cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dysregulation of the Wnt pathway in adult eosinophilic esophagitis

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized pathologically by eosinophil infiltration. In addition to loss of barrier integrity, a dominant T Helper 2-associated immune response and strong allergic connection, the esophagus tissue undergoes dramatic changes, with frequent presence of mucosal rings, strictures, linear furrows, and trachealization. Although the inflammatory mechanisms behind this disease are being increasingly well understood, the structural features remain unexplained. We examined the expression of key members of the Wnt-signaling pathway in biopsies from patients with EoE. This pathway has been shown to be critically important in regulating cellular homeostasis, growth, and differentiation and to be dysregulated in several disease conditions. Biopsies from adult EoE patients were collected by endoscopy and mRNA extracted. After cDNA synthesis, the relative gene expression from key upstream (secreted frizzled-related protein 1) and downstream (c-myc and Cyclin D1) molecules in the Wnt pathway, as well as several Wnt pathway members (Wnt1, Axin1, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6, glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta, and β-catenin), were determined. Biopsies from patients with EoE displayed significantly higher expression of secreted frizzed-related protein 1 than controls, as well as reductions in Cyclin D1 and c-myc. In contrast, there were no differences in the Wnt pathway molecules. The levels of expression of Cyclin D1 and c-myc, as well as β-catenin, in EoE patients showed strong correlations with the frequency of esophageal eosinophils. Our findings suggest that although there are no changes in the overall levels of key Wnt pathway genes in adult EoE, there is evidence for dysregulation of upstream and downstream regulators of Wnt signaling. Importantly, the associations with eosinophilia suggest that these may participate in the pathogenesis of this disease and be markers of disease severity.
Chemotherapy and tumor immunity: an unexpected collaboration

Chemotherapy directly targets the transformed tumor cell, and has long been a key component of therapy for most early and advanced cancers. However, its utility is ultimately limited by unavoidable toxicity to normal tissues, and by drug resistance pathways deeply embedded within the biology of the tumor cell itself. These limitations strongly argue for innovative strategies to treat and manage cancer. Engaging the power of the patient's own immune system is a highly attractive way to complement the activity of standard cancer treatment. Tumor vaccines offer the potential for preventing cancer in those at high risk for disease development, preventing relapse in those diagnosed with early cancer, and treating advanced disease. Notably, the barriers to tumor vaccine efficacy are distinct from the limitations of combination chemotherapy. The ability of vaccines to induce a response robust enough to mediate tumor rejection is limited by the extent of disease burden, the suppressive effect of the local tumor micronenvironment, and multiple layers of systemic immune tolerance established to keep the immune response turned off. Chemotherapy can be used with tumor vaccines in unexpected ways, breaking down these barriers and unleashing the full potential of the antitumor immune response.
Optimal resource-aware deployment planning for component-based distributed applications

Component-based approaches are becoming increasingly popular in the areas of adaptive distributed systems, Web services, and grid computing. In each case, the underlying infrastructure needs to address a deployment problem involving the placement of application components onto computational, data, and network resources across a wide-area environment subject to a variety of qualitative and quantitative constraints. In general, the deployment needs to also introduce auxiliary components (e.g., to compress/decompress data, or invoke GridFTP sessions to make data available at a remote site), and reuse preexisting components and data. To provide the flexibility required in the latter case, recently proposed systems such as Sekitei and Pegasus have proposed solutions that rely upon Al planning-based techniques. Although promising, the inherent complexity of Al planning and the fact that constraints governing component deployment often involve nonlinear and nonreversible functions have prevented such solutions from generating deployments in resource-constrained situations and achieving optimality in terms of overall resource usage or other cost metrics. We address both of these shortcomings in the context of the Sekitei system. Our extension relies upon information supplied by a domain expert, which classifies component behavior into a discrete set of levels. This discretization, often justified in practice, permits the planner to identify cost-optimal plans (whose quality improves with the level definitions) without restricting the form of the constraint functions. We describe the modified Sekitei algorithm, and characterize, using a media stream delivery application, its scaling behavior when generating optimal deployments for various network configurations.
Amaranth and Its Oil Inhibit Cholesterol Biosynthesis in 6-Week-Old Female Chickens

All amaranth varieties contain tocotrienols and squalene compounds which are known to affect cholesterol biosynthesis. Therefore, in the present study, the influence of dietary supplementation of whole seed, popped, and milled amaranth and amaranth oil on cholesterogenesis was studied in 6-wk-old female chickens. Serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were lowered 10-30% and 7-70% (P < 0.01), respectively, in birds fed amaranth-containing diets. HDL-cholesterol was not affected by amaranth supplementation. Activities of liver cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (the enzyme responsible for cholesterol breakdown into bile acids) were 10-18% higher (P < 0.01) than those of controls for birds fed most forms of amaranth and its oil, whereas activities of liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (the rate-limiting enzyme for cholesterol biosynthesis) were lowered by about only 9% (P < 0.01) by popped, milled amaranth and its oil. This lack of marked inhibition of this enzyme suggests the presence of some other potent cholesterol inhibitor(s) apart from tocotrienols and squalene in amaranth.
A low temperature 12 ns DRAM

