cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
First Academic Conference on Psychology and the Body

This chapter discusses the first Academic Conference in which students attempt to integrate the five units discussed thus far: the brain, memory, learning, sensation–perception, and cognition. At Academic Conferences, students have the opportunity to complete larger writing, role-play, and discussion assignments in which they respond to assigned questions which call on them to create and enact higher-order dialogues between Socrates and a larger strain of thought in the discipline of psychology. Prior to the Conference meeting, students do a Conference reading at home. This text is chosen because it encompasses the larger themes and questions that have arisen in the units preceding the Conference. In this case, prior themes and questions all relate to the soul’s relationship to the body.
Silicon nitride tri-layer 1×3 couplers with arbitrary splitting ratio for 3D photonic integrated circuits

We design tri-layer Si 3 N 4 1×3 couplers with arbitrary power splitting ratio and small reflection for 3D photonic integrated circuits. We demonstrate the power splitting ratio from 1:1:4 to 1:22:27 with 0.185 dB excess loss.
Differences in meristems between monocots and dicots and susceptibility to attack by gall-inducing insects

We used comparative methods that account for the phylogenetic correlations among species to test hypotheses about the community of gall-inducing insects on dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants and woody and herbaceous angiosperms in the UK. We found that the species richness of gall-inducing insects on dicots was greater than on monocots and that the odds of a dicot having an associated gall-inducing insect is 42% higher than for a monocot. Woody angiosperms have higher species richness of associated gall-inducing insects than do herbaceous angiosperms. Furthermore, using a Monte Carlo analysis we found that attacks by gall-inducing insects on monocot families were phylogenetically clustered in the order Poales, particularly within the grass family Poaceae. We suggest that the higher risk of attack on dicots and higher species richness of gall-inducing insects on woody angiosperms, which are exclusively dicots, arises because of differences in the abundance or susceptibility of dicot meristems to attack by gall-inducing insects. Architectural and anatomical differences between monocots and dicots that give rise to differences in meristem abundance and anatomy appear to play an important role in determining the occurrence and richness of associated gall-inducing insects on host plants.
Automating the Determination of Prostate Cancer Risk Strata From Electronic Medical Records.

PurposeRisk stratification underlies system-wide efforts to promote the delivery of appropriate prostate cancer care. Although the elements of risk stratum are available in the electronic medical record, manual data collection is resource intensive. Therefore, we investigated the feasibility and accuracy of an automated data extraction method using natural language processing (NLP) to determine prostate cancer risk stratum.MethodsManually collected clinical stage, biopsy Gleason score, and preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values from our prospective prostatectomy database were used to categorize patients as low, intermediate, or high risk by D’Amico risk classification. NLP algorithms were developed to automate the extraction of the same data points from the electronic medical record, and risk strata were recalculated. The ability of NLP to identify elements sufficient to calculate risk (recall) was calculated, and the accuracy of NLP was compared with that of manually collected data using the...
Decapod Crustaceans and Pycnogonids of Rocas Alijos

Decapod crustaceans and pycnogonids (commonly called sea spiders) could have reached Rocas Alijos as larval stages transported by currents, or as adults or larvae carried on drifting algae and other objects at the surface. Potential sources of recruits include the Pacific mainland coast and nearby islands of Baja California, the islands and reefs of Cape San Lucas and the southern Gulf of California, and the Revillagigedos Islands to the south.
Festoons, mounds, and bags of the eyelids and cheek.

This article categorizes and defines periorbital soft tissue protrusions associated with aging. (Protrusions of intraorbital fat are excluded.) Recent anatomic observations are described as well as surgical procedures based on these findings and on past experience. Complications are enumerated and their treatment is outlined.
Describing pediatric acute kidney injury in children admitted from the emergency department

To define those children who develop acute kidney injury (AKI) within 48 h of admission from the emergency department (ED) and ascertain patient-related factors in the ED associated with AKI. Retrospective, cohort study of children, birth to 19 years, admitted to a tertiary pediatric hospital from the ED between January 2010 and December 2013 who had serum creatinine (SCr) drawn as part of clinical care. AKI was defined as a 50% increase in SCr above baseline, as measured within 48 h of hospital presentation. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with AKI by comparing those with and without kidney injury on hospital presentation. Of all ED admissions, 13,827 subjects (27%) were included; 10% developed AKI. Of kids with AKI, 75% had a measured SCr consistent with AKI while in the ED, 36% were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 2% died (all significantly more than children without AKI). Young age, history of AKI or solid organ transplant, receipt of intravenous fluids or central venous access in the ED, and admission to intensive care were factors independently associated with AKI (AUC = 0.793, 95% CI 0.78–0.81). One in 10 children who had SCr measured and were admitted to a tertiary pediatric hospital had AKI on or within 48 h of presentation. Inherent characteristics, identifiable in the ED, are associated with an increased risk of AKI. Future research should focus on improving AKI recognition in the ED by the development of a risk stratification tool.
Multimodal Accessibility and Maternal-Infant Health across the Urban Rural Continuum in Southwest Michigan

