cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Osteoporosis and Hip Fractures

SUMMARY Epidemiologic studies have contributed to our understanding of osteoporosis through identification of groups at high risk of fracture and through discernment of factors associated with increased risk of low bone density and fracture. Many of the questions remaining can be addressed only through the use of epidemiologic methods in human populations. These include longitudinal studies in large cohorts to better delineate factors associated with bone loss and fracture and randomized clinical trials to adequately assess therapies. Particularly needed are studies in adolescents to assess determinants of peak bone mass and the effect on subsequent bone loss with aging.
Influence of Meteorological Parameters on Electromagnetic Environment of UHVDC Transmission Line Under High Altitude Condition

Measuring the electromagnetic(EM) environment parameters of a transmission line in bad weather conditions(such as rain,wind,etc.) is difficult for technical staff.In the National Engineering Laboratory for UHV Technology(Kunming),a test line was completed for EM environment tests.An automated EM environment testing system was installed under the line,the radio interference(RI),audible noise(AN),resultant electric field strength(Es),and ion current density(Js) at ground level were measured under all weather conditions within a voltage range from ±800 kV to ±1 000 kV over two years.Based on the measurement results,the influence of meteorological parameters on the EM environment of the transmission line was studied.When the HR increases from 40% to 80%,the RI,AN,Es,Js would have different degrees of attenuation.The RI on a rainy day is 3 dB lower than that of a sunny day,while the Js gets a sharp increase with the same weather condition change.In addition,AN and Es are greatly influenced by wind speed: with increasing wind speed,Es decreases and AN becomes unstable.
Positive association between Helicobacter pylori infection and pancreatic cancer: A case-control study.

e16243Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a malignancy with a very poor prognosis. The 5-year overall survival is about 9%. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a known risk factor for gastric a...
Childhood Trauma and College Sexual Harassment: Coping and Resilience as Moderators

Childhood trauma has been identified as a risk factor for future revictimization, especially in young adulthood. There is an established link between childhood victimization and later sexual assault, but it is unclear if childhood trauma is associated with sexual harassment. Related research has examined coping and resilience as buffers, or moderators, against negative outcomes associated with childhood victimization and sexual assault, so the buffering effect of these variables will be explored for sexual harassment as well. In a sample of 583 young adults age 18–25, self-report measures of childhood trauma, sexual harassment, coping, and resilience, were collected via an online survey tool. Results of a path analysis suggest that, in general, childhood trauma places young adults at a risk for sexual harassment. Resiliency did not moderate the association between childhood trauma and sexual harassment in young adulthood, but coping did moderate this association. Specifically, when coping was high, trauma and sexual harassment were negatively related, but when coping was low to moderate, trauma and sexual harassment were positively related.
Assessment of nitrogen fixation rates in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Abstract Nitrogen fixation (NFix) is an important, yet understudied, microbial process in aquatic ecosystems, especially in the Laurentian Great Lakes (LGL). To date, a dearth of nitrogen fixation rate measurements exists in the LGL, are from temporally isolated studies, and were collected primarily from near-shore and surface water environments. Evidence of nitrogen accumulation across the Laurentian Great Lakes suggest that we do not have a firm grasp on nitrogen cycling in large lakes. Thus, we sought to quantify the spatial variability of NFix in the LGL. We found lakes are significantly different in NFix rates from one another and that rates are depth dependent. Overall mean surface NFix rates of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario were 0.024, 0.020, 0.069, 0.145, and 0.078 (nmol N2/L/hr), respectively. Likewise, we found the Western, Central and Eastern basins of Lake Erie are significantly different in NFix rates (0.1540, 0.1032, 0.0738 nmol N2/L/hr). However, we found no significant difference in NFix rates between near and offshore sites in Lake Erie, which may have been biased due to a cyanobacterial bloom containing a nitrogen-fixing Dolichospermum sp. Linear regression models indicate NFix is generally positively correlated with chlorophyll-a concentration and negatively correlated with oxidized nitrogen species concentrations. However, Lakes Erie and Huron exhibited a positive linear relationship with oxidized nitrogen, suggesting that NFix may persist to meet cellular and community nitrogen demands. Together, our data highlight NFix is important despite the presence of abundant nitrogen in all LGL.
Prevalence and Trends in Suicidal Behavior Among US Military Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance The COVID-19 pandemic has raised considerable concerns about increased risk for suicidal behavior among US military veterans, who already had elevated rates of suicide before the pandemic. Objective To examine longitudinal changes in suicidal behavior from before the COVID-19 pandemic to nearly 10 months into the pandemic and identify risk factors and COVID-related variables associated with new-onset suicide ideation (SI). Design, setting, and participants This population-based prospective cohort study used data from the first and second wave of the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, conducted from November 18, 2019, to December 19, 2020. Median dates of data collection for the prepandemic and peripandemic assessments were November 21, 2019, and November 14, 2020, nearly 10 months after the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency in the US. A total of 3078 US military veterans aged 22 to 99 years were included in the study. Main outcomes and measures Past-year SI and suicide attempts. Results In this cohort study of 3078 US veterans (mean [SD] age, 63.2 [14.7] years; 91.6% men; 79.3% non-Hispanic White veterans, 10.3% non-Hispanic Black veterans, and 6.0% Hispanic veterans), 233 (7.8%) reported past-year SI, and 8 (0.3%) reported suicide attempts at the peripandemic assessment. Past-year SI decreased from 10.6% prepandemic (95% CI, 9.6%-11.8%) to 7.8% peripandemic (95% CI, 6.9%-8.8%). A total of 82 veterans (2.6%) developed new-onset SI over the follow-up period. After adjusting for sociodemographic and military characteristics, the strongest risk factors and COVID-19-related variables for new-onset SI were low social support (odds ratio [OR], 2.77; 95% CI, 1.46-5.28), suicide attempt history (OR, 6.31; 95% CI, 2.71-14.67), lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder and/or depression (OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.16-4.35), past-year alcohol use disorder severity (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.12), COVID-19 infection (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.41-5.01), and worsening of social relationships during the pandemic (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.16-1.88). Conclusions and relevance The results of this cohort study suggest that despite grim forecasts that the COVID-19 pandemic would exacerbate suicidality among US military veterans, the rate of SI decreased at the population level nearly 10 months into the pandemic. Veterans who were infected with COVID-19 were more than twice as likely to report SI, which suggests the need for future research to examine the potential link between COVID-19 infection and suicidal behavior.
Emerging Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major clinical problem with a rising incidence and high mortality rate. The lack of early biomarkers has resulted in an unacceptable delay in initiating th
FET protection of GMR and TMR sensors