Results are presented of measurements on cryogenic operation of a high-speed 512-kb CMOS dynamic RAM (DRAM). Comprehensive investigations focused on circuit concerns particularly relevant to high speed. The measured access time was 12 ns, and the results show that noise, power, and soft error rate do not preclude very-high-speed DRAM operation at cryogenic temperatures. Compared to room-temperature operation the observed improvement in access time was about 1.7* for V/sub DD/=5 V. Compared to 85 degrees C operation the improvement was 2.2*. >
Activity of HMR 3647 Compared to Those of Five Agents against Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis by MIC Determination and Time-Kill Assay

The microdilution MICs of HMR 3647, erythromycin A, azithromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin, and pristinamycin against 50/90% of 249 Haemophilus influenzae and 50 Moraxella catarrhalis isolates were 2/4, 0.06/0.125; 8/16, 0.25/0.25; 2/4, 0.06/0.125; 16/16, 0.25/0.25; 32/>32, 1/2; and 2/4, 0.5/0.5 μg/ml. Azithromycin was bactericidal against all 10 H. influenzae and 3 of 5 M. catarrhalis isolates and HMR 3647, erythromycin A, clarithromycin, roxithromycin, and pristinamycin were bacteriostatic, against all 15 strains after 24 h at the MIC.
School-Based Social Skills Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The present study evaluated the effects of the Superheroes Social Skills program, a social skills curriculum for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous research has found the curri...
Endogenous cortisol elevations are related to memory facilitation only in individuals who are emotionally aroused

Animal research suggests that cortisol facilitates memory only during emotional arousal. Thus, we predicted that during mild emotion and stress elicitation, endogenous cortisol elevations would predict memory facilitation only in individuals who report high stress-related negative affect. Thirty-one men viewed neutral and emotional stimuli and then were subjected to a public speaking stress task. Area under the curve for overall cortisol output during the speech was computed. Negative affect (NA) using the PANAS state version [Watson, D., Clark, L.A., Tellegen, A., 1988. Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. J. Personality Social Psychol. 54, 1063-1070.] was measured at baseline and immediately after the speech stressor. Cortisol output during the speech and change in NA interactively predicted free recall performance assessed 2 days later. This interaction was due to the finding that higher cortisol output was related to memory facilitation only in subjects who reported high stress-related negative affect (i.e. only in those individuals whose NA increased compared to baseline). This relation was especially prominent for recall of unpleasant pictures. Subjects who reported low stress-related negative affect, no relation was found between cortisol output during the speech and memory performance. Thus, the relation between cortisol and memory appears to depend on an increase in negative affect related to stress.
Additional note on the isotopic composition of strontium in McCartys flow, Valencia County, New Mexico

Abstract Strontium isotopic analyses of additional samples of the McCartys basalt flow (Holocene) exhibit no evident correlation with distance from the source crater or with strontium content. This confirms our previous comments urging caution in sampling of one basalt flow in order to determine its “source” initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr.
Transport of amino acids by starfish digestive glands.

Abstract 1. 1. Isolated starfish digestive glands can take up through their peritoneal surfaces and concentrate fifteen different amino acids, which after 5 hr are still retained in an ethanol-extractable state. 2. 2. Methionine is the most rapidly absorbed amino acid. Alanine, serine and other neutral amino acids are also rapidly transported. The basic and acidic amino acids are less readily taken up than most of the neutral amino acids. 3. 3. The neutral amino acids generally inhibit glycine transport in proportion to their affinities for transport, probably indicating a common mechanism for most of their transport. Methionine and, to a lesser extent, proline are less powerful inhibitors than would be expected from their transport rates, suggesting parallel absorptive mechanisms may also be important. 4. 4. The basic amino acids, especially histidine, have significant inhibitory effects on glycine transport, indicating a probable partial overlap of their transport systems with those of the neural amino acids. 5. 5. The two acidic amino acids appear to enhance glycine transport and possibly may be responsible for synergic stimulation of uptake of mixtures of amino acids.
Monetary Policy Response to Oil Price Shocks

How should monetary authorities react to an oil price shock? This paper shows that in a noncompetitive economy, policies that perfectly stabilize prices entail large welfare costs, hence explaining the reluctance of policymakers to enforce them. The policy trade-off is nontrivial because oil (energy) is an input to both production and consumption. As welfare-maximizing policies are hard to implement and communicate, I derive a simple interest rate rule that depends only on observables but mimics the optimal plan in all dimensions. The optimal rule is hard on core inflation but accommodates oil price changes.
Construction of a well-defined free energy from the harmonic approximation for Josephson junctions

The trial free energy of the harmonic approximation, which has been widely used to study Josephson junctions, diverges to negative infinity in the normal state for any finite temperature because a nonperiodic, harmonic Hamiltonian is used to describe a periodic system. In this paper, I employ a periodic, scalloped potential to construct a well-defined free energy, which is then minimized to obtain self-consistent solutions that are close to the harmonic solutions when phase fluctuations are small.
Reduction of pentobarbital-induced sleeping times in PCB-treated cottontail rabbits.

