cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nasal inspiratory flow after the cold pressor test in normal subjects, non-allergic rhinitis and allergic rhinitis☆

Abstract Rationale Normally nasal resistance decreases when an extremity is exposed to cold water (i.e. cold pressor test). This is due to an increase in sympathetic output leading to vasoconstriction of the nasal blood vessels. In non-allergic rhinitis (NAR), the pressor test results in an increase in nasal airway resistance. This “paradoxical response” was measured using rhinomanometry. We investigated whether this finding could be reproduced with the In-Check® nasal inspiratory flow meter (Clement-Clarke International), which measures peak nasal inspiratory flow (NIF). Methods We studied 109 subjects. Based on history and aeroallergens skin test reactivity, 43 were normal (NL) subjects, 35 had allergic rhinitis (AR) and 31 had non-allergic rhinitis (NAR). NIF was recorded at baseline and after the subject's feet were immersed in cold water (16 −19°C). Results One minute after immersion, the mean NIF decreased 15% in NAR (indicating a rise in nasal resistance), but increased 15% and 9% respectively in AR and NL. Using Student's t-test, the p values are as follows: NAR vs. AR p=8.6E-08, NAR vs. NL p=3.27E-06, and AR vs. NL p=0.11. Conclusions Our data confirm that patients with NAR have a statistically significant increase in nasal resistance with the cold pressor test. We demonstrated that this change could be detected with a relatively inexpensive meter that measures nasal inspiratory flow
An efficient computational technique for generalized application of maximum likelihood to improve correlation of experimental data

Abstract A practical systematic approach is presented for extending application of the maximum likelihood criterion to obtain optimum correlations of experimental data without requiring the usual very restrictive assumptions: Gaussian response error dispersion, plus pre-known error or specially structured error relationships. Two examples are described: one illustrates non-linear correlation with unknown measurement errors in both dependent and independent variables; in the other, distortion of correlation due to ahigh incidence of ‘outlier’ response values is virtually eliminated by use of a generalized non-Gaussian error dispersion form.
Continuous-time global computer vision with analog, specialized, and interacting neural networks

Abstract Traditional computer vision considers early vision as an “inverse optics” problem and tries to invert projective and radiometric equations. It postulates independent modules and uses constraint satisfaction techniques within each module to obtain the desired inverse. We outline the shortcomings of these approaches and discuss how neural networks can overcome them. We review relevant findings from neurophysiology and psychophysics and indicate how they have been incorporated into neural network models. In particular, we stress massive parallelism, nonalgorithmic analog behavior, attention, goal-directed behavior, habituation, sensitization, self-organization, and local and global processing properties of neural networks as key elements to analyze visual inputs in nonstationary environments.
Eating disorders in female athletes.

Questions and concerns about the prevalence of eating disorders in female athletes have come about as part of a growing awareness over the last 10 to 15 years that these disorders are not rare, and they can have long-lasting physical and psychological ramifications (Tolstrup et al. 1985). Adolescent girls and women living in societies in which extremely thin bodyweight ideals for females are evident and unhealthy and often severely restrictive dieting occurs are at risk for the development of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Thus, the occurrence of eating disorders in female athletes may be simply a reflection of a more general cultural problem relevant primarily to females, and evident in affluent societies in which food is plentiful. In addition, disordered eating practices in female athletes may be encouraged in particular sports in which low bodyweight is viewed as enhancing optimal performance. This paper presents a review of the research examining unhealthy dieting practices and attitudes about one's body in female athletes, and attempts to differentiate between more normative concerns about weight and body image in Western cultures, and the symptoms of a diagnosable eating disorder.
Semi-Implicit Runge-Kutta Schemes for non-autonomous differential equations in reactive flow computations

AIAA, Fluid Dynamics Conference, 27th, New Orleans, LA, June 17-20, 1996 This paper is concerned with time-stepping numerical methods for computing stiff semi-discrete systems of ordinary differential equations for transient hypersonic flows with thermochemical nonequilibrium. The stiffness of the equations is mainly caused by the viscous flux terms across the boundary layers and by the source terms modeling finite-rate thermochemical processes. Implicit methods are needed to treat the stiff terms, while more efficient explicit methods can still be used for the nonstiff terms in the equations. For additively split autonomous differential equations in the form of u' = f(u) + g(u), three different semi-implicit Runge-Kutta methods have been derived and tested in previous papers, where f is treated by explicit Runge-Kutta methods and g is simultaneously treated by three implicit Runge-Kutta methods. The coefficients of up to third-order accuracy have been derived such that the methods are both high-order accurate and strongly A-stable for the implicit terms. However, these semi-implicit Runge-Kutta methods for the autonomous systems cannot be extended to non-autonomous systems of u' = f(t, u) + g(t, u) because of the coupling between the f and g terms in the split Runge-Kutta methods. In this paper, we derive and test three different semi-implicit Runge-Kutta schemes of up to third-order accuracy for the non-autonomous differential equations using the A-stability and accuracy conditions with four stages. The new schemes have been tested in computations of unsteady reactive flows with explicit time-dependent terms. (Author)
Analysis of mobility patterns for urban taxi cabs