Background Kalamazoo County, Michigan is an urban-rural county with high rates of gestational diabetes among expectant mothers and high disparities in the quality of birth outcomes among its population segments. Analysis of health outcomes in the county has primarily focused on densely populated areas of low socioeconomic status. However, the county has a clear urban to rural continuum. Because women without appropriate access to healthcare during particular stages of pregnancy have poorer outcomes than women with regular access to care, this paper examines the disparities in transportation network accessibility by public transit and private vehicle across the urban-rural continuum. Multimodal accessibility estimates were analyzed especially for individuals relying on Medicaid for perinatal health care from 2012–2014. Methods Reported, confirmed cases gestational diabetes, low birthweight infants and premature births for Kalamazoo County, were retrieved from 2012-14 Michigan birth records. For each case, the dataset includes mother's home address, Medicaid status, race, ethnicity, and an estimate of prenatal care. Batch geocoding was supplemented with extensive manual placement, resulting in an overall address match accuracy of over 90% of cases. Open Trip Planner and Google Maps JavaScript API were used to estimate travel time from census block centroids to pedicatric, obstetric, gynocological and emergency health services by both public vehicle and private transit. Results Individuals in the urban core had the highest multimodal accessibility, because of general proximity to the one central public transit hub. While hospitals are centrally accessible, and all pediatricians, 92 percent of OBGYNs, and 88 percent of family medical locations are transit accessible only 53 percent of pregnant women did not live within 400 m of the bus line. A travel time matrix for this data will be presented at the conference. Several specific areas of concern were identified, such as areas outside the urban core, along a rural continuum which is punctuated by low socioeconomic enclaves of high density, low-income housing (trailer parks). Analysis of Medicaid status and maternal health issues is ongoing. Conclusions Accessibility maps at the census block level have been distributed to community stakeholders. Further analysis of rural health in trailer park communities is imperative. This study has implications for Kalamazoo County health, but also the health of other urban-rural counties across the country with similar vulnerable populations.
Color algorithms for a general vision system

We show that an intelligent approach to color can be used to significantly improve the capabilities of a vision system. In previous work, we adopted general physical models which describe how objects interact with light. These models are far more general than those typically used in computer vision. In this report, we use our physical models to derive powerful algorithms for extracting invariant properties of objects from images. The first algorithm is used for the generic classification of objects according to material. The second algorithm provides a solution to the color constancy problem. These algorithms have been implemented and produce correct results on real images. Some examples of experimental results are presented.
Pump-Probe Ghost Imaging with SASE FELs

A new approach to measuring ultrafast atomic and molecular behavior with an x-ray free-electron laser offers subfemtosecond time resolution---an order of magnitude improvement over current methods---while also simplifying the setup.
Retinal Oxygen Delivery, Metabolism and Extraction Fraction and Retinal Thickness Immediately Following an Interval of Ophthalmic Vessel Occlusion in Rats.

Limited knowledge is currently available about alterations of retinal blood flow (F), oxygen delivery (DO2), oxygen metabolism (MO2), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), or thickness after the ophthalmic blood vessels have been closed for a substantial interval and then reopened. We ligated the ophthalmic vessels for 120 minutes in one eye of 17 rats, and measured these variables within 20 minutes after release of the ligature in the 10 rats which had immediate reflow. F, DO2 and MO2 were 5.2 ± 3.1 μL/min, 428 ± 271 nL O2/min, and 234 ± 133 nL O2/min, respectively, that is, to 58%, 46% and 60% of values obtained from normal fellow eyes (P < 0.004). OEF was 0.65 ± 0.23, 148% of normal (P = 0.03). Inner and total retinal thicknesses were 195 ± 24 and 293 ± 20 μm, respectively, 117% and 114% of normal, and inversely related to MO2 (P ≤ 0.02). These results reflect how much energy is available to the retina immediately after an interval of nonperfusion for 120 minutes. Thus, they elucidate aspects of the pathophysiology of nonperfusion retinal injury and may improve therapy in patients with retinal artery or ophthalmic artery obstructions.
Blood oxytocin concentration positively predicts contagious yawning behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Research suggests that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have reduced empathy, as measured by an impaired contagious yawn response, compared to typically developing (TD) children. Other research has failed to replicate this finding, instead attributing this phenomenon to group differences in attention paid to yawn stimuli. A third possibility is that only a subgroup of children with ASD exhibits the impaired contagious yawn response, and that it can be identified biologically. Here we quantified blood concentrations of the "social" neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) and evaluated yawning behavior and attention rates during a laboratory task in children with ASD (N = 34) and TD children (N = 30) aged 6-12 years. No group difference in contagious yawning behavior was found. However, a blood OXT concentration × group (ASD vs. TD) interaction positively predicted contagious yawning behavior (F1,50 = 7.4987; P = 0.0085). Specifically, blood OXT concentration was positively related to contagious yawning behavior in children with ASD, but not in TD children. This finding was not due to delayed perception of yawn stimuli and was observed whether attention paid to test stimuli and clinical symptom severity were included in the analysis or not. These findings suggest that only a biologically defined subset of children with ASD exhibits reduced empathy, as measured by the impaired contagious yawn response, and that prior conflicting reports of this behavioral phenomenon may be attributable, at least in part, to variable mean OXT concentrations across different ASD study cohorts. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1156-1161. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: People with autism may contagiously yawn (i.e., yawn in response to another's yawn) less often than people without autism. We find that people with autism who have lower levels of blood oxytocin (OXT), a hormone involved in social behavior and empathy, show decreased contagious yawning, but those who have higher blood OXT levels do not differ in contagious yawning from controls. This suggests that decreased contagious yawning may only occur in a biologically defined subset of people with autism.
Local genetic correlation analysis reveals heterogeneous etiologic sharing of complex traits

