cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conditioned place preference paradigm: a novel approach for analgesic drug assessment against chronic pain.

Abstract In response to concerns over the clinical relevance of analgesic testing paradigms which involve acute nociceptive stimuli, the present research examined the utility of the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm as a novel approach for determination of analgesic drug efficacy against chronic nociception. Rats display preferences for environments that have been previously paired with positively reinforcing drugs; whether place preference to the negatively reinforcing effects of analgesic drugs in an animal model of chronic pain occurs is yet unknown. The present research sought to determine whether animals experiencing chronic pain would display a place preference for an environment paired with analgesic drug treatment. Persistent inflammatory nociception was induced by unilateral injections of complete Freund's adjuvant (0.1 ml) into the rat hind paw. Place preference to the opiate agonist morphine, the N- methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) indomethacin was examined in 3 separate experiments. Rats received 8 counterbalanced conditioning trials (4 drug, 4 no-drug) of 60 min each with various drug doses (morphine: 3.0 and 10.0 mg/kg; indomethacin: 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg; MK-801: 0.03, 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg i.p.) or vehicle serving as the reinforcing stimuli in a 3 compartment (2 stimuli, 1 neutral) place preference apparatus. In general, morphine place preference was observed in both inflamed and non-inflamed groups; inflamed groups exhibited enhanced morphine place preference than non-inflamed groups. MK-801 produced a low-dose place preference in inflamed animals; higher doses of MK-801 produced a place aversion in both inflamed and non-inflamed groups. Indomethacin failed to produced place preference in either inflamed or non-inflamed groups. These data demonstrate that the negatively reinforcing properties of analgesic drugs can be assessed via the CPP paradigm. In addition, this paradigm offers greater clinical relevance as animals determine drug efficacy without the involvement of high-intensity, phasic nociceptive stimulation.
Antiangiogenesis immunotherapy induces epitope spreading to Her-2/neu resulting in breast tumor immunoediting

Targeting tumors using cancer vaccine therapeutics has several advantages including the induction of long-term immunity, prime boost strategies for additional treatments and reduced side effects compared to conventional chemotherapeutics. However, one problem in targeting tumor antigens directly is that this can lead to antigen loss or immunoediting. We hypothesized that directing the immune response to a normal cell type required for tumor growth and survival could provide a more stable immunotherapeutic target. We thus examined the ability of an antiangiogenesis, Listeria monocytogenes (Lm)-based vector to deliver extracellular and intracellular fragments of the mouse vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2/Flk-1 molecule, Lm-LLO-Flk-E1, and Lm-LLO-Flk-11 respectively, in an autochthonous model for Her-2/neu+ breast cancer. We found that these vaccines could cause epitope spreading to the endogenous tumor protein Her-2/neu and significantly delay tumor onset. However, tumors that grew out overtime accumulated mutations in the Her-2/neu molecule near or within cytotoxic T lymphocytes epitopes. We show here for the first time how an antiangiogenesis immunotherapy can be used to delay the onset of a spontaneous tumor through epitope spreading and determine a possible mechanism of how immunoediting of an endogenous tumor protein can allow for tumor escape and outgrowth in an autochthonous mouse model for Her-2/neu+ breast cancer.
Risk-Pooling Along a Fixed Delivery Route Using a Dynamic Inventory-Allocation Policy

This paper examines static and dynamic policies for replenishing and allocating inventories amongst N retailers located along a fixed delivery route. Each retailer faces independent, normally-distributed period demand and incurs a proportional holding or backorder cost on end-of-period net-inventory. A warehouse places a system-replenishment order every m periods which is received after a fixed leadtime of T periods. Immediately upon receipt, a delivery vehicle leaves the warehouse with the system-replenishment quantity and travels to the retailers along a fixed route with fixed leadtimes between successive retailers. The warehouse holds no inventory. Under the "static" policy, allocations are determined for all retailers simultaneously at the moment the delivery vehicle leaves the warehouse. Under the "dynamic" policy, allocations are determined sequentially upon arrival of the delivery vehicle at each retailer. Our major analytical results, under appropriate dynamic static allocation assumptions, are: 1 optimal allocations under each policy involve bringing each retailer's "normalized-inventory" to a corresponing "normalized" system inventory; 2 optimal system replenishments are base-stock policies; 3 the minimum expected cost per cycle of dynamic static policy can be derived from an equivalent dynamic static composite retailer. Given this, we prove that the "risk-pooling incentive"-a simple measure of the benefit from adopting dynamic allocation policies-is always positive. Our simulation tests confirm that dynamic allocation policies yield lower costs than static policies, regardless of whether or not their respective allocation assumptions are valid. However, the magnitude of the cost savings is very sensitive to some system parameters.
Piezoelectric behavior of pre-stressed curved actuators under load

