cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
State Government Preemption of Local Government Decisions Through the State Courts

What factors are associated with state government preemption of local government policies? This research asks whether state courts limit local authority in areas in which local preferences differ f...
TGF-β Regulates Reciprocal Differentiation of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + Regulatory T Cells and IL-17-Producing Th17 Cells from Naïve CD4 + CD25 – T Cells

CD4+CD25+ T cells expressing forkhead transcription factor Foxp3 are recognized as professional regulatory T cells (Tregs) and are instrumental in the induction and maintenance of immune tolerance. In addition to their development intrathymically, CD4+ CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs may also be converted extrathymically from CD4+CD25– naive T cells through induction of Foxp3 by transforming growth factor–beta (TGF-β). Most recently, an interleukin-17 (IL-17)-producing pro-inflammatory T helper (Th) subset, designated Th17, has been identified. Unexpectedly, the differentiation of Th17 cells from CD4+CD25– naive T cells also requires TGF-β, but in the presence of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). The transcription factor that programs and directs Th17 cell differentiation includes retinoic-acid-related orphan receptor-γt (RORrt), which is induced by the combined signals from both IL-6 and TGF-β engagement. This chapter attempts to highlight the discovery and development of the TGF-β reciprocal regulation of Tregs and Th17 cells.
Human Bartonellosis: An Underappreciated Public Health Problem?

Bartonella spp. bacteria can be found around the globe and are the causative agents of multiple human diseases. The most well-known infection is called cat-scratch disease, which causes mild lymphadenopathy and fever. As our knowledge of these bacteria grows, new presentations of the disease have been recognized, with serious manifestations. Not only has more severe disease been associated with these bacteria but also Bartonella species have been discovered in a wide range of mammals, and the pathogens’ DNA can be found in multiple vectors. This review will focus on some common mammalian reservoirs as well as the suspected vectors in relation to the disease transmission and prevalence. Understanding the complex interactions between these bacteria, their vectors, and their reservoirs, as well as the breadth of infection by Bartonella around the world will help to assess the impact of Bartonellosis on public health.
Power, Sex, and Detection in Tarun Tejpal’s The Story of My Assassins

AbstractThrough its repeated references to William S. Burroughs’s Naked Lunch Tarun Tejpal’s The Story of My Assassins announces a close textual kinship to this earlier work, one that plays out in ...
Modeling and Precision Motion Control of Dexterous Object In-Hand Rotation

This paper presents the modeling and precision motion control of an important class of dexterous object in-hand rotation by three-fingered robot hand. First, we explicitly construct the planar friction model between the fingertip and the object. Then, to precisely regulate the object angle to its desired value while minimizing the deviation of the object center with respect to the fingertip, we propose a novel hybrid control structure consisting of two modules - regular tracking control module and the motion re-planning module. The proposed approach naturally mimics the human motor behavior when rotating an object to a desired angle by pushing and re-positioning the fingers. Finally, a simulation study is also performed by using a high-fidelity virtual physics engine “MuJoCo” to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
The Moderating Role of the Tendency to Blame Others in the Development of Perceived Addiction, Shame, and Depression in Pornography Users

In an extension of previous research on pornography users and their disapproval of their own use, support was found for a moderated mediation model in which the relationship between moral disapprov...
Can Land Use Regulation Be Smarter? Planners’ Role in the Informal Housing Challenge:

Persistent urbanization is challenging planners to reimagine the absorptive capacities of cities. While more and more city dwellers respond to the challenge with informal solutions, policy and plan...
Population Pharmacokinetics of Ruxolitinib in Patients with aGVHD Who Had an Inadequate Response to Corticosteroids