Local genetic correlation quantifies the genetic similarity of complex traits in specific genomic regions, which could shed unique light on etiologic sharing and provide additional mechanistic insights into the genetic basis of complex traits compared to global genetic correlation. However, accurate estimation of local genetic correlation remains challenging, in part due to extensive linkage disequilibrium in local genomic regions and pervasive sample overlap across studies. We introduce SUPERGNOVA, a unified framework to estimate both global and local genetic correlations using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies. Through extensive simulations and analyses of 30 complex traits, we demonstrate that SUPERGNOVA substantially outperforms existing methods and identifies 150 trait pairs with significant local genetic correlations. In particular, we show that the positive, consistently-identified, yet paradoxical genetic correlation between autism spectrum disorder and cognitive performance could be explained by two etiologically-distinct genetic signatures with bidirectional local genetic correlations. We believe that statistically-rigorous local genetic correlation analysis could accelerate progress in complex trait genetics research.
Organohalide-Respiring Bacteria at the Heart of Anaerobic Metabolism in Arctic Wet Tundra Soils.

ABSTRACT Recent work revealed an active biological chlorine cycle in coastal Arctic tundra of northern Alaska. This raised the question of whether chlorine cycling was restricted to coastal areas or if these processes extended to inland tundra. The anaerobic process of organohalide respiration, carried out by specialized bacteria like Dehalococcoides, consumes hydrogen gas and acetate using halogenated organic compounds as terminal electron acceptors, potentially competing with methanogens that produce the greenhouse gas methane. We measured microbial community composition and soil chemistry along an ∼262-km coastal-inland transect to test for the potential of organohalide respiration across the Arctic Coastal Plain and studied the microbial community associated with Dehalococcoides to explore the ecology of this group and its potential to impact C cycling in the Arctic. Concentrations of brominated organic compounds declined sharply with distance from the coast, but the decrease in organic chlorine pools was more subtle. The relative abundances of Dehalococcoides were similar across the transect, except for being lower at the most inland site. Dehalococcoides correlated with other strictly anaerobic genera, plus some facultative ones, that had the genetic potential to provide essential resources (hydrogen, acetate, corrinoids, or organic chlorine). This community included iron reducers, sulfate reducers, syntrophic bacteria, acetogens, and methanogens, some of which might also compete with Dehalococcoides for hydrogen and acetate. Throughout the Arctic Coastal Plain, Dehalococcoides is associated with the dominant anaerobes that control fluxes of hydrogen, acetate, methane, and carbon dioxide. Depending on seasonal electron acceptor availability, organohalide-respiring bacteria could impact carbon cycling in Arctic wet tundra soils. IMPORTANCE Once considered relevant only in contaminated sites, it is now recognized that biological chlorine cycling is widespread in natural environments. However, linkages between chlorine cycling and other ecosystem processes are not well established. Species in the genus Dehalococcoides are highly specialized, using hydrogen, acetate, vitamin B12-like compounds, and organic chlorine produced by the surrounding community. We studied which neighbors might produce these essential resources for Dehalococcoides species. We found that Dehalococcoides species are ubiquitous across the Arctic Coastal Plain and are closely associated with a network of microbes that produce or consume hydrogen or acetate, including the most abundant anaerobic bacteria and methanogenic archaea. We also found organic chlorine and microbes that can produce these compounds throughout the study area. Therefore, Dehalococcoides could control the balance between carbon dioxide and methane (a more potent greenhouse gas) when suitable organic chlorine compounds are available to drive hydrogen and acetate uptake.
Modeling temperature rise in multi-track reciprocating frictional sliding:

As in various manufacturing processes, in sliding tests with scanning motions to extend the sliding distance over fresh countersurface, temperature rise during any pass is bolstered by heating duri...
Counting Victims and Multiplying Counts: Business Robbery, Faux Victims, and Draconian Punishment