TMR and GMR sensors used for reading data written on magnetic media can be damaged by ns wide pulses below 1 Volt. Since diodes turn on around 1 V, they offer little ESD protection. This paper explores the use of diode-connected FETs to protect MR sensors below 1 V.
Identification of a G1-S-phase-regulated region in the human thymidine kinase gene promoter.

The authors have identified a regulatory region in the human thymidine kinase gene promoter. A set of promoter deletion mutants was constructed, linked to the bacterial neomycin resistance gene, and stably transfected into Rat3 cells. It was shown that the region between 135 and 67 base pairs upstream of the cap site is required for conveying G{sub 1}-S-phase regulation to the linked {ital neo} gene. In addition, primer extension assays demonstrated that the same transcriptional start sites were used in G{sub 1}- and S-phase cells and in the various deletion mutants tested.
Perspectivas de la niñez adulta: el cómic como espacio de denuncia desde la marginalidad de sus personajes

Este articulo analiza la representacion de la ninez en varios comics iberoamericanos: Mafalda de Quino, Paracuellos de Carlos Jimenez y Socorro de Miguel Rep. En ellos se articula la infancia desde una perspectiva adulta y critica con la sociedad mostrando una dimension comprometida que interpela al lector.
Numerical modeling of thermographic nondestructive testing for graphite epoxy laminates

A numerical model was used to simulate the thermal response of a specific sample of graphite epoxy composite while excitation was provided by a specific, commercially available high-energy pulsed xenon flash lamp capable of repetitive pulses of 600 J each. A three-dimensional mathematical model was developed using polar coordinates to simulate the composite panel with implanted circular defects. The panel consisted of eight plies, and simulated defects included overlaps (added plies) and missing plies. During the first second of the simulation, six heat pulses of 0.2 msec duration were applied to the front surface of the sample. Temperature variations appeared on the rear surface of the sample due to the presence of defects within the thickness of the panel, which cause heat to diffuse through the panel at varied rates. Comparison with numerically generated test data was provided by an infrared thermal imaging system. While absolute temperatures and surface temperature gradients do not exactly match test data, general trends are apparent and overall correlation with test data is reasonable.
A One-dimensional Time Dependent Cloud Model

A one-dimensional prognostic cloud model has been developed for possible use in a Cumulus Parameterization Scheme (CPS). In this model, the nonhydrostatic pressure, entrainment, cloud microphysics, lateral eddy mixing and vertical eddy mixing are included, and their effects are discussed. The inclusion of the nonhydrostatic pressure can (1) weaken vertical velocities, (2) help the cloud develop sooner, (3) help maintain a longer mature stage, (4) produce a stronger overshooting cooling, and (5) approximately double the precipitation amount. The pressure perturbation consists of buoyancy pressure and dynamic pressure, and the simulation results show that both of them are important. We have compared our simulation results with those from Ogura and Takahashi's one-dimensional cloud model, and those from the three-dimensional Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. Our model, including detailed cloud microphysics, generates stronger maximum vertical velocity than Ogura and Takahashi's results. Furthermore, the results illustrate that this one-dimensional model is capable of reproducing the major features of a convective cloud that are produced by the three-dimensional model when there is no ambient wind shear.
Structure of local pressure-driven three-dimensional transient boundary-layer separation

