cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Congenital myasthenic syndromes: genetic defects of the neuromuscular junction.

Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) stem from defects in presynaptic, synaptic, and postsynaptic proteins. The presynaptic CMS are associated with defects that curtail the evoked release of acetylcholine (ACh) quanta or the resynthesis of ACh. Insufficient resynthesis of ACh is now known to be caused by mutations that reduce the expression, catalytic efficiency, or both of choline acetyltransferase. The synaptic CMS are caused by mutations in the collagenic tail subunit (ColQ) of the endplate species of acetylcholinesterase that prevent ColQ from associating with catalytic subunits or from insertion into the synaptic basal lamina. With one exception, postsynaptic CMS identified to date are associated with a kinetic abnormality or decreased expression of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Numerous mutations have now been identified in subunits of AChR that alter the kinetics or surface expression of the receptor. The kinetic mutations increase or decrease the synaptic response to ACh and result in slow- and fast-channel syndromes, respectively. Most mutations that reduce surface expression of AChR reside in the receptor’s esubunit and are partially compensated by residual expression of the fetal-type γ subunit. Null mutations in both alleles of other AChR subunits are likely lethal, owing to absence of a substituting subunit.
Chloral hydrate for progressive myoclonus epilepsy: a new look at an old drug.

This study demonstrates that chloral hydrate can be used to control daytime myoclonic exacerbations. It reports on four patients with progressive myoclonus epilepsy--three with Unverricht-Lundborg disease (EPM1) and one with progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO)--all of whom were taking more than one antiepileptic drug. Response to the liquid formulation was faster than response to the capsule and was preferred by the patients. The unusual feature was less than expected sedation or development of tolerance even at daily doses above 500 mg administered for years. Because chloral hydrate helped to improve quality of life, it should be made available to patients with progressive myoclonus epilepsy as adjunctive therapy. Recent evidence of interactions with various excitatory and inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitter-operated ion channels as a mechanism of action may provide insight into altered neurotransmission in progressive myoclonus epilepsy.
Testing the effectiveness of the project success summer program for adult dyslexics.

The major purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of the Project Success Summer Program (PSSP) for adult dyslexics. Using a pretest-posttest one-group design, the experimenter examined the effects of PSSP’s intensive eight-week program on the reading and spelling test scores of subjects (n=63). Data analysis indicated subjects’ reading and spelling scores improved significantly in five areas: reading of real words, passage reading rate, reading comprehension, spelling, and phoneme deletion. A second purpose of the study was to determine the best predictors of reading comprehension from among the study’s eight pretest reading and spelling measures. Regression analysis revealed that passage reading rates and individual word reading rates were the best predictors of reading comprehension scores. Interpretation of the results of this study suggest that training in phonological skills can improve poor readers’ basic decoding skills resulting in improved reading rate, comprehension and spelling.
Accurate Sizing of Nanoparticles Using Confocal Correlation Spectroscopy

The ability to accurately size low concentrations of nanoscale particles in small volumes is useful for a broad range of disciplines. Here, we characterize confocal correlation spectroscopy (CCS), which is capable of measuring the sizes of both fluorescent and nonfluorescent particles, such as quantum dots, gold colloids, latex spheres, and fluorescent beads. We accurately measured particles ranging in diameter from 11 to 300 nm, a size range that had been difficult to probe, owing to a phenomenon coined biased diffusion that causes diffusion times, or particle size, to deviate as a function of laser power. At low powers, artifacts mimicking biased diffusion are caused by saturation of the detector, which is especially problematic when probing highly fluorescent or highly scattering nanoparticles. However, at higher powers (>1 mW), autocorrelation curves in both resonant and nonresonant conditions show a structure indicative of an increased contribution from longer correlation times coupled with a decreas...
Cell Wall Reactivity of Acidophilic and Alkaliphilic Bacteria Determined by Potentiometric Titrations and Cd Adsorption Experiments

In this study, we used potentiometric titrations and Cd adsorption experiments to determine the binding capacities of two acidophilic (A. cryptum and A. acidophilum) and two alkaliphilic (B. pseudofirmus and B. circulans) bacterial species in order to determine if any consistent trends could be observed relating bacterial growth environment to proton and Cd binding properties and to compare those binding behaviors to those of neutrophilic bacteria. All of the bacterial species studied exhibited significant proton buffering over the pH range in this study, with the alkaliphiles exhibiting significantly higher acidity constants than the acidophiles as well as the neutrophilic bacterial consortia. The calculated average site concentrations for each of the bacteria in this study are within 2σ experimental error of each other, with the exception of A. cryptum, which has a significantly higher Site 2 concentration than the other species. Despite differing acidity constants between the acidophiles and alkaliphiles, all bacteria except A. cryptum exhibited remarkably similar Cd adsorption behavior to each other, and the observed extent of adsorption was also similar to that predicted from a generalized model derived using neutrophilic bacterial consortia. This study demonstrates that bacteria that grow under extreme conditions exhibit similar proton and metal adsorption behavior to that of previously studied neutrophilic species and that a single set of proton and metal binding constants can be used to model the behavior of bacterial adsorption under a wide range of environmental conditions.
Social disorder, APOE-E4 genotype, and change in cognitive function among older adults living in Chicago.