Background: Jakafi® (ruxolitinib) is currently approved for the treatment of adult patients with intermediate- and high-risk myelofibrosis (MF) and for the treatment of adult patients with polycythemia vera (PV) who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant to hydroxyurea. A prospective, open-label, single-cohort, Phase 2 study (REACH1) was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Jakafi® (ruxolitinib) in patients with acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) who have had an inadequate response to corticosteroids. A population PK analysis was employed to characterize the PK of ruxolitinib in this patient population. Patients and Methods: REACH1, Study INCB 18424-251, and COMFORT-I are the 3 studies supporting the population PK of ruxolitinib; the first study is in participants with aGVHD who have had an inadequate response to corticosteroids, and the other 2 studies are in participants with MF. First, the final PK model for ruxolitinib in patients with MF was applied to the data in patients with MF and aGVHD. When significant biases were observed in this validation process, new population PK models were developed based on the pooled data. The accuracy and robustness of the final population PK model were assessed using a predictive check method. Results: An under-prediction bias was observed at the population level when existing PK model in MF was applied to pooled data in patients with MF and aGVHD. A new model was developed to account for the under prediction bias at the population level. The final population PK model for ruxolitinib was a 2 compartment disposition model with first order absorption, absorption lag time, and linear elimination. Body weight and gender were significant predictors of the volume of distribution of the central compartment and oral clearance, respectively. Patients with aGVHD showed lower oral clearance (66.7%) and slower rate of absorption (~28%) than that in patients with MF. The stage of liver involvement in GVHD and use of moderate or potent CYP3A4 inhibitors were identified as covariates for ruxolitinib CL. Conclusion: The population PK analysis supports the proposed dose regimen in patients with aGVHD who had an inadequate response to corticosteroids as well as dose recommendations for DDI and subjects with organ dysfunction. Disclosures Chen: Incyte Research Institute: Employment. Liu: Incyte Research Institute: Employment. Wang: Incyte Research Institute: Employment. Yeleswaram: Incyte Research Institute: Employment.
Neural Mechanisms of Social and Nonsocial Reward Prediction Errors in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired predictive abilities; however, the neural mechanisms subsuming reward prediction errors in ASD are poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated neural responses during social and nonsocial reward prediction errors in 22 adolescents with ASD (ages 12-17) and 20 typically developing control adolescents (ages 12-18). Participants performed a reward prediction error task using both social (i.e., faces) and nonsocial (i.e., objects) rewards during a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Reward prediction errors were defined in two ways: (a) the signed prediction error, the difference between the experienced and expected reward; and (b) the thresholded unsigned prediction error, the difference between expected and unexpected outcomes regardless of magnitude. During social reward prediction errors, the ASD group demonstrated the following differences relative to the TD group: (a) signed prediction error: decreased activation in the right precentral gyrus and increased activation in the right frontal pole; and (b) thresholded unsigned prediction error: increased activation in the right anterior cingulate gyrus and bilateral precentral gyrus. Groups did not differ in brain activation during nonsocial reward prediction errors. Within the ASD group, exploratory analyses revealed that reaction times and social-communication impairments were related to precentral gyrus activation during social prediction errors. These findings elucidate the neural mechanisms of social reward prediction errors in ASD and suggest that ASD is characterized by greater neural atypicalities during social, relative to nonsocial, reward prediction errors in ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 715-728. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: We used brain imaging to evaluate differences in brain activation in adolescents with autism while they performed tasks that involved learning about social and nonsocial information. We found no differences in brain responses during the nonsocial condition, but differences during the social condition of the learning task. This study provides evidence that autism may involve different patterns of brain activation when learning about social information.
Traditional Versus Big-Data Based Fashion Trend Forecasting: An Examination Using WGSN and EDITED

The purpose of this empirical study is to compare the similarities and differences of the results of traditional human-based fashion trend forecasts with the ones generated by big data. The result confirms the overall feasibility and great potential of using big-data tools to forecast fashion trend as a creative activity. Second, the findings suggest that big-data tools have the strengths in forecasting color and apparel pattern, but may not be most effective in predicting design details, which seem to be shaped by more unpredictable and complex factors.
Placement and Integration of Pathophysiology, Anatomy, and Physiology Within the Doctor of Pharmacy Curriculum.

Objective. To examine the placement of pathophysiology, anatomy, and physiology within the curricula of US pharmacy schools and colleges for variations in program length, prerequisites, institution type, geographic region, and establishment date. Methods. The websites of 146 pharmacy programs were examined for information related to pathophysiology, anatomy, and physiology courses and instruction. Eight programs listed uninterpretable or incomplete website data and were excluded, producing a final sample size of 138 programs. Data were analyzed to determine differences in curricular placement, credit hours, and integration. Results. The majority (65.3%) of pathophysiology courses were incorporated into the curriculum by integration, while some (14.5%) had both stand-alone and integrated pathophysiology courses. The remaining programs (20.2%) had stand-alone pathophysiology courses only. Of those with stand-alone pathophysiology courses, the mean number of credit hours was 5. Most programs (76.1%) required anatomy and/or physiology as a prerequisite or as part of the professional program, with significantly more public programs than private programs requiring it as a prerequisite (77.9% vs 48.6%). Conclusion. Pathophysiology is taught in diverse formats throughout US pharmacy schools, with the only consensus among programs being that it belongs in the professional curriculum. While the majority of programs teach pathophysiology as an integrated course, stand-alone courses are also common. There is also great diversity in the type of instruction used in anatomy and physiology courses. While every program requires students to complete anatomy and physiology courses, these are commonly taught as part of the professional curriculum or are prerequisites. Overall, there are few significant differences in the instruction of these subjects among US pharmacy schools.
The meiotic recombination landscape ofDrosophila virilisis robust to mitotic damage during hybrid dysgenesis