The separation of a flat-plate, laminar boundary layer under the influence of a suddenly imposed three-dimensional external adverse pressure gradient was studied computationally by time-accurate numerical solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The separation decay was then investigated by impulsively removing the pressure gradient. The development and decay of the separation structure were compared with experimental results reported by other investigators for the same geometry. The periodic vortex shedding of the three-dimensional separation was described in terms of a Strouhal number based on the freestream velocity and Blasius boundary-layer momentum thickness at the location where separation occurs. The characteristic Strouhal number of 0.0136 during the separation development from the computation compared favorably with 0.0134 from the experiment. When the adverse pressure gradient was impulsively removed, the boundary layer returned to an attached boundary layer much faster than the time required for the separation development.
An Evolutionary Pattern Recognition Network

A pattern recognition network with two types of adaptation has been investigated. The network output is a weighted sum of the outputs of elements which compute real functions of the discrete network inputs. The first type of adaptation involves the adjustment of the weights while the second type involves the periodic replacement of the least valuable network elements with new ones. The expected error of the network in realizing arbitrary input-output functions has been found by Monte-Carlo simulation for simple weight adaptation and for the case where the population of network elements is allowed to evolve. Three heuristics for determining which elements are to be replaced in each generation have been evaluated and compared. These were based on the size of the weight associated with each element after training, a normalized weight size, and the cross correlation between the elemental function and the desired network function. All three selection criteria resulted in improvements of the network performance over the nonevolutionary case. The normalized weight size criterion was most effective while the cross-correlation criterion was least effective.
Magnetic field induced capacitance enhancement in graphene and magnetic graphene nanocomposites

Magnetic graphene nanocomposites (MGNCs) synthesized by a facile thermal decomposition method have been introduced. TEM observations reveal a uniform distribution of the Fe2O3 nanoparticle size and preferential nuclei growth along the edge defects. Both graphene and its Fe2O3 nanocomposites are prepared as electrochemical electrodes to evaluate their capacitor performances. Under normal conditions (without a magnetic field), the MGNCs show lower capacitance than graphene due to the large particle loading (52.5 wt%), which brings larger internal resistance and thus prevents efficient electron transportation within the electrodes. However, in the presence of an external magnetic field, both graphene and MGNC electrodes exhibit significantly enhanced capacitance as compared to the results obtained under normal conditions. Specifically, the capacitance of graphene is increased by 67.1 and 26.8% at the sweeping rates of 2 and 10 mV s−1, respectively. Even larger enhancements of 154.6 and 98.2% were observed in MGNCs at the same sweeping rates of 2 and 10 mV s−1, respectively. The energy density and power density of the electroactive materials are also dramatically enhanced in the presence of a magnetic field. Equivalent circuit modeling of impedance spectra revealed that the magnetic field played a critical role in restricting the interfacial relaxation process and thus enhanced the electrode capacitance. These findings present a potential revolution of traditional electrochemical capacitors by simply applying an external magnetic field to enhance the capacitance dramatically (even doubling it depending on the electroactive materials) without material replacement and structural modification.
Impurity analysis of alkali halides by mass spectrography

Abstract A technique for the trace impurity analysis of alkali halides has been developed using a radio-frequency spark source mass spectrograph. A large ratio between the singly charged metal ions to halide ions is observed due to their different ionic nature in the solid, the ionization process, or both. Under these conditions alkali and halogen impurities must be treated separately to obtain quantitative analysis.
A highly efficient gene-targeting system for Aspergillus parasiticus.

Aims: To establish a system that greatly increases the gene-targeting frequency in Aspergillus parasiticus. Methods and Results: The ku70 gene, a gene of the nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway, was replaced by the nitrate reductase gene (niaD) in A. parasiticus RHN1 that accumulates O-methylsterigmatocystin (OMST). The NHEJ-deficient strain, RHΔku70, produced conidia, sclerotia and OMST normally. It had identical sensitivity as RHN1 to the DNA-topoisomerase I complex inhibitor, camptothecin, and the DNA-damaging agent, melphalan. For targeting an aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway gene, adhA, partial restriction enzyme recognition sequences in its flanking regions were manipulated to create homologous ends for integration. Using a linearized DNA fragment that contained Aspergillus oryzae pyrithiamine resistance gene (ptr) marker the adhA-targeting frequency in RHΔku70 reached 96%. Conclusions: The homologous recombination pathway is primarily responsible for repair of DNA damages in A. parasiticus. The NHEJ-deficient RHΔku70, easy creation of homologous ends for integration, and the ptr-based selection form a highly efficient gene-targeting system. It substantially reduces the time and workload necessary to obtain knockout strains for functional studies. Significance and Impact of the Study: The developed system not only streamlines targeted gene replacement and disruption but also can be used to target specific chromosomal locations like promoters or intergenic regions. It will expedite the progresses in the functional genomic studies of A. parasiticus and Aspergilllus flavus.
Mixed Lymphocyte Cultures Produce Effector Cells: Model in vitro for Allograft Rejection

