cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modulation of the effect of endothelin-3 on blood pressure by atrial natriuretic peptide in conscious spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive (WKY) rats.

Endothelin (ET) exerts direct vasoconstrictory effects and stimulates release of vasoactive substances. It has been demonstrated that ET stimulates the release of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) both under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The present study aimed at elucidating whether the cardiovascular effects of endothelin-3 (ET-3) in normotensive (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats are modulated by ANP. The experiments were performed on 17 conscious WKY and 17 SHR rats. The effects of i.v. administration of 1 μg of ET-3 on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were investigated under control conditions and during ANP infusion (0.3 μg/kg/min). In both strains ET-3 elicited a transient significant hypotensive effect followed by an increase in BP. BP fall was significantly greater and pressor effect significantly smaller in SHR than in WKY. In WKY, but not in SHR rats, both hypotensive and pressor phases were significantly attenuated during ANP administration. The results are evidence of di...
Impaired contractile reserve in severe mitral valve regurgitation with a preserved ejection fraction

Background Impaired contractile reserve in chronic MR results from load-independent, myocyte contractile abnormalities. Aims Investigate the mechanisms of contractile dysfunction in chronic mitral valve regurgitation (MR). Methods Mild MR was produced in eight dogs followed by pacing induced left ventricular (LV) dilatation over eight months. In-vivo LV dP/dt was measured at several pacing rates. Contractile function was measured in isolated LV trabeculae and myocytes at several stimulation rates and during changes in extracellular [Ca2+]. Identical studies were performed with six control dogs. Results Chronic MR resulted in a preserved ejection fraction with decreased dP/dt (p<0.01). LV trabeculae demonstrated significantly lower developed force and a negative force–frequency relation with chronic MR (p<0.05). Myocytes exhibited a negative shortening-frequency relationship in both groups with a greater decline with chronic MR (p<0.001) paralleled by decreases in peak [Ca2+]i transients. Increases in extracellular [Ca2+] abrogated the defects in force generation in trabeculae from animals with chronic MR. Conclusion Even with a preserved EF, chronic severe MR results in a significant reduction in intrinsic contractile function and reserve. Functional impairment was load-independent reflecting a predominant defect in calcium cycling rather than impaired peak force generating capacity due to myofibrillar attenuation.
Free operant conditioning of the human eyelid response

A yoked control double blind procedure was employed to demonstrate the free operant conditioning of the human eyelid response with reward. A high rate of conditioning was obtained for experimental Ss when compared to their initial operant level and/or the yoked controls. A statistically reliable conditioning effect was obtained even when the analysis included only those Ss unable to verbalize the response reward contingency relationship (“unaware Ss”).
Characterization of inositol phosphorylceramides from Leishmania major by tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization.

We describe tandem mass spectrometric approaches, including multiple stage ion-trap and source collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (ESI) to characterize inositol phosphorylceramide (IPC) species seen as [M − H]− and [M − 2H + Li]− ions in the negative-ion mode as well as [M + H]+, [M + Li]+, and [M − H + 2Li]+ ions in the positive-ion mode. Following CAD in an ion-trap or a triple-stage quadrupole instrument, the [M − H]− ions of IPC yielded fragment ions reflecting only the inositol and the fatty acyl substituent of the molecule. In contrast, the mass spectra from MS3 of [M − H − Inositol]− ions contained abundant ions that are readily applicable for assignment of the fatty acid and long-chain base (LCB) moieties. Both the product-ion spectra from MS2 and MS3 of the [M − 2H + Alk]−, [M + H]+, [M + Alk]+, and [M − H + 2Alk]+ ions also contained rich fragment ions informative for unambiguous assignment of the fatty acyl substituent and the LCB. However, the sensitivity of the ions observed in the forms of [M − 2H + Alk]−, [M + H]+, [M + Alk]+, and [M − H + 2Alk]+ (Alk = Li, Na) is nearly 10 times less than that observed in the [M − H]− form. In addition to the major fragmentation pathways leading to elimination of the inositol or inositol monophosphate moiety, several structurally informative ions resulting from rearrangement processes were observed. The fragmentation processes are similar to those previously reported for ceramides. While the tandem mass spectrometric approach using MSn (n = 2, 3) permits the structures of the Leishmania major IPCs consisting of two isomeric structures to be unveiled in detail, tandem mass spectra from constant neutral loss scans may provide a simple method for detecting IPC in mixtures.
Radiation Hardness of LSI/VLSI Fabrication Processes

