cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The New York City Rheumatology Objective Structured Clinical Examination: five-year data demonstrates its validity, usefulness as a unique rating tool, objectivity, and sensitivity to change.

Objective Traditional means of testing rheumatology fellows do not adequately assess some skills that are required to practice medicine well, such as humanistic qualities, communication skills, or professionalism. Institution of the New York City Rheumatology Objective Structured Clinical Examination (ROSCE) and our sequential 5 years of experience have provided us with a unique opportunity to assess its usefulness and objectivity as a rheumatology assessment tool. Methods Prior to taking the examination, all of the fellows were rated by their program directors. Fellows from the participating institutions then underwent a multistation patient-interactive examination observed and rated by patient actors and faculty raters. Assessments were recorded by all of the participants using separate but overlapping sets of instruments testing the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies of patient care, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and overall medical knowledge. Results Although the program directors tended to rate their fellows more highly than the ROSCE raters, typically there was agreement between the program directors and the ROSCE faculty in distinguishing between the highest- and lowest- performing fellows. The ROSCE faculty and patient actor assessments of individual trainees were notable for a high degree of concordance, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Conclusion The ROSCE provides a unique opportunity to obtain a patient-centered assessment of fellows' ACGME-mandated competencies that traditional knowledge-based examinations, such as the rheumatology in-service examination, cannot measure. The ability of the ROSCE to provide a well-rounded and objective assessment suggests that it should be considered an important component of the rheumatology training director's toolbox.
Antipyrine and warfarin disposition in a patient with idiopathic hypoalbuminemia.

In a subject with the rare condition of idiopathic hypoalbuminemia, antipyrine and warfarin disposition was investigated to determine whether, in an otherwise healthy subject, low albumin concentrations affect the kinetics of these prototypic drugs. Because antipyrine is negligibly bound to albumin its disposition would be expected to be normal, but because at usual therapeutic doses warfarin is 99% bound to albumin, warfarin elimination would be expected to be accelerated in idiopathic hypoalbuminemia. In our patient antipyrine disposition was normal, whereas warfarin clearance was increased and plasma warfarin half-life reduced. The apparent volume of distribution of warfarin was within normal range. Warfarin binding to the patient's plasma was decreased; the free fraction of warfarin in plasma was correspondingly elevated. Albumin isolated from the patient and purified exhibited normal kinetic values for warfarin binding. Caution is necessary in extending these results to other drugs and other patients with idiopathic hypoalbuminemia since the validity of such extrapolations depends on the extent to which the drug investigated is normally bound to albumin and also on the magnitude of the particular patient's hypoalbuminemia at the precise time of study. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1981) 30, 810–816; doi:10.1038/clpt.1981.242
Scavenging thermal-noise energy for implementing long-term self-powered CMOS timers

One of the major challenges in remotely powered sensors is that events being monitored can not be time-stamped due to the unavailability of a continuously active timer or system clock. Implementing such a timer would require access to a perennial source of energy, which for a structural health monitoring (SHM) application, could easily span several years. In this paper, we present a novel approach to implement self-powered timers that only requires presence of ambient thermal energy. The operational principle of the timer is based on the physics of trap-assisted electron transportation in floating-gate capacitors which yields leakage currents down to 10-21A. Using a differential architecture the proposed timer compensates for the effects of temperature variations during the timer read-out. In this paper we validate the proof-of-concept using measurement results obtained from different timer topologies which have been prototyped in a 0.5μm CMOS process.
Anthropological Implications of Sickle Cell Gene Distribution in West Africa1

DURING the past fifteen years, data on the frequency of the sickle cell gene have accumulated to such an extent that its world distribution can now be outlined in considerable detail. Frequencies of more than 20 percent of the sickle cell trait have been found in populations across a broad belt of tropical Africa from the Gambia to Mozambique. Similar high frequencies have been found in Greece, South Turkey, and India. At first it appeared that there were isolated "pockets" of high frequencies in India and Greece, but more recently the sickle cell gene has been found to be widely distributed in both countries (Choremis and Zannos 1956; Sukumaran, Sanghvi, and Vyas 1956). Moreover, between these countries where high frequencies are found, there are intermediate frequencies, in Sicily, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, Palestine, and Kuwait. Thus, the sickle cell gene is found in a large and rather continuous region of the Old World and in populations which have recently emigrated from this region, while it is almost completely absent from an even larger region of the Old World which stretches from Northern Europe to Australia.
Black holes: sparks of interest.

