cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A mutation in the S-switch region of the runt domain alters the dynamics of an allosteric network responsible for CBFβ regulation

The Runt domain is the DNA binding domain of the core binding factor (CBF) Runx subunits. The CBFs are transcription factors that play critical roles in hematopoiesis, bone, and neuron development in mammals. A common non-DNA binding CBFbeta subunit heterodimerizes with the Runt domain of the Runx proteins and allosterically regulates its affinity for DNA. Previous NMR dynamics studies suggested a model whereby CBFbeta allosterically regulates DNA binding by quenching conformational exchange in the Runt domain, particularly in the S-switch region and the betaE'-F loop. We sought to test this model, and to this end introduced all possible single amino acid substitutions into the S-switch region and the betaE'-F loop, and screened for mutations that enhanced DNA-binding. We demonstrate that one Runt domain mutant, R164N, binds both DNA and CBFbeta with higher affinity, but it is less sensitive to allosteric regulation by CBFbeta. Analysis of NMR relaxation data shows that the chemical exchange exhibited by the wild-type Runt domain is largely quenched by the R164N substitution. These data support a model in which the dynamic behavior of a network of residues connecting the CBFbeta and DNA binding sites on the Runt domain plays a critical role in the mechanism of allosteric regulation. This study provides an important functional link between dynamic behavior and protein allosteric function, consistent with results on other allosterically regulated proteins.
Regulation of macrophage phagocytosis.

The removal of pathogens from the circulation is achieved primarily by cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system, also known as the reticuloendothelial system. The tissue macrophage is the most important component of this system. The phagocytic activity of macrophages is regulated by opsonins on pathogenic materials and by endogenous cytokines. A number of diseases are caused by qualitative or quantitative disorders of phagocytosis by four major mechanisms: a decrease in the flow of blood to organs which contain macrophages (e.g. congestive heart failure and portal hypertension); a decrease in the quantity of tissue which contains macrophages (e.g. hepatic cirrhosis and splenectomy); a decrease in the effective opsonization of pathogens because of a deficiency of complement or IgG; and qualitative dysfunction of macrophages due to a deficiency of regulatory cytokines (e.g. gamma interferon and tuftsin) or a direct inhibitory effect on the macrophage (e.g. viral infections). New approaches for selective regulation of the phagocytic activity of macrophages are emerging.
Radiation Effects in Electroluminescent Diodes

Following a brief discussion of the operating characteristics of light emitting diodes (LED's), radiation effects in these devices are reviewed. Recent results on neutron damage effects in SiC LED's are also presented. Based on this review, criteria are developed for radiation insensitivity of LED's.
SERVICE EXPERIENCE AND THE MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF COLLEGE STUDENTS

La finalite de cette etude pilote est d'analyser le niveau de developpement du jugement moral des etudiants dans deux types d'universites a partir de lectures, de cours et de discussions. Le premier type d'universite implique une experience directe aupres de personnes en difficulte. Les AA. mettent l'accent sur deux problemes: les innovations du cursus pour les etudiants et les resultats de la recherche dans une universite traditionnelle. Leur volonte est de savoir si les etudiants ayant une experience pratique possedent une maturite plus grande dans le jugement moral
A tryptophan rotamer located in a polar environment probes pH-dependent conformational changes in bovine β-lactoglobulin A

Bovine β-lactoglobulin A (BLGA) is a well characterized globular protein whose tertiary structure has been investigated in detail. BLGA undergoes a pH-dependent conformational change which X-ray data described as involving mostly the loop connecting strands E and F and the deprotonation of a glutamic acid residue (Glu89). These structural changes have been investigated using, among other techniques, fluorescence spectroscopy. The intrinsic fluorescence of BLGA is dominated by two Trp residues. These residues are located far from the EF loop and would not be expected to probe the pH-induced conformational change of the protein. Trp19 is located at the bottom of the interior β-barrel, whereas Trp61 is located at the aperture of the barrel near the CD loop and is “silent” in the emission of native BLGA because of the proximity of a disulfide moiety. Our study suggests that, surprisingly, the fluorescence of Trp19 has the characteristic of a more polar environment than structural models from X-ray data would ...
Wear mechanisms of α-alumina lubricated with a paraffin oil

Abstract The effect of load, sliding speed and lubricant temperature on the tribological performance of polycrystalline α-alumina was investigated. A four-ball test geometry was used with a purified paraffin oil lubricant. The test results showed that the wear behavior of this material was strongly dependent on the contact load. Mild to severe wear transitions occurred at particular loads, depending on lubricant temperature and sliding speed. The transition load was found to decrease as either the lubricant temperature or the sliding speed was increased. The onset of transition is explained by the failure of the lubricating film due to an increase in flash temperature. Examination of the worn surfaces by scanning electron microscopy revealed that intergranular fracture was the primary mechanism for severe wear.
Smart butterfly: reducing static power dissipation of network-on-chip with core-state-awareness

