cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Burnout trauma both? Identifying and addressing needs during COVID-19 through informatics.

In this brief article, the author notes that discussion of work/life integration have become increasingly com mon at her institution, as school-age children regularly make appearances in Zoom meetings, and team mem bers have to shift between dynamic roles in their work and family lives throughout the day. Talk of burnout abounds-and she often find herself wondering if in fact they are only experiencing burnout as an occupational phenomenon, or whether it is a compounded experi ence of burnout and the emotional exhaustion of collective trauma and grief. Even when concerns dissipate about COVID's relentless spread and severe disease, there is no doubt that we will have lingering mental health hangovers from the psychologi cal impacts of the past year; we must be pre pared to leverage informatics and technology to stem the tide. We will navigate through these uncharted waters through thoughtful and effective leadership that culti vates community and a work environment that is with aligned with our organizational and personal values; and as the past year has demonstrated, it is evi dent that technology and informatics will play a piv otal role in the future of work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Use of an immersive, simulated learning game to teach pharmacy students clinical concepts of toxicology.

Abstract Background and purpose Management of a poisoned patient is a critical part of any health care professional's education. A new, innovative teaching platform was developed allowing students to try to “break out” of various kits, locks, and scrambled codes to build collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills – similar to the recently popular “escape rooms.” Our purpose was to illustrate how this learning game can be utilized in pharmacy education to teach and apply clinical knowledge and evaluate its effectiveness on student-perceived confidence and competency in management of toxicologic emergencies. Educational activity and setting Students participated as part of an acute care elective. They worked in small groups and were given the same test pre- and post-quiz for two cases. Students were also administered a survey about their confidence in managing toxidromes after completion of the activity. Findings Drastic improvements in test scores were observed with both cases' pre- and post-test. Students also found the activity increased their knowledge of toxicology concepts and level of student-perceived confidence in managing similar cases. The majority of students were satisfied with the experience and thought it should be included elsewhere in the doctor of pharmacy curriculum. Summary The learning game was an effective and satisfying educational tool to understand and apply medical toxicology principles for pharmacy students. Additional implementation of this game would be preferred by most students and may aid in the education of other health care professionals on complex clinical management of toxicology cases.
Environmental Soft Law as a Governance Strategy

Soft law governance relies on nongovernmental institutions that establish and implement voluntary standards. Compared with traditional hard law solutions to societal and economic problems, soft law alternatives promise to be more politically feasible to establish and then easier to adapt in the face of changing circumstances. They may also seem more likely to be flexible in what they demand of targeted businesses and other entities. But can soft law actually work to solve major problems? This Article considers the value of soft law governance through the lens of three major voluntary, nongovernmental initiatives that address environmental concerns: (1) ISO 14001 environmental management systems; (2) sustainable forest certification systems; and (3) LEED standards for energy efficient buildings. Taken together, these case studies indicate that, even though soft law governance may hold considerable theoretical appeal, it can also be quite limited in what it actually achieves. Decision-makers should rely on soft law governance only with full recognition of its limitations as well as its alluring characteristics.
Interpretation of Abnormal Dexamethasone Suppression Test is Enhanced With Use of Synchronous Free Cortisol Assessment.

Context Interpretation of dexamethasone suppression test (DST) may be influenced by dexamethasone absorption and metabolism and by the altered cortisol binding. Objective We aimed to determine the normal ranges of free cortisol during DST in participants without adrenal disorders, and to identify the population of patients where post-DST free cortisol measurements add value to the diagnostic work up. Design and setting Cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary medical center. Participants Adult volunteers without adrenal disorders (n=168; 47 women on oral contraceptive therapy (OCP), 66 women not on OCP, 55 men) and patients undergoing evaluation for hypercortisolism (n=196; 16 women on OCP). Measurements Post-DST dexamethasone and free cortisol (mass spectrometry) and total cortisol (immunoassay). Main outcome measures Reference range for post-DST free cortisol, diagnostic accuracy of post-DST total cortisol. Results Adequate dexamethasone concentrations (≥0.1 mcg/dL) were seen in 97.6% volunteers and 96.3% patients. Only 25.5% of women volunteers on OCP had abnormal post-DST total cortisol (>1.8 mcg/dL). In volunteers, the upper post-DST free cortisol range was 48 ng/dL in men and women not on OCP, and 79 ng/dL in women on OCP. When compared to post-DST free cortisol, diagnostic accuracy of post-DST total cortisol was 87.3% (95%CI 81.7-91.7); all false positive results occurred in patients with post-DST cortisol between 1.8 and 5 mcg/dL. OCP use was the only factor associated with false positive results (21.1% vs 4.9%, p=0.02). Conclusions Post-DST free cortisol measurements are valuable in patients with optimal dexamethasone concentrations and post-DST total cortisol between 1.8 and 5 mcg/dL.
Treatment modalities, adverse events, and survival outcomes in older patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background Chemoradiation with curative intent in older adults with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been a challenge, because of its potential toxicities. Methods We selected primary HNSCC cases from the SEER-Medicare linked database, assessed overall survival (OS) and adverse events and their associations with different treatments, across four age groups including the youngest (66-69 years) and the oldest (≥80 years). Results Better OS was associated with chemoradiation compared to radiation alone, not only in all patients (N = 5879) (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.82, p Conclusions Our findings provide evidence that patients' characteristics, other than chronological age, should be equally considered in selecting the best therapy for older patients with HNSCC.
TLR4 mutations are associated with endotoxin hyporesponsiveness in humans.