Pentobarbital sleeping time was used to examine the effects of Aroclor 1254 on hepatic microsomal enzyme activity in cottontail rabbits. Ten ppm fed for 10–11 weeks significantly reduced sleeping times in both sexes. Restriction of food intake had no consistant effect on sleeping times.
A hybrid heuristic for the unequal-area dynamic facility layout problem

The dynamic facility layout problem (DFLP) is the problem of finding positions of departments on the plant floor for a multi-period planning horizon such that departments do not overlap, and the sum of the material handling and rearrangement costs is minimised. In this paper, the departments may have unequal-areas and can be placed anywhere within the boundary of the continuous plant floor. Because of the complexity of the problem, only small-size problems can be solved in reasonable time using exact methods. As a result, a hybrid heuristic, which consists of a dual simplex method and a tabu search (TS) heuristic, is developed for the DFLP, and the heuristic was tested on some instances from the literature. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the heuristic.
Why are higher plants green? Evolution of the higher plant photosynthetic pigment complement.

The physiological reason that higher plants are green is unknown. Other photosynthetic organisms utilize pigments that strongly absorb green light; therefore, there must have been natural forces that ‘selected’ the photosynthetic pigments found in higher plants. Based on previously published data and our recent findings about green light and photosynthesis within leaves (Sun et al.), a specific functional role is described for the primary photosynthetic pigments of higher plants, that were derived from green algal progenitors. The particular absorptive characteristics of chlorophylls a and b appear to perform two contradictory, but necessary functions in higher plants. Firstly, chlorophylls a and b absorb light for maximum utilization under non-saturating conditions, a function that is well understood. Secondly, they can act as protective pigments under over-saturating light conditions, when absorbed light is dissipated as heat. Under such conditions, a significant portion of light can also be efficiently utilized, especially in the bottom portion of the leaf, that is mainly illuminated by green light and not down-regulated. The second function may have been the selective force that gave rise to the extremely successful terrestrial plants, that evolved from green algae.
Cytokine regulation of schistosome-induced granuloma and fibrosis

Cytokine regulation of schistosome-induced granuloma and fibrosis. Schistosomiasis mansoni, a major cause of hepatic fibrosis in many developing countries, triggers a granulomatous inflammatory reaction in response to its eggs that lodge in the liver. The egg antigens are eliminated slowly, and the persistent granulomatous response leads to prolonged matrix synthesis and hepatic fibrosis. In mice, soluble egg antigens (SEA) induce interleukin 4 synthesis, promoting a dominant T helper type 2 lymphocyte accumulation with the release of additional cytokines (I-L5, IL-10), which not only suppress Th1 lymphocyte subset cytokines, but mediate the characteristic pathophysiology. Manipulation of the cytokine profile with antagonists or exogenous cytokine delivery alters the course of the hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. In the evolution of the granulomatous response to the S. mansoni eggs, transforming growth factor β (TGF- β ) is also produced that may modulate inflammation and regulate fibrogenesis. In TGF- β 1-gene targeted mutant mice that over-express TGF- β 1 (TGF- β 1 transgenics) or in which TGF- β 1 has been inactivated (TGF- β 1−/−; null mutation) or partially inactivated (TGF- β 1+/−; null mutation heterozygotes), the altered production of TGF- β 1 impacts on S. mansoni granuloma and hepatic fibrosis. In addition to the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance, modulation of TGF- β 1 may change the outcome of chronic inflammatory fibrotic disease.
Simulation of high-efficiency n/sup +/p indium phosphide solar cell results and future improvements

A simulation of the highest efficiency (19.1% AMO) n/sup +/p indium phosphide (InP) solar cell was made using a computer code PC-1D in order to understand it and suggest future improvements to it. Available cell design and process data was used in the simulation. Minority carrier diffusion lengths in the emitter and base have been varied to match the experimental cell I-V characteristics with the calculated results. To further understand and improve the InP cell efficiency, simulations were performed using improved values of cell material and process parameters. We show that the efficiency of this cell could be increased to more than 23% AMO by incorporating the suggested cell material, design and process improvements. At these high efficiencies InP cell technology will be very attractive for space use. >
Representations of Caregiving by Margaret Forster; Mary Gordon, and Doris Lessing:

This article examines three novels in order to provide a new perspective on traditional gerontological studies of caregiving and the public policies they generate. All three novels challenge the mo...
Introducing Students to “The Big Picture”