Abstract The goal of this paper is to describe the simultaneous influence of social and genetic risk factors on declines in cognitive functioning among older American adults. We use detailed information about the social characteristics of older adults' neighborhoods from the Chicago Health and Aging Project (n = 1655; ages 65+) in conjunction with information about respondent's APOE genotype to predict changes in cognitive function over time. Results indicate that the presence of the ɛ4 allele is associated with a significantly lower cognitive function score at baseline and greater declines in cognitive function compared to those without this risk allele. Importantly, we also show significant variation in the effect of the ɛ4 allele across neighborhoods and our results indicate that this genotype is more strongly associated with cognitive function for residents of neighborhoods with the lowest levels of social disorder. Our findings support the non-causal social push gene–environment interaction model.
The Protestant Reformation and the Rise of Modern Science

The vast literature on the Reformation and the rise of science has produced what may be called strong and weak interpretations of their relation. The strong interpretation holds that specific doctrines or attitudes affirmed by the Reformers and their followers contributed directly to the growth of science. On this view, the Reformation was among the causes of the Scientific Revolution. Without the changes in thought and values wrought by the Reformation, proponents of the strong interpretation argue, modern science would not have developed as it did. The weak interpretation, on the other hand, does not claim a direct influence of Protestantism on science. It acknowledges that modern science developed as a movement independent of the Reformation and it claims only that Protestantism offered relatively few obstacles to scientific expansion. On the weak interpretation, the absence of the Reformation would have had little, if any, effect on the Scientific Revolution. After brief discussion of each of these interpretations, I will argue that the strong interpretation is too strong and that the weak one can be strengthened. I will outline an indirect approach, which falls between the above extremes, and offers advantages not offered by either of them.
Strategies that improve human skeletal muscle performance during repetitive, non-isometric contractions

Previous studies have suggested that during sustained maximal voluntary and evoked contractions, decreasing activation rates may minimize fatigue. The idea of gradually decreasing stimulation frequency to preserve force during fatiguing isometric contractions has, however, recently been challenged. The primary purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of decreasing or increasing electrical stimulation rates during evoked, repetitive, submaximal, non-isometric contractions of healthy human quadriceps femoris muscles. The ability of the muscles to produce a 50° knee excursion repetitively was evaluated using low-frequency trains, high-frequency trains, and a combination of these trains. Results showed that stimulating the muscles with high-frequency trains followed by low-frequency trains produced the worst performance and starting with low-frequency trains followed by high-frequency trains produced the best performance. Present results cast doubt on the applicability of decreasing stimulation rates during non-isometric contractions and suggest that a combination of trains that begin at a low frequency and then switch to a higher-frequency may improve performance during functional electrical stimulation.
Prox1 Function Is Required for the Development of the Murine Lymphatic System

The lack of specific markers has raised problems in documenting the precise manner by which the lymphatic system develops. Here we report that the homeobox gene Prox1 is expressed in a subpopulation of endothelial cells that by budding and sprouting give rise to the lymphatic system. The initial localization of these cells in the veins and their subsequent budding are both polarized, suggesting that unidentified guidance signals regulate this process. In Prox1 null mice, budding and sprouting is arrested, although vasculogenesis and angiogenesis of the vascular system is unaffected. These findings suggest that Prox1 is a specific and required regulator of the development of the lymphatic system and that the vascular and lymphatic systems develop independently.
Isolated imperforate anus in monozygotic twins: case report and implications

The authors report a case of isolated imperforate anus with perineal fistula in monozygotic twins. Only 4 other well-documented cases of monozygotic twins concordant for isolated anorectal malformation have been reported in the literature. In all these cases the defect occurred below the levator ani muscle. This case confirms previous reports on the incidence of low anorectal anomalies in monozygotic twins where the defect was isolated. A review of the literature relating to this condition in twins and siblings points toward low anomalies and more severe malformations having different genetic backgrounds.
Circadian variation of ethanol metabolism in alcoholics

Summary The rate of ethanol metabolism was determined for 20 alcoholics during afternoon and evening drinking sessions on two consecutive days. Alcoholics demonstrated a faster rate of ethanol metabolism in the evening as compared to the afternoon, suggesting a circadian variation in the rate of ethanol metabolism. Previous drinking on the first day appeared to increase the rate of ethanol metabolism on the second drinking day. This circadian variation of ethanol metabolism, which was present following two weeks of abstinence and one day of heavy drinking, is different from that reported for non-alcoholics. This suggests that other circadian rhythms may be affected in alcoholics, even after they have been dried out for several weeks. Altered circadian rhythms may partially explain the alcoholics' difficulty in re-adjusting to social demands.
Psychological Science in the Public Interest: the case for juried analyses