There is much variability between individuals in the response to inhaled toxins, but it is not known why certain people develop disease when challenged with environmental agents and others remain healthy. To address this, we investigated whether TLR4 (encoding the toll-like receptor-4), which has been shown to affect lipopolysaccharide (LPS) responsiveness in mice 1,2 , underlies the variability in airway responsiveness to inhaled LPS in humans 3 . Here we show that common, co-segregating missense mutations (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) affecting the extracellular domain of the TLR4 receptor are associated with a blunted response to inhaled LPS in humans. Transfection of THP-1 cells demonstrates that the Asp299Gly mutation (but not the Thr399Ile mutation) interrupts TLR4-mediated LPS signalling. Moreover, the wild-type allele of TLR4 rescues the LPS hyporesponsive phenotype in either primary airway epithelial cells or alveolar macrophages obtained from individuals with the TLR4 mutations. Our findings provide the first genetic evidence that common mutations in TLR4 are associated with differences in LPS responsiveness in humans, and demonstrate that gene-sequence changes can alter the ability of the host to respond to environmental stress. We investigated the genetic basis for the physiologic response to inhaled endotoxin or LPS for several reasons. First, endotoxin is associated with the development and progression of asthma and other forms of airway disease. In the domestic setting, the concentration of endotoxin is associated with the clinical severity of asthma 4 , and, among exposed workers, endotoxin is the most significant component of the bioaerosol that is associated with the development 5 and progression 6 of airway disease. Endotoxin may also have a role in the pathophysiological consequences of air pollution 7 . Second, the ability of the host to respond to endotoxin is highly variable. Differences between individuals have been reported in the release and synthesis of cytokines by human monocytes stimulated with LPS in vitro 8 , and a patient with recurrent bacterial infections has been reported to be refractory to the in vivo and in vitro effects of LPS (ref. 9). We have recently found that normal, healthy, non-asthmatic subjects demonstrate a reproducible airway response to an incremental LPS inhalation challenge test; some subjects developed airflow obstruction when challenged with low concentrations of LPS and others were unaffected by high concentrations of inhaled LPS (ref. 3). Third, the
Rescue of DNA Replication and Bacteriophage Production After Infection with T4 DNA Ligase Mutants

Abstract By preventing phage DNA synthesis during a critical period, conditions have been found under which DNA replication and phage production are rescued after infection with T4 DNA ligase mutants.
Chap. 27 Nucleosides and Nucleotides

Publisher Summary There is a considerable interest in the study of nucleosides and nucleotides as evidenced by the significant research activity in this area. The preparation of nucleosides by the fusion of purines with fully 0-acylated sugars in the presence of an acid catalyst is extensively used. It has several advantages: (1) it avoids the necessity of preparing a heavy metal salt of the purine, and thereby insures that the nucleoside does not get contaminated with a metal that could interfere with studies on biological activity, (2) it obviates the necessity of preparing a chloro sugar, and (3) the yield of the nucleoside is frequently higher than in the conventional synthesis. For the synthesis of purine nucleoside by the fusion method, bis-(p-nitropheny)hydrogen phosphate acts as an effective catalyst. For example, the fusion of theophyline with penta- O -acetyl-β- d -glucopyranose in the presence of bis-(p-nitrophenyl)hydrogen phosphate gives a 47% yield of the 7-substituted nucleoside. A synthesis of 4-oxo-3-ribofuranosyl dihydro-pyrimidine occurs by the fusion of 4-hydroxypyrimidine and a tetra acyl ribose derivative. Condensation of purines, benzimidazole, or n -benzoylcytosine, and acylglycosyl halides in nitromethane in the presence of mercuric cyanide gives the corresponding nucleosides in higher yields than in the conventional method. A variety of nucleosides are prepared by the condensation of the bis-(trimethylsily1)ether of 5-substituted (H, CH3, F, Cl, Br, I, and -CH 2 OCH 2 C 6 H 5 ) uracils with several glycosyl halides.
Providing data transfer with QoS as agreement-based service

