cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraocular Pressure-denpendent Retinal Vascular Change in Adult Chronic Open-angle Glaucoma Patients

Abstract Intraocular pressure (IOP)-dependent retinal vascular changes were investigated in 33 eyes of 33 adult chronic open-angle glaucoma (COAG) patients by measuring major retinal vascular calibers at the optic disc border before and after mean (± standard deviation) IOP reduction from 35.3 (±7.2) to 16.5 (±4.7) mmHg for 11.2 (±13.5) weeks. Both mean arterial and venous calibers were significantly reduced ( P P = 0.503, P r = 0.555, P P = 0.636, P P = 0.205, P > 0.1). Age seems to be more influential than magnitude of IOP reduction in patients older than 55. Thus, diminished IOP-dependent retinal arterial caliber change in the elderly may be one factor contributing to the higher incidence and prevalence of glaucoma in this population.
Effects of bottom water warming and sea level rise on Holocene hydrate dissociation and mass wasting along the Norwegian-Barents Continental Margin

[1] Gas hydrate (GH) stability modeling results explain why some major Holocene submarine landslides along the Norwegian-Barents margin could have been triggered by GH dissociation during the early to middle Holocene, not during the lowest sea levels of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Our model results show that subbottom depths of 170-260 m below the pre-slide continental slope (ca. 350-475 m present water depth) must have passed out of gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) by 8.15 ka as the effect of warm bottom water inflow at 11 ka penetrated into the subbottom, overcoming the effects of pressure increase due to sea level rise (SLR). The component of local SLR due to the isostatic response to Fennoscandian deglaciation is shown to be relatively insignificant, particularly for the part of the upper continental slope where the slide probably began. The stability relations show that GH could have formed under the ice sheet before deglaciation, and below deeper shelf areas after sea levels began to rise, but before significant warming near the GHSZ base. To the extent water deeper than 800 m has remained cold (-1° to 0°C) since LGM times, the GHSZ continued to thicken in deep water and GH dissociation could not have triggered Holocene failure in that regime. The present distribution of GH stability is limited to water depths greater than about 400 m in the Storegga slide area, and the thickness of the GHSZ increases with water depth.
Diffraction regimes of transmission gratings

The diffraction characteristics of phase, absorption, and mixed transmission gratings of arbitrary thickness, modulation, and shape are treated. Single-wave, two-wave, and multiwave diffraction regimes are quantified and discussed. Boundaries between these regimes and their relationships to elementary “thin” and “thick” grating theories are presented.
Using the deadly μ-conotoxins as probes of voltage-gated sodium channels

μ-Conotoxins (μ-CTX) are potent Na channel inhibitory peptides isolated from the venom of the predatory marine snail Conus geographus. μ-CTXs exert their biological action by physically occluding the ion-conducting pore of voltage-gated Na (Nav) channels with a 1:1 stoichiometry in an all-or-none fashion. This article reviews our current knowledge of the mechanism of μ-CTX and the associated structural and functional insights into its molecular target—Nav channels.
Stellatron experiment at UC Irvine

The UCI (University of California Irvine) stellatron project started in 1984 as an extension of researches on a modified betatron. In addition to the purpose of proof ofprinciple a goal was set at accelerating a 1 kA heair to 10 NeV in a 41 cm najor radius and 4 cm n[nor radius torus. Formation of a 200 A beam and acceleration up to 4 MeV were dezionstrated using an electron injector. The current was increased by u''eans of plas startup. In this scherre plasniolds injected into the torus were confined in a rising stellarator field and a nultikA runaway current was induced by applying the hetatron field. As predicted theoretically two distinct types of instabilities created loss of electrons. One of their was the highnode orbital resonance that caused gradual decay and terwination of the current. The other was the negative ness instability which disrupted the beair at the early phase of accel eration. The loss due to the orbital ''Instability was suppressed by reducing the aziiruthal ripple of the toroidal ivagnetic field to less than 1 within the whole voluire of the torus. The abrupt loss due to the negative nss instability was replaced by a gradual one when the beam orbit was inintained close to the torus wall. TTder these conditions beams of over 1 kA and with a density of approximately 1 kA/cm'' were accelerated to several MeV© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Role of inverted buttoned device in transcatheter occlusion of atrial septal defects or patent foramen ovale with right-to-left shunting associated with previously operated complex congenital cardiac anomalies.

Feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of transcatheter occlusion of atrial septal defect (ASD) with the buttoned device has been demonstrated. Despite its effectiveness in occluding secundum ASD with left-to-right shunt and patent foramina ovalia, presumably responsible for paradoxic embolism, it has limitations in effectively occluding ASD with evident right-to-left shunts. Therefore, the device was modified so that the square-shaped occluder component of the device is on the right atrial side, the inverted buttoned device. This study determines the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of inverted buttoned device occlusion of atrial defects with right-to-left shunts. During a 17-month period ending August 1996, 12 patients, aged 1.6 to 39.0 years, underwent occlusion of residual ASD after repair of pulmonary atresia/stenosis with intact ventricular septum (n = 5), modified or fenestrated Fontan for tricuspid or pulmonary atresia (n = 5), and double-inlet left ventricle (n = 2). The systemic arterial oxygen saturation increased (p <0.001) from 82 ± 7% (range 72% to 90%) to 94 ± 3% (range 88% to 98%). There was no change in heart rate or cardiac index measured by Fick. Right atrial pressure increased by 1 to 4 mm in 5 of 12 patients (42%). There was trivial (n = 5) or no (n = 7) residual shunt by color Doppler study. Six- to 18-month (median 12) follow-up in all 12 patients revealed stable oxygen saturations (92 ± 3%) by pulse oximetry. Color Doppler studies revealed small (n = 1), trivial (n = 1), or no (n = 10) residual shunt at follow-up. Based on these data, it is concluded that transcatheter occlusion of ASD with right-to-left shunts with inverted buttoned device is feasible in relieving arterial hypoxemia. Further clinical trials in a larger number of patients and careful evaluation of follow-up results are indicated to examine its safety and longer term effectiveness.
Immunohistochemistry of the Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein: Basic and Applied Considerations

The immunohistochemical localization of glial fibrillary acidic protein has proven its utility in the histologic identification of benign astrocytes and neoplastic cells of glial lineage in the central nervous system. Its application in the developing nervous system has contributed significantly to following the histogenesis of neural tissue. Its identification in various forms of injury and neoplasia has helped in discovering the function of astrocytes in these processes. In diagnostic neuropathology, its greatest contribution has been in the elucidation of the cellular constituencies of neoplasms previously considered of enigmatic origin.
Inflammation in Atherosclerosis. Lesion Formation in LDL Receptor--Deficient Mice With Perforin and Lyst beige Mutations

Objective— Natural killer (NK) cells have been identified in human vascular pathologies. In this study, we identified NK cells in aortic root atherosclerotic lesions of low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor–deficient (LDLr−/−) mice. To characterize the role of NK cell–mediated cytolysis in atherosclerosis, we generated C57Bl/6 double-mutant mice by crossing LDLr−/− mice with NK cell–defective Lystbeige mice (creating beige,LDLr−/− mice) and with perforin-deficient mice (creating Pfp−/−,LDLr−/− mice). Methods and Results— Male mice (8 to 10 weeks old) were fed a high-fat diet to induce atherosclerosis. Compared with LDLr−/− mice, beige,LDLr−/− mice had impaired NK cell cytolytic activity and significantly increased atherosclerosis (P<0.05). Pfp−/−,LDLr−/− mice had impaired NK cell cytolytic activity, yet they had lesions that were similar to those of control mice. This suggested that NK cell cytolysis did not play a significant role in atherosclerosis and that the exacerbated atherosclerosis of the beige,...
The development of selective attention: holistic perception versus resource allocation.

Abstract In two experiments, a speeded sorting task was administered to children. In each sorting, the child was instructed to sort a deck of cards according to values on one dimension while the values of a second irrelevant dimension were held constant, were correlated, or were varied orthogonally. Experiment I evaluated developmental changes in perceived structure as compared with such changes in the control of attention. Different groups of kindergarten, 2d-, and 5th-grade children performed the task with spatially integrated vs spatially separated dimensions. The results indicate that with spatially integrated dimensions there is a trend from holistic to featural perception and an increase in attentional control with increasing age. Spatially separate dimensions are perceived dimensionally at all ages, but show a trend in attentional development. In Experiment 2, the spatially integrated dimensions of Experiment 1 were made separable by portraying different targets within a configuration in different colors. The theoretical implications of the results are discussed.
Activation of the Sap-1a Transcription Factor by the c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase

Ternary complex factors (TCFs) bind to the serum response element in the c-fos promoter and mediate its activation by many extracellular stimuli. Some of these stimuli activate the ERK subclass of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that target the TCF Sap-1a. We show that Sap-1a is also phosphorylated by the stress-activated JNK subclass of MAPKs leading to stimulation of both c-fos serum response element and E74-site-dependent transcription in RK13 cells. Several JNK-1 phosphorylation sites were mapped within Sap-1a, and mutation of these sites affected the transactivation mediated by Sap-1a and JNK-1. The impact of these phosphorylation sites varied at different promoters and was dependent on whether Sap-1a was stimulated by ERK-1 or JNK-1. Additionally, a comparison of Sap-1a with another TCF, Elk-1, revealed that these proteins behaved differently to stimulation by ERK-1 and JNK-1. Furthermore, activation of Sap-1a by JNK-1 was inhibited by the p38MAPK in RK13 cells, possibly by competition for a common upstream activator. Altogether, our data suggest that Sap-1a plays an important role in the nuclear response elicited by cellular stress.
Genetic basis of endocrine disease. 6. Molecular basis of familial human growth hormone deficiency