Pre-stressed curved actuators typically consist of a piezoelectric ceramic (lead zirconate titanate or PZT) laminated between various layered materials. In one configuration, THUNDER, the bottom layer is stainless steel and the top layer is aluminum; the metallic layers are attached to the PZT ceramic using a polymeric adhesive. In another configuration, Lipca-C2, the layers comprise a glass/epoxy composite and a carbon/epoxy composite. Experimental and numerical results of displacement performance under unloaded conditions have been investigated in the past. The results show that the Lipca-C2 devices produced more displacement than the THUNDER devices when clamped and unloaded. The present study includes a comparative performance of both devices under load to evaluate their lifting capability. Both out-of-plane and in-plane displacements are assessed as a function of load and voltage at low frequency. A non-contact laser was used for the out-of-plane measurements simultaneously with an optic fiber for in-plane displacement at 0 to 5N load values. The load is attached to one end of the actuators, and to avoid possible damage to the actuators, it is moved through a mechanism that utilizes a frictionless linear bearing and a pulley.
Synthesis of a Cross-Linked Branched Polymer Network in the Interior of a Protein Cage

A goal of biomimetic chemistry is to use the hierarchical architecture inherent in biological systems to guide the synthesis of functional three-dimensional structures. Viruses and other highly symmetrical protein cage architectures provide defined scaffolds to initiate hierarchical structure assembly. Here we demonstrate that a cross-linked branched polymer can be initiated and synthesized within the interior cavity of a protein cage architecture. Creating this polymer network allows for the spatial control of pendant reactive sites and dramatically increases the stability of the cage architecture. This material was generated by the sequential coupling of multifunctional monomers using click chemistry to create a branched cross-linked polymer network. Analysis of polymer growth by mass spectrometry demonstrated that the polymer was initiated at the interior surface of the cage at genetically introduced cysteine reactive sites. The polymer grew as expected to generation 2.5 where it was limited by the size constraints of the cavity. The polymer network was fully cross-linked across protein subunits that make up the cage and extended the thermal stability for the cage to at least 120 degrees C. The introduced reactive centers were shown to be active and their number density increased with increasing generation. This synthetic approach provides a new avenue for creating defined polymer networks, spatially constrained by a biological template.
Medical Imaging: The New Rosetta Stone

![Graphic][1] An ancient Egyptian stele on a piece of igneous rock in Memphis, Egypt in 196 BCE was the key to resolving some of the mysteries of people living 20 to 50 centuries ago. La Pierre de Rosette or the Rosetta stone is thus colloquially considered to be that missing but vital clue
Effects of testosterone on hypoxic ventilatory and carotid body neural responsiveness

Hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) is known to be influenced by administration of testosterone but prior studies report conflicting results1, 2. White et al.1 reported an augmented HVR after testosterone replacement in hypogonadal males, whereas Matsumoto et al.2 found HVR decreased after testosterone treatment. In addition, the site at which the hormone acts remains unclear. No studies have been undertaken to determine whether testosterone alters carotid body neural responsiveness to hypoxia and, if so, whether it acts directly on the peripheral chemoreceptors and/or on the central nervous system translation of carotid sinus nerve (CSN) output into ventilation.
Charge-density-wave order parameter of the Falicov-Kimball model in infinite dimensions

In the large-U limit, the Falicov-Kimball model maps onto an effective Ising model, with an order parameter described by a BCS-like mean-field theory in infinite dimensions. In the small-U limit, van Dongen and Vollhardt showed that the order parameter assumes a strange non-BCS-like shape with a sharp reduction near TT c /2. Here we numerically investigate the crossover between these two regimes and qualitatively determine the order parameter for a variety of different values of U. We find the overall behavior of the order parameter as a function of temperature to be quite anomalous.
Analysis of medication errors in simulated pediatric resuscitation by residents.

Introduction: The objective of our study was to estimate the incidence of prescribing medication errors specifically made by a trainee and identify factors associated with these errors during the simulated resuscitation of a critically ill child. Methods: The results of the simulated resuscitation are described. We analyzed data from the simulated resuscitation for the occurrence of a prescribing medication error. We compared univariate analysis of each variable to medication error rate and performed a separate multiple logistic regression analysis on the significant univariate variables to assess the association between the selected variables. Results: We reviewed 49 simulated resuscitations . The final medication error rate for the simulation was 26.5% (95% CI 13.7% - 39.3%). On univariate analysis, statistically significant findings for decreased prescribing medication error rates included senior residents in charge, presence of a pharmacist, sleeping greater than 8 hours prior to the simulation, and a visual analog scale score showing more confidence in caring for critically ill children. Multiple logistic regression analysis using the above significant variables showed only the presence of a pharmacist to remain significantly associated with decreased medication error, odds raio of 0.09 (95% CI 0.01 - 0.64). Conclusion: Our results indicate that the presence of a clinical pharmacist during the resuscitation of a critically ill child reduces the medication errors made by resident physician trainees.[West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(4):486-490.]
Experts' Content Knowledge of Fundamentals

This study examined the content knowledge of expert sport instructors in order to understand the nature of fundamentals in sport instruction. Data were collected through a questionnaire of expert golf teachers (n=50) from GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Teachers list. These expert golf instructors were asked to identify what they believed were the five fundamentals of golf. Researchers found disagreement within the population. Two groups were then identified - the Element Instructors and Compound Instructors - based upon similar responses. Element Instructors were characterized by agreement within their group that grip, posture, and alignment were the fundamental skills of golf. Compound Instructors had no set of agreedupon fundamentals. Researchers found no discernible rationales for this division-based on collected data. These results suggest that at least two "schools of thought" regarding content fundamentals exist and could indicate disagreement among expert golf instructors as a whole.
The transcription factor activator protein-1 is activated and interleukin-6 production is increased in interleukin-1beta-stimulated human enterocytes.

