cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional evidence for involvement of P2 purinoceptors in the ATP stimulation of phosphatidylcholine secretion in type II alveolar epithelial cells

Abstract There is evidence that phosphatidylcholine secretion in type II pneumocytes is stimulated by adenosine and adenine nucleotides and that the effect of adenosine is mediated by the A 2 subtype of the p 1 purinoceptor. To determine if the effect of ATP is also mediated by the same receptor following its catabolism to adenosine or by the P 2 purinoceptor we compared the effects of adenosine and ATP. Adenosine and terbutaline stimulated phosphatidylcholine secretion approx. 2-fold, while ATP stimulated it by more than 3-fold, essentially to the same extent as the protein kinase C activator, 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate. The stimulatory effect of adenosine but not of ATP was abolished by adenosine deaminase. The effect of ATP was markedly diminished by the P 2 desensitizing agent α,β-methylene ATP, but only slightly by the P 1 antagonist 8-phenyltheophylline. Adenosine increased the cAMP content of type II cells while ATP had little effect. The effects of ATP and terbutaline were additive while those of adenosine and terbutaline were not. These data show that ATP and adenosine stimulate phosphatidylcholine secretion via different mechansims. Therefore, the effect of ATP is not mediated via catabolism to adenosine. Metabolically resistant analogs of ATP also stimulated secretion in a concentration-dependent manner although none were as potent as ATP. The order of potency was ATP > β , γ -methylene ATP = 2-methylthio ATP = 2-deoxy ATP ≥ 8-bromo ATP > α , β -methylene ATP. The facts that ATP analogs also stimulate secretion and that the effect of ATP was antagonized by α,β-methylene ATP suggest that the stimulatory effect of ATP is mediated by the P 2 purinoceptor.
Neurotoxin-induced degeneration of dopamine neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans

Parkinson's disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the death of brain dopamine neurons. In mammals, dopamine neuronal degeneration can be triggered through exposure to neurotoxins accumulated by the presynaptic dopamine transporter (DAT), including 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium. We have established a system for the pharmacological and genetic evaluation of neurotoxin-induced dopamine neuronal death in Caenorhabditis elegans. Brief (1 h) exposure of green fluorescent protein-tagged, living worms to 6-OHDA causes selective degeneration of dopamine neurons. We demonstrate that agents that interfere with DAT function protect against 6-OHDA toxicity. 6-OHDA-triggered neural degeneration does not require the CED-3/CED-4 cell death pathway, but is abolished by the genetic disruption of the C. elegans DAT.
The entrepreneur's search for capital

Abstract The popular media have been inundated with stories of the spectacular success of start-up companies whose very existence, let alone their meteoric growth, would not have been possible without the infusion of venture capital. By comparison, there is a dearth of scientific research on the topic of venture capital. In this article we take a systematic look at entrepreneurs in search of risk capital. This inquiry is based upon five data bases including surveys of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. We have tracked 193 ventures which were denied venture capital, surveyed 179 new high-technology companies in Northern California, and reviewed the Dun & Bradstreet credit reports of 145 new ventures in California in SIC codes related to the high tech sector with follow-up interviews of 86 of these 145 start-ups.
A low-power in-order/out-of-order issue queue

To better address power concerns, a good design strategy should be flexible enough to dynamically reconfigure available resources according to the application's needs such that extra power is dissipated only when it is really needed. In this work, we focus on power-aware solutions for the issue queue (IQ) in an out-of-order superscalar processor. We propose two schemes that partition the IQ into FIFOs such that only the instructions at the head of each FIFO may request to issue. We then monitor the processor and dynamically vary the number and/or size of FIFOs in accordance with utilization. Experimenting with two different distributions in power dissipation, we show up to 69p reduction in power dissipation in the wakeup and arbitration loop, while constraining performance degradation to be no more than 5p.
Receptor tyrosine kinase tie 1 mRNA is upregulated on cerebral microvessels after embolic middle cerebral artery occlusion in rat.

Abstract Tie 1 is an endothelial specific transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase and may be required during angiogenesis. Using in situ hybridization, we measured tie 1 mRNA in ischemic brain (n=15). Rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion by a single fibrin rich clot. Expression of tie 1 was not detected in non ischemic brain. Cerebral microvessels expressed tie 1 in the ischemic lesion as early as 2 h after MCA occlusion. The number of microvessels containing tie 1 mRNA decreased in the ischemic lesion at 8 h after MCA occlusion. However, expression of tie 1 increased on microvessels at 24 h and 14 days after ischemia and tie 1 was primarily localized to the microvessels bordering pan necrotic tissue. Ninety-seven percent of cerebral vessels which expressed tie 1 mRNA had diameters of 3.7±0.17 μm. Our findings suggest a role for tie 1 in cerebral microvascular remodeling after embolic stroke.
Method for identifying differences between existing food intake patterns and patterns that meet nutrition recommendations