While power gating is a promising technique to reduce the static power consumption of network-on-chip (NoC), its effectiveness is often hindered by the requirement of maintaining network connec-tivity and the limited knowledge of traffic behaviors. In this paper, we present Smart Butterfly, a core-state-aware NoC power-gating scheme based on flattened butterfly that utilizes the active/sleep state information of processing cores to improve power-gating effectiveness. Smart Butterfly exploits the rich connectivity of the flattened butterfly topology to allow more on-chip routers to be power-gated when their attached cores are asleep. We present two heuristic algorithms to determine the set of routers to be turned on to maintain connectivity and allow tradeoff between power consumption and average packet latency. Simulation results show an average of 42.85% and 60.48% power reduction of Smart Butterfly over prior art on 4x4 and 8x8 networks, respectively.
Photomorphogenic mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana reveal activities of multiple photosensory systems during light-stimulated apical-hook opening

Fluence rate-response curves were generated for red-, far-red-, and blue-light-stimulated apical-hook opening in seedlings of several photomorphogenic mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Compared to wild-type plants, hook opening was reduced in the phytochrome-deficient hy1, hy2, and hy6 mutants in red and far-red light at all fluence rates tested, and in low-fluence blue light, but was normal under high-irradiance blue light. In contrast, the blue-light-response mutants (blu1, blu2, and blu3) lacked the high-irradiance-dependent hook-opening response in blue light while hook opening was normal in low-fluence blue light and in red and farred light at all fluence rates tested. Hook opening in the phytochrome-B-deficient hy3 mutant was similar to wild type in all light conditions tested. The effects of the different mutations on light-induced hook opening indicate that a phytochrome(s) other than phytochrome B mediates hook opening stimulated by red, far-red and lowfluence blue light, while a blue-light-absorbing photoreceptor mediates the blue-light-sensitive high-irradiance response. Although the phytochrome and blue-light photosensory systems appear to work independently for the most part, some of their signal-transduction components may interact since the hy4, and hy5 mutants showed reduced hook-opening responses under conditions dependent on the phytochrome and blue-light-photosensory systems.
Estimating regional plant biodiversity with GIS modelling

We analyzed a statewide species database together with a county-level geographic information system to build a model based on well-surveyed areas to estimate species richness in less surveyed counties. The model involved GIS (Arc/Info) and statistics (S-PLUS), including spatial statistics (S+SpatialStats).
The Transferability of Western Social Work Education Across National and Cultural Boundaries: Fact or Fiction?

Abstract The basic question is whether Western social work education should be transferred across national and cultural boundaries. The argument against such transfer has two major foundations: empirical and philosophical. The empirical argument holds that Western realities differ markedly from those in Third World countries, for example, and therefore Western social work knowledge and techniques are not applicable. The philosophical argument is based upon the assumptions of cultural relativism which maintains that each culture is a unique reality whose values are worthwhile in themselves. Therefore, the transfer of Western social work education and practice, by definition, is a form of imperialism, an unwarranted imposition upon Third World values. That Western knowledge and values may be faulty is true, but that is a case to be made and not merely assumed. Cultural relativism is critiqued as a significant ideological impediment to dealing with the complex, practical problems of transferability. The gene...
Tomography of Convex and Star Bodies

New definitions of a star body and its radial function are given. These are used in studying sections of convex and star bodies, in conjunction with the dual mixed volumes of Lutwak, the spherical Radon transform, and the i-chord functions. (When the body contains the origin in its interior, and i ≠ 0, the latter equals the sum of the values of the ith power of the radial function at antipodal points in the unit sphere.) Special cases of results obtained include the following. A simple construction is given of non-spherical convex bodies of constant i-section, i.e., such that each i-dimensional section through an interior point has the same i-dimensional volume. It is shown that two star bodies, containing the origin in their interiors and with analytic boundaries, must be equal up to reflection in the origin, if the volumes of their sections by i-dimensional subspaces for two different values of i are equal. Examples are given to show that the last statement is no longer necessarily true if the boundaries are only infinitely differentiable or if the bodies are convex polytopes. It is also proved that a star body which has constant i-section for two different values of i, with respect to the same interior point, must be a ball centered at that point. This answers the dual of the old question as to whether there exist non-spherical convex bodies of constant width and constant brightness. New results are also obtained concerning the determination of convex polytopes by the volumes of their sections through one or more points.
Amygdala Volume Reductions in Pediatric Patients with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder Treated with Paroxetine: Preliminary Findings