Candidate large-scale and very large scale integrated (LSI/VLSI) circuit fabrication processes have been partitioned, and representative MOS capacitors irradiation-bias stressed and characterized. Laser annealing for implantation activation of polysilicon films has been found to provide MOS devices with greater radiation-hardness than those which are furnace annealed. Pre-gate processes (those processes performed before the deposition of the gate-electrode, which is either aluminum or polysilicon) involving ionizing radiation, such as X-ray lithography, cause increased MOS irradiation-bias sensitivities, even though post-fabrication, pre-irradiation characteristics reveal no differences from standard, non-radiative processing. These deleterious effects can be eliminated when both high temperature (800°C) pre-gate annealing and aluminum sintering (450°C) operations are performed. Since the aluminum sintering operation releases atomic hydrogen into the gate oxide, reducing the radiation damage, other oxide hydrogenation techniques may prove beneficial for those cases where aluminum is not available, such as in polysilicon gate structures.
Transfection of the sodium/glucose cotransporter into colon mucosa: A novel treatment for short bowel syndrome

Abstract Background/Purpose: Short bowel syndrome results from small intestine loss but frequently is associated with survival of the colon. This study was designed to determine if colonic mucosa could be induced to absorb galactose by tranfection of the sodium glucose cotransporter, SGLT-1 into a colonic segment. Methods: Using 10 rats, a 7-cm segment of colon was infused for 1 hour with a solution containing 50 μg/mL of a plasmid with or without an SGLT-1 insert. An 80% small bowel resection was performed, and the segment was interposed into the small bowel. On the third day [ 14 C] galactose absorption was measured. Mucosal RNA was extracted, and relative band intensities were measured using primers for SGLT-1. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student's t test and expressed as mean ± SEM. Results: Rats transfected with the SGLT-1 plasmid showed a significant increase (194%) in galactose absorption compared with controls. Transfected animals also showed high levels of of SGLT-1 transcription when compared with controls (792% increase). Conclusions: These data show that in vivo exposure of colon mucosa to a plasmid containing SGLT-1 allows transfer of that gene into enterocytes. Expression of SGLT-1 can create an absorptive segment that may in part alleviate the malabsorption associated with short bowel syndrome. J Pediatr Surg 37:1076-1080. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
CrowdForge: crowdsourcing complex work

Micro-task markets such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk represent a new paradigm for accomplishing work, in which employers can tap into a large population of workers around the globe to accomplish tasks in a fraction of the time and money of more traditional methods. However, such markets have been primarily used for simple, independent tasks, such as labeling an image or judging the relevance of a search result. Here we present a general purpose framework for accomplishing complex and interdependent tasks using micro-task markets. We describe our framework, a web-based prototype, and case studies on article writing, decision making, and science journalism that demonstrate the benefits and limitations of the approach.
Temporal necessity and the conditional

In [12] Richmond Thomason and Anil Gupta investigate a semantics for conditional logic that combines the ideas of [8] and [9] with a branching time model of tense logic. The resulting branching time semantics for the conditional is intended to capture the logical relationship between temporal necessity and the conditional. The central principle of this logical relationship is Past Predominance, according to which past similarities and differences take priority over future similarities and differences in determining the comparative similarity of alternative possible histories with respect to a given present moment.
Grain size effects on the compressibility and yield strength of copper

Abstract A comparative investigation on mechanical properties of micro- and nano-sized polycrystalline copper (Cu) under high pressure and temperature (high P–T ) up to 9.1 GPa and 1150 K has been conducted in a single experimental run using in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction integrated with the high pressure technique. We derived the bulk moduli for both samples from the least-squares fitting of measured pressure-volume ( P–V ) data by a second-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (EOS). The results reveal that in the present study grain sizes negligibly affect the compressibility of Cu. Furthermore, we investigated the deformation of samples under high P–T conditions. At high pressure and room temperature, both local/micro and bulk/macro yielding points are observed in the elastic stage of nano-sized Cu. By contrast, micro-sized Cu demonstrates only a bulk yielding point over its entire elastic regime. At high temperature and fixed pressure, both samples exhibit stress relaxation, grain growth, and finally reach an identical status. Based on the peak-width analysis of diffraction profiles and subsequent graphic derivation, the yield strengths are determined to be 0.17±0.05 GPa and 0.75±0.07 GPa for micro- and nano-sized grains, respectively, which indicates a substantial enhancement of yield strength in Cu by nanocrystals.
Dipole radiation in the presence of a rough surface. Conversion of a surface-polariton field into radiation

The characteristics of the radiation produced by a dipole, located near the rough surface of a material medium, are examined. The field distribution is calculated at any point outside the medium for arbitrary orientation of the dipole moment, so that one may obtain the electromagnetic Green's function in the presence of surface roughness. The medium can have either local or a nonlocal dielectric function and the results are valid to first order in roughness. The surface roughness converts the surface polariton field, created even in the absence of roughness, into radiation and thus leads to well-defined resonances in the farfield radiation pattern. Numerical results for the case of metallic as well as dielectric gratings are given. The effect of the nonlocality of the dielectric function on the resonances in the radiation is shown to be significant in certain cases. For metallic gratings the dominant effect of the nonlocality is to shift the position of the angular resonances.
Effects of modified atmospheres and refrigeration temperatures on survival of eggs and larvae of the caribbean fruit fly (Diptera : Tephritidae) in laboratory diet

