cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduced TOR Signaling Extends Chronological Life Span via Increased Respiration and Upregulation of Mitochondrial Gene Expression

The relationships between mitochondrial respiration, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and life span are complex and remain controversial. Inhibition of the target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway extends life span in several model organisms. We show here that deletion of the TOR1 gene extends chronological life span in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, primarily by increasing mitochondrial respiration via enhanced translation of mtDNA-encoded oxidative phosphorylation complex subunits. Unlike previously reported pathways regulating chronological life span, we demonstrate that deletion of TOR1 delays aging independently of the antioxidant gene SOD2. Furthermore, wild-type and tor1 null strains differ in life span only when respiration competent and grown in normoxia in the presence of glucose. We propose that inhibition of TOR signaling causes derepression of respiration during growth in glucose and that the subsequent increase in mitochondrial oxygen consumption limits intracellular oxygen and ROS-mediated damage during glycolytic growth, leading to lower cellular ROS and extension of chronological life span.
Impact of e-CRM on Website Loyalty of a Public Organization's Customers

Web-enabled customer relationship management, or e-CRM, is able to simultaneously achieve the conflicting goals of strategic flexibility and operational efficiency in developing and executing innovative e-commerce marketing strategies. A multi-disciplinary field, involving such areas as marketing, economics, business strategy, information systems, social psychology and consumer behavior, e-CRM strengthens customer relationships via a portfolio of trust-building practices with the support of powerful information technologies. While most literature in e-CRM has examined how firms formulate and implement e-CRM initiatives, there is little information on the overall quality of an e-commerce firm's e-CRM practices from the consumer point of view. This research proposes such a consumer-oriented concept, e-CRM value, based on existing e-CRM research, and examines the effect of e-CRM value on website loyalty. An empirical study is conducted to validate the theoretical model. Customers' perceptions of e-CRM value have positive causal effects on their website loyalty. Valuable implications can be derived from this finding for public organizations in managing their customer relationships.
Pharmacotherapy of Perennial and Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

The options for pharmacotherapy of both perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis continue to expand rapidly. The classic antihistamines will retain a place as effective drugs. They are without serious adverse effects, and are often available without a physician’s prescription. The newer antihistamines, such as terfenadine, astemizole, loratadine and cetirizine, have made a great impact because they are, for the most part, nonsedating and have little or no anticholinergic activity. They have few interactions with other drugs and, except for very specific limited interactions, have proven to be well tolerated by patients previously unable to use antihistamines. Some of the newer antihistamines are also antiallergic by mechanisms other than H1-receptor antagonism, which will expand their usefulness.
Reawakened interest in type III iodothyronine deiodinase in critical illness and injury

Thyroid hormones influence gene expression in virtually all vertebrate tissues. Precise regulation of the active endogenous ligand, 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T(3)), is achieved by the sequential removal of iodine moieties from the thyroid hormone molecule. Type III iodothyronine deiodinase (D3) is the major inactivating enzyme terminating the action of T(3) and preventing activation of the prohormone, thyroxine (T(4)). Recent studies have revealed the induction of high D3 activity in diverse animal models of tissue injury including starvation, cryolesion, cardiac hypertrophy, infarction, and chronic inflammation. By analyzing serum and tissues taken from hospitalized patients at the time of death, investigators have also documented the robust induction of D3 activity in several human tissues that normally have none, including the liver and skeletal muscle, and shown clinically relevant consequences to systemic thyroid status. These studies reveal a novel role of D3 in the tissue response to injury and in the derangement of thyroid hormone homeostasis commonly observed during critical illness.
The effect of electrode shape on the cell voltage of hall cells—II. Inert anodes

Abstract Calculated were current distributions on rectangular-wave inert anodes suspended over flat wetted cathodes in the Hall process for aluminum production. Also calculated was the cell voltage of each configuration. Designation of a region of lower conductivity adjacent to the anode simulated the presence of carbon dioxide bubbles. Cell voltages in all cases were less than the voltage of a cell having the same amount of gas spread uniformly over a flat plane. A voltage saving of 0.4 V was computed when the anode essentially consisted of narrow slots between surfaces 1.5 cm above the cathode. Voltage reduction can be substantial if the shape cut into the anode effectively removes gas from the interelectrode region.
Laser treatment of nevus flammus (port-wine stain) with spectroscopic feedback: the smart scalpel