Over the last decade, grids have become a successful tool for providing distributed environments for secure and coordinated execution of applications. The successful deployment of many realistic applications in such environments on a large scale has motivated their use in experimental science [L. C. Pearlman et al., (2004), K. Keahey et al. (2004)] where grid-based computations are used to assist in ongoing experiments. In such scenarios, quality of service (QoS) guarantees on execution as well as data transfer is desirable. The recently proposed WS-Agreement model [K. Czajkowski et al. K. Keahey et al. (2004)] provides an infrastructure within which such quality of service can be negotiated and obtained. We have designed and implemented a data transfer service that exposes an interface based on this model and defines agreements which guarantee that, within a certain confidence level, file transfer can be completed under a specified time. The data transfer service accepts a client's request for data transfer and makes an agreement with the client based on QoS metrics (such as the transfer time and confidence level with which the service can be provided). In our approach we use prediction as a base for formulating an agreement with the client, and we combine prediction and rate limiting to adoptively ensure that the agreement is met.
Water Permeance of Masonry Walls: A Review of the Literature

Literature on permeance of brick and concrete masonry walls to wind-driven rain is reviewed. The force and quantity of rain on walls is discussed. The mode of water entry into the face of masonry through various kinds of cracks is reviewed. Wall design in several aspects is considered. Workmanship and materials selection are discussed. Flashing, sealants, and metals in walls are reviewed. Repair procedures are outlined. Recommendations are made for materials, design, construction, and maintenance of masonry to reduce water permeance of walls above grade. More than 60 references are cited and a bibliography lists 233 entries under nine key words.
NFTAPE: a framework for assessing dependability in distributed systems with lightweight fault injectors

Many fault injection tools are available for dependability assessment. Although these tools are good at injecting a single fault model into a single system, they suffer from two main limitations for use in distributed systems: (1) no single tool is sufficient for injecting all necessary fault models; (2) it is difficult to port these tools to new systems. NFTAPE, a tool for composing automated fault injection experiments from available lightweight fault injectors, triggers, monitors, and other components, helps to solve these problems. We have conducted experiments using NFTAPE with several types of lightweight fault injectors, including driver-based, debugger-based, target-specific, simulation-based, hardware-based, and performance-fault injections. Two example experiments are described in this paper. The first uses a hardware fault injector with a Myrinet LAN; the other uses a Software Implemented Fault Injection (SWIFI) fault injector to target a space-imaging application.
Career management: An active process

The self-assessment, goal-setting, and career-planning techniques of career management are discussed, and the organization's role in career management is discussed. Career management is a planned process, initiated and carried out by an individual with the assistance of others. Because work and nonwork activities are so interrelated, career and life management planning can maximize a pharmacist's personal success. The career- and life-management process begins with the development of a personal definition of success. A self-assessment must be made of one's values, needs, interests, and activities. The next step of the process involves setting goals and establishing a plan or strategy to achieve them. Establishing a career path requires researching alternate career goals. Career competencies are identified that can increase an employee's chances of success. The employer shares the responsibility for career development through coaching, job structuring, and keeping the employee aware of constraints. Through the integration of the roles of the individual and the organization in the career-management process, employees can optimize their contribution to an organization. Pharmacists can successfully manage their careers by applying the techniques of self-assessment, goal setting, and career planning.
Engineering and Engaged Scholarship at Penn State Part I: The Rationale

The objective of engineering education is to educate students who are ‘ready to engineer’. This implies that students should be broadly prepared with not only deep knowledge and understanding of the technical fundamentals, but also the pre-professional skills required to be successful in the engineering workplace of today and tomorrow 1 . Part I of this paper includes a brief rationale and need for ‘engaged scholarship’ to help accomplish these goals, and the inherent need for a robust ecosystem to support it. A summary is provided of the outcome-based objectives for the training of engineers as well as the industry-identified personal competencies required. The role of the university in engaged scholarship is examined along with the benefits and impediments to its implementation. A definition of educational ecosystem is provided. Part II details the existing engaged scholarship ecosystem in the College of Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, while Part III provides an overview of how this assortment of minors, certificates, programs, courses, and student organizations is being integrated and institutionalized into a strategic mission for the University.
Representativeness and Uncertainty in Classification Schemes

The choice of implication as a representation for empirical associations and for deduction as a model of inference requires a mechanism extraneous to deduction to manage uncertainty associated with inference. Consequently, the interpretation of representations of uncertainty is unclear. Representativeness, or degree of fit, is proposed as an interpretation of degree of belief for classification tasks. The calculation of representativeness depends on the nature of the associations between evidence and conclusions. Patterns of associations are characterized as endorsements of conclusions. We discuss an expert system that uses endorsements to control the search for the most representative conclusion, given evidence.
A Study of the Effects of 10.75GHz Microwave Radiation on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Ion Channels

Exposure to continuous wave 10.75GHz microwave radiation at field strengths as low as 50µW.cm-2 has been reported to decrease the opening frequency of nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor ion channels by 20–40% within 60s of the onset of exposure in cultured chick myotubes1. This suggests that the ACh receptor-ion channel complex may offer an attractive model system for investigating the biological interactions of radiofrequency (RF) radiation and for determining the detailed mechanisms of such interactions. I have therefore attempted to replicate these results with continuous wave RF in both cultured myotubes and dissociated muscle fibres, as a preliminary to evaluating the effects of pulsed RF. Despite careful reproduction of the experimental conditions described by D’Inzeo et al.1, I have been unable to demonstrate any effect of 10.75GHz or 700MHz continuous wave RF on the channels.
Addressing University Students’ Anti-Gay Bias: An Extension of the Contact Hypothesis