Mouse peripheral lymphocytes sensitized in vitro by culturing with allogeneic lymphocytes produced immunospecific destruction of target cells, as measured by release of chromium-51. Thus the sensitizing and effector phases of the cell-bound immune response can both be studied in an in vitro system.
STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF CLEISTOIODOPHANUS CONGLUTINATUS GEN. & SP. N. (ASCOBOLACEAE)

A B S T R A C T Cleistoiodophanus represents a new coprophilous genus of the tribe Iodophaneae in the Ascobolaceae (Pezizales). The only species thus far discovered, C. conglutinatus, is described and illustrated. Aspects of its cytological development are described from cultures obtained from apothecia found on sheep dung near Gainesville, Florida. Plasmogamy occurs in acogonial coils, two or three cells of which give rise to ascogenous hyphae. Ascogonia are quickly enclosed by vegetative hyphae and the ascocarp continues in a cleistohymenial development. Unlike Iodophanus and related genera, the excipulum remains intact even after spore maturation and the asci push through the epihymenial regions to release spores. The asci are characteristically thickened at their apices, diffusely amyloid, and somewhat saccate. The asci are predominantly 8-spored, but have been found with four or 16 spores per ascus. A previously undescribed Oedocephalum imperfect stage was induced in culture. IN A SEARCH for coprophilous discomycetes in Gainesville, Florida, a fungus with light colored, roundish apothecia was found to form abundantly on sheep dung when placed in a moist chamber. Cultures exhibiting an Oedocephalum imperfect stage were easily established from fragments of apothecia transferred to agar media. Microscopic examination of squash mounts and cryostat sections of apothecia revealed a typical discomycete hymenium, but the asci remained covered by the excipulum even when fully developed. The color and external morphology of the apothecium, the textura globulosa of the medullary excipulum, the nature of the asexual stage together with the diffusely amyloid reaction of the asci, and the large, ellipsoidal and hyaline ascospores related the fungus very closely to lodophanus. However, the cleistohymenial ascoma remaining permanently closed, the saccate, stalked and thick-walled asci, the smooth ascospores (present only in I. difformis), and the different type of ascogonia eliminated lodophanus as a genus to accommodate the present species. Thus a new genus is proposed for this unique Discomycete:
Well-Being, Sleep, Exercise Patterns, and the Menstrual Cycle: A Comparison of Natural Hormones, Oral Contraceptives and Depo-Provera

ABSTRACT Overall well-being, sleep and exercise patterns were investigated in women between the ages of 18 and 36 years with natural hormone profiles (n = 12), and women using oral contraceptives (n = 12) or Depo-Provera (n = 12) from January 18, 2005 to December 7, 2005. Daily questionnaires on the above variables were obtained across 3 menstrual cycles (108 cycles). Women using hormonal contraception reported more overall negative well-being than women with natural hormone profiles (p = .038). Positive well-being at mid-cycle was positively correlated with increased sleep by the natural hormone (p <.05) and oral contraception groups (p <.05) but not by the Depo-Provera group. Women with natural hormone profiles walked more when they reported decreased well-being. Our findings indicate that the use of Depo-Provera interferes with the natural relations between sleep, cycle phase and well-being.
A Very Small Camera

Pictures have been taken with several miniature cameras, the smallest of which is 1/8" x 1/8" wide and .030 " thick, the thickness dimension being aligned to the object being photographed. When cut to size, most available films and thin filters can be used. However, the object or surface being photographed must be within zero to .005" of the camera sensing face to produce pictures of .001" resolution. Thus, the camera may have endoscopic applications in medical diagnostic and industrial evaulation. The author has a patent pending on the camera.© (1979) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Craniofacial and oral manifestations in oculomandibulodyscephaly (Hallermann-Streiff syndrome)

M any dysplasias of the craniofacial structures have been described in the literature.3 The term syndrome is att,ached to most of these disorders and indicates the complexity of the signs and symptoms. The classifications and the etiologic factors to which these syndromes are attributed are as varied as their signs and symptoms. The pedodontist is possibly the first person in the dental field to observe patients affected by bizarre syndromes. His task is to provide the proper dental diagnosis and treatment, which entails a thorough understanding of the syndrome involved and of the future over-all prognosis. This report is directed toward providing the information one needs to recognize the objective signs and symptoms associated with a rare childhood syndrome known as oculomandibulodyscephaly with hypotrichosis.
Seasonal changes in the activation of crossbridge motions of isolated thick filament from Limulus striated muscle.