ABSTRACT Germline DNA damage is a double-edged sword. Programmed double-strand breaks establish the foundation for meiotic recombination and chromosome segregation. However, double-strand breaks also pose a significant challenge for genome stability. Because of this, meiotic double-strand break formation is tightly regulated. However, natural selection can favor selfish behavior in the germline and transposable elements can cause double-strand breaks independent of the carefully regulated meiotic process. To understand how the regulatory mechanisms of meiotic recombination accommodate unregulated transposition, we have characterized the female recombination landscape in a syndrome of hybrid dysgenesis in Drosophila virilis. In this system, a cross between two strains of D. virilis with divergent transposable element and piRNA profiles results in germline transposition of diverse transposable elements, reduced fertility, and male recombination. We sought to determine how increased transposition during hybrid dysgenesis might perturb the meiotic recombination landscape. Our results show that the overall frequency and distribution of meiotic recombination is extremely robust to germline transposable element activation. However, we also find that hybrid dysgenesis can result in mitotic recombination within the female germline. Overall, these results show that landscape of meiotic recombination may be insensitive to the DNA damage caused by transposition during early development.
Cardiac involvement in sarcoidosis.

Cardiac sarcoidosis is a challenging diagnostic entity. Manifestations range from an incidentally discovered, benign condition to fatal cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias. In this review, we discuss the salient clinical features, diagnostic evaluation, treatment, and prognosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. A definitive histologic diagnosis of myocardial sarcoidosis is difficult, and treatment may be necessary in some patients with suspected cardiac involvement even in the absence of histologic confirmation. Optimal strategies to diagnose cardiac involvement have not been clarified. Thallium (201) radionuclide scintigraphy has been most extensively studied; 2-D echocardiography is less sensitive, but may have a complementary role. Additional radionuclide techniques (e.g., gallium (67) or technetium (99) ) may have a role in complex cases. Given the life-threatening nature of cardiac involvement, prompt and aggressive treatment with corticosteroids or immunosuppressive agents, or both, is warranted. Long-term, possibly lifelong, therapy may be required. Serious, recurrent tachyarrhythmias may require implantation of an automatic cardioverter-defibrillator. Recognizing cardiac sarcoidosis and selecting a sensible management strategy remain the major obstacles facing clinicians.
Methods for intratumoral microdialysis probe targeting and validation in murine brain tumor models

Abstract Background Microdialysis is a well validated sampling technique that can be used for pharmacokinetic studies of oncological drugs targeting the central nervous system. This technique has also been applied to evaluate tumor metabolism and identify pharmacodynamic biomarkers of drug activity. Despite the potential utility of microdialysis for therapeutic discovery, variability in tumor size and location hamper routine use of microdialysis as a preclinical tool. Quantitative validation of microdialysis membrane location relative to radiographically evident tumor regions could facilitate rigorous preclinical studies. However, a widely accessible standardized workflow for preclinical catheter placement and validation is needed. New method We provide methods for a workflow to yield tailored placement of microdialysis probes within a murine intracranial tumor and illustrate in an IDH1-mutant patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model. This detailed workflow uses a freely available on-line tool built within 3D-slicer freeware to target microdialysis probe placement within the tumor core and validate probe placement fully within the tumor. Results We illustrate use of this workflow to validate microdialysis probe location relative to implanted IDH1-mutant PDXs, using the microdialysis probes to quantify levels of extracellular onco-metabolite D-2 hydroxyglutarate. Comparison with existing methods Previous methods have used 3D slicer to reliably measure tumor volumes. Prior microdialysis studies have targeted expected tumor locations without validation. Conclusions The new method offers a streamlined and freely available workflow in 3D slicer to optimize and validate microdialysis probe placement within a murine brain tumor.
Distribution-free Contextual Dynamic Pricing.

Contextual dynamic pricing aims to set personalized prices based on sequential interactions with customers. At each time period, a customer who is interested in purchasing a product comes to the platform. The customer's valuation for the product is a linear function of contexts, including product and customer features, plus some random market noise. The seller does not observe the customer's true valuation, but instead needs to learn the valuation by leveraging contextual information and historical binary purchase feedbacks. Existing models typically assume full or partial knowledge of the random noise distribution. In this paper, we consider contextual dynamic pricing with unknown random noise in the valuation model. Our distribution-free pricing policy learns both the contextual function and the market noise simultaneously. A key ingredient of our method is a novel perturbed linear bandit framework, where a modified linear upper confidence bound algorithm is proposed to balance the exploration of market noise and the exploitation of the current knowledge for better pricing. We establish the regret upper bound and a matching lower bound of our policy in the perturbed linear bandit framework and prove a sub-linear regret bound in the considered pricing problem. Finally, we demonstrate the superior performance of our policy on simulations and a real-life auto-loan dataset.
Dance-based exergaming on postural stability and kinematics in people with chronic stroke - A preliminary study.