An engaging and effective sophomore-level introduction to management course was developed using feature-length commercial movies. Lectures, readings, and interviews were used to provide students with the background necessary to understand and follow the complex phenomena portrayed in the movies. The course takes a big picture rather than traditional functional perspective by introducing students to a wide range of stakeholders and their interactions. Evaluation results showed that the course was successful for learning and student reaction goals, and suggest that a movie-based approach to introducing and integrating a variety of business-related topics can be very effective.
Dollar Spot Severity as Influenced by Trinexapac-ethyl, Creeping Bentgrass Cultivar, and Nitrogen Fertility

Dollar spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F.T. Bennelt) is a widely distributed and destructive pathogen of turfgrass in the United States. A 2-yr field study was conducted at Columbus, OH, to determine the influence of a plant growth regulator, creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) cultivars, and N fertility on dollar spot severity. ‘Crenshaw’ creeping bentgrass was seeded alone or in a 50:50 blend by weight with ‘Penncross’ creeping bentgrass. Plots were fertilized at 0, 24.4, or 48.8 kg N ha⁻¹ per application. One-half of each plot received trinexapac-ethyl (TE) [4-(cyclopropyl-α-hydroxymethylene)-3,5-dioxo-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid methyl ester] at 0.8 L ha⁻¹. The TE and fertilizer treatments were initiated in May 1995 and 1996 with four subsequent applications made at 30-d intervals. Initially, the cultivar blend reduced the rate of dollar spot development compared with Crenshaw alone; however, neither the blend nor Crenshaw provided commercially acceptable dollar spot suppression throughout the study. Both TE and N fertilization significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced dollar spot severity over the 2-yr period. Trinexapacethyl applied alone effectively suppressed dollar spot activity, but efficacy increased with increasing N rates. Dollar spot symptoms decreased and thatch thickness increased at elevated N levels. During this 2-yr study, interactions between TE and N fertility resulted in a significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction in dollar spot severity. Thus, on golf course fairways where dollar spot may be severe, incorporation of these two treatments into a turfgrass management program will enhance dollar spot suppression and reduce fungicide inputs. Research supported by the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). Salaries and research support provided state and federal funds appropriated to the OARDC. Additional support provided by the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation.
Wannier exciton superradiance in a quantum-well microcavity.

Excitonic superradiance has been predicted to induce a rapid decay rate of coherently excited excitons in thin quantum wells and microspheres. In this paper we revisit this problem and derive the enhancement factor of the radiative decay due to superradiant effects. In a GaAs quantum well, the excitonic superradiant radiative decay can be roughly 320 times faster than the decay of a free electron-hole pair. The exciton decay rate depends strongly on the lateral size of the wave function when the size is smaller than the inverse of the wave vector of the emitted light. In a GaAs quantum well this corresponds to a distance of \ensuremath{\approxeq}365 \AA{}. Therefore, it is predicted that localization and elastic phonon scattering may lead to decay rates substantially smaller than that predicted for an ideal quantum well. It is also shown that if the quantum well is placed inside a microcavity, the decay rate can be enhanced even further since the cavity modifies the available density of radiation states in a way that matches the superradiant emission. It is predicted that in a matched dielectric cavity the decay rate can be enhanced by an additional factor of 100, but that inhomogeneous broadening may in practice limit the possible enhancement.
STATIC CHARGE DISTRIBUTIONS WHICH GENERATE EXACT POTENTIAL CURVES FOR DIATOMIC MOLECULES.

Abstract For a diatomic molecule, there exists a charge density which can be used to generate the exact potential energy curve for the molecule, by integration of the classical Poisson equation. This density is displayed for H + 2 , H 2 and LiH, and it is shown to be similar in shape to the united-atom electron density.
N-Alkyl-substituted aryl-piperazine drugs: relationship between affinity for serotonin receptors and inhibition of aggression

Buspirone is the first of several N-alkyl-substituted aryl-piperazine-containing drugs to be approved for use as an anxiolytic agent. These drugs do not interact with the benzodiazepine-GABA receptor complex and therefore do not share the sedating and anticonvulsant effects of benzodiazepines. Buspirone and its analogs, gepirone and ipsapirone, act as agonists both pre- and postsynaptically at 5HTla receptor sites. A series of piperazine-containing drugs was tested for their affinity at the 5HTla (postsynaptic) binding sites in hippocampus and compared with their ability to inhibit isolation-induced aggression by mice. The potent 5HTla agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, was the most potent drug in both tests: IC50 = 1 nM, and ED50 = 2.4 μmol/kg for inhibition of [3H]-5HT binding and aggression, respectively. There was a good correlation between ability to inhibit aggression and ability to inhibit [3H]-5HT binding to hippocampal membranes. Fluprazine (DU 27716) was the major exception, but results with SKF 525-A pretreatment to inhibit drug oxidation suggest that both fluprazine and metabolites have antiaggressive activity. Like other aryl-piperazine drugs, fluprazine is potentiated by coadministration of a postsynaptic 5HT receptor antagonist, methysergide. Since antagonists of postsynaptic 5HT receptors potentiate gepirone and 8-OH-DPAT inhibition of aggression, these data suggest that affinity for 5HTla receptors at presynaptic autoreceptor sites is critical for the antiaggressive activity of these drugs and possibly for their anxiolytic effects.
Motor disturbances and neurotoxicity induced by centrally administered somatostatin and vasopressin in conscious rats: interactive effects of two neuropeptides.