One method frequently employed as an intervention to reduce anti-gay bias is a lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) speaker panel. These speakers share brief biographical sketches about their coming out experiences and then answer questions. A pretest/posttest control group design examined the impact of LGB speaker panels on university students’ anti-gay bias. A main effect for time indicated that both the experimental and control groups reported lower anti-gay bias scores at the posttest. The pretest questionnaires may have acted as an intervention by initiating dialogue among the participants about their experiences with LGB individuals and, in turn, a decrease in anti-gay attitudes.
Determination of the Fermi velocity by angle-dependent periodic orbit resonance measurements in the organic conductor α − ( BEDT − TTF ) 2 KHg ( SCN ) 4

We report on detailed angle-dependent studies of the microwave $(\ensuremath{\nu}=50\char21{}90\mathrm{GHz})$ interlayer magnetoelectrodynamics of a single crystal sample of the organic charge-density-wave (CDW) conductor $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}(\mathrm{BEDT}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{TTF}{)}_{2}\mathrm{KHg}(\mathrm{SCN}{)}_{4}.$ Recently developed instrumentation enables both magnetic-field $(\mathbf{B})$ sweeps for a fixed sample orientation and angle sweeps at fixed $\ensuremath{\nu}/\mathbf{B}.$ We observe series' of resonant absorptions, which we attribute to periodic orbit resonances (POR)\char22{}a phenomenon closely related to cyclotron resonance. The angle dependence of the POR indicates that they are associated with the low-temperature quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) Fermi surface (FS) of the title compound; indeed, all of the resonance peaks collapse onto a single set of $\ensuremath{\nu}/\mathbf{B}$ versus angle curves, generated using a semiclassical magnetotransport theory for a single Q1D FS. We show that Q1D POR measurements provide one of the most direct methods for determining the Fermi velocity, without any detailed assumptions concerning the band structure; our analysis yields an average value of ${v}_{F}=6.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{4}\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}.$ Quantitative analysis of the POR harmonic content indicates that the Q1D FS is strongly corrugated. This is consistent with the assumption that the low-temperature FS derives from a reconstruction of the high-temperature quasi-two-dimensional FS, caused by the CDW instability. Detailed analysis of the angle dependence of the POR yields parameters associated with the CDW superstructure, which are consistent with published results. Finally, we address the issue as to whether or not the interlayer electrodynamics are coherent in the title compound. We obtain a relaxation time from the POR linewidths, which is considerably longer than the interlayer hopping time, indicating that the transport in this direction is coherent.
Abstract 5166: Sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2) is a potential cell-lineage gene highly expressed in the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinomas of the lung

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents the majority (85%) of lung cancers and is comprised mainly of adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). The sequential pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinomas and SCCs occurs through dissimilar phases as the former tumors typically arise in the lung periphery whereas the latter normally arise near the central airway. We assessed the expression of SOX2, an embryonic stem cell transcriptional factor that also plays important roles in the proliferation of basal tracheal cells and whose expression is restricted to the main and central airways and bronchioles of the developing and adult mouse lung, in NSCLC by various methodologies. Here, we found that SOX2 mRNA levels, from various published datasets, were significantly elevated in lung SCCs compared to adenocarcinomas (all p<0.001). Moreover, a previously characterized OCT4/SOX2/NANOG signature effectively separated lung SCCs from adenocarcinomas following integration with two independent publicly available gene expression microarray datasets and which correlated with increased SOX2 mRNA in SCCs. Immunohistochemical analysis of various histological lung tissue specimens demonstrated marked nuclear SOX2 protein expression in all normal bronchial epithelia, alveolar bronchiolization structures and premalignant lesions in SCC development (hyperplasia, dysplasia and carcinoma in situ) and absence of expression in all normal alveoli and atypical adenomatous hyperplasias. Moreover, SOX2 protein expression was greatly higher in lung SCCs compared to adenocarcinomas following analyses in two independent large tissue microarray (TMA) sets (TMA set I, n=287; TMA set II, n=511 both p<0.001). Furthermore, amplification of SOX2 DNA was detected in 20% of lung SCCs tested (n=40) and in none of the adenocarcinomas (n=17). Our findings highlight a cell-lineage gene expression pattern for the stem cell transcriptional factor SOX2 in the pathogenesis of lung SCCs and raise the intriguing possibility of the growth addiction of lung SCCs specifically to SOX2-dependent pathways. Supported in part by grants from the Department of Defense (W81XWH-04-1-0142 and W81XWH-07-1-03060), and the Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Lung Cancer grant P50CA70907. Running title: SOX2 abnormalities in NSCLC Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5166.
The database designer's workbench