Caribbean fruit fly Anastrepha suspense (Loew) eggs and larvae in laboratory diet were exposed to combinations of 2, 10, or 20% oxygen (O2) and 20, 50, or 80% carbon dioxide (CO2) at 15.6 or 10°C for 3, 5, 7, or 10 d. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that, within the limits of this experiment, mortality did not vary with O2 concentration and was only slightly influenced by temperature. Insect response varied directly with CO2 concentration and time of exposure. The regression equation was used to compute the combinations of exposure time and CO2 level that would produce 100% mortality at two temperatures.
A model for predicting heat transfer through noninsulated unloaded steel-stud gypsum board wall assemblies exposed to fire

With the advent of performance-based codes and performance-based fire safety design options, validated fire-resistance models have become essential. In this paper, a one-dimensional heat transfer model for steel-stud, noninsulated, unloaded gypsum board protected wall assemblies is presented. Also presented are a comparison between temperature predictions and measured temperatures at different locations in gypsum board wall assemblies as well as a comparison between the predicted and measured fire-resistance ratings. The model, which predicts slightly conservative fire-resistance ratings compared to the experimental measurements, is appropriate for most fire safety engineering applications. Considerations for further model development are identified.
Photocrosslinking the polystyrene core of block-copolymer nanoparticles

The crosslinking of the core of nanoparticles composed of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers can be achieved through encapsulation of a small molecule aryl diazide, 4,4′-diazidobiphenyl, and subsequent photolysis. The core-crosslinked nanoparticles exhibited high stability under thermal challenge. These stabilized nanoparticles have potential to serve as a nanobead for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We also demonstrated that this crosslinker can endow thin films of polystyrene with solvent resistance. NMR studies on these films provided evidence that crosslinking was occurring viainsertion of the nitrene formed by photolysis of the azide into the methylene or methine groups in the backbone of polystyrene.
Determination of lifetime and surface recombination velocity of p-n junction solar cells and diodes by observing transients

The unified view of transient methods for the determination of recombination lifetime τ and back surface recombination velocity S presented here for silicon solar cells and diodes attempts to define limitations of existing methods and to evolve improvements. The presence of sizable junction capacitance for silicon devices under forward voltage invalidates the use of conventional open-circuit voltage decay (OCVD) and reverse recovery. This led Green to his method of compensated open-circuit voltage decay, in which the addition of an external resistor shunting the solar cell partially corrects for the presence of the junction capacitance. Setting this resistance to zero produces an electrical short-circuit current-decay method, Which has the advantage of enabling determination of both τ and S. In an alternate approach, one may insert the functional dependence of the junction capacitance on forward voltage. This new method, denoted by the acronym OCVDCAP, enables the determination of τ with apparently greater accuracy than that obtained by previous methods utilizing voltage transients. But OCVDCAP has in common with the previous methods that it determines τ only and has practical Utility only for determining τ of long-base devices. This means that it is useful only for thick base regions. In principle, however, it has an advantage over short-circuit current decay: it requires only pressure contacts, not ohmic contacts, and therefore may be used to determine τ after key processing steps in manufacturing.
Sensory Ratings of Commercial Plain Yogurts by Consumer and Descriptive Panels

Abstract Ten trained panelists rated the intensity of sensory descriptors from 17 commercial plain yogurts, and 153 consumer panelists who consumed plain yogurt at least once a month evaluated the same yogurts for acceptance. Consumer responses were correlated with attribute ratings, and consumer responses and trained panel ratings were correlated with analytical measurements. There was a wide range in consumer hedonic ratings for all sensory factors with significant differences found for appearance and sweetness liking. Consumers found the vast majority of samples too sour and not sweet enough. Hedonic ratings for sweetness, sourness, appearance, and texture liking were positively correlated with overall liking. Samples rated highest in overall liking had sourness ratings closest to just right on the "just right" scale. Consumers responses for hedonic and just right factors differed by sex of respondent. Ratings for all descriptors by the descriptive panel were significantly different. Sourness, with high intensity ratings, was most important in describing plain yogurt. Samples rated most favorably by consumers had lower intensity ratings for overall intensity, sourness, acetaldehyde, saltiness, and astringency and higher intensity ratings for sweetness, milkiness, and cooked milk. Titratable acidity and pH were correlated with many trained panel descriptors important to consumer acceptability. Better control of pH by yogurt processors would result in more favorable sourness levels, which should increase consumer acceptability.
Manganese potentiates nitric oxide production by microglia.

