform. It is possible, moreover, to balance the effect of this inverse so that ill-posedness remains restricted to its actual source: differentiation. The rate of convergence of the integrated mean-square error is a positive power of the number of data. The order of the differential equation has an adverse effect on the rate which, on the other hand, increases with the smoothness of the input as usual.
Broadleaf Weed Control in Ultra Narrow Row Bromoxynil-Resistant Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)1

Abstract: A field experiment was conducted over 2 yr to study efficacy of bromoxynil mixtures with pyrithiobac or MSMA applied postemergence (POST) with and without fluometuron or fluometuron plus pendimethalin preemergence (PRE) for control of broadleaf weeds in ultra narrow row bromoxynil-resistant cotton in the Mississippi Delta. Bromoxynil applied POST (single or sequential) provided variable control of common purslane ( 75%), hyssop spurge (>79%), hemp sesbania (>96%), and pitted morningglory (100%) at 4 wk after early POST (WAT). Broadleaf weed control increased when PRE herbicides were followed by bromoxynil or bromoxynil plus pyrithiobac or MSMA POST. Weed control generally decreased at harvest compared to 4 WAT, and the decrease was greater in bromoxynil POST-only programs compared to bromoxynil POST following PRE programs. Seed cotton yield with bromoxynil POST-only programs was lower (400 to 2,810 kg/ha) compared to bromoxynil POST p...
Learning area coverage for a self-sufficient colony robot

It is advantageous for colony robots to be autonomous and self-sufficient. This requires them to perform their duties while maintaining enough energy to operate. Previously, we reported the equipping of power storage for legged robots with high capacitance capacitors, the configuration of one of these robots to effectively use its power storage in a colony recharging system, and the learning of a control program that enabled the robot to navigate to a charging station in simulation. In this work, we report the learning of a control program that allowed the simulated robot to perform area coverage in a self-sufficient framework that made available the best pre-learned navigation behavior module.
Implementation of the bisection sampling method in path integral simulations

A bisection sampling method is implemented in the framework of a quantized classical path algorithm to include nuclear quantum effects in path integral simulations. The present study examines the convergence of these calculations on two model systems with respect to the number of beads used in the polymer chain and the number of configurations both in free-particle sampling and in classical configuration sampling. The results will be useful for future studies of kinetic isotope effects in enzymatic reactions. # 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Norepinephrine is required to promote wakefulness and for hypocretin-induced arousal in zebrafish

Pharmacological studies in mammals suggest that norepinephrine (NE) plays an important role in promoting arousal. However, the role of endogenous NE is unclear, with contradicting reports concerning the sleep phenotypes of mice lacking NE due to mutation of dopamine β-hydroxylase (dbh). To investigate NE function in an alternative vertebrate model, we generated dbh mutant zebrafish. In contrast to mice, these animals exhibit dramatically increased sleep. Surprisingly, despite an increase in sleep, dbh mutant zebrafish have a reduced arousal threshold. These phenotypes are also observed in zebrafish treated with small molecules that inhibit NE signaling, suggesting that they are caused by the lack of NE. Using genetic overexpression of hypocretin (Hcrt) and optogenetic activation of hcrt-expressing neurons, we also find that NE is important for Hcrt-induced arousal. These results establish a role for endogenous NE in promoting arousal and indicate that NE is a critical downstream effector of Hcrt neurons.
Using weaves for software construction and analysis

The authors discuss the architectural features of weaves, their implementation, and their use in a variety of applications. Weaves are networks of concurrently executing tool fragments that communicate by passing objects. Weaves are distinguished from other dataflow styles by their emphasis on instrumentation, continuous observability, and dynamic rearrangement: basic low-overhead instrumentation is inserted automatically, executing weaves can be observed at any time by means of sophisticated analysis agents, without degrading the performance of the weave, and weaves can be dynamically snipped and spliced without interrupting the data flow. >
Breeding Season Status of the American Oystercatcher in Virginia, USA