T HE GENE encoding GH-N (GHl) and those genes encoding chorionic somatomammotropin (CSH1,2) hormones reside in a 50,000 base-pair (50 kb) gene cluster on human chromosome 17 (Fig. 1) (1). The GH2 gene also resides in this cluster and encodes a protein (GH-V) that is expressed in the placenta rather than in the pituitary and differs from the primary sequence of GH-N by 13 amino acids. The CSH1,2 genes encode proteins of identical sequences, whereas the CSH pseudogene (CSHPl) encodes a protein differing by 13 amino acids and contains a mutation that should alter its pattern of messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing and thus the primary sequence of the resulting protein (1, 2). The extensive homology (92-98%) between the immediate flanking, intervening, and coding sequences of these 5 genes suggests that this multigene family arose through a series of gene duplication events (1, 3, 4). These duplications are thought to have arisen from successive unequal recombinations between Alu family repeats. This method of gene amplification is analogous to the Alu-Alu recombinations that cause deletions of the human @globin and low density lipoprotein receptor genes (5, 6). Expression of the GHl gene is controlled by cis and truns factors. The former include the CAT and TATA promoter components located 85 and 30 bp, respectively, upstream from the GHl gene’s origin of transcription. In addition, there are cis sequences that bind the Pit-I transacting factor. Thus, Pit-l factor binds to and activates the promoters of the GHl and PRL genes and also affects differentiation of thyrotropes (7). The frequency of GH deficiency is estimated to range from l/4,000-l/10,000 in various studies (8-11). Most cases are sporadic and are assumed to arise from cerebral insults or defects that include cerebral edema, chromosome anomalies, histiocytosis, infections, radiation, septo-optic dysplasia, trauma, or tumors affecting the hypothalamus or pituitary (1). Magnetic resonance exams detect hypothalamic or pituitary anomalies in about 12% of patients who have isolated GH deficiency (IGHD) (12).
Mercury cycling in the Allequash Creek watershed, northern Wisconsin

Although there have been recent significant gains in our understanding of mercury (Hg) cycling in aquatic environments, few studies have addressed Hg cycling on a watershed scale. In particular, attention to Hg species transfer between watershed components (upland soils, groundwater, wetlands, streams, and lakes) has been lacking. This study describes spatial and temporal distributions of total Hg and MeHg among watershed components of the Allequash Creek watershed (northern Wisconsin, USA). Substantial increases in total Hg and MeHg were observed as groundwater discharged through peat to form springs that flow into the stream, or rivulets that drain across the surface of the wetland. This increase was concomitant with increases in DOC. During fall, when the Allequash Creek wetland released a substantial amount of DOC to the stream, a 2– 3 fold increase in total Hg concentrations was observed along the entire length of the stream. Methylmercury, however, did not show a similar response. Substantial variability was observed in total Hg (0.9 to 6.3) and MeHg (<0.02 to 0.33) concentrations during synoptic surveys of the entire creek. For the Allequash Creek watershed, the contributing groundwater basin is about 50% larger than the topographic drainage basin. Total Hg concentrations in groundwater, the area of the groundwater basin, and annual stream flow data give a watershed-yield rate of 1.2 mg/km2/d, which equates to a retention rate of 96%. The calculated MeHg yield rate for the wetland area is 0.6 to 1.5 mg/km2/d, a value that is 3–6 fold greater than the atmospheric deposition rate.
“Sustainability” as a Dialogue of Values: Challenges to the Sociology of Development

Even in an increasingly polarized climate of global policy-making, the ideal of “sustainable development” retains currency across a remarkably broad swath of the political spectrum in debating alternative scenarios for the future. By adapting Weber's classic categories of value spheres and collective rationality, I distinguish contemporary approaches to operationalizing the concept of sustainability and elucidate the practical implications of each. For some, the social, ecological, and economic dimensions of sustainability are synergistic components of a single meaningful goal, pursued by either an overarching technique or a unifying ethic. In contrast to these unifying models, one may conclude that the dimensions of sustainable development invoke values that inevitably conflict in any complex social interaction to derive strategies for collective action. Framing the concept in such terms, as a dialogue of values, highlights the need to adapt social institutions to mediate value conflict at different scales, and points to opportunities for engaging development debates through applied research on comparative governance.
Allozyme variation in domesticated annual sunflower and its wild relatives

The annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a morphologically and genetically variable species composed of wild, weedy, and domesticated forms that are used for ornament, oilseed, and edible seeds. In this study, we evaluated genetic variation in 146 germplasm accessions of wild and domesticated sunflowers using allozyme analysis. Results from this survey showed that wild sunflower exhibits geographically structured genetic variation, as samples from the Great Plains region of the central United States were genetically divergent from accessions from California and the southwestern United States. Sunflower populations from the Great Plains harbored greater allelic diversity than did wild sunflower from the western United States. Comparison of genetic variability in wild and domesticated sunflower by principal coordinate analysis showed these groups to be genetically divergent, in large part due to differences in the frequency of common alleles. Neighbor-Joining analyses of domesticated H. annuus, wild H. annuus and two closely related wild species (H. argophyllus T. & G. and H. petiolaris Nutt.) showed that domesticated sunflowers form a genetically coherent group and that wild sunflowers from the Great Plains may include the most likely progenitor of domesticated sunflowers.
The selective androgen receptor modulator GTx-024 (enobosarm) improves lean body mass and physical function in healthy elderly men and postmenopausal women: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial

Background Cachexia, also known as muscle wasting, is a complex metabolic condition characterized by loss of skeletal muscle and a decline in physical function. Muscle wasting is associated with cancer, sarcopenia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, end-stage renal disease, and other chronic conditions and results in significant morbidity and mortality. GTx-024 (enobosarm) is a nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that has tissue-selective anabolic effects in muscle and bone, while sparing other androgenic tissue related to hair growth in women and prostate effects in men. GTx-024 has demonstrated promising pharmacologic effects in preclinical studies and favorable safety and pharmacokinetic profiles in phase I investigation.
Processing local signals into global patterns

Perceptual organization or grouping is one of the central issues in vision research. Recent reports in the neuroimaging literature suggest that perceptual organization is mediated by distributed visual areas that range from the primary visual cortex (V1) to higher visual areas, depending on the availability of grouping cues and on the weight of contribution of each visual area. Evidence suggests that grouping by proximity and collinearity, and also perhaps filling-in, involve V1, whereas grouping by similarity and symmetry seems to depend on activation of higher visual areas. Further studies should include deliberate controls for confounding factors such as attentional artifacts and radial orientation bias, to clarify how spatiotemporal information in visual areas is integrated to give rise to perceptual organization.
Comparative in Silico Analyses of Cpeb1–4 with Functional Predictions

Background: Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding proteins (Cpebs) are a family of proteins that bind to defined groups of mRNAs and regulate their translation. While Cpebs were originally identified as important features of oocyte maturation, recent interest is due to their prospective roles in neural system plasticity. Results: In this study we made use of bioinformatic tools and methods including NCBI Blast, UCSC Blat, and Invitrogen Vector NTI to comprehensively analyze all known isoforms of four mouse Cpeb paralogs extracted from the national UniGene, UniProt, and NCBI protein databases. We identified multiple alternative splicing variants for each Cpeb. Regions of commonality and distinctiveness were evident when comparing Cpeb2, 3, and 4. In addition, we performed cross-ortholog comparisons among multiple species. The exon patterns were generally conserved across vertebrates. Mouse and human isoforms were compared in greater detail as they are the most represented in the current databases. The homologous and distinct regions are strictly conserved in mouse Cpeb and human CPEB proteins. Novel variants were proposed based on cross-ortholog comparisons and validated using biological methods. The functions of the alternatively spliced regions were predicted using the Eukaryotic Linear Motif resource. Conclusions: Together, the large number of transcripts and proteins indicate the presence of a hitherto unappreciated complexity in the regulation and functions of Cpebs. The evolutionary retention of variable regions as described here is most likely an indication of their functional significance.
Nonlinear least-squares estimation

The paper uses empirical process techniques to study the asymptotics of the least-squares estimator (LSE) for the fitting of a nonlinear regression function. By combining and extending ideas of Wu and Van de Geer, it establishes new consistency and central limit theorems that hold under only second moment assumptions on the errors. An application to a delicate example of Wu's illustrates the use of the new theorems, leading to a normal approximation to the LSE with unusual logarithmic rescalings.
Intra- versus extracellular recovery of 16S acetylcholinesterase following organophosphate inactivation in the rat.

Abstract Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor treatments were used to study the temporal course of intra- versus extracellular 16S AChE recovery in endplate regions of adult rat anterior gracilis muscles previously exposed to a brief, in situ application of diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP). Following such enzymatic inactivation (95–100%), extracellular 16S AChE recovery began significantly later than that of intracellular (onset at approximately 36 and 12 h, respectively) but, once begun, progressed at approximately the same rate (1.32%/h). The recovery of AChE molecular form activities subsequent to identical DFP-inactivation was blocked to a large extent (65–85%) by in vivo treatment with cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor. These results support the hypothesis that extracellular 16S AChE at mammalian skeletal muscle motor endplates is primarily derived from complete, previously assembled 16S molecules originating in myofibers.
Three-dimensional modeling of one-eighth of confined five- and nine-spot patterns