The inaugural issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest (PSPI), a new publishing initiative by the American Psychological Society, accompanies this issue of Psychological Science. The report it contains, "Psychological Science Can Improve Diagnostic Decisions," by John Swets, Robyn Dawes, and John Monahan, represents a careful effort by those authors to summarize the potential of modern psychological science to enhance real-world diagnostic decisions. Such decisions (Is a cancer present? Will this individual commit violence? Will an impending storm strike? Will this applicant succeed?) are prevalent and crucial to the lives of individuals and to the well-being of our society. Subsequent issues of PSPI will address other important topics of public interest in areas where psychological science may have the potential to inform and improve public policy. Each of those reports will also represent the efforts of a distinguished team of scientists to report the available evidence, and the implications of that evidence, fairly and comprehensively. In this article, we describe the goals, procedures, and potential of PSPI.
Immunohistochemical Localization of Gap Junction Protein Channels in Hamster Sinoatrial Node in Correlation with Electrophysiologic Mapping of the Pacemaker Region

Gap Junction Proteins in the Sinoatrial Node. Introduction: Gap junction proteins are thought to form the low resistance pathways that connect neighboring cells within the sinoatrial node, and to mediate pacemaker synchronization. Methods and Results: We have carried out microelectrode mapping experiments of the hamster sinoatrial region to localize the primary pacemaker area for subsequent light, electron, and immunofluorescence microscopic studies aimed at testing the hypothesis that the major cardiac gap junction protein (connexin43) is present in such an area. The site of earliest activation is unifocal and the pattern of activation, obtained In multiple sequential microelectrode recordings of the Sinoatrial region, is qualitatively similar to that previously described for other species. However, quantitatively, the impulse transmission time from the primary pacemaker area to the crista (sulcus) terminal's in the hamster sinoatrial node is about 50% briefer than that of the guinea pig and five times faster than that of the rabbit. Immunolocalization studies in the hamster sinoatrial node using anti-connexin43 antisera demonstrated specific staining at the areas of cell-to-cell apposition and suggested that the apparently high degree of electrical coupling in this tissue is the result of abundant connexin43 expression. The immunofluorescence data were supported by light microscopic studies, which demonstrated the typical morphologic characteristics of sinus nodal cells in the pacemaker area. In addition, an electron microscopic study of the sinoatrial region revealed the presence of gap junctions in the junctional complex at areas of cell-to-cell contact. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that cells in the sinoatrial region of the hamster heart are electrically well coupled and strongly suggest that such coupling is mediated by gap junctional channels formed by connexin43.
Pricetakers' Plenty: A Neglected Benefit of Capitalism*

SUMMARY Capitalists in the pricemaker's position protect the pricetakers facing them from being buffeted by economic fluctuations, and competition among them provides pricetakers with market information and other valuable marketing facilities not provided under perfect competition. The nature of all those benefits and the conditions that favored their creation in product markets are analyzed, and the reasons why they failed to develop in labor markets and why the employers’ position as pricemakers has been resented and largely eliminated are explored. Finally, Weitzman's important proposal to introduce Japanese-type profit-sharing wage contracts as a means of securing all the benefits of employers’ domination of the labor market without its costs is shortly summarized. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Besteht fur eine der Marktseiten die Moglichkeit als Preissetzer aufzutreten, so entstehen der preisnehmenden Marktseite verschiedene Vorteile: Zum einen werden dadurch die wirtschaftlichen Schwankungen stark gedampft, zu anderen fuhrt die Konkurrenz zwischen den Preissetzern zu mehr Marktinformationen und zu einem Angebot verschiedener Marketingleistungen, die bei vollkommenem Wettbewerb nicht bereitgestellt wiirden. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird die Art dieser Vorteile und die Bedingungen, die fur ihr Zustandekommen in einem Produktemarkt verantwort-lich sind, analysiert. Danach werden die Grunde hergeleitet, weshalb sie sich auf dem Arbeitsmarkt nicht einstellen und weshalb den Arbeitgebern die Rolle als Preissetzer veriibelt wird. Zum Schluss wird kurz Weitzmans Vorschlag zusammengefasst, der, nach japanischem Muster, eine Verankerung der Gewinnbeteiligung im Arbeitsver-trag vorsieht. Damit sollen die Vorteile der Arbeitgeberdominanz auf dem Arbeitsmarkt bewahrt werden, ohne dies mit hohen Kosten zu erkaufen. RESUME Les capitalistes qui fixent les prix protegent les acheteurs des a-coups consecutifs aux fluctuations economiques. La concurrence entre les premiers fournit a ces derniers une information sur le marche, ainsi que ďautres elements marketing tres utiles, qui n'existent pas en concurrence parfaite. Cette etude analyse la nature de tous ces avantages et les conditions qui ont favorise leur apparition sur les marches. Ľauteur essaie de comprendre pourquoi ces avantages ne se sont pas etendus au marche du travail. II explique ainsi pourquoi la position des employeurs est mal percue lorsqu'ils fixent le montant des salaires. Ľarticle se termine par un resume rapide des propositions fort interessantes de Weitzman: ľintroduction de contrat de travail avec participation aux benefices, comme au Japon, permettant de garder tous les avantages de la preeminence des employeurs sur le marche du travail, et ďen supprimer les inconvenients.
Synthetic and mechanistic studies on ruthenium dicarbonyl complexes containing PhP(CH2CH2CH2PCy2)2 (Cyttp) ligand