The amygdala is believed to be highly relevant to the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) given its prominent role in fear conditioning and because it is an important target of the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), the pharmacotherapy of choice for OCD. In the present study, we measured in vivo volumetric changes in the amygdala in pediatric patients with OCD following 16 weeks of monotherapy with the selective SRI, paroxetine hydrochloride. Amygdala volumes were computed from contiguous 1.5 mm magnetic resonance (MR) images in 11 psychotropic drug-naive patients with OCD prior to and then following treatment. Eleven healthy pediatric comparison subjects also had baseline and follow-up scans, but none of these subjects received medication. Patients demonstrated significant asymmetry of the amygdala (L>R) prior to pharmacologic intervention in contrast to healthy comparison subjects who showed no asymmetry at the time of their baseline scan. Mixed model analyses using age and total brain volume as time varying covariates indicated that left amygdala volume decreased significantly in patients following treatment. The reduction in left amygdala volume in patients correlated significantly with higher paroxetine dosage at the time of the follow-up scan and total cumulative paroxetine exposure between the scans. No significant changes in either right or left amygdala volume were evident among healthy comparison subjects from the baseline to the follow-up scan. These preliminary findings suggest that abnormal asymmetry of the amygdala may play a role in the pathogenesis of OCD and that paroxetine treatment may be associated with a reduction in amygdala volume.
Mass dependence of hadron distributions in ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions

(Anti-) baryon and kaon distributions in nucleus-nucleus reactions at 200 AGeV are studied in the framework of the transport model RQMD. Production mechanisms for strangeness and baryon pairs are tested by comparing their projectile and target mass dependence to available experimental data. RQMD contains two collective production processes, fusion of overlapping strings into highly charged chromoelectric ropes and hadronic rescattering. It turns out that both rope formation and hadronic rescattering are of importance for creation-and annihilation-of strangeness and antibaryons.
Evaluation of dual V/sub DD/ fabrics for low power FPGAs

Power efficiency is becoming an increasingly important design aspect for FPGAs. Recently it has been shown that well-known power minimization techniques in the ASICs such as creating supply voltage (V/sub dd/) scalable islands of different granularity can be applied to FPGAs. However, the discrete routing architecture of FPGAs amplifies any constraint imposed on the placement stage. In this work, we evaluate the overheads of voltage scaling schemes in relation to FPGA architectures and design flows in terms of critical path delay, channel-width and area/delay product. We present a detailed evaluation of the impact of alternative realizations of voltage scaling schemes onto the physical design flow of FPGAs and show that as high as 47% dynamic power gain is possible with 17% area/delay product penalty and 30% power gain is possible with as low as 6% area/delay product penalty for different voltage island configurations.
Exploring and Testing Cluster Analysis.

Academic deans annually negotiate for a fair share of university resources. Without quantitative accreditation standards to serve as minimum guidelines, the competition is more difficult. Peer institution comparison, derived from the analysis of quantitative data on resource and productivity variables, assists by providing less biased justification for budget requests. In this study, data from a national study of doctoral-granting teacher education programs was used for a factor analysis of key resource and productivity variables. Seven alternative cluster analysis methods were used and compared. Three follow-up procedures (analysis of variance, discriminant analysis, and classification analysis) tested the cluster analysis results to verify the differences between clusters and their internal homogeneity on three different cluster solutions. The classification analysis showed that 88.2% of the 76 programs were correctly classified on the five-cluster solution produced using Ward's minimum variance method. The practical use of such data suggests that Cattell's pattern of profile similarly is a useful beginning to compare programs on factor scores; following that, raw data on each key variable might be used to prepare individual program profiles for more specific comparison.
Strategies for commercialization of cryopreserved fish semen

Initial success in sperm cryopreservation occurred at about the same time for aquatic species and livestock. However, in the 50 plus years since then cryopreserved sperm of livestock has grown into a billion-dollar global industry, while cryopreserved sperm of aquatic species remains a research activity with little commercial application despite work in more than 90 species and more than 200 published reports. Most research work has focused on large-bodied culture and sport fishes, such as salmon, trout, carp, and catfish, and mollusks such as commercially important oyster and abalone species. However, only a few studies have addressed sperm cryopreservation in small fishes such as zebrafish, or in endangered species. Overall, this work has yielded techniques that are being applied with varied levels of success around the world. Barriers to expanded application include a diverse and widely distributed literature base, technical problems, small sperm volumes, variable results, a general lack of access to the technology, and most importantly, a lack of standardization in practices and reporting. The benefits of cryopreservation include at least five levels of improvements for existing industries and for creation of new industries. First, cryopreservation can be used to improve existing hatchery operations by providing sperm on demand and simplifying the timing of induced spawning. Second, frozen sperm can enhance efficient use of facilities and create new opportunities in the hatchery by eliminating the need to maintain live males, potentially freeing resources for use with females and larvae. Third, valuable genetic lineages such as endangered species, research models or improved farmed strains can be protected by storage of frozen sperm. Fourth, cryopreservation opens the door for rapid genetic improvement. Frozen sperm can be used in breeding programs to create improved lines and shape the genetic resources available for aquaculture. Finally, cryopreserved sperm of aquatic species will at some point become an entirely new industry itself. A successful industry will require integrated practices for sample collection, refrigerated storage, freezing, thawing, rules for use and disposal, transfer agreements, and database development. Indeed the development of this new industry is constrained by factors including the technical requirements for scaling-up to commercial operations during the transition from research, and the absence of uniform quality control practices, industry standards, and appropriate biosecurity safeguards.
Modeling of a Tropical Squall Line in Two Dimensions: Sensitivity to Radiation and Comparison with a Midlatitude Case