Abstract This article describes a mathematical model that takes an existing food intake pattern and develops a new pattern that meets a specified set of nutrition recommendations with the minimum change possible. The model examines multiple recommendations simultaneously and considers foods as they are currently eaten, so it can provide practitioners with new insights about strategies for implementing recommendations. The model shows serving units per day by food group in both existing and new intake patterns and the recommendations responsible for changes. Recommendations of the National Research Council are used, and sodium-restricted (⩽2,400 mg) and sodium-unrestricted patterns are compared. Food intake data are from 915 nonpregnant, nonlactating women 19 to 50 years old who participated in the US Department of Agriculture's 1985 Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals. The sodium-restricted pattern contains proportionately more dairy products, fruit, and red meat and proportionately less grain products, fish, and vegetables than the unrestricted-sodium pattern. Nutrition recommendations responsible for changes in the existing pattern include those for saturated fatty acids (
Inertia and change in the constellation of international governmental organizations, 1981–1992

Hardly anyone expects public institutions to die. Yet a census reveals that fully one-third of the international governmental organizations (IGOs) in existence in 1981 had in fact become defunct by 1992. Most Eastern bloc and many regional developing country organizations vanished or became inactive. During this period a slightly larger number of new organizations was born. Not governments but other IGOs spawned most of the new offspring. Wealthy democratic countries increased their IGO memberships while poor unstable countries increasingly dropped out. This bifurcation was accompanied by greater reliance by all on a set of core universal-membership institutions dominated by Western values. Functionalism, organizational ecology, and realism each partly help us to understand these trends but leave important dynamics unexplained.
and lactational exposure of male rats to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo--dioxin: Effects on sexual behavior and the regulation of luteinizing hormone secretion in adulthood

Abstract Effects of in utero and lactational 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD) exposure on sexual differentiation of the central nervous system (CNS) were investigated by examining sexual behavior and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in adulthood. The sexual behavior of male rats born to dams given TCDD (0–1.0 μg/kg) on Day 15 of gestation was demasculinized: dose-related increases in mount, intromission, and ejaculation latencies and decreases in copulatory rates were observed. Sexual behavior was also feminized: following castration, estradiol benzoate (EB) priming, and progesterone treatment, males displayed dose-related increases in lordosis frequency and lordosis intensity when mounted by another male. The regulation of LH secretion was feminized as well; progesterone treatment increased plasma LH concentrations in gonadectomized, EB-primed females and TCDD-exposed males but not in control males. These results, which were generally seen in response to a single maternal dose of TCDD as low as 0.16 μg/kg, demonstrate that in utero and lactational TCDD exposure impairs sexual differentiation of the CNS.
Matrix isolation investigation of the complexes of acetonitrile and hydrogen cyanide with SiF4 and GeF4

Abstract 1:1 molecular complexes of acetonitrile and hydrogen cyanide with silicon and germanium tetrafluorides have been isolated and studied in argon matrices at 14 K. The infrafed spectra of these complexes indicate that the acid and base subunits retain their structural integrity, but are perturbed in the complexes. The spectra indicate that all of the complexes are bound through the nitrogen of the nitrile group to the silicon or germanium atom; in this capacity, HCN is serving as a Lewis base, rather than as a Bronsted acid, as is more commonly the case. In the GeF 4 · HCN complex, for example, The CH stretching mode was shifted 15 cm −1 to lower energy, the CN stretch roughly 40 cm −1 to higher energy, and the bending mode approximately 30 cm t- to higher energy. In addition, a number of perturbed modes of the acid subunit were observed; their locations are in good agreement with previous studies of GeF 4 complexes.
Transport and sound waves in plasmas with light and heavy ions

We calculate the collisional damping of ion acoustic waves for a mixture of light and heavy ions. The results are strikingly different from those using the single-species average-ion model. The correct result includes a new Joule term as well as thermal diffusion and viscous damping terms. In a CH plasma, the thermal diffusion term is enhanced by a factor of 60 and the viscous damping by a factor of 5. The overall damping rate is dominated by the Joule term and is increased by at least 58-fold.
The dynamical response of hen egg white lysozyme to the binding of a carbohydrate ligand.