The intestinal mucosa is an active participant in the inflammatory and metabolic response to sepsis, endotoxemia, and other critical illness. The genes for various cytokines, e.g., interleukin 6 (IL-6), are regulated by multiple transcription factors, including nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1). In recent studies, treatment with IL-1beta of cultured Caco-2 cells, a human intestinal epithelial cell line, resulted in increased NF-kappaB DNA binding. The effect of IL-1beta on AP-1 activity in the enterocyte and the potential role of AP-1 in enterocyte IL-6 production are not known. We treated Caco-2 cells with IL-1beta and determined AP-1 activity by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and IL-6 production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Treatment of Caco-2 cells with IL-1beta resulted in a dose- and time-dependent increase in AP-1 DNA binding. Supershift analysis suggests that activated AP-1 contained c-Jun, JunD, c-Fos, FosB, and Fra1 subunits. When Caco-2 cells were transiently transfected with an AP-1 luciferase reporter plasmid, stimulation with IL-1beta resulted in increased luciferase activity, suggesting that AP-1 DNA binding increased gene activation. Additional luciferase assays were performed with a plasmid containing a wild-type or AP-1-mutated IL-6 promoter. Stimulation of these cells with IL-1beta gave rise to results supporting the role of AP-1 in the regulation of IL-6 production. Geldanamycin, which has been shown in studies to inhibit AP-1 activation, blocked IL-1beta-induced AP-1 luciferase gene activation and IL-6 production. These results suggest that the AP-1 family of transcription factors is activated by IL-1beta in human enterocytes and that AP-1 may at least in part regulate IL-6 production in these cells.
Nutrient transport in a bovine lens epithelial cell line

A bovine calf lens epithelial cell line (CLE-1) that synthesizes crystallin has been established in culture and some of its transport properties have been characterized using both cells and membrane vesicles derived from them. The membrane vesicles fractionate with high recovery of plasma membrane markers, showing a 40-fold purification of 5'-AMPase and a 20-fold decrease in the specific activity of the mitochondrial marker enzyme succinic dehydrogenase relative to a cell homogenate. Transport sites demonstrated higher specific activity than has been seen in vesicles from cell lines studied previously. The uptake of α-amino isobutyric acid (AIB) (an alanine analog) by CLE-1 cells is stimulated four- to fivefold by Na + and exhibits a K m of 5.4 mM with a V max of 50 pmoles/min μg of cell protein. The uptake of leucine was not Na + stimulatable. The uptake of AIB by the cells was reduced by 43% at confluence. Thus, the cell density dependent behavior of the uptake of the alanine amino acid family in CLE-1 is similar to that of various fibroblast cells. The Na + caused a threefold stimulation of AIB uptake in the membrane vesicles, while vesicular uptake of leucine was unaffected by Na + . The uptake of adenine, guanine, uridine, and guanosine was also tested in these vesicles. The substrates were rapidly accumulated, came to a steady state distribution within 1-2 minutes, and were recovered as the unaltered compounds after uptake.
Thermodynamic properties of normal butane at refrigeration temperatures

Abstract Presented in both English and SI units are tables of the thermodynamic properties of normal butane over the temperature range -22 to +122°F (-30 to +50°C). Values are tabulated of the volume, enthalpy, and entropy for the subcooled liquid, the saturated liquid and vapor and the superheated vapor in both unit systems. The data used to calculate these properties have been carefully evaluated and include very recent values of the low temperature heat capacity of the vapor. Two enthalpy-entropy charts (Mollier diagrams), one in each of the unit systems are presented. These are suitable for the design of machinery used in thermo-mechanical energy cycles such as the freezing and eutectic processes for treating sea water and waste water. The calculated thermodynamic properties are the only ones available for n-butane which cover the above complete temperature range.
Conserved molecular systems of the Baculoviridae

Although the Baculoviridae are a large and diverse family of viruses, they are united by a number of shared features that form the basis for their unique life cycle. These include the mechanism of cell entry, genome replication and processing, and late and very late gene transcription. In this review, the molecular systems that are conserved within the Baculoviridae and that are responsible these processes are described.
A novel approach to synthesis of tricyanovinylthiophene for heterocyclic imidazole nonlinear optical chromophores

Abstract A new synthetic method for tricyanovinylation has been developed to prepare a series of novel NLO imidazole chromophores containing a tricyanovinyl acceptor coupled with thiophene spacer.
The Construction and Calibration of Behavioral Rating Scales.

