cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dialysis delivery of an adenosine A1 receptor agonist to the pontine reticular formation decreases acetylcholine release and increases anesthesia recovery time.

Background : Adenosine modulates cell excitability, acetylcholine release, nociception, and sleep. Pontine cholinergic neurotransmission contributes to the generation and maintenance of electroencephalographic and behavioral arousal. Adenosine A 1 receptors inhibit arousal-promoting, pontine cholinergic neurons, and adenosine enhances sleep. No previous studies have determined whether pontine adenosine also modulates recovery from anesthesia. Therefore, the current study tested the hypotheses that dialysis delivery of the adenosine A 1 receptor agonist N 6 -p-sulfophenyladenosine (SPA) into the pontine reticular formation would decrease acetylcholine release and increase the time needed for recovery from halothane anesthesia. Methods : A microdialysis probe was positioned in the pontine reticular formation of halothane-anesthetized cats. Probes were perfused with Ringer's solution (control) followed by the adenosine A 1 receptor agonist SPA (0.088 or 8.8 mM). Dependent measures included acetylcholine release and a numeric assessment of recovery from anesthesia. An intensive, within-subjects design and analysis of variance evaluated SPA's main effect on acetylcholine release and anesthetic recovery. The adenosine A 1 receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropy-Ixanthine (DPCPX, 100 μM ) was coadministered with SPA to test for antagonist blocking of SPA's effects. Results: SPA significantly (P < 0.0001) decreased acetylcholine release in the pontine reticular formation and significantly (P < 0.0001) delayed recovery from anesthesia. Coadministration of SPA and DPCPX caused no decrease in acetylcholine release or delay in postanesthetic recovery. Dialysis delivery of SPA into the cerebellar cortex confirmed that the SPA effects were site-specific to the pontine reticular formation. Coclusion:The results provide a novel extension of the sleep-promoting effects of adenosine by showing that pontine delivery of an adenosine A 1 receptor agonist delays resumption of wakefulness following halothane anesthesia. This extension is consistent with a potentially larger relevance of the current findings for efforts to specify neurons and molecules causing physiologic and behavioral traits comprising anesthetic states. These data support the conclusion that adenosine A 1 receptors in medial regions of the pontine reticular formation, known to modulate sleep, also contribute to the generation and/or maintenance of halothane anesthesia.
Integrin-ECM Interactions Regulate Cadherin-Dependent Cell Adhesion and Are Required for Convergent Extension in Xenopus

Abstract Background: Convergence extension movements are conserved tissue rearrangements implicated in multiple morphogenetic events. While many of the cell behaviors involved in convergent extension are known, the molecular interactions required for this process remain elusive. However, past evidence suggests that regulation of cell adhesion molecule function is a key step in the progression of these behaviors. Results: Antibody blocking of fibronectin (FN) adhesion or dominant-negative inhibition of integrin β1 function alters cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, promotes cell-sorting behaviors in reaggregation assays, and inhibits medial-lateral cell intercalation and axial extension in gastrulating embryos and explants. Embryo explants were used to demonstrate that normal integrin signaling is required for morphogenetic movements within defined regions but not for cell fate specification. The binding of soluble RGD-containing fragments of fibronectin to integrins promotes the reintegration of dissociated single cells into intact tissues. The changes in adhesion observed are independent of cadherin or integrin expression levels. Conclusions: We conclude that integrin modulation of cadherin adhesion influences cell intercalation behaviors within boundaries defined by extracellular matrix. We propose that this represents a fundamental mechanism promoting localized cell rearrangements throughout development.
Outcome after normal exercise echocardiography and predictors of subsequent cardiac events: follow-up of 1,325 patients

Abstract Objectives. This study sought to examine the outcome of a large group of patients after normal exercise echocardiography and to identify potential predictors of subsequent cardiac events. Background. Earlier studies suggested that prognosis after normal exercise echocardiography is favorable, with a low subsequent cardiac event rate. These studies involved a small number of patients and did not have sufficient statistical power to stratify risk. Methods. The outcomes of 1,325 patients who had normal exercise echocardiograms were examined. End points were overall and cardiac event-free survival. Cardiac events were defined as cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization. Patient characteristics were analyzed in relation to time to first cardiac event in a univariate and multivariate manner to determine which, if any, were associated with an increased hazard of subsequent cardiac events. Results. Overall survival of the study group was significantly better than that of an age- and gender-matched group obtained from life tables (p Conclusions. The outcome after normal exercise echocardiography is excellent. Subgroups with an intermediate or high pretest probability of having coronary artery disease also have a favorable prognosis after a normal exercise echocardiogram. Characteristics predictive of subsequent cardiac events (i.e., patient age, work load, angina during exercise testing and echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy) should be considered in the clinical interpretation of a normal exercise echocardiogram.
C1natural neighbor interpolant for partial differential equations

nodeI are directly associated with the three nodal degrees of freedom wI;Ix , and Iy , respectively. The C 1 shape functions interpolate to nodal function and nodal gradient values, which renders the interpolant amenable to application in a Galerkin scheme for the solution of fourth-order elliptic PDEs. Results for the biharmonic equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions are presented. The generalized eigenproblem is studied to establish the ellipticity of the discrete biharmonic operator, and consequently the stability of the numerical method. c 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 15: 417{447, 1999
Distance Learning Skills and Responsibilities: A Content Analysis of Job Announcements 1996-2010.