Abstract The design and construction of the smallest element of symmetry of a confined flood pattern, in reservoir simulation, requires the use of modifiers for the flow terms in the equations of all boundary blocks in that element. These modifiers are necessary to describe the appropriate block volume, production (injection) rate, well productivity (injectivity) index, transmissibility in the x-, y-, and z- directions, and others depending on the recovery process. While modifiers for block volume and production rate are straightforward, those for other terms of importance in the flow equation are not. Even though a limited number of researchers and users may be aware of these modifiers, evidence abounds that the majority of researchers and practicing engineers are not aware of such. This fact is not surprising since information about these modifiers have not been published in the literature. This paper presents a comprehensive catalogue of all modifiers necessary to simulate 1 8 of confined five- and nine-spot patterns. These modifiers are provided for all possible block configurations including triangular half-, quarter-, and one-eighth blocks and rectangular half- and quarter-blocks. The derivation of these modifiers has sound theoretical basis and is general in that it can be applied to other food patterns or to the formulation of other recovery processes. This paper also investigates the validity of a commonly used 1 8 of a confined five-spot pattern where the apex cells at the three corners are combined with the blocks adjoining them. It is found that while the simulation of 1 8 of a confined pattern produces exactly the same performance as that based on the whole pattern, the commonly used 1 8 of a confined pattern does not. Furthermore, the simulation of the smallest element of symmetry is an order of magnitude more cost-effective than the simulation of 1 4 or 1 2 confined pattern.
Rotational band of 12C + 12C gross-structure resonances and its representation by a double-minimum optical potential

Abstract A detailed phase shift analysis of 12 C + 12 C elastic data from E cm = 5.5 to 33 MeV has revealed a pronounced sequence of gross structure resonances. They appear to form a rotational band from l = 0 to at least 16ħ, and are the dominant structural feature of the 12 C + 12 C reaction. The resonances are parametrized by a Breit-Wigner analysis and are simulated by shape-resonances in an optical potential with a secondary minimum at large radius. They are discussed in terms of shape-isometric doorway states in 24 Mg.
Effects of Adrenal Medulla Transplantation into the Third Ventricle on the Onset of Puberty in Female Rhesus Monkeys

To test the hypothesis that prepubertal exposure of LHRH neurons to a source of catecholamines and neuropeptides accelerates the onset of puberty, we examined the effects of autologous adrenal transplantation into the base of the third ventricle of the brain in juvenile female rhesus monkeys at 11-13 months of age. The adrenal medulla, which contains catecholamines and neuropeptide Y (NPY), was cut into small pieces and mixed with gelfoam in artificial CSF and injected into the third ventricle, adjacent to LHRH neurons and their neuroterminals. Sham control monkeys received artificial CSF with gelfoam alone. Animals were monitored for signs of pubertal development. While menarche was not altered by adrenal transplantation, the timing of first and second ovulations occurred significantly (P < 0.05) earlier in adrenal-transplanted monkeys. Histological examination indicated that the grafts survived in all transplanted monkeys. The presence of catecholamines and NPY in graft tissue was confirmed by tyrosine-hydroxylase-positive, dopamine beta-hydroxylase-positive, and NPY-positive cells. Endogenous LHRH fibers were observed innervating the graft tissue. We conclude that: (1) adrenal medulla transplantation into the third ventricle accelerates the age of first ovulation; (2) this is likely due to neuroactive substances (e.g., catecholamines and NPY) from the graft tissue; and (3) grafted adrenal medulla tissue can survive for at least 30-40 months. However, the age of menarche was not accelerated by this grafting, suggesting that an additional mechanism (e.g., removal of tonic inhibition) may be necessary for the onset of puberty.
On new kinds of Teichmüller spaces

We introduce a Teichmuller space for a Riemann surface withn distinguished points. Ifn=0 this is the ordinary Teichmuller space. Forn=1, in special cases, it represents the Teichmuller curve and the universal covering space of the Teichmuller curve. The corresponding modular groups and Riemann spaces are investigated. Some purely topological applications on homotopy of self-maps of surfaces are obtained.
Convergence-initiated voluntary flutter: A normal intrinsic capability in man

The proposal that there is an inherent capability in humans to produce bursts of fluttering saccades was tested by comparing Purkinje image eye movement recordings in subjects with voluntary nystagmus and control subjects. Voluntary nystagmus is composed of recurrent saccades without an intersaccade interval and has been proposed to be an inherited event. No difference in saccade peak velocity-amplitude curves or microsaccades during visual fixation was found between the two groups. With training control subjects learned to produce runs of saccadic flutter identical to voluntary nystagmus. This learned flutter was composed of recurrent complete saccades rather than saccades interrupted in midflight. Voluntary flutter is thus not a genetic trait but a learned event that is usually undeveloped in man. These observations can be explained by the Robinson model of saccade generation and indicate that similar models must have an inherent ability to produce saccadic flutter.
Young children's attention to global magnitude: evidence from classification tasks

Young children often compare objects holistically and not in terms of separate dimensions such as size and color. One holistic relation that often governs young children's object comparisons is overall similarity. Two experiments were conducted to examine the possibility that a holistic magnitude relation might also govern children's object comparisons. Objects varying on two dimensions of magnitude-size and saturation--were classified by 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. The results indicated that the younger children were sensitive to global magnitude as well as overall similarity. They grouped together large and saturated objects or small and desaturated objects more often than they did large and desaturated (or small and saturated) objects and thus appear to have been classifying by combined magnitude across both dimensions. This new finding that young children classify by a global relation of magnitude refines the understanding of perceptual development and provides information about the structure of perception. Young children's use of global magnitudes in classification also fits well with recent findings about children's acquisitions of dimension words. Language: en
Shifting the focus of advance care planning: using an in-depth interview to build and strengthen relationships.