Barrel rotation (BR) is an abnormal, long-axis rotation induced by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of peptides, including somatostatin (SRIF) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP). This study examined the effects of two i.c.v. doses of SRIF and combined injections of SRIF and AVP in conscious, adult Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats. Mortality after i.c.v. SRIF was dose-dependent; 0/16 rats died after a 20 microgram dose, while 21/43 died after 40 micrograms SRIF. On the other hand, BR incidence was similar after the two doses, but the hazard function of the BR latency data was shifted to the left by the higher dose. Although the incidence data imply that BR and mortality are independent, the hazard function of BR latency data is predictive of mortality. An interaction study employing a combined i.c.v. dose of 20 micrograms SRIF and 0.5 micrograms AVP established that the effects add non-linearly. This is illustrated by a marked increment in mortality (0/16 for 20 micrograms SRIF, 1/25 for 0.5 micrograms AVP and 12/18 for SRIF + AVP). The hazard plot shows a similar, non-linear interaction. In addition, SRIF, but not AVP, produced a characteristic pattern of Purkinje cell death in cerebellar regions projecting to the fastigial and lateral vestibular nuclei. These results imply that SRIF and AVP act at independent sites to produce BR and mortality, and that the effects summate non-linearly at a common central site. This raises the issue of whether these neuropeptides, endogenous in human CSF, interact to produce similar biological effects.
Comparison of efficiency of slot allocation by congestion pricing and ration by schedule

When airport arrival slots are scheduled in excess of the available capacity, the scheduled flights are assigned slots by a rationing scheme. The traditional approach is to ration slots by schedule (RBS) on a first-scheduled/first-assigned basis. This approach, although meeting equity criteria, can result in inefficient use of the arrival slots in terms of passenger throughput and fuel burn; however, it does not reflect the business decisions with respect to the value of a given flight to an airline. An alternative approach is to allocate the slots based on an airlines' willingness-to-pay a congestion fee, set a priori by a regulator, for use of the slot. This paper describes a comparison of the allocation of arrival slots using RBS and Congestion Pricing (CP) for flights scheduled into PHL on 10-Jul-2007. The analysis indicates that rationing by CP yielded improved performance in the reduction of average passenger delays by 39.14%, total Passenger Delays by 37.65% and cancelled flights by 66.66% (9 cancellations in RB to 3 cancelled flights in CP). However, rationing by CP decreased average airline equity metric by 34.81%.
Sensitivity Comparison of Mx and Frequency Modulated Bell-Bloom Cs Magnetometers in a Micro-Fabricated Cell

We compare the sensitivity of two optically pumped atomic magnetometers, Mx and frequency-modulated Bell-Bloom magnetometer implemented in a single pump-probe beam configuration and using a microfabricated vapor cell filled with133Cs and N2buffer gas.
Polarization and Relaxation Processes in He 3 Gas

Polarization of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ when used as a buffer gas for optically pumped rubidium vapor has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Experiment shows that the coupling between a rubidium and ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ atom is scalar in form (i.e., I\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}S) and is about three orders of magnitude greater than would be expected from the direct magnetic interaction of the dipoles associated with each atom. A theoretical explanation of this effect, which depends upon the overlap of the Rb valence electron with the electrons of the ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ atom is presented and is in agreement with experiment. Experiments concerning the optical pumping of metastable ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ atoms in order to produce ground-state polarization are described. Polarizations of 60% in 1-Torr (1 STP mm) samples at room temperature and 56% in 3-Torr samples at 77\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K have been achieved. The process of metastable pumping works only at these lower pressures. Mercury liquid is shown experimentally, however, to present a poor surface for ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ relaxation. This result opens the possibility of achieving high polarization at high pressure using metastable pumping and gas compression. Various wall coatings of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ samples are found to have only small effects upon relaxation rates. A 3.1-amagat (1 STP atm) sample in Pyrex but of high purity is found to have a relaxation time of 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{4}$ sec. This value sets present limits upon the experimental ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$-${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ relaxation cross section. A new effect which involves relaxation processes of the ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ polarization in a magnetic field with a gradient is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The results of both theory and experiment are in close agreement with each other. An effect involving enhanced polarization of either sign of spin temperature of a high-pressure sample of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ in which a gas discharge is struck, and which is in a 10-kG field, is described experimentally.
Hydroxyurea does not prevent synchronized G1 chinese hamster cells from entering the DNA synthetic period