In dynamic light scattering, measurements of the intensity-intensity time correlation function from a suspension of rod-like particles of length L could reveal dynamical information related to translational and internal motions of those particles. For a suspension of thick filaments isolated from the myosin-regulated, striated muscles of Limulus at KL>1 (where K is the scattering vector), the average characteristic linewidth (\(\bar \Gamma\)) increased with the addition of Ca2+ or with the depletion of ATP. The increase in the \(\bar \Gamma\) with the addition of Ca2+ could be due to the presence of energy-requiring, high-frequency motions of the crossbridges activated by Ca2+. The increase in \(\bar \Gamma\) which occurred with the depletion of ATP was assumed to be mainly due to the thermal motions of the crossbridges after they had moved radially away from the filament backbone. The percentage increase in \(\bar \Gamma\) following the addition of Ca2+ was found to be seasonal, i.e., values of \(\bar \Gamma\) obtained from thick filaments isolated between the middle of June and the middle of September were smaller than those obtained during the rest of the year. The effect of temperature on the percentage increase in \(\bar \Gamma\) was also different. The increase showed a maximum at about 35°C during the summer and at about 25°C at other times. However, the percentage increase in \(\bar \Gamma\) developed under ATP-depleted conditions showed no temperature-related maximum. The number of bound Ca2+ per myosin molecule was 1 during the summer and 2 at other times.
Magnetic Shielding of a Nucleus by Free Electrons

The magnetic shielding constant of a nucleus by free electrons is evaluated, by obtaining the classical partition function for a system of free electrons in a uniform magnetic field perturbed by the field of a nuclear magnet. Both diamagnetic and paramagnetic terms are included in the Hamiltonian. For a highly degenerate gas, the shielding constant has oscillatory terms similar to those in the magnetic susceptibility of a free-electron gas. The possibility of observing these terms is discussed. (auth)
Abstract 4836: RB/E2F1 in the crossroad of autophagy and apoptosis

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Autophagy is a protective mechanism that renders cells viable in stressful conditions. Mounting evidence suggests that this cellular process is also a tumor suppressor pathway. We hypothesized that retinoblastoma protein (RB), a key tumor suppressor, induces autophagy. To test this hypothesis, we first transduced RB into RB-defective human cancer cells: sarcoma osteogenic (Saos-2) cells, hepatoma (Hep3B) cells, and brain tumor stem cells (MDNSC23). The ectopic RB induced autophagy as demonstrated by significantly increased percentage of cells with acidic vesicular organelles (from less than 10% to more than 30%, P < 0.05), and the lipidation of LC3-I leading to the formation of autophagosomes/autolysosomes that were visualized by EGFP-LC3 punctation (from less than 20% to more than 80%, P = 0.003). These double-membraned vesicles were clearly shown by ultrastructural study via transmission electron microscopy. However, when Beclin 1 was silenced with siRNA in Saos-2 cells, the RB-mediated autophagy was blocked. In addition, study of autophagy flux with Saos-2 cells expressing double-tagged mRFP-EGFP-LC3 fusion protein revealed that RB stimulated the formation and maturation of autophagosomes. Consistently, RB activators p16INK4a and p27/kip1 caused autophagy in an RB-dependent manner. Importantly, we found RB mutants Delta-22 and R661W deficient for binding E2F failed to induce autophagy. Moreover, E2F1 overexpression antagonized RB-mediated autophagy, leading to apoptosis in Saos-2 cells. In agreement with the above observations, silencing E2F1 with siRNA resulted in autophagy in U-87 MG cells; and autophagy levels increased from 4% in wild-type MEFs to 40% in E2F1 knockout MEFs (P = 0.002). Collectively, our data reveal that RB/E2F1 plays a key role in the decision of a cell to undergo autophagy or apoptosis. 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 4836.
Edit Distance with Block Deletions

Several variants of the edit distance problem with block deletions are considered. Polynomial time optimal algorithms are presented for the edit distance with block deletions allowing character insertions and character moves, but without block moves. We show that the edit distance with block moves and block deletions is NP-complete (Nondeterministic Polynomial time problems in which any given solution to such problem can be verified in polynomial time, and any NP problem can be converted into it in polynomial time), and that it can be reduced to the problem of non-recursive block moves and block deletions within a constant factor.
Nonlinearities of the human oculomotor system: gain.

Abstract Eye movements of two subjects have been measured while performing various two-dimensional tracking tasks. The stimuli consisted of sums of 3, 4, 7 or 13 sinusoids in each of the horizontal and vertical directions. On the average, the amplitude of the eye-movements decreased with frequency, but within a narrow band the motion increased with frequency. The system also responded preferentially to the highest frequency of a finite number of sinusoids. The behavior of the oculomotor system is non-linear in the sense that it is not possible to predict the response to one class of target motion by linear combination of the responses to other classes of stimuli; nevertheless the tracking eye-movements did not contain harmonics or sum and difference frequencies of the target motion.
Neurons in the inferior colliculus, auditory cortex and pontine nuclei of the FM bat, Eptesicus fuscus respond to pulse repetition rate differently