It has become clear that the binding of small and large ligands to proteins can invoke significant changes in side chain and main chain motion in the fast picosecond to nanosecond timescale. Recently, the use of a “dynamical proxy” has indicated that changes in these motions often reflect significant changes in conformational entropy. These entropic contributions are sometimes of the same order as the total entropy of binding. Thus, it is important to understand the connections amongst motion between the manifold of states accessible to the native state of proteins, the corresponding entropy, and how this impacts the overall energetics of protein function. The interaction of proteins with carbohydrate ligands is central to a range of biological functions. Here, we examine a classic carbohydrate interaction with an enzyme: the binding of wild-type hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) to the natural, competitive inhibitor chitotriose. Using NMR relaxation experiments, backbone amide and side chain methyl axial order parameters were obtained across apo and chitotriose-bound HEWL. Upon binding, changes in the apparent amplitude of picosecond to nanosecond main chain and side chain motions are seen across the protein. Indeed, binding of chitotriose renders a large contiguous fraction of HEWL effectively completely rigid. Changes in methyl flexibility are most pronounced closest to the binding site, but average to only a small overall change in the dynamics across the protein. The corresponding change in conformational entropy is unfavorable and estimated to be a significant fraction of the total binding entropy.
Second-order approximation of the autocorrelation matrix function

A second-order approximation to the autocorrelation matrix of a nonlinear transformation is presented and its use is illustrated on two examples. One example discusses the correction of the automatic gain control (AGC) effect in monopulse radar receivers.
Multilateral agreements and trade in education services: implications for Ethiopia

Driven by ease of communication, universities attempt to expand their reach to international students using various modes of education service delivery. The decision to expand is, however, not easy since many factors are in play. This study attempts to understand, mainly, the external factors that affect one of the four modes of education service delivery. Using the USA and the UK as destination countries, the study identifies national and multilateral factors that may hinder, or promote, students from various countries to choose consumption abroad as a means to satisfy their educational needs. The results show that for the USA, although GDP per capita and education service commitments of a country had negative effects, US educational aid and total education market commitment of a country associated positively with education service consumption. In the case of the UK, unlike the USA, a country’s cross-border and commercial presence commitments discouraged students from travelling to study in the UK. The study also draws implications for Ethiopia as the country tries to exploit the global education market.
Output power variations with solar power satellites

Abstract The first comprehensive evaluation of output power variations expected from Solar Power Satellites is presented. The various factors are classified in a two tier manner as: deterministic (either periodic or non-periodic) and statistical (either constant with system life or changing with life). The largest variations are due to seasonal periodic factors, namely variations in the solar constant (± 3.3 per cent) and a solar illumination variation with the photovoltaic array held perpendicular to the orbit plane (± 4.2 per cent). Other key factors delineated which are being quantified presently include power reductions due to microwave power tube failure and silicon solar cell radiation damage, while multiple shadowing of adjacent power stations in geosynchronous orbit and rectenna structural factors and combining efficiency variations are representative of areas that need further study.
The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome--Recent International Statistics.

The Incidence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in some twenty nations was published in 1982. Further studies of incidence have been published over the past five years and these will be compared with the 1982 figures. Brief reference will be made to Program Strategies for the prevention of FAS in the United States of America. A study of alcohol effects on the ovum before fertilization made at the Edinburgh University Medical School, Scotland, over the past five years, will be examined.
On Relaxation Phenomena in Field-Flow Fractionation

Abstract The two-dimensional unsteady convective diffusion equation satisfied by the local concentration of the colloid introduced in a field-flow fractionation (FFF) column is solved by the method of finite differences. The alternating direction implicit (ADI) method proposed by Peaceman and Rachford is used. The axial convection term is approximated by a backward difference approximation to obtain a stable and convergent scheme. Numerical results are obtained for various values of the transverse Peclet number for the case of steady laminar flow and a slug input. The numerical results from the ADI method are validated by comparison with numerical solutions obtained using an explicit scheme as well as by internal consistency checks. The results of this work show that the transverse concentration profiles depend in a complex fashion on axial position along the cloud during relaxation. In the presence of a field, asymptoticity in the transverse profiles is approached first in the rear of the colloid cloud, ...
Recognizing elongated objects using invariant surface features and matched filters

Many biological objects are elongated. This research addresses the issue of recognizing elongated objects from both 2D intensity images and 3D volumes. A mathematical model, called tube model, is developed for this class of objects and is effectively utilized in two stages of recognition. The explicit relationships between geometrical surface features and the object model parameters are quantitatively exploited to automatically locate seeds for recognition. Invariant surface features are used to constrain or hypothesize the objects of interest. The verification of a hypothesis is performed by correlating a matched filter, dynamically generated based on the hypothesis, with the sensor data. The tubes identified in such a local recognition process serve as the seeds from which the global recognition process is initiated. Each seed is swept along the trajectory where the best-fit is found. A smooth sweep is controlled by a set of adaptive constraints computed dynamically from an on-line sweeping history. We apply the proposed method to real world data from different application domains. Experimental results are presented and discussed.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
"YOUR VIEWS SHOWED TRUE IGNORANCE!!!": (Mis)Communication in an Online Interracial Discussion Forum

Abstract In this article I focus on the dynamics of interracial electronic communication by studying the asynchronous posts made by 75 students from across the country to an online Affirmative Action/Diversity discussion forum. Drawing from my textual analysis of the posts and from my interviews with the most active participants—five students from four institutions—I examine the misunderstandings that arose in this interracial discussion, situating the causes and consequences of the students’ discourse within both the local context of the electronic forum and within wider cultural patterns. I show that flaming cannot be easily identified as destructive communication because posts that seem to be violent attacks intended to shut down dialogue may be attempts by writers to educate other, and posts that do not seem to be violent attacks may actually perpetuate an “othering” that is more destructive to interracial communication than online shouting. I conclude by suggesting strategies for facilitating more productive electronic discussions about race and racism.
Complications of pelvic lymphadenectomy and retropubic prostatic 125I implantation.