Abstract Surveys of the American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) were conducted in all suitable nesting habitat in coastal Virginia, USA during the 2003 breeding season. The total of 588 pairs more than doubles previous estimates for the state, and provides a benchmark for the comparison of future surveys. These results suggest that Virginia supports the largest number of oystercatchers in the breeding season relative to other east coast states. Previous surveys in Virginia focused only on one coastal area, the barrier islands. Over two hundred pairs recorded in the seaside lagoon system of the Delmarva Peninsula in 2003 accounted for the large discrepancy between previous estimates for the state and the results of this survey. Over 89% of the total number of pairs was observed on the islands and in the lagoon system of the Delmarva Peninsula. Approximately 87% of the pairs were on land that is managed or regulated to some degree for the conservation of nesting birds by federal, state, municipal and ...
Significance of Tide-Gauge Records

In the previous chapter tide-gauge records from different regions of the world were investigated, with particular attention paid to those in regions having many tide gauges with acceptable records in terms of time spans and systematic trends. Both worldwide and regional examinations showed the trends of change in mean annual levels to be too variable for those trends to represent a simple eustatic rise of sea level caused by return of glacial meltwater or by heating of ocean water through climatic warming during post-glacial or even during the span of the industrial revolution (the greenhouse effect). These records reveal rise of relative sea level at some sites simultaneously with fall in relative sea level at other sites. Sites of the opposing trends may be nearby or distant, and the records commonly are supported by others within groups of nearby stations. Short-term changes in the record caused by tides, storms, and tsunamis are filtered out by the hourly averaging process for each year of record.
Mechanisms of Nonspecific Host Resistance

A major function of the immune system is the maintenance of the complex biochemical integrity of the host through protection against the penetration and/or the dissemination of biologically active environmental antigens such as microbial agents. The immune system also may play an important role in surveillance against the development and spread of cancer. In order to perform its functions, the immune system must recognize foreign materials and then efficiently eliminate the antigenic substances (Fig. 1). The actual elimination of antigenic material is accomplished by specialized effector cells of the immune system termed “phagocytes.” These cells include polymorphonuclear leukocytes and fixed and wandering mononuclear phagocytes. The recognition of antigens by immunoglobulins and lymphocytes is specific in that these immune components can discriminate subtle differences among antigens. Recognition of antigen by phagocytes is, in general, far less specific. Phagocytes by themselves discriminate only self from nonself and not differences in various forms of nonself. Antigens which enter the circulation are normally removed by the fixed phagocytic cells of the reticuloendothelial system. In other areas of the body however, antigens must be eliminated by phagocytic wandering cells which migrate to an inflammatory focus.
Exercise and Myocardial Remodeling in Animal Models with Hypertension

Hypertension has significant effects on myocardial structure and function. When the heart is faced with a chronic pressure overload, it remodels in order to normalize myocardial wall stress. In normalizing wall stress, concentric, pathological left ventricular hypertrophy is induced. Myocardial remodeling subsequently results in shifts in myocardial metabolism and humoral/intracellular signaling which can impair cardiac function over time. Hence, hypertension is often precursory to heart failure. Exercise and other lifestyle modifications are encouraged for patients with hypertension, and preclinical animal models of hypertension are often used to isolate mechanisms by which exercise training impacts cardiac structure and function. Aerobic exercise training is more efficacious in attenuating blood pressure in young hypertensive animals relative to older animals. However despite the general reduction in hemodynamic burden with aerobic exercise training, training does not exhibit a clear anti-hypertrophic effect in animals with established hypertension. In fact, more prominent cardiac hypertrophy with variable functional performance has been reported in trained, hypertensive animal hearts. Hence, the purpose of this chapter is to cover how exercise impacts cardiac remodeling and functional phenotypes in animal models of hypertension.
Compositional Three-Component Breast Imaging of Fibroadenoma and Invasive Cancer Lesions: Pilot Study

Purpose: To investigate the lesion discrimination ability of compositional 3-component breast imaging technique (3CB) of patients with suspicious breast lesions (BIRADS 4 or greater).
Ischiofemoral impingement: defining the lesser trochanter–ischial space

Purpose The purpose of this study was to define changes in the ischial–lesser trochanteric space associated with medial and lateral hip rotation in neutral and 10° of extension and adduction.