Why is the black hole at the centre of our Galaxy so dim, when those in other galaxies can outshine the stars around them? Newly discovered bursts of infrared radiation may give the first clues to what is going on.
Size Distribution of Aerosols Produced by the Laskin Aerosol Generator Using Substitute Materials for DOP

Test aerosols of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DOP) produced by the Laskin nozzle aerosol generator are widely used for in-place filter testing and respirator fit testing. Concern about health effects of DOP has led to a search for substitute materials for use as a test aerosol. Aerosols were generated with a Laskin generator and diluted 4800-fold with clean air. Size distributions were measured for DOP, di(2-ethylhexyl)sebecate, polyethylene glycol, mineral oil, and corn oil aerosols with a PMS ASAS-X optical particle counter. Distributions gave count median diameters from 0.22 to 0.30 µm. Size distributions varied little with aerosol material, operating pressure, or liquid level. Mineral oil and corn oil gave the closest agreement to the DOP size distribution.
Identifying Novel Resistance Genes in Newly Introduced Blast Resistant Rice Germplasm

Blast, Magnaporthe oryzae B. Couch, and sheath blight, Rhizoc- tonia solani Kuhn, are major fungal diseases of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) intheUSA. ResistancetoU.S.M. oryzaeraceswasobserved in 91 newly introduced rice accessions, suggesting these accessions are possiblesourcesofnovelblastresistancegenes(Pi-genes)thatcouldbe incorporated into U.S. rice cultivars. The genes Pi-ta and Pi-b have been introduced into U.S. cultivars and characterized molecularly. The objective of this research was to identify new Pi-genes in the afore- mentioned accessions by differentiating known Pi-genes, determining relatedness of the accessions with SSR markers, and identifying as- sociations of SSR markers with blast resistance and sheath blight resistance. Twenty-seven accessions were identified with resistance to U.S.blastracesandashavingneither thePi-tanorPi-bgene.Basedon 125 SSR markers distributed over the rice genome, 11 of the 27 accessions were closely related to each other, but the remaining 16 accessions had varying levels of genotypic diversity, including two accessions selected from crosses of the Asian cultivated species, O. sativa, with the African cultivated species, O. glaberrima. Blast resis- tance traits were associated with 32 of the 125 SSR markers and sheath blight resistance traits with 19 markers. Of the 32 blast-associated markers, 20 were located in chromosomal regions previously identified as containing Pi-genes. The remaining 12 markers will provide the basis for discovering additional Pi-genes.
Rust Fungi (Uredinales) on Cupressaceae

Gymnosporangium sabinae, the pear-juniper rust, occasionally infects Cupressus sempervirens in southern Europe; G. minus is a synonym. In the United States, Mexico, and Guatemala, G. cupressi is indistinguishable from the earlier-described Himalayan G. cunninghamianum, of which G. meridissimum and Roestelia guatemaliana are also synonyms. Gymnosporangium clavipes f. sp. cupressi in Mexico and Guatemala, and Uredo cupressicola in all three countries, also infect cypress. Gymnosporangium sabinae and G. clavipes are the first Gymnosporangium species reported to infect members of more than one genus of Cupressaceae.
Sterol-polyene antibiotic complexation: Probe of membrane structure

Polyene antibiotics are useful tools for studying the role of sterols in biological membranes. The interaction of polyene antibiotics with membrane-bound sterols in artificial membrane systems, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and lipid-containing viruses is reviewed. The pentaene macrolide, filipin, is shown to serve as a probe of phosphatidylcholine-sterol interaction and of the localization of cholesterol in the membrane of mycoplasmas.
Shame and guilt: A hundred years of apples and oranges

Abstract An original model of shame- and guilt-related emotions is proposed and the model's theoretical background discussed. Shame is conceptualized as an affect (i.e., basic emotion), elicited by personal devaluation and evolved by social selection. Guilt is conceptualized as a cognitively assessed condition. In response to awareness of one's own condition of guilt, one may feel a number of affects or no affect. The phrase feeling guilty is a non-specific reference to feeling as one typically feels when in the condition of guilt [Ortony, A. (1987). Is guilt an emotion? Cognition and emotion, 1, 283–298]. Thus, shame as a construct represents a single affect, while feelings of guilt represent multiple affective–cognitive hybrids, which may be associated with the condition of guilt. In terms of levels of categorization [Rosch, E. (1978). Principles of categorization. In E. Rosch & B. B. Lloyd (Eds.), Cognition and categorization (pp. 27–48). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum], shame, as an affect, is a basic level category with subordinates such as embarrassment and humiliation; in contrast, the multiple feelings of guilt constitute multiple subordinate affective–cognitive hybrids—subordinate to a number of basic level affects. This model integrates a great deal of existing data, suggests a large number of hypotheses, and implies the need for a profile approach to the assessment of guilt. By conceptualizing shame as an affect, and making the distinction between guilt as a state and the multiple affective–cognitive hybrids of guilt, much of the confusion and imprecision in past theory and research may be clarified.
Standard gibbs free energy of formation of superconducting YBa2Cu3Ox and related compounds in the Y2O3BaOCuO system

Abstract Four galvanic cells were constructed with single-crystal CaF2 solid electrolytes. The cell e.m.f. was measured and expressed as E 202 = − 0.074 + 8.8 × 10 −5 T E 211 = − 0.061 + 7.8 × 10 −5 T E 123 = − 0.011 + 1.6 × 10 −4 T E 011 = − 0.063 + 1.43 × 10 −4 T all in volts at 950–1200 K. From the cell e.m.f., the standard Gibbs free energy of formation of Y2Cu2O5(202), Y2BaCuO5(211), YBa2Cu3Ox(123) and BaCuO2(011) from the constituent oxides was calculated and expressed as ΔG°202 = 14.3−0.017 TΔG°211 = −24.4−0.038 TΔG°123+δ = 109.0 + 4.6 × 10−3T + 6.7 × 10−3δT AG°011 = −43.9 + 7.3 × 10−3 T all in kilojoules per mole. The phase relationship in the region of CuOY2Cu2O5Y2BaCuO5YBa2Cu3Ox was determined and the directed reaction process in preparing single-phase YBa2Cu3Ox was discussed.
Treatment of olfactory dysfunction, II: studies with minocycline.

Objectives/Hypothesis: The treatment of anosmia has changed minimally since the early 1970s, despite dramatic advances in the understanding of the molecular biology of olfaction. Recent studies from the authors' laboratory have suggested that most common causes of clinical olfactory dysfunction, including rhinosinusitis, appear to be associated with increased apoptotic death of olfactory sensory neurons. This appears to result in a decline in the number of functioning mature olfactory sensory neurons, despite the capacity of the olfactory epithelium for regeneration. The current study evaluated the ability of the antibiotic minocycline to inhibit olfactory sensory neuron apoptosis. This drug is known to inhibit apoptosis separate from its anti-infective properties. Olfactory sensory neuron apoptosis was triggered by surgical deafferentation (“bulbectomy”), the standard experimental model. Earlier studies have indicated that bulbectomy and sinusitis invoke similar proteolytic enzyme cascades in olfactory sensory neurons. Study Design: Histological analysis of animal olfactory tissue. Methods: Mice underwent unilateral olfactory bulbectomy to induce apoptotic olfactory sensory neuron death, with and without 45 mg/kg intraperitoneal minocycline given 12 hours before surgery and every 12 hours until death. Mice were killed at 2 and 4 days after bulbectomy and assessed for activation of capsase-3 and olfactory sensory neuron survival by immunohistochemical analysis. Results: Minocycline resulted in partial suppression of cell death at 2 days after surgery when compared with untreated animals. Conclusion: Minocycline inhibits olfactory sensory neuron death in the face of a potent pro-apoptotic stimulus. This drug is well tolerated and is currently undergoing human trials for the management of a variety of neurological disorders associated with apoptosis. The current results suggest that minocycline may be efficacious in the management of peripheral olfactory loss as well.
Comparison between equilibrium and kinetic models for methane hydrate dissociation

Abstract Current literature agrees that the equilibrium and kinetic models for methane hydrate dissociation are almost indistinguishable. In this comparison, we used the equilibrium and kinetic models with two kinds of thermal boundary conditions to study the dissociation of methane hydrates in porous media. We found significant deviations between the two models. A systematic parametric study of the kinetic reaction constants clearly shows that the kinetic model results approach the equilibrium model when the intrinsic mole dissociation constant excessively exceeds the range found in the literature. Further, we showed deviations in the dissociation pattern between the equilibrium and kinetic models for both boundary conditions. The equilibrium model exhibits a moving front pattern for hydrate dissociation while the kinetic model shows a moving zone pattern under adiabatic boundary conditions. As for the constant temperature boundary condition, the hydrate dissociates by shrinking in all dimensions for the equilibrium model while, for the kinetic model, it dissociates with no specific pattern throughout the entire reservoir. The parametric studies show that higher activation energy results in a lower rate of hydrate dissociation.
New Approaches to Understanding the Etiology and Treatment of Total Parenteral Nutrition-Associated Cholestasis

Total parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis (TPN-AC) may be a fatal disease. The only known effective treatment is to discontinue TPN and institute full enteral feedings. However, this is not possible for many patients with severe gastrointestinal failure. Current research supports two theories regarding the etiology of TPN-AC. One proposes that the enteral fast disrupts the enterohepatic circulation. Cholestasis, in this hypothesis, results from a combination of altered gut hormone production and endotoxins produced by bacterial translocation. The second theory implicates the direct toxicity of TPN solution. Amino acid solutions and plant sterols in intralipid have generated much interest. Ursodeoxycholic acid and S-adenosyl-L-methionine are promising treatments for TPN-AC. They have been proven to be effective in animals and adult liver diseases. Cholecystokinin also has been investigated as a possible prophylactic agent. However, results from these experiments do not conclusively show a beneficial effect.
Applications of hydrogen-bond-acceptor templates to direct ‘in-phase’ reactivity of a diene diacid in the solid state

The hydrogen-bond-acceptor (HBA) templates 2,3-bis(4-methylenethiopyridyl)naphthalene (2,3-nap) and 1,8-bis(4-pyridyl)naphthalene (1,8-dpn) are used to assemble (E,E)-2,5-dimethylmuconic acid (dmma) in the solid state for an intermolecular [2 + 2] photocycloaddition. Co-crystallisation of 2,3-nap with dmma affords an 1D hydrogen-bonded polymer that is photostable while 1,8-nap affords a 0D hydrogen-bonded assembly that is photoactive. The diene stacks in-phase and reacts to give a synmonocyclobutane in up to 55% yield.
Eigenspace transformation for automatic clutter rejection

The goal of our research is to develop an effective and efficient clutter rejector with the use of an eigenspace transformation and a multilayer perceptron (MLP) that can be incorporated into an automatic target recognition system. An eigenspace transformation is used for feature extraction and dimensionality reduction. The transformations considered in this research are principal-component analysis (PCA) and the eigenspace separation transformation (EST). We fed the result of the eigenspace transformation to an MLP that predicts the identity of the input, which is either a target or clutter. Our proposed clutter rejector was tested on two huge and realistic datasets of second-generation forwardlooking infrared imagery for the Comanche helicopter. In general, both the PCA and EST methods performed satisfactorily with minor differences. The EST method performed slightly better when a smaller amount of transformed data was fed to the MLP, or when the positive and negative EST eigentargets were used together.
Heart, body, and soul: a church-based smoking-cessation program for Urban African Americans.

Abstract Background. This article provides a descriptive overview of the implementation process of the Heart, Body, and Soul program. The program objective was to test strategies to reduce the prevalence of cigarette smoking among urban African Americans in East Baltimore. Method. This study constitutes a prospective randomized trial among inner-city African Americans designed to improve quit rates among church attenders. A random-digit-dialing survey was conducted to establish baseline levels of self-reported cigarette smoking, examine attendant attitudes, and determine the presence of known cardiovascular risk factors among community residents of the catchment area. A similar survey was conducted among churchgoers to establish a baseline. Twenty-two churches were recruited and randomly assigned to either intensive or minimal (self-help) intervention strategies. Baseline health screenings were held in all participating churches. Innovative culturally specific smoking cessation strategies mediated through lay volunteers from participating churches were implemented in the intensive intervention churches. Results. Pastors of all churches were directly involved in all aspects of the planning and implementation process. A total of 29 volunteer lay smoking-cessation specialists were trained and successfully implemented the intensive interventions in churches. An additional 272 church members were trained to conduct their church"s health screenings. Conclusion. The essential components of this successful implementation process were building trust and acceptance and providing the technical support to encourage smoking-cessation strategies. This description of the project is presented to assist others involved in church-based trials in urban African American communities.
Chronic type A aortic dissection: An unusual complication of cocaine inhalation

Acute aortic pathology temporally related to cocaine inhalation may lead to frank rupture or acute aortic dissection. This is a report of an unusual case of a 43-year-old man who presented 9 weeks after experiencing a tearing sensation in his chest while smoking cocaine. The diagnosis was chronic type A aortic dissection with 4+ aortic insufficiency. The successful surgical management included resuspension of the aortic valve and placement of a Dacron tube graft in the ascending aorta such that flow was maintained distally in both the true and false lumens.
Computer analysis of two‐dimensional gels by a general image processing system

In order to survey changes in accumulation of several hundred proteins during the naturally synchronous nuclear division cycle of Physarum polycephalum, we have developed methods for analyzing two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoretograms using the general image processing system developed by the Spatial Data Analysis Laboratory at Virginia Tech. In this paper we describe fast and accurate methods for removing non-homogeneous background intensity from a 2-D gel image, for resolving overlapping protein spots, and for estimating the total integrated intensity in a protein spot by Gaussian modeling.
Application of the Maximal Covering Location Problem to Habitat Reserve Site Selection A Review

The Maximal Covering Location Problem (MCLP) is a classic model from the location science literature which has found wide application. One important application is to a fundamental problem in conservation biology, the Maximum Covering Species Problem (MCSP), which identifies land parcels to protect to maximize the number of species represented in the selected sites. We trace the evolution of the MCSP from the MCLP, review extensions, and offer suggestions for new lines of research related to the MCSP.
Endoscopic Primary Realignment under Open Cystostomy in the Patients with Posterior Urethral Rupture that were Impossible for Lithotomy Position, Accompanied by Pelvic Bone Fracture: Long-term Results

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of endoscopic primary realignment of a posterior urethral rupture accompanied by a pelvic bone fracture. Materials and Methods: Our study population consists of 7 patients who were able to be followed up for at least 5 years, of an initial 8 that underwent endoscopic primary realignment of a posterior urethral rupture due to a pelvic bone fracture. Operations were carried out in the following order; the bladder was incised to allow a metal sound, with stitching fiber then tied at its end so it could be advanced into the injured proximal urethra through the bladder neck. The fiber was then traced using a cystoscope and connected to a urethral catheter, which could be indwelled in the bladder by pulling the sound back. Results: The mean follow-up period was 8.1 (5.2-9.7) years. The mean operation time was 48.3 (28-71) minutes. There were no severe disruptions of the pelvic hematoma, transfusions or other additive injuries during the operations. Post-operation complications were observed in 4 patients; 3 cases of mild urethral stricture, which were treated with an endoscopic intra-urethrotomy followed by clean intermittent catheterization, 3 cases of erectile dysfunction and 1 case each of urinary incontinence and a urethral stone. Conclusions: This study clearly implies that endoscopic primary realignment of a severe posterior urethral rupture accompanied by a pelvic bone fracture is less invasive and a safer method, without pelvic hemorrhage or additional injuries. Early endoscopic intervention also improves the quality of life by reducing the possibility of an invasive procedure, and also prevents severe urethral stricture and the resultant complications by maintaining the continuity of the urethra. (Korean J Urol 2006;47:1361-1366)
Transcriptomic profiling of the canine tachycardia-induced heart failure model: global comparison to human and murine heart failure

Alterations of cardiac gene expression are central to ventricular dysfunction in human heart failure (HF). The canine tachycardia pacing-induced HF model is known to reproduce the main hemodynamic, echocardiographic and electrophysiological changes observed in human HF. In this study, we use this HF model to compare gene expression profiles in the left and right ventricles (LV, RV) of normal and end-stage failing canine hearts and compare the transcription profiles to those in human and murine models of HF. In end-stage HF, the LV exhibits down regulation of genes involved in energy production, cardiac contraction, and modulation of excitation-contraction coupling as compared with normal LV. The majority of transcriptomic changes between normal and end-stage canine HF were shared by the RV and LV. Genes down regulated only in the LV included those involved in aerobic energy production pathways, regulation of actin filament length, and enzyme-linked receptor protein signaling pathways. In normal canine hearts, genes encoding specific components of the contractile apparatus exhibit LV-RV asymmetric expression patterns; in failing hearts, cardiac fetal transcription factors MEF2 and MITF and the stress-responsive transcription factor ATF4 showed interventricular differences in expression. The comparison among the canine tachypacing, mouse transgenic, and human HF reveals that human disease involves down regulation of genes in a broad range of biological processes while experimentally induced HF is associated with down regulation of energy pathways, and that human ischemic HF and canine HF share a similar over representation of transcriptional pathways in the up regulated genes. This study provides insights into the molecular pathways leading to end-stage tachycardia-induced HF, and into global transcriptomic differences between the animal HF models and human HF.
Hormones and osmoregulation in marine birds.

Abstract The neural and hormonal mechanisms responsible for the control of electrolyte excretion by the nasal glands of marine birds are outlined. At least three stages in the sequence of events leading to excretion, and therefore successful adaption to the marine environment, are sensitive to the presence of environmental pollutants and pathogens. The initiation and continuation of nasal gland function depends on the development of increased rates of Na+ and water transfer across the small intestinal mucosa. This adaptive response is sensitive to the presence of crude oil and crude oil distillation fractions and ingestion of these substances may prevent the development of increased rates of intestinal transfer. Degradation products of DDT may also inhibit the normal pattern of adrenal steroid biosynthesis and thus lead to impaired nasal gland function. Ingestion of the neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum inhibits the release of acetylcholine and therefore blocks the essential visceral motor impulses to the nasal gland function. Thus, when intoxicated birds are fed either hypertonic saline or “pothole” drinking water derived from many prairie sloughs and lakes, they show higher rates of mortality than do similarly intoxicated birds given fresh drinking water.
Formalizing Informal Stakeholder Decisions--A Hybrid Method Approach

Decisions are hard to make when available information is incomplete, inconsistent, and ambiguous. Moreover, good-sufficiently complete, consistent, traceable, and testable-requirements are a prerequisite for successful projects. Without understanding what the stakeholders really want and need and writing these requirements in a concise, understandable and testable manner, projects will not develop what the stakeholders wanted leading to either major late rework or project termination. During the development of the WinWin negotiation model and the EasyWinWin requirements negotiation method, we have gained considerable experience in capturing decisions made by stakeholders in over 100 projects. However, the transition from informal decisions to requirements specification is still a challenging problem. Based on our analysis of the projects to date, we have developed an integrated set of gap-bridging methods as a hybrid method to support stakeholders making better decisions in order to eliminate requirements related problems and ease the process of formality transition
High power sources at millimeter wavelengths

Design considerations for high power millimeter-wave oscillators and amplifiers are discussed. Typical structures, electron gun and beam systems, electrode configurations, and interaction processes are described, particularly with regard to their applications in the millimeter-wave portion of the spectrum. The advantages of the linear beam approach in the design of these sources become evident. Typical operating characteristics for general classes of amplifiers and oscillators are reviewed. A survey is presented of the various individual sources which are commercially available or have reached a practical prototype status.
Moving to Directly Cued Locations Abolishes Spatial Interference During Bimanual Actions

Interference is frequently observed during bimanual movements if the two hands perform nonsymmetric actions. We examined the source of bimanual interference in two experiments in which we compared conditions involving symmetric movements with conditions in which the movements were of different amplitudes or different directions. The target movements were cued either symbolically by letters or directly by the onset of the target locations. With symbolic cues, reaction times were longer when the movements of the two hands were not symmetric. With direct cues, reaction times were the same for symmetric and nonsymmetric movements. These results indicate that directly cued actions can be programmed in parallel for the two hands. Our results challenge the hypothesis that the cost to initiate nonsymmetric movements is due to spatial interference in a motor-programming stage. Rather, the cost appears to be caused by stimulus identification, response-selection processes connected to the processing of symbolic cues...
Angiotensin II A Vasoactive Hormone With Ever-Increasing Biological Roles

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is an octapeptide hormone that plays a central role in cardiovascular homeostasis. Typical of many proteins, Ang II was named on the basis of its first-demonstrated biological function—the ability to act as a vasoactive agonist and induce contraction of blood vessels. Over the years, Ang II has been shown to play important roles in mediating hypertension, heart failure, cardiac remodeling, diabetes, and the proliferative and inflammatory responses to arterial injury (see review1). These findings have spawned the development of several classes of pharmacological agents designed at inhibiting the synthesis of Ang II (eg, angiotensin II-converting enzyme inhibitors) or blocking its action (eg, angiotensin II receptor antagonists). These agents are now widely used in the treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure. In conjunction with studies performed on animal models, there have been numerous studies examining the cellular effects of Ang II. Initial studies focused in particular on the role of Ang II as a contractile agonist and therefore on the signals induced by Ang II in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and cardiomyocytes associated with contraction, such as the mobilization of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) and the activation of protein kinase C (PKC). It was demonstrated that Ang II activated phospholipase C, resulting in the production of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol, which in turn were responsible for the mobilization of [Ca2+]i and the activation of PKC, respectively. Additional studies in SMC cultures examined the properties of Ang II as a growth agonist, in particular its role in promoting cellular hypertrophy, characterized by increases in protein synthesis, cell size, and polyploidy.2,3 The cloning and expression of the Ang II receptor,4,5 together with substantial progress in signal transduction, have greatly expanded our knowledge of Ang II-mediated cellular events …
A long-term latent reservoir for HIV-1: discovery and clinical implications

Despite the remarkable success of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of HIV-1 infection, it now appears that the infection is intrinsically incurable with antiretroviral therapy alone. The major reason is that the virus can persist in a latent form in resting memory CD4 cells. These cells arise when infected CD4+ lymphoblasts carrying an integrated copy of the HIV-1 genome revert back to a resting memory state. In this resting state, CD4 cells are minimally permissive for virus gene expression, and infected memory cells can survive for many years. Following re-exposure to the relevant antigen or other activating stimuli, these cells can begin to produce virus again. The existence of a stable reservoir has altered treatment strategies in several ways. HAART is no longer given with the goal of eradication. In addition, the reservoir serves as a permanent archive for wild-type virus and for drug-resistant variants that arise during treatment. Thus, once resistance to a particular drug arises, the patient will always carry that resistance. Interruption in treatment results in the re-emergence of the original wild-type virus, which often replicates better than drug-resistant virus. Although HAART cannot eradicate the infection, current regimens do come close to stopping virus evolution. Free viruses found in the plasma at low levels in patients on HAART resemble viruses in the latent reservoir and do not contain new drug resistance mutations. Thus although HAART cannot produce eradication, lifetime control of the infection with antiretroviral drugs may be possible.
A New Perspective on the Foreign Policy Views of American Opinion Leaders in the Cold War and Post-Cold War Eras:

This article breaks new ground in the study of the foreign policy views of American opinion leaders by using a systematic content analysis of writings published in leading foreign policy journals. It is in such journals that the debate on the nature and direction of American foreign policy is often played out. Such an approach allows us to examine the level of diversity in the foreign policy thought of opinion leaders and to provide an initial assessment of the level of continuity and change in this thought since the end of the Cold War. The findings do not suggest the formation of a new consensus over the direction of American foreign policy anytime soon. Rather, between the Cold War eighties and the post-Cold War nineties foreign policy attitudes have been marked by both persistence and change, resulting in a greater diversity and complexity of thought, as well as greater optimism for the future of U.S. foreign policy. The study highlights the importance of developing alternative research strategies and data sources which both supplement and complement more traditional survey research approaches in order to more fully capture and understand the foreign policy thought of American opinion leaders.
Methods for studying the impact of drunk driving laws

This paper discusses methodological principles for the study of legal interventions based on the theory of deterrence, especially in the area of drunk driving. It reviews the validity of commonly available measures of drunk driving and identifies strengths and weaknesses of correlational, quasi-experimental, and experimental study designs for demonstrating causal connections between drunk driving and legal interventions. The time series is the most powerful of the quasi-experimental designs. Because it uses high-quality data that are generally available cheaply from official sources, and because it can usually overcome the common threats to inferential validity that plague many other designs, it is recommended as a model for studies of deterrence of drunk driving.
Tularemia and Bioterrorism

Francisella tularensis is a Gram-negative, facultative aerobic coccobacillus and the etiologic agent of tularemia. Historically, it has been referred to as “rabbit fever,” “deer-fly fever,” and “market men's disease” (Penn, 2005). Tularemia in the United States is a seldom-diagnosed zoonosis that causes disease mostly in animals, occasionally infecting people who come into contact with the organism through a natural reservoir, a sick or dead animal, or are bitten by an arthropod vector. Previously occurring as sporadic epidemics, its incidence has decreased substantially since the 1950s (Penn, 2005). Although F. tularensis is one of the most infectious pathogens known, natural human cases of tularemia are uncommon and do not appear to confer a selective advantage in the larger context of the pathogen's evolutionary history.
On variations of queue response for inputs with the same mean and autocorrelation function

This paper explores the variations in mean queue length for stationary arrival processes with the same mean and autocorrelation functions, or equivalently, the same mean and power spectrum. Three types of processes, namely, two-state Markov-modulated Poisson processes, periodic-sequence modulated Poisson processes and processes generated by randomly filtering a white noise process, are investigated. Results show that the mean queue length can vary substantially for the first type of process, and can vary moderately for the second type of process, as the parameters of the processes are varied, subject to a specified mean and autocorrelation function. However, the mean queue lengths for the third type of arrival processes are determined by the input mean and autocorrelation functions. The results suggest that the queueing performance can be hard to predict from spectral data alone when the power in low frequencies is large.
Emerging trends in the WWW user population

Background Vast amounts of attention and resources have recently been devoted towards the World Wide Web (WWW) [Berners-Lee 94], but relatively little research has been conducted that examines Web usage and societal implications. With the goals of understanding the Web user population and promoting the Web as a viable surveying medium, GVU's WWW User Surveys were initially conducted during January 1994. Subsequent surveys were administered approximately every six months thereafter. The surveys employ non-random sampling techniques, which limit the ability of the results to generalize to the entire Web population. Each survey is conducted using the limited interactivity of the Web, where users point and click on responses within their Web browsers and submit results to a centralized server for processing. Each survey is conducted for a one month period.
Largest eigenvalue of complex Wishart matrices and performance analysis of MIMO MRC systems

This paper extends Khatri (1964, 1969) distribution of the largest eigenvalue of central complex Wishart matrices to the noncentral case. It then applies the resulting new statistical results to obtain closed-form expressions for the outage probability of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems employing maximal ratio combining (known also as "beamforming" systems) and operating over Rician-fading channels. When applicable these expressions are compared with special cases previously reported in the literature dealing with the performance of (1) MIMO systems over Rayleigh-fading channels and (2) single-input-multiple-output (SIMO) systems over Rician-fading channels. As a double check these analytical results are validated by Monte Carlo simulations and as an illustration of the mathematical formalism some numerical examples for particular cases of interest are plotted and discussed. These results show that, given a fixed number of total antenna elements and under the same scattering condition (1) SIMO systems are equivalent to multiple-input-single-output systems and (2) it is preferable to distribute the number of antenna elements evenly between the transmitter and the receiver for a minimum outage probability performance.
On the correlation between hardness and tensile strength in particle reinforced metal matrix composites

The correlation between macrohardness and tensile strength of particle reinforced metal matrix composites was studied. Contrary to monolithic metals, a simple relationship between hardness and tensile strength was not found. The reinforcement fraction and matrix strength appear to play an important role in influencing the behavior of the composite under hardness and tensile loading conditions. The different loading modes of the tensile test compared to the hardness test, along with the local increase in particle concentration directly underneath the indenter during indentation, result in a significant overestimation of the tensile strength by the hardness test, especially when the matrix strength is relatively low.
Investigation of Microphysical Parameterizations of Snow and Ice in Arctic Clouds during M-PACE through Model–Observation Comparisons

In this study the Weather Research Forecast model is used with 1-km horizontal grid spacing to investigate the microphysical properties of Arctic mixed-phase stratocumulus. Intensive measurements taken during the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE) on the North Slope of Alaska, during 9‐12 October 2004, are used to verify the microphysical characteristics of the model’s simulation of mixed-phase clouds (MPCs). A series of one- and two-moment bulk microphysical cloud schemes are tested to identify how the treatment of snow and ice affects the maintenance of cloud liquid water at low temperatures. The baseline two-moment simulation results in realistic liquid water paths and in size distributions of snow reasonably similar to observations. With a one-moment simulation for which the size distribution intercept parameter for snow is fixed at values taken from the two-moment simulation, reasonable snow size distributions are again obtained but the cloud liquid water is reduced because the one-moment scheme couples the number concentration to the mixing ratio. The one-moment scheme with the constant snow intercept parameter set to a value typical of midlatitude frontal clouds results in a substantial underprediction of the liquid water path. In the simulations, the number concentration of small ice crystals is found to be underestimated by an order of magnitude. A sensitivity test with the concentration of ice particles larger than 53 mm increased to the observed value results in underprediction of the liquid water path. If ice (not snow) is the primary driver for the depletion of cloud liquid water, then the results of this study suggest that the feedbacks among ice‐snow‐cloud liquid water may be misrepresented in the model.
Removal of deslorelin (Ovuplant) implant 48 h after administration results in normal interovulatory intervals in mares.

Abstract Deslorelin implants, approved for use in inducing ovulation in mares, have been associated with prolonged interovulatory intervals in some mares. Administration of prostaglandins in the diestrous period, following a deslorelin-induced ovulation, has been reported to increase the incidence of delayed ovulations. The goals of the present study were: (1) to determine the percentage of mares given deslorelin that experience delayed ovulations with or without subsequent prostaglandin treatment, and (2) to determine if removal of the implant 48 h after administration would effect the interval to subsequent ovulation. We considered interovulatory intervals to be prolonged if they were greater than the mean±2 standard deviation (S.D.) of the control group in study 1 and the hCG group in study 2. In study 1, we retrospectively reviewed reproduction records for 278 mares. We either allowed the mare to ovulate spontaneously or induced ovulation using deslorelin acetate implants or hCG. We administered prostaglandin intramuscularly, 5–9 days after ovulation in selected mares in each group. A higher percentage of mares which were induced to ovulate with deslorelin and given prostaglandins had a prolonged interovulatory interval (23.5%; n=16), as compared to deslorelin-treated mares that did not receive prostaglandins (11.1%; n=5). In study 2, we induced ovulation in mares with hCG (n=47), a subcutaneous deslorelin implant via an implanting device provided by the manufacturer (n=28), or a deslorelin implant via an incision in the neck (n=43) and we removed the implant 48 h after administration. We administered prostaglandin to all mares 5–9 days after ovulation. In study 2, mares from which the implant was removed had a normal ovulation rate and none had a prolonged interval to ovulation. Administration of prostaglandin after deslorelin treatment was associated with a longer interval from luteolysis to ovulation than that found in mares not treated with deslorelin. Prostaglandin administration during diestrus may have exacerbated the increased interval to ovulation in deslorelin-treated mares. We hypothesize that prolonged secretion of deslorelin from the implant was responsible for the extended interovulatory intervals.
Forecasting transboundary river water elevations from space

Over 90% of Bangladesh's surface water is generated upstream of its border, yet no real-time information is shared by India (the upstream country) with respect to two major transboundary rivers, the Ganges and Brahmaputra. This constraint limits operational forecasts of river states inside Bangladesh to lead times of no more than three days. Topex/Poseidon satellite altimetry measurements of water levels in India, combined with in-situ measurements inside Bangladesh allow extension of this lead time. We show that for both rivers, it is practically feasible to forecast water elevation anomalies during the critical monsoon season (June to September) near the Bangladesh border with an RMSE of about 0.40 m for lead times up to 5-days. Longer 10-day forecasts have higher errors (RMSE between 0.60 m and 0.80 m) but still provide useful information for operational applications. These results demonstrate the tremendous potential of satellite altimetry for transboundary river management.
Carbon, nitrogen, and carbohydrate fluxes during the production of particulate and dissolved organic matter by marine phytoplankton

Although the principal source of marine organic matter is phytoplankton, experimental data on carbon and nitrogen mass balance during their growth cycle are lacking. Phytoplankton from diverse taxonomic groups (Synechococcus bacillaris, Phaeocystis sp., Emiliania huxleyi, Skeletonema costatum) were grown in synthetic seawater media, and changes in particulate and dissolved carbon, nitrogen, and carbohydrates were followed for 14 d. There was a close molar balance between dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) uptake and total organic carbon (TOC) production in all phytoplankton except Emiliania, which synthesizes carbonate-containing coccoliths. Rates of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) production during phytoplankton growth ranged from 5 to 13 FM DOC d-l (O.Ol0.06 pmol DOC pM cell C-l d-l) and constituted a substantial (10-3256) fraction of TOC production. The carbohydrate content of both the particulate and dissolved pools increased over the growth cycle and constituted 1845% and 26-80% of TOC, respectively. The dissolved carbohydrate pool was predominantly composed of polysaccharides (70-94%). Despite some species-specific variability, phytoplankton cellular (particulate) and extracellular (dissolved) organic matter C: N ratios did not deviate far from Redfield values. However, phytoplankton synthesized compositionally distinct pools of high molecular weight dissolved organic matter (> 1,000 Da, average