Abstract Pelvic lymphadenectomy was accomplished in 75 patients with localized prostatic cancer at the time of retropubic prostatic implantation with iodine-125. Twelve (16 per cent) surgical complications were encountered in 11 patients and included 1 death. Late complications which persisted six months or longer occurred in 5 (8 per cent) of 61 patients. The most serious and as yet unquantitated complication appears to be pelvic vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli. Pelvic lymphadenectomy may be accomplished safely and with minimal morbidity in the vast majority of prostatic cancer patients.
Monitoring Lys-tRNALys phosphatidylglycerol transferase activity

In some bacteria Lys-tRNALys is used both in translation and for the specific addition of Lys to phosphatidylglycerol in the cytoplasmic membrane. This reaction is catalyzed by the membrane protein MprF, and the lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol formed contributes to the resistance of these bacteria to various cationic antibacterial molecules. Obtaining proteins and reconstituting an in vitro system mimicking membrane conditions is a major challenge to studying the function of membrane proteins, especially when labile substrates such as Lys-tRNALys are required. Here we report methods to obtain a stable enriched membrane fraction containing MprF, and the techniques necessary to quantitatively monitor its activity in vitro and in vivo.
Copyright and digital libraries

This issue of Communications highlights some of the many projects underway for the creation or enhancement of digital libraries. At the moment, no one seems to think there will be only one gargantuan digital library to sate the public's appetite for information. Rather, the expectation is that there will be many digital libraries, most of which will have specialized collections and will be internetworked together in a way loosely resembling today's Internet. Most digital library project planners are aware there are intellectual property issues that must be resolved in order to successfully deploy their libraries. Some proposals for digital library projects express an intent to resolve intellectual property issues as part of the overall plan for the library, albeit without much specificity about how this would be achieved in their systems [2, 4].
Wilson's element for the Reissner-Mindlin plate

Abstract A new method for the Reissner-Mindlin plate has been proposed. The nonconforming Wilson element is used for transverse displacement, rotation is approximated by the usual bilinear element, and an orthogonal projection is applied to the shear stress term. The uniform convergence with respect to the plate thickness is established. Numerical results are provided. The new method is simple in implementation.
Hilbert–Pachpatte type general integral inequalities

In this article we present very general weighted Hilbert–Pachpatte type integral inequalities. These are regarding ordinary derivatives and fractional derivatives of Riemann–Liouiville and Canavati types. Also regarding general derivatives of Widder type and linear differential operators. Our results apply to continuous functions and some to integrable functions.
A Novel Murine β-Defensin Expressed in Tongue, Esophagus, and Trachea

β-Defensins are broad spectrum antimicrobial peptides expressed at epithelial surfaces. Two human β-defensins, HBD-1 and HBD-2, have been identified. In the lung, HBD-2 is an inducible product of airway epithelia and may play a role in innate mucosal defenses. We recently characterized rat homologs (RBD-1, RBD-2) of the human genes and used these sequences to identify novel mouse genes. Mouse β-defensin-4 (MBD-4) was amplified from lung cDNA using polymerase chain reaction primers designed from conserved sequences of RBD-2 and HBD-2. A full-length cDNA was cloned which encodes a putative peptide with the sequence MRIHYLLFTFLLVLLSPLAAFTQIINNPITCMTNGAICWGPCPTAFRQIGNCGHFKVRCCKIR. The peptide shares ∼40% identity with HBD-2. MBD-4 mRNA was expressed in the esophagus, tongue, and trachea but not in any of 20 other tissues surveyed. Cloning of the genomic sequence of MBD-4 revealed two nearly (>99%) identical sequences encoding MBD-4 and the presence of numerous additional highly similar genomic sequences. Radiation hybrid mapping localized this gene to a region of chromosome 8 near several other defensins, MBD-2, MBD-3, and α-defensins (cryptdins)-3 and -17, consistent with a gene cluster. Our genomic cloning and mapping data suggest that there is a large β-defensin gene family in mice. Identification of murine β-defensins provides an opportunity to understand further the role of these peptides in host defense through animal model studies and the generation of β-defensin-deficient animals by gene targeting.
Intravitreal administration of HA-1077, a ROCK inhibitor, improves retinal function in a mouse model of huntington disease.

Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease that affects multiple brain regions. It is caused by an expanded polyglutamine tract in huntingtin (Htt). The development of therapies for HD and other neurodegenerative diseases has been hampered by multiple factors, including the lack of clear therapeutic targets, and the cost and complexity of testing lead compounds in vivo. The R6/2 HD mouse model is widely used for pre-clinical trials because of its progressive and robust neural dysfunction, which includes retinal degeneration. Profilin-1 is a Htt binding protein that inhibits Htt aggregation. Its binding to Htt is regulated by the rho-associated kinase (ROCK), which phosphorylates profilin at Ser-137. ROCK is thus a therapeutic target in HD. The ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 reduces Htt toxicity in fly and mouse models. Here we characterized the progressive retinopathy of R6/2 mice between 6–19 weeks of age to determine an optimal treatment window. We then tested a clinically approved ROCK inhibitor, HA-1077, administered intravitreally via liposome-mediated drug delivery. HA-1077 increased photopic and flicker ERG response amplitudes in R6/2 mice, but not in wild-type littermate controls. By targeting ROCK with a new inhibitor, and testing its effects in a novel in vivo model, these results validate the in vivo efficacy of a therapeutic candidate, and establish the feasibility of using the retina as a readout for CNS function in models of neurodegenerative disease.
An evaluation of the global variations in the major element chemistry of arc basalts

Arc volcanoes occur at convergent margins with a wide range in subduction parameters, and variations in these parameters might be expected to lead to variations in the chemistry of magmas parental to arcs. Major element analyses from approximately 100 volcanic centers within 30 arcs, normalized to 6% MgO to minimize the effects of crystal fractionation, display wide variations. Na2O and CaO at 6% MgO (Na6.0 and Ca6.0) correlate remarkably well with the thickness of the overlying crust. These systematics are consistent with two possible models. In the first model, the crust behaves as a chemical filter; where the crust is thick, magmas crystallize at higher pressure and interact more extensively with the arc crust. Modeling of high-pressure crystallization and assimilation, however, does not reproduce the associated variations in Na6.0 and Ca6.0 without calling upon complicated combinations of fractionating phases and assimilants. In the second model, crustal thickness determines the height of the mantle column available for melting beneath arc volcanoes. If melting begins beneath arcs at similar depths, then the column of mantle that undergoes decompression melting is much shorter beneath the thickest arc crust. The shorter mantle column for arcs built on thick crust will lead to smaller extents of melting in the mantle, and hence higher Na6.0 and lower Ca6.0 in the parental magmas. Modeling shows that variations in the extent of melting in the mantle can easily account for the associated variations in Ca6.0 and Na6.0. The abundances of the other major elements at 6% MgO do not correlate well with crustal thickness, or any other subduction parameter. Co-variation of some of these other major elements (e.g., Si6.0 and Fe6.0) within individual arcs suggests that they are strongly influenced by local crustal level processes that obscure partial melting systematics. Correction for the crustal processes improves the relationship between Na6.0 and Ca6.0 that is so readily explained by partial melting. The extents of melting in the mantle beneath arc volcanoes estimated from the ranges in Na6.0 and Ca6.0 are remarkably similar to those estimated beneath mid-ocean ridges. This observation provides further evidence that the mantle wedge, and not the slab, melts beneath arc volcanic fronts.
Effect of deprivation duration and prefeeding on gastric stress erosions in the rat.

Abstract To assess the potentiating effects of food deprivation on gastric stress erosions, rats were food deprived for 9, 18, 48 or 144 hr and then subjected to cold-restraint. Comparison of each of these groups with a stressed, but nondeprived control group, revealed no significant differences in gastric erosions. It was suggested that many of the control animals, though not deprived, may not have had full stomachs during the stress and this may have masked the true potentiating effects of deprivation. In a second experiment, rats were divided into two groups and deprived, respectively, for 18 and 48 hr. These groups were subdivided and for 1 hr preceding stress, half were given food. This prefeeding significantly reduced glandular erosion scores, and there was a significant inverse relationship within the prefed groups between the amount of weight gained over the prefeeding hour and the subsequent erosion level. It was concluded that the potentiation of stress erosions by food deprivation occurs by virtue of the empty stomach associated with the deprivation rather than other concomitant changes. With respect to ruminal effects, nonstressed groups deprived for 48 and 144 hr allowed the conclusion that prolonged deprivation (144 hr) produces minor glandular effects but extensive damage to the rumen.
Interior-Point Gradient Method for Large-Scale Totally Nonnegative Least Squares Problems

We study an interior-point gradient method for solving a class of so-called totally nonnegative least-squares problems. At each iteration, the method decreases the residual norm along a diagonally-scaled negative gradient direction with a special scaling. We establish the global convergence of the method and present some numerical examples to compare the proposed method with a few similar methods including the affine scaling method.
Cleavage of human Cls by human lysosomal enzymes, plasmin, and trypsin☆