341 WHEN I JOINED THE Respecting Choices® Advance Care Planning (ACP) team at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin, almost 4 years ago, I was assigned the responsibility of designing a comprehensive curriculum for this program that could be taken to other communities to assist them in replicating the success of the nationally recognized La Crosse experience.1 Concurrently, the quality improvement team at Gundersen Lutheran (a tertiary teaching hospital providing health care to patients throughout western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, and northeastern Iowa) identified a variety of gaps in the current program, and wanted to improve outcomes in such areas as early initiation of ACP in the outpatient setting, meeting the needs of different patient populations, and strengthening the facilitation skills of our professionals. What emerged has been an evolution and expansion of the principles and practices embedded in our existing program. This article describes the rationale for developing a patient-centered ACP interview for persons suffering from chronic life-threatening illness and their surrogate decision makers, offer a careful exploration of one case example from a pilot study we conducted with 27 patient-surrogate pairs, and elucidate the lessons we have learned thus far from our efforts to implement this fortified version of advance care planning. This in-depth effort to implement meaningful conversations with people who are at risk of serious complications demonstrates an evolution of the field of ACP. It “raises the bar” and visualizes what can be achieved if ACP is transformed from a document-driven, decision-focused event to one that emphasizes a relational, patient-centered process. The outcomes of such a transformation will not be measured by increasing the number of completed advance directives, but by improving satisfaction with the end-of-life experience.
A microCT X-ray head model for spectra generation with Monte Carlo simulations

Abstract The X-ray spectrum from a small-animal computed tomography (CT) device directly influences the dose delivered to the animal as well as the image quality. For any given imaging task, the spectrum needs to be optimized. The aim of this study is to present a model of a small animal microCT X-ray source and to calculate practical spectra for different anode and filter combinations by using the Monte Carlo method. The GATE simulation package was used for this work. The X-ray source of the MicroCAT II scanner was modeled as a tungsten enclosure containing the X-ray tube with dielectric oil and a thin carbon exit window. The anode was a tungsten or molybdenum cylinder block tilted with respect to the electron-beam axis. Beam filtration was achieved through a disk of variable thickness and composition positioned at the exit window. Photon detection was performed with a thick (1 cm) cylindrical tungsten plate (20 cm diameter). Simulated spectra were compared with spectra measured with a CdTe detector for three beams: 50, 70 and 80 kVp with 2 mm of aluminum filtration. There was a reasonable agreement between measurements and calculations. Identified features of the measured spectra were: K absorption edges of Cd and Te (from the detector itself) and characteristic X-rays from Te (Kα and Kβ) and possibly Sb (Kα). Discrepancies between simulations and measurements can be attributed to elements that have been left out of simulations, imperfect detector alignment, and uncertainty in elemental composition of simulated materials. The Monte Carlo method is a convenient and fast tool allowing the calculation of spectra possessing the essential features of real spectra. These and other spectra will be used in future work to study the influence of X-ray spectrum on dose and image quality for various X-ray CT system configurations.
Antimicrobial Activity of Dimethyl Sulfoxide Against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus megaterium

A study has been made of the antimicrobial activity of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) against three organisms, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus megaterium. Growth was inhibited by increasing DMSO levels and was virtually eliminated for each of the species at approximately 15% DMSO. P. aeruginosa demonstrated the least resistance to DMSO inhibition, with over 90% inhibition occurring in the presence of 8% DMSO. The growth rates of each of the microorganisms were shown to be decreased with increasing concentrations of DMSO. Electron microscopy revealed increased cytological alterations with increased concentrations of DMSO.
Degeneration of the Golgi and neuronal loss in dorsal root ganglia in diabetic BioBreeding/Worcester rats

Aims/hypothesis The aim of this study was to evaluate the nature and extent of neuronal loss in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in diabetic polyneuropathy.
Ferroplasma acidarmanus RPA2 Facilitates Efficient Unwinding of Forked DNA Substrates by Monomers of FacXPD Helicase