Abstract A two-dimensional cloud model is used to study a tropical oceanic squall-line system. The dynamical and microphysical structures of the simulated squall-line system and the impact of environmental wind profiles on these structures are presented. The influence of the microphysics treatment on cloud radiative properties and the sensitivity of this simulated system to radiation is also investigated. In addition, partitioned heat, moisture and water budgets, and two radiative transfer schemes are used to assess the role of anvil clouds on the simulated system and on the assumption used in a bulk parameterization for cloud radiative properties. The comparison with a midlatitude study is also made to show its climatic implication. The major conclusions are as follows. The simulated tropical squall-line system replicates many observed features. A transition zone in the simulated multicellular storm is primarily caused by the jetlike wind profile, while it is due to longwave radiation in the midlatitude ...
Mapping GABAA Receptor Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) Linked to Epilepsy: Insights into the Receptor Gating and Assembly

Missense polymorphisms or variants that affect function and/or expression of GABAA receptors (GABARs) have been associated with idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGEs) in GABRA1, GABRA6, GABRB3, GABRG2 and GABRD genes. Three separate IGE-associated mutations were identified in GABAR subunits (β3(G32R), α6(Q237R) and γ2(K328M)), which represent a large range of GABARs in the nervous system. We sought to investigate the contributions of these mutations into the assembly and function of GABARs. Homology modeling suggested that G32R is located within the N-terminal α-helix β3 subunit domain, and Q237R and K328M are located within the pre-M1 segment of the N-terminal α6 subunit domain and the M2-M3 loop of the N-terminal γ2 subunit domain, respectively. We studied gating properties and surface expression of wild type (wt) α1β3γ2, α6β2γ2, α1β2γ2 and mutant α1β3(G32R)γ2, α6(Q237R)β2γ2, α1β2γ2(K328M) receptors expressed in HEK293T cells. We found that the mutations share common gating defects, but distinctive trafficking defects. Thus, mutant β3(G32R) subunits displayed a mixed profile, causing both gating and trafficking defects of α1β3γ2 receptors, whereas mutant α6(Q237R) and γ2(K328M) subunits caused exclusive channel gating defects of α6β2γ2 and α1β2γ2 receptors. Unexpected, homology modeling predicted that the β3(G32R) mutation affects a salt bridge across the γ2/β3 subunit interface, which underlies an assembly motif reported to be essential for inter-subunit interactions in assembled receptors. In contrast, α6(Q237R) and γ2(K328M) subunit mutations are predicted to interact with residues in Pre-M1 domain, M2-M3 loop and Cys-loop of α6 and γ2 subunits that are critical for desensitization-deactivation coupling of GABARs.NIH funding NS33300 to RLM.
The role of noise and positive feedback in the onset of autosomal dominant diseases

Background: Autosomal dominant (AD) diseases result when a single mutant or non-functioning gene is present on an autosomal chromosome. These diseases often do not emerge at birth. There are presently two prevailing theories explaining the expression of AD diseases. One explanation originates from the Knudson two-hit theory of hereditary cancers, where loss of heterozygosity or occurrence of somatic mutations impairs the function of the wild-type copy. While these somatic second hits may be sufficient for stable disease states, it is often difficult to determine if their occurrence necessarily marks the initiation of disease progression. A more direct consequence of a heterozygous genetic background is haploinsufficiency, referring to a lack of sufficient gene function due to reduced wild-type gene copy number; however, haploinsufficiency can involve a variety of additional mechanisms, such as noise in gene expression or protein levels, injury and second hit mutations in other genes. In this study, we explore the possible contribution to the onset of autosomal dominant diseases from intrinsic factors, such as those determined by the structure of the molecular networks governing normal cellular physiology. Results: First, simple models of single gene insufficiency using the positive feedback loops that may be derived from a three-component network were studied by computer simulation using Bionet software. The network structure is shown to affect the dynamics considerably; some networks are relatively stable even when large stochastic variations in are present, while others exhibit switch-like dynamics. In the latter cases, once the network switches over to the disease state it remains in that state permanently. Model pathways for two autosomal dominant diseases, AD polycystic kidney disease and mature onset diabetes of youth (MODY) were simulated and the results are compared to known disease characteristics. Conclusions: By identifying the intrinsic mechanisms involved in the onset of AD diseases, it may be possible to better assess risk factors as well as lead to potential new drug targets. To illustrate the applicability of this study of pathway dynamics, we simulated the primary pathways involved in two autosomal dominant diseases, Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) and mature onset diabetes of youth (MODY). Simulations demonstrate that some of the primary disease characteristics are consistent with the positive feedback - stochastic variation theory presented here. This has implications for new drug targets to control these diseases by blocking the positive feedback loop in the relevant pathways.
The known unknowns of antigen processing and presentation