Archived job advertisements from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) LIBJOBS mailing list (1996–2010) were examined using content analysis. Findings suggest that distance learning (DL) skillsets as job qualifications emerged in the late 1990's and continue to be relevant today. Jobs with DL responsibilities are most prevalent in public services followed by administration. Positions focused on DL also emerged in the late 1990's though it is unclear whether demand for these positions continues to be as strong. “Distance Leaning Librarian” and “Distance Education Librarian” are the two most common job titles for librarians focused on DL responsibilities.
Design Requirements for Metal-Organic Frameworks as Hydrogen Storage Materials

Storing an acceptable density of hydrogen in porous materials by physisorption at room temperature and reasonable pressures is a challenging problem. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of nanoporous materials that have shown early promise for meeting this goal. They have extremely large specific surface areas, but the heats of adsorption to date are too low to provide significant storage at room temperature. In this work, molecular simulations are used to provide guidelines for the design of MOFs for hydrogen storage. To learn how much the heat of adsorption must be increased to meet current targets, we artificially increase the hydrogen/MOF Lennard-Jones attraction. The correlation of the amount of hydrogen adsorbed with the heat of adsorption, the surface area, and the free volume is revisited. We also review the distinction between excess and absolute adsorption and show that comparing the density of hydrogen within the free volume of materials provides useful insight. The simulation resul...
Language performance deficits in elderly depressed patients

Abstract Elderly depressed patients are thought to have memory, orientation and judgement difficulties but are not thought to have language performance deficits. Recently, naming difficulties were reported in patients with cognitive impairment resulting from depression. We examined language performance of elderly depressed patients with long histories of major affective disorder. We compared language functions of these patients with those of normal elderly subjects of two educational levels. The depressed patients were significantly impaired relative to both normal groups in confrontation naming, reading non-words and in the quality of their written language. Further exploration of language performance of elderly depressed patients is needed.
Polycystic ovary syndrome and cardiovascular disease risk

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), an endocrinopathy consisting of oligo-ovulation, excess androgen, and polycystic ovaries, commonly have an adverse cardiovascular risk profile. This profile is exacerbated by obesity, which is common among women with the syndrome, especially in the United States. Recent articles from cohort and case-control studies support an increased risk of cardiovascular disease events in postmenopausal women with PCOS, though the diagnosis of PCOS in menopause is problematic. Treatment of cardiovascular risk factors, including insulin resistance, lipids, and serum markers of atherosclerosis (most commonly C-reactive protein) is receiving increasing clinical focus. While weight loss with lifestyle therapy is a universal goal in obese women, the role of additional pharmaceutical treatment of metabolic risk factors such as hyperinsulinemia and dyslipidemia is uncertain.
Sum rules for spin Hall conductivity cancellation

It has been shown recently that the universal dc spin conductivity of two-dimensional electrons with a Rashba spin-orbit interaction is canceled by vertex corrections in a weak scattering regime. We prove that the zero bulk spin conductivity is an intrinsic property of the free-electron Hamiltonian and scattering is merely a tool to reveal this property in terms of the diagrammatic technique. When Zeeman energy is neglected, the zero dc conductivity persists in a magnetic field. Spin conductivity increases resonantly at the cyclotron frequency and then decays towards the universal value.
Imagining De Re and the Symmetry Thesis of Narration

A recurring topic in the study of narratives is the question of the symmetry of narration across different media. Readers and critics are generally familiar with the features and theoretical agents of literary narration: the fictional narrators of literary works, implied authors, literary point of view, plotting, and so on. But philosophers dealing with artworks in other media are still sorting through the possibility of finding analogues to our models from literary works. Is narration in film or in comics (and so on) structurally like narration in literature, or is there some fundamental difference apart from media constraints? According to the symmetry thesis, narration in narrative artworks is identical with respect to its structural features, regardless of the medium in which the work is crafted.1 As with any appeal to similarity, there are symmetries between narration in literature and narration in other media; there are asymmetries as well. A defense or a debunking of the symmetry thesis of narration is a project for this generation of philosophers of art, and it is certainly possible that we will discover that while the symmetry thesis (conceived broadly) is false, there are nonetheless interesting and philosophically revealing symmetries to be noted. With that caveat in mind, in this article I defend one piece of the symmetry thesis; I argue that narration across media is symmetrical with respect to the existence of overarching fictional narrators. Regardless of the medium in which a narrative is presented, I claim that we are prescribed to imagine a fictional narrator for a narrative work N if and only if we are prescribed to imagine de re of the text of N that it occurs within the world of the fiction generated by N. Further, I argue that this is a robust claim with respect to films, comic strips, and dance; there are fictional narrators (both explicit and implicit) in films and there is the possibility of fictional narrators in comic strips and dance works, so this biconditional is not satisfied merely trivially. I conclude with a brief discussion of embedded narration in literature and film, which adds further intuitive support to my biconditional claim.
A rejoinder to “ a critique of the paper ‘statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of alcohol safety action programs’ by Johnson et al.”