This Article offers a 50-state survey of robbery statutes, specifically examining the charging and sentencing regimes for the robbery of a business during which multiple people, including employees and customers, are threatened. It begins by presenting a historical overview of the crime of robbery, focusing specifically on the robbery of a business. Then, the survey results are described, and specific problems related to multiplicity of punishment are discussed. Finally, a reasonable and ideal model of business robbery jurisprudence is offered - one that focuses on punishing the defendant proportionally to the severity of the crime committed, and that furthers the intention of criminal law to protect innocent people for the benefit of society.
Disseminated Blastomycosis Presenting with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is increasingly recognized as an important cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and myocardial infarction (MI) in individuals with few or no known atherosclerotic risk factors. While systemic autoimmune inflammatory disorders are associated with precipitating SCAD, the role of infection-induced systemic inflammation in SCAD is not well defined. We present the case of a 49-year-old Caucasian woman with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) diagnosed as SCAD from a severe systemic inflammatory response related to disseminated blastomycosis. Punch biopsy of a skin lesion and synovial fluid culture confirmed Blastomyces dermatitidis. This case suggests the possibility of systemic infection-induced inflammation as a precipitating factor in SCAD pathogenesis similar to autoimmune inflammatory disorders. LEARNING POINTS Recognize the role of systemic inflammation from severe infection as a possible cause of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD). Recognize that cardiac involvement is rare in blastomycosis. Coronary revascularization may be required in SCAD for haemodynamic instability, ischaemic chest pain progression, and myocardium at risk. Keywords: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, blastomycosis CASE DESCRIPTION A 49-year-old Caucasian woman with a medical history of hypertension presented to the emergency department with acute onset of crushing substernal chest pain, cough and dyspnoea. In addition to chest pain, the patient had experienced 4 weeks of progressively worsening malaise, left ankle pain, and swelling. In addition, she developed an asymptomatic, well-demarcated nodular lesion with an erythematous base on the right index finger (Fig. 1). She had received treatment with doxycycline 2 weeks prior to presentation for a presumed diagnosis of Lyme infection without improvement. Open in a separate window Figure 1 Skin lesion: deeply erythematous, well-demarcated lesion with a superficial healing erosion on the dorsum of the right index finger
Time to treatment as a quality metric in lung cancer: Staging studies, time to treatment, and patient survival.

Abstract Purpose Prompt staging and treatment are crucial for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We determined if predictors of treatment delay after diagnosis were associated with prognosis. Materials and methods Medicare claims from 28,732 patients diagnosed with NSCLC in 2004–2007 were used to establish the diagnosis-to-treatment interval (ideally ⩽35days) and identify staging studies during that interval. Factors associated with delay were identified with multivariate logistic regression, and associations between delay and survival by stage were tested with Cox proportional hazard regression. Results Median diagnosis-to-treatment interval was 27days. Receipt of PET was associated with delays (57.4% of patients with PET delayed [ n =6646/11,583] versus 22.8% of those without [ n =3908/17,149]; adjusted OR=4.48, 95% CI 4.23–4.74, p Conclusion Delays between diagnosing and treating NSCLC are common and associated with use of PET for staging. Reducing time to treatment may improve survival for patients with manageable disease at diagnosis.
Inhibition of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in pentenoic acid-induced fatty liver: A possible model for Reye's syndrome

Rats treated with six to eight doses (80 mg/kg, i.p.) of 4-pentenoic acid, an inhibitor of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in vitro, during a 48-hr starvation period developed microvesicular fatty infiltration of the liver similar to that observed in Reye's Syndrome. Hepatic triglycerides were elevated an average of 5-fold, although considerable variability was found between individual rats. Fed rats did not develop fatty liver upon similar treatment with pentenoic acid. Liver mitochondria isolated from rats with pentenoic acid-induced fatty liver showed a persistent inhibition of fatty acid oxidation. Rates of oxidation of palmitoylcarnitine and decanoylcarnitine were decreased about 70%, while that of octanoylcarnitine was decreased 50%. Carnitine-independent oxidation of octanoate was also inhibited. Oxidation rates for substrates other than fatty acids, including glutamate, succinate, pyruvate, and alpha-ketoglutarate, were unaffected. Measurements of flavoprotein reduction in intact mitochondria indicated that neither palmitoylcarnitine nor palmitoyl CoA plus L-carnitine could elicit reduction of acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and electron transferring flavoprotein in mitochondria from rats with pentenoic acid-induced fatty liver. These results support a site of inhibition of mitochondrial beta-oxidation at the level of acyl-CoA dehydrogenase for pentenoic acid treatment in vivo, and they suggest a role for nutritional or hormonal factors in the metabolic disposition of pentenoic acid in vivo and in the development of fatty liver.
Significance of straining in colloid deposition: Evidence and implications