Manganese toxicity has been associated with clinical symptoms of neurotoxicity which are similar to the symptoms observed in Parkinson's disease. Earlier reports indicated that reactive microglia was present in the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson's disease. Using N9 microglial cells, the current study was designed to determine whether high levels of manganese were associated with microglial activation. Results indicated that manganese significantly increased the bacterial lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production. This potent activity of manganese was not shared by other transition metals tested, including iron, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis indicated that manganese increased the cellular production of inducible nitric oxide synthase. Northern blot analysis indicated that manganese likely increased iNOS gene transcription since this agent increased the mRNA level of the inducible nitric oxide synthase. In contrast to other transition metals tested, manganese did not appear to be cytotoxic to microglial cells. These results suggested that manganese could induce sustained production of neurotoxic nitric oxide by activated microglial cells, which might cause detrimental consequences to surrounding neurons.
Growth of the IUCF Control System

The IUCF control system has grown steadily during the first two years of operation. All RF devices and power supplies are almost entirely under computer control so that cyclotron operation is approaching a one man/one chair state. A variety of different areas have seen active development:from sophisticated magnetic field controls to transient suppression in logic power supplies. Analog and digital data isolation for the new 800 kV preinjector is provided by an optical fiber data transmission link utilizing a V/F-F/V conversion scheme. The wide range of beam currents used at IUCF necessitates the use of stable, reliable logarithmic amplifiers and a special antilog routine for the control computer which is both accurate and fast. Energy and particle changes are simplified by using programs to predict appropriate cyclotron operating parameters and to correctly scale older device settings for new beams. Finally, microprocessor systems are being developed to decrease the constantly growing responsibility of the heavily burdened control computer.
Bimetallic adhesive force at small separation

Abstract Metal films in intimate contact exert strong adhesive forces on each other. The force between metal films at zero separation is obtained first from the analytic expression of Heinrichs and Kumar (HK) and then from our earlier numerical calculations. The agreement is excellent. HK's reported large disagreement between forces computed by the two methods is incorrect.
Asymmetric Entrant Locaiton with a Discrete Consumer Distribution: Spatial Price Discrimination Versus Mill Pricing

In this paper I examine the profit-maximizing locations of entrants. Suppose that firms practice spatial price discrimination and consumer locations are discrete, such as five equally spaced towns on a roadway. With completely inelastic consumer demand an entrant between two existing firms is often indifferent between the symmetric (central) location and a continuum of asymmetric (noncentral) locations. However, downward-sloping consumer demand often causes the entrant to strictly prefer either of two asymmetriclocations to any other location. These results are very different from those found in mill-pricing (free-on-board or f.o.b.-pricing) models.
Evaluation of PTMSP membranes in achieving enhanced ethanol removal from fermentations by pervaporation

The use of membrane processes for the recovery of fermentation products has been gaining increased acceptance in recent years. Pervaporation has been studied in the past as a process for simultaneous fermentation and recovery of volatile products such as ethanol and butanol. However, membrane fouling and low permeate fluxes have imposed limitations on the effectiveness of the process. In this study, we characterize the performance of a substituted polyacetylene membrane, poly[(l-trimethylsilyl)-l-propyne] (PTMSP), in the recovery of ethanol from aqueous mixtures and fermentation broths. Pervaporation using PTMSP membranes shows a distinct advantage over conventional poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) membranes in ethanol removal. The flux with PTMSP is about threefold higher and the concentration factor is about twofold higher than the corresponding performance achieved with PDMS under similar conditions. The performance of PTMSP with fermentation broths shows a reduction in both flux and concentration factor relative to ethanol-water mixtures. However, the PTMSP membranes indicate initial promise of increased fouling resistance in operation with cell-containing fermentation broths.
The psychophysiology of bulimia

Abstract Two experiments investigating the anxiety model of bulimia and general psychopathology associated with bulimia were presented. The first study involved psychophysiological assessment of anxiety following the consumption of a test meal. The results provided some support for the anxiety model in that severe bulimics evidenced some physiological signs of anxiety. The second study assessed the general psychopathology of bulimia using the MMPI, SCL-90, BDI and a body image assessment. Results indicated that bulimics were generally more depressed, anxious and neurotic than obese and normal control subjects. Also a significant disturbance of body image was found for the bulimics.
Management of Acute Lung Injury: Sharing Data Between Adults and Children

As the basis for this paper, it must be acknowledged that children are not simply small adults. But this acknowledgment must go further: infants are not simply small adolescents. As data for pediatric mechanical ventilation, in general, and the management for pediatric acute lung injury, more specifically, are very limited, the pediatric critical care clinician must closely assess the available adult data and evaluate its application for infants and children. Given the hurdles in studying pediatric acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, clinicians involved with the care of critically ill infants and children are left with extrapolation of data from the neonatal and adult populations, reliance on the limited available pediatric data, careful assessment of the applicable physiologic and pathophysiologic principles, and/or reliance on their own experience and their colleagues' experience. Hopefully, with the collaboration of multicenter investigator networks, additional and definitive pediatric data may be on the horizon. In the meantime, sharing data between adult and pediatric populations seems to be an essential approach to the management of critically ill patients.
A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction.