Abstract A synthetic and mechanistic study is reported on ligand substitution and other reactions of six-coordinate ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes containing tridentate PhP(CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 PCy 2 ) 2 (Cyttp). Carbonylation of cis-mer -Ru(OSO 2 CF 3 ) 2 (CO)(Cyttp) ( 1 ) affords [ cis-mer -Ru(OSO 2 CF 3 )(CO) 2 (Cyttp)]O 3 SCF 3 ( 2 (O 3 SCF 3 )) and, on longer reaction times, [ cis-mer -Ru(solvent)(CO) 2 (Cyttp)](O 3 SCF 3 ) 2 (solvent = acetone, THF, methanol). 2 (O 3 SCF 3 ) reacts with each of NaF, LiCl, LiBr, NaI, and LiHBEt 3 to yield [ cis-mer -RuX(CO) 2 (Cyttp)] + (X = F ( 3 ), Cl ( 4 ), Br ( 5 ), I ( 6 ), H ( 7 )), isolated as 3 – 7 (BPh 4 ). These conversions proceed with high stereospecificity to afford only a single isomer of the product that is assigned a structure in which the Ph group of Cyttp points toward the CO trans to X ( anti when X = F, Cl, Br, or I; syn when X = H). Treatment of 2 (O 3 SCF 3 ) with NaOMe and CO generates the methoxycarbonyl complex [ cis-mer -Ru(CO 2 Me)(CO) 2 (Cyttp)] + ( 8 ), whereas addition of excess n -BuLi to 2 (O 3 SCF 3 ) in THF under CO affords mer -Ru(CO) 2 (Cyttp) ( 9 ). The two 13 C isotopomers [ cis-mer -Ru(OSO 2 CF 3 )(CO)( 13 CO)(Cyttp)]O 3 SCF 3 ( 2 ′(O 3 SCF 3 ): 13 CO trans to P C ; 2 ″(O 3 SCF 3 ): 13 CO cis to all P donors) were synthesized by appropriate adaptations of known transformations and used in mechanistic studies of reactions with each of LiHBEt 3 , NaOMe/CO, and n -BuLi. Whereas LiHBEt 3 reacts with 2 ′(O 3 SCF 3 ) and 2 ″(O 3 SCF 3 ) to replace triflate by hydride without any scrambling of the carbonyl ligands, the corresponding reactions of NaOMe–CO are more complex. The methoxide combines with the CO cis to triflate in 2 , and the resultant methoxycarbonyl ligand ends up positioned trans to the incoming CO in 8 . A mechanism is proposed for this transformation. Finally, treatment of either 2 ′(O 3 SCF 3 ) or 2 ″(O 3 SCF 3 ) with an excess of n -BuLi leads to the formation of the same two ruthenium(0) isomers of mer- Ru(CO)( 13 CO)(Cyttp). These products represent, to our knowledge, the first example of a syn–anti pair of isomers of a five-coordinate metal complex.
First-principles dynamics treatment of light emission in collisions between alkali-metal atoms and noble-gas atoms at 10 keV

Collision-induced light emission during the interaction of an alkali-metal atom and a noble-gas atom is treated within a first-principles, or direct, dynamics approach that calculates a time-dependent electric dipole for the whole system, and spectral emission cross sections from its Fourier transform. These cross sections are very sensitive to excited diatomic potentials and a source of information on their shape. The coupling between electronic transitions and nuclear motions is treated with atomic pseudopotentials and an electronic density matrix coupled to trajectories for the nuclei. A recently implemented pseudopotential parametrization scheme is used here for the ground and excited states of the LiHe system, and to calculate state-to-state dipole moments. To verify the accuracy of our new parameters, we recalculate the integral cross sections for the LiHe system in the keV energy regime and obtain agreement with other results from theory and experiment. We further present results for the emission spectrum from $10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{keV}$ $\mathrm{Li}(2s)+\mathrm{He}$ collisions, and compare them to experimental values available in the region of light emitted at $300--900\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$.
Geographic variation in leaf monoterpenes of sequoia sempervirens

Abstract Sequoia sempervirens leaf monoterpenes were analyzed from 13 wild native populations (sampling the geographic range of the species) and eight population samples (composed of 18 open-pollinated familles) growing at Russell Reservation, Contra Costa Co., California. Statistically significant variation was found among the wild populations for quantitative composition of all major monoterpenes. Wild populations also displayed high infrapopulation variation. Trees at Russell Reservation also showed significant variation in quantitative composition among population samples, as well as among open-pollinated familles within populations. Patterns among the wild populations were similar to those among the respective planted populations; the greatest disjunction was between those north compared to those south of San Francisco Bay. Additionally, open-pollinated cones of a single tree appear capable of producing progeny that differ greatly in their monoterpene profiles.
Pathologic fracture of metacarpal enchondroma: case study and differential diagnosis.