Measures of reliability of inter-observer agreement are fundamental to the evaluation of a rating scale whose use requires the judgment of the rater. The heuristic methods described here provide measures of use in the construction and calibration of a rating scale, when used by two observers, where there is only one opportunity for measurement of the characteristic. The results of these procedure permit an empiric evaluation to be made of the scale as used by the raters. A score is suggested that attempts to evaluate the interchangeability of one set of scores with those obtained by another observer. These methods provide a basis upon which to initially structure such measuring instruments.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus in children.

ABSTRACT Objective To provide an overview of type 2 diabetes in children and discuss short-term and long-term management strategies. Methods We review the distinction among various types of diabetes mellitus as they apply to children. In addition, we discuss determining the precise diagnosis between the two major variants—type 1 and type 2 diabetes—and clinical management of type 2 diabetes in children. Results A dramatic increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes in children has been noted, which is commensurate with an overall increase in obesity. In Arizona, this trend has been similar to that reported in Ohio and Arkansas. Glucose toxicity of the pancreas, which occurs with chronic hyperglycemia and impairs insulin secretion, may lead to manifestation of florid diabetic ketoacidosis and requires insulin therapy at diagnosis. For successful long-term management of type 2 diabetes in a child, a program that includes weight reduction must be implemented. Conclusion Obesity-related diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in children. Physicians responsible for the care for pediatric patients should be aware of this trend and should become familiar with management strategies for type 2 diabetes. (Endocr Pract. 1998;4:413-416)
Indirectly heated biomass gasification using a latent heat ballast. Part 2: modeling

Abstract Experiments carried out in an indirectly heated biomass gasifier successfully demonstrated that throughput and gas heating value could be increased by using a latent heat ballast. A mathematical model describing heat transfer and chemical reaction in the system was developed. The heat transfer submodel is accurate to within 13 K for both ballasted and unballasted scenarios. However, the chemical submodel, based on thermodynamic equilibrium calculations, proved inadequate and underpredicted cooling times during the pyrolysis phase of the process by about 50%. Improvement was made by substituting the measured product gas composition for the calculated gas composition.
Geometric and thematic integration of spatial data into maps

The map construction problem (MCP) is defined as a spatial data integration problem relating to the integration of region data into map data. Although a purely geometric integration of regions into a map is known and is efficient, algorithms preserving thematic data of regions are much more difficult. A naive approach to the MCP runs in O((nmlg nm)2 + k) time for m regions composed with n line segments on average with k line segment intersections. A newO((n+k)(lg n+m+lgm2)) algorithm is presented to solve the MCP. The algorithm has been implemented and experiments show that it is significantly faster than the naive approach.
Lipids, statins and cardiovascular disease.

In just over 1 year, totally differing opinions re the importance of dyslipidemia as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and the use of statins for reducing cardiovascular disease have been g...
Flicker between Different Brightness Levels as Determinant of the Flicker Fusion

For investigation of flicker produced by phasic variations of the brightness level, an electronic flicker apparatus was developed for continuous variation of brightness, area, light-dark ratio, ambient light ratio, and monocular or binocular exposure. The Sylvania glow modulator tube is excited by a steady current and simultaneously by rectangular impulses, thus furnishing an ambient and a flickering light source which can be mixed at any ratio within the total light emission capacity. At the same total light emission (Talbot level), the following ratios of ambient light, in percent of the total emission were investigated with monocular presentation: 0, 25, 50, 75, 85, and 95, at two levels of total brightness. Visual field (1.5°) and time interval ratio 50:50 were kept constant. There was no difference in the subjective sensation of flicker at any ambient light ratio. There was a continuous drop of the fusion frequency of flicker with increasing ratio of ambient light in three subjects. The extreme ratios (zero and 95% ambient light) were tested in 173 subjects. The drop of the fusion frequency of flicker at 95% ambient light ratio was statistically highly significant at both brightness levels, but was more pronounced at the higher brightness. A hypothesis for this phenomenon is presented.
Critical reading seminars for medical residents. Report of a teaching technique.

The purpose and structure of a “critical reading seminar” series for second-year residents in medicine is described. This seminar has been a useful and popular forum for teaching research methodology and critical reading skills to physicians-in-training. Seminar content has emphasized the strengths and limitations of research design, sampling and subject' allocation, measures and techniques of analysis. Explanations for the popularity of these teaching sessions are briefly discussed.
A mini-cavity probe reactor.