The principal components of both MHC class I and class II antigen processing and presentation pathways are well known. In dendritic cells, these pathways are tightly regulated by Toll-like-receptor signalling and include features, such as cross-presentation, that are not seen in other cell types. However, the exact mechanisms involved in the subcellular trafficking of antigens remain poorly understood and in some cases are controversial. Recent data suggest that diverse cellular machineries, including autophagy, participate in antigen processing and presentation, although their relative contributions remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we highlight some emerging themes of antigen processing and presentation that we think merit further attention.
A reconfigurable open GeoSMS mobile client App design for Android smartphones

A geotagged Short Message Service (SMS), such as those following Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Open GeoSMS (OGS) standard, is useful for many applications that require location based services field work. In OGS specification, a geotag is used as a hyperlink for retrieving detail information of given target at given location. This feature meets the interoperation requirements of time-sensitive, location-aware notification and monitoring services. This feature can give service providers to design more various and useful service scenarios, and these requirements make importantly to develop vendor specific Apps for realizing these service scenarios. A design pattern for OGS mobile client Apps will help to develop the Apps with relatively less effort. This paper focuses on a design for an OGS mobile client App and shows a Connector-Translator-Launcher (CTL) flow for smartphone environments. The CTL flow based mobile client App is based on Model-View-Controller (MVC) model. It applies pluggable modules for connecting geospatial services pointed by each geotag and translating geospatial content retrieved from such services. The App displays details information specified by a geotag following the OGS. The Android-based mobile client App was developed for OGC's OGC Web Services, Phase 8 (OWS-8). It was applied as a mobile tracking client in geospatial web service testbed scenarios for the Observation Fusion (Tracking) thread. Two pluggable modules were developed for the scenario application. One is a connector module for connecting to a track server, and another is a translator module for translating track information for displaying on map views.
Nurses' Attributions about Rape Victims

In an evaluation experiment, 80 registered nurses (64% of whom had cared for at least one rape victim) read an account of a rape involving a woman who drove to a drugstore on her way home from work. By random assignment, the nurses read one of four versions of the rape which varied in terms of whether or not the victim locked her car door (carelessness manipulation) and time of attack (5:00 p.m. or midnight). Subjects evaluated the victim on a series of 0 to 9 bipolar adjective scales. MANOVA showed a significant main effect for the locked/unlocked conditions: Nurses who read the unlocked version, as compared to those reading the locked version, showed differences in terms of more negative ratings of the victim on such variables as less liking for her, less identification with her, and assigning greater responsibility for the rape to her (p less than or equal to .005). Time of attack and the interaction were not significant.
A US perspective on Mediterranean naval security

(1993). A US perspective on Mediterranean naval security. The International Spectator: Vol. 28, Naval Arms Control and Maritime Security in the Mediterranean, pp. 95-112.
A Study on Wind - Energy Storage Hybrid System

Recently, more and more people realize the importance of environment protection. Electric power generation systems using renewable energy sources have an advantage of no greenhouse effect gas emission. Among all the choices, wind power can offer an economic and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional methods of power supply. As a result, wind energy generation, utilization and its grid penetration in electrical grid is increasing world wide. The wind generated power is always fluctuating due to its time varying nature and causing stability problem. Inserting energy storage system into large scale wind farm to eliminate the fluctuation becomes a solution for developing large scale renewable energy system connected with grid. The topology diagram and control strategy are presented in this paper. According to the simulation result, it could be indicated that embedding energy storage system into wind power system could improve the access friendly and extend system functions. This paper shows that integrating energy storage system into wind power system will build a more reliable and flexible system for power grid.
Flow sorting and culture of protoplasts: Conditions for high-frequency recovery, growth and morphogenesis from sorted protoplasts of suspension cultures of nicotiana.

Protoplasts were prepared from suspension cultures of Nicotiana tabacum cv Wisconsin 38 that had been prelabeled with FITC. The protoplasts were subjected to flow sorting based on fluorescence content using a Coulter EPICS V Flow Cytometer — Cell Sorter. Conditions were established that allowed the recovery after sorting of approximately 30% of the initial protoplasts in a viable state. These were subsequently regenerated into calli that underwent shoot morphogenesis.
Corporate social responsibility and worker skills: An examination of corporate responses to work place illiteracy

Using perceptions of human resource managers of top management's attitude toward corporate social responsibility, a survey of private sector firms (n=407) revealed that over half of those that employed basic-skill deficient employees took legal or economic views of corporate social responsibility toward these workers. These attitudes were confirmed by organizational policies. Employers with social obligation tendencies were less likely to undertake proactive programs such as basic skill training, deskilling, or related supervisory training. Corporate philosophies were almost independent of organizational variables. One exception was manufacturing firms that were more likely to take a legal-economic view of illiterate employees; however, the relationship was weak. Little evidence was found that skill shortages or union pressures are resulting in corporate proactive programs. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Observed Line Shapes of Collective Excitations in Al, Be, and Ge†