This paper analyzes urban taxi mobility traces obtained from San Francisco Yellow cabs. The paper presents a rigorous analysis of taxi mobility pattern with the instantaneous velocity profile, spatio-temporal distribution, connectivity of vehicle communications, clustering, hotspots and other characteristics like trip duration and empty cruise interval. The empirical data analyses presented here can be a helpful resource for wireless researchers, government organizations, taxi companies and even for the drivers or passengers. While wireless researchers can estimate the capabilities and constraints of vehicular communication from connectivity and mobility patterns, government can plan and work on issues related to implementing proper DSRC infrastructure. Finally, taxi companies and drivers can benefit from maximizing the trip revenue and minimize empty cruise time though balanced loaddistribution and awareness of the hotspots.
Response to Letter by Mascitelli et al

Response: Dr Mascitelli and colleagues indicate that our exploratory analysis of the relative effects of high dose atorvastatin on secondary stroke prevention in men and women1 did not mention an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke with treatment. The stroke outcomes included all strokes (ischemic and hemorrhagic). It is not appropriate to perform analyses of subgroups of subgroups.2 Caution must always be used when conducting exploratory analyses.3 In this report, we appropriately tested for statistical interactions between treatment and gender for the SPARCL prespecified primary and secondary end points and found no statistical heterogeneity in the benefit of treatment. In …
Analysis and Control of Protein and Polypeptide Drugs

Abstract“We are now in a period of especially rapid progress in applied biology. Important useful advances have already occurred employing recombinant DNA and hybridomas. Synthetic human insulin is being sold commercially and other major pharmaceuticals for human and domestic animal care are being tested. Prospects are excellent that viral diseases soon will be conquered by use of interferon or vaccines.”
Structure of the has operon promoter and regulation of hyaluronic acid capsule expression in group A Streptococcus

Group A streptococcal strains vary widely in the amount of hyaluronic acid capsule they produce, although the has operon, which encodes the enzymes required for hyaluronic acid synthesis, is highly conserved. The three genes making up the has operon are transcribed from a single promoter located upstream of the first gene in the operon, hasA. To investigate transcriptional regulation of capsule synthesis, we studied the structure and function of the has operon promoter sequences from two strains of group A Streptococcus: a highly encapsulated M-type 18 strain and a poorly encapsulated M-type 3 strain. Transcriptional fusions of the has operon promoter to a promoterless chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene were constructed in a temperature-sensitive shuttle vector. The influence of promoter structure on has operon transcription was reflected by chloramphenicol acetyl transferase activity in cell lysates of Escherichia coli harbouring the recombinant plasmids and in group A Streptococcus after integration of the promoter fusions into the streptococcal chromosome. Fusions including as few as 12 nucleotides upstream from the −35 site of the has promoter exhibited full activity, indicating that sequences further upstream do not affect has gene transcription. A transcriptional fusion of the has promoter from the highly encapsulated M-type 18 strain was threefold more active than a similar construct from the poorly encapsulated M-type 3 strain. Analysis of the promoter sequences for the two strains revealed differences in three nucleotides in the −35, −10 spacer region of the promoter and in four nucleotides in the + 2 to + 8 positions relative to the start site of hasA transcription. To determine the relative importance of the two groups of nucleotide substitutions, chimeric promoter sequences were constructed in which either of the two clusters of variant nucleotides from the M18 has promoter was substituted for the corresponding positions in the M3 has promoter. Analysis of these chimeric promoter fusions showed that sequence changes in both regions influenced promoter strength. These results define the limits of cis-acting chromosomal sequences that influence transcription of the has operon and indicate that the fine structure of the promoter is an important determinant of capsule gene expression in group A Streptococcus.
Oral Mucosal Ulcers: Diagnosis and Management

Pain control, healing therapies and prevention strategies for oral ulcers are explored in this article.
Analytic, synthetic, abstracting, and word-class-defining aspects of verbal mother-child interactions

Phenomena of language teaching and learning in the course of verbal interactions between one mother and her daughter were analyzed. The daughter was between 18 and 27 months old during the recordings, and her utterance length ranged from 1,5 to 4,0 morphemes. Twenty hours of interactions were analyzed and the emphasis was placed upon sequential aspects and mathemagenic features of the conversations. It was demonstrated that the mother performs much analytic, synthetic, abstracting, and word-class-defining work during these verbal interactions. These maternal instructional activities seem to lead not only to the child's learning of language rules but also to her employment of the abstracting, analytical, and synthetic methodology. It is concluded that the main explanatory focus has to be on the mother in the attempts to explain language transmission and acquisition. Basic similarities to other instructional/skill training situations are suggested. Neither extraordinary complex cognitive nor innate linguistic capacities need to be assumed to explain the phenomena in question.
Prefrontal levels of 5-HIAA, but not dopamine, predict alcohol consumption in male Wistar rats following 6-OHDA lesions