Abstract Objective: To discuss a case of enchondroma initially appearing as a pathologic fracture in a metacarpal bone. The recommended treatment for a pathologic fracture of an enchondroma in the hand is reviewed. Additionally, a reasonable list of differential considerations is presented with accompanying radiographic and advanced imaging characteristics. Clincial Features: A 25-year-old male chiropractic student had a painful, bruised, and swollen thumb following athletic trauma. Radiographs showed a pathologic comminuted fracture of the first metacarpal, with a resultant anterior angulation of the distal fragment. Fracture occurred through a well-defined, geographic, lucent lesion in the proximal metaphysis consistent with enchondroma. Intervention and Outcome: Closed reduction of the fracture and casting were used. No treatment was administered for the enchondroma. Adequate healing of the fracture took place with residual angulation at the fracture site. Size and extent of the enchondroma were unchanged after fracture healing. Conclusions: Recommended treatment for a pathologic fracture through an enchondroma in the hand is casting, which allows fracture healing. Curettage of the lesion without packing of the resultant cavity is then recommended. In this case, casting and fracture healing took place without any treatment directed at the enchondroma. The patient was advised of the rationale for undergoing the removal of the enchondroma. Removal was recommended to prevent fracture recurrence from structural weakening, which would be likely due to the unusually high level of mechanical stress from the professional demands of manual treatment. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2002;25:340-44)
The chaperonin TRiC controls polyglutamine aggregation and toxicity through subunit-specific interactions.

Misfolding and aggregation of proteins containing expanded polyglutamine repeats underlie Huntington's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders1. Here, we show that the hetero-oligomeric chaperonin TRiC (also known as CCT) physically interacts with polyglutamine-expanded variants of huntingtin (Htt) and effectively inhibits their aggregation. Depletion of TRiC enhances polyglutamine aggregation in yeast and mammalian cells. Conversely, overexpression of a single TRiC subunit, CCT1, is sufficient to remodel Htt-aggregate morphology in vivo and in vitro, and reduces Htt-induced toxicity in neuronal cells. Because TRiC acts during de novo protein biogenesis2, this chaperonin may have an early role preventing Htt access to pathogenic conformations. Based on the specificity of the Htt–CCT1 interaction, the CCT1 substrate-binding domain may provide a versatile scaffold for therapeutic inhibitors of neurodegenerative disease.
Alternative Research Perspectives for Studying the Effects of Parental Divorce

ABSTRACT This literature review examines the most prominent studies assessing the consequences of divorce. Research from the modernist tradition is critiqued for its deficit view of single-parent families created by divorce, androcentric bias, and methodological flaws. The development of alternative research perspectives is proposed by postmodern researchers who suggest that multiple contexts may exist as viable and legitimate environments in which to raise children. Examining the effects of divorce from a postmodern perspective shifts the focus away from looking exclusively at the negative consequences of divorce. In contrast, the strengths, competencies, and unique experiences of individuals and families affected by divorce are explored.
Heterocyclic Radicals in the Gas Phase. An Experimental and Computational Study of 3-Hydroxypyridinium Radicals and Cations

Radicals 3-hydroxy-(1H)-pyridinium (1H) through 3-hydroxy-(6H)-pyridinium (6H) and 3-pyridylhydroxonium (7H) were studied as models of hydrogen atom adducts to nitrogen heterocycles. Radical 1H was generated in the gas phase by femtosecond collisional electron transfer to stable 3-hydroxy-(1H)-pyridinium cations (1H+). The fractions of nondissociating 1H decreased with increasing internal energies of the precursor cations as determined by the gas-phase protonation energetics. Radical 1H dissociated unimolecularly by loss of the N-bound hydrogen atom to produce 3-hydroxypyridine (1). The dissociation showed large isotope effects that depended on the radical's internal energy. Other dissociations of 1H were loss of OH•, ring contraction forming COH and pyrrole, and ring cleavages leading to C3Hx and C2HxN fragments. Combined MP2 and B3LYP/6-311G(2d,p) calculations yielded topical proton affinities in 1 as 938 (N-1), 757 (C-2), 649 (C-3), 721 (OH), 727 (C-4), 714 (C-5), and 763 (C-6) kJ mol-1. 1H+ was the mo...
Improved measurement of dynamic modulation transfer functions on display using pursuit camera method based on wavelet-denoising method

A new method was developed for studying dynamic modulation transfer functions (DMTFs) of liquid crystal display (LCD) based on the slanted edge method, improved wavelet-denoise (IWD) method, and Fourier transformation. Measurements were made for capturing the images of moving step-edge patterns on the display by a slightly tilted pursuit camera. The scanning-rate and contrast-dependent DMTFs of a LCD were demonstrated, and the corresponding parameters such as blurred edge width (BEW), spatial sharpness, and motion picture response time (MPRT) were calculated from the DMTF curves. A simple linear relationship between these parameters was found. The properties of a cathode ray tube (CRT) display were also measured for comparison with those of the LCD.
Junctional epidermolysis bullosa keratinocytes in culture display adhesive, structural, and functional abnormalities

