cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
QL-21SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PRIMARY BRAIN TUMOR PATIENTS

Spirituality has been shown to impact patients' attitudes and decisions about treatment and end-of-life care when coping with chronic illnesses such as cancer. Previous studies have documented that health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and spiritual well-being are positively correlated, but little is known about the phenomenon in the primary brain tumor population. Therefore, we sought to measure spiritual well-being in primary brain tumor patients and evaluate whether it was associated with HRQoL. Data collected within the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke as part of the PRoGREss registry between 12/16/2013 and 2/28/2014 were queried retrospectively. In addition to demographic and clinical information, data was obtained from patient reported outcome questionnaires including Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain Cancer (FACT-Br) with a score range from 0-184 and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp12) with a score range from 0-48. Correlation analyses were performed with the Pearson correlation coefficient. For this study, 845 subjects were identified. Mean age was 49.8 (SD = 13.5) years and 54.6% were male, 56.8% married, and 34.1% college educated. Median score for FACT-Br Total was 135.9 with range from 40.8 to 184 and median score for FACIT-Sp12 was 38.0 with range from 8.0 to 48.0. A significant positive correlation existed between scores on FACT-Br and FACIT-Sp12 with r = 0.636 (p <0.0001). Similar results were seen for correlations between FACT-Br total score and FACIT-Sp12 subscales (Faith r = 0.338, p < 0.0001 and Meaning/Peace r = 0.712, p < 0.0001). These results highlight the relationship between spirituality and HRQoL in the brain tumor population and suggest that implementing strategies to measure and encourage spiritual well-being may be one avenue to improve HRQoL.
Style and structure in the Middle English poemCleanness

For students of literature, the power of a computer to count and manipulate data has been most useful in solving problems of attribution or classification. Of its relevance to the discipline of criticism, however, which relies so much upon abstract and subjective analysis, literary critics seem skeptical. Still, it can be argued that the applicability of computer-generated data is limited not entirely by the computer per se, but in some part by the resourcefulness of the critics who apply it. This study, therefore, statistically analyzes a large amount of data in an attempt to solve a long-standing critical controversy of some importance in Middle English studies. The problem is with the structure of the late fourteenth century alliterative poem Cleanness, or Purity, a narrative homily of 1812 lines. A solution to the problem is important not only because Cleanness is putatively a work of the socalled Pearlor Gawain-poet, but also because it is a major Middle English poem in its own right. Its main substance is three exemplums: the stories of the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Belshazzar's Feast. In the relations among these exemplums, some critics perceive a lack of unity: the first two are inherently related because they illustrate sins of the flesh, but Belshazzar's Feast, an instance of the blasphemous desecration of the Church through a profane use of holy objects, would seem to be associated with a different subject. On the other hand, some critics defend the work's structural integrity.' The problem, therefore, can be stated as follows: are the first part of
Mechanical and thermal properties of extruded soy protein sheets

Abstract Soy protein plastic sheets were made by extrusion. The effects of water, glycerol, methyl glucoside, ZnSO 4 , epichlorohydrin, and glutaric dialdehyde on the mechanical properties of soy protein plastic sheets were studied. The thermal transition temperatures and dynamic mechanical properties of soy protein plastics were also investigated. Depending on the moisture and glycerol contents, soy protein plastic sheets displayed properties from rigid to soft. The glass transition temperatures of the sheets varied from ca. −7 to 50°C with moisture contents ranging from 26 to 2.8% and 30 parts of glycerol. The soy protein plastic sheets were usually in their glassy states at room temperature unless they contained high moisture. The β-transitions of soy protein plastic sheets ranged from −33 to −72°C depending on the moisture. After being submerged in water for 20 h, the soy protein sheets absorbed up to 180% water. With the presence of two parts of ZnSO 4 , water absorption of the soy protein sheets decreased by 30%. Soy protein sheets absorbed or lost moisture depending on the relative humidity of the environment.
Performance evaluation of computed radiography systems