Criticisms by federal officials responsible for Alcohol Safety Action Projects claiming to invalidate the author's previous evaluation of the effectiveness of the Alcohol Safety Action Projects are discussed and are shown to be unfounded.
The Communication Conundrum: What Is the Message? Who Is Listening?

Presenting history to the public is a goal most historians enthusiastically espouse, yet this seemingly benign mission can be difficult to achieve and fraught with unexpected conflict, as Eric Gable and Richard Handler suggest in their essay, "The Authority of Documents at Some American History Museums." The explicit goals of staff historians at Colonial Williamsburg are to show that "history is a construct" and to make history museums "public meeting places where important unfinished ideas are exchanged and debated." Gable and Handler's detailed ethnographic study reveals how this mission can be distorted as historical research is transmitted to the public through a bureaucratic structure. While the specifics of Colonial Williamsburg are interesting as a case study, the article raises broader issues that often go unexamined in the ongoing debates about how to make historical understanding more accessible to the public.1 For me, their essay raised interesting questions about objectivity, status, communication media, and audience that are applicable both to the museum field and to the discipline of history. Status is clearly involved in the relationships of employees and managers, but it is also implicit in the relative prestige of various types of information -for example, oral versus written sources. The questions of historical objectivity and of the relationship of truth and fiction, fact and myth, are not limited to the interpretive programs of Colonial Williamsburg. The objectivity question continues to be a sensitive and divisive issue for the historical discipline as evidenced by a recent conference, "Telling the Story: The Media, the Public, and American History," organized by the New England Foundation for the Humanities. There, historians and filmmakers had lively debates over whether history is science or art, over verifiable sources or emotional involvement, over analysis or narrative. When Gable and Handler discuss distinctions between style and content, they introduce questions about whether a particular medium is suited to communicating particular types of information. Lastly, their concentration on the internal struggle
Comments on the interpretation of 3371 Å filter-photometer observations and its implications for the AE-E photoelectron fluxes

Abstract Modeling of the dayglow spectrum in the wavelength region between 3300 and 3500 A indicates that the N2 second positive (0,0) band at 3371 A is blended with the Vegard-Kaplan (0,9) band. A recent analysis of rocket observations of the dayglow shows that 20–30% of a 3371 A narrow band filter-photometer signal is due to the VK emission (Conway and Christensen, 1983). Kopp et al. (1977) and Hernandez et al. (1983) reported analyses of 3371 A photometer observations from the Visible Airglow Experiment on the Atmospheric Explorer-C (AE-C) satellite which did not consider the Vegard-Kaplan (VK) emission. The observations were compared to theoretical estimates of the second positive volume emission rate based on a photoelectron model and on absolute fluxes measured by the Photoelectron Spectrometer experiments on AE-C and AE-E. Inclusion of the VK band in the AE analysis would bring the reported photoelectron theory into agreement with the airglow observations. However, the overestimate of the N2 second positive airglow predicted by the AE-E photoelectron flux measurements increases to a factor of nearly two rather than the 20–30% reported by Hernandez et al. (1983).
Convenient Synthesis of Multivalent Zinc(II)-Dipicolylamine Complexes for Molecular Recognition.

Abstract A pair of novel dipicolylamine ligands bearing isothiocyanate groups were used as conjugation reagents to prepare multivalent molecules with anionic recognition capability. The isothiocyanates were reacted with two classes of dendritic scaffolds bearing primary amines, squaraine rotaxanes, and PAMAM dendrimers, and the products were converted into water soluble zinc(II) coordination complexes. The multivalent squaraine rotaxanes exhibit high fluorescence quantum yields in water and are very well suited for biological imaging applications.
Ecology of free-living nematodes from the continental shelf of the central great barrier reef province

Nematode assemblages from five sites on the continental shelf of the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR) along a transect ranging from inshore muddy quartz to offshore carbonate sands were examined in austral spring (October 1987) and summer (January 1988). Assemblages at all sites were characterized by very even distributions (low dominance) of families, genera and species. Average per cent abundances of the dominant family (Chromadoridae), genus (Theristus) and species (Spilophorella paradoxa), respectively, were 16, 10 and 8% of the total number of specimens identified. The diversity of species (H′ = 3·35–4·08) from the GBR was higher than that normally calculated for shelf nematode assemblages; species richness (SR = 10·64–16·67) and evenness (J′ = 0·82–0·91) values approximate those characteristic of deep-sea nematode assemblages, suggesting equitable exploitation of the interstitial environment on the GBR shelf by many species. This was also indicated by a nodal analysis of the 22 dominant species, which exhibited no strong preference for any particular sediment or site. Non-selective deposit and epistrate feeders were the most abundant trophic types among the nematodes. The abundance of non-selective deposit feeders was significantly greater in the summer than spring assemblages, accompanying differences also observed in the per cent composition of several species. Shortterm fluctuations in species composition and high species diversity of nematodes on the central Great Barrier Reef shelf may be the result of high sediment heterogeneity (caused by cyclones and frequent prawn trawling), a rich bacterial flora, continuous warm temperatures and low macroinfaunal abundance.
A miniaturization technique for wideband tightly coupled phased arrays