Line shapes of the major characteristic electron energy-loss peaks of Al, Be, and Ge, attributed to collective excitations of the valence electrons, have been measured at 20 keV primary electron energy and zero scattering angle. The primary-beam line shape has been unfolded from the observed energy-loss peak to obtain the natural-loss line shape. The results are discussed in terms of a Lorentzian line and the Drude model. The unfolded line shapes of Al and Ge are compared with optical measurements of − Im(1/∊). An expected correlation between the loss-peak halfwidth and the value of ∊2 at the peak maximum is in fair agreement with the observed data for Al and Ge.
The Sleep-Friendly ICU

Achieving restorative sleep in the ICU remains a challenge for most patients. Various environmental and nonenvironmental factors affect sleep patterns in the ICU. This article discusses the effects and relative importance of these factors on sleep patterns in the critical care setting. In addition, the implications of sleep pattern alteration on human physiology and homeostatic mechanisms are considered.
Ontogeny of erythrocyte insulin binding in the sheep.

The ontogeny of insulin binding in the sheep was studied using the erythrocytes (RBCs) of 31 fetuses, 10 lambs, and 5 adult animals. Six fetuses were studied on three occasions over a 2-week period from 120–135 days of gestation to provide longitudinal data on changes in insulin binding. Maximal percent binding of [125I]iodoinsulin and receptor concentration decreased significantly as the age of the animal increased (r = -0.76, P < 0.001 and r = -0.49, P <0 0.001, respectively). Total loss of insulin binding to RBCs was estimated to occur in the second postnatal month, and the RBCs from the adult sheep showed no specific insulin binding. The osmotic fragility of RBCs in each developmental group of animals was also studied to assess possible differences in RBC membrane properties. RBC osmotic fragility was significantly lower in fetuses than in adult sheep (osmotic fragility50 = 0.55% phosphate-buffered saline vs. 0.76% phosphate-buffered saline, respectively; P < 0.001). The data suggest that fetal RBCs o...
3-D dose distributions for optimum radiation treatment planning of complex foods

Abstract To obtain satisfactory e-beam irradiation of fresh products a strict process control is required to ensure that the dose delivered to all parts of the treated product falls within some specified range. As a basis of a dosimetry technique, assessment of the exact geometry of fresh products in a 3-D configuration is needed. Obtaining a uniform dose in inherently complex foods such as a chicken carcass is, however, difficult. The objective of this study was to obtain detailed, high-resolution dose distributions of a chicken carcass exposed to e-beam or X-ray irradiation using Monte Carlo simulation and Computer Tomography (CT) techniques. We obtained multi-sliced CT data of a frozen chicken carcass to extract exact product geometry and densities using image-processing methods. The type of source energy input spectrum and source size were entered into the Monte Carlo N-Particle radiation transport code (MNCP5) to obtain dose distributions in the product. For low energy treatment (1.35 MeV electrons, Van de Graaff accelerator), dose absorption occurred up to 5–7 mm deep, resulting in surface irradiation of the carcass. For high energy treatment (10 MeV, LINAC, bottom only), the doses within the carcass rose up to 1.2 times the incident dose with increasing depth and rapidly fell to low values. Two-sided (top and bottom) irradiation resulted in a dose uniformity ratio ( D max / D min ) of about 1.6. Two-sided X-ray irradiation significantly improved the uniformity ratio from 2.5 to 1.8.
Isomerically Pure 2,3-Dialkyl 3-Alkenoic Acids via Ionization/Elimination of β-Lactones

Abstract 3-Substituted 4,4-diakyl oxetan-2-ones undergo an ionization/elimination reaction to afford β, γ-unsaturatad acid derivatives in high yield and isomeric purity.
Transcriptional activation of the histone nuclear factor P (HiNF-P) gene by HiNF-P and its cyclin E/CDK2 responsive co-factor p220NPAT defines a novel autoregulatory loop at the G1/S phase transition.

Abstract Histone nuclear factor P (HiNF-P) activates histone H4 gene transcription at the G1/S phase transition upon association with its cyclin E/CDK2 responsive co-factor p220 NPAT . Here we characterize the gene regulatory pathways that control the proliferation-related expression of HiNF-P. The HiNF-P locus contains a single TATA-less 0.6 kbp promoter with multiple phylogenetically conserved transcription factor recognition motifs. Transient reporter gene assays with HiNF-P promoter deletions show that there are at least three distinct activating regions (− 387/− 201, − 201/− 100 and − 100/− 1) that support maximal transcription. HiNF-P gene transcription is activated by SP1 through the − 100/− 1 domain and repressed by E2F1 through the − 201/− 100 domain. The multifunctional co-regulators CBP and p300 also stimulate HiNF-P gene transcription through the − 201/− 1 core promoter. Importantly, the HiNF-P promoter is activated by both HiNF-P and p220 NPAT . This autoregulatory activation is further enhanced by cyclin E and CDK2, while blocked by CDK inhibition (i.e., p57 KIP2 p27 KIP1 , p21 CIP ). Thus, the HiNF-P gene is a key non-histone target of p220 NPAT and HiNF-P. The dependence of HiNF-P gene transcription on cyclin E/CDK2/p220 NPAT signaling defines a novel feed-forward loop that may sustain HiNF-P expression in proliferating cells to support the cell cycle regulated synthesis of histone H4 proteins.
The role of the median eminence in control of photoperiodically induced testicular growth in the white-crowned sparrow. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii.