Using very high concentrations of radioactively labeled thymidine, we show that synchronized G/sub 1/ cells treated with hydroxyurea entered the DNA synthetic period at a time and rate indistinguishable from that of untreated cells, although the rate of DNA synthesis was greatly reduced in the drug-treated cultures. The DNA synthesized in the presence of hydroxyurea was less than or equal to 1 x 10/sup 7/ daltons, all of which could be chased into bulk DNA of approximately 3.5 x 10/sup 8/ daltons within 3 hr after removal of hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea synchronized cells are apparently not blocked at the G/sub 1//S boundary but in the S phase itself.
Participatory action research: contributions to the development of practitioner inquiry in education

The notion of teachers studying their own practice and working with students and community partners to address issues of inequality in schooling is the radical root of many forms of educational practitioner inquiry. But this emancipatory foundation of practitioner inquiry is currently under threat by efforts to limit the focus of this engaged form of knowledge generation to narrowly defined and decontextualized problems, disconnected from critiques of unjust and inequitable social conditions. Participatory action research (PAR) provides a framework for recapturing the potential of practitioner inquiry to bring about meaningful change. PAR expands the notion of researcher to include a range of stakeholders who collaboratively engage in all phases of the action–reflection cycle. The intentional focus on collaborative research, action for social change, and participant education shifts inquiry from an individual to a collective endeavor, intentionally aimed at transformative personal, organizational, and str...
Identification of Functional Domains of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor

Functional domains of the mouse aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) were investigated by deletion analysis. Ligand binding was localized to a region encompassing the PAS B repeat. The ligand-mediated dissociation of Ahr from the 90-kDa heat shock protein (HSP90) does not require the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt), but it is slightly enhanced by this protein. One HSP90 molecule appears to bind within the PAS region. The other molecule of HSP90 appears to require interaction at two sites: one over the basic helix-loop-helix region, and the other located within the PAS region. Each mutant was analyzed for dimerization with full-length mouse Arnt and subsequent binding of the dimer to the xenobiotic responsive element (XRE). In order to minimize any artificial steric hindrances to dimerization and XRE binding, each Ahr mutant was also tested with an equivalently deleted Arnt mutant. The basic region of Ahr is required for XRE binding but not for dimerization. Both the first and second helices of the basic helix-loop-helix motif and the PAS region are required for dimerization. These last results are analogous to those previously obtained for Arnt (Reisz-Porszasz, S., Probst, M.R., Fukunaga, B. N., and Hankinson, O.(1994) Mol. Cell. Biol. 14, 6075-6086) compatible with the notion that equivalent regions of Ahr and Arnt associate with each other. Deletion of the carboxyl-terminal half of Ahr does not affect dimerization or XRE binding but, in contrast to an equivalent deletion of Arnt, eliminates biological activity as assessed by an in vivo transcriptional activation assay, suggesting that this region of Ahr plays a more prominent role in transcriptional activation of the cyp1a1 gene than the corresponding region of Arnt.
Spatially resolved spectral interferometry for determination of subsurface structure

We describe an instrument capable of obtaining two-dimensional images of subsurface structure in real time with no moving parts. The technique is based on spectral interferometry and uses an imaging spectrograph to obtain spatially resolved spectra. A test sample consisting of microscope coverslips and a Ronchi grating was measured, illustrating the system’s depth resolution of 38 ?m and transverse resolution of at least 12.7 ?m. The technique is readily adaptable to endoscopic delivery as well as three-dimensional real-time image acquisition.
Dog bite wounds and infection: A prospective clinical study

We prospectively studied 26 patients with 27 dog bite wounds who sought medical attention in the emergency department. Two distinct populations were found (Fishers Exact Test, P ⩽0.001): 1) those who presented 8 hr to 12 hr post-injury were concerned about rabies or tetanus or surgical wound repair; and 2) those who presented more than 12 hr post-injury were concerned with infection. There was no difference ( P >0.05) in the bacteriology of the two groups. Of all wounds, 74% had aerobic pathogens isolated, including Streptococcus viridans (12 strains), Staphylococcus aureus (five strains), and Pasteurella multocida (eight strains); 41% had anaerobic pathogens isolated, including Bacteroides species (five strains) and Fusobacterium species (five strains). Gram stains made from wound swabs were a specific but insensitive predictor for bacterial growth. Empiric outpatient therapy with oral penicillin (17 patients) and/or dicloxacillin (four patients) was effective.
A demonstration of pervasive device integration with SEAP-based middleware

In this paper, we describe a demonstration of the SEAP middleware architecture applied to pervasive computing applications. SEAP, or Sensor Enablement for the Average Programmer, is an architectural pattern specifically targeted at junior and hobbyist level programmers. It builds on existing knowledge and technology resources commonly available to this target audience, and provides a friendly environment to create customized applications that interact with the physical world. While we discuss some of the motivation behind our work and give a brief overview of the SEAP architecture, the majority of this paper describes a proposed demonstration of the technology. This interactive demonstration is designed to be accessible to a wide variety of people, and to spur discussions on middleware for endusers of pervasive computing.
Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES): Documenting multiple outcomes in stuttering treatment