Using an equivalent circuit, a new wideband array was examined using physically realizable tightly coupled dipoles. A miniaturized element using inductive and capacitive loading was used to suppress ground plane effects for a broadband conformal array. Serial inductance was demonstrated to effectively miniaturize the radiating element and lead to even greater bandwidth as compared to the CSA array in [3]. A 4.5:1 bandwidth was demonstrated with a dipole length of λ o /10 and a total array thickness of λ o /12.8 at the lowest operating frequency.
Speech, Gesture, and Space: Investigating Explicit and Implicit Communication in Multi-Human Multi-Robot Collaborations

Effective communication is often required for agents to properly handle collaborative multi-agent tasks. This is particularly true when humans are working alongside synthetic agents and traditional wireless communication modes are impractical. A framework for communication must allow for both explicit communication, where actions are directly execute to convey information, and implicit communication, where the agent projects information indirectly as a consequence of actions taken to achieve the tasks. We propose a Theory of Mind-based approach to communication that allows an agent to reason about its own state, the states of the other agents, and the other agents’ beliefs about each other’s state.
RIVER-ICE ECOLOGY. II: BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS

River ice is an integral and important component of the flow regime in cold-regions environments. As demonstrated in a companion paper, it can significantly affect many of the hydrologic, geomorphic, and chemical characteristics of a river. Building on such a physical template, this paper reviews the related biological effects at all stages of winter ice cover, including the period of autumn cooling, initial freeze-up, main winter, and breakup. Special focus is placed on the role of ice in seasonal movements and avoidance behavior of fish and benthic organisms, the creation of unique in-channel and riparian habitats, the modification of aquatic and floodplain vegetation, and some river-ecology theories, including disturbance ecology and flood-pulse theory. Included is a comprehensive reference list, the most complete ever assembled on this subject.
Reversal of hirudin-induced bleeding diathesis by prothrombin complex concentrate

Abstract Our clinical experience suggests that prothrombin complex concentrate in a dose of 25 to 30 U/kg can be considered for patients with lifethreatening hemorrhage due to hirudin who are unresponsive to desmopressin and fresh frozen plasma.
Size and Complexity of the Nuclear Genome of Colletotrichum graminicola

DNA reassociation was used to estimate GC content, size, and complexity of the nuclear genomes of Colletotrichum from maize and sorghum. Melting-temperature analysis indicated that the GC content of the maize pathotype DNA was 51% and that the GC content of the sorghum pathotype was 52%. DNA reassociation kinetics employing S1 nuclease digestion and an appropriately modified second-order equation indicated that the genome sizes of the maize and sorghum pathotypes were 4.8 x 10(7) bp, and 5.0 x 10(7) bp, respectively. Genomic reconstruction experiments based on Southern blot hybridization between a cloned single-copy gene, PYR1 (orotate phosphoribosyl transferase), and maize-pathotype DNA confirmed the size of the nuclear genome. The single-copy component of the genomes of both pathotypes was estimated at about 90%. For both pathotypes, ca. 7% of the genome represented repetitive DNA, and 2 to 3% was foldback DNA.
Xanthophylls and α-Tocopherol Decrease UVB-Induced Lipid Peroxidation and Stress Signaling in Human Lens Epithelial Cells

Epidemiological studies suggest that consumption of vegetables rich in the xanthophylls lutein (LUT) and zeaxanthin (ZEA) reduces the risk for developing age-related cataract, a leading cause of vision loss. Although LUT and ZEA are the only dietary carotenoids present in the lens, direct evidence for their photoprotective effect in this organ is not available. The present study examined the effects of xanthophylls and alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TC) on lipid peroxidation and the mitogen-activated stress signaling pathways in human lens epithelial (HLE) cells following ultraviolet B light (UVB) irradiation. When presented with LUT, ZEA, astaxanthin (AST), and alpha-TC as methyl-beta-cyclodextrin complexes, HLE cells accumulated the lipophiles in a concentration- and time-dependent manner with uptake of LUT exceeding that of ZEA and AST. Pretreatment of cultures with either 2 micromol/L xanthophyll or 10 micromol/L alpha-TC for 4 h before exposure to 300 J/m(2) UVB radiation decreased lipid peroxidation by 47-57% compared with UVB-treated control HLE cells. Pretreatment with the xanthophylls and alpha-TC also inhibited UVB-induced activation of c-JUN NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 by 50-60 and 25-32%, respectively. There was substantial inhibition of UVB-induced JNK and p38 activation for cells containing 2.3 nmol alpha-TC/mg protein was required to significantly decrease UVB-induced stress signaling. These data suggest that xanthophylls are more potent than alpha-TC for protecting human lens epithelial cells against UVB insult.
Load pull characteristics of GaAs MESFETs calculated using an analytic, physics based large signal device model