INTRODUCTION The study evaluated the feasibility, and compliance of a dance-based exergaming (DBExG) on postural stability (PS) and lower extremity (LE) kinematics, along with post-intervention changes in gait function and falls self-efficacy in people with chronic stroke (PwCS). METHODS Fifteen PwCS underwent DBExG for six weeks using Kinect "Just Dance 3." Pre- to post- changes were recorded during DBExG assessment on a fast-paced song (130 bpm) using an 8-camera motion capture system to assess PS (center of mass [CoM] excursions [EXs] in the anterior-posterior [AP] and mediolateral [ML] directions) and LE kinematics (hip, knee, and ankle joint angle EXs). Gait function was also assessed with gait parameters, such as gait speed, cadence, and gait symmetry on an electronic walkway. Falls self-efficacy was recorded with Falls Efficacy Scale (FES). RESULTS The AP and ML CoM EXs and paretic joint angle EXs significantly increased pre- to post- DBExG assessment (p < .05). Gait parameters, and falls self-efficacy measures significantly changed pre- to post- DBExG (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS Results exhibited the feasibility of the proposed DBExG for positively impacting postural stability, and kinematics, along with increasing gait function and falls self-efficacy among PwCS.
The effect of medical cannabis laws on juvenile cannabis use.

Abstract Background A number of states in the United States legally allow the use of cannabis as a medical therapy to treat an illness or to alleviate symptoms. Concern persists as to whether these types of laws are increasing juvenile recreational cannabis use. It is also plausible that medical cannabis laws engender an escalation of illicit non-cannabis drug use among juveniles because cannabis is frequently considered to be a gateway drug. Methods This study uses longitudinal data drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for the 50 U.S. states and a cross-sectional pooled-time series research design to investigate the effect of medical cannabis laws on juvenile cannabis use and on juvenile non-cannabis illicit drug use. Our study period encompasses five measurement periods calibrated in two-year intervals (2002–2003 to 2010–2011). This research design is advantageous in that it affords us the ability not only to assess the effect of the implementation of medical cannabis laws on juvenile drug use, but also to consider other state-specific factors that may explain variation in drug use that cannot be accounted for using a single time series. Results Findings show that medical cannabis laws amplify recreational juvenile cannabis use. Other salient predictors of juvenile cannabis use at the state-level of analysis include perceived availability of cannabis, percent of juveniles skipping school, severity of perceived punishment for cannabis possession, alcohol consumption, percent of respondents with a father residing in household, and percent of families in the state receiving public assistance. There is little empirical evidence to support the view that medical cannabis laws affect juveniles' use of illicit non-cannabis drugs. Conclusion Based on our findings, it seems reasonable to speculate that medical cannabis laws amplify juveniles' use of cannabis by allaying the social stigma associated with recreational cannabis use and by placating the fear that cannabis use could potentially result in a negative health outcome.
Coping Responses Among Hospice Family Caregivers: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Abstract Context Hospice family caregivers must often cope with significant stressors. Research into the ways caregivers attempt to cope with these stressors has been challenged by pronounced difficulties conceptualizing, measuring, and categorizing caregiver coping. Objectives The purpose of this study was to begin addressing these challenges by determining the structure of coping among hospice family caregivers. Methods Hospice family caregivers (n = 223) residing in the midsouthern U.S. completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire as part of a cross-sectional survey. To examine the validity of various coping response factor structures, researchers conducted multiple confirmatory factor analyses. Results Although individual coping behaviors were able to be sorted into broader "ways of coping" (i.e., first-order factors), data did not support the further grouping of ways of coping into more general "families of coping" (i.e., second-order factors). Folkman and Lazarus's proposed structure of coping, which comprises eight first-order factors or subscales, better fit the data than the tested alternatives. Conclusion Despite its broad appeal, grouping ways of coping responses into families of coping based on the presupposed nature of the responses (e.g., positive or negative) lacked empirical support for this sample of hospice family caregivers, which suggests that relying on families of coping may oversimplify complex responses from caregivers. Rather than trying to characterize coping responses into broader families, hospice support for caregiver coping strategies may be more effective when based on individualized assessments of each caregiver's ways of coping and the consequences of those coping responses on their quality of life.
Visual-Haptic Compliance Perception

This chapter deals with the perception of compliance of objects with rigid surfaces when vision is present. Compliance (or its inverse, stiffness) is one of a number of properties that can be called “higher-order,” in the sense that it is computed as a combination of components that are physically independent. For objects having rigid surfaces, the components of compliance are position and force. We consider how each component is conveyed by different sensory modalities used for the interaction, vision and touch. This analysis highlights in particular that vision predominantly contributes to the sensing of position, whereas haptics (active touch) contributes to force sensing. We will further discuss integration of information across the senses; in particular, when such integration occurs in relation to the combination of the components of compliance. Finally, we describe applications of research on multi-modal compliance perception.
Using Internet Glossaries to Determine Interests from Home Pages