While feedback control is widespread throughout many engineering fields, surgical instruments with embedded feedback control systems are uncommon. To improve the effectiveness of microsurgical techniques, we are presently developing a semi-autonomous robotic surgical tool as an alternative approach to treatment of skin hemangiomas like nevus flammus. Current PWS phototherapy relies on selective absorption of optical radiation by the ectatic blood vessels in a PWS resulting in thermally-mediated vessel necrosis. Although shown to be effective,heating of the surrounding tissue by photon absorption results in unacceptable collateral damage. The 'Smart Scalpel' approach employs optical reflectance spectroscopy to selectively target blood vessels in a PWS for heating with a focused laser beam. Collateral damage to adjacent tissue is substantially minimized and continuous imaging throughout the procedure allows modification of the delivered therapy to optimize therapeutic outcomes. Our work reported here involves optical system design and construction, initial quantification of imaging system resolution and contrast, and preliminary verification of the imaging and targeting strategies.
Engineering Multifunctional Biologically-Amenable Nanomaterials for Interfacial Therapeutic Delivery and Substrate-Based Cellular Interrogation

The advent of materials that can enhance the interfaces between biological tissue and engineered devices will enable unprecedented medical capabilities in the context of prolonged implantation, and novel information gleaned from cellular interrogation, etc. This work addresses a spectrum of novel technologies that can serve a broad range of therapeutically relevant scenarios ranging from inflammation attenuation to stand-alone chemotherapeutic delivery systems. They include copolymer-based multifunctional platforms that can be applied towards dynamic cell adhesion/patterning, drug delivery, and localized manipulation of key cyto-regulatory networks for clinical applications. In addition, soluble nanodiamond platforms in free-floating or thin film platforms will be addressed as next generation therapeutic vehicles. In addition to cytokine expression knockdown studies as well as in vivo validation of their efficacy, this suite of modalities successfully addresses a key element of optimized interfacing based upon innate biocompatibility which has been verified at the genetic level, confirming their potential clinical significance.
Personality as a Dynamical System: Emergence of Stability and Distinctiveness from Intra and Interpersonal Interactions:

The implications of conceptualizing personality as a cognitive-affective processing system that functions as a parallel constraint satisfaction network are explored. Computer simulations show that from dynamic interactions among the units in such a network, a set of stable attractor states and functionally equivalent groups of situations emerge, such that IF exposed to situation group X, THEN the system settles in attractor Y. This conceptualization explicitly models the effect of situations on a given individual, and therefore can also be used to model the function of interpersonal systems. We demonstrate this possibility by modeling dyadic systems in which one partner's behavior becomes the situational input into the other partner's personality system, and vice versa. The results indicate that each member of the dyad will, in general, exhibit new attractor states. This suggests that the thoughts, affects, and behaviors that an individual typically experiences are a function not of that individual's pers...
THE EFFECT OF CARIES-INDUCING STREPTOCOCCI IN HAMSTERS FED DIETS WITH SUCROSE OR GLUCOSE.

Abstract The effect of caries-inducing streptococci has been studied in two groups of albino hamsters fed various diets. In the group given a diet containing 56 per cent sucrose the streptococci became implanted in large numbers and the animals all showed a high caries incidence. In the group given a diet in which the same amount of glucose replaced sucrose only a few of the implanted organisms could be recovered. All the animals in this group had very low caries activity and several of them remained completely free from caries.
Preparation of Electrodeposits of the Intermetallic Compound Ag 3 Sn

THE preparation of intermetallic compounds free of other phases is difficult in many binary metallic systems because thermodynamic stability of the compound does not extend to the melting point. The study of such compounds and their suitability as coatings have thus been hampered. We report here a method for the preparation of Ag3Sn substantially free of second phases.
Information theoretic approach to space-frequency localization

The design of spatio-temporal filters to estimate velocity has been dominated by the frequency domain approach. Filters are designed to be as compact as possible in frequency domain for velocity resolution and compact in the spatial domain for good spatial resolution. An alternative is to design filters such that their outputs are maximally informative. An information theoretic analysis highlights the importance of the input prior in filter design. Under the assumption of a simple input or that only the dominant component of a complex input needs to be estimated, it is shown that a filter bank of broadly tuned filters can be used to accurately estimate the input frequency. For such inputs there is an incremental gain in information at a huge increase in cost for filter banks using sets of filters tuned narrower than a certain width. The issues of resolution and complex inputs are also addressed. The output of a filter bank encodes information in a redundant manner making it robust to noise in the system. By developing a probability measure it is possible to make the output of the system generate probability distributions of parameter. Examples for orientation, spatial and temporal frequency are given.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Decision theoretic generalizations of the PAC model for neural net and other learning applications

We describe a generalization of the PAC learning model that is based on statistical decision theory. In this model the learner receives randomly drawn examples, each example consisting of an instance x in X and an outcome y in Y , and tries to find a hypothesis h : X --< A , where h in H , that specifies the appropriate action a in A to take for each instance x , in order to minimize the expectation of a loss l(y,a). Here X, Y, and A are arbitrary sets, l is a real-valued function, and examples are generated according to an arbitrary joint distribution on X times Y . Special cases include the problem of learning a function from X into Y , the problem of learning the conditional probability distribution on Y given X (regression), and the problem of learning a distribution on X (density estimation). We give theorems on the uniform convergence of empirical loss estimates to true expected loss rates for certain hypothesis spaces H , and show how this implies learnability with bounded sample size, disregarding computational complexity. As an application, we give distribution-independent upper bounds on the sample size needed for learning with feedforward neural networks. Our theorems use a generalized notion of VC dimension that applies to classes of real-valued functions, adapted from Pollard''s work, and a notion of *capacity* and *metric dimension* for classes of functions that map into a bounded metric space. (Supersedes 89-30 and 90-52.) [Also in "Information and Computation", Vol. 100, No.1, September 1992]
Identification of Serine 380 as the Major Site of Autophosphorylation of Xenopus pp90rsk