To examine the effects of dopamine (DA) on alcohol consumption, male Wistar rats were subjected either to 6-OHDA lesions of the frontal cortex (MPFC) or to a sham lesion/no lesion. Following surgery, rats were trained to drink alcohol on a sucrose-fading paradigm over the course of 6 weeks, at the completion of which they consumed a solution of 3% sucrose/10% alcohol. Daily consumption of alcohol was computed for each rat. Animals were sacrificed and the MPFC, nucleus accumbens (NA), and ventral tegmentum (VTA) were removed. Levels of DA and its metabolites (i.e., HVA and DOPAC), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite (i.e., 5-HIAA) were measured for each brain region using HPLC with electrochemical detection. Post hoc analyses were run examining the relationship of DA and its metabolites, 5-HT and its metabolite (5-HIAA), and norepinephrine (NE) in the MPFC, NA, and VTA with alcohol consumption. The 6-OHDA lesions depleted DA to 74.5% of control levels in the MPFC, but did not significantly affect alcohol consumption. Post hoc analyses found that the "high" alcohol consumption group had significantly reduced levels of MPFC 5-HIAA in comparison to the "low" consumption group, but that there was no relationship of 5-HIAA levels in the VTA or NA to alcohol consumption. These findings suggest that MPFC DA is not critically involved in the regulation of alcohol consumption. They further suggest that MPFC serotonergic systems may play an important role in the regulation of alcohol consumption, although future experimentation directly manipulating 5-HT systems in the MPFC will be required to fully assess these findings.
Dynamic modeling and fuzzy augmented PI control of a high-rise building hot water heating system

Energy consumption of hot water heating (HWH) systems in high-rise buildings is a topic of considerable economic interest. In this study a dynamic model of a HWH system was developed and an intelligent fuzzy logic operating strategy was designed to improve energy efficiency of the system. Dynamic responses of temperature and water mass flow rate in the system were studied. Two types of boiler temperature set-point strategies, one based on average outdoor air temperature method and the other using a fuzzy augmented system, were explored and their performance was compared. From the simulation results it is shown that the strategy based on the fuzzy inference system saved boiler fuel consumption by about 10%.
Hyperhomocysteinemia in end-stage renal disease: Prevalence, etiology, and potential relationship to arteriosclerotic outcomes

The end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population requiring chronic maintenance dialysis or renal transplantation is growing at an exponential rate, with over 62,000 incident (newly developed ESRD) cases reported per year in the United States [1]. This patient population experiences an excess morbidity and mortality due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes [1—5]. Specifically, event rates for myocardial infarction and stroke are 5to 10-fold higher in ESRD versus general populations [1—5]. Traditional CVD risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension, glucose intolerance/diabetes, and dyslipidemia [6], despite their widespread prevalence [7], are relatively limited predictors of CVD-specific morbidity and mortality in the ESRD population [7—111. Wu [10], for example, reported that the two-year cumulative incidence of de novo coronary heart disease (CHD) in ESRD patients undergoing chronic peritoneal (18.0%) or hemodialysis (15.0%), exceeded the six-year cumulative incidence (12.7%) of de novo CHD among original Framingham Study cohort participants similarly free of baseline CHD, and frequency matched to the dialysis patients for prevalence of the established CVD risk factors. Recently, controlled evidence [12] has been provided that hyperhomocysteinemia, that is, elevated total plasma levels of the atherothrombotic sulfur amino acid homocysteine [13, 14], occurs more commonly than any of the traditional CVD risk factors in ESRD patients on maintenance dialysis. Initial follow-up data further suggest that the markedly elevated fasting plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) levels found in these dialysis-dependent ESRD patients contributes independently to their excess incidence of fatal and non-fatal CVD outcomes [15]. Confirmation of these prospective findings in more sizable ESRD cohorts is urgently required. This review will first place hyperhomocysteinemia in the context of the other established amino acid abnormalities characteristic of ESRD. What is known from studies of general and ESRD populations about the prevalence and pathogenesis of hyperhomocysteinemia will then be summarized, followed by discussions of the epidcmiological and experimental evidence linking hyper-
Hopping conduction in doped silicon: The apparent absence of quantum interference.

A negative magnetoconductance is found for insulating, uncompensated [ital n]-type Si:P and Si:As, uncompensated [ital p]-type Si:B, and compensated Si:P,B at temperatures between 1.6 and 4.2 K. The positive component expected for quantum interference in the hopping regime is absent or undetectably small in all these Si-based semiconductors even in magnetic fields as small as 200 G.
A STUDY OF INHIBITION OF CAROTENOID SYNTHESIS.