There are millions of home pages on the web. Each page contains valuable data about the page’s owner that can be used for marketing purposes. These pages have to be classified according to interests. The traditional Information Retrieval approach requires large training sets that are classified by human experts. Knowledge-based methods, which use handcrafted rules, require a significant investment to develop the rule base. Both these approaches are very time consuming. We are using glossaries, which are freely available on the Internet, to determine interests from home pages. Processing of these glossaries can be automated and requires little human effort and time, compared to the other two approaches. Once the terms have been extracted from these glossaries, they can be used to infer interests from the home pages of web users. This paper describes the system we have developed for classifying home pages by interests. On an experiment of 400 pages, we found that the glossary with the highest number of word matches is the correct interest in 44.75% of the pages. The correct interest is in the top three highest returned interests in 72.25% of the pages, and the correct interest is in the top five returned interest matches in 84.5% of the pages.
You Can't Go Home Again: A Reluctant Return to Traditional Gender Roles in Post-Reunification Germany

As unemployment rates rapidly rose during the immediate post-reunification period of Germany, women undeniably bore the brunt of the economic downturn in East Germany. Rachel Alsop thouroughly discusses this aspect of the ambiguous nature of German reunification in her book, A Reversal of Fortunes? Women, Work and Change in East Germany. However, she does not suggest solutions to the unemployment problem. This Book Review discusses positive action law, or affirmative action law, as one solution for women trying to break out of traditional gender roles and find
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase and protease mutation search engine for queries.

Genetic research is increasingly turning to studies of sequence variation in genes encoding proteins of known structure and function. The principal question in these studies is whether sequence variation affects protein structure or function, and, for certain genes, whether sequence variation affects human health. The proliferation of published sequence data and the growth in the number of publications is a boon to this research, but also makes it difficult to keep track of what is known about a gene. The primary sequence databases of the International Nucleic Acid Sequence Data Library (for example, GenBank) provide powerful sequence-similarity search tools that help researchers deduce the functions of newly identified proteins 1‐3
Chapter 11 Ocean-color satellites and the phytoplankton-dust connection

Abstract Results of a time series of satellite measurements of aerosol radiance made with two ocean-color sensors are presented. Data from the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) were collected from 1978 to 1986. The follow-on sensor, the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), has been transmitting data since September 1997. Both CZCS and SeaWiFS images successfully depicted regions of well-known, large-scale mineral aerosol plumes, the seasonality of which corresponds to that found by other satellite and land-based platforms. Aerosol radiance extractions were made for two subregions in the North Atlantic, both of which are recipients of regular mineral aerosol deposits originating from northwest Africa. In the almost eight-year time series obtained with CZCS, the annual cycle in both subregions follows a similar pattern each year and agrees well with results from the published literature. However, there is interannual variability and the observed fluctuations may be linked to climatic shifts associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation. The SeaWiFS annual cycle of aerosol radiance in both subregions closely followed that found in the CZCS climatology; SeaWiFS-measured aerosol optical thickness mirrors aerosol radiance to a high degree. The higher temporal resolution offered by the SeaWiFS data demonstrates the sporadic nature of dust events throughout the entire year and not only during the high dust season.
The Bogoliubov inequality and the nature of Bose-Einstein condensates for interacting atoms in spatial dimensions $D \le 2$

We consider the restriction placed by the Bogoliubov inequality on the nature of the Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) for interacting atoms in a spatial dimension D ≤ 2 and in the presence of an external arbitrary potential, which may be a confining “box”, a periodic, or a disordered potential. The atom-atom interaction gives rise to a (gauge invariance) symmetry-breaking term that places further restrictions on BECs in the form of a consistency proviso. The necessary condition for the existence of a BEC in D ≤ 2 in all cases is macroscopic occupation of many single-particle momenta states with the origin a limit point (or accumulation point) of condensates. It is shown that the nature of BECs for noninteracting atoms in a disordered potential is precisely the same as that of BECs for interacting atoms in the absence of an external potential.
A Novel Activity Detection System Using Plantar Pressure Sensors and Smartphone

Physical activities detection plays a vital role to healthcare professionals who would like to monitor patients remotely and to develop context-sensitive systems. Major number of physical activity detection systems use accelerometers to collect data from different parts of the body. Since those approaches have limitations from users' point of view, we have used smart phones that are coming with built-in accelerometers and gyroscopes. We have proposed and developed three novel approaches for activity recognition. Firstly, we have developed a multimodal system where we used pressure sensor data from shoes along with accelerometers and gyroscope data from smart phone. Again, we have presented the details of our novel activity detection system along with evaluation. In the second approach, we considered our sensor data as time series shapelets and apply recently developed algorithms to differentiate those shapelets. Finally, we applied Gaussian Mixture Models with time-delay embedding for detecting different activities.
Characterization of a novel G-protein coupled receptor from the parasitic nematode H. contortus with high affinity for serotonin.