Rsk is a 90-kDa protein kinase that is activated by phosphorylation by MAP kinase at the end of a well-established signaling cascade. Rsk has two conserved catalytic kinase domains. The amino terminal kinase domain is responsible for phosphorylation of exogenous substrates. The carboxyl terminal domain of rsk has a basal autophosphorylation activity which can be detected when recombinant protein is incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP. The manner in which rsk activity is controlled by site specific phosphorylation is largely unknown. We show that rsk can autophosphorylate through an intermolecular mechanism. Autophosphorylation occurs primarily on serine 380, in a highly conserved region of rsk between its two kinase domains. That site of autophosphorylation is similar to sites found in other serine/threonine kinases, which are also regulated by phosphorylation at that corresponding site. The carboxyl terminal kinase domain of rsk becomes a potential candidate kinase involved in phosphorylating and regulating the activity of those other kinases through their conserved domains.
Lamellar dendritic growth in lead sulfide

Abstract Lead sulfide crystals grown hydrothermally in alkali hydroxide solutions in non-lined steel autoclaves show a lamellar dendritic growth on the {111} plane.
Investigating population stratification and admixture using eigenanalysis of dense genotypes

Principal components analysis of genetic data is used to avoid inflation in type I error rates in association testing due to population stratification by covariate adjustment using the top eigenvectors and to estimate cluster or group membership independent of self-reported or ethnic identities. Eigendecomposition transforms correlated variables into an equal number of uncorrelated variables. Numerous stopping rules have been developed to identify which principal components should be retained. Recent developments in random matrix theory have led to a formal hypothesis test of the top eigenvalue, providing another way to achieve dimension reduction. In this study, I compare Velicer's minimum average partial test to a test on the basis of Tracy–Widom distribution as implemented in EIGENSOFT, the most widely used implementation of principal components analysis in genome-wide association analysis. By computer simulation of vicariance on the basis of coalescent theory, EIGENSOFT systematically overestimates the number of significant principal components. Furthermore, this overestimation is larger for samples of admixed individuals than for samples of unadmixed individuals. Overestimating the number of significant principal components can potentially lead to a loss of power in association testing by adjusting for unnecessary covariates and may lead to incorrect inferences about group differentiation. Velicer's minimum average partial test is shown to have both smaller bias and smaller variance, often with a mean squared error of 0, in estimating the number of principal components to retain. Velicer's minimum average partial test is implemented in R code and is suitable for genome-wide genotype data with or without population labels.
Evidence for participation of catecholamines in cardiac action of ouabain release of catecholamines

Abstract Ouabain induces an increase in loss of radioactive material from guinea pig atria loaded either in vitro or in vivo with radioactive noradrenaline. The increased loss of radioactivity is paralleled by an increase in pacemaker activity. This effect of ouabain is similar to the effect of tyramine studied under comparable conditions. Arteficial pacing does not increase the rate of loss of radioactivity. It is concluded that ouabain releases catecholamines and/or inhibits reuptake of catecholamines, and that the positive chronotropic effect is linked to an increase in catecholamine concentration in the vicinity of the pacemaker.
Determination of Amniotic Fluid Bilirubin Absorbance in Specimens Contaminated by Blood

The careful study of Foster et al. (1) reminds us of the difficulty of assessing amniotic fluid bilirubin absorbance in specimens contaminated by blood. However, it is not correct, as Foster et al. conclude, that bilirubin absorbance cannot be appropriately assessed in specimens contaminated in this manner. To eliminate interference from nonbilirubin pigments, my colleagues and I (2) exploited the fact that bilirubin is highly photolabile whereas interfering chromagens such as hemoglobin and methemoglobin are remarkably photostable. A few minutes of exposure to an intense light source (such as that from an ordinary slide projector) eliminates most of the bilirubin absorbance and allows the absorbance present before irradiation to be determined as described in the next paragraph. Slide projectors of a type similar to the one used here continue to be manufactured, e.g., the Kodak Carousel 4600 (Eastman Kodak Company) or the Vivitar 5000 AF (Vivitar USA). These and similar projectors …
Lossless Image Compression by Block Matching