The large-signal nonlinear load-pull characteristics of power GaAs MESFETs fabricated with uniform, ion-implanted, and lo-hi-lo doping profiles are calculated theoretically and compared. The calculation is performed using a load-pull simulator in conjunction with a physics-based, analytic device model. The device and circuit models are interfaced using a harmonic balance routine. >
Effects of UV Illumination on Surface Flashover Under Pulsed Unipolar Excitation

Summary form only given. Dielectric surface flashover in an atmospheric environment is an important consideration in the design of insulating support structures for pulsed, high voltage applications. Only recently, increased effort has been invested in characterizing and quantifying the physical processes involved in surface flashover occurring at atmospheric conditions. We have previously shown qualitatively that UV illumination of the surface, either externally or possibly generated by the developing discharge itself, affects the distance between flashover path and surface for small gaps with a nonnegligible field component normal to surface. By studying the effects of UV illumination on the flashover behavior, information was gained about the underlying mechanisms of dielectric surface flashover. Utilizing a solid-state UV source with a much faster turn-off time than gas tubes along with the flashover testing apparatus' generally high temporal resolution enabled us to measure applied UV pulse, voltage, current and flashover self luminosity with high temporal precision. For all experiments, the dielectric flashover sample is placed inside an environmentally controlled chamber with a constant gas flow. Using advanced field simulations the electrode/dielectric geometry was designed to produce an optimized field shape for the testing of surface effects. Besides reducing the flashover delay times by up to 50%, the application of a 1 mW/cm2, 20 mus UV pulse, prior to the voltage pulse, forces the flashover discharge in nitrogen to "hug" the surface rather than develop a few millimeters away from the surface along the field lines. Increasing the time delay between UV and voltage pulse application, it was revealed that the impact of the UV pulse on the flashover path becomes weaker with a time constant, tau, of ~ 3.1 mus. That is, after roughly 10 mus (3 times tau), the flashover path develops as without any UV application at all. In addition to experimental data of dielectric surface flashover with varying degrees of UV illumination, we present a simple model that describes the observed behavior as well as a more advanced analysis utilizing a Monte Carlo type code for the electron collision dynamics.
The Relative Importance of Socioeconomic and Political Variables For Public Policy

Since Dawson and Robinson, a dominant issue in the quantitative study of public policy has been the relative importance of socioeconomic and political variables for determining policy outcomes. It is argued here that past efforts to resolve this issue have been unsatisfactory, largely because they relied on inadequate statistical techniques, i.e., simple correlation, partial correlation, or multiple regression. Coefficients from these techniques are irrelevant for all but the most peculiar models of public policy. In general, if the researcher wishes to assess the relative importance of independent variables, it will be necessary to resort to path analysis of a formally constructed causal model. The comparison of “effects coefficients,” derived from path analysis, is offered as the preferred means of evaluating independent variables, superior to comparisons of coefficients from simple correlation, partial correlation, or multiple regression. When the effects coefficients are actually calculated for a popular model of welfare policy, socioeconomic variables appear much more important than political variables, contrary to interpretations coming from the more traditional statistical techniques.
AFRICAN GENETIC DIVERSITY: Implications for Human Demographic History, Modern Human Origins, and Complex Disease Mapping

Comparative studies of ethnically diverse human populations, particularly in Africa, are important for reconstructing human evolutionary history and for understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic adaptation and complex disease. African populations are characterized by greater levels of genetic diversity, extensive population substructure, and less linkage disequilibrium (LD) among loci compared to non-African populations. Africans also possess a number of genetic adaptations that have evolved in response to diverse climates and diets, as well as exposure to infectious disease. This review summarizes patterns and the evolutionary origins of genetic diversity present in African populations, as well as their implications for the mapping of complex traits, including disease susceptibility.
Transmission Problems for Thermoelastic Plates with Transverse Shear Deformation

An initial-boundary value problem for bending of a piecewise homogeneous thermoelastic plate with transverse shear deformation is studied, and its unique solvability in spaces of distributions is proved by means of a combination of the Laplace transformation and variational methods.
Coupling pattern of S1 and S2 amacrine cells in the rabbit retina