Background: Although mindfulness meditation interventions have recently shown benefits for reducing stress in various populations, little is known about their relative efficacy compared with relaxation interventions.Purpose: This randomized controlled trial examines the effects of a 1-month mindfulness meditation versus somatic relaxation training as compared to a control group in 83 students (M age=25; 16 men and 67 women) reporting distress.Method: Psychological distress, positive states of mind, distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviors, and spiritual experience were measured, while controlling for social desirability.Results: Hierarchical linear modeling reveals that both meditation and relaxation groups experienced significant decreases in distress as well as increases in positive mood states over time, compared with the control group (p<.05 in all cases). There were no significant differences between meditation and relaxation on distress and positive mood states over time. Effect sizes for distress were large for both meditation and relaxation (Cohen’s d=1.36 and .91, respectively), whereas the meditation group showed a larger effect size for positive states of mind than relaxation (Cohen’s d=.71 and .25, respectively). The meditation group also demonstrated significant pre-post decreases in both distractive and ruminative thoughts/behaviors compared with the control group (p<.04 in all cases; Cohen’s d=.57 for rumination and .25 for distraction for the meditation group), with mediation models suggesting that mindfulness meditation’s effects on reducing distress were partially mediated by reducing rumination. No significant effects were found for spiritual experience.Conclusions: The data suggest that compared with a no-treatment control, brief training in mindfulness meditation or somatic relaxation reduces distress and improves positive mood states. However, mindfulness meditation may be specific in its ability to reduce distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviors, and this ability may provide a unique mechanism by which mindfulness meditation reduces distress.
Identification and characterization of UndAHRCR-6, an outer membrane endecaheme c-type cytochrome of Shewanella sp. strain HRCR-6.

UndAHRCR-6 was identified from the metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella sp. strain HRCR-6. Both in vivo and in vitro characterization results indicate that UndAHRCR-6 is an outer membrane endecaheme c-type cytochrome and probably has a key functional role in the extracellular reduction of iron [Fe(III)] oxides and uranium [U(VI)] by Shewanella sp. HRCR-6.
New Open Access Option for JBO

The Journal of Biomedical Optics (JBO) has a new benefit for authors who support the journal through payment of voluntary page charges. Starting in January 2013, research articles for which such page charges are paid will gain open access immediately at publication. All review and tutorial articles will continue to enjoy unconditional open access. Open access will enable anyone to read your article online at no charge and should lead to more awareness of your research and may result in more citations. In addition, authors will retain copyright for open access articles through a Creative Commons attribution license (CC-BY "gold open access"; see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). This is the type of license that many employers and research-funding agencies prefer or require.
Coherent envelope detection for modulation filtering of speech

Modulation filtering, which has been previously described as several related approaches to achieve modification of speech temporal dynamics, is shown to be less effective than intended. In particular, past Hilbert envelope approaches generate distortion which spreads across frequency sub-bands and modulation rejection is far from the amount intended. The source of this distortion is analyzed and a solution, based upon coherent envelope detection in each sub-band is proposed. This coherent approach is shown to be substantially more effective than conventional incoherent approaches on speech samples.
Deeply Digital: Teaching and Learning

La gran promesa educativa de las tecnologias de educacion y comunicaciones esta generalmente desperdiciada en aplicaciones triviales como textos electronicos y video conferencias. Para distinguir entre unas aplicaciones tecnologicas optimas y otras triviales, un grupo de educadores ha empezado a usar el termino “Profundamente digital”. Materiales “Profundamente digitales” aprovechan las distintas maneras en que las tecnologias de la informacion pueden mejorar la educacion. Para proporcionar unos ejemplos especi􀊏cos, se demuestran dos herramientas de dibujo asistido por computador (CAD) que fortalecen el aprendizaje acerca de la transferencia de calor, el diseno bajo limitaciones y las propiedades de los 􀊐uidos. Estudiantes aprenden utilizando la herramienta y sus profesores pueden monitorear el aprendizaje. Las herramientas registran todas las acciones de los estudiantes y los registros (o logs) pueden ser analizados para proveer informacion detallada acerca del desarrollo de las habilidades y el pensamiento de cada estudiante. Aplicaciones como estas tienen el potencial de transformar la educacion en ingenieria
Effector CD4 cell tolerization is mediated through functional inactivation and involves preferential impairment of TNF-α and IFN-γ expression potentials