Lossless image compression has often employed techniques quite separate from those used for text compression or lossy image compression; most standards today employ modelling followed by coding (e.g. the JBIG standard, the IBM Q-coder, CCITT Group 4). Constantinescu and Storer present a lossy image compression scheme that can be viewed as a generalization of lossless dynamic dictionary compression ('LZ2'-type methods) to two dimensions with approximate matching; recently, Constantinescu and Storer have experimented with this approach for lossless bi-level image compression with great success. Here we generalize 'LZ1'-type methods (that identify matches in previously seen text) to lossless image compression. We examine complexity issues and finish by considering practical 2-D implementations for bi-level images.
Challenges from agroforestry: Discussion

Researchers need to study the farmer's (or village's) decision to invest in agroforestry in the multisectoral context in which it is made. Agroforestry is only one of many investment or factor use options onand off-farm, in a situation of limited labor, cash, land, knowledge, and water. If agroforestry is to be adopted, it must be perceived by the farmer as superior to other uses of these resources.
HPD: an online integrated human pathway database enabling systems biology studies.

Pathway-oriented experimental and computational studies have led to a significant accumulation of biological knowledge concerning three major types of biological pathway events: molecular signaling events, gene regulation events, and metabolic reaction events. A pathway consists of a series of molecular pathway events that link molecular entities such as proteins, genes, and metabolites. There are approximately 300 biological pathway resources as of April 2009 according to the Pathguide database; however, these pathway databases generally have poor coverage or poor quality, and are difficult to integrate, due to syntactic-level and semantic-level data incompatibilities.
HDAC inhibitor SAHA normalizes the levels of VLCFAs in human skin fibroblasts from X-ALD patients and downregulates the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in Abcd1/2-silenced mouse astrocytes.

X-adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a peroxisomal metabolic disorder caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene encoding the peroxisomal ABC transporter adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP). The consistent metabolic abnormality in all forms of X-ALD is an inherited defect in the peroxisomal β-oxidation of very long chain FAs (VLCFAs >C22:0) and the resultant pathognomic accumulation of VLCFA. The accumulation of VLCFA leads to a neuroinflammatory disease process associated with demyelination of the cerebral white matter. The present study underlines the importance of a potent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) in inducing the expression of ABCD2 [adrenoleukodystrophy-related protein (ALDRP)], and normalizing the peroxisomal β-oxidation, as well as the saturated and monounsaturated VLCFAs in cultured human skin fibroblasts of X-ALD patients. The expression of ELOVL1, the single elongase catalyzing the synthesis of both saturated VLCFA (C26:0) and monounsaturated VLCFA (C26:1), was also reduced by SAHA treatment. In addition, using Abcd1/Abcd2-silenced mouse primary astrocytes, we also examined the effects of SAHA in VLCFA-induced inflammatory response. SAHA treatment decreased the inflammatory response as expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, inflammatory cytokine, and activation of NF-κB in Abcd1/Abcd2-silenced mouse primary astrocytes was reduced. These observations indicate that SAHA corrects both the metabolic disease of VLCFA as well as secondary inflammatory disease; therefore, it may be an ideal drug candidate to be tested for X-ALD therapy in humans
Measurement of 3D Vertebral Body Position and Orientation Using Single Plane Fluoroscopy

The increasing use of motion preserving devices in the spine has highlighted the need for accurate kinematic measurement tools to evaluate the performance of these new implants. In addition to quantifying the motion of the implant itself, it is also desirable to measure how implants affect the motion at adjacent vertebral levels. Single plane fluoroscopy has been used for over 15 years to analyze the in vivo motions of total knee replacement implants, with reported accuracies of 0.5–1.0 deg for rotations and 0.5 mm for in plane translations1,2. It is our goal to apply this type of image registration technique to the spine, so that accurate 3D kinematics of vertebral motion can be measured in vivo. This involves a significant extension to previous work, instead of tracking silhouettes of implants, we proposed to use digitally reconstructed radiograph images generated from a CT as the basis for image registration. The purpose of this project was to develop a methodology that would enable the 3D position and orientation (pose) of a vertebral body to be accurately measured from a single plane fluoroscopic image.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Proteomic data mining using predicted peptide chromatographic retention times

Correct identification of proteins from peptide fragments is important for proteomic analyses. Peptides are initially separated by Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) before Mass Spectrometry (MS) identification. At the present time, peptide fragment retention (separation) time is not used as a useful scoring filter for identification of the peptide fragments and their parent proteins. In the present paper, we present a new web-based tool for the prediction of peptide fragment retention times and its use in compiling a database of ∼133,000 peptide fragments computationally obtained by digestion with trypsin of 4,265 E. coli K12 proteins. The retention calculation is based on the described formulae and the fragments/protein identification was carried out using a simple search-scoring algorithm.
Diffusion of moisture through fatigue- and aging-resistant polymer coatings on lightguide fibers