[1] Considerable research suggests that colloid deposition in porous media is frequently not consistent with filtration theory predictions under unfavorable attachment conditions. Filtration theory was developed from an analysis of colloid attachment to the solid-water interface of a single spherical grain collector and therefore does not include the potential influence of pore structure, grain-grain junctions, and surface roughness on straining deposition. This work highlights recent experimental evidence that indicates that straining can play an important role in colloid deposition under unfavorable attachment conditions and may explain many of the reported limitations of filtration theory. This conclusion is based upon pore size distribution information, size exclusion, time- and concentration-dependent deposition behavior, colloid size distribution information, hyperexponential deposition profiles, the dependence of deposition on colloid and porous medium size, batch release rates, micromodel observations, and deposition at textural interfaces. The implications of straining in unsaturated and heterogeneous systems are also discussed, as well as the potential influence of system solution chemistry and hydrodynamics. The inability of attachment theory predictions to describe experimental colloid transport data under unfavorable conditions is demonstrated. Specific tests to identify the occurrence and/or absence of straining and attachment are proposed.
Building climatological services on the cloud

The NASA Physical Oceanographic Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) at Jet Propulsion Laboratory is funded by the NASA Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) project to conduct a study of cloud services for data management, data access and data processing. The study is to improve our understanding and articulate the cost/benefit of cloud technologies for the NASA Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) and Science Investigator-led Production Systems (SIPs). This demonstration focuses on our experience in developing climatology services using Apache Hadoop to store and analyze temporal and spatial characteristics of scatter-ometer data over Antarctica.
Anharmonic Interaction in Aluminum. I

Anharmonic linewidths and frequency shifts have been calculated as a function of temperature for Al, employing an effective interionic interaction derived from a model pseudopotential. Calculations have been carried out along principal symmetry directions at 80 and 300 K and comparison is made with the experimental data of Stedman and Nilsson and with the recent calculations of H\"ogberg and Sandstr\"om. The structure of the one-phonon spectral function at 300 K for selected longitudinal phonons is examined in detail and discussed. The presence of a significant asymmetry in the one-phonon peak for the (0.8, 0, 0) longitudinal mode is pointed out.
Characteristics of chromatin release during digestion of nuclei with micrococcal nuclease: preferential solubilization of nascent RNA at low enzyme concentration.

Abstract 1. 1. Extensive digestion of nuclei with micrococcal nuclease (MNase), commonly used in the analysis of chromatin structure, results in the production of mono- and dinucleosomal chromatin fragments. 2. 2. Digestion of nuclei from a range of cell types with low enzyme concentrations solubilized high molecular weight polynucleosomal fragments, some ⪢ 22 kb long. 3. 3. Such digestion conditions also resulted in extensive solubilization of nascent RNA which contributed considerably to the nucleic acid content of the soluble fraction. 4. 4. We conclude that the contribution of RNA to total nucleic acid content of the soluble fraction should be taken into consideration when nuclei are digested with low concentrations of MNase.
CpG dinucleotide methylation of the CYP19 I.3/II promoter modulates cAMP-stimulated aromatase activity

Aromatase expression varies in a tissue-specific manner and among individuals. Aromatase promoter I.3/II, regulated by a cAMP response element (CRE), is normally quiescent in human skin fibroblasts, whereas its hyperactivity may cause local or systemic estrogen excess. We describe the methylation status of 6 CpG dinucleotides within a 571-bp fragment of promoter I.3/II containing a CRE in cAMP-responsive (n = 1) or nonresponsive (n = 3) primary skin fibroblasts cultured from healthy volunteers. Four out of 6 CpG dinucleotides were unmethylated in cAMP-responsive fibroblasts, whereas all 6 CpG dinucleotides were hypermethylated in cAMP-nonresponsive fibroblasts. Basal and cAMP-stimulated aromatase activity and promoter I.3/II activation were significantly higher in the presence of unmethylated DNA. Furthermore, methylation at the CRE interfered with CREB binding. Thus, methylation of CpG dinucleotides within promoter I.3/II regulates aromatase expression and may be one source of inter-individual variability. Furthermore, abnormal methylation of the aromatase promoter may contribute to aromatase overexpression in breast cancer.
The effect of pinealectomy and environmental lighting on the gonadal, thyroid, and total body weight of female Long-Evans rats.

Die Ovarien pinealektomierter Tiere weisen bei konstanter starker Beleuchtung ein geringes Gewicht auf, wahrend bei Tieren, die in Dunkelheit gehalten wurden, der Uterus im Vergleich zu Kontrolltieren schwerer ist.
Clinically Proven Radiopharmaceuticals for Infection Imaging: Mechanisms and Applications