Abstract Incubation of human Cl s with lysosomal enzymes from human leukocytes, trypsin, and plasma resulted in first-order inactivation of the esteratic activity of Cl s . Inactivation proceeded by cleavage of the native Cl s molecule into relatively heavy and light fragments. The heavier fragment retained esteratic activity but, with continued proteolysis, was further fragmented with progressive loss of esteratic activity. Several implications of these observations are discussed.
Some professional and scientific problems and opportunities for biofeedback

This paper will deal with a variety of topics such as dangers and opportunities from the developing crisis in health care costs, a cooperative study of the cost-effectiveness of treatments for headaches, the need for a federation of related societies, exploiting remarkable electronic advances, the wide range of adaptive functions of visceral learning (including its role in homeostasis), why maladjustments occur and their implications for biofeedback, and the need for analytic experiments involving adequate amounts of training.
RAPID CLONING OF MAMMALIAN CELLS WITH HONEYCOMB CLONING PLATES AND NONLETHAL VITAL STAINS

A rapid and technically simple method for cloning both adhesive and nonadhesive mammalian cells is described. The procedure employs (a) honeycomb cloning plates and (b) nonlethal vital stains. Instead of placing cloning rings around colonies, cells are initially seeded at clonal density directly into a plate containing an array of cloning rings (the honeycomb plate). Hence, the time involved in placing cloning rings around colonies is eliminated. Second, clone-containing wells of the honeycomb plate are easily identified by staining plates with the nonlethal vital stains, MTT or INT tetrazolium. Vital staining eliminates the time involved in searching for clones. Last, clones are transferred with a cotton-tipped swab thereby eliminating the time involved in trypsinization of cells. In this fashion, one can pick and transfer clones ofsubstrate adherent mammalian cells at a rate of one clone/ 10 to 15 s. Thus, mammalian cells can be cloned as rapidly as cloning can be carried out in microbial systems.
Nationalism, Internationalism, and Perceived UN Irrelevance: Mediators of Relationships Between Authoritarianism and Support for Military Aggression as Part of the War on Terror

The present research tests a model of predicted relationships among right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), nationalism, internationalism, perceived United Nations (UN) irrelevance, and support for the use of aggressive military action against countries perceived to support terrorism. In the hypothesized model, nationalism and internationalism were expected to mediate the relationship between authoritarian dispositions and support for aggressive military policies, while internationalism was expected to predict perceived UN irrelevance. Perceived UN irrelevance was also expected to predict support for military aggression directly. Across samples of community adults, hypotheses were largely supported, with only minor changes being made to the proposed model in order to improve model fit.
Quantification of Sternal Morphology Across Ages and Genders Using Image Segmentation and Registration Techniques

Thoracic injury ranks second only to head injury in motor vehicle crash injuries in terms of the number of fatalities and serious injuries, the body region most often injured, and the overall economic cost [1, 2]. Skeletal and physiological resilience are known to decline with age, resulting in a decreased ability for the body to withstand traumatic insults [3]. Adults 65 years of age and older constitute more than 12% of the current population and with increases in life expectancy, the elderly population is projected to reach nearly 20% by 2030 [4].Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Economics as a Laughing Matter: Freud's Jokes and Their Relation to the Economic and Rhetorical Unconscious

Freud's Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious can be read as a fundamental economic and rhetorical treatise on a number of different levels. Viewed most basically, this work outlines the economizing mechanisms that Freud believes are at work in all unconscious psychic operations. In this regard, Jokes focuses on the third dimension Freud associated with his general metapsychological project, the first two being the topological and the dynamic aspects of psychic life. But on a more profound level, economic thought, structures, and metaphors invade Freud's text in its very rhetoric and discursive structure. However, the parallels between the economics and the rhetoric of this work do not end here. Jokes assume a privileged status in Freud's theory because, as acts of interhuman communicative transfer, they demonstrate that certain psychic structures not only operate unconsciously, but can also be consciously manipulated to achieve strategic psychological effects and affects in others. Jokes thereby ma...
Correlates of negative intent to receive an AIDS vaccine: An exploratory study

Our objective was to investigate demographic, behavioural, and psychosocial correlates of negative intent to receive a hypothetical AIDS vaccine. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 278 adults from three populations: gay men, African–American women, and persons who used illicit drugs (including injectable drugs). Twenty percent of the sample expressed negative intent. In controlled analyses, negative intent was significantly more likely among people reporting they had not had sex (past year) (P = 0.01), people who reported they worried about 'problems' that could be caused by an AIDS vaccine (P = 0.006), and those never diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (P = 0.04). Finally, although significance was marginal, persons reporting they had not had a flu vaccination in the past five years were about 1.9 times more likely to have negative intent (P = 0.055). Among this demographically diverse sample, behavioural and psychosocial (rather than demographic measures) were associated with negative ...
Learning by re-expressing concepts for efficient recognition