In previous work the diffusion rate of water vapor through the polymer coating on optical fiber was estimated by monitoring the strength as a function of time after suddenly changing the ambient humidity. This technique is used here to measure the diffusion of moisture both into and out of two novel fiber coatings. The first specimen is a dual-coated fiber with silica particles added to its secondary coating. It is shown that the improvement in this fiber's reliability is not due to the silica particles adsorbing/absorbing the moisture. The second fiber, coated with a fluorinated polymer, was designed to have higher fatigue resistance as a result of having a lower permeability to moisture. It is found that even though this fiber had higher than normal resistance to fatigue, the diffusion of moisture through this coating was not substantially different than through typical coatings used on fibers for telecommunications applications.
Effect of Membrane Tension on Gap Junctional Conductance of Supporting Cells in Corti's Organ

The effects of turgor pressure-induced membrane tension on junctional coupling of Hensen cell isolates from the inner ear were evaluated by input capacitance or transjunctional conductance measurement techniques. Turgor pressure was altered by changing either pipette pressure or the osmolarities of extracellular solutions. Both positive pipette pressure and extracellular applications of hypotonic solutions, which caused cell size to concomitantly increase, uncoupled the cells as indicated by reduced input capacitance and transjunctional conductance. These changes were, in many cases, reversible and repeatable. Intracellular application of 50 microM H-7, a broad-based protein kinase inhibitor, and 10 mM BAPTA did not block the uncoupling effect of positive turgor pressure on inner ear gap junctions. The transjunctional conductance at a holding potential of -80 mV was 53.6 +/- 5.8 nS (mean +/- SEM, n = 9) and decreased approximately 40% at a turgor pressure of 1.41 +/- 0.05 kPa. Considering the coincident kinetics of cell deformation and uncoupling, we speculate that mechanical forces work directly on gap junctions of the inner ear. These results suggest that pathologies that induce imbalances in cochlear osmotic pressure regulation may compromise normal cochlear homeostasis.
Pathological and problem gambling among veterans in clinical care: prevalence, demography, and clinical correlates.

Background and objectives The aim of the study was to estimate prevalence rates of pathological gambling and problem gambling among veterans receiving VA care, since several studies have suggested that VA patients may be at increased risk to these conditions. Sample consisted of 1,999 veterans randomly selected from VA centers and community clinics in the Albuquerque and Minneapolis catchment areas. Women and younger veterans were oversampled, due to anticipated low rates in these two groups. Results revealed that the lifetime prevalence rate of pathological gambling weighted for current VA patients was 2.0%, twice the general adult population rate. Current 1-year weighted prevalence of pathological gambling was .9%, with an additional .2% having continued problem gambling and .9% recovered. Lifetime weighted problem gambling rate was 8.8%. Altogether, 10.7% had lifetime pathological gambling or problem gambling. Women had higher rates of pathological gambling, but similar rates of problem gambling compared to men. The greater prevalence of pathological gambling for younger veterans aged 20-29 (1.3%) compared to veterans aged 30-39 (.8%) was unusual and warrants further investigation. Conclusions and scientific significance Veterans in VA care have higher rates of gambling problems than the general adult population. Female and young veterans have rates higher than those observed in other surveys of women and young adults.
Predicting Irreparable Renal Ischemic Injury Using a Real-Time Marker in the Porcine Model

Purpose: We determined the maximal renal tolerance of warm ischemia using renal cortical interstitial metabolic changes to identify a potential real-time marker of irreparable renal function.Materials and Methods: Using a single kidney model 3 groups of 5 pigs each underwent 120, 150 and 180 minutes of warm ischemia, respectively. Microdialysis samples were collected before, during and after ischemia. Renal function assessments consisting of serum creatinine and GFR measurements were performed before ischemia and on post-ischemia days 1, 5, 9, 14 and 28. Kidneys exposed and not exposed to ischemia were collected for histological study.Results: Interstitial glucose and pyruvate concentrations decreased, while lactate concentrations increased to stable levels during ischemia. Glutamate spiked at 30 minutes of ischemia and subsequently tapered, while glycerol increased throughout warm ischemia time. At post-ischemia day 28 renal function returned to pre-ischemia baseline levels in the group with 120 minutes ...
Refrigeration, a practical technique for storage of eggs of trichosirocalus horridus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Etude des temperatures adaptees et du temps de stockage des œufs n'affectant pas leur eclosion ni leur viabilite dans une optique de lutte biologique contre Carduus au moyen de ce coleoptere
Developmental Theory for a Cognitive Enhancement Therapy of Schizophrenia