Recommended methods to test the performance of computed radiography (CR) digital radiographic systems have been recently developed by the AAPM Task Group No. 10. Included are tests for dark noise, uniformity, exposure response, laser beam function, spatial resolution, low-contrast resolution, spatial accuracy, erasure thoroughness, and throughput. The recommendations may be used for acceptance testing of new CR devices as well as routine performance evaluation checks of devices in clinical use. The purpose of this short communication is to provide a tabular summary of the tests recommended by the AAPM Task Group, delineate the technical aspects of the tests, suggest quantitative measures of the performance results, and recommend uniform quantitative criteria for the satisfactory performance of CR devices. The applicability of the acceptance criteria is verified by tests performed on CR systems in clinical use at five different institutions. This paper further clarifies the recommendations with respect to the beam filtration to be used for exposure calibration of the system, and the calibration of automatic exposure control systems.
Inverse problem of estimating interface conductance between periodically contacting surfaces

The conjugate gradient method of minimization with adjoint equation is used to solve the inverse problem of estimating the timewise variation of interface conductance between periodically contacting solids, under quasi-steady-state conditions. It is assumed that no prior information is available on the functional form of the interface conductance, except the magnitude of the period. The accuracy of the inverse analysis is examined by using simulated inexact temperature measurements obtained at the interior of the region. Small periods are usually the most difficult on which to perform an inverse analysis. For such cases, the present method is found to be more accurate and stable than the B-Spline approach. 19 refs.
MARKET MODEL CORRECTED FOR GENERALIZED AUTOREGRESSIVE CONDITIONAL HETEROSCEDASTICITY AND THE SMALL FIRM EFFECT

Prior studies show that heteroscedasticity and serial correlation are present in the market model. In this paper I estimate the market model parameters under generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic processes. Employing daily stock rate of return data from the Center for Research in Security Prices for 1985 through 1989, excluding October 1987 and October 1989, I show that previous estimates of beta coefficients are overstated significantly, suggesting model improvements are needed to take these problems into account. The efficiency of the market model parameters is significantly improved across all firms during the period investigated.
Normal and warfarin-resistant rat hepatocyte metabolism of vitamin K 2,3-epoxide: Evidence for multiple pathways of hydroxyvitamin K formation☆

Vitamin K and 3- (and/or 2)-hydroxy-2,3-dihydro-2-methyl-3-phytyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (hydroxyvitamin K) have been identified as metabolites of vitamin K 2,3-epoxide incubated with hepatocytes isolated from normal and warfarin-resistant rats. Dithiothreitol added to the extracellular medium differentially enhanced the formation of both metabolites: hydroxyvitamin K formation, almost undetectable in the absence of dithiothreitol, was particularly affected. Addition of the vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase inhibitors warfarin (5 to 100 microM) and brodifacoum (1 to 5 microM) to normal rat hepatocyte cultures produced a slight increase in hydroxyvitamin K formation and a marked inhibition of vitamin K formation. Brodifacoum was a weak inhibitor of hydroxyvitamin K formation at higher concentrations. Hepatocytes from warfarin-resistant rats catalyzed hydroxyvitamin K formation 1.5 to 2 times faster and vitamin K formation 1.5 to 2 times slower than did normal rat hepatocytes. The addition of warfarin to these cultures had no effect on epoxide metabolism to hydroxyvitamin K and only partially diminished metabolism to vitamin K. In contrast, brodifacoum (1 microM) addition produced 50% inhibition of hydroxyvitamin K formation and almost complete inhibition of vitamin K formation. These data suggest that in resistant, but not in normal rat hepatocytes, the vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase makes a significant contribution to hydroxyvitamin K formation. A second sulfhydryl-dependent pathway, present in both strains, is also involved in the formation of this metabolite. They also suggest that in resistant rats, warfarin inhibition of the vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase, and presumably the sulfhydryl-dependent vitamin K reductase, is incomplete and independent of concentration.
Epikeratophakia to correct traumatic aphakia after penetrating keratoplasty