Much attention in the field of machine learning has been directed at the problem of inferring concept descriptions from examples. But in many learning situations, we are initially presented with a fully-formed concept description. and our goal is instead to re-express that description with some particular task in mind. In this paper, we specifically consider the task of recognizing concept instances efficiently. We describe how concepts that are accurate, though computationally inefficient for use in recognizing instances, can be re-expressed in an efficient form through a process we call concept operationalization Various techniques for concept operationalization are illustrated in the context of the LEX learning system.
Software-based Diffusion MR Human Brain Phantom for Evaluating Fiber-tracking Algorithms

Fiber tracking provides insights into the brain white matter network and has become more and more popular in diffusion magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Hardware or software phantom provides an essential platform to investigate, validate and compare various tractography algorithms towards a "gold standard". Software phantoms excel due to their flexibility in varying imaging parameters, such as tissue composition, SNR, as well as potential to model various anatomies and pathologies. This paper describes a novel method in generating diffusion MR images with various imaging parameters from realistically appearing, individually varying brain anatomy based on predefined fiber tracts within a high-resolution human brain atlas. Specifically, joint, high resolution DWI and structural MRI brain atlases were constructed with images acquired from 6 healthy subjects (age 22-26) for the DWI data and 56 healthy subject (age 18-59) for the structural MRI data. Full brain fiber tracking was performed with filtered, two-tensor tractography in atlas space. A deformation field based principal component model from the structural MRI as well as unbiased atlas building was then employed to generate synthetic structural brain MR images that are individually varying. Atlas fiber tracts were accordingly warped into each synthetic brain anatomy. Diffusion MR images were finally computed from these warped tracts via a composite hindered and restricted model of diffusion with various imaging parameters for gradient directions, image resolution and SNR. Furthermore, an open-source program was developed to evaluate the fiber tracking results both qualitatively and quantitatively based on various similarity measures.
Surgical outcomes after epiretinal membrane peeling combined with cataract surgery.

Objective To compare functional and anatomical outcomes after idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) peeling combined with phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation versus ERM peeling alone. Methods A retrospective, non-randomised comparative case series study was conducted of 81 eyes from 79 patients who underwent ERM peeling at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center between 2001 and 2010. Eyes that underwent combined surgery for ERM and cataracts (group 1) were compared with those that had ERM peeling alone (group 2) with respect to best-corrected visual acuity at 6 months and 1 year after surgery, postoperative central macular thickness (CMT) as measured on optical coherence tomography, and rates of complications, including elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), ERM recurrence and need for reoperation. Results Mean logMAR visual acuity improved significantly in both groups at 6 months (p Conclusions Combined surgery for ERMs and cataracts may potentially be as effective as membrane peeling alone with respect to visual and anatomical outcomes. Further studies are necessary to determine if there may be greater ERM recurrence or need for reoperation after combined surgery.
Systematics of New World Trissolcus, a genus of pentatomid egg-parasites (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae): Neotropical species of the flavipes group

The Neotropical fauna of Trissolcus overwhelmingly consists of species of the flavipes group. Fifteen species are recognized: T. antaeus sp. nov., T. conversus sp. nov., T. dasys sp. nov., T. decumbens sp. nov., T. elimatus sp. nov., T. limbatus sp. nov., T. pustulans sp. nov., and T. teretis sp. nov., are described; T. bodkini (Crawford), T. leviventris (Cameron) and T. urichi Crawford are redescribed. Trissolcus brochymenae (Ashmead), T. edessae Fouts, T. euschisti (Ashmead) and T. strabus Johnson are found in both the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The following new synonymies are proposed: T. caridei Brethes, 1915 and T. trinidadensis Crawford, 1913 = T. urichi Crawford, 1913; T. paraguayensis (Brethes), 1915 = T. leviventris (Cameron), 1913; T. laticeps Ashmead, 1894 = T. brochymenae (Ashmead), 1881. An identification key is provided; data on distribution and hosts are summarized. Relationships among the species of the flavipes group and with other groups of Telenominae are discussed.
Progressive exercise testing in closed head-injured subjects: comparison of exercise apparatus in assessment of a physical conditioning program.