Abstract A Mycobacterium species that synthesizes carotenoids only after light stimulation has been used to study the inhibition of carotenoid synthesis by a variety of compounds. In addition to diphenylamine, which has been shown to inhibit carotenogenesis in many systems, benzophenone, acridine orange, methylene blue, neutral red, toluidine blue, proflavine, acridine, and 9,10-dihydroacridine were found to inhibit the formation of the more highly unsaturated carotenoids. In all instances phytofluene accumulated when the formation of the more highly unsaturated carotenoids was inhibited. Under conditions of high oxygen tension all of these compounds except diphenylamine and benzophenone no longer inhibit carotenogenesis. Molecular models show that the dihydro derivatives of the heterocyclic inhibitors, benzophenone, and diphenylamine have a close structural similarity to carotenoids in the region of subsequent dehydrogenation. It is postulated that these compounds bind with the carotenoid dehydrogenases, thereby inhibiting carotenogenesis.
Field properties of multiple coherently combined lasers

The coherent combination of several single-mode lasers can produce a field similar to that of a mode-locked laser but with more flexibility. The field for a quasi-monochromatic wave is considered a complex coherence-separable random process. The ensemble mean and covariance are determined for the case of a temporally stabilized amplitude and a temporal phase that, with appropriate assumptions, is a stationary, Gaussian random process. Mean fields are used throughout as the signals of interest. The Huygens-Fresnel principle is used to investigate the field properties in the Fraunhofer region for two cases. The first case is N beams superimposed with optical axes coincident. Range measurement precision is found to be proportional to 1/(N3Δf)1/2, where Δf is the frequency difference between adjacent lasers. Velocity measurement precision is found to be proportional to (NΔf3)1/2. The second case is N beams in a linear array. The far-field result is a scanning beam that in certain cases can be steered. An array of about 1000 lasers is needed for reasonably low sidelobes.
IQGAP1 Is a Component of Cdc42 Signaling to the Cytoskeleton

Abstract The Ras-GAP related protein IQGAP1 binds several proteins, including actin, calmodulin, E-cadherin and the Rho family GTPase Cdc42. To gain insight into its in vivo function, IQGAP1 was overexpressed in mammalian cells. Transfection of IQGAP1 significantly increased the levels of active, GTP-bound Cdc42, resulting in the formation of peripheral actin microspikes. By contrast, transfection of an IQGAP1 mutant lacking part of theGAP-related domain (IQGAP1ΔGRD) substantially decreased the amount of GTP-bound Cdc42 in cell lysates. Consistent with these findings, IQGAP1ΔGRD blocked Cdc42 function in cells that stably overexpress constitutively active Cdc42 and abrogated the effect of bradykinin on Cdc42. In cells transfected with IQGAP1ΔGRD, bradykinin was unable to activate Cdc42, translocate Cdc42 to the membrane fraction, or induce filopodia production. IQGAP1ΔGRD transfection altered cellular morphology, producing small, round cells that closely resemble Cdc42−/− cells. Some insight into the mechanism was provided by in vitroanalysis, which revealed that IQGAP1ΔGRD increased the intrinsic GTPase activity of Cdc42, thereby increasing the amount of inactive, GDP-bound Cdc42. These data imply that IQGAP1 has a crucial role in transducing Cdc42 signaling to the cytoskeleton.
Fluoxetine-Induced Tricyclic Toxicity: Extent and Duration

Combined fluoxetine-tricyclic medication has been recommended for patients who are partial responders or nonresponders to tricyclic medication alone. Three cases were encountered in which the addition of fluoxetine to tricyclic medication resulted in toxic, potentially dangerous elevations in tricyclic blood level, amounting to approximately 100-300% increases over recent tricyclic levels. In reducing the tricyclic dosage after fluoxetine, blood level decreases were behind dosage decreases; and blood level and dosage decreases were not well correlated with each other. Symptoms associated with toxic levels are described. Due to the long half-life of fluoxetine, such increases in tricyclic medication must be anticipated well in advance of initiating treatment with these two compounds. Based on these few cases, a procedure is tentatively recommended for patients on combined fluoxetine-tricyclic regimens, until such time as a definitive regimen can be developed.
Regulation of PCDH15 function in mechanosensory hair cells by alternative splicing of the cytoplasmic domain

Protocadherin 15 (PCDH15) is expressed in hair cells of the inner ear and in photoreceptors of the retina. Mutations in PCDH15 cause Usher Syndrome (deaf-blindness) and recessive deafness. In developing hair cells, PCDH15 localizes to extracellular linkages that connect the stereocilia and kinocilium into a bundle and regulate its morphogenesis. In mature hair cells, PCDH15 is a component of tip links, which gate mechanotransduction channels. PCDH15 is expressed in several isoforms differing in their cytoplasmic domains, suggesting that alternative splicing regulates PCDH15 function in hair cells. To test this model, we generated three mouse lines, each of which lacks one out of three prominent PCDH15 isoforms (CD1, CD2 and CD3). Surprisingly, mice lacking PCDH15-CD1 and PCDH15-CD3 form normal hair bundles and tip links and maintain hearing function. Tip links are also present in mice lacking PCDH15-CD2. However, PCDH15-CD2-deficient mice are deaf, lack kinociliary links and have abnormally polarized hair bundles. Planar cell polarity (PCP) proteins are distributed normally in the sensory epithelia of the mutants, suggesting that PCDH15-CD2 acts downstream of PCP components to control polarity. Despite the absence of kinociliary links, vestibular function is surprisingly intact in the PCDH15-CD2 mutants. Our findings reveal an essential role for PCDH15-CD2 in the formation of kinociliary links and hair bundle polarization, and show that several PCDH15 isoforms can function redundantly at tip links.
Serotonin mediated inhibition of episodic luteinizing hormone release during electrical stimulation of the arcuate nucleus in ovariectomized rats.