The Database Designer's Workbench is a graphics-oriented decision support system for database design, providing designers with a convenient environment for specifying database structures and experimenting with different design strategies. A prototype version has been implemented on the Honeywell Multics system using the IBM Personal Computer as the interface. Tools for conceptual design and distributed data allocation are provided. This paper describes the Workbench design objectives, system architecture, and current status.
Thermal diffusivity measurements of free-standing CVD diamond films using non-contacting, non-destructive techniques

Abstract A new technique for measuring the thermal diffusivity of free-standing thin films was developed by combining non-contacting and non-destructive experiments with the discipline of parameter estimation. Validation of this method using copper samples yielded thermal diffusivities statistically the same as published values. Application of this technique to three CVD diamond film samples gave average thermal diffusivities of 4.17, 4.75 and 4.01 cm2/s. These measurements compare well with other published values for polycrystalline CVD diamond, which range from 1.45 to 11.5 cm2/s.
Scalar rate correlation at a turbulent liquid free surface - A two-regime correlation for high Schmidt numbers

An experimental correlation is derived for gas absorption at a turbulent, shear-free liquid interface. The correlation is expressed in terms of the liquid-side turbulence intensity, liquid-side macroscale, and the properties of the diffusing gas and solvent. The transfer coefficient increases linearly with rms velocity up to a point where the eddy Reynolds number reaches a critical (Schmidt number dependent) value. At higher velocities, there is a more rapid linear rise. The slope of the lower Reynolds number region is proportional to the square root of the diffusivity; at Reynolds numbers much higher than that of the break point, the slope becomes independent of diffusivity.
THE ROLE OF AN ADDITIVE IN REDUCING NETWORK FORMATION ON IRRADIATION OF RUBBER

A sample of high-molecular-weight rubber was used in order to study radioinduced gelation in the presence of nitrobenzene. The sample was irradiated with 4-Mev electrons, and the data were plotted on a s /sup 3/2/ vs 1/R graph. It is concluded that nitrobenzene suppresses approximates 40% of the crosslinks; the previously reported high value of 70% is believed to include network destruction due to increased chain fracture in the presence of the additive. (D.L.C.)
IMMUNOGLOBULINS WITHIN HUMAN SMALL-INTESTINAL PANETH CELLS

Abstract Human duodenal, jejunal, and ileal samples obtained at necropsy and by peroral and surgical biopsy, were studied by light microscopy using the unlabelled antibody enzyme method for immunocytochemical staining of lysozyme and immunoglobulins. Paneth cells contained IgA and IgG, but not IgD, IgE, or IgM. Staining intensity indicated that IgA and IgG were present in amounts greater than in other epithelial cells. There was pronounced variation in the immunoglobulin content of Paneth cells. Rat Paneth cells contain IgA and lysozyme and are capable of the phagocytosis and degradation of microorganisms. These observations suggest that human Paneth cells may have similar functional capabilities.
Molecular Genetic Approaches to the Analysis of Neuropeptide Receptors

Within the last few years, an increasing number of neuropeptide receptors have been structurally and functionally characterized. The analysis of these receptors, along with a precise understanding of their pharmacology and signal transduction pathways, has been facilitated by the use of molecular genetic techniques. This review will highlight some of the techniques currently being used to study neuropeptide receptors. Methods for isolation of complementary DNA clones for receptors, analysis of receptor messenger RNA expression and characterization of cloned receptors expressed in cultured cells are reviewed. In addition, a genetic approach for the analysis of neuropeptide receptor function in the context of a whole mammalian organism is discussed.
The sensitivity and specificity of flashbacks and nightmares to trauma

Traumatic events are commonly re-experienced by trauma survivors through nightmares and flashbacks. The current study examined the relative sensitivity and specificity of these two forms of re-experiencing trauma in female survivors of rape. The frequency of nightmares and flashbacks were assessed using the Nightmare Frequency Questionnaire (NFQ) and the Flashback Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), respectively. The FFQ was developed for this study and is designed to assess the frequency and occurrence of flashbacks in trauma survivors. The NFQ, FFQ and a variety of other measures were completed by 34 female survivors of rape and 28 female control participants. Results provided support for the construct and criterion validity of the FFQ, and demonstrated that flashbacks are more sensitive and specific indicators of the presence of trauma than are nightmares.
Bunkum Did Go Sogering

Provides documentary evidence that Walt Whitman's brother, Andrew Jackson Whitman, served in the Union army during the Civil War and provides details of his service.
A framework for optimal blind watermark detection

We propose a general framework for blind watermark detection. This framework contains a maximum-likelihood detector that utilizes the probability distribution of the original image. Other watermark detectors in literature are shown to be special cases of this framework. We demonstrate this framework in both the pixel domain and the transform domain, and show that our detector outperforms others because of 1) better modeling of the probability distribution of the original image, and 2) consideration to the human visual system in this framework.
Effects of olfactory bulbectomy on neuropeptide gene expression in the rat olfactory/limbic system

Abstract Bilateral olfactory bulbectomy in the rat produces a well-characterized syndrome that is independent of anosmia. This syndrome is reversed by chronic antidepressant administration, which provides the basis for the olfactory bulbectomy model of depression. The present experiments focused on neuropeptide plasticity in central olfactory/limbic structures following olfactory bulbectomy in rats. Male Sprague–Dawley rats received bilateral surgical ablation of the olfactory bulbs, sham surgery, or no surgery and were killed either three, seven, 14 or 28 days later. Relative levels of messenger RNA encoding neuropeptide Y, somatostatin, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, and corticotropin-releasing factor precursors in the forebrain were measured by quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry using oligonucleotide probes. Prepro-neuropeptide Y messenger RNA levels in the piriform cortex and dentate gyrus were significantly elevated in bulbectomized rats 14 and 28 days after surgery compared to sham-operated and surgically naive rats. Prepro-somatostatin messenger RNA levels in the piriform cortex were marginally increased in bulbectomized rats at these time-points. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone and corticotropin-releasing factor precursor messenger RNA levels were not altered in the brain regions studied. The results indicate that olfactory bulbectomy causes long-term increases in the expression of the neuropeptide Y gene. These findings suggest that neuropeptide Y plasticity in the olfactory/limbic system may contribute to the olfactory bulbectomy syndrome in rats, and they provide further evidence of a role for neuropeptide Y in the pathophysiology of depression.
Push-pull fatigue of lif at elevated temperatures—I. Mechanical properties

Abstract The mechanical behavior of LiF single crystals, fatigued at elevated temperatures, shows some similarity to that of f.c.c. and b.c.c. crystals. Cyclic stress saturation is characteristic of crystals cycled at temperatures of 300°C and above. While a plateau is observed in the cyclic stress-strain curves at 300°C, a monotonically increasing type of behavior is observed at 400°C. The saturation stress is a strong function of strain rate at all temperatures, with the strain-rate sensitivity being a function of both the plastic strain amplitude and temperature. Details of the microstructural observations are given in a second paper.
Do Divisible Subskills Exist in Second Language (L2) Comprehension? A Structural Equation Modeling Approach.

This paper concerns the divisibility of comprehension subskills measured in L2 listening and reading tests. Motivated by the administration of the new Web-based English as a Second Language Placement Exam (WB-ESLPE) at UCLA, this study addresses the following research questions: first, to what extent do the WB-ESLPE listening and reading items measure different comprehension subskills? Second, to what extent can L2 listening and reading be considered similar or different, with regard to the divisibility of comprehension subskills? Employing a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, the factor structures of 110 test takers' scores on the WB-ESLPE listening and reading items were examined with regard to three types of subskills, that is, `understanding main/topical ideas', `understanding supporting/specific details', and `making inferences'. The results of the analyses indicated that the WB-ESLPE listening and reading items measure two or three kinds of subskills, and that while L2 listening and readin...
The Role of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Patients with American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Stage B Heart Failure

This article focuses on the potential role of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) in patients with stage B heart failure (HF) due to hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and/or visceral obesity with the metabolic syndrome. It briefly discusses the role of MRAs in patients with left ventricular dilatation due to nonischemic or ischemic cardiomyopathy and in those with a prior myocardial infarction but without left ventricular dilatation or evidence of HF.
Production costs and input substitution in Zimbabwe's smallholder agriculture

Abstract In this study, we estimate production costs and elasticities of factor substitution for Zimbabwean smallholders, using a dual (cost function) approach with detailed data on prices paid and received by each of 65 farms across six survey sites over two years. We find that 95% of observed farm choices are consistent with optimal input use, and that there is moderate substitutability between labor, biochemical inputs and capital. These results indicate that farmers can substitute between factors as relative prices change, particularly to increase labor use as the rural population grows. By stratifying our sample, we investigate the degree to which production costs differ among the socioeconomic groups, tsting for higher costs among female-headed households (who might be subject to gender discrimination), resource-poor farmers without their own draft animals (who might have less timely operations), and isolated farms far from paved roads (who might have less access to markets and information). We find significant support only for the paved-roads effect, indicating the importance of rural infrastructure in determining production costs.
Class, housework, and happiness: Women's work and life satisfaction

Large-sample surveys often fail to find a difference in self-reported satisfaction between housewives and employed women. Several explanations that have been offered for this failure are explored here in greater detail. The suggestion that the ease of housewives' lives is experienced as a benefit compensating for fewer satisfactions in other areas is rejected; greater time pressure is associated with greater satisfaction for housewives. The suggestion that working-class women are happier at home, while middle-class women prefer careers is also not supported; working-class women appear to be less satisfied with their lives and no more satisfied with their work whether the comparison group is working-class women with jobs or middle-class housewives. Social desirability, on the other hand, is found to be a major factor predicting the self-reported happiness of housewives, and the general issue of the role of social expectations in evaluating satisfaction is raised.
Alkyl Isocyanides Serve as Transition State Analogues for Ligand Entry and Exit in Myoglobin

Alkyl isocyanides (CNRs) identify pathways for diatomic ligand movement into and out of Mb, with their side chains acting as transition state analogues. The bound alkyl groups point either into the back of the distal pocket (in conformation, νCN ≈ 2070−2090 cm−1), which allows hydrogen bond donation from His64(E7) to the isocyano group, or toward solvent through an open His(E7) channel (out conformation, νCN ≈ 2110−2130 cm−1), which prevents polar interactions with the isocyano atoms. Fractions of the in conformer (Fin) were measured by FTIR spectroscopy for methyl through n-pentyl isocyanide bound to a series of 20 different distal pocket mutants of sperm whale myoglobin and found to be governed by the ease of rotation of the His(E7) side chain, distal pocket volume and steric interactions, and, for the longer isocyanides, the unfavorable hydrophobic effect of placing their terminal carbon atoms into the solvent phase in the out conformation. There are strong correlations between the fraction of in confo...
Performance of the matched-phase noise filter with estimated noise spectra

Abstract We demonstrate properties of a new type of noise filter, the matched-phase filter , for low signal-to-noise data. It requires that the shape of the noise amplitude spectrum be approximately known. The method assumes no a priori information about the phases of the noise spectrum, nor anything about the signal, except that its spectrum be uncorrelated with that of the noise. We demonstrate algorithm performance in cases where one's knowledge of the noise spectrum is and is not precise. We also demonstrate that when the shape of the noise spectrum is known exactly, the matched-phase filter can reveal signals at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of less than -100 dB and increase the SNR to order 0 dB.
Placental vascular responses to nicardipine in the hypertensive ewe

Calcium channel blockers are arterial vasodilators effective in the treatment of hypertension. Therefore nicardipine, a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, should modulate angiotensin II-induced vasoconstriction. Regional blood flows were measured with radioactive microspheres in five chronically catheterized near-term ewes both before and 15 minutes after maternal infusion of angiotensin II at 5 micrograms/min. Nicardipine was then administered intravenously at 20 micrograms/kg/min over 2 minutes while the angiotensin II infusion was maintained. Blood flows were measured after 5 minutes. Maternal blood pressure levels were increased by angiotensin II from 83 +/- 4 mm Hg to 114 +/- 5 mm Hg, and were decreased to 70 +/- 4 mm Hg by nicardipine (p less than 0.05). Nicardipine also reversed angiotensin II-induced vasoconstriction in the renal and endomyometrial vascular beds (p less than 0.05). Unexpectedly, however, nicardipine worsened placental vasoconstriction caused by angiotensin II, as placental blood flow fell from 242 +/- 32 ml.min-1.kg-1 fetal weight to 128 +/- 7 ml.min-1.kg-1 fetal weight (p less than 0.05), and placental resistance increased from 0.48 +/- 0.04 mm Hg.ml-1.min.kg-1 fetal weight to 0.55 +/- 0.05 mm Hg.ml-1.min.kg-1 fetal weight (p less than 0.05). Nicardipine reverses angiotensin II-induced vasoconstriction systemically and in the kidney and uterus of the pregnant ewe, but does not reverse placental vasoconstriction and may significantly alter fetal cardiorespiratory status.
Loss of cell polarity protein Lgl2 in foveolar-type gastric dysplasia: correlation with expression of the apical marker aPKC-zeta

Recognition of gastric epithelial dysplasia, although a key to cancer prevention, can be challenging. In this study, we evaluated whether Lgl2 can serve as a marker of gastric foveolar-type dysplasia. Since atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) is a partner of Lgl2 in the control of apical-basal polarity we also investigated whether aPKC-zeta can compliment Lgl2 as a marker of dysplasia. Routinely processed specimens included 64 normal mucosa, 35 reactive gastropathies, 31 chronic gastritides, 65 gastric dysplasias (25 foveolar; 40 adenomatous), and 34 gastric adenocarcinomas. Twenty (80%) foveolar-type dysplasias showed absence of Lgl2 immunoreactivity, while normal basolateral expression of Lgl2 was consistently seen in normal gastric epithelium (n=20) and chronic gastritis (n=22; p<0.00001). Loss of Lgl2 was similar in the groups with low-grade and high-grade foveolar-type dysplasia, 79% and 83%, respectively. Linear apical anti-aPKC-zeta immunoreactivity was consistently present in the normal epithelium and was preserved in 91% of reactive gastropathies and 87% of chronic gastritides. In contrast, loss of apical aPKC-zeta staining was observed in 47% and 65% of low-grade dysplasias of foveolar and adenomatous types, respectively (p<0.005) and in nonsignificantly higher percentage of high-grade dysplasias. Apical aPKC-zeta staining was lost in 97% of gastric adenocarcinomas. Our data suggest a role of Lgl2 immunohistochemistry as an adjunct in the diagnosis of foveolar-type gastric dysplasia. aPKC-zeta had moderate sensitivity as a marker of gastric dysplasia and additional studies are needed to establish its role in the diagnosis of dysplasia.
Activator protein-2 regulates human placental lactogen gene expression.