A 19-year-old man with keratoconus sustained ocular trauma and became aphakic in his operated left eye 2 months after penetrating keratoplasty. Original corneal wound repair was performed without intraocular lens implantation. Attempts to correct his aphakia with a contact lens failed when the patient became intolerant to its use. As an alternative, the patient had elective epikeratophakia. A standard 8.5 mm lenticule was placed over existing corneal graft. This operation resulted in +12.25 diopters of correction and a best corrected visual acuity of 20/25 at 30 months postoperatively. There was no sign of abnormalities at the host cornea or the transplanted lenticule. This case indicates that epikeratophakia may be successfully performed over existing corneal grafts.
A fluorescence microscope attachment for flow-through cytofluorometry.

Abstract A flow-through system for rapid automated analysis of intracellular fluorescence parameters is described. In combination with commercially available instrumentation for fluorescence microscopy, fluorometry and pulse height analysis, the hydrodynamic focusing flow-through principle can be successfully applied. The specific advantages and disadvantages of this principle compared with the mechanical focusing system are discussed.
Factors Influencing Orientations of Covalently-Attached and Doped Aromatic Groups in Stretched Polyethylene Films

Linear polarizations have been measured for covalently attached and doped 9-anthryl and 1-pyrenyl groups residing in interior sites of stretched polyolefinic films. The influences of polymer crystallinity, the concentration of aromatic groups, and the length of the substituents attached to doped molecules or of the tethers to polymer chains of covalently attached species on the degree of polarization have been explored. The results demonstrate the utility of comparing orientational parameters from doped and covalently attached groups in analyzing the factors responsible for stretch-induced orientation. The anthryl and pyrenyl groups prefer to reside in interfacial regions more than amorphous regions even before film stretching, and the specificity of their orientations is determined by the nature of interactions with surrounding polymer chains. The magnitudes of orientation factors are dependent on polymer crystallinity and substituent or tether length, but are independent of aromatic group concentrations...
Hierarchies and ternary separation

Abstract If H is a hierarchy on some finite set S , then H determines a ternary relation s ( H ) as follows: ( a , b , c ) belongs to s ( H ) if and only if there exists a cluster A in H such that a , b ∈ A and c ∉ A . A well known and useful fact is that the function s , which maps hierarchies on S to ternary separation relations on S , is injective. We consider ternary separation from a new point of view by showing that s satisfies three natural algebraic properties and that these three properties are only satisfied by functions that are closely connected to s .
Preservation of hippocampal volume throughout adulthood in healthy men and women

To address controversies regarding the effect of age on the hippocampus, volumes of hippocampus and a comparison structure, temporal cortex, were measured on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 84 healthy men and 44 healthy women (20–85 years). Neither men nor women showed significant correlations between hippocampal volumes and age, despite significant age-related decline in temporal volumes. Absence of hippocampus age relationships endured when restricting analyses to older individuals (≥50 years) and considering menopause and hormone replacement therapy.
Akathisia diagnosis: An objective test