The possible involvement of serotonin (5HT) in mediating the inhibition of episodic LH release produced by electrical stimulation of the arcuate nucleus (ARH) of ovariectomized rats was investigated. Animals were pretreated with p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) an inhibitor of 5HT synthesis, or PCPA and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5 HTP). Unanesthetized, unrestrained rats were bled continuously through indwelling cannulae prior to the onset of stimulation, and bleeding continued for 3 h during which electrical stimulation was applied for one or two 60 min periods separated by a 60 min nonstimulation period. Whole blood was analyzed for LH by radioimmunoassay. Brain 5HT levels were determined in individual rats by a fluorometric method. PCPA caused a significant depletion in brain 5HT levels by 71 h. Administration of 30 or 120 mg/kg 5HTP to PCPA treated rats resulted, respectively, either in a restoration of normal brain 5HT levels, or a 3½-fold increase above controls. Although stimulation of the ARH inhibits episo...
Continuous, high-speed, volumetric photoacoustic microscopy via a field programmable gate array

The ability to collect data in real time is important in all biological imaging modalities that aim to image dynamic processes. Photoacoustic Microscopy (PAM) is a rapidly growing biomedical imaging technique that is often used to image microvasculature and melanoma, and is capable of fully rendering three-dimensional images. However, due to the bi-polar nature of the PAM signal, post processing through demodulation is required to accurately display morphological data. Typically, demodulation requires post processing of the data, limiting its use in real-time applications. This results in many PAM systems displaying data through maximum amplitude projection (MAP) images, completely ignoring the axial dimension of their scans and throwing away useful data. We overcome this processing limit by utilizing a configurable integrated circuit known as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The FPGA allows us to perform quadrature demodulation of the photoacoustic signal as it is being collected. The result is a PAM system capable of producing continuous, morphologically accurate B-scans and volumes at a rate limited only by the repetition rate of the laser. This allows us to generate accurately rendered volumes at the same speed as MAP images. With a 100 KHz actively q-switched laser we are able to generate 200 by 200 pixel b-scans at a rate of 500 Hz. The imaging potential of the system has been demonstrated in volumes of human hair phantoms and chick embryo vasculature. This system is capable of 50 x 50 x 50 volume stacks processed and displayed at better than video rate.
SNAREs, HOPS and regulatory lipids control the dynamics of vacuolar actin during homotypic fusion in S. cerevisiae

Homotypic vacuole fusion requires SNAREs, the Rab Ypt7p, the tethering complex HOPS, regulatory lipids and actin. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae , actin functions at two stages of vacuole fusion. Pre-existing actin filaments are depolymerized to allow docking and assembly of the vertex ring (a microdomain enriched in proteins and lipids that mediate fusion). Actin is then polymerized late in the pathway to aid fusion. Here, we report that the fusion machinery regulates the accumulation of actin at the vertex ring. Using Cy3-labeled yeast actin to track its dynamics, we found that its vertex enrichment was abolished when actin monomers were stabilized by latrunculin-B, independent of the extent of incorporation. By contrast, stabilization of filamentous actin with jasplakinolide markedly augmented actin vertex enrichment. Importantly, agents that inhibit SNAREs, Ypt7p and HOPS inhibited the vertex enrichment of actin, demonstrating that the cytoskeleton and the fusion machinery are interdependently regulated. Actin mobilization was also inhibited by ligating ergosterol and PtdIns(3) P , whereas the ligation or modification of PtdIns(4,5) P 2 augmented the vertex enrichment of actin. The proteins and lipids that regulated actin mobilization to the vertex did not affect the total incorporation of Cy3–actin, indicating that actin mobilization and polymerization activities can be dissociated during membrane fusion.
Effects of Added Egg White or Whey Protein Concentrate on Thermal Transitions in Rigidity of Croaker Surimi

Rigidities of surimi [refined minced fish (MF)] sols, alone and in combination with egg white (EW) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) were measured during constant-rate heating by a nondestructive technique. Each of the protein types tested showed measureable changes due to variation of the heating rate or NaCl concentration of the sol. Rigidity and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) thermograms for mixtures resembled composites of the individual protein source profiles, indicating that no major changes occurred in thermal gelling properties of the component proteins due to mixing. Maximum rigidity values indicated more favorable gelation of MF/WPC than MF/EW combinations.
Understanding Party Identification: A Social Identity Approach

Social identity theory holds that individuals derive their self-concept from knowledge of their membership in a group (or groups) and that they place value and emotional significance on that group membership, with resulting perceptual and attitudinal biases. Individuals favor the in-group to which they belong which they define against a relevant out-group. In this study, a partisan social identity scale was used to reinterpret perceptual features of partisanship through the lens of social identity theory. The social identity of political independents was also examined in an effort to explain the anomalous behavior and identity of partisan leaners. Social identity theory provided a viable alternative framework for understanding the common bipolarity of perceptions regarding the two major U.S. political parties. In addition, an independent social identification may, in part, explain the identity of partisan leaners.
Dopaminergic influences on swallowing.