Abstract The strand-separation activity that is important for many cellular DNA processing machineries is provided by DNA helicases. In order to understand the physiological properties of a helicase acting in the context of its macromolecular machinery, it is imperative to identify the proteins that interact with the enzyme and to analyze how these proteins affect its helicase activities. The archaeal Rad3 helicase XPD (xeroderma pigmentosum group D protein) from Ferroplasma acidarmanus (FacXPD) is a superfamily II 5′ → 3′ DNA helicase. Similar to its mammalian homolog working as an integral part of the transcription factor IIH complex, FacXPD may play an important role in nucleotide excision repair (NER) and transcription initiation. Interaction between FacXPD and other archaeal NER proteins likely modulates their respective activities. Replication protein A (RPA), a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein, is one of the NER proteins that functionally interact with the human transcription factor IIH complex. There are two RPA proteins in F. acidarmanus: FacRPA1, a homodimer of two monomers consisting of two oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding folds, and FacRPA2, a monomer containing a single oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding fold. In this study, we analyzed the effect of these ssDNA-binding proteins on FacXPD helicase activity. We found that FacRPA2 stimulates DNA unwinding by FacXPD helicase through a novel mechanism by providing a helix-destabilizing function. In contrast, FacRPA1 fails to stimulate helicase activity to the same extent as FacRPA2 and competes with FacXPD for binding to the ssDNA–double-stranded DNA junction. We conclude that the FacRPA2-coated fork is a preferred and likely physiological substrate that a monomer of FacXPD can unwind with a processivity sufficient for expansion of the NER or transcription bubble. We also suggest that duplex melting by a cognate ssDNA-binding protein coordinated with translocation by a helicase may represent a common strategy for duplex unwinding by the Rad3 family of helicases.
Positive steady states of an elliptic system arising from biomathematics

Abstract The existence of positive steady states of a parabolic system of reaction–diffusion equations of Keller–Segel type with chemotaxis effect and growth term arising from bacterial colony is studied. The author employs the Leray–Schauder's degree theory, a maximum principle and integral estimates to demonstrate the existence. The existence of global smooth solutions to the initial boundary value problems for the reaction–diffusion equations is also considered.
Tourist arts in Africa before tourism

Abstract The decades between the World Wars comprise a critical period for the history of West African tourist art. Within the milieu of colonial domination, various demands were made of African artists. Motivations of Westerners were varied, with many assuming the role of “animateur”. This worldwide phenomenon is based on outsiders promoting artistic revivals because of their concern for the perceived demise of indigenous arts. In Africa, artists responded with a high degree of experimentation as they adapted to new patronage systems and canons of acceptability. These were to prove unusually deterministic in the development of subsequent structures of production and exchange throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Pediatric health care quality measures: considerations for pharmacotherapy.

Measuring the quality use of medicines can be conceptualized as a mechanism for understanding appropriate use, underuse, overuse, or misuse. For pediatric pharmacotherapy, measuring the quality use of medicines requires awareness of the differences in health care between children and adults and the differences in the quality and quantity of science that supports evidence-based practice in pediatric health care compared with adult health care. Here we use the Pediatric Quality Measures Program that arose from the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act in the United States to illustrate the challenges in developing quality measures of pediatric pharmacotherapy. The challenges are primarily twofold: (i) weak evidence base for the specific pharmacotherapy in children and (ii) limited data to calculate the measure. A weak evidence base must often be weighed against the importance of the topic if the quality measure is intended to address a known quality of care or public health problem. Limited data because of insufficient amount or inappropriate type will affect implementation of the measure and its eventual usefulness. Methods to meet these challenges often depend on the priorities of and the tools available to end users. Health information technology is emerging as a tool to improve quality measurement but presents additional challenges.
HTLT oxygenated silicon detectors: Radiation hardness and long term stability

Silicon detectors fabricated by BNLs high-temperature, long time (HTLT) oxidation technology have been characterized using various techniques for material/detector properties and radiation hardness with respect to gamma, proton and neutron irradiation. It has been found that a uniform oxygen distribution with a concentration of 4 � 10 17 / cm 3 has been achieved in high-resistivity FZ silicon with our HTLT technology. With the standard HTLT technology, the original high resistivity of FZ silicon will be retained. However, the controlled introduction of thermal donors (TD) with a concentration higher than the original shallow doping impurity can be achieved with a process slightly altered from the standard HTLT technology (HTLT-TD). Detectors made by both technologies (HTLT and HTLT-TD) have been found to be advantageous in radiation hardness to gamma and proton irradiation, in terms of detector full depletion voltage degradation, as compared to the control samples. In fact, these detectors are insensitive to gamma irradiation up to 600 Mrad and more tolerant by at least a factor of two to proton irradiation and the following reverse annealing. However, there is little improvement in radiation hardness to neutron irradiation, which has been attributed to the nature of neutron-induced damage that is dominated by extended defects or defect clusters. Microscopic measurements (I-DLTS) have also been made on control and HTLT samples and will be compared and presented. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Energy storage devices for future hybrid electric vehicles

Powertrain hybridization as well as electrical energy management are imposing new requirements on electrical storage systems in vehicles. This paper characterizes the associated vehicle attributes and, in particular, the various levels of hybrids. New requirements for the electrical storage system are derived, including: shallow-cycle life, high dynamic charge acceptance particularly for regenerative braking and robust service life in sustained partial-state-of-charge usage. Lead/acid, either with liquid or absorptive glass-fibre mat electrolyte, is expected to remain the predominant battery technology for 14 V systems, including micro-hybrids, and with a cost-effective battery monitoring system for demanding applications. Advanced AGM batteries may be considered for mild or even medium hybrids once they have proven robustness under real-world conditions, particularly with respect to cycle life at partial-states-of-charge and dynamic charge acceptance. For the foreseeable future, NiMH and Li-ion are the dominating current and potential battery technologies for higher-functionality HEVs. Li-ion, currently at development and demonstration stages, offers attractive opportunities for improvements in performance and cost. Supercapacitors may be considered for pulse power applications. Aside from cell technologies, attention to the issue of system integration of the battery into the powertrain and vehicle is growing. Opportunities and challenges for potential “battery pack” system suppliers are discussed.
Analyzing the effects of air pollution and mortality by generalized additive models with robust principal components