The neurotransmitter serotonin (5HT) has been shown to modulate mobility, feeding, egg-laying, and defecation behaviors in the saprophytic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Although the effects of serotonin on these behaviors in parasitic nematodes is under study, little is known about the diversity, ontogeny, signaling, and pharmacology of serotonin receptors in these organisms. In an effort to increase our understanding of this system, we cloned and characterized a novel cDNA (5HT1Hc) from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus that has high amino acid sequence homology with known G-protein coupled 5HT1-receptors from invertebrates and vertebrates. Transcript expression studies in four development stages (egg, L1/L2, L3, and adult) revealed the presence of the mRNA in the L1/L2, L3, and adult stages. Membranes from insect cells (Sf9) expressing the 5HT1Hc-receptor cDNA displayed nanomolar binding affinity to serotonin and a unique pharmacological profile distinct from known invertebrate and mammalian 5HT-receptors. Receptor signaling studies with mammalian AV12 cells expressing the 5HT1Hc-receptor and the promiscuous G-protein, Gα15, demonstrated dose-dependent intracellular signals with serotonin acting as an agonist. Together, these studies describe a novel invertebrate 5HT-receptor with high affinity for the indolealkylamine, serotonin, and pharmacological properties that do not conform to any known members of this superfamily of metabotropic receptors.
Programmed Cell Death (Apoptosis) and Its Role in the Pathogenesis of Lower Extremity Varicose Veins

< 0.03). This increased apoptotic activity was not observed in media or intima of either vein group (p < 0.001). No significant difference in immunoreactivity to bcl-2 protein was observed in varicose vein specimens as compared to controls. Varicose vein specimens demonstrated increased nuclear expression of cyclin D1 whereas its cytoplasmic expression was significantly diminished (p≤0.02). These data show that programmed cell death is inhibited in varicose veins. Differential expression of cyclin D1 suggests that it may deregulate cell cycle events, thereby leading to varicosity formation.
Temperature Spectra in the Deep Ocean off Hawaii

Abstract Estimates of the spatial spectrum of ocean temperature fluctuations at six different depths between 500 and 2500 m are presented. Measurements were made with a depth-stable, self-propelled instrument carrier. Temperature samples were taken at 0.2 m intervals over a track typically 10 km long, corresponding to a spectral bandwidth of 1–2500 cycles per kilometer (cpkm). The observed spectrum falls into three distinct bands; these are tentatively identified with the effects of internal waves (W), fine-scale layering (L), and turbulent mixing (T). Each band has a characteristic wavenumber dependence which is invariant with depth. The intensity in each band scales with depth in characteristic fashion. Depth scaling over the range of interest accords with the empirical formula N2∝dT/dz∝ exp[−(Z−500)/λ], where the stability frequency and mean vertical temperature gradient are equivalent variables, and λ=750 m is the observed local scale height. Then the spectrum in band T is PT=Ak−1, where the intensity...
Raman scattering by surface-avoiding acoustic phonons in semi-infinite superlattices

Abstract For momenta q in the vicinity of dispersion gaps, i.e., |q| = δq or |q| = (π/l) -δq (l is the superlattice period and π/l ≥ δq ≥ 0), the amplitude of superlattice acoustic phonons is shown to be exceedingly small in a region within (δq)−1 from the surface. In these ranges, matrix elements describing coupling of phonons to electronic states localized at the surface show pronounced minima. It is conjectured that Raman spectra of superlattices exhibiting a continuous acoustic background with dips associated with frequency gaps reflect surface-avoiding effects.
Mutation in aging mice occurs in diverse cell types that proliferate postmutation

To determine the relationship between aging, cell proliferation and mutation in different cell types, hearts, brains and kidneys from G11 PLAP mice between 1 week and 24 months of age were examined. Mutant cells were detected in tissue sections by staining for Placental Alkaline Phosphatase (PLAP) activity, an activity that marks cells that have sustained a frameshift mutation in a mononucleotide tract inserted into the coding region of the human gene encoding PLAP. The number of PLAP(+) cells increased with age in all three tissues. The types of cells exhibiting a mutant phenotype included cells that are proliferative, such as kidney epithelial cells, and cells that do not frequently replicate, such as cardiac muscle cells and neurons. In the brain, PLAP(+) cells appeared in various locations and occurred at similar frequencies in different regions. Within the cerebellum, PLAP(+) Purkinje cell neurons appeared at a rate similar to that seen in the brain as a whole. PLAP(+) cells were observed in kidney-specific cell types such as those in glomeruli and collecting tubules, as well as in connective tissue and blood vessels. In the heart, PLAP(+) cells appeared to be cardiac muscle cells. Regardless of tissue and cell type, PLAP(+) cells occurred as singletons and in clusters, both of which increased in frequency with age. These data show that age-associated accumulation of mutant cells occurs in diverse cell types and is due to both new mutation and proliferation of mutant cells, even in cell types that tend to not proliferate.
Lipodystrophy in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a major global health problem. Recently, combination therapy including HIV-1 protease inhibitors (PIs) has dramatically improved the long-term survival of HIV-infected patients. However, such therapy is associated with a lipodystrophy syndrome characterized by selective loss of sc fat from the face and extremities and, in some patients, accumulation of fat around the neck, dorsocervical region, abdomen, and trunk. Lipodystrophy in HIV-infected patients (LDHIV) is associated with insulin resistance and its metabolic complications such as impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia and low serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. PIs appear to be the strongest link to LDHIV; however, fat loss has been reported in some patients taking non-PI antiretroviral drugs. Other factors, such as duration of HIV infection, age, and gender, may also contribute to the risk of development of LDHIV. The molecular basis of LDHIV remains unknown. There is no specific therapy for LDHIV. Avoiding weight gain by reducing energy intake and increasing physical activity may be beneficial in reducing fat accumulation as well as improving metabolic complications. Antihyperglycemic drugs may be used to treat diabetes. Management of dyslipidemia may require lipid-lowering drugs; however, the safety and efficacy of such intervention require further studies. Substitution of PIs with other antiretroviral drugs can mitigate dyslipidemia and glucose intolerance, but whether reversal of lipodystrophy occurs remains unknown. Future research is needed to discover the biochemical and molecular markers of lipodystrophy in HIV patients and develop PIs or other antiretroviral agents that are free of metabolic toxicity.
Recent investigations on disk galaxies in massive halos