Recent findings on psychosocial and neurodevelopmental anomalies in schizophrenia patients indicate that deficits related to social cognition-the ability to act wisely in social interactions-may be important constraints on complete social and vocational recovery. Social cognition is acquired over many decades and appears to be partially independent of formal IQ and neuropsychological problems. It invites a more developmental approach to the rehabilitation of schizophrenia, one that we call Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET). CET draws on an emerging literature that implicates both pre- and postonset neurodevelopmental difficulties, as well as a complementary literature on diffuse neuropsychological impairments that supports the notion of a neurodevelopmental insult. We analyzed evidence for an associated developmental basis to social cognitive impairment in the context of a model that addressed both the acquisition of interpersonal wisdom and the adaptive process that might follow developmental failures. A contemporary model of human cognition is then used to identify the metacognitive functions that characterize the developmental acquisition of normal cognition and, by inference, the associated difficulties of many patients with schizophrenia. A rehabilitation strategy for schizophrenia, designed to facilitate the metacognitive transition from prepubertal to young adult social cognition, would thus emphasize developmental learning experiences during the remediation of social cognitive deficits. A "gistful" appraisal of interpersonal behavior and novel social contexts best reflects the theoretical intent of this new intervention.
TRH in the dorsal motor nucleus of vagus is involved in gastric erosion induced by excitation of raphe pallidus in rats.

The influence of excitation of the raphe pallidus neurons on gastric mucosal lesions was examined in urethane-anesthetized rats pretreated with indomethacin (5 mg/kg, i.p., -60 min). Kainic acid (12 ng/30 nl), delivered into the raphe pallidus, increased gastric acid secretion (94.8 +/- 15.9 mumol/60 min) and produced gastric lesions in 2.7 +/- 0.3% of the corpus mucosa. No gastric erosions were observed when kainic acid was injected nearby, but outside, of the raphe pallidus. The gastric lesions induced by microinjection of kainic acid into the raphe pallidus neurons were completely prevented by atropine (0.3 mg/kg, -30 min, s.c.) and bilateral microinjection of TRH antibody # 8964 (1.3 microgram/site) into the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMN). Microinjection of the TRH antibody into the hypoglossal nucleus or control antibody into the DMN did not modify the mucosal lesions induced by kainic acid into the raphe pallidus. These data suggest that activation of raphe pallidus induced vagal cholinergic mediated gastric erosion through TRH release in the DMN.
A UHV-compatible fixed-exit two/four crystal monochromator☆

Abstract Simplicity, symmetric design, variable energy range, and support for both sides of the crystals are features of a new fixed-exit crystal monochromator that we have designed, built and tested. It is less complex; therefore it is less expensive to build, easier to understand, and easier to maintain. All high-precision ground surfaces have been replaced with precision shafting; all ball and roller bearings in the system have been replaced with ultrahigh-vacuum-compatible bushings. Exclusive of the crystal holder, the vacuum chamber, and the drive mechanism, the monochromator consists of only six basic parts as compared to over a hundred parts in other designs. The system is highly symmetric, with no preferred orientation for entrance and exit beams. The same parts are used in both the two-crystal and four-crystal versions. Angular ranges for the system (and therefore energy ranges) are easily varied.
Living Arrangements Affect Dietary Quality for U.S. Adults Aged 50 Years and Older: NHANES III 1988–1994

The number and proportion of older U.S. adults who live alone have increased dramatically in the past three decades, and there is concern that these individuals may have particularly poor dietary quality. We examined the association of four living arrangements (living with a spouse only, with a spouse plus someone else, with someone other than a spouse or living alone) with dietary quality (the number of low nutrients out of a possible 15, with low defined as /=65 y in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III 1988-1994). Among non-Hispanic Caucasian adults, those who lived with a spouse only had better dietary quality, with significant differences ranging from 0.8 to 1.5 fewer low nutrients compared with those with other living arrangements. Effects of living arrangements on dietary quality were also seen among non-Hispanic African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and those of "other" races, but differences were significant only for African-American men aged >65 y living with a spouse plus others (1.6 additional low nutrients compared with those living with a spouse only). Energy intake was strongly associated with dietary quality, but did not account for the associations between living arrangements and dietary quality. Although middle-aged and older adults with living arrangements other than living with a spouse only (including those living alone) tended to have poorer dietary quality, the effects varied substantially across age, gender and ethnic categories.
Pharmacology Review: Risks and Benefits of Postnatal Corticosteroids