The mini-cavity reactor is a rocket engine concept which combines the high specific impulse from a central gaseous fueled cavity (0.6 m diam) and NERVA type fuel elements in a driver region that is external to a moderator-reflector zone to produce a compact light weight reactor. The overall dimension including a pressure vessel that is located outside of the spherical reactor is approximately 1.21 m in diameter. Specific impulses up to 2000 sec are obtainable for 220 to 890 N of thrust with pressures less than 1000 atm. Powerplant weights including a radiator for disposing of the power in the driver region are between 4600 and 32,000 kg - less than payloads of the shuttle. This reactor could also be used as a test reactor for gas-core, MHD, breeding and materials research.
An Analytical Model Describing Intervertebral Disc Mechanics Following a Needle Puncture Injury

There is growing acceptance of needle puncture injury to induce intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration in small animal models, and needle injection is the most likely pathway for delivery of growth factors and/or cell therapies to IVDs. Consequently, there is strong motivation for improved understanding of how needle injuries affect IVD mechanics. Loss of disc height and stiffness have been shown following needle puncture [1,2,3], yet the exact mechanisms by which a needle puncture alters disc mechanics are unclear. This study aims to develop an analytical model of the IVD which may be used to assess the relative contributions of various load carriage mechanisms to overall disc properties.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Double labeling of chromatin proteins, in vivo and in vitro, and their two-dimensional electrophoretic resolution.

Abstract A modification of the two-dimensional electrophoretic method that involves nonequilibrium pH gradients has been adapted for high resolution of chromatin proteins from sea urchin embryos. A simple method of labeling the protein, in vitro , by reductive methylation with boro[ 3 H]hydride to a specific activity of 100,000 cpm/μg of protein is detailed. Chromatin protein may be labeled, in vivo with 14 C-amino acids, and newly synthesized ( 3 H and 14 C-labeled) and preexistent proteins (only 3 H labeled) may be distinguished. The method reveals that sea urchin embryo chromatin contains over 200 proteins.
Subversion and Utilization of Host Innate Defense by Leishmania amazonensis

Infection with Leishmania amazonensis and other members of the L. mexicana complex can lead to diverse clinical manifestations, some of which are relatively difficult to control, even with standard chemotherapy. Diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis is a rare but severe form, and its clinical hallmark is excessive parasitic growth in infected cells accompanied by profound impairments in host immune responses to the parasites. Since these parasites also cause non-healing cutaneous leishmaniasis in most inbred strains of mice, these animals are valuable models for dissecting the mechanisms of persistent infection and disease pathogenesis. In comparison to other Leishmania species, L. amazonensis infections are most remarkable for their ability to repress the activation and effector functions of macrophages, dendritic cells and CD4+ T cells, implying discrete mechanisms at work. In addition to this multilateral suppression of host innate and adaptive immunity, the activation of types I and II interferon-mediated responses and autophagic/lipid metabolic pathways actually promotes rather than restrains L. amazonensis infection. These seemingly contradictory findings reflect the remarkable adaptation of the parasites to the ancient defense machinery of the host, as well as the complex parasite-host interactions at different stages of infection, which collectively contribute to non-healing leishmaniasis in the New World. This review article highlights new evidence that reveals the strategies utilized by L. amazonensis parasites to subvert or modulate host innate defense machinery in neutrophils and macrophages, as well as the regulatory roles of host innate responses in promoting parasite survival and replication within the huge parasitophorous vacuoles. A better understanding of unique features in host responses to these parasites at early and late stages of infection is important for the rational design of control strategies for non-healing leishmaniasis.
Zooplankton dynamics in an intertidal salt-marsh basin

We determined tidal, diel (day-night), and diurnal (day to day) patterns of occurrence for the summer zooplankton assemblage in an intertidal salt marsh basin at North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina. In one time series, 153 μm pump and 365 μm net collections were made every 1–2 h during four consecutive tidal cycles. Taxonomic composition remained unchanged throughout most of the 48-h period, but densities and proportionalities of individual taxa were highly variable. Recurring patterns of abundance were observed and taxon-specific relationships with the tidal and diel cycles were indicated. Zooplankton were not uniformly distributed within flooding-ebbing water masses and distributions could not be explained by simple passive advection with the tides. Diel differences in densities of copepods and bivalves resulted from behavioral responses to changing light conditions. Large pulses of crab and shrimp larvae originating from nocturnal hatching events within the intertidal basin exited but did not return during the next flood tide. Higher densities of postlarval decapods on flood tides indicated settlement and recruitment to the shallow basin. In a second time series, replicated collections of the 153 μm and 365 μm assemblages were made during the daytime ebb tide every 1–3 d from May through October 1991 to determine relationships between diurnal changes in depth, salinity, and temperature and zooplankton composition and abundance. Diurnal variations in densities and proportionalities were less than those observed during the 48-h study and patterns were not regular. For most taxa, relationships between depth and abundance were the same in both time series. During periods of reduced salinity, densities of copepods,Uca zoeae, and barnacle nauplii decreased and densities ofUca megalopae andPenaeus postlarvae increased. However, zoeae emerged and postlarvae recruited throughout the 5-mo period, indicating that considerable flexibility in responses and tolerances existed within the populations. The diversity of life-history strategies and behavioral adaptations found among the zooplankton assures continuous occupation of flooded intertidal habitats. We suspect that the evolution and maintenance of temporally staggered recurring patterns of occurrence results in reductions in the competition for resources.
New Insights into Cochlear Amplification

The high sensitivity and narrow tuning of mammalian hearing depend on mechanical amplification of the cochlea’s response to sound, a process called cochlear amplification. Many aspects of this process are understood, but how they all work together to produce amplification is not understood. In particular, it has been a mystery how the push from outer hair cells (OHCs, the motors for this amplification) is timed so that cochlear vibration is enhanced instead of diminished. This is where Dong and Olson (1) provide important new (to my knowledge) insights.
Student Enrollment in High School AP Sciences and Calculus: How does it Correlate with STEM Careers?