Abstract This paper describes a new instrument for evaluating the experience of the stuttering disorder from the perspective of individuals who stutter. Based on the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health [World Health Organization (2001). The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, & Health. Geneva: World Health Organization], the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES) collects information about the totality of the stuttering disorder, including: (a) general perspectives about stuttering, (b) affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions to stuttering, (c) functional communication difficulties, and (d) impact of stuttering on the speaker's quality of life. This paper summarizes scale development, reliability and validity assessment, and scoring procedures so clinicians and researchers can use the OASES to add to the available evidence about the outcomes of a variety of treatment approaches for adults who stutter. Educational objectives: As a result of this activity, participants will be able to: (1) identify key issues related to the documentation of treatment outcomes in stuttering; (2) discuss the components of the international classification of functioning, disability, and health as they relate to the documentation of stuttering treatment outcomes; (3) evaluate and use a new measurement instrument for assessing the outcomes of stuttering treatment from the perspective of the person who stutters.
Synthesis of prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin F2α by toadfish red blood cells

Abstract Saline washed red blood cells of the toadfish convert [1- 14 C] arachidonic acid to products that cochromatograph with prostaglandin E 2 and prostaglandin F 2α . This synthesis is inhibited by indomethacin (10 μg/ml). Conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin E 2 was confirmed by mass spectrometry. When saline washed toadfish red blood cells were incubated with a mixture of [1- 14 C]-arachidonic acid and [5,6,8,9,11,12,14,15,- 3 H]-arachidonic acid, comparison of the isotope ratios of the radioactive products indicated that prostaglandin F 2α was produced by reduction of prostaglandin E 2 . The capacity of toadfish red blood cells to reduce prostaglandin E 2 to prostaglandin F 2α was confirmed by incubation of the cells with [1- 14 C] prostaglandin E 2 .
Expression of a Putative Vesicular Acetylcholine Transporter Facilitates Quantal Transmitter Packaging

A putative vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) was overexpressed in developing Xenopus spinal neurons by injection of rat VAChT cDNA or synthetic mRNA into Xenopus embryos. This resulted in a marked increase in the amplitude and frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents at neuromuscular synapses, reflecting an over 10-fold increase in the vesicular packaging of acetylcholine (ACh). The effect appeared in developing neurons even before synaptogenesis and was blocked by L-vesamicol, a specific blocker of ACh uptake into synaptic vesicles. Mutational studies showed that two highly conserved aspartate residues within putative transmembrane domains 4 and 10 are essential for the transport activity. These results provide direct evidence for the physiological function of a putative VAChT and demonstrate that quantal size can be regulated by changes in vesicular transporter activity.
Identifying and pursuing research priorities at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

As part of its planning process, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a component of the National Institutes of Health, periodically evaluates how well it applies...
Self-poisoning with dextropropoxyphene and dextropropoxyphene compounds: the USA experience.

This survey continues and expands earlier studies (Finkle et al., 1976a, b). A total of 27 medical examiner or coroner offices across the USA and Canada were visited. The combined jurisdictional population of these 27 sites is 64.8 million people: 56.5 million people in the USA (27% of the US population) and 8.3 million in Canada (Ontario). Since 1969 through mid-1983, a total of 4412 cases provided information sufficient for inclusion in this study. In each of the cases the presence of propoxyphene, and often its major metabolite, in the blood or tissues of the deceased was confirmed by toxicological analysis at the survey site. The following is a summary of the survey findings: The incidence of propoxyphene-associated deaths reached a peak in 1977, then declined by 22.2% from 1977 to 1978 and by 33.3% from 1978 to 1979, and by a further 10-18% since then. This continuing decline has occurred despite increased interest in propoxyphene misuse and the existence of improved analytical methods for the detection of propoxyphene and its metabolites. The decline is greater than can be accounted for by the decline in propoxyphene prescribing. The most common manner of death was suicide, accounting for about 45% of the cases; it can be safely assumed that the suicides were under-reported. A large majority of the suicides involving propoxyphene were multiple-drug intoxications, including alcohol. Propoxyphene alone was noted in about one-sixth of the suicides. These findings confirm those of the earlier studies, i.e., that a high proportion of the deaths associated with propoxyphene are suicides, and, in most cases, the deceased were victims of multiple-drug toxicity. More than 90% of cases involved persons between the ages of 20 and 40 years. There were very few instances of paediatric, adolescent or older adult deaths associated with propoxyphene. There is no evidence to support the view that the deceased were part of the street drug-abuse population. A history of heroin abuse appeared in less than 5% of the cases. Even fewer people had been known to have abused propoxyphene before their deaths, but 18% of the population had been known to 'self-medicate', using multiple drugs without appropriate medical supervision. The distribution of males to females approximated that of the US population.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) Language: en
Course of psychomotor agitation during pharmacotherapy of depression: Analysis from double‐blind controlled trials with fluoxetine