Dr. Malthie is head of the ps.vchiatry consultation liaison service at the Veterans Administration Ho.~pital. Durham. N.C. and assistant professor of pS.l'chiatr.l' at Duke Universit.l' Medical Center. Dr. Cavenar is chief of the p.I}'<·hiatr.l' serrice at the Veterans Administration Hospital and a.Hociate professor o( pS.l'chiatr.l' at Duke. Akathisia has received considerable attention in the psychiatric literature lately as a frequently overlooked or misdiagnosed complication of neuroleptic therapy.1 Some of our patients have complained bitterly of this drug-induced complication and we may easily confuse the patient's distress with a worsening of his primary illness. Akathisia. like most drug-induced extrapyramidal side effects. is readily reversible and usually easily managed by appropriate use of antiparkinsonian agents or thoughtful adjustment of neuroleptic treatment. Therefore, the accurate diagnosis of this therapeutic complication is of utmost importance to maintaining the patient's well-being. Akathisia has variously been described as "restless legs, "2.3 an "inability to sit still,"1 or a "subjective need or desire to move."u It is generally accompanied by complaints such as restlessness. impatience. vague feelings of discomfort. jitters. nervousness. or panic. Patients usually report a worsening of their discomfort with physical inactivity. Consequently. such a patient may fidget, tap his feet. pace. rock forward and backward. or stand shifting his weight continuously from side to side. In a survey of 3.775 patients receiving phenothiazines. Ayd reported that 1,472 (39%) developed drug-induced extrapyramidal reactions. More than half of the 1,472 (21 %) had akathisia. Marsden and associates confirmed Ayd's general incidence of about 20% and noted other reports ranging from 5% to 50% for akathisia following potent piperazine-phenothiazine use. They note that. as with other drug-induced syndromes. the incidence varies with the potency of the phenothiazine. Onset of akathisia usually does not occur within the first 48 hours of drug treatment; thereafter. the incidence continually increases, with 50% occurring within a month and 90% within two or three months.3.6 Akathisia favors no age group; it occurs almost equally in people from 12 to 65 years of age.3.6 Raskin I notes that the subjective experience of discomfort and restlessness in akathisia is easily confused with anxiety. He warns that any anxiety-like symptoms. uneasiness. or restlessness associated with antipsychotic drug use should lead to a consideration of a diagnosis of akathisia. Van Putten and associates~ recently reported that. in a systematic study of 80 schizophrenic patients receiving phenothiazines in conventional doses. nine experienced dramatic exacerbations of their psychosis while on phenothiazines. This was associated with subtle akathisia. and intramuscular biperiden promptly
Growth, interaction, and positioning of microtubule asters in extremely large vertebrate embryo cells.

Ray Rappaport spent many years studying microtubule asters, and how they induce cleavage furrows. Here, we review recent progress on aster structure and dynamics in zygotes and early blastomeres of Xenopus laevis and Zebrafish, where cells are extremely large. Mitotic and interphase asters differ markedly in size, and only interphase asters span the cell. Growth of interphase asters occurs by a mechanism that allows microtubule density at the aster periphery to remain approximately constant as radius increases. We discuss models for aster growth, and favor a branching nucleation process. Neighboring asters that grow into each other interact to block further growth at the shared boundary. We compare the morphology of interaction zones formed between pairs of asters that grow out from the poles of the same mitotic spindle (sister asters) and between pairs not related by mitosis (non-sister asters) that meet following polyspermic fertilization. We argue growing asters recognize each other by interaction between antiparallel microtubules at the mutual boundary, and discuss models for molecular organization of interaction zones. Finally, we discuss models for how asters, and the centrosomes within them, are positioned by dynein-mediated pulling forces so as to generate stereotyped cleavage patterns. Studying these problems in extremely large cells is starting to reveal how general principles of cell organization scale with cell size. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Calculations of Mueller matrices for optical waves scattered from a random medium with random rough surfaces and discrete particles

Mueller matrices are important in radar polarimetry as they characterize a target or a random medium at the incident frequency. Many random media which exist in nature have random rough surfaces and randomly distributed spherical particles. Two models for a slab of such random media are presented. Both models contain randomly distributed spherical particles. Planar surfaces are considered for the first model and Gaussian statistical rough surfaces are considered for the second one. Kirchhoff rough surface scattering theory is used to calculate the scattering of optical waves from the rough surface. Vector radiative transfer theory is used to calculate the volume scattering due to the particles. The scattered wave is computed for an arbitrarily polarized incident wave for optical thickness (tau) equals 0.1 to 5, size parameters ka equals 0.4 to 1 and various surface roughnesses. The scattered wave is expressed in terms of the modified Stokes vectors and then used to construct the Mueller matrices. Polarization signatures are constructed from the Mueller matrices of the reflection side at the backscattering direction. The Mueller matrices are found to have some symmetrical properties and there are eight nonvanishing elements.
Electroactive polymer and shape memory alloy actuators in biomimetics and humanoids