Single-neuron responses to pulse repetition rate in the inferior colliculus, auditory cortex and pontine nuclei of the FM bat, Eptesicus fuscus were studied under free-field stimulation conditions. The best frequency (BF) and minimum threshold (MT) of each neuron were first determined with a 4 ms pulse broadcast from a specific point (response center) of the bat's frontal auditory space at which the neuron had maximal spatial sensitivity. The neuron's intensity-rate function was then studied with a 4 ms BF pulse delivered at 10 dB increments above its MT in order to determine the best intensity to which the neuron discharged maximally. The neuron's discharge pattern and number of impulses to 32 trials of 300 ms train stimuli, which consisted of different number of 4 ms BF and best intensity pulses (1, 2, 3, 8, 12, 19, 24, 29 pulses/train) and delivered at an interpulse interval of 1000, 250, 170, 100, 40, 25, 15, 12 and 10 ms (i.e. at a pulse repetition rate of 1, 4, 6, 10, 25, 40, 67, 83, 100 pulses/s), were sequentially recorded. All neurons recorded from the inferior colliculus, auditory cortex and pontine nuclei discharged phasically (1-3 impulses) but they responded to the pulse repetition rate in different manners. More than 63% of 38 inferior collicular and 65 pontine neurons studied discharged impulses to each pulse within a train stimulus when the pulse repetition rate was up to 40 pulses/s.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Universal estimators of a vector parameter

Let x be a random sample with a distribution depending on a vector parameter θ ∈ Rm. The description of distributions and generalized prior densities on Rm is given, for which the generalized Bayes estimator of θ, based on x, is the same for all symmetric loss functions. These distributions form a special subclass of exponential family. The specification of this result for the case of a location parameter is considered. The proof of the main theorem is based on the solution of a functional equation of D'Alembert's type.
Nerve growth factor induces sensitivity to botulinum neurotoxin type A in norepinephrine-secreting PC12 cells.

Abstract Inhibition of Ca 2+ -activated norepinephrine secretion by the botulinum neurotoxin (NT) serotypes A and E was examined in permeabilized PC12 cells. The dichain type E NT reduced with dithiothreitol (DTT) completely inhibited secretion whereas the dichain type A NT reduced with DTT exhibited incomplete inhibitory activity. In contrast, Ca 2+ -activated secretion in PC12 cells treated with nerve growth factor (NGF) was completely inhibited by reduced type A NT. The NGF-treated PC12 cells retained a sensitivity to the type E NT similar to that of untreated PC12 cells. These results indicate that the intracellular mechanisms of inhibition of the types E and A NTs are distinct. NGF appears to either induce the expression of a component selectively required for type A NT sensitivity, or otherwise modifies the secretory apparatus to acquire type A NT sensitivity.
The role of experimental physical acoustics in geophysics

Abstract In the last five years, the progress made by measurements on rocks and minerals, using physical acoustics, has been impressive. This, coupled with corresponding theoretical progress, has resulted in a number of refinements in the understanding of the structure and history of the earth's upper mantle. I review briefly the theoretical basis for the rationale behind the laboratory experiments on physical properties and examine the consequences of this work upon the geophysical studies of the upper mantle with regard to: (1) chemical composition; (2) temperature gradients; and (3) phase transitions. I consider recent developments in magnetoelastic interactions, which are promising new results in geophysics arising from physical acoustics.
Timing in a variable interval procedure: evidence for a memory singularity.

Abstract Rats were trained in either a 30 s peak-interval procedure, or a 15–45 s variable interval peak procedure with a uniform distribution (Exp 1) or a ramping probability distribution (Exp 2). Rats in all groups showed peak shaped response functions centered around 30 s, with the uniform group having an earlier and broader peak response function and rats in the ramping group having a later peak function as compared to the single duration group. The changes in these mean functions, as well as the statistics from single trial analyses, can be better captured by a model of timing in which memory is represented by a single, average, delay to reinforcement compared to one in which all durations are stored as a distribution, such as the complete memory model of Scalar Expectancy Theory or a simple associative model. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Associative and Temporal Learning
New Chemical Scaffolds for Human African Trypanosomiasis Lead Discovery from a Screen of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Drugs