Many high schools offer students the opportunity to take advanced placement (AP) courses in many subjects including science and mathematics. Studies have shown that students who take these classes ...
Parameter Determination for Singlet Oxygen Modeling of BPD-Mediated PDT.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers a cancer treatment modality capable of providing minimally invasive localized tumor necrosis. To accurately predict PDT treatment outcome based on pre-treatment patient specific parameters, an explicit dosimetry model is used to calculate apparent reacted 1 O 2 concentration ([ 1 O 2 ]rx) at varied radial distances from the activating light source inserted into tumor tissue and apparent singlet oxygen threshold concentration for necrosis ([ 1 O2] rx , sd) for type-II PDT photosensitizers. Inputs into the model include a number of photosensitizer independent parameters as well as photosensitizer specific photochemical parameters ξ σ, and β. To determine the specific photochemical parameters of benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid A (BPD), mice were treated with BPDPDT with varied light source strengths and treatment times. All photosensitizer independent inputs were assessed pre-treatment and average necrotic radius in treated tissue was determined post-treatment. Using the explicit dosimetry model, BPD specific ξ σ, and β photochemical parameters were determined which estimated necrotic radii similar to those observed in initial BPD-PDT treated mice using an optimization algorithm that minimizes the difference between the model and that of the measurements. Photochemical parameters for BPD are compared with those of other known photosensitizers, such as Photofrin. The determination of these BPD specific photochemical parameters provides necessary data for predictive treatment outcome in clinical BPD-PDT using the explicit dosimetry model.
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON THE ELECTRORETINOGRAM OF THE ISOLATED CARP RETINA

The electroretinogram was recorded from the isolated retina of the carp while the temperature was varied systematically and while the preparation was under the influence of various pharmacological agents. In addition to the a-wave and the b-wave, the electroretinogram gave evidence of early and late oscillatory potentials. The procedures selectively modified the prominence of these and other less conspicuous components. A particularly significant finding was that some oscillatory potentials are largest at intermediate temperatures, but that they persist to very low ones. It is suggested that temperature control, variation of stimulus intensity, and the application of pharmacological agents may be combined to provide a useful method of separating retinal response components.
N2,7-Bis(1-hydroxy-2-oxopropyl)-2‘-deoxyguanosine: Identical Noncyclic Adducts with 1,3-Dichloropropene Epoxides and Methylglyoxal

cis- and trans-1,3-dichloropropene epoxides (1,3-D-epoxides) are proposed to be the penultimate or ultimate genotoxic metabolites of the major soil fumigant nematicide 1,3-dichloropropene. The 1,3-D-epoxide isomers and the potential aldehydes from their degradation readily form adducts with 2‘-deoxyguanosine (dGuo) but not with 2‘-deoxyadenosine or 2‘-deoxycytidine. The reaction of dGuo with the 1,3-D-epoxides (1:20 molar equiv) in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4 for 24 h at 37 °C results in complete conversion to four adducts that can be separated by HPLC with the same UV spectra and electrospray (ES)/MS molecular ion and fragmentation patterns. These adducts contain no chlorine and are identical to those obtained more rapidly with methylglyoxal in place of the 1,3-D-epoxides. The four isomeric methylglyoxal adducts with dGuo were proposed originally by others to be the cyclic adducts 1,N2-(1,2-dihydroxy-2-methyl)ethano-dGuo, but they are reassigned here as the four diastereomers of the noncyclic bis adducts ...
Accelerated cure of phenol–formaldehyde resins: Studies with model compounds

2-Hydroxymethylphenol (2-HMP) and 4-hydroxymethylphenol (4-HMP) were used as model compounds to study the reactions that occur during cure of phenol–formaldehyde (PF) resin to which cure accelerators (ethyl formate, propylene carbonate, γ-butyrolactone, and triacetin) have been added. The addition of cure accelerators significantly increased the rate of condensation reactions. The cure accelerators were consumed during the reaction, indicating that they do not act as true catalysts. Major dimeric and trimeric reaction products were isolated and their structures determined. The results are consistent with a mechanism in which the hydroxymethyl group of 2-HMP (or 4-HMP) is first transesterified by the cure accelerator. The ester group is then displaced by reaction with the negatively charged ortho or para position of a second molecule (SN2 mechanism) or is converted to a reactive quinone methide intermediate, which subsequently reacts with the negatively charged ortho or para position of a second molecule (quinone methide mechanism). When accelerators were added to the reaction mixture, the self-condensation of 2-HMP was faster than that of 4-HMP. As is well documented in the literature, the exact opposite is true without added accelerators. This result would seem to indicate that the phenolic oxygen helps activate the esterified ortho-hydroxymethyl group. The number and nature of crosslinks in a PF resin cured with added cure accelerator might be different than those in a PF resin cured without an added cure accelerator. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 3256–3263, 2002
THE CONCEPT OF LOCATION IN CLASSICAL GEOGRAPHY