Numerical experiments undertaken to investigate the longevity and behavior of dark-lane elliptical galaxies are described. This is dynamically the same problem as a disk galaxy in a massive halo. Spiral galaxies are disks from a dynamical point of view. A disk of particles embedded in a self-consistent galaxy provides the basic model used for the experiments. This model is applicable to ordinary disk galaxies if the disk is interpreted as the visible galaxy and the “galaxy” is interpreted as the massive halo thought to be present around disk galaxies. Fully three-dimensional fully self-consistent n-body computer programs that can handle 100,000 particles are used for the experiments. The background galaxy is oblate, and the disk is inclined to the axis of the oblate galaxy, so the disk precesses differentially to produce a warp. A surprising result is that the galaxy center shifted, leaving the disk center orbiting around the galaxy center. This produces interesting phenomena reminiscent of observations in the region of the Galactic center.
Spirit books: promoting conversation with picture books

The focus of this article is an annotated bibliography of over seventy select picture books and guidelines for adults reading these books to children ages three through nine. Preceding these is an essay which contextualizes and explains them. Following the bibliography is a set of twenty ‘Guidelines for Reading Aloud and Talking about Books’ to help adults validate and support the spiritual experiences of children. The annotated bibliography – The Spirit Book List– includes picture books which are inclusive, interfaith, and cross-cultural (although all are in English). They have been chosen to stimulate conversation between adults and children ranging in age from three to nine years on spirituality, specifically on the following six themes: (1) The Golden World (awe and reverence in the face of Creation); (2) Alone Unplugged the value of solitude and silence; (3) Widening the Circle (embracing other beings, both animal and human, and recognizing one’s interdependence with other life forms); (4) Wisdom-see...
Factors Influencing Daytime Sleepiness in Chinese Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This study examined clinically significant physiological and psychological factors contributing to the complaint of daytime sleepiness in 108 Chinese patients with newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A higher degree of obesity and greater anxiety, in addition to a higher Apnea–Hypopnea Index, were associated with more daytime sleepiness. The results of this study suggest that the experience of daytime sleepiness goes beyond disturbed breathing caused by sleep apnea. The evaluation of a sleepy patient with OSA should include an assessment of obesity and emotional stress. Future studies in larger samples considering other important factors, such as comorbid insomnia and habitual sleep duration, are warranted to confirm this finding.
“Keep on Keeping On, Even When It’s Hard!”: Predictors and Outcomes of Adolescent Persistence

The current study examined adolescent persistence as a mediator between authoritative parenting and adolescents’ school engagement, prosocial behavior, and delinquency. Participants were taken from...
Determination of the Nonlethal Margin Inside the Visible “Ice-Ball” During Percutaneous Cryoablation of Renal Tissue

The study was designed to determine the distance between the visible “ice-ball” and the lethal temperature isotherm for normal renal tissue during cryoablation. The Animal Care Committee approved the study. Nine adult swine were used: three to determine the optimum tissue stain and six to test the hypotheses. They were anesthetized and the left renal artery was catheterized under fluoroscopy. Under MR guidance, the kidney was ablated and (at end of a complete ablation) the nonfrozen renal tissue (surrounding the “ice-ball”) was stained via renal artery catheter. Kidneys were explanted and sent for slide preparation and examination. From each slide, we measured the maximum, minimum, and an in-between distance from the stained to the lethal tissue boundaries (margin). We examined each slide for evidence of “heat pump” effect. A total of 126 measurements of the margin (visible “ice-ball”–lethal margin) were made. These measurements were obtained from 29 slides prepared from the 6 test animals. Mean width was 0.75 ± 0.44 mm (maximum 1.15 ± 0.51 mm). It was found to increase adjacent to large blood vessels. No “heat pump” effect was noted within the lethal zone. Data are limited to normal swine renal tissue. Considering the effects of the “heat pump” phenomenon for normal renal tissue, the margin was measured to be 1.15 ± 0.51 mm. To approximate the efficacy of the “gold standard” (partial nephrectomy, ~98 %), a minimum margin of 3 mm is recommended (3 × SD). Given these assumptions and extrapolating for renal cancer, which reportedly is more cryoresistant with a lethal temperature of −40 °C, the recommended margin is 6 mm.
Spike timing dependent plasticity with memristive synapse in neuromorphic systems