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei. New drugs are needed to treat HAT because of undesirable side effects and difficulties in the administration of the antiquated drugs that are currently used. In human proliferative diseases, protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors (PTKIs) have been developed into drugs (e.g., lapatinib and erlotinib) by optimization of a 4-anilinoquinazoline scaffold. Two sets of facts raise a possibility that drugs targeted against human PTKs could be “hits” for antitrypanosomal lead discoveries. First, trypanosome protein kinases bind some drugs, namely, lapatinib, CI-1033, and AEE788. Second, the pan-PTK inhibitor tyrphostin A47 blocks the endocytosis of transferrin and inhibits trypanosome replication. Following up on these concepts, we performed a focused screen of various PTKI drugs as possible antitrypanosomal hits. Lapatinib, CI-1033, erlotinib, axitinib, sunitinib, PKI-166, and AEE788 inhibited the replication of bloodstream T. brucei, with a 50% growth inhibitory concentration (GI50) between 1.3 μM and 2.5 μM. Imatinib had no effect (i.e., GI50 > 10 μM). To discover leads among the drugs, a mouse model of HAT was used in a proof-of-concept study. Orally administered lapatinib reduced parasitemia, extended the survival of all treated mice, and cured the trypanosomal infection in 25% of the mice. CI-1033 and AEE788 reduced parasitemia and extended the survival of the infected mice. On the strength of these data and noting their oral bioavailabilities, we propose that the 4-anilinoquinazoline and pyrrolopyrimidine scaffolds of lapatinib, CI-1033, and AEE788 are worth optimizing against T. brucei in medicinal chemistry campaigns (i.e., scaffold repurposing) to discover new drugs against HAT.
On stochastic modelling for discrete bilinear systems in Hilbert space

Abstract Infinite-dimensional discrete-time bilinear models driven by Hilbert-space-valued random sequences can be rigorously defined as the uniform limit of finite-dimensional bilinear models. Existence and uniqueness of solutions for such infinite-dimensional models can be established by assuming only independence and structural similarity for the stochastic environment under consideration. Uniform structure equiconvergence implies uniform state convergence under suitable stability-like conditions.
Induction of c-fos mRNA expression in rat striatum by neuroleptic drugs.

: The effect of selective dopamine D2 receptor-acting drugs on striatal c-fos mRNA expression in the rat has been investigated by Northern hybridization and autoradiography to determine a possible role for c-fos in the initiation of adaptive changes in D2 receptor number by neuroleptic drugs. The neuroleptic drug haloperidol, a D2 receptor antagonist, was found to produce a rapid and transient induction of c-fos mRNA expression as compared with the expression in animals treated with saline. This induction by haloperidol was found to be dose dependent and D2 receptor mediated, inasmuch as a D2 agonist completely reversed the induction and the inactive isomer of the neuroleptic butaclamol, which does not produce an increase in D2 receptors, had no effect on c-fos mRNA expression. From these data, it can be concluded that c-fos expression in striatum is under dopamine D2 receptor-mediated inhibitory control. It is suggested that c-fos may play a role in the initiation of the increase in D2 receptor number produced by chronic neuroleptic drug treatment.
Locating hydrogen atoms in single crystal and uniaxially aligned amino acids by solid-state NMR.

Abstract We demonstrate a novel method to locate hydrogen atoms in amino acids, which involves measuring the C α H α bond vector geometry through orientationally dependent dipolar coupling frequencies measured by Lee–Goldburg cross polarization (LGCP). A 2D LGCP experiment is used to measure the polar angle of the C α H α bond vector in a single crystal of the model compound l -alanine. It is also demonstrated that by coupling the 13 C α 1 H α LGCP experiment to a 13 C α 15 N REDOR experiment, one can determine the complete three-dimensional geometry of the C α H α and C α N vectors in a single crystal. These measurements allow for location of hydrogen atoms in crystalline biological macromolecules.
Hydrogen-related phase transformations in austenitic stainless steels

The effect of hydrogen and stress (strain) on the stability of the austenite phase in stainless steels was investigated. Hydrogen was introduced by severe cathodic charging and by elevated temperature equilibration with high pressure H2 gas. Using X-ray diffraction and magnetic techniques, the behavior of two “stable” type AISI310 steels and an “unstable” type AISI304 steel was studied during charging and during the outgassing period following charging. Transformation from the fcc γ phase to an expanded fcc phase, γ*, and to the hcp e phase occurred during cathodic charging. Reversion of the γ* and e phases to the original γ structure and formation of the bcc α structure were examined, and the kinetics of these processes was studied. The γ* phase was shown to be ferromagnetic with a subambient Curie temperature. The γ⇆e phase transition was studied after hydrogen charging in high pressure gas, as was the formation of a during outgassing. These results are interpreted as effects of hydrogen and stress (strain) on the stability of the various phases. A proposed psuedo-binary phase diagram for the metal-hydrogen system was proposed to account for the formation of the γ* phase. The relation of these phase changes to hydrogen embrittlement and stress corrosion cracking of stainless steel is discussed.
Gene therapy for pain: Introduction to the special issue

Gene therapy was first proposed as an approach to the treatment of recessive inherited disease, in which addition of a correct copy of the mutant gene would restore normal function. Although heuristically attractive, such applications of gene therapy have proven to be a high bar and with few exceptions the focus of gene therapy has moved to approaches designed to ameliorate acquired diseases processes. Chronic pain is an example of a disease process affecting a large proportion of the population for which effective long-term treatments have remained elusive. Recent studies of the mechanisms that underlie the development of chronic pain have created a base of physiological and genetic information that identify multiple points of intervention to treat chronic pain. On the basis of these insights, gene therapy may be used to produce products that block pain transmission or reverse the chronic pain state. In the review chapters provided in this special issue, the most current methods and strategies for treatment of chronic pain are described, which support the development of gene therapy as a potentially practical approach suitable for intervening in the treatment of intractable pain.
Teacher Perspectives on No Child Left Behind and Arts Education: A Case Study.