In this paper, we propose generalized additive models (GAMs) based on the robust principal component analysis (PCA) methods, to quantify the association between daily mortality and air pollutant concentrations, especially PM10, CO, NO2, SO2 and O3, for confounding effects of long-term time trend, seasonality, weekday, and meteorological factors. The two PCA methods that will be applied into the GAM are: one is classic PCA (CPCA) and the other is robust PCA (RPCA) with minimum covariance determinant, called CPCA–GAM and RPCA–GAM, respectively. Comparing the analyses between GAM, CPCA–GAM, and RPCA–GAM, we can reach to the conclusions as follows: (1) results from CPCA–GAM and RPCA–GAM are consistent with each other; (2) RPCA is much more effective tool to detect outliners than CPCA; and (3) because PCA eliminates the collinearity between covariates, the coefficients of air pollutants have shown to be more significant than GAM without PCA.
Effect of Traffic Load Measurement Bias on Pavement Life Prediction: A Mechanistic-Empirical Perspective

The new Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) requires comprehensive traffic inputs to predict pavement performance. Axle load spectra play a critical role in the impact of traffic on pavement performance. Weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems are becoming widely used as an efficient means of collecting traffic load data for mechanistic pavement design. The quality of the WIM-based data, however, remains a concern among pavement engineers. Previous research showed that WIM equipment calibration bias may lead to significant bias in the estimation of equivalent single-axle loads. This study investigated the effect of traffic load measurement bias due to WIM measurement errors on pavement life prediction on the basis of the mechanistic-empirical approach proposed by MEPDG. The results of this study not only support but also advance the existing research in this critical area. The findings of this study can be used to estimate pavement life prediction bias when inaccurate WIM data are used. They can als...
RNA Editing Generates a Diverse Array of Transcripts Encoding Squid Kv2 K+ Channels with Altered Functional Properties

Abstract We have cloned a Kv2 potassium channel from squid optic lobe termed sqKv2 . Multiple overlapping sqKv2 cDNA clones differed from one another at specific positions by purine transitions. To test whether the purine transitions were generated by RNA editing, we compared a 360 nucleotide genomic sequence with corresponding cDNA sequences (encoding S4–S6) isolated from individual animals and lying on a single gene and exon. cDNA sequences differed from genomic sequence at 17 positions, resulting in 28 unique sequences. There was invariantly an adenosine in the genomic sequence and a guanosine in the edited cDNA sequences. Two of the edits altered the rates of channel closure and slow inactivation. These results extend selective RNA editing to invertebrate taxa and represents a novel mechanism for the posttranscriptional modulation of voltage-gated ion channels.
Optimal Cooperative Searching using Purely Repulsive Interactions

Foraging, either solitarily or collectively, is a necessary behavior for survival that is demonstrated by many organisms. Foraging can be collectively optimized by utilizing communication between the organisms. Examples of such communication range from high level strategic foraging by animal groups to rudimentary signaling among unicellular organisms. Here we systematically study the simplest form of communication via long range repulsive interactions between two diffusing Brownian searchers on a one-dimensional lattice. We show that the mean first passage time for either of them to reach a fixed target depends non-monotonically on the range of the interaction and can be optimized for a repulsive range that is comparable to the average spacing between searchers. Our results suggest that even the most rudimentary form of collective searching does in fact lower the search time for the foragers suggesting robust mechanisms for search optimization in cellular communities.
Genomic structure of the locus associated with an insertional mutation in line 4 transgenic mice.

Abstract In line 4 transgenic mice, six to eight copies of a 50-kb lambda recombinant clone are arranged in a head-to-tail tandem array on chromosome 3. Embryos homozygous for the transgene become arrested in their development on Day 5 of gestation shortly after implantation. The insertion site was cloned using a small segment of the transgene as a probe. Comparison of the insertion site with the wildtype locus indicates that a 22-kb deletion of host DNA has occurred in line 4 mice. Restriction enzyme analyses showed that neither the tandem array nor the flanking chromosomal DNA had any detectable rearrangements. Sequencing of the junctions between host and foreign DNA, however, revealed insertions of small fragments of DNA of unknown origin as well as an insertion of a DNA segment derived from another region of the transgene. Therefore, disruption of an essential gene in the line 4 transgenic mouse may have been caused by the insertion of 300–400 kb of foreign DNA or a deletion of sequences in the host genome.