An unusual, elongated, refractile cell morphology was observed in keratinocytes cultured from three patients with non-lethalis forms of junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB). To determine whether these changes might be related to altered cell adhesion, keratinocyte strains established from one patient were examined for adhesive, structural, and functional characteristics. JEB keratinocytes expressed keratin tonofilaments, as determined by staining with AE1 monoclonal antibodies and direct observation of tonofilaments by electron microscopy. JEB keratinocytes showed diminished cell-substratum adhesions, judged by interference reflection microscopy. Areas of diminished cell-substratum adhesion corresponded to F-actin-rich cell adhesions (focal adhesions) and not to cellular areas that abundantly express hemidesmosomal antigens. Analysis of cell-substratum adhesion by electron microscopy revealed extensive areas of cell-substratum separation in JEB keratinocytes that were not present in normal keratinocytes maintained in serum-free medium. Normal keratinocytes displayed numerous regions of focal contact between the ventral plasma membrane and the culture substratum, but these structures were not seen in JEB keratinocytes. Bundled actin filaments (stress fibers) were greatly diminished in expected regions of cell-substratum adhesion in JEB keratinocytes and, instead, displayed disorganized individual filaments. The growth rate of JEB keratinocytes was quite slow in culture, with a population doubling time of 2.7 d versus 1.5 d for normal keratinocytes under identical conditions. JEB keratinocytes also displayed a reduced ability to aggregate into colonies upon exposure to medium with increased extracellular calcium. JEB keratinocytes thus display adhesive, structural, and functional abnormalities that suggest this cell type may be central to the pathogenesis of junctional epidermolysis bullosa. Study of affected keratinocytes could be important to characterize associated molecular pathologies.
An imagined book gets a new text: Psalms of the Muslim David

Numerous Arabic manuscripts of the ‘Psalms of David’ contain not the biblical Psalms but Muslim compositions in the form of exhortations addressed by God to David. A survey of five manuscripts reveals that all such texts studied to date can be traced to two early source collections, whose contents were rewritten and expanded by three medieval authors and numerous copyists to produce four distinct texts in seven different recensions. These texts intersect with several types of literature: rewritten Bible, interreligious polemic, sermons, wisdom literature, divine sayings, law, Tales of the Prophets, and ‘dialogues with God’ (munājāt). They should be regarded not as polemical rewritings of the Bible, but as rewritten Qur'an, in which each author employs the idea of David and his Psalms to lend the authority of revelation to his own message.
Relationships Across the Divide: An Instigator of Transformation

Much has been accomplished on formal levels to improve relations among Christians and Jews over the past fifty years. However, the same advances have not been made on the local level, between members of Christian and Jewish congregations. The challenge is to find an educational model that best serves adult congregants so as to lead to a transformed relationship among Christian and Jewish congregants and con-gregations. I argue that building relationships among individual Christians and Jews should be central to an educational agenda for members of local congregations. Interfaith relationships serve as a motivator of care and understanding for congre-gants, just as they do for leaders in dialogue. Direct engagement between congregants results in greater self-awareness and commitment to improve relations between the two religious communities.
The relationship between cognitive function and non-prescribed therapy use in older adults

Objectives: To examine the association of cognitive function with use of non-prescribed therapies for managing acute and chronic conditions, and to determine whether use of non-prescribed therapies changes over time in relation to baseline cognitive function. Methods: 200 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older were recruited from three counties in south central North Carolina. Repeated measures of daily symptoms and treatment were collected on three consecutive days at intervals of at least one month. The Mini-Mental State Examination, the primary cognitive measure, was collected as part of the baseline survey. Data were collected on the daily use of common non-prescribed therapies (use of prayer, ignore symptoms, over-the-counter remedies, food and beverage therapies, home remedies, and vitamin, herb, or supplements) on each of the three days of the follow-up interviews for up to six consecutive months. Results: Older adults with poorer cognitive function were more likely to pray and ignore symptoms...
Clostridium Tertium Isolated From a Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection in a Diabetic but Otherwise Nonimmunocompromised Patient

Clostridium tertium has historically been regarded as nonpathogenic, and its implication as the primary microbe in infectious etiologies remains unclear. Although there have been several reports of C tertium isolated from blood, tissue, and other specimens, largely this population has consisted of patients with neutropenia, hematologic malignancies, or gastrointestinal disorders. Here we describe a case of a 39-year-old nonimmunocompromised man with a history of type 1 diabetes mellitus and intravenous drug use who presented to our institution with a necrotizing soft tissue infection involving his right upper extremity. The infection had developed after the patient had injected methamphetamines. At surgery, tissue was obtained for Gram stain and culture, yielding C tertium, after an initial misidentification as Lactobacillus species. After undergoing extensive surgical debridement and treatment with an appropriate antibiotic regimen, the patient was able to be discharged home with retained function of his extremity. Although not common, infections involving C tertium can produce severe, potentially life- and limb-threatening disease processes, which may require aggressive therapy even in the nonimmunocompromised patient.
Continuous keyword search on multiple text streams

In this paper we address the issue of continuous keyword queries on multiple textual streams. This line of work represents a significant departure from previous keyword search models that assumed a static database. In our model the user poses a query comprised by a collection of keywords, which is subsequently applied on multiple text streams (these can be RSS news feeds, TV closed captions, emails, etc). A result to a query is a combination of streams "sufficiently correlated" to each other that collectively contain all query keywords within a specified time span.
Helping International Medical Graduates Engage in Effective Feedback

Objective Timely, specific, behaviorally-based feedback is a cornerstone of medical education. The authors review basic tenets of effective feedback delivery in the context of potential challenges faced by (non-United States) international medical graduates (IMGs).
Transfer between paired-associate and serial learning.

Summary It was hypothesized that serial learning takes place by a different process or strategy than PA learning and does not normally consist of the chaining together of S-R connections. It was also hypothesized that specific transfer of S-R pairs from PA to serial learning would be facilitated under conditions that make it relatively easy for the S to carry over his set for PA learning into the serial task as compared with conditions that make it relatively difficult to maintain the PA set. To test this hypothesis two experimental groups learned a PA list followed by a serial list with common S-R elements. A control group learned only the serial list. The two experimental groups, labeled Odd and Even, learned different pairs of items derived from the serial list. The Odd Group learned pairs 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8; the Even Group learned pairs 2–3, 4–5, 6–7, 8–9. The second task consisted of learning the serial list 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. The Odd Group, for whom the set for paired-associate responding in serial learning was facilitated by the fact that the first items in the serial list had already been learned as a paired associate, learned the serial list significantly faster than the Control Group. Though the Even Group showed some advantage over the Control Group in the first few trials of serial learning, this advantage disappeared completely by the sixth or seventh trial. This was true even of the adjacent serial items that had been previously learned as paired associates. This result was interpreted as being due to a loss of the PA set and the adoption of a strategy peculiar to serial learning. Other evidence that quite different processes are involved in serial and PA learning was the lack of a significant correlation between individual differences in the two forms of learning. It appears that a serial list is not learned as a chain of S-R connections and that what the S learns in the serial task is somehow quite different from what he learns in the PA task, even though both tasks formally have the same associative elements in common. An hypothesis was suggested to account for these findings, viz., that in PA learning the S-terms serve primarily a cue or stimulus function, while in serial learning the subject integrates a number of responses (supplied by the items in the list) and the items serve primarily as reinforcers without acquiring a cue function, except possibly by incidental learning when the list is overlearned.
STUDY OF THE N2B1-PI-U STATE VIA 1+1 MULTIPHOTON IONIZATION

Abstract Medium-resolution spectra of the N2 b1Πu-X1Σg+ band system were recorded by 1 + 1 multiphoton ionization. In the spectra we found different linewidths for transitions to different vibrational levels in the b 1Πu state: Δν0 = 0.50 ± 0.05 cm−1, Δν1 = 0.28 ± 0.02 cm−1, Δν2 = 0.65 ± 0.06 cm−1, Δν3 = 3.2 ± 0.5 cm−1, Δν4 = 0.60 ± 0.07 cm−1, and Δν5 = 0.28 ± 0.02 cm−1. From these linewidths, predissociation lifetimes τν were obtained: τ0 = 16 ± 3 ps, τ1 > 150 ps, τ2 = 10 ± 2 ps, τ3 = 1.6 ± 0.3 ps, τ4 = 9 ± 2 ps, and τ5 > 150 ps. Band origins and rotational constants for the b 1Πuν = 0 and 1 levels were determined for the 14N2 and 14N15N molecules.
Increased seed consumption by biological control weevil tempers positive CO2 effect on invasive plant (Centaurea diffusa) fitness

highlights � Elevated CO2 (but not temperature) increased plant fitness but also agent density. � Biological control agent thus tempered positive CO2 effect on plant fitness. � Both elevated CO2 and temperature hastened plant phenology. � Faster plant phenology under elevated CO2 made plants more attractive to agents. � Plant and agent phenologies may be better matched with climate change. graphical a bstract abstract Predicted increases in atmospheric CO2 and temperature may benefit some invasive plants, increasing the need for effective invasive plant management. Biological control can be an effective means of managing invasive plants, but the anticipated range in responses of plant-insect interactions to climate change make it difficult to predict how effective biological control will be in the future. Field experiments that manipulate climate within biological control systems could improve predictive power, but are challeng- ing to implement and therefore rare to date. Here, we show that free air CO2 enrichment in the field increased the fitness of Centaurea diffusa Lam., a problematic invader in much of the western United States. However, CO2 enrichment also increased the impact of the biological control agent Larinus minutus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on C. diffusa fitness. C. diffusa plants flowered earlier and seed heads devel- oped faster with both elevated CO2 and increased temperature. Natural dispersal of L. minutus into the experimental plots provided a unique opportunity to examine weevil preference for and effects on C. dif- fusa grown under the different climate change treatments. Elevated CO2 increased both the proportion of seed heads infested by L. minutus and, correspondingly, the amount of seed removed by weevils. Warming had no detectable effect on weevil utilization of plants. Higher weevil densities on elevated CO2 plants reduced, but did not eliminate, the positive effects of CO2 on C. diffusa fitness. Correlations between plant development time and weevil infestation suggest that climate change increased weevil infestation by hastening plant phenology. Phenological mismatches are anticipated with climate change in many plant-insect systems, but in the case of L. minutus and C. diffusa in mixed-grass prairie, a better phenological match may make the biological control agent more effective as CO2 levels rise.
The Effects of Sleep Extension on the Athletic Performance of Collegiate Basketball Players

STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of sleep extension over multiple weeks on specific measures of athletic performance as well as reaction time, mood, and daytime sleepiness. SETTING Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory and Maples Pavilion, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. PARTICIPANTS Eleven healthy students on the Stanford University men's varsity basketball team (mean age 19.4 ± 1.4 years). INTERVENTIONS Subjects maintained their habitual sleep-wake schedule for a 2-4 week baseline followed by a 5-7 week sleep extension period. Subjects obtained as much nocturnal sleep as possible during sleep extension with a minimum goal of 10 h in bed each night. Measures of athletic performance specific to basketball were recorded after every practice including a timed sprint and shooting accuracy. Reaction time, levels of daytime sleepiness, and mood were monitored via the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Profile of Mood States (POMS), respectively. RESULTS Total objective nightly sleep time increased during sleep extension compared to baseline by 110.9 ± 79.7 min (P < 0.001). Subjects demonstrated a faster timed sprint following sleep extension (16.2 ± 0.61 sec at baseline vs. 15.5 ± 0.54 sec at end of sleep extension, P < 0.001). Shooting accuracy improved, with free throw percentage increasing by 9% and 3-point field goal percentage increasing by 9.2% (P < 0.001). Mean PVT reaction time and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores decreased following sleep extension (P < 0.01). POMS scores improved with increased vigor and decreased fatigue subscales (P < 0.001). Subjects also reported improved overall ratings of physical and mental well-being during practices and games. CONCLUSIONS Improvements in specific measures of basketball performance after sleep extension indicate that optimal sleep is likely beneficial in reaching peak athletic performance.
Amiloride differentially modulates ANP binding in human thyroid cells and bovine endothelial cells.

Abstract The diuretic and sodium channel inhibitor, amiloride, has been shown to increase atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) binding several fold in certain cell types, but in other tissues it causes only marginal increases in specific ANP binding. In the present report we compare the effects of amiloride on ANP binding in bovine endothelial cells and human thyroid-derived cells, two cell types which differ in their predominant ANP receptor subtype. We found that amiloride (10−3 M) increased specific [125I]ANP binding to 750% above control in endothelial cells, but among several thyroid cultures tested the maximal increase in ANP binding with amiloride was only 23% above control. Moreover, most of the thyroid cultures showed decreased ANP binding in the presence of amiloride. The increased ANP binding in endothelial cells exposed to amiloride is best explained by an increased affinity of the receptor for its ligand since the drug lowered the K d of ANP binding from 0.73 nM to 0.16 nM without affecting the receptor binding capacity. The degree of amiloride enhancement of ANP binding in endothelial cells is increased with time in culture (200% above control at 5 days, 750% above at 30 days) suggesting the increase of an amiloride-sensitive receptor relative to an amiloride-insensitive receptor. The fact that the amiloride-induced decrease in ANP binding in thyroid cells was not exacerbated by pre-incubation with amiloride suggested that the observed amiloride effect was not due to increased receptor internalization with the drug. These results support a hypothesis that ANP receptor subtypes associated with separate signal transduction mechanisms might be modulated in an opposite manner by the binding of amiloride.
Platelet secretory products inhibit lipoprotein metabolism in macrophages.

Macrophages possess a receptor that binds low-density lipoproteins (LDL) containing lysine residues modified by acetylation (Ac LDL), acetoacetylation (AcAc LDL) or malondialdehyde treatment1–3. This receptor (referred to as the Ac LDL receptor or scavenger receptor) internalizes the bound lipoprotein. As a consequence, massive amounts of cholesteryl esters accumulate so that macrophages in culture resemble foam cells found in atherosclerotic lesions4,5. In an effort to identify an unmodified mammalian macromolecule that binds to the Ac LDL receptor, we investigated whether platelet secretory products affect the receptor-mediated endocytosis of chemically modified lipoproteins. Platelets are a potential source of such activity because they exist in close association with foam cells in developing atherosclerotic lesions6,7. Our study demonstrates that human blood platelets secrete a product that inhibits the binding and uptake of AcAc LDL by mouse peritoneal macrophages and the subsequent accumulation of cholesteryl esters. This is the first indication that an endogenous macromolecule interacts with Ac LDL receptor on macrophages.