Psychomotor agitation, a common clinical feature of major depression, may first emerge or intensify during pharmacotherapy. Whether agitation is part of the underlying course of depression or iatrogenic complicates treatment planning. We analyzed data from blinded clinical trials involving 4,737 patients with major depression assigned to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (fluoxetine), a comparator antidepressant (usually a tricyclic antidepressant [TCA]), or placebo. Item 9 of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to assess the degree of psychomotor agitation. The vast majority of depressed patients exhibited baseline psychomotor agitation. The rate of increased agitation from baseline during acute pharmacotherapy was comparable between fluoxetine and either placebo or TCAs. Substantial emergence of psychomotor agitation also occurred at a similar incidence across the three treatment groups and typically appeared within the first 3 wk. Improvement in agitation was significantly more prominent (P < 0.001) among fluoxetine-treated than among placebo-treated patients. Fluoxetine-treated patients demonstrated numerically superior improvement rates compared with TCA-treated patients; however, this difference was not significant. Data derived from this large series of clinical trials suggested no evidence that either fluoxetine or TCAs induced psychomotor agitation at rates exceeding the natural course of the disorder over time (placebo cohort). On the contrary, pharmacotherapy with either fluoxetine or TCAs was typically associated with diminished agitation, probably as part of the response pattern of depression.
Low-temperature synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles

Crystalline zinc oxide nanoparticles have been prepared by mixing aqueous solutions of zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) at 60°C and 80°C. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction show that the ZnO nanoparticles of diameters ranging from 15–33 nm and 25–43 nm long are formed. Aspect ratio is observed to range from 1.18 to 1.74 at 60°C and 1.22 to 1.70 at 80°C as the HMT to zinc nitrate concentration ratio increases from 10 to 150. Nanoparticle size decreases as the concentration of HMT increases. Much larger ZnO particles are formed with ammonium hydroxide as a hydrolysis agent without HMT. In summary, HMT is an ammonium-hydroxide source in the reaction, a surfactant for retaining nanosize, and not necessarily a template for ZnO nucleation.
Psychological Characteristics of Long-Term Female Temporomandibular Joint Pain Patients

Analysis from the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS) scores of 44 long-term temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain patients and 10 facial pain patients of a non-TMJ variety shows no significant differences. Both groups were significantly higher than a normative group. After treatment TMJ patients are not significantly different on the TMAS than the normative group. Etiological implications are discussed.
Capsule Commentary on Gallagher et al., Internists’ Attitudes About Assessing and Maintaining Clinical Competence

The medical profession is self-regulating and board certification is believed, though unproven, to be related to quality of care.1 Since 1990, American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification is time-limited.2 Internists who want to demonstrate their lifelong learning and continued competence need to recertify every 10 years.1 Gallagher et al.3 ask, “What do internists think about recertification?” Survey respondents agreed that continuous learning is important. Most rely on reading and Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs; only about half had participated in Maintenance of Certification (MOC) activities. All reported a desire for better feedback, and few reported receiving quality feedback on their performance. In this study, the importance attached to feedback correlated with respondents’ beliefs and participation in quality measures (i.e., Board certification, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recognition, pay for performance, self-assessment). In their discussion, Gallagher et al. noted that ‘the success of self-regulation ultimately hinges on physicians engaging in self-regulated learning’. This is important, because Bandura’s social cognitive theory states that ‘Evaluative self-reactions cannot be much aroused if one does not have a clear idea of how one is doing’.4 Inadequate feedback may dampen self-directed learning and self-evaluation. While physicians have high motivation to provide exemplary patient care, social cognitive theory suggests that self-efficacy beliefs play a large part in determining self-regulation behaviors. In the absence of absolute measures of competence, we are more likely to evaluate our performance in relation to others. Our appraisal of our own performance is dependent on our personal standards, attained level of performance, and the performance of others. These factors should be considered as specialty boards design MOC activities and feedback. The perception of peers and patients about a physician’s practice is important, and additional comparative information is likely to be helpful. The survey results illustrate that required activities and feedback from ABIM MOC activities are of low value to internists for maintaining their competence, with about half participating. Beyond an educational campaign to promote MOC activities, and improvement in those programs, we need to consider how feedback will motivate self-regulation and self-directed learning. Better means of assessing competence and providing quality feedback relevant to practice are needed.
Fourier Spectrum Techniques For Characterization Of Spatial Noise In Imaging Arrays

Noise performance in imaging arrays is often specified simply by the variance of the pixel levels. In this paper a more complete characterization technique is presented, based on the spatial-frequency power spectrum of the noise data on the detectors. This is seen to provide additional information for cases in which the noise spectrum is nonwhite. Experimental data demonstrate the nonwhite nature of the spectrum under certain conditions, especially resulting from spatial correlation of detector nonuniformity and from sampling-lattice-related artifacts in the data.
Organizational Turnaround and Educational Performance The Impact of Performance-Based Monitoring Analysis Systems

How do accountability policies affect failing organizations? Are additional interventions used to improve underperforming agencies effective in raising performance outputs? This article investigate...