A methodology to realize spike-timing dependent plasticity and Hebbian learning in a neural network through the usage of memristive synapses is presented. Memristors act as a modulating synapse interconnection between neurons; plasticity is accomplished through adjusting the memristance via current spikes based on the relative timings of pre-synaptic and post-synaptic neuron spikes. The learning plasticity presented is continuous, asynchronous and deterministic. A CMOS implementation is presented along with SPICE simulations validating the methodology and design.
6.2: Biaxial Strength of Ultrathin AMLCD Glass Substrates

The biaxial strength of ultrathin AMLCD glass substrates with thickness ranging from 0.25mm to 0.70mm was measured in the concentric ring fixture. The data, based on a large sample size of 25mm × 25mm square specimens, show that the strength is independent of glass thickness and approaches 630 MPa. The choice of 25mm × 25mm specimens for measuring the biaxial strength was dictated by minimizing large deflections and associated membrane tension in the test region. The effect of surface area under test was taken into account by using Weibull distribution which demonstrated constancy of surface strength irrespective of substrate thickness. Thus, thin and ultrathin AMLCD susbtrates have similar biaxial strength as measured in the concentric ring fixture.
An Assessment of Quality of Life Following Radical Prostatectomy, High Dose External Beam Radiation Therapy and Brachytherapy Iodine Implantation as Monotherapies for Localized Prostate Cancer

Purpose: Monotherapy with radical prostatectomy, high dose external beam radiotherapy or a 125I implant is reported to produce equivalent outcomes. We assessed the health related quality of life associated with these 3 treatment approaches.Materials and Methods: Extended Prostate Index Composite surveys were mailed to all 960 patients treated with a 125I implant, high dose external beam radiotherapy or radical prostatectomy with or without hormonal therapy at our institution from 1998 to 2000. A total of 625 patients (65%) completed the surveys. Nerve sparing radical prostatectomy was performed when appropriate. The 125I implant consisted of 145 Gy and high dose external beam radiotherapy consisted of 78 Gy. For urinary, rectal and sexual domains mean scores were calculated, compared by treatment modality and compared to normative values.Results: A total of 234 patients with radical prostatectomy, 135 with external beam radiotherapy and 74 with a 125I implant were treated with a monotherapy approach. Medi...
Home management of sickle cell-related pain in children and adolescents: natural history and impact on school attendance

Some children and adolescents with sickle cell disease experience frequent painful episodes. To gain information about the natural history of the pain and its impact on sleep and school attendance, we developed a home-based diary system. Eighteen children and adolescents completed 4756 diary days, with an average compliance of 75%. Pain was reported on 30% of days and was managed at home nine-tenths of the time. Girls reported more days with pain than did boys, and age was positively correlated with the length of the painful episodes. The pain affected school attendance and sleep. Patients were absent from school on 21% of 3186 school days, with half of the absenteeisms on days with reported pain. Of the pain-associated absenteeisms, two-thirds occurred when pain was managed at home, and one-third when patients were hospitalized. The average consecutive number of school days missed was 2.7. These findings have implications for developmentally critical activities.
Electron-phonon relaxation dynamics of niobium metal as a function of temperature.

The electron-phonon relaxation process in niobium has been measured with pump-probe technique and compared with theory for ambient (initial) temperatures ranging from 292 to 7 K. The time it takes for the electrons to thermalize with phonons was found to decrease from 370 fs at 292 K to 250 fs at 7 K, while the electron-phonon coupling parameter g decreases with decreasing temperature.
The Effect of Intermittent Preadapting Light upon Subsequent Dark Adaptation in the Human Eye

The influence of intermittent versus continuous preadaptation upon the dark adaptation of three subjects was measured for nine brightnesses (8860 to 22.15 ml) and four rates of interruption (2 cycles/second to 1 cycle/4 seconds). The data of the subjects were combined and the mean values used in the analysis of the results. The data are so nearly alike that it is considered there is no difference in subsequent dark adaptation which is related to the mode of preadaptation—for the durations of preadaptation used. No differences are found between any curve following intermittent preadaptation and its continuous control curve nor between the different curves for the various rates of interruption.