Gallium-67 ( 67 Ga)-citrate was initially introduced as a tumor imaging agent in the early 1970s, but it was soon recognized that it was useful in the identification of both acute and chronic inflammation. Because of its physical characteristics (multiple γ photons energy; long half life) and binding to the plasma protein transferrin (resulting in relatively high background and therefore reduced lesion-to-background contrast), it was less than ideal as an imaging agent. Several years later, it became possible to radiolabel leukocytes, which had the advantage of greater specificity for acute infections characterized by a granulocytic response, but had the disadvantage of requiring the removal of blood and isolation of the leukocyte component. Several radiolabeled antibody preparations and a radiolabeled antibacterial agent have been introduced and evaluated, but none of these have been used widely. Most recently, it has been recognized that the use of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose can be used to identify infection/inflammation, probably based on the focal increase in anaerobic glucose metabolism associated with the cellular response. In this work, we review the features of each of these agents and discuss the issues involved in their use as radiopharmaceuticals for the identification of inflammation and/or infection.
Production and field performance of transgenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) expressing alpha-amylase and manganese-dependent lignin peroxidase

Transgenic alfalfa plants expressing Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase and manganese-dependent lignin peroxidase (Mn-P) from Phanerochaete chrysosporium were produced using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation system. In each case, there was a range of expression of the introduced gene among independent transgenic plants. Plants producing alpha-amylase showed no alteration of phenotype. Production of Mn-P in alfalfa, however, in most cases adversely affected plant growth and development. Affected plants were stunted with yellowing foliage, but survived and produced seed. Results from field trials showed that Mn-P production in transgenic alfalfa reduced dry matter yield and plant height. The extent of these symptoms and yield reduction was, for the most part, related to the level of foreign protein production as estimated by Western analysis. Field data from transgenic plants expressing alpha-amylase showed that there was no effect of foreign protein production on plant performance. Expression of Mn-P was shown to segregate in sexual progeny derived from transgenic plants.
Vibrotactile Stimulation: An Investigation of Psychophysical Methods for Establishing Threshold:

Summary.-This investigation was designed to adopt and evaluate the psychophysical method of limits and method of adjustment using ascending and descending stimuli series to obra~n oral vibrotactile thresholds on the anterior midline surface of the tongue. A significant difference in vibrotactile thresholds was not found with either the method of limits or the method of adjustment. The differences between ascending and descending thresholds were also not significant. Fundamental to the complex act of speech are fine motor skills for production and sensory feedback for monitoring output. Consequently, speech therapy is directed toward both the motor aspects and the feedback mechanisms involved in the speech act. Although both are of equal importance, the motor skills required for speech production have historically received more in-depth research consideration than feedback mechanisms. To date the feedback system has been primarily described in terms of hypothetical models (Fairbanks, 1954; Mysak, 1959; Van Riper, 1962). As previous research has indicated, speech production involves an interaction between the auditory and tactile modalities which is developed and refined during the acquisition of a language. Therefore, threshold information obtained about these sensory channels would be helpful in the diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of speech disorders. In fact, audiological research has dealt with hearing sensitivity in terms of both threshold and supra-threshold functions. The results have produced a clinical test battery which is capable of assessing the social adequacy of hearing as well as predicting the site of lesion. No similar standardized procedures, however, have been reported for obtaining measurements of tactile sensitivity. Vibration has been shown to be a successful means of assessing peripheral and central tactile processes (Geldard, 1940), because it enables the investigator to systematically alter the parameters of frequency, amplitude, and time. Furthermore, it permits the use of different psychophysical methods in determining vibratory thresholds of various structures. Geldard and Gilmer ( 1934) suggested that any of the traditional psychophysical methods could be used with 'This paper is based on a doctoral dissertation submitted to Ohio University, Athens, and was made possible by a grant (OUR 329) received from the Ohio University Research Commi [tee.
Assembly task performance and ambient temperature: A reliability model

Abstract The performance of certain hand activities is influenced by reduced ambient temperatures. Seventy trained subjects completed an assembly task at air temperatures of 1·7°C, 12·8°C and 23·9°C, and their completion times were recorded. Based on the experimental results, an empirical relationship between the cumulative probability of completion, the air temperature, and the performance times was developed. The empirical distribution is equivalent to the reliability function of the assembly task. Results indicated no difference between performance at 12·8°C and 23·9°C but a reduction in performance at 1·7°C. The model was compared with experimental trials of a similar task.
Low-dose sodium nitroprusside reduces pulmonary reperfusion injury