It has recently been shown that effector/memory T cells can undergo peripheral tolerization in response to self-antigen. In the present study, we found that within 24 h self-antigen profoundly impairs the ability of CD4 effectors to express TNF-α (and to a lesser extent IFN-γ); however, several days of self-antigen exposure is required to impair non-effector functions such as IL-2 expression and proliferation. Since only half of the initial effector CD4 cell population expresses effector cytokines following brief antigenic stimulation, tolerization might have been mediated either through functional inactivation of effector-competent cells, or alternatively by the selective deletion of competent and expansion of non-competent cells. When briefly stimulated effectors were fractionated based on their expression of IFN-γ, the IFN-γ− sub-population was able to express IFN-γ following secondary stimulation, indicating that all effector CD4 cells are functionally competent. Furthermore, both IFN-γ+ and IFN-γ− sub-populations underwent tolerization in response to self-HA (although the former was slightly more prone to deletion at later time points). Thus, effector CD4 cell tolerization is mediated primarily through the functional inactivation of effector-competent cells.
Long-term effects on cognitive function of postmenopausal hormone therapy prescribed to women aged 50 to 55 years

Importance Postmenopausal hormone therapy with conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs) may adversely affect older women’s cognitive function. It is not known whether this extends to younger women. Objective To test whether prescribing CEE-based hormone therapy to postmenopausal women aged 50 to 55 years has longer-term effects on cognitive function. Design Trained, masked staff assessed participants with an annual telephone-administered cognitive battery that included measures of global and domain-specific cognitive functions. Cognitive testing was conducted an average of 7.2 years after the trials ended, when women had a mean age of 67.2 years, and repeated 1 year later. Enrollment occurred from 1996 through 1999. Setting Forty academic research centers. Participants The study population comprised 1326 postmenopausal women, who had begun treatment in 2 randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials of hormone therapy when aged 50 to 55 years. Intervention The clinical trials in which the women had participated had compared 0.625 mg CEE with or without 2.5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate over a mean of 7.0 years. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was global cognitive function. Secondary outcomes were verbal memory, attention, executive function, verbal fluency, and working memory. Results Global cognitive function scores from women who had been assigned to CEE-based therapies were similar to those from women assigned to placebo: mean (95% CI) intervention effect of 0.02 (−0.08 to 0.12) standard deviation units ( P = .66). Similarly, no overall differences were found for any individual cognitive domain (all P > .15). Prespecified subgroup analyses found some evidence that CEE-based therapies may have adversely affected verbal fluency among women who had prior hysterectomy or prior use of hormone therapy: mean treatment effects of −0.17 (−0.33 to −0.02) and −0.25 (−0.42 to −0.08), respectively; however, this may be a chance finding. Conclusions and Relevance CEE-based therapies produced no overall sustained benefit or risk to cognitive function when administered to postmenopausal women aged 50 to 55 years. We are not able to address whether initiating hormone therapy during menopause and maintaining therapy until any symptoms are passed affects cognitive function, either in the short or longer term. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT01124773
Inhibitory Effect of Heparin on the Limulus Test for Endotoxin

Heparin can inhibit the Limulus test for endotoxin unless 0.05 M CaCl(2) and 0.154 M NaCl are added to the lysate.
Interstitial duplications of chromosome region 15q11q13: Clinical and molecular characterization

Duplications of chromosome region 15q11q13 often occur as a supernumerary chromosome 15. Less frequently they occur as interstitial duplications [dup(15)]. We describe the clinical and molecular characteristics of three patients with de novo dup(15). The patients, two males and one female (ages 3-21 years), had nonspecific findings that included autistic behavior, hypotonia, and variable degrees of mental retardation. The extent, orientation, and parental origin of the duplications were assessed by fluorescent in situ hybridization, microsatellite analyses, and methylation status at D15S63. Two patients had large direct duplications of 15q11q13 [dir dup(15)(q11q13)] that extended through the entire Angelman syndrome/Prader-Willi syndrome (AS/PWS) chromosomal region. Their proximal and distal breaks, at D15S541 or D15S9 and between D15S12 and D15S24, respectively, were comparable to those found in the common AS/PWS deletions. This suggests that duplications and deletions may be the reciprocal product of an unequal recombination event. These two duplications were maternally derived, but the origin of the chromatids involved in the unequal crossing over in meiosis differs. In one patient, the duplication originated from two different maternal chromosomes, while in the other patient it arose from the same maternal chromosome. The third patient had a much smaller duplication that involved only D15S11 and parental origin could not be determined. There was no obvious correlation between phenotype and extent of the duplication in these patients.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder among African Americans and blacks of Caribbean descent: results from the National Survey of American Life.