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Explain the rationale for use of corticosteroids to treat or prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia. 2. Understand the potential short-term pulmonary benefits of postnatal corticosteroids. 3. Know the short-term complications associated with postnatal corticosteroid treatment. 4. Recognize long-term adverse effects on neurodevelopment of treatment with postnatal corticosteroids. Antenatal corticosteroid administration to mothers at risk of preterm delivery accelerates fetal lung development, resulting in increased tissue and alveolar surfactant and structural changes that enhance the response to postnatal treatment with surfactant. (1)(2) Conclusive evidence shows that this treatment significantly reduces the risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), intraventricular hemorrhage, and mortality in preterm infants. (3) Despite the reduced incidence and severity of RDS, antenatal corticosteroids do not reduce the risk of chronic lung disease, also known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). (3) This is partly due to the increased survival of extremely preterm infants at high risk for this morbidity. In two large databases in the United States and Canada, BPD, defined by the use of supplemental oxygen at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age, occurred in 23% and 26% of very low-birthweight infants. (4)(5) Among extremely low-birthweight infants, BPD affected approximately one third of infants weighing 750 to 1,000 g and one half of those who weighed less than 750 g. (4)(5) Many factors contribute to the development of BPD in susceptible infants. The immature lung is most vulnerable to the characteristic disruption of alveolar development in the stage before alveolar formation begins. (6) Factors considered to be important (alone or in combination) are inflammation due to oxygen toxicity, injury from mechanical ventilation, and infection; (7) intrauterine exposure to cytokines also has been implicated in the pathogenesis. (8) The association of an increased risk of BPD with low serum cortisol concentrations, …
How accurately can we control the FDR in analyzing microarray data

Summary: We want to evaluate the performance of two FDR-based multiple testing procedures by Benjamini and Hochberg (1995, J. R. Stat. Soc. Ser. B, 57, 289--300) and Storey (2002, J. R. Stat. Soc. Ser. B, 64, 479--498) in analyzing real microarray data. These procedures commonly require independence or weak dependence of the test statistics. However, expression levels of different genes from each array are usually correlated due to coexpressing genes and various sources of errors from experiment-specific and subject-specific conditions that are not adjusted for in data analysis. Because of high dimensionality of microarray data, it is usually impossible to check whether the weak dependence condition is met for a given dataset or not. We propose to generate a large number of test statistics from a simulation model which has asymptotically (in terms of the number of arrays) the same correlation structure as the test statistics that will be calculated from the given data and to investigate how accurately the FDR-based testing procedures control the FDR on the simulated data. Our approach is to directly check the performance of these procedures for a given dataset, rather than to check the weak dependency requirement. We illustrate the proposed method with real microarray datasets, one where the clinical endpoint is disease group and another where it is survival. Contact: jung0005@mc.duke.edu
Systematic Review of Decision Aids for Newly Diagnosed Patients with Prostate Cancer Making Treatment Decisions

Purpose: Despite established evidence for using patient decision aids, use with newly diagnosed patients with prostate cancer remains limited partly due to variability in aid characteristics. We systematically reviewed decision aids for newly diagnosed patients with prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: Published peer reviewed journal articles, unpublished literature on the Internet and the Ottawa decision aids web repository were searched to identify decision aids designed for patients with prostate cancer facing treatment decisions. A total of 14 aids were included in study. Supplementary materials on aid development and published studies evaluating the aids were also included. We studied aids designed to help patients make specific choices among options and outcomes relevant to health status that were specific to prostate cancer treatment and in English only. Aids were reviewed for IPDAS (International Patient Decision Aid Standards) and additional standards deemed relevant to prostate cancer treatmen...
Urban Bias Revisited: Evidence from China's Fiscal Policy Reforms

This paper argues that the Chinese central government has fully abandoned the previous policy of an urban bias in resource distribution. Party doctrine for much of the Maoist era sought to take the economic surplus from the countryside and use it to feed the industrialization of the urban areas. In the immediate post Maoist period, each locality was assigned fixed revenue targets by the government and was able to keep any surplus, allowing many non-urban areas to rapidly grow wealthy (sometimes at the expense of urban areas). In 1994, the central government recentralized revenue collection and began to redistribute the funds collected as grants to various local governments. This new fiscal power again allowed the central government to dictate whether China would have a pro- or anti- urban policy. Using statistical data from the Ministry of Finance, I argue that China now has, if anything, a pro-rural fiscal policy. The implications of this finding touch on issues of democratization, interest group power, and distributional politics.
Special abstract: Positive alternatives to computer misuse: A report of the proceedings of an ACM panel on hacking

If one believes press reports, the misuse of computers is rampant. The same the many other misuses have gone unreported as a result of the embarrassment and loss of image/integrity of those affected (as victims) and the belief that to expose misuses will lead to further problems and expense, as well as encourage copy-cat crimes. Much of the press coverage of computer misuse has centered on the younger members of computing community using inexpensive personal computer systems. The placement of powerful tools into the hands of adolescents without imposing the appropriate control would appear to be a contributing factor to their unfettered use of computers and communications systems. Such usage ranges from benign exploration of the powers of computational and communication systems, through the malicious use of those devices for personal aggrandisement, to the use of computers for distinctly criminal activities. At present there are no technological or ethical barriers that separate the explorer from the criminal; possibly the prospect of being able to perform more and more complex projects can innocently lead the benign learner into improper activities. Conversely the blame for breaches of security and the infiltration of personal, private systems, is sometimes placed on the backs of the owners of those systems for maintaining an attractive nuisance. Concern must also be expressed about the community-developing attractive nuisances of bulletin boards (BBS''s), many of which are benign, but too many of which are used to extend the fringe area of illegality in exchanging pirated software, providing message systems for immoral or illegal purposes, and revealing cracks in governmental and commercial security.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Particles in Alzheimer Disease and Parkinson Disease