(1961). THE CONCEPT OF LOCATION IN CLASSICAL GEOGRAPHY. Annals of the Association of American Geographers: Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 194-210.
A further characterization of the selective K movements observed in human red blood cells following acetylphenylhydrazine exposure

Following brief exposure to acetylphenylhydrazine, the potassium permeability of the human erythrocyte membrane is selectively augmented. While a similar increase in potassium permeability results from the intracellular accumulation of calcium (the Gardos phenomenon), we have found a number of features that allow these two pathways to be distinguished from one another. The acetylphenylhydrazine pathway does not require calcium for its activation, and can be seen even in the presence of a molar excess of the calcium chelator EGTA. The transmembrane potassium movement via this channel has a specific requirement for the anion chloride, and it can be inhibited by furosemide. The potassium that moves through the Gardos pathway, on the other hand, can be accompanied by any permeant anion, and is inhibitable by quinidine or cetiedil. Thus, acetylphenylhydrazine exposure seems to promote K + Cl cotransport, whereas the Gardos pathway represents a potassium conductive channel. While full demonstration of both these pathways requires harsh in vitro manipulation, the large electrochemical potassium gradient favoring the movement of this cation out from the erythrocyte suggests that even a partial activation of either pathway could cause intracellular dehydration and thus contribute importantly to the pathophysiology of in vivo red cell destruction.
The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies.

Research suggests that exposure to mass media depicting the thin-ideal body may be linked to body image disturbance in women. This meta-analysis examined experimental and correlational studies testing the links between media exposure to women's body dissatisfaction, internalization of the thin ideal, and eating behaviors and beliefs with a sample of 77 studies that yielded 141 effect sizes. The mean effect sizes were small to moderate (ds = -.28, -.39, and -.30, respectively). Effects for some outcome variables were moderated by publication year and study design. The findings support the notion that exposure to media images depicting the thin-ideal body is related to body image concerns for women.
Neurotrophins and Their Receptors

A small family of growth factors known as neurotrophins regulates many different aspects of neuronal function. Although neurotrophins are best known for their ability to promote the survival of embryonic neurons, and to promote growth of neuronal axons, during neural development, neurotrophins also are important regulators of plasticity and synaptic function in the adult nervous system. These functions are mediated by four different receptor proteins—TrkA, TrkB, TrkC, and p75NTR. Keywords: neurotrophin; receptor; signal transduction; neurotrophic; apoptosis; protein kinase; receptor tyrosine kinase
Analysis of circular dichroism spectra of homopurine: homopyrimidine DNA's for sequence information and comparison of results with heterobase DNA.

Procedures are developed which make a first neighbor frequency analysis possible from a CD spectrum of homopyrimidine: homopurine DNA's. The contribution to the CD spectrum from the various first neighbor frequencies present in homopyrimidine: homopurine-type DNA's has been determined, and hence the CD spectrum for any DNA of this type with known first neighbor frequencies can easily be calculated. An identical analysis is presented for the determination of extinction coefficients. It is further shown that unlike the more usual heteropurine–pyrimidine DNA's a random sequence does not lead to a simplified formalism. Finally, it is concluded that the homopyrimidine: homopurine DNA's have a structure that is different from that of the more usual heterobase DNA's. A procedure capable of determining first neighbor frequencies from a CD spectrum for heterobase and/or homopurine: homopyrimidine DNA's is described. This procedure is used to determine that there is only minimal interference between these two types of DNA in the first neighbor analysis.
Attaining fault tolerance through self-adaption: the strengths and weaknesses of evolvable hardware approaches

Self-adaptive systems autonomously change their behavior to compensate for faults or to improve their performance. Evolvable hardware, which combines evolutionary algorithms with reconfigurable hardware, is often proposed as the cornerstone for systems that use self-adaption for fault recovery. Although evolvable hardware was first introduced over 15 years ago, there are few, if any, fault tolerant self-adaptive systems in operation today. One primary reason why these unfortunate circumstances have arisen is many designers--and not limited to just designers from the computational intelligence community--do not really understand how to build a basic fault tolerant system, let alone a self-adaptive fault tolerant system. This chapter describes how fault tolerant systems are built. A model for designing fault tolerant systems that rely on evolvable hardware for fault recovery is presented.
Cortical Surface-Based Analysis II: Inflation, Flattening, and a Surface-Based Coordinate System