Previous studies have shown that indoleamine-accumulating cells (IACs) in the rabbit retina consist of two main cell types: S1 and S2 amacrine cells (Vaney, 1986; Sandell & Masland, 1986). Both cell types are wide-field GABA amacrine cells that make reciprocal synaptic contacts with rod bipolar cell terminals (Ehinger & Holmgren, 1979; Strettoi et al., 1990). We have examined the coupling pattern of S1 and S2 amacrine cells after the intracellular injection of Neurobiotin. Our results may be summarized as follows: (1) S1 amacrine cells were extensively coupled and their dendrites formed a network similar to but less dense than the matrix stained with an antibody to serotonin. (2) Morphological observations and cluster analysis, based on a scattergram, showed that the vast majority of coupled cells were S1 amacrine cells, accounting for approximately half of the total IACs. The rest of the uncoupled IACs were S2 amacrine cells. (3) Sometimes, two adjacent varicosities, one from an injected S1 and one from a coupled S1, contacted a single rod bipolar terminal. (4) S2 amacrine cells were also coupled but much less than the S1s. (5) Rarely, crossover coupling between S1 and S2 amacrine cells was observed. These results suggest that the extensive coupling between S1 amacrine cells, combined with a larger dendritic field, may contribute a wide-field component to the inhibitory surround of the rod pathway. By comparison, the smaller, weakly coupled S2 amacrine cells may provide a local component.
Determinants of Bone and Blood Lead Levels among Community-exposed Middle-aged to Elderly Men The Normative Aging Study

Levels of lead in bone serve as a dosimeter for cumulative exposure to lead; moreover, lead in bone may serve as an internal source of circulating lead many years after environmental exposure has ceased. The authors measured lead in blood and used a K-x-ray fluorescence instrument to measure lead in the tibia (cortical) and patella (trabecular) bones in a cross-sectional survey of 719 middle-aged to elderly male participants in the Normative Aging Study who were without unusual occupational exposures to lead and who were healthy when enrolled in 1962-1965. Blood lead levels ranged from < 1 to 27.9 micrograms/dl, with a geometric mean of 5.7 micrograms/dl. Tibia and patella lead level ranges (geometric means) were < 1-51 (20.8) micrograms/g and 3-77 (29.8) micrograms/g, respectively. In backwards elimination multivariate regression models that considered age, race, education, retirement status, measures of both current and cumulative smoking, and alcohol consumption, the factors that remained significantly related to higher levels of both tibia and patella lead were higher age and measures of cumulative smoking, and lower levels of education. In the final model predicting blood lead that began with these same covariates and also included tibia and patella lead, the factor that accounted for the dominant portion of the variance in blood lead was patella lead. After adjustment for measurement error, a rise in patella lead from the median of the lowest to the median of the highest quintiles (13-56 micrograms/g) corresponded to a rise in blood lead of 4.3 micrograms/dl. The authors conclude that bone lead levels are substantial and comprise the major source of circulating lead in these men.
A novel model for reverberant signals; robust maximum likelihood localization of real signals based on a sub-Gaussian model

We present a novel model for signals encountered in reverberant environments using the sub-Gaussian distribution that can describe both the impulsive nature of the signals and their inter-dependence. The proposed system can be viewed as one where the sources are stochastic and Gaussian and the transfer medium is varying in a highly impulsive manner, introducing the sub-Gaussian nature at the receiver or alternatively, the impulsive transformation to the signals can be viewed as part of the source model, creating a multivariate source signal whose components can not be independent, and is of impulsiveness equal to the one of the Cauchy distribution. We formulate the separable maximum likelihood solution to an array signal processing problem based on a derived sub-Gaussian density. We proceed to give both simulations and experimental results of the validity of the algorithm. In the experiments sound signals are played from loudspeakers in a room and localized with a microphone array and it is demonstrated that the localization based on the sub-Gaussian moded significantly outperforms the one based on the traditional Gaussian model.
Considering the Context and Texts for Fluency: Performance, Readers Theater, and Poetry.

This article describes the importance of teaching reading fluency and all of its components, including automaticity and prosody. The authors explain how teachers can create a context for reading fluency instruction by engaging students in reading performance activities. To support the instructional contexts, the authors suggest particular text-types that are well-suited for reading fluency activities.
Femtosecond concerted elimination of halogen molecules from halogenated alkanes

The concerted dynamics involved in the molecular detachment of halogenated alkanes, i.e., CX2YZ→CX2+YZ (where X=H, F or Cl and Y, Z=I, Br or Cl) have been studied by femtosecond pump–probe spectroscopy. Particular emphasis has been placed on exploring the role of symmetry in the parent molecule. For experiments carried out on CH2ICl, product fluorescence was observed in two regions of the spectrum: at 430 nm, corresponding to the D′→A′ transition, and at 340 nm, attributed to the G→A transition. Differences in the dissociation time for the two pathways can be understood by considering the energy available for fragment recoil. The elimination process was found to be slower for methylene bromide than for methylene iodide, possibly because of the difference in the enthalpy of reaction. When three gem-dibromo compounds (Y, Z=Br, X=H, F or Cl) were compared, they were found to have significantly different dissociation times: 29.7 fs for the fluorinated species, 58.6 fs for the hydrogenated species, and 80.6 fs for the chlorinated species. The difference in the transition state lifetime between the hydrogenated and chlorinated species can be rationalized in terms of changes in the reduced mass, the thermodynamics of the reactions, and the energy partitioning. The fluorinated compound was found to dissociate much faster than predicted by thermodynamic and reduced mass arguments.
Comparison of the effects of arecoline and muscarine on the central nervous system