There is a strong need to replicate natural muscles with artificial materials as the structure and function of natural muscle is optimum for articulation. Particularly, the cylindrical shape of natural muscle fiber and its interconnected structure promote the critical investigation of artificial muscles geometry and implementation in the design phase of certain platforms. Biomimetic robots and Humanoid Robot heads with Facial Expressions (HRwFE) are some of the typical platforms that can be used to study the geometrical effects of artificial muscles. It has been shown that electroactive polymer and shape memory alloy artificial muscles and their composites are some of the candidate materials that may replicate natural muscles and showed great promise for biomimetics and humanoid robots. The application of these materials to these systems reveals the challenges and associated technologies that need to be developed in parallel. This paper will focus on the computer aided design (CAD) models of conductive polymer and shape memory alloys in various biomimetic systems and Humanoid Robot with Facial Expressions (HRwFE). The design of these systems will be presented in a comparative manner primarily focusing on three critical parameters: the stress, the strain and the geometry of the artificial muscle.
Predictors of export strategy and performance of small- and medium-sized firms

Abstract The industrial organization model suggests that market position in an industry is a significant input to multinational enterprise's (MNE's) internationalization decision and subsequent performance. The transaction cost models consider the characteristics of a MNE's industry and requirements of location as most relevant to the internationalization decision. The strategic management (SM) model considers strategy and resources as factors which are firm-specific that exert influence on performance. This empirical study dealing with small- medium-sized firms validates export development strategy in the context of the SM model.
Results of a behavior modification training program for parents and teachers.

Abstract T raining parents as therapists or managers for their own children is a fairly recent development in behavior modification, one which is justified in terms of both efficiency and economy (Bernal, Duryee, Pruett and Burns, 1968; Lindsley, 1966; Wahler, 1969; Wahler, Winkel, Peterson and Morrison, 1965; Zeilberger, Sampen and Sloane, 1968.) To date, most published work in the area presents data from individual cases, The purpose of this paper is to summarize the results of a behavior modification program in which parents, and occasionally teachers, were trained to be managers for their children. The staff of the Psychology Department of a Children's Rehabilitation Unit conducted the program and acted as direct advisors to parents and teachers, or as trainers to doctoral students who advised parents and teachers. ∗ The emphasis was on training the managers to (1) focus on the child's behavior rather than on underlying psychopathology, (2) analyze the troublesome behavior in terms of the environmental events currently maintaining it rather than to seek historical geneses, and (3) alter events subsequent to the behavior or to rearrange the contingencies with which consequential events were presented, rather than to develop insights into their own or their child's emotional states.
Overlapping saccades and glissades are produced by fatigue in the saccadic eye movement system.

Abstract Saccadic eye movements and their neurological control signals change significantly as the human fatigues. Electronic instrumentation with a band-width extending from DC to 1 kHz enabled the recording of anomalous looking saccadic eye movements that occurred as the subject's physiological state changed. Fatigue can produce: overlapping saccades in which the high-frequency saccadic bursts should show large pauses; glissades in which the high-frequency bursts should be much shorter than appropriate for the size of the intended saccades; and low-velocity, long-duration, non-Main Sequence saccades in which the motoneuronal bursts should be of lower frequency and longer duration than normal. As few as 30 saccades of 50 deg magnitude or a longer sequence of saccades as small as 10 deg can produce these aberrant eye movements and their concomitant neuronal firing pattern variations. The effects of fatigue could explain some of the variations between and spread within published data for velocity vs amplitude of human saccadic eye movements. Measuring the resistance to eye movement fatigue could become either a common clinical tool for diagnosing specific or general disease states, or a research tool for studying dyslexia or fatigue.
Effects of nitrogen rates and sources on agronomic performance of spring triticale

Abstract The N requirements for triticale (X Triticosecale, Wