cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of emergent macrophytes on dissolved oxygen dynamics in a prairie pothole wetland

Transect measurements, continuous monitoring, and synoptic surveys were used to examine patterns in light availability, temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentrations within and outside emergent vegetation zones in Goose Lake Marsh, a natural prairie pothole wetland in central Iowa. Water column light availability was less than 2% of ambient light in emergent vegetated areas due to canopy cover, small floating plants (lemnids), and plant litter. Water temperatures and dissolved oxygen concentrations were significantly lower and varied less diurnally in vegetated areas. Three habitat zones could be identified based on patterns in vegetation and dissolved oxygen: (1) a zone of dense emergent macrophytes providing significant submerged structure but with nearly or completely anoxic water, (2) a transition zone of sparse emergent macrophytes providing less structure but with more aerobic water, and (3) an open water zone with consistently acrobic water but with little submerged structure. Vegetation patterns are likely to control major aspects of wetland biogeochemistry and trophic dynamics, and wetlands should be viewed as complex mosaics of habitats with distinct structural and functional characteristics.
Negotiating Multichannel Sensing and Access In Cognitive Radio Wireless Networks

We investigate the following question - how should secondary users coordinate with each other to determine which channels to sense and potentially access in a cognitive radio network? If users may have a potentially different valuation of each channel and don't know of each other's valuations, then it is unclear whether there may be some benefit to explicitly exchang- ing this information, albeit at some cost, in order to minimize their chances of picking the same channel. We formulate and analyze a relevant 2-player 2-channel game and quantify how the cost of gathering the information affects the optimal number of rounds of negotiation. arises. Deciding how many rounds to participate in the infor- mation gathering to maximize the expected throughput in a time slot is the problem that is the focus of this study. In this paper, we formulate and analyze a relevant 2- player 2-channel simultaneous game and quantify how the cost of gathering the information affects the optimal number of rounds of negotiation. In this 2-player 2-channel game, each secondary user has a valuation on each channel. A channel valuation can be "high" or "low" to a user 1 , with probability q and 1 − q correspondingly. The users decide how many rounds to negotiate with the other user before the negotiation actually happens. The objective of the user is to maximize the expected throughput in a given time period. We show that even the 2-player 2-channel case is not trivial. We also show that users' optimal number of negotiation rounds changes with the ratio of each round's length to the given period length (which quantifies the cost of negotiation). The paper is organized as follows: section II lists the related works and section III describes the game formulation and assumptions used in this research. Section IV presents the decision process of the secondary users and calculates the optimal negotiation rounds. This section also shows how the negotiation cost (i.e., length of each negotiation round) affects the optimal decision. Section V concludes the paper and points out some possible future directions.
Expression of Mammalian Antiviral Enzymes from the 2–5A System in Transgenic Plants

The 2–5A system is an interferon-regulated antiviral RNA decay pathway present in cells of higher vertebrates. Two enzymes are essential, a 2–5A synthetase which produces 5′-phosphorylated, 2′,5′-linked oligoadenylates (2–5A) in response to doublestranded RNA, and the 2–5A-dependent RNase L. To determine if these human proteins would be functional in plants, we expressed the human cDNAs for a 2–5A synthetase and RNase L in separate tobacco plants. Both proteins were enzymatically active in extracts of transgenic plants while such activities were not detected in the control plants. Furthermore, activation by 2–5A of RNase L in the transgenic plant leaves was shown to cause degradation of ribosomal RNA. The requirement for both the synthetase and RNase L for antiviral activity was underscored by the observations that expression of human RNase L alone or 2–5A-synthetase alone was insufficient to protect plants against either tobacco etch virus or tobacco mosaic virus.
Experimental approaches to human stress research: Assessment of neurobiological mechanisms of stress in volunteers and psychiatric patients

Abstract This article presents a series of experiments that involves the development of three novel strategies for human stress research and the utilization of these strategies to examine neurobehavioral processes of stress in healthy volunteers, schizophrenia, and affective illness. The first strategy involved intravenous 2-deoxy- d -glucose (2DG) administration, a glucoprivic Stressor. We found that glucoprivic stress results in dissociation of hypothalamus—pituitary-adrenal (HPA), adrenomedullary, and sympathoneural activity. In addition, glucoprivic stress in neuroleptic-treated schizophrenic patients caused heightened dopamine activity, as reflected by increased plasma homovanillic acid (HVA) levels and decreased adaptive responses as assessed by decreased food consumption following 2DG administration. These data suggest that neuroleptics do not prevent stress-related increases in dopamine activity and that schizophrenia may be associated with abnormalities in the stress response. The second strategy assessed effects of uncontrollable and identical amounts of controllable stress in volunteers and depressed patients. In volunteers, it was found that uncontrollable in comparison to controllable stress results in specific behavioral and neuroendocrine alterations. Moreover, uncontrollable stress exposure in depressed patients in comparison to volunteers produced greater alterations in behavioral ratings and plasma cortisol levels and that the uncontrollable stress related increases in helplessness ratings and cortisol levels were significantly correlated. These data suggest that depressed patients may have increased sensitivity to uncontrollable stress and that there may be an important interrelationship between the cognitive deficits of depression and the heightened HPA axis activity observed in these patients. Lastly, we used a naturalistic strategy to examine mechanisms relating childhood parental loss and the development of adult affective illness and found that among subjects with early parental loss histories, those who developed adult psychiatric illness had increased resting plasma levels of cortisol and beta-endorphin (ir) as compared with subjects with early loss and no adult history of psychiatric illness. Moreover, increased HPA activity in adulthood was significantly related to poor childhood adjustment to parental loss. The implications of the results of these studies are discussed.
Microwave sintering of Sb-doped SnO2

Abstract The sintering behavior of coprecipitated Sb-doped SnO 2 was investigated using microwave power absorption. With microwave power, samples were sintered at 1450°C for 20 min and showed a density as high as 99.9% of theoretical. However, samples fired in conventional electric furnace at the same temperature for 4 h showed only 60% of theoretical density. Microwave sintering also led to improvement in terms of uniform structure and electrical properties.
Ultrasound-Guided Interventional Procedures in Pain Management: Evidence-Based Medicine

Recently, there has been a growing interest in the application of ultrasonography in pain medicine because ultrasound provides direct visualization of various soft tissues and real-time needle advancement and avoids exposing the health care provider and the patient to the risks of radiation. The machine itself is more affordable and transferrable than a fluoroscopy, computed tomography scan, or magnetic resonance imaging machine. These factors make ultrasonography an attractive adjunct to other imaging modalities in interventional pain management especially when those modalities are not available or feasible. The present article reviews the existing evidence that evaluates the role of ultrasonography in spine interventional procedures in pain management.
The geometric transfer function for cone and fan beam collimators

Geometric response functions are derived for both cone and fan beam collimators for the scintillation camera. The formulation is based on an effective response function which is determined by the geometric response of a single hole. The technique provides an accurate description of the spatial resolution by characterising the complete geometric response function which includes the effects of the shape and orientation of the collimator holes. The theoretical formulation was used to design a fan beam collimator for SPECT imaging and was shown to agree well with the experimental results.
Maximizing Experiential Learning for Student Success

The positive impacts of experiential learning are well documented: gains in deep learning, practical competence, persistence rates, civic engagement, appreciation of diversity, professional network...
Bevacizumab (Avastin) conjugated microbubbles for anti-VEGF treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Bevacizumab (Avastin) has been used as one of the anti-VEGF therapies to manage neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The drug delivery system for bevacizumab needs to be improved in order to decrease the frequency of injection and reduce the adverse effects. In our study, bevacizumab was conjugated with poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microbubbles by activating carboxyl functional groups. The averaged size of microbubbles was estimated 1.055±0.258μm, allowing for ultrasound guided drug delivery. The binding efficiency between bevacizumab and microbubbles was evaluated in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay plate. The test results demonstrated the potential of using PLGA microbubbles to deliver bevacizumab with imaging guidance.
Response: the role of core decompression in the treatment of ischemic necrosis of the femoral head.

The perspective on the current role of core decompression in the treatment of ischemic necrosis of the femoral head is presented
Diminished growth hormone-binding protein in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Two distinct GH-binding proteins (GHBP) are present in circulation in the human. The major GHBP (high affinity GHBP) is homologous to the extracellular portion of the GH receptor and the concentration of this protein in circulation may reflect the status of the GH receptor in the tissues. To gain information about the concentration of GHBPs in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), we measured GHBP in the serum of 46 children with IDDM and compared it to that in 53 healthy control subjects matched for age and sexual maturity. The total GHBP concentration in the group of pubertal and postpubertal IDDM patients was lower than that measured in the control group (mean +/- SEM: 7.8 +/- 0.4 vs. 9.0 +/- 0.5%, P = 0.05). The diabetic children in stages II to IV of puberty had a lower GHBP level compared to their healthy controls (7.6 +/- 0.4 vs. 9.1 +/- 0.5%, P = 0.02), whereas the difference between the diabetic and control group of postpubertal children was not statistically different (8.3 +/- 0.7 vs. 9.7 +/- 0.7%, P = 0.1). In a randomly selected subset of eight patients and eight controls, the concentration of the individual GHBPs (i.e. high affinity and low affinity (GHBP) was estimated by gel chromatography. There was no difference in the low affinity GHBP between the two groups (9.9 +/- 0.6% vs. 9.9 +/- 0.4%), but the high affinity GHBP was less in the diabetic group than in the control group (10.5 +/- 0.9 vs. 15.6 +/- 1.0%, P less than 0.01). In the diabetic group, there was no correlation between the GHBP levels and age, duration of diabetes, hemoglobin A1, or insulin dose. We conclude that in IDDM there is less of the high affinity GHBP, suggesting a decrease in the number of GH receptors in these patients. This decrease may contribute to GH resistance manifesting as decreased insulin-like growth factor-I levels despite high GH levels in patients with IDDM.
Evaluating the Effects of Matched and Unmatched Stimuli on Nail Biting in Typically Developing Children

We evaluated the effects of matched and unmatched stimuli on nail biting for three typically developing children and adolescents. Antecedent-based assessments identified conditions when subjects were most likely to engage in nail biting. Treatment included the noncontingent delivery of four types of highly preferred stimuli: items hypothesized to match the oral, the tactile, or both the oral and tactile stimulation inherent to nail biting, as well as items that did not involve oral or tactile stimulation. Results suggested that all forms of alternative stimulation decreased nail biting.
Simulated impact of vegetation on climate across the North American monsoon region in CCSM3.5

The influence of prescribed changes in vegetation on the climate of the North American monsoon region is examined using the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model Version 3.5 (NCAR CCSM3.5). Initial value ensemble experiments are performed in which the vegetation cover fraction over the North American monsoon region is reduced by 0.2 and the intra-annual climatic response is assessed probabilistically in each one-year ensemble experiment. Changes in the surface radiation budget include decreases in sensible and latent heat fluxes and increases in upward longwave and downward shortwave radiation fluxes, with small net changes in surface albedo. The climatic responses to reduced vegetation cover fraction include year-round increases in ground and surface air temperature, a dampened hydrologic cycle with decreased springtime evaporation, springtime and autumnal precipitation, and autumnal cloud cover, and enhanced atmospheric subsidence in late autumn. Decreased vegetation shifts the monsoon season over the Southwest United States earlier in the year. Within the North American monsoon region, the most robust vegetation feedbacks to climate are found over woody landscapes.
Physical Activity Levels of College Freshman: Comparison of Surveys with Objective Measures of Physical Activity

PURPOSE: This study compared measures of physical activity (PA) taken from the 7- day Physical Activity Recall (PAR) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) with those obtained from the NL 2000 (NL) and Lifecorder (LC) accelerometers in entering, college freshmen. METHODS: 47 males and 64 females (overall age =18.5±.3 yrs, wt. = 68.7±14.4 kg, and BMI = 23.7 ±4.9) volunteered and signed an informed consent form. All subjects wore the NL for 7 days, and half wore the LC as well. After the 7 days the subjects completed the PAR and IPAQ. RESULTS: There was a strong agreement between accelerometers with PAEE expressed in kcal/wk (r = 0.958, p= 0.000). However, the NL recorded significantly higher values (p= 0.0001) for PAEE than the LC (Md= 2705 vs. 2120). Both PAR kcal/wk and IPAQ kcal/wk were significantly related to the NL kcal/wk, r = 0.275 (p= 0.004) and r= 0.430 (p= 0.000), respectively. In addition, there were no significant differences in overall PAEE between the NL and PAR (p= 0.148) or the NL and IPAQ (p= 0.198). However, both the PAR and IPAQ reported more PAEE as energy expenditure exceeded 3000 kcal/wk. PAR moderate and vigorous MET-min/wk were not significantly related to LC moderate (p= 0.411) and vigorous MET-min/wk (p= 0.204), respectively. In addition, there were significant differences in MET-min/wk between the PAR and LC for moderate (p= 0.019) and vigorous (p= 0.000) activity. PAR reported relatively the same PAEE at lower amounts of moderate intensity exercise, but reported more PAEE as energy expenditure increased. PAR systematically reported more vigorous PAEE across the full range of energy expenditure. CONCLUSION: The accelerometers correlated highly and were in close agreement with one another. In first year freshmen, both surveys provided overall estimates of PAEE that were significantly related to objective measures of PA. However, at high levels of energy expenditure, the questionnaires captured more of the vigorous PA that the accelerometers could not monitor.
Supervised Weekly Rinsing With A 0.2 Percent Neutral NaF Solution: Final Results Of A Demonstration Program After Six School Years*

The results of a school-based fluoride mouthrinsing program in the elementary schools of a Long Island, New York community (F less than or equal to 0.1 ppm) was described. Children enrolled in this continuing program rinse once a week for 60 seconds with a 0.2 percent neutral NaF solution. Kindergarteners rinse with 5.0 ml.; children in the first through sixth grade rinse with 10 ml. Program personnel mix and distribute the rinse to the classrooms. Rinsing is supervised by homeroom teachers. A random sample of 125 children from each grade level (approximately 750 children) annually receive visual-tactile caries examinations from the same examiner. Mean caries prevalence scores after participation in the rinsing program are compared to the caries prevalence of children that were examined in 1975, before the program began. There has been 170 scheduled rinse sessions during six years. By the sixth-year examinations, first graders rinsed for one year (as kindergarteners), second graders for two years, etc. All children who were examined began participation in the program as kindergarteners. The findings after six years of the rinsing program included: 1. There was a 54.1 percent reduction in the mean DMFT caries prevalence score and a 55.2 percent reduction in the mean DMFS score. 2. The greatest percentage caries reduction, 68.8 percent, occurred for proximal surfaces, and the greatest absolute reduction occurred for occlusal surfaces. 3. The percentage of children with a caries-free permanent dentition increased from 43.5 percent to 66.3 percent. Of those children with caries, more were in the low caries category (DMFS = 1-4) compared to children who were examined before the rinsing program began.
The radiocolloid bone marrow scan in malignant disease

The radiocolloid bone marrow scans in 107 patients with malignant disease were reviewed. The observed scan patterns were classified into five groups: normal (type 1), moderately expanded (type 2), greatly expanded (type 3), peripheral expansion with central depression (type 4), and greatly reduced to absent intramedullary marrow (type 5). Correlation was made between scan pattern and clinical status of the patient for each disease category. In polycythemia vera, there was progressive expansion of the marrow organ that correlated well with the patient's course but not duration of disease. Type 3 or 4 marrow scans were associated with failure of effective marrow function. In myelofibrosis, regardless of associated cause, the scan pattern was predominantly type 4 or 5. Among the 42 patients with leukemia, 41 had abnormal scans. Type 4 was the characteristic scan pattern in untreated acute leukemia, and the scan became more normal with favorable treatment response. Patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, either with myelofibrosis or blast crisis, had a type 4 or 5 marrow pattern. Scan patterns in the 30 patients with Hodgkin's disease were influenced by stage of disease and prior therapy. In untreated patients of stage I-II, the scan pattern was always normal. Among the 17 stage III or IV patients, scan patterns of type 4 or 5 were frequently observed regardless of previous therapy. Focal defects were common in this group and were of two types: (1) a small irregular defect due to infiltration of tumor (two cases), and (2) a sharply circumscribed defect due to radiation therapy (seven cases). Patients with metastatic malignancy and lymphosarcoma involving bone marrow had abnormal scans showing peripheral expansion or focal defects. Some of the clinical applications for radiocolloid marrow scanning that were suggested for these observations include determining optimal bone marrow biopsy site, aiding staging and the evaluation of treatment response for hematologic malignancies, screening patients for metastatic involvement of bone as an adjunct to the strontium-85 bone scan, and evaluating extent of bone marrow injury following radiation therapy. It is concluded that the radiocolloid scan of the bone marrow organ can be an important aid in management of patients with malignant disease.
Lipid composition of isolated epiphyseal cartilage cells, membranes and matrix vesicles.

Abstract 1. 1. Intact cells, cell fragments (membranes) and matrix vesicles were isolated from the proliferating and calcifying layers of epiphyseal cartilage by sequential hyaluronidase and collagenase digestion and differential centrifugation. Lipids were extracted and analyzed for various lipid classes and their fatty acid composition by column, thin-layer, paper and gas-liquid chromatography. 2. 2. On a protein basis the isolated matrix vesicles had more total lipid than either the membrane or cell fractions, the vesicles and membranes being richer in non-polar lipids and containing smaller quantities of phospholipids than whole cells. Expressed as a percentage of the total lipid, the cells were richer in triacylglycerols and lower in free fatty acids than the membrane or vesicle fractions. The proportion of free cholesterol and the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio were nearly twice as high in the matrix vesicles as in the other tissue fractions. Choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides progressively declined in the membrane and matrix vesicle fractions, whereas serine phosphoglycerides and sphingomyelin increased. Non-phosphorus-containing polar lipids were present in all fractions, the vesicles being richer in polyhexosyl ceramides, cerebrosides, glycosyldiacylglycerols and certain uncharacterized acidic polar lipids. 3. 3. Fatty acid patterns of the matrix vesicles were distinctive from those of isolated cells, being generally richer in 18 : 0 and 18 : 2, and lower in 16 : 1 and 18 : 1 fatty acids. Monoacyl forms were similarly increased in 16 : 0 and/or 18 : 0, and reduced in 16 : 1,18 : 1 or 20 : 2 fatty acids, depending on the lipid class. The fatty acid composition of diphosphatidylglycerol from cells and matrix vesicles was markedly different, providing evidence that the cardiolipin in the vesicles was not from mitochondrial components. 4. 4. Based on the fact that the matrix vesicles were significantly enriched in free cholesterol, sphingomyelin, glycolipids and serine-phosphoglycerides, it is concluded that they are derived from the plasma membrane of the cell, supporting earlier conclusions based upon morphological and enzymological evidence.
Analysis of Adenosine A2a Receptor Stability: Effects of Ligands and Disulfide Bonds

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest family of integral membrane proteins present in all eukaryotic cells, yet relatively little information about their structure, folding, and stability has been published. In this work, we describe several approaches to characterizing the conformational stability of the human adenosine A2a receptor (hA2aR). Thermal denaturation and chemical denaturation were not reversible, yet clear differences in the unfolding behavior were observed upon ligand binding via circular dichroism and fluorescence spectrometry. We found that the stability of hA2aR was increased upon incubation with the agonist N6-cyclohexyladenosine or the antagonist theophylline. When extracellular disulfide bonds were reduced with a chemical reducing agent, the ligand binding activity decreased by ∼40%, but reduction of these bonds did not compromise the unfolding transition observed via urea denaturation. Overall, these approaches offer a general strategy for characterizing the effec...
The computation of radiation from nonequilibrium hypersonic flows

The results of the solution of the equations that describe a hypersonic ionized flow about an elliptically blunted cone are presented. The flow conditions correspond to those of the proposed Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) vehicle at altitudes between the perigee at 78 km and the approximate limit of the continuum regime at 90 km. For the free-stream velocities of interest, about 9 km/sec, the flowfield is out of thermo-chemical equilibrium, electronically excited, ionized and radiating. The gas consists of eight-chemical species including free electrons. The thermal state of the gas is modeled with a translational-rotational temperature, four vibrational temperatures for the diatomic species and an electron-electronic temperature. The electronic excitation of molecules is included. The nonequilibrium air radiation from each fluid element is computed and the radiative heat flux at the body surface is determined. The stagnation point radiative heating result agrees with previous calculations.
“Re-Culturing” Teacher Education: Inquiry, Evidence, and Action

Currently the press to make policy and practice decisions on the basis of evidence is being coupled with recognition that real change requires shifts in organizational culture. Consequently, there are now many efforts to “re-culture” organizations by making evidence central to decision making. In this article, the authors problematize the notion of a “culture of evidence” in teacher education. Then the article identifies four key aspects involved in efforts to create a culture of evidence at one institution over a five-year period: (1) development of a portfolio of studies about processes and outcomes; (2) recognition that teacher education always poses values questions as well as empirical questions; (3) an exploratory, open-ended approach to evidence construction; and, (4) multiple structures that institutionalize evidence collection and use locally and beyond. The authors suggests that building cultures of evidence has the potential to be transformative in teacher education, but only if challenges rela...
Development and characterization of an all-olefin thermoplastic sandwich composite system

In this investigation an all-olefin thermoplastic sandwich system was developed and characterized. Commingled glass fiber polypropylene (PP) composite was used as skin and HDPE (PE) foam with closed cells as core. Infra-red heating was used for melting the surfaces of the substrates for surface fusion bonding with a cold press. Two tie layer films, viz. ethylene-propylene copolymer (EPC) and HDPE/elastomer blend, were used as hot melt adhesives for bonding the substrates. Single lap shear joints were prepared from PP composite and PE foam adherends with a bonding area of 25.4 mm x 25.4 mm to determine the interface strength. EPC tie layer provided higher bond strength (27.4 kg/cm 2 ) to the all-olefin sandwich system than HDPE/elastomer blend based one (19.7 kg/cm 2 ). For EPC tie layer based sandwiches, a mixed mode of failure was observed in the failed lap shear samples; about 40% is cohesive failure through tie layer, and the rest of failure was adhesive either at PP composite or PE surfaces. Environmental scanning electron micrographs (ESEM) reveal that in the process of surface fusion bonding, PE foam cells in the vicinity of 0.80 mm interphase area were coalesced with high temperature and pressure. No macro level penetration of tie layer melt front into foam cells was observed. As the surface morphology of foam was altered on account of IR surface heating and the PP composite bonding side had a resin-rich layer, the bonding situation was closer to that between two polymer film surfaces.
Effect of iodoacetate and fluoride on the position of the haemoglobin oxygen dissociation curve of human whole blood.

THE influence of various electrolytes on the position (haemoglobin–oxygen affinity) and on the slope (haem–haem interaction) of the oxygen dissociation curve (ODC) of pure haemoglobin solutions has been known for several years1–3. Recent investigations4–6 have revealed the unique role of organic phosphates, such as 2,3-di-phosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG), as determinants of the haemoglobin–oxygen affinity. Thus, with pure haemoglobin solutions, an increase in the concentration of 2,3-DPG in the medium decreases the affinity by competitive reaction with oxygen6, while a decreased concentration of 2,3-DPG is associated with an increased affinity for oxygen. The concentrations of 2,3-DPG used in these experiments are in the range which occurs in normal or abnormal physiological conditions in the intact erythrocyte. Because variations in concentrations of 2,3-DPG do not appear to influence the sigmoid shape of the ODC but only its position, these compounds presumably do not affect the haem–haem interaction6.
Preliminary design of a large tetrahedral truss/hexagonal panel aerobrake structural system

This paper introduces an aerobrake structural concept consisting of two primary components: (1) a lightweight erectable tetrahedral support truss, and (2) a heatshield composed of individual sandwich hexagonal panels which, when attached to the truss, function as a continuous aerobraking surface. A general preliminary analysis procedure to design the aerobrake components is developed, and values of the aerobrake design parameters which minimize the mass and packaging volume for a 120-foot-diameter aerobrake are determined. Sensitivity of the aerobrake design to variations in design parameters is also assessed.
Dopaminergic neurotoxins require excitotoxic stimulation in organotypic cultures

We have investigated the properties of the dopaminergic neurotoxins 6-hydroxydopamine, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium and rotenone using an organotypic culture that included slices of substantia nigra, striatum and cortex maintained for about 20 days in vitro. At this age, the organotypic culture contains dopaminergic neurons, visualized using tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry, that project into the striatal slice and extend up to 1 mm into the cortical slice. Using TH immunohistochemistry to assess survival of dopaminergic neurons, we found that the three dopaminergic toxins alone were not selectively neurotoxic. However, the addition of a low concentration of N-methyl-d-aspartate together with each individual toxin resulted in profound injury to the dopaminergic neurons, reflected by the loss of cell bodies and the fragmentation of processes. The combined toxicity was completely blocked by MK801. To assess the specificity of the injury, we measured the diameter of cell nuclei in the organotypic culture stained with Hoechst 33342 because the nucleus shrinks when neurons are injured. These measurements showed that the combined toxin treatment selectively injured only the TH immunoreactive cells. Thus, in a model culture system where dopaminergic neurons innervate appropriate targets, excitotoxicity appears to be essential for the manifestation of the toxic actions of 6-hydroxydopamine, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium and rotenone.
Advances in biometric standardisation - addressing global requirements for interoperable biometrics

Biometric standards promote the availability of multiple sources of compatible products in the marketplace. They benefit end-users as well as system developers, biometric vendors and the Information Technology industry. This paper addresses the status of published biometric standards, ongoing biometric standards development activities and short-term standards development plans. Development of biometric standards often impacts related efforts such as token-based, security and telecommunication standards development. Examples are provided. A brief discussion on the global marketplace needs for these standards (reflected in the ongoing development projects) and adoption examples are provided. The paper focuses mainly on international standards, but other biometric standards considered to have a large international impact are also addressed.
Adenosine nucleotide modulates the physical interaction between hMSH2 and BRCA1

We have identified the physical interaction between the Breast Cancer susceptibility gene product BRCA1 and the Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) and DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene product hMSH2, both in vitro and in vivo. The BRCA1-hMSH2 association involved several well-defined regions of both proteins which include the adenosine nucleotide binding domain of hMSH2. Moreover, the interaction of BRCA1 with purified hMSH2-hMSH6 appears to be modulated by adenosine nucleotide much like G protein downstream interaction/signaling is modulated by guanosine nucleotide. BARD1, another BRCA1-interacting protein, was also found to interact with hMSH2. In addition, BRCA1 was found to associate with both hMSH3 and hMSH6, the heterodimeric partners of hMSH2. These observations implicate BRCA1/BARD1 as downstream effectors of the adenosine nucleotide-activated hMSH2-hMSH6 signaling complex, and suggest a global role for BRCA1 in DNA damage processing. The functional interaction between BRCA1 and hMSH2 may provide a partial explanation for the background of gynecological and colorectal cancer in both HNPCC and BRCA1 kindreds, respectively.
The role of chemical (CO2) drive in the apnea induced by high frequency ventilation in the cat

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to compare the relative roles of PaCO2 and pulmonary mechanoreceptors in the generation of apnea during high frequency ventilation (HFV) and conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) in the anesthetized cat. Our hypothesis was that PaCO2 primarily determines the appearance of apnea, while mechanoreceptor input plays an important but secondary role. We calculated the tidal volume which would have a 50% chance of inducing apnea ( Vt 50) for each combination of ventilator settings, and used it as a standard for comparison of mechanical dynamic inputs. When either 2% or 5% CO2 was added to the bias flow during HFV, the Vt 50 was significantly increased over that seen with a room air bias flow. Apnea was observed during either mode of ventilation only when PaCO2 was reduced below normocapnic levels. The mean tidal volume associated with each apnea group was larger than that for the corresponding nonapnea group. There was no difference in the PaCO2 for apnea between HFV and CMV, but the EMG of the diaphragm did differ. With HFV-apnea tonic activity was observed, while CMV-apnea showed abolition of all activity. We conclude that both HFV- and CMV-induced apnea depend primarily on lowering the chemical drive (PaCO2), and secondarily on inhibitory mechanical input ( Vt ). The excitation of rapidly adapting receptors during HFV could explain the tonic EMG activity.
Spectrophotometric determination of fluorine in silicate rocks

Abstract The rock powder is sintered with a sodium carbonate flux containing zinc oxide and magnesium carbonate, the sinter-cake leached with water and the resulting solution filtered. Fluorine is separated from the acidified filtrate by steam distillation and determined spectrophotometrically by means of a zirconium-SPADNS reagent. If a multiple-unit distillation apparatus is used, 12 determinations can be completed per man-day.
Children's Size-Difference Judgments: Latency and Amplitude Effects Associated with Degree of Stimulus Similarity

30 7th-grade boys made a series of size difference judgments (which of 2 circles was larger) when faced with circle pairs differing by 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm. in diameter. Response latencies were related in a decreasing, negatively accelerated fashion to difference magnitudes. Evidence for a linear, negative relationship between response amplitude and difference magnitude was also obtained. The relevance of the latter to theories attributing a drive-increment property to conflict was discussed.
EXCHANGE OF ENERGY BETWEEN THE IONOSPHERE AND THE PROTONOSPHERE

Abstract A theory of non-local heating of the topside ionosphere and the protonosphere by photoelectrons which escape the F2-layer is developed. Use is made of the expression for the rate of heat input to a protonospheric field tube to obtain an estimate of the rate at which thermal energy is conducted downward across the 1000 km surface at middle geomagnetic latitudes during the day. The expression for the rate of heat input is combined with the steady-state heat conduction equation to calculate the temperature distribution along the axis of the field tube. It is shown that, near sunspot maximum, heating by photoelectrons which escape the F2-layer produces a steep temperature gradient along a middle-latitude field tube; near sunspot minimum, however, the protonosphere is found to be very nearly isothermal in the region enclosed by the magnetic shell intersecting the 1000 km surface at 40° geomagnetic latitude. A time-dependent model describing the night-time cooling of a middle-latitude protonospheric field tube is presented. The model supports the conclusion that a downward flux of some 108 eV cm−2 sec−1 into the ionosphere can be maintained throughout most of the night. The electron temperature profile calculated for this heat flux is in good agreement with measurements of night-time electron temperature in the topside ionosphere, leading to the conclusion that a downward flux from the protonosphere is the only significant source of heat input to the quiet night-time ionosphere at middle latitudes.
658. Oncolytic Herpes Virus Mutants Are Efficacious Against Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Xenografts

BACKGROUND. Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors (MPNSTs) remain a significant clinical challenge in both pediatric and adult oncology. MPNSTs are highly aggressive tumors thought to derive from Schwann cells or their precursors, often presenting in patients with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). Because many patients with MPNSTs have a poor response to traditional therapies such as irradiation and chemotherapy, other treatment approaches are crucial. We have previously shown that MPNST cell lines are permissive for oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus (oHSV) mutants in culture. These |[ldquo]|oncolytic|[rdquo]| mutant viruses are lytic for many tumor types but are attenuated in their ability to replicate within normal tissues. We sought to create a xenograft model of MPNSTs and to test the efficacy of oHSV as a potential therapeutic for this disease.
Use Your Words: The Role of Language in the Development of Toddlers’ Self-Regulation

Self-regulation emerges throughout early childhood, and predicts later success in socially and cognitively challenging situations. Vygotsky proposed that symbols, particularly words, serve as mental tools to be used in service of self-regulation. Cross-sectional research indicates a positive but inconsistent association between language and self-regulation skills throughout toddlerhood, but research has not accounted for general cognitive development, nor gender differences in these domains. We used growth modeling of longitudinal data for 120 toddlers collected when children were 14, 24, and 36 months to test the impact of two expressive language skills - spoken vocabulary and talkativeness - on the growth of toddlers' self-regulation, and to determine whether associations between these domains exist when controlling for cognitive development. Results reveal gender differences in self-regulation trajectories, and in the impact of language on self-regulation. Vocabulary is a better predictor of self-regulation than talkativeness, and both concurrent and prior vocabulary positively predicted children's levels of self-regulation. When cognitive development was controlled, 24-month vocabulary still predicted the trajectory of self-regulation. Results reveal that, even in early development, words are tools that can be applied to the task of self-regulation, and may be a more necessary tool for boys than for girls at this age.
Dechlorination of chlorinated phenols by zero valent zinc

Abstract Reductive dechlorination of chlorophenols (Pentachlorophenol, three tetrachlorophenols (TeCPs), six trichlorophenols (TCPs)) with zero valent zinc was examined through batch experiments. Zinc showed much higher reactivity towards PCP than iron and amended iron indicating that zero valent zinc can be a good candidate for reductive dechlorination of chlorinated phenols. Chlorophenols were sequentially dechlorinated and less chlorinated phenols were identified as reduction products. The mass balance was not complete, indicating that by‐products are important and /or that products being measured were lost by unknown pathways. The dechlorination rate of the chlorinated phenols usually followed the order: PCP > TeCPs > TCPs. Among the TeCP and TCP isomers, the reactivity was in the order of 2,3,4,5‐TeCP > 2,3,4,6‐TeCP > 2,3,5,6‐TeCP and 2,3,4‐TCP > 2,3,6‐TCP > 2,3,5‐TCP > 2,4,6‐TCP > 2,4,5‐TCP > 3,4,5‐TCP. The first order reaction rates varied by one order of magnitude or more, depending on the chlorin...
Acute colonization study of polychlorinated biphenyl-degrading pseudomonads in the mouse intestinal tract: Comparison of single and multiple exposures

The coprophagic behavior of rodents has been used in a model examining the potential health effects of environmentally released microorganisms. Mutant polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) degrading pseudomonads, isolated from a commercial product for PCB elimination, were used to evaluate the method. The PCB-degrading component of the product was composed of one Pseudomonas maltophilia and three Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains enhanced for PCB degradation through nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis. Multiple ingestions of the biodegraders were compared with a single exposure. The direct health effects monitored were changes in weight, appetite and overall appearance. The indirect health effects monitored included recovery of the organisms from intestinal contents as well as competition with and alteration of the normal intestinal flora. When animals received a single dose by gavage of 109 colony forming units of an individual Pseudomonas sp., none of the four dosed strains were detected 14 d after dosing when animals were housed in metabolism cages. The use of these metabolism cages, which had wire flooring, limited coprophagy. When animals were housed in conventional cages, which allowed coprophagy, two of the four PCB degraders tested were recovered (104/g intestine). The lactose-fermenting and total aerobic counts were unaffected when animals received a single dose of the biodegrader. In the multiple exposure model, P. maltophilia altered the lactose-fermenting population. The total aerobic counts differed significantly from values for control animals when the animals were exposed to P. aeruginosa strains BC16, BC17 and BC18. Obligately anaerobic gram-negative rod populations were affected in P. aeruginosa strain BC17-dosed animals. Strains BC16 and BC18 altered both the obligately anaerobic rod populations and total anaerobic counts.
Life Prediction and Monitoring of Nuclear Power Plant Components for Service-Related Degradation

This paper describes industry programs to manage structural degradation and to justify continued operation of nuclear components when unexpected degradation has been encountered due to design materials and/or operational problems. Other issues have been related to operation of components beyond their original design life in cases where there is no evidence of fatigue crack initiation or other forms of structural degradation. Data from plant operating experience have been applied in combination with inservice inspections and degradation management programs to ensure that the degradation mechanisms do not adversely impact plant safety. Probabilistic fracture mechanics calculations are presented to demonstrate how component failure probabilities can be managed through augmented inservice inspection programs.
Robust Confidence Intervals for a Location Parameter: The Configural Approach

Abstract A conditional approach to robustness is described and applied to interval estimation for a location parameter. Two new types of confidence interval estimators using two-dimensional numerical integrations within location-and-scale configurations emerge. Strong confidence intervals have robust conditional coverage probabilities. Bioptimal confidence intervals are as short as possible and have robust overall coverage probabilities. Robust intervals compromising the Gaussian and the slash distributions serve as examples. A comparison with a variety of other confidence intervals shows the nonrobustness of rank-based interval estimators. For samples of size 10, robust intervals based on M-estimators are clearly superior. Tuning constants must be chosen carefully for interval estimation. An interval based on Tukey's biweight, for example, should be used with tuning constants of about 7, 8, and 11 for samples of size 20, 10, and 5, respectively.
Latchup-aware placement and parasitic-bounded routing of custom analog cells

This paper presents new results in constraint-directed placement and routing of device-level analog cells. We describe the first algorithm for latchup-aware device placement that guarantees sufficient placement of well/substrate contacts by simultaneous placement of latchup protection geometry and devices. A novel cost-to-target predictor for cost-based A/sup */ routing, and a new scheme for pruning evolving paths that violate user-supplied constrained routing of analog signals in dense placements are described. Experimental results suggest the strategy avoids the artifacts of length-for-crosstalk trade-offs seen in earlier algorithms, and allows users more fine-grain control of the routing of defense, high-performance cells. An implementation of these ideas in the tool set KA III is used to derive improved layouts from several analog cells.
Silibinin prevents prostate cancer cell-mediated differentiation of naïve fibroblasts into cancer-associated fibroblast phenotype by targeting TGF β2.

Tumor microenvironment (TM) is an essential element in prostate cancer (PCA), offering unique opportunities for its prevention. TM includes naive fibroblasts that are recruited by nascent neoplastic lesion and altered into 'cancer-associated fibroblasts' (CAFs) that promote PCA. A better understanding and targeting of interaction between PCA cells and fibroblasts and inhibiting CAF phenotype through non-toxic agents are novel approaches to prevent PCA progression. One well-studied cancer chemopreventive agent is silibinin, and thus, we examined its efficacy against PCA cells-mediated differentiation of naive fibroblasts into a myofibroblastic-phenotype similar to that found in CAFs. Silibinin's direct inhibitory effect on the phenotype of CAFs derived directly from PCA patients was also assessed. Human prostate stromal cells (PrSCs) exposed to control conditioned media (CCM) from human PCA PC3 cells showed more invasiveness, with increased alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and vimentin expression, and differentiation into a phenotype we identified in CAFs. Importantly, silibinin (at physiologically achievable concentrations) inhibited α-SMA expression and invasiveness in differentiated fibroblasts and prostate CAFs directly, as well as indirectly by targeting PCA cells. The observed increase in α-SMA and CAF-like phenotype was transforming growth factor (TGF) β2 dependent, which was strongly inhibited by silibinin. Furthermore, induction of α-SMA and CAF phenotype by CCM were also strongly inhibited by a TGFβ2-neutralizing antibody. The inhibitory effect of silibinin on TGFβ2 expression and CAF-like biomarkers was also observed in PC3 tumors. Together, these findings highlight the potential usefulness of silibinin in PCA prevention through targeting the CAF phenotype in the prostate TM.