The author investigates the condition of a public school's arts education program under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and obtains teachers' perspectives on their experiences under the federal policy. The author used qualitative and quantitative approaches to conduct a case study of an Ohio public school district. The data collected revealed changes in the arts education curriculum, particularly in music. Teacher interviews provided the context in which the changes occurred and a more accurate representation of the decrease in arts learning opportunities and the challenges that exist for arts education funding under NCLB. The information illustrated how administrative decisions made to improve test scores and accommodate policies mandated by NCLB threatened arts education.
Rabbit facial nerve regeneration in NGF-containing silastic tubes.

Previous reports suggest that exogenous nerve growth factor (NGF) enhanced nerve regeneration in rabbit facial nerves.1 Rabbit facial nerve regeneration in 10-mm Silastic® tubes prefilled with NGF was compared to cytochrome C (Cyt. C), bridging an 8-mm nerve gap. Three weeks following implantation, NGF-treated regenerates exhibited a more mature fascicular organization and more extensive neovascularization than cytochrome-C-treated controls. Morphometric analysis at the midtube of 3- and 5-week regenerates revealed no significant difference in the mean number of myelinated or unmyelinated axons between NGF- and cytochrome-C-treated implants. However, when the number of myelinated fibers in 5-week regenerates were compared to their respective preoperative controls, NGF-treated regenerates had recovered a significantly greater percentage of myelinated axons than cytochrome-C-treated implants (46% vs. 18%, respectively). In addition, NGF-containing chambers reinnervated a higher percentage of myelinated axons in the distal transected neural stumps (49% vs. 34%). Behavioral and electrophysiologic studies demonstrated spontaneous and induced activities in the target muscles when approximately one third of the myelinated axons were recovered in the midchamber (1280 axons). Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) studies demonstrated retrograde axonal transport to the midchamber and proximal transected neural stump. PC12 bioassay demonstrated persistent NGF activity in the intrachamber fluids at 3 (5:1 dilution) and 5 (2:1 dilution) weeks of entubation. Electrophysiologic tests demonstrated a slow conduction velocity of a propagated electrical impulse (43.5 m/s−1vs. 67 m/s−1) and shallow wide compound action potential. In wider defects (15-mm chambers) and longer entubation periods (7 weeks), no regeneration or NGF activity was seen. Therefore, exogenous NGF provides an early but limited neurotrophic effect on the regeneration of the rabbit buccal division of the facial nerve and a limited behavioral and physiological improvement in the target muscles.
Message Generalizations That Support Evidence-Based Persuasive Message Design: Specifying the Evidentiary Requirements

Evidence-based persuasive message design can be informed by dependable research-based generalizations about the relative persuasiveness of alternative message-design options. Five propositions are offered as specifying what constitutes the best evidence to underwrite such generalizations: (1) The evidence should take the form of replicated randomized trials in which message features are varied. (2) Results should be described in terms of effect sizes and confidence intervals, not statistical significance. (3) The results should be synthesized using random-effects meta-analytic procedures. (4) The analysis should treat attitudinal, intention, and behavioral assessments as yielding equivalent indices of relative persuasiveness. (5) The replications included in research syntheses should not be limited to published studies or to English-language studies.
High Density Waves of the Bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Propagating Swarms Result in Efficient Colonization of Surfaces

This work describes a new, to our knowledge, strategy of efficient colonization and community development where bacteria substantially alter their physical environment. Many bacteria move in groups, in a mode described as swarming, to colonize surfaces and form biofilms to survive external stresses, including exposure to antibiotics. One such bacterium is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for both acute and persistent infections in susceptible individuals, as exampled by those for burn victims and people with cystic fibrosis. Pseudomonas aeruginosa often, but not always, forms branched tendril patterns during swarming; this phenomena occurs only when bacteria produce rhamnolipid, which is regulated by population-dependent signaling called quorum sensing. The experimental results of this work show that P. aeruginosa cells propagate as high density waves that move symmetrically as rings within swarms toward the extending tendrils. Biologically justified cell-based multiscale model simulations suggest a mechanism of wave propagation as well as a branched tendril formation at the edge of the population that depends upon competition between the changing viscosity of the bacterial liquid suspension and the liquid film boundary expansion caused by Marangoni forces. Therefore, P. aeruginosa efficiently colonizes surfaces by controlling the physical forces responsible for expansion of thin liquid film and by propagating toward the tendril tips. The model predictions of wave speed and swarm expansion rate as well as cell alignment in tendrils were confirmed experimentally. The study results suggest that P. aeruginosa responds to environmental cues on a very short timescale by actively exploiting local physical phenomena to develop communities and efficiently colonize new surfaces.