Background. Reperfusion injury is a significant cause of early allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation. We hypothesized that direct pulmonary arterial infusion of an intravascular nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), would ameliorate pulmonary reperfusion injury more effectively than inhaled nitric oxide without causing profound systemic hypotension. Methods. Using an isolated, ventilated, whole-bloodperfused rabbit lung model, we studied the effects of both inhaled and intravascular nitric oxide during lung reperfusion. Group I (control) lungs (New Zealand White rabbits, 3 to 3.5 kg) were harvested en bloc, flushed with Euro-Collins solution, and then stored inflated for 18 hours at 4°C. Lungs were then reperfused with whole blood and ventilated with 60% oxygen for 30 minutes. Groups II, III, and IV received pulmonary arterial infusions of SNP at 0.2, 1.0, and 5.0 μg · kg −1 · min −1 , respectively, whereas group V was ventilated with 60% oxygen and nitric oxide at 80 ppm during reperfusion. Results. Pulmonary arterial infusions of SNP even at 0.2 μg · kg −1 · min −1 (group II) showed significant improvements in pulmonary artery pressure (31.35 ± 0.8 versus 40.37 ± 3.3 mm Hg; p −5 ; p −1 · min −1 (group III) showed additional significant improvements in dynamic airway compliance (1.98 ± 0.10 versus 1.46 ± 0.02 mL/mm Hg; p p p p Conclusions. Pulmonary arterial infusion of low-dose SNP during lung reperfusion significantly improves pulmonary hemodynamics, oxygenation, compliance, and edema formation. These effects were achieved at doses of SNP that did not cause profound systemic hypotension. Direct intravascular infusion of SNP via pulmonary arterial catheters could potentially abate reperfusion injury immediately after allograft implantation.
2GHz 2Mb 2T Gain-Cell Memory Macro with 128GB/s Bandwidth in a 65nm Logic Process

As silicon technology scales, the possibility of fabricating dense memories is of great interest, particularly if the solution has low to no additional process cost. We demonstrate a 2Mb 2T gain-cell macro with 128GB/s bandwidth, fast 2ns cycle time, operating at 2GHz in a native 65nm logic process. Fast read access and cycle times are critical in lookup applications such as tag RAMs in microprocessors where read queries are abundant. In such a scenario replacing SRAM with a denser fast memory is desired. The 2T fully pipelined gain-cell macro features non-destructive read, partial-write support and sustains 8-cycle successive access to the same memory bank. The macro is fabricated in a high-performance 65nm process featuring 1.2nm nitrided gate oxide, 35nm gate length, enhanced channel strain, NiSi silicide, 8 layers of Cu metal interconnect, and low-K ILD enabling data-buses from the memory banks to run as high as 2GHz. This technology has a 0.57 mum2 6T SRAM cell. All internal circuits of the macro operate with a logic-compatible nominal IV supply with the exception of wordline drivers.
Optimal scheduling in a queue with differentiated impatient users

We consider a M/M/1 queue in which the average reward for servicing a job is an exponentially decaying function of the job's sojourn time. The maximum reward and mean service times of a job are i.i.d. and chosen from arbitrary distributions. The scheduler is assumed to know the maximum reward, service rate, and age of each job. We prove that the scheduling policy that maximizes average reward serves the customer with the highest product of potential reward and service rate.
Optical differentiation of orthorhombic superconductors such as YBa2Cu3O7 from their tetragonal precursor material

The orthorhombic superconducting phase of YBa2Cu3O7 is shown to be differentiable from its tetragonal precursor by optical microscopy. Individual grains 1 μm in diameter or larger are found to either exhibit the color of the compensator in reflected polarized light (tetragonal material) or to change colors from the compensator (orthorhombic material). By using color differences, retained tetragonal material and the orthorhombic nature of untwinned areas of grains are identified. The advantage to producing better superconducting single crystals and sintered polycrystalline materials is discussed.
Unasked Questions and Unquestioned Answers: The Perils of Assuming Diversity in Modern Telecommunications Policy

The term “diversity” appears regularly in American telecommunications statutes, so promoting that principle is a prominent policy goal. However, the term has never been defined in any statute. Without a working definition of “diversity,” and with many statutory requirements to promote it, lawmakers and regulators have inaccurately conflated the principle with other political buzzwords and have subjected it to the winds of politics and ideology. This article analyzes the regulatory history of the term “diversity” in media and telecommunications and covers the underlying legal issues in finding a working definition of the term. The article then discusses the poor judicial record of diversity regulations in light of equal protection and established communication law. Policymakers must not avoid these problems and must not assume that diversity does not need a working definition.
Influence of hydrogen on the changes in the power of Barkhausen jumps in ferromagnets

The parameters of signals of magnetoelastic acoustic emission are used to evaluate the influence of hydrogen on the changes in the power of Barkhausen jumps in ferromagnets. We tested two different types of materials: nickel and steel. The hydrogen content in the bulk of the specimens is computed by the finite-element method by using equations obtained from the Fick laws. It is shown that the influence of hydrogenation on the parameters of signals of magnetoelastic acoustic emission and, hence, on the power of Barkhausen jumps caused by the external magnetic field is different for different materials.
Do we really need another typology? Clusters of local economic development strategies

This research note provides a typology of cities based on profiles of their economic development strategies. Using cluster analysis, a nuanced typology of policy practice is created by classifying ...
Changes in accessibility of plasma membrane protein as the result of tryptic hydrolysis.