Abstract Oropharyngeal twitch activity (OTA) exhibited spontaneously in the rat under urethane anaesthesia was compared with swallowing elicited reflexly by electrical stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) or intraoral injection of water. Deglutition was monitored by recording EMGs from muscles of the floor of the mouth, neck and pharynx, the oropharyngeal mechanogram and esophageal peristalsis. Not only was OTA indistinguishable from reflex swallowing, but either activity was also enhanced by l -DOPA, dopamine, apomorphine and (+)-amphetamine. During rapid swallowing bouts induced by intense SLN stimulation or drugs, the ratio buccopharyngeal:esophageal swallows exceeded unity. In iproniazid-pretreated rats, l -DOPA produced myocloniform changes in buccopharyngeal deglutitivc activity. When salivation was prevented by extirpation of the salivary glands, dopamine injected systemically produced only inhibitory effects on swallowing; however, L-DOPA continued to exert excitatory effects. In conclusion, this data implicate a central dopaminergic mechanism in the initiation and facilitation of spontaneous and reflex swallowing.
UASNTR functioning in combination with other UAS elements underlies exceptional patterns of nitrogen regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

UASNTR, the UAS responsible for nitrogen catabolite repression-sensitive transcriptional activation of many nitrogen catabolic genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been previously thought to operate only as a pair of closely related dodecanucleotide sites each containing the sequence GATAA at its core. Here we show that a single UASNTR site is also able to combine with another unrelated cis-acting element to mediate transcription as well. In one instance the unrelated cis-acting element was TTTGTTTAC situated upstream of GLN1, while in another the cis-acting element was the one previously shown to bind the PUT3 protein. When a UASNTR site functions in combination with an unrelated site, the regulatory responses observed are a hybrid consisting of characteristics derived from both the UASNTR site and the unrelated site as well. These observations resolve several significant inconsistencies that have plagued studies focused on elucidation of the mechanisms involved in the global regulation of nitrogen catabolism.
A new method for solving the inverse scattering problem for acoustic waves in an inhomogeneous medium

A new method is presented for solving the inverse scattering problem of determining the speed of sound in an inhomogeneous medium from the far-field data. If F(x; k, alpha ) are the far-field data corresponding to an incident plane wave with wavenumber k moving in the direction alpha and Flambda (x; k, alpha ) are the far-field data for a ball Omega 0 containing the inhomogeneous region and satisfying an impedance boundary condition on delta Omega 0, then this new method is based on determining a function g in L2( delta Omega ), where delta Omega is the unit sphere. This approach eliminates the problem of transmission eigenvalues that was inherent in the authors' previous work on this problem.
Differing ways, Dao and Weg : Comparative, metaphysical, and methodological considerations in Heidegger’s “Aus einem Gespräch von der Sprache”

This paper critically examines Heidegger’s 1959 dialogue, A Conversation from [von] Language – Between a Japanese and an Inquirer, across three distinct levels: as (1) a cross-cultural comparative exchange, (2) a meta-philosophical/ontological analysis of the fundamental relation between language and thought, and (3) a methodological inquiry into the phenomenology and hermeneutics of conversation. Despite the problematic nature of Heidegger’s explicit comparative engagement, I contend that his questioning of the possibility of “a conversation from house to house” provides a substantial clarification of the meta-philosophical difficulties inherent in comparative and cross-cultural philosophy. At the same time, his thinking with respect to hermeneutics provides a methodological clue to the possibility of and the normative conditions for understanding across such cultural differences.
Guanosine-5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate-mediated stimulation of phosphoinositidase C in solubilized rat peripheral nerve myelin and its alteration in streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

The regulation of phosphoinositidase C (PIC) activity by guanosine-5′-(3-O-thio)triphosphate (GTPγgMS) was characterized in a cholate-solubilized peripheral myelin-enriched fraction from rat sciatic nerve. The GTP analog maximally enhanced PIC-catalyzed hydrolysis of exogenous phosphatidylinositol-4,-5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in a dose-dependent manner only within a narrow range of cholate concentrations. Maximal stimulation was attained at 0.6 μM GTPγS and could be completely prevented by 1 μM guanosine-5′-(2-O-thio)diphosphate. Neither adenylyl-imidodiphosphate nor adenosine triphosphate (ATP) enhanced PIC activity. Carbamoylcholine (1 mM)added together with GTPγS increased the extent of PIP2 hydrolysis over that elicited by GTPγ increased the extent of PIP2 hydrolysis over that elicited by GTPγS alone and this stimulation was blocked by the muscarinic receptor antagonist, atropine (50 μM). In detergent solubilized myelin preparations from streptozotocin induced diabetic rats, a higher concentration of the guanine nucleotide analogn was required to achieve stimulation comparable to that obtained with corresponding preparations from normal animals. These results suggest that sciatic nerve myelin possesses muscarinic receptors coupled via a GTP-binding protein to PIC and that this system can be reconstituted in detergent-solubilized extracts. It is possible that the function of G Proteins in cell signaling is impaired in experimental diabetic neuropathy. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Piezo- and thermo-optical properties of Bi 12 GeO 20 , I. Optical rotatory dispersion*