Muscarine and arecoline evoke an activating response of the EEG ofence´phale isole´ preparations of cats. Dose response curves were obtained by integration of the parameters of the electroencephalogram (EEG), frequency (F) and voltage (V), with respect to time. The threshold doses of muscarine (0·01 μg/kg, i.v.) and arecoline (1 μg/kg, i.v.) also evoked peripheral parasympathetic effects. Atropine methylnitrate in a dose of 0·2 mg/kg increased the threshold dose of muscarine for evoking the activating response by one hundred times. In doses of 2 mg/kg, it abolished the response to muscaline completely. Atropine methylnitrate elevated only moderately the threshold for the arecoline-induced activation response. Furthermore, arecoline in doses of 1 mg/kg still evoked an activating response in preparations pretreated with atropine methylnitrate (4 mg/kg) or atropine (2 mg/kg) whereas muscarine in the largest dose (0·1 mg/kg), failed to do so. The findings are interpreted as evidence that the EEG activating response may be evoked by stimulating “muscarine” synapses and, after blockade of these synapss by belladonna alkaloids, also by stimulating “nicotine” synapses in the central nervous system.
The association between cervical dysplasia, a short cervix, and preterm birth

Objective We sought to determine whether cervical dysplasia in the absence of an excisional procedure is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (PTB) and whether that risk is independent of the presence of a short cervix. Study Design This is a cohort study including women with a singleton pregnancy who underwent routine cervical length assessment between 18-23 6/7 weeks of gestation, stratified by cervical dysplasia (ie, no prior dysplasia, prior dysplasia but no excisional procedure, or prior excisional procedure). The frequency of a short cervix (≤2.5 cm) and PTB were compared between groups and multivariable analyses were performed to identify whether: (1) dysplasia alone or a prior excisional procedure was associated with PTB; and (2) whether these factors remained independently associated with PTB after adjusting for the presence of a short cervix. Results Of the 18,528 women who met inclusion criteria, 3023 (16.3%) had prior dysplasia alone and 1356 (7.3%) had a prior excisional procedure. The frequency of a short cervix for women without dysplasia, with prior dysplasia alone, or with a prior excisional procedure was 0.8%, 1.0%, and 2.2%, respectively ( P P Conclusion Having a prior cervical excisional procedure but not dysplasia alone is associated with an increased risk of PTB. This association is independent of the presence of a short cervix.
Reproducibility of reported nutrient intake and supplement use during a past pregnancy: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Summary Maternal nutrition and diet have been suggested to play a role in many conditions of her offspring. Studies using food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) have reported associations with maternal diet, but these findings are difficult to interpret because the reliability and validity of the FFQs for diet during a past pregnancy are not known. We determined the reproducibility of reported diet and supplement use during a past pregnancy in a subset of mothers interviewed for a case-control study of maternal diet in relation to risk of childhood brain tumors. Cases were Children’s Oncology Group patients, diagnosed at age <6 with medulloblastoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor from 1991–1997. Area code, race/ethnicity, and birth date matched controls were selected by random-digit-dialing. Case and control mothers completed a modified Willett FFQ a mean of five years after the index child’s birth. A mean of 3.6 months later, a subset of mothers consisting of 52 case and 51 control mothers repeated the interview and comprise the reproducibility study population. The mean intra class correlation (ICC) was 0.59 (range 0.41, 0.69) for energy- adjusted nutrients from dietary sources only; it was 0.41 (range −0.06, 0.70) when supplements were included. Agreement for reporting multivitamin use during pregnancy by time period and pattern was good to very good (kappa= 0.66 to 0.85). Overall, the reproducibility of nutrient estimates and supplement use in pregnancy was good and similar to that reported for adult diet.
Buprenorphine treatment of pregnant opioid-dependent women: Maternal and neonatal outcomes

This open-label prospective study examined maternal and neonatal safety and efficacy outcome measures during and following prenatal buprenorphine exposure. Three opioid-dependent pregnant women received 8 or 12 mg sublingual buprenorphine tablets daily for 15-16 weeks prior to delivery. Results showed that buprenorphine in combination with comprehensive prenatal care was safe and effective in these women. Prenatal exposure to buprenorphine resulted in normal birth outcomes, a mean of 4.33 days (minimum possible=4) hospitalization, and a 'relatively mild' neonatal abstinence syndrome comprised primarily of tremors (disturbed), hyperactive moro and shortened sleep after feeding. The infants required no pharmacological treatment. Onset of neonatal abstinence signs occurred within the first 12 h after birth, peaked by 72 h and returned to below pre-12 h levels by 120 h. It is concluded that buprenorphine has potential utility for the treatment of pregnant opioid-dependent women.
Engineering of self-assembled nanoparticle platform for precisely controlled combination drug therapy