Progressive exercise tests were performed on 12 closed head-injured subjects to determine 1) whether results differ when tests are performed on a treadmill, a bicycle ergometer, or mechanical stairs and 2) whether a 3-month general physical conditioning program results in an improvement in exercise performance. The subjects performed progressive exercise tests on each apparatus on entry into a residential transitional rehabilitation program and approximately 3 months later following participation in a physical conditioning program. On both the initial and 3-month exercise tests, maximal oxygen consumption (Vo2 max) was significantly greater on the treadmill and the mechanical stairs than on the bicycle ergometer. The mean Vo2 max was 74% of the predicted value on the initial exercise test and rose to 85% of the predicted value after the 3-month physical conditioning program. Oxygen consumption per kilogram of body weight at a given power output on a given apparatus showed no statistically significant difference between the initial and 3-month tests, indicating no change in exercise efficiency. On the 3-month test, a statistically significant decrease was noted in heart rate at rest and after the 4-minute period of recovery from maximal exercise on any given apparatus. The data obtained in this study indicate that 1) the treadmill and mechanical stairs are more suitable than the bicycle ergometer for assessing maximal exercise performance and 2) improved physical fitness following a physical conditioning program is associated with an improvement in cardiovascular function. The results indicate that progressive exercise tests in closed head-injured subjects can be used to 1) quantify the degree of physical deconditioning, 2) design a physical conditioning program, and 3) assess outcome goals of such a program.
Frequency tuning characteristics of a continuous-wave Raman laser in H 2

In light of possible spectroscopic applications, we examine the continuous frequency tuning characteristics of a nonresonant continuous-wave Raman laser in H2. We demonstrate a continuous tuning range for the Raman-shifted Stokes output of roughly 2.5 GHz, which is limited by spatial mode hops. Nearly constant output power across this range is predicted and observed by pumping the Raman laser cavity near four times threshold.
Creep compliance measurements by thermomechanical analysis−parallel plate rheometry (TMA−PPR)

A method is described for measurement of creep compliance and apparent viscosity of thermoplastic materials above their glass transition temperatures. The method utilizes a standard thermomechanical analyzer (TMA) with minor modifications. Small samples in the shape of a flat-ended cylinder are compressed isothermally between parallel plates consisting of a special probe and the base of the sample platform. Previously derived physical relationships and experimental restraints are employed. Results are reported for a polystyrene standard and an electrophotographic toner at several temperatures. Standard time-temperature superposition techniques were used to construct creep compliance master curves for the toner. It is demonstrated that TMA is ideally suited for this type of measurement.
Sincere Versus Sophisticated Voting in Congress: Theory and Evidence

An asymmetry exists in the empirical literature on sophisticated voting in Congress. All studies that find supporting evidence of sophisticated voting have been only piecemeal—that is, they examine only one or a few roll calls. In contrast, the studies that systematically study many roll calls conclude that sophisticated voting is, at best, very rare. We are aware of three such systematic studies—those by Poole and Rosenthal (1997), Wilkerson (1999), and Ladha (1994). While Ladha's study has gone relatively unnoticed, we reexamine his results and explain why they may be the most important of all empirical work on sophisticated voting. In addition, we introduce a theoretical model, and we show how it, along with some subtle aspects of the rules for voting in the House and Senate, provides a rational-choice explanation for the lack of sophisticated voting in Congress.
Exploiting Symmetries to Speed Up SAT-Based Boolean Matching for Logic Synthesis of FPGAs

Boolean matching is one of the enabling techniques for technology mapping and logic resynthesis of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Boolean satisfiability (SAT)-based Boolean matching (SAT-BM) has been proposed, but computational complexity prohibits its practical deployment. In this paper, we leverage symmetries present in both Boolean functions and target FPGA architectures to prune the solution space, and we also propose some techniques to reduce the replication runtime for SAT instance generation using the incremental SAT reasoning engine. Experiment shows that our SAT-BM reduces runtime by 226times compared with the original SAT-BM algorithm, making SAT-BM more practical.
Microexons--tiny but mighty.

The landscape of alternative splicing is only beginning to unravel, and the functional consequences are often unclear. Two articles in Cell and Genome Research focus on a set of largely ignored yet highly conserved exons, microexons. These appear strongly regulated by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and functionally modulate protein–protein interactions with strong evidence for deregulation in autism spectrum disorder.
Hematochezia in the Young Patient: A Review of Health-Seeking Behavior, Physician Attitudes, and Controversies in Management

Hematochezia, defined as the passage of blood or clots from the rectum, is common and can be quite alarming. Few patients in general consult their physicians for this symptom. Various reasons have been explored for this behavior. Physician attitudes also shed some light onto why some patients are referred and others are not. Hematochezia may be associated with an anal cause in most healthy young adults (<50 years of age), but some may end up being diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC). Many studies have looked at the usefulness of clinical presentation in helping to decide which patients need further evaluation and what the optimal mode of investigation should be. Of note, studies on patients less than 50 years of age presenting with rectal bleeding have been few and far between. The results of these studies have been contradictory to the point where, today, there is no single set of consensus guidelines on the approach to hematochezia in young patients. In this review, the value of clinical symptoms and the underlying risk of CRC in guiding this clinical decision will be discussed.