The surface of the human cerebral cortex is a highly folded sheet with the majority of its surface area buried within folds. As such, it is a difficult domain for computational as well as visualization purposes. We have therefore designed a set of procedures for modifying the representation of the cortical surface to (i) inflate it so that activity buried inside sulci may be visualized, (ii) cut and flatten an entire hemisphere, and (iii) transform a hemisphere into a simple parameterizable surface such as a sphere for the purpose of establishing a surface-based coordinate system. r 1999 Academic Press
Learning on varifolds

In this paper, we propose a new learning framework based on the mathematical concept of varifolds (Morgan, 2000), which are the measure-theoretic generalization of differentiable manifolds. We compare varifold learning with the popular manifold learning and demonstrate some of its specialties. Algorithmically, we derive a neighborhood refinement technique for hypergraph models, which is conceptually analogous to varifolds, give the procedure for constructing such hypergraphs from data and finally by using the hypergraph Laplacian matrix we are able to solve high-dimensional classification problems accurately.
A NEW SPECIES OF PLASMODIUM FROM THE FORMOSAN SHOVELLER DUCK (ANAS CLYPEATA L.).

SYNOPSIS. Blood films made from the “shoveller duck”, Anas clypeata Linnaeus 1758, in Lin-pien Ping-tung Hsien, Taiwan, showed a new species of avian malaria parasite, for which the name Plasmodium anasurn is proposed. This species is characterized by elongate gametocytes often closely resembling Huemopvoteus, about 15 merozoites per segmenter (although such stages were too few for really accurate counts), and trophozoites and schizonts which very often surround the extremities of the host cell nucleus in U-shaped fashion. Pigment is abundant, appears early, and is very dark. The host cell shows little or no alteration. No infected reticulocytes or blood cells other than erythrocytes were observed.
Re-configurable Completely Unpowered Wireless Sensors

A methodology for remotely and wirelessly reading any type of unpowered impedance varying sensor is described. Unpowered wireless sensors, in existence for a number of years, have been limited to low impedance sensors. Techniques for reading high impedance sensors are introduced here. The resulting methodology can be used to measure a wide range of different sensors, including temperature, pressure, light level, mechanical switch, acoustic emission, and acceleration. These sensors report physically measurable data in the same manner as do similar conventional sensors, but they do it remotely and without any local power source. The sensors are measured remotely using a radar-like interrogation device, and the sensors and their related communication electronics draw all of the power needed for communicating from the radar pulse.
Responses of the soft coral Xenia elongata following acute exposure to a chemical dispersant

Limited toxicology data are available regarding oil dispersant exposure to coral species. Corexit® EC9500A (Corexit) is a commonly applied dispersant most well known for its use after the Deepwater Horizon spill in April, 2010. There is limited evidence that Corexit can cause a bleaching response in corals. The aims of the study were: (1) to determine the extent of bleaching after acute 24 h and 72 h exposures of sublethal concentrations (0-50 ppm) of Corexit to the pulsing soft coral Xenia elongata and (2) to investigate a percent symbiont loss calculation using zooxanthellae density. The percent symbiont loss calculation was compared to a traditional metric of normalizing zooxanthellae density to soluble protein content. Percent symbiont loss was an effective measure of coral stress in acute Corexit exposures, while protein normalized zooxanthellae density was more variable. The bleaching data suggest a positive relationship between dispersant concentration and percent symbiont loss, culminating in excessive tissue necrosis and coral mortality within 72 h in high concentration exposures (p < 0.001). Percent beaching ranged from 25% in 5 ppm exposures to 100% in 50 ppm exposures. Corexit also caused a significant decrease in pulse activity (p < 0.0001) and relative oxygen saturation (p < 0.001), possibly indicating a reduction in photosynthetic efficiency. This study and other similar research indicate that dispersant exposure is highly damaging to marine organisms, including ecologically important coral species.
Gestational weight gain and risk of overweight in the offspring at age 7 y in a multicenter, multiethnic cohort study

Background: The earliest determinants of obesity may operate during intrauterine life, and gestational weight gain may influence the intrauterine environment in a way that may affect the risk of overweight in the offspring. Objective:Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexaminetheassociation of gestational weight gain with offspring overweight. Design:Thiswasaretrospectivecohortstudyof10 226participants from the Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959–1972). Anthropometric and sociodemographic variables were assessed during gestation, at birth, and at age 7 y. The association between gestational weight gain and offspring overweight at 7 y was examined after adjustment for important confounding factors. Results:Theoddsofoverweightinoffspringatage7yincreasedby 3% for every 1 kg of gestational weight gain (adjusted odds ratio: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.05). When gestational weight gain was examined using Institute of Medicine guidelines, the odds of overweight was 48% greater for children of mothers who gained more than the weightgainrecommendationsthanforchildrenofmotherswhomet the weight gain guidelines (adjusted OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.06). The association remained significant after additional adjustment for birth weight. The association between gestational weight gain and overweight in the offspring was strongest for women who were underweight before pregnancy (P for interaction 0.01). Conclusion: Helping pregnant women to meet the recommended weight gain during pregnancy may be an important and novel strategy for preventing pediatric obesity. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87: 1818–24.