The genomic revolution has identified therapeutic targets for a plethora of diseases, creating a need to develop robust technologies for combination drug therapy. In the present work, we describe a self-assembled polymeric nanoparticle (NP) platform to target and control precisely the codelivery of drugs with varying physicochemical properties to cancer cells. As proof of concept, we codelivered cisplatin and docetaxel (Dtxl) to prostate cancer cells with synergistic cytotoxicity. A polylactide (PLA) derivative with pendant hydroxyl groups was prepared and conjugated to a platinum(IV) [Pt(IV)] prodrug, c,t,c-[Pt(NH3)2(O2CCH2CH2COOH)(OH)Cl2] [PLA-Pt(IV)]. A blend of PLA-Pt(IV) functionalized polymer and carboxyl-terminated poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer in the presence or absence of Dtxl, was converted, in microfluidic channels, to NPs with a diameter of ∼100 nm. This process resulted in excellent encapsulation efficiency (EE) and high loading of both hydrophilic platinum prodrug and hydrophobic Dtxl with reproducible EEs and loadings. The surface of the NPs was derivatized with the A10 aptamer, which binds to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) on prostate cancer cells. These NPs undergo controlled release of both drugs over a period of 48–72 h. Targeted NPs were internalized by the PSMA-expressing LNCaP cells via endocytosis, and formation of cisplatin 1,2-d(GpG) intrastrand cross-links on nuclear DNA was verified. In vitro toxicities demonstrated superiority of the targeted dual-drug combination NPs over NPs with single drug or nontargeted NPs. This work reveals the potential of a single, programmable nanoparticle to blend and deliver a combination of drugs for cancer treatment.
A2B Adenosine Receptor Blockade Enhances Macrophage-Mediated Bacterial Phagocytosis and Improves Polymicrobial Sepsis Survival in Mice

Antimicrobial treatment strategies must improve to reduce the high mortality rates in septic patients. In noninfectious models of acute inflammation, activation of A2B adenosine receptors (A2BR) in extracellular adenosine-rich microenvironments causes immunosuppression. We examined A2BR in antibacterial responses in the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model of sepsis. Antagonism of A2BR significantly increased survival, enhanced bacterial phagocytosis, and decreased IL-6 and MIP-2 (a CXC chemokine) levels after CLP in outbred (ICR/CD-1) mice. During the CLP-induced septic response in A2BR knockout mice, hemodynamic parameters were improved compared with wild-type mice in addition to better survival and decreased plasma IL-6 levels. A2BR deficiency resulted in a dramatic 4-log reduction in peritoneal bacteria. The mechanism of these improvements was due to enhanced macrophage phagocytic activity without augmenting neutrophil phagocytosis of bacteria. Following ex vivo LPS stimulation, septic macrophages from A2BR knockout mice had increased IL-6 and TNF-α secretion compared with wild-type mice. A therapeutic intervention with A2BR blockade was studied by using a plasma biomarker to direct therapy to those mice predicted to die. Pharmacological blockade of A2BR even 32 h after the onset of sepsis increased survival by 65% in those mice predicted to die. Thus, even the late treatment with an A2BR antagonist significantly improved survival of mice (ICR/CD-1) that were otherwise determined to die according to plasma IL-6 levels. Our findings of enhanced bacterial clearance and host survival suggest that antagonism of A2BRs offers a therapeutic target to improve macrophage function in a late treatment protocol that improves sepsis survival.
Bugging the intestinal response to radiation

A n article by Crawford and Gordon (1) in a recent issue of PNAS describes a new relationship between the gut microbial flora and the host that has importance for understanding how radiation damage is processed by the small intestine. Trillions of diverse microbes colonize the intestine that provide essential functions for host survival (2). In addition to digestion, the gut microbia regulate caloric storage, metabolize xenobiotics, modify the immune system, and regulate postnatal gut development including a network of capillaries in the mesenchyme of the small intestinal villi (3-8). Understanding of the microbehost relationship has been increased by studies on germ-free (GF) mice compared with animals that acquire a microbiota from birth [conventionally raised (CONV-R)] or are initially germ-free and then colonized at various stages of postnatal development or during adult-hood with microflora from CONV-R donors (designated as CONV-D, or “conventionalized”) (3, 5). Crawford and Gordon apply these models to investigate whether the intestinal flora modifies the tissue response of the small bowel to ionizing radiation (IR). IR has been used in cancer therapy for >100 years. Approximately 50% of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy. However, radiation therapy is limited by effects of IR on normal tissues as well as the resistance of tumors to this treatment. Radiation effects on the small intestine limit potentially curative radiation doses from being delivered in whole-abdomen radiotherapy for ovarian cancer and also limit the target volume and dose that can be delivered for other abdominal malignancies such as pancreatic, stomach, and colon cancer (9). The authors initially studied whether GF mice were more resistant to death from radiation-induced small intestine damage compared with CONV-R controls. Total body radiation was delivered, and bone marrow transplantation was necessary to ensure that the effects of a gastrointestinal death dominated in the …