Human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contains diverse lipid particles, including lipoproteins that are distinct from their plasma counterparts and contain apolipoprotein (apo) E isoforms, apoJ, and apoAI, and extracellular vesicles, which can be detected by annexin V binding. The aim of this study was to develop a method to quantify CSF particles and evaluate their relationship to aging and neurodegenerative diseases. We used a flow cytometric assay to detect annexin V-, apoE-, apoAI-, apoJ-, and amyloid (A) β42-positive particles in CSF from 131 research volunteers who were neurologically normal or had mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer disease (AD) dementia, or Parkinson disease. APOE e4/e4 participants had CSF apoE-positive particles that were more frequently larger but at an 88% lower level versus those in APOE e3/e3 or APOE e3/e4 patients; this finding was reproduced in conditioned medium from mouse primary glial cell cultures with targeted replacement of apoE. Cerebrospinal fluid apoE-positive and β-amyloid (Aβ42)-positive particle concentrations were persistently reduced one-third to one-half in middle and older age subjects; apoAI-positive particle concentration progressively increased approximately 2-fold with age. Both apoAI-positive and annexin V-positive CSF particle levels were reduced one-third to one-half in CSF of MCI and/or AD dementia patients versus age-matched controls. Our approach provides new methods to investigate CNS lipid biology in relation to neurodegeneration and perhaps develop new biomarkers for diagnosis or treatment monitoring.
Chapter Nineteen – Building Pelvic Floor Biomechanical Simulations

Building patient-specific biomechanical simulations can be a lengthy process that is difficult to navigate. In this chapter we highlight the necessary steps for successfully developing a simulation of the pelvic floor. The initial data is gathered from medical images, usually computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The medical images are then segmented to produce labelmaps, or images with any relevant anatomical features outlined. Two methods of simulation are discussed, the finite element method (FEM) and the meshfree method. The FEM is dependent on the development of a three-dimensional mesh, with a smooth surface. Finite element (FE) simulations are known to fail due to mesh distortion under extreme deformations. Meshfree models on the other hand do very well under extreme deformations, so a method for converting the FE model to a meshfree model is discussed. The selection of simulation parameters is discussed, namely the definition of boundary conditions and material model selection. The equations of motion are reviewed, with a discussion on solution strategies. Finally, the interpretation of simulation results is discussed.
Density functional theory + U analysis of the electronic structure and defect chemistry of LSCF (La0.5Sr0.5Co0.25Fe0.75O3−δ)

Reducing operating temperatures is a key step in making solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology viable. A promising strategy for accomplishing this goal is employing mixed ion–electron conducting (MIEC) cathodes. La1−xSrxCo1−yFeyO3−δ (LSCF) is the most widely employed MIEC cathode material; however, rational optimization of the composition of LSCF requires fundamental insight linking its electronic structure to its defect chemistry. To provide the necessary insight, density functional theory plus U (DFT+U) calculations are used to investigate the electronic structure of LSCF (xSr = 0.50, yCo = 0.25). The DFT+U calculations show that LSCF has a significantly different electronic structure than La1−xSrxFeO3 because of the addition of cobalt, but that minimal electronic structure differences exist between La0.5Sr0.5Co0.25Fe0.75O3 and La0.5Sr0.5Co0.5Fe0.5O3. The oxygen vacancy formation energy (ΔEf,vac) is calculated for residing in different local environments within La0.5Sr0.5Co0.25Fe0.75O3. These results show that configurations have the highest ΔEf,vac, while have the lowest ΔEf,vac and may act as traps for . We conclude that compositions with more Fe than Co are preferred because the additional sites would lead to higher overall ΔEf,vac (and lower concentrations), while the trapping strength of the sites is relatively weak (∼0.3 eV).
Population density, prey selection, and predator avoidance of the burrowing anemone (Ceriantheopsis americanus) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

The maximum population density of the burrowing anemone (Ceriantheopsis americanus) was estimated at 17–28 animals m−2 in soft-bottom sediments of mid Narragansett Bay. The gut contents of the anemone indicated primary prey of harpacticoid and calanoid copepods. The consumption of calanoid copepods was higher in October than April, which may be due to decreased density of hapacticoids in the fall. The anemones apparently avoid fish predation in late summer by withdrawing into the sediments. After the seasonal fall migration of fish out of the bay, anemones reappear.
A Qualitative Exploration Of Action Learning: Undergraduate Students Attitudes

This continuing research seeks to build upon our understanding of undergraduate student attitudes regarding Action Learning and specifically to qualitatively probe their perceptions of its positive and negative aspects.