Midline electrolytic lesions were created in the basal hypothalamus of adult white-crowned sparrows, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii, in order to explore further the neuroendocrine basis of photoperiodic control of testicular growth. Lesions that destroyed the anterior and posterior divisions of the median eminence (AME and PME) prevented photoperiodically induced testicular growth, confirming the previously reported experiments of Wilson (1967) on this species. Destruction of the PME alone also abolished photoperiodic testicular growth. Destruction of the AME usually had no inhibitory effect. Moreover, extraeminential lesions that interrupted a majority of the fibers of the supraoptico-hypophysial tract thereby causing a marked depletion of stainable neurosecretory material from the AME had, in all but two birds, no noticeable effect on testicular growth. On the other hand, destruction of selected regions of the infundibular nucleus, without involvement of the median eminence, suppressed the photoperiodic testicular response. Destruction of the posterior region of the infundibular nucleus, causing antegrade degeneration of tubero-hypophysial fibers into the PME, also suppressed the testicular response. These results suggest that the infundibular nucleus may be composed of separate cellular populations functioning in the control of photoperiodically induced testicular growth and that only one of these may contribute neuronal elements to the neurohemal organs of the PME.
Processability, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivities of carbon black‐filled ethylene‐vinyl acetate copolymers

The objective of this study was to investigate the processability, mechanical properties, and electrical properties of carbon black-filled ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers with different melt flow indexes (MFIs) and vinyl acetate (VA) contents. The effects of carbon black on maximum temperature, equilibrium torque, equilibrium viscosity, and work energy were characterized in a Haake torque rheometer. These properties were found to increase with an increase in carbon black concentration. MFI was found to be the important factor in determining processing properties of the three different EVA resins. Mechanical properties, including tensile modulus, tensile strength at break, and elongation at break were evaluated and the results showed that tensile modulus was dominated by VA content. MFI was the primary factor influencing tensile strength and elongation at break. Volume and surface resistivity of blends were also studied. EVA with higher MFI and higher crystallinity provided a lower percolation concentration. Bound polymer could be used to explain the differences in viscosity and percolation between EVAs at different molecular weights. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 19: 132–139, 2000
Intervertebral disc degeneration and ectopic bone formation in apolipoprotein E knockout mice

Cardiovascular risk factors are known to be associated with intervertebral disc degeneration, but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. The ApoE knockout (KO) mouse is a well-established model for atheroscelorosis. We hypothesized that ApoE is involved in maintaining disc health and that ApoE KO mice will develop early disc degeneration. Discs of ApoE KO and wild-type (WT) mice were characterized with histological/immunological, biochemical, and real-time RT-PCR assays. A comparison of the extracellular matrix production was also performed in disc cells. We demonstrated that ApoE was highly expressed in the endplates of WT discs, and ectopic bone formed in the endplates of ApoE KO discs. Glycosaminoglycan content was decreased in both ApoE KO annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Collagen levels were increased in AF and decreased in NP cells. Matrix metalloproteinase-3, -9, and -13 expressions were increased, which may partially explain the impaired matrix production. We also found collagen I, II, aggrecan, and biglycan mRNA expressions were increased in AF cells but decreased in NP cells. Apoptosis was increased in the ApoE KO NP tissue. These results suggest early disc degeneration changes in the ApoE KO mice. ApoE may play a critical role in disc integrity and function.
Interstitial potassium concentration, slow depolarization and focal potential responses in the dorsal horn of the rat spinal slice

Extracellular potassium concentration ([K+]o) was measured, and intra- and extracellular recordings made, in the dorsal horn of rat spinal cord slices maintained in vitro during repetitive dorsal root stimulation. In about half of the dorsal horn neurons, the stimulation evoked a possibly substance P-mediated slow depolarization. [K+]o increased during stimulation, reaching its highest values approximately 150 μm from the dorsal surface. The time course of Δ[K+]o was different from that of the slow depolarization. Substance P itself evoked a much smaller Δ[K+]o (0.4 mM) in the dorsal horn. It is concluded that the slow depolarization is not mediated by elevated [K+]o.
Learning About Language Through Inquiry-Based Discussion Three Bidialectal High School Students’ Talk About Dialect Variation, Identity, and Power

The field of literacy studies has seen decades of calls for scholarship and instruction that address issues of dialect diversity, identity, and power but few empirical studies that document students’ engagement in classroom activities designed to address these issues. The goal of this article is to describe how three bidialectal African American high school students learned about language variation, identity, and power through their participation in a small-group, inquiry-based discussion. The authors’ description analyzes both the learning opportunities and limitations provided by the design of the inquiry-based discussion and also the content learning about the English language that was evidenced by the students’ talk. The findings suggest that inquiry-based discussions, when driven by carefully worded questions, can lead to robust student learning about language variation and can engage students in authentic disciplinary problem posing.
Hemidystonia with one eye-of-the-tiger sign.

Awomaninher lateteenspresentedwithdystonicposturingofher left hand for 2 years and left foot for 3months. Dystonic posturing of her hand had started when she was 8 months pregnant, and it slowly worsened to involve her left lower limb, leading to difficulty in walking (Video). She was evaluated for left hemidystonia. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR)magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of the brain gave the appearance of the eyeof-the-tiger sign in the right basal ganglia similar to what would be seenwithaneuroferritinopathy,butsusceptibility-weighted imaging revealed evidence of hemosiderin indicative of an old hemorrhagic infarct (Figure). The results ofmagnetic resonanceangiography for evaluation of intracranial vessels were normal. Mutation analysis for pantothenate kinase 2 was negative. Antinuclear antibody and anti–double-stranded DNAwere negative.
Effect of carrier on the release of gentian violet from antifungal additives in poultry feed

Abstract Three experiments were conducted to measure the availability of gentian violet from commercial additives containing various carriers. The tested products were mixed with water or with buffer solutions simulating the chicken digestive tract. Maize-cob meal as a carrier reduced the availability of gentian violet from additives regardless of solution pH. The availability of gentian violet was high for products containing calcium carbonate followed by a product with diatomaceous silica as the carrier. Studies also indicated that clay, magnesium silicate and maize-cob meal, in that order, “tie up” more gentian violet in a liquid medium than diatomaceous earth and calcium carbonate.
Range Image Restoration Using Mean Field Annealing

A new optimization strategy, Mean Field Annealing, is presented. Its application to MAP restoration of noisy range images is derived and experimentally verified.
XIX.—The identity of Campsomeris aureola, Saussure (nec Klug), and of Curvivittata, Cameron (Hymenoptera, Scoliidæ)

(1931). XIX.—The identity of Campsomeris aureola, Saussure (nec Klug), and of Curvivittata, Cameron (Hymenoptera, Scoliidae) Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Vol. 8, No. 44, pp. 167-173.
Shared Decision Making Science and Action

Dr Jones is a 55-year-old surgeon with class I angina. Her exercise stress echocardiogram shows mild ischemia involving 2 segments of the inferior wall, and diagnostic coronary angiography demonstrates a right coronary artery discrete, mid-80% stenosis. She is meeting with her cardiologist to decide whether to pursue percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a drug-eluting stent or continue her current medications (aspirin, atorvastatin, metoprolol, and nitrates). Current research evidence suggests that PCI and medical therapy have comparable outcomes for death and myocardial infarction, as well as similar relief of angina symptoms at 1-year follow-up.1 PCI might achieve more rapid relief of symptoms but with some risk for bleeding, stent thrombosis, and restenosis. This risk is not present with medications; however, these might take longer to titrate and achieve improvement of symptoms and have their own potential side effects.2,3 How should Dr Jones, the patient, decide between PCI and medical therapy? Spatz and Spertus4 have described the primary challenge facing American health care in the 21st century as the need to improve evidence-based, cost-effective, and patient-centered care. Although healthcare organizations and clinicians study, measure, and improve gaps in evidence-based and cost-effective care, patient-centered care lacks comparable science and action. Spatz and Spertus4 have proposed shared decision making (SDM) as the path forward to achieve patient-centered care and have introduced a series of articles in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes to describe the state of the science in SDM, design and test tools for SDM, implement SDM in clinical practice, understand measurement and outcomes of SDM, and promote policy and accountability in SDM. In this introductory article, we address the following questions: 1. Why do we need SDM? 2. How should we do SDM? 3. How should we measure SDM? 4. How should we promote SDM? 5. What are the future directions …
Behavioral responses to perceived hypoglycemic symptoms.

This study examines the behavioral responses of IDDM patients to per ceived hypoglycemic symptoms. To determine whether or not patients used reflectance meters to confirm low blood glu cose (BG) levels before self-treatment, a survey was administered that asked participants to report their hypoglycemic symptoms, their confidence in ability to recognize hypogly cemia, and their first four actions after perceiving hypoglycemic symptoms. Of 79 respondents, the majority reported not using self-measurement to confirm low BG levels before taking action to raise those levels. Patients who reported more symp toms were more confident in their ability to recognize low BG levels.