Abstract DNase I footprint analysis of the human placental lactogen-A (hPL-A) promoter using nuclear extracts from purified human trophoblast cells and BeWo choriocarcinoma cells revealed five protected regions within the proximal 325 bp. Two of the protected regions, FP4 (−289–−267) and FP5 (−167–−154), are homologous to regions on the human growth hormone (hGH) promoter that bind transcription factors AP-2 and/or NFI. Competitive gel shift assays and supershift assays indicated that FP4 forms complexes with activator protein-2 (AP-2) and nuclear factor I (NFI), while FP5 forms a complex with AP-2 alone. In transient transfection studies in human trophoblast cells, hPL promoter constructs containing point mutations in the AP-2 binding sites of FP4 and/or FP5 were 60–80% less active than plasmids containing the wild-type promoter. A mutation in the NFI binding site of FP4, however, had little effect on promoter activity in these cells. Overexpression of AP-2 in HepG2 cells co-transfected with the wild-type hPL promoter resulted in a significant increase in promoter activity. Taken together, these findings suggest a critical role for AP-2 in the regulation of hPL gene expression.
Effect of protistan bacterivory on coastal bacterioplankton diversity

Four protist exclusion experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that marine bacterivorous protists selectively feed on different bacterioplankton genotypes and affect the taxonomc diversity of coastal marine bacterioplankton communities. In these experiments, the changes in bacterial community composition of seawater samples from which protists were removed by filtration were followed and compared to those of untreated control water samples. Bacterioplankton community structure was inferred from the relative abundance of bacterial small subunit rRNA genes (SSU rDNAs) by a recently developed technique (length heterogeneity analysis by PCR (LH-PCR; Suzuki et al. 1998). The results of the experiments show that the community structure did not dran~atically change up to a 24 h incubation period in any of the treatments. However there were significant dfferences in filtered water samples and controls between 24 and 48 h of incubation. In the absence of bacterivores some SSU rDNAs that were rare in the original water samples dominated the bacterioplankton SSU rDNA pool after 48 h of incubation. Protists appeared to be capable of controlling bacterioplankton taxonomic diversity under these manipulated conditions. The results also agree with the hypothesis that aquatic bactenoplankton communiries are composed oi s111dii ceub ~ i l d l e x a p e p ~ ~ ; a ; i ~ ~ ~ , CIII; uc 111 0 J;u:& 6: low physiological turnover.
Preparation of radiolabeled tetracosa mono- and dienoic acid methyl esters from rat erythrocyte lipids by thin layer chromatography

An easy method of obtaining pure fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) of tetracosa mono- and dienoic acids (24∶1, 24∶2) using thin layer chromatography (TLC) is described. The total lipids isolated from rat erythrocytes were treated with methanolic-NaOH. Sphingomyelin was unaffected by this treatment and was separated from FAME of glycerolipids and cholesterol by TLC. FAME of sphingomyelin were then prepared by acid methanolysis. These esters migrated into 2 distinct bands on TLC. The slow moving band contained FAME of 16∶0, 16∶1, 18∶0, 18∶1, 19∶0 and 20∶0 whereas the fast moving band contained FAME of 22∶0, 23∶0, 24∶0, 24∶1 and 24∶2. After AgNO3-TLC, the FAME of the fast moving band separated into 3 species; esters of saturated acids, 24∶1 and 24∶2, respectively. With erythrocyte lipids of rats fed a fat-free diet and injected with14C-18∶1, this method yielded14C-24∶1. From rats injected with14C-18∶2 and maintained on a corn oil diet,14C-24∶2 was obtained.
The Effects of Fructose and Glucose on High Intensity Endurance Performance

Abstract To evaluate the effects of glucose and fructose on endurance performance, six trained women ran at 80% [Vdot]O2 max until exhaustion, 45 min after the ingestion of a 30% glucose solution (GLU), a 30% fructose solution (FRU), a saccharin placebo solution (PLA), and 300 ml water. A double-blind protocol was used. Heart rates were the same for all four trials, averaging 173 ± 8 beats · min -1. The PLA trials were significantly shorter (p < 0.05) than all other trials: 52.2 ± 5 min vs GLU = 63.9 ± 8.5, FRU = 61.9 ± 8.3, or control = 65.0 ± 7.6 min. Glucose treatment yielded an exercise [Vdot]O 2 of 2.96 ± 0.07 1 · min -1, significantly lower than the FRU (3.15 ± 0.14 1 · min -1 ) control (3.19 ± 0.14 1 · min -1 ) or PLA (3.46 ± 0.11 1 · min -1 ) trials. Compared to controls or PLA, R values were significantly higher during the GLU and FRU trials. Venous lactate increased continuously throughout the duration of the control or PLA trials, while lactate was unchanged throughout the FRU and GLU trials. P...