Background: There is limited research regarding the nature and prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among various racial and ethnic subpopulations within the United States, including African Americans and blacks of Caribbean descent. Although heterogeneity within the black population in the United States has largely been ignored, notable differences exist between blacks of Caribbean descent and African Americans with respect to ethnicity, national heritage, and living circumstances. This is the first comprehensive examination of OCD among African Americans and blacks of Caribbean descent. Methods: Data from the National Survey of American Life, a national household probability sample of African Americans and Caribbean blacks in the United States, were used to examine rates of OCD among these groups. Results: Lifetime and 12-month OCD prevalence estimates were very similar for African Americans and Caribbean blacks. Persistence of OCD and rates of co-occurring psychiatric disorders were very high and also similar between African American and Caribbean black respondents. Both groups had high levels of overall mental illness severity and functional impairment. Use of services was low for both groups, particularly in specialty mental health settings. Use of anti-obsessional medications was also rare, especially among the Caribbean black OCD population. Conclusions: OCD among African Americans and Caribbean blacks is very persistent, often accompanied by other psychiatric disorders, and is associated with high overall mental illness severity and functional impairment. It is also likely that very few blacks in the United States with OCD are receiving evidence-based treatment and thus considerable effort is needed to bring treatment to these groups. Depression and Anxiety, 2008. Published 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A determination of the physical characteristics of coal tar samples.

A study was made of the variation of physical characteristics of a number of coal tars, all of which conformed to U. S. P. specifications. These characteristics reflect variations in the amount of pitch present. Suggestions are presented for revision of the U. S. P. monograph on coal tar.
Pharmacogenetics of antidepressant drugs: current clinical practice and future directions

While antidepressants are widely used to treat mood and anxiety disorders, only half of the patients will respond to antidepressant treatment and only one-third of patients experience a full remission of symptoms. The identification of genetic biomarkers that predict antidepressant-treatment response can improve current clinical practice. This is an emerging field known as pharmacogenetics, which comprises of genetic studies on both the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of treatment response. Recent studies on antidepressant-treatment response have focused on both aspects of pharmacogenetics research, identifying new candidate genes that may predict better treatment response for patients. This paper reviews recent findings on the pharmacogenetics of antidepressant drugs and future clinical applications. Ultimately, these studies should lead to the use of genetic testing to guide the use of antidepressants in clinical practice.
Ultrastructure of adrenal glands in sodium-deficient pregnant rats.

The ultrastructure of the zona glomerulosa of the rat adrenal was studied in nonpregnant and pregnant animals receiving either adequate or restricted sodium intakes. Data on weight gain and food intake, hematocrit value and plasma sodium and potassium concentrations, histological observations, and the reproductive performance of pregnant animals were used in interpreting ultrastructural findings. Striking ultrastructural characteristics distinguished cells from the sodium-restricted pregnant animals from those of the other ex perimental groups. In particular, there were numerous lysosomes, autophagic vacuoles and cytoplasmic vacuoles devoid of cellular material. These pathologi cal cellular changes should be considered in evaluating the practice of prescrib ing sodium-restricted diets during normal human pregnancy. J. Nutr. 101: 1045-1056, 1971.
NSEU impact on commercial avionics

Neutron Single Event Upsets (NSEU) are known to have a significant impact on modern IC's used in typical ground applications. The impact is orders of magnitude more frequent and critical when IC's are used in avionics flying at 40,000 ft due to the higher atmospheric neutron flux and the potential for critical impact to human safety. As ICs become more sensitive and as systems use more bits, the systems become more sensitive. Avionics manufacturers use a variety of methods to manage the effects of NSEU, starting in design, through the product assessment process, and into the extended field life of products.
Variable Ramp Rate Breakdown Experiments and the Role of Metal Injection in Low- $k$ Dielectrics

Varying the voltage ramp rate during conventional I-V testing allows one to distinguish between metals that react with the surface of a dielectric or barrier (Al), metals that react and can be injected into the dielectric or barrier (Cu), and metals that behave as inert electrodes (Au). By performing experiments over a wide range of ramp rates, one can distinguish between intrinsic breakdown driven by energetic electrons and holes and breakdown that is catalyzed by injected metal ions. The magnitude of the slopes of the I-V traces indicates whether breakdown is in trinsic or catalyzed by metal injection. A mass transfer model de scribing the drift of copper ions through the dielectric was able to reproduce the broad features of the experimental data. Predictions of the model, including that the slope of the I-V curve should be steeper for metal ion injection, that the breakdown field strengths for all metallizations should converge at very high ramp rates, and that d(ln(tfail))/dR ≈ -1, were confirmed experimentally. Breakdown was shown to be controlled by processes occurring at the anode and differences in the breakdown field strength for the different metals appear to be related to the formation of an interfacial oxide layer between the metal and dielectric.
Memory and modularity in cell-fate decision making

Genetically identical cells sharing an environment can display markedly different phenotypes. It is often unclear how much of this variation derives from chance, external signals, or attempts by individual cells to exert autonomous phenotypic programs. By observing thousands of cells for hundreds of consecutive generations under constant conditions, we dissect the stochastic decision between a solitary, motile state and a chained, sessile state in Bacillus subtilis. The motile state is memoryless, exhibiting no autonomous control over the time spent in the state, whereas chaining is tightly timed. Timing enforces coordination among related cells in the multicellular state. Further, we show that the three-protein regulatory circuit governing the decision is modular, as initiation and maintenance of chaining are genetically separable functions. As stimulation of the same initiating pathway triggers biofilm formation, we argue that autonomous timing allows a trial commitment to multicellularity that external signals could extend.
Tunneling through multi-layer gate dielectrics - an analytical model

We propose an analytical direct-tunneling model for multilayer gate dielectrics. This model predicts the amount of gate leakage current as a function of equivalent oxide thickness of the gate dielectric stack and the composition of the stack. This simple model is a useful tool in the development of future CMOS gate dielectric stacks.
Experimental hydrodynamics of fish locomotion: functional insights from wake visualization.

Despite enormous progress during the last twenty years in understanding the mechanistic basis of aquatic animal propulsion-a task involving the construction of a substantial data base on patterns of fin and body kinematics and locomotor muscle function-there remains a key area in which biologists have little information: the relationship between propulsor activity and water movement in the wake. How is internal muscular force translated into external force exerted on the water? What is the pattern of fluid force production by different fish fins (e.g., pectoral, caudal, dorsal) and how does swimming force vary with speed and among species? These types of questions have received considerable attention in analyses of terrestrial locomotion where force output by limbs can be measured directly with force plates. But how can forces exerted by animals moving through fluid be measured? The advent of digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) has provided an experimental hydrodynamic approach for quantifying the locomotor forces of freely moving animals in fluids, and has resulted in significant new insights into the mechanisms of fish propulsion. In this paper we present ten "lessons learned" from the application of DPIV to problems of fish locomotion over the last five years. (1) Three-dimensional DPIV analysis is critical for reconstructing wake geometry. (2) DPIV analysis reveals the orientation of locomotor reaction forces. (3) DPIV analysis allows calculation of the magnitude of locomotor forces. (4) Swimming speed can have a major impact on wake structure. (5) DPIV can reveal interspecific differences in vortex wake morphology. (6) DPIV analysis can provide new insights into the limits to locomotor performance. (7) DPIV demonstrates the functional versatility of fish fins. (8) DPIV reveals hydrodynamic force partitioning among fins. (9) DPIV shows that wake interaction among fins may enhance thrust production. (10) Experimental hydrodynamic analysis can provide insight into the functional significance of evolutionary variation in fin design.
Performance Comparison Between Polycrystalline Thin‐film and Single‐crystal Solar Cells

Recent progress has increased the efficiency of poly crystalline thin-film solar cells to roughly two-thirds that of single-crystal cells of comparable bandgap. The largest remaining difference is the excessive forward recombination current, which is larger by a factor of 20 for the best CuInSe2-based cells, and by more than a factor of 100 for CdTe cells. Collection loss, related to diffusion length, is nearly as important for the CuInSe2-based cells. It is an open question how much additional reduction in these two tosses should he anticipated. However, other losses in thin-film cells due to window-layer absorption, reflection and grid coverage will almost certainly be reduced, so that efficiencies equal to 80% of crystalline counterparts should be a viable 5-year target.
Residual gas analysis hardware and software data acquisition system at NSTX

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is the first step in an investigation of the physics principles of low-aspect-ratio spherical tori (ST) designed to study non-inductive start-up, current sustainability, current profile control, confinement, transport, pressure limits, stability and disruption resilience, as well as unique scrape-off layer (SOL) and divertor characteristics. NSTX started plasma operations in February 1999. During the first extended period of experiments, plasma discharge reproducibility and performance were strongly affected by impurity control and wall conditions. During this time, residual gas analyzer (RGA) data has been used during non-operating periods and between discharges to measure contributions to the vessel base-pressure (2-3E/sup -8/ Torr) that resulted from impurity gases evolving from internal surfaces. The RGA is a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) with a Faraday Cup and electron multiplier. Recently, a second RGA system was installed to monitor fast changes in impurity gas production during and immediately after plasma discharges, which are indicative of changing conditions. In order to achieve the required response time, scan rates were increased by limiting the range of masses scanned. A data acquisition board was used to drive the new RGA system in concurrence with the NSTX shot cycle. Specialized interactive software to put acquired data into MDSplus, control data acquisition and assist in data analysis was written in Visual Basic and IDL.
Pensée 2: Egregious Abuses Warrant a Boycott

Recent calls to boycott Israel, including its academic institutions, have stimulated heated debate over the relationship between boycotts and academic freedom. Academic boycotts admittedly raise complex issues, as they typically trammel academic freedom to some degree. Nonetheless, I do not favor a blanket refusal to engage in them. Although applying a negative presumption, we should consider academic boycotts on a case-by-case basis.