IT is now known that the plasma membrane is not a simple, inert envelope enclosing the cell but plays an important role in the regulation of cellular functions. The transformation of a normal cell into a cancer cell, for example, is correlated with alterations of the plasma membrane2–4, which have been detected using plant lectins which bind to specific carbohydrate residues5. When the glycoprotein on the surface of the plasma membrane is properly orientated, the polyvalent lectins bind to the carbohydrate residue, thus cross-linking cells and inducing agglutination.
An epidemiologic and demographic study of inflammatory bowel disease in black patients

Fifty-eight cases of blacks with inflammatory bowel disease were located in a file containing 1557 patients with these disorders. Certain epidemiologic and demographic characteristics of the two groups, blacks and whites, were compared, including distribution of cases, age at onset, sex incidence, occupational history, marital status, and educational level. No differences were found. Blacks were more likely to have arthritic symptoms and peptic ulcer disease if they had ulcerative colitis. Blacks with Crohn's disease had more fissures than whites. It appears that, once manifested, these diseases are similar in the two groups studied.
Optimal Compression of a Generalized Prandtl-Ishlinskii Operator in Hysteresis Modeling

The Prandtl-Ishlinskii (PI) model is a popular hysteresis model that has been widely applied in smart materials-based systems. Recently, a generalized PI model is formulated that is capable of characterizing asymmetric, saturated hysteresis. The fidelity of the model hinges on accurate representation of envelope functions, play operator radii, and corresponding weights. For a given number of play operators, existing work has typically adopted some predefined play radii, the performance of which could be far from optimal. In this paper, novel schemes based on entropy and relative entropy (Kullback-Leibler divergence) for optimal compression of a generalized PI model are proposed to best represent the original hysteresis model subject to a given complexity constraint, i.e., the number of play operators. The overall compression performance is expressed as a cost function, and is optimized using dynamic programming. The proposed compression schemes are applied to the modeling of the asymmetric hysteresis between resistance and temperature of a vanadium dioxide (VO2) film, and the effectiveness is further demonstrated in a model verification experiment. In particular, under the same complexity constraint, an entropy-based compression scheme and a Kullback-Leibler divergence-based compression scheme result in modeling errors around 37% and 48%, respectively, of that under a uniform compression scheme.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Participant Characteristics That Influence Consent for Genetic Research in a Population-Based Survey: The Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Follow-Up

Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate the sociodemographic and health characteristics associated with the willingness to donate a DNA sample, and consent to testin
Is a Pharmacy Student the Customer or the Product

Academic entitlement and student consumerism have been described as a cause for unprofessional behavior in higher education. Colleges and schools of pharmacy may inadvertently encourage student consumerism and academic entitlement by misunderstanding who is the primary customer of pharmacy education. Pharmacy colleges and schools who view students as the primary customer can unintentionally pressure faculty members to relax expectations for professionalism and academic performance and thereby cause a general downward spiral in the quality of pharmacy graduates. In contrast, this paper argues that the primary customer of pharmacy education is the patient. Placing the patient at the center of the educational process is consistent with the concepts of pharmaceutical care, medication therapy management, the patient-centered home, and the oath of the pharmacist. Emphasizing the patient as the primary customer discourages academic entitlement and student consumerism and encourages an emphasis on learning how to serve the medication-related needs of the patient.
Looking beyond fertilizer: assessing the contribution of nitrogen from hydrologic inputs and organic matter to plant growth in the cranberry agroecosystem

Even though nitrogen (N) is a key nutrient for successful cranberry production, N cycling in cranberry agroecosystems is not completely understood. Prior research has focused mainly on timing and uptake of ammonium fertilizer, but the objective of our study was to evaluate the potential for additional N contributions from hydrologic inputs (flooding, irrigation, groundwater, and precipitation) and organic matter (OM). Plant biomass, soil, surface and groundwater samples were collected from five cranberry beds (cranberry production fields) on four different farms, representing both upland and lowland systems. Estimated average annual plant uptake (63.3 ± 22.5 kg N ha−1 year−1) exceeded total average annual fertilizer inputs (39.5 ± 11.6 kg N ha−1 year−1). Irrigation, precipitation, and floodwater N summed to an average 23 ± 0.7 kg N ha−1 year−1, which was about 60% of fertilizer N. Leaf and stem litterfall added 5.2 ± 1.2 and 24.1 ± 3.0 kg N ha−1 year−1 respectively. The estimated net N mineralization rate from the buried bag technique was 5 ± 0.2 kg N ha−1 year−1, which was nearly 15% of fertilizer N. Dissolved organic nitrogen represented a significant portion of the total N pool in both surface water and soil samples. Mixed-ion exchange resin core incubations indicated that 80% of total inorganic N from fertilizer, irrigation, precipitation, and mineralization was nitrate, and approximately 70% of recovered inorganic N from groundwater was nitrate. There was a weak but significant negative relationship between extractable soil ammonium concentrations and ericoid mycorrhizal colonization (ERM) rates (r = −0.22, P < 0.045). Growers may benefit from balancing the N inputs from hydrologic sources and OM relative to fertilizer N in order to maximize the benefits of ERM fungi in actively mediating N cycling in cranberry agroecosystems.