An exhaustive study of the optical properties of Bi12GeO20 has been undertaken. In this paper the dependence of the optical rotatory dispersion ϕ(λ) (between 3600 and 6500 A) on pressure (0.001 to 2.75 kbar) and temperature (20 to 200°C) is reported and studied in terms of model theories of Drude, Chandrasekhar, Agranovich, and Vysin. It is shown that all of these experimental data can be explained equally well by all of these models. Hence, additional data, such as the dispersion of the refractive index and its variation with pressure and temperature, are necessary before any choice can be made of the type of dispersion relation that best describes the optical properties of this material.
Transition from Fowler-Nordheim field emission to space charge limited current density

The Fowler-Nordheim law gives the current density extracted from a surface under strong fields, by treating the emission of electrons from a metal-vacuum interface in the presence of an electric field normal to the surface as a quantum mechanical tunneling process. Child’s law predicts the maximum transmitted current density by considering the space charge effect. When the electric field becomes high enough, the emitted current density will be limited by Child’s law. This work analyzes the transition of the transmitted current density from the Fowler-Nordheim law to Child’s law space charge limit using a one-dimensional particle-in-cell code. Also studied is the response of the emission model to strong electric fields near the transition point. We find the transition without geometrical effort is smooth and much slower than reported previously [J. P. Barbour, W. W. Dolan, J. K. Trolan, E. E. Martin, and W. P. Dyke, Phys. Rev. 92, 45 (1953)]. We analyze the effects of geometric field enhancement and work f...
Computational model of a Hall thruster

Correctly modelling the transverse electron mobility is a principle difficulty in computational modelling of Hall thrusters. A 2D hybrid PIC-MCC model is used to test two different electron mobility models. The two models, one based on Bohm diffusion and the other on electron-wall collisions, are applied to two different Hall thrusters (SPT-100 and UM/AFRL P5). Preliminary results are presented and compared with experimental results.
Do Exercise Motives Predict Obligatory Exercise

Few studies have examined whether factors predicting obligatory exercise differ by gender. 303 participants completed the Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire and the Reason for Exercise Inventory. All variables correlated significantly. However, the correlation between exercising for fitness and obligatory exercise was significantly stronger in women than men. In women, obligatory exercise was predicted by exercising to improve body tone, fitness, and to enhance mood; in men, obligatory exercise was predicted by exercising to improve body tone, enjoyment, and perceived attractiveness. Implications for treatment are discussed.
The effect of pH and viscosity on bovine spermatozoa motility under controlled conditions

Infertility in a large proportion of infertile couples is due, in part, to the male factor. Spermatozoa must survive the unique environment of the female reproductive tract in their path to fertilize the ovum. This fact is even more problematic for men with oligospermia. Of the many environmental factors that effect sperm motility in the female reproductive tract, we have decided to concentrate on the effect of pH and viscosity on bovine spermatozoa in the laboratory setting. Follicular fluid was harvested from heifer ovaries to serve as a chemo-attractant. Through image analysis, our data shows trends of sperm motility as a function of pH and viscosity. There is a significant increase in the number of immotile sperm seen as pH decreases from 6.5 to 6.0. Furthermore, an exponential relationship between sperm speed and environmental viscosity was observed in vitro. This suggests that modulating vaginal pH and vaginal secretion viscosity could greatly affect spermatozoa motility and therefore male fertility.
OXIDATIVE STRESS MEDIATES MONOCROTALINE-INDUCED ALTERATIONS IN TENASCIN EXPRESSION IN PULMONARY ARTERY ENDOTHELIAL CELLS

Oxidative stress may be involved in monocrotaline (MCT)-induced endothelial cell injury and upregulation of extracellular matrix proteins in the pulmonary vasculature. To test this hypothesis, cytotoxicity, expression and distribution of tenascin (TN) as well as cellular oxidation were determined in porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) exposed to MCT and/or to an oxygen radical scavenger, dimethylthiourea (DMTU). Relative to controls, treatment with 2.5 mM MCT for 24 hr produced cytotoxicity as evidenced by changes in cellular morphology, cell detachment, hypertrophy, reduction in cellular proliferation and severe cytoplasmic vacuolization. Parallel studies showed that MCT markedly altered the expression and distribution of TN in PAEC as determined by immunocytochemistry. Western analysis showed that MCT increased cellular TN content and promoted the appearance of an additional, smaller TN isoform. Northern analysis demonstrated an increase in the steady-state level of TN-specific mRNA in response to MCT treatment. Exposure to MCT also increased the synthesis of cell-associated and media-associated TN as determined by immunoprecipitation. In addition, MCT increased the intensity of cellular oxidative stress as measured by 2,7-dichlorofluorescein fluorescence. Co-treatment with DMTU prevented MCT-induced cytotoxicity, alterations in TN distribution and content, and reduced the increase in DCF fluorescence. These results suggest that MCT-induced cytotoxicity and upregulation of TN are mediated, at least in part, by induction of cellular oxidative stress.
Ph.D.'s, come out of the closet!

A close friend of mine—I promised not to use his name, so let's call him Fisher—has a secret. It is a secret I also held when I was a graduate student. It's likely that it is also kept by many of the science Ph.D. candidates you know. If you promise not to tell Fisher's Ph.D. adviser (or mine),
Decomposition algorithms for maximizing the lifetime of wireless sensor networks with mobile sinks

We address the problem of maximizing the lifetime of a wireless sensor network with energy-constrained sensors and a mobile sink. The sink travels among discrete locations to gather information from all the sensors. Data can be relayed among sensors and then to the sink location, as long as the sensors and the sink are within a certain threshold distance of each other. However, sending information along a data link consumes energy at both the sender and the receiver nodes. A vital problem that arises is to prescribe sink stop durations and data flow patterns that maximally prolong the life of the network, defined as the amount of time until any node exhausts its energy. We describe linear programming and column generation approaches for this problem, and also for a version in which data can be delayed in its transmission to the sink. Our column generation approach exploits special structures of the linear programming formulations so that all subproblems are shortest path problems with non-negative costs. Computational results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithms.
Prediction of flowering rose shoot development based on air temperature and thermal units

Abstract Developmental events of rose shoots were observed on Rosa hybrida ‘Cara Mia’ plants under a wide range of air temperature and light conditions. The dates of occurrence of ‘bud break’, the unfolding of each leaf, the occurrence of ‘visible flower bud’, and suitability for harvest were observed for 152 shoots while hourly averages of air temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) were recorded continuously. Temperature affected the rate of rose shoot development while mean daily integrated PPFD levels did not. Thermal units (heat units) were computed and found to be suitable for tracking most phases of rose crop development. The base temperature, needed for computing thermal units, was found to be 5.2°C. While the duration of the phase from cutting to bud break could not be predicted reliably using thermal units, the duration from bud break to either visible bud or harvest was predicted reasonably well. The thermal units were 260 ± 30 and 545 ± 45°C day, respectively. The occurrence of unfolding of each leaf was also found to occur at specific thermal unit thresholds.
Nurturing Whole Person Development and Leadership Through Narrative

The role of higher education is expanding. Increasing evidence points to the need to teach the whole person, both cognitively and affectively, in order to cultivate responsible individuals who are able to contribute to society in productive and ethical ways. To do this successfully, methods and curricula must be designed to develop students intellectually (information, skills, and analytic abilities), and emotionally (values consciousness, self-awareness, and social-awareness). Emotional intelligence, in particular, has become strongly identified as a core competency for effective leadership (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002). If education endeavors to produce leading professionals, then what is the role of design education in developing the person behind the professional? This paper explores how narratives (stories) might be used in design education to nurture whole person development and, in so doing, deliver a professional better equipped emotionally and intellectually to handle change and assume leadership within the profession. This paper presents a specific application of narrative (storytelling) to a senior design studio as a way of cultivating a more reflective practitioner. Senior interior design students (from two consecutive studio years) were asked to read the strategic story entitled, “Beneath the Surface” (Danko, 2000) and reflect on it through a formal, written assignment. The learning objective was to deepen the students' understanding of the role of design in daily life and enhance their competencies as practitioners particularly with respect to design process and interpersonal communication. An analysis of the student responses suggests that the narrative nurtured not only an intellectual understanding of design and design process, but also emotional development. Student responses were not only rational and analytical, but personal and reflective. More importantly, the emotional development evidenced focused on issues of self-awareness and social-awareness, two critical leadership competencies associated with Goleman's (1995) theory of emotionally intelligent leadership.
Raising the health status of adolescents.

K w w a t t tanding before you today, I feel energized, privieged and humbled, not because I am about to ecome President of a huge and powerful organizaion, but because I am about to become President of he only national organization committed solely to mproving the health and raising the health status of dolescents. Our organization and its members, from ver 30 countries, not only have the potential to make difference, but I believe we have the responsibility. I m referring to each of us in this room, and others ho couldn’t make it here today, who have dediated our careers in some way to adolescent health. here are 40 million adolescents in the United States, nd many millions more around the globe, and very ew of us; so our words must be clear, our voices loud, ur efforts focused to let people know about the ealth care needs of young people, that there is such thing as adolescent medicine and health, what it is e do, each of us in a different way and in a different lace, to meet the array of complex and intriguing eeds of pre-teens, adolescents and young adults, in his country and around the world. Starting this fall, SAM is introducing a double late format for election of President and members of he Board of Directors. You will learn about the andidates and their visions in advance. Since I have een fortunate to escape such scrutiny, I feel it is my bligation, before anything else, to share with SAM embers something about the person about to beome your President and how it came to be that she s standing here today. So I am going to tell you a few tories about myself, a few stories about SAM, and hen try to explain why SAM and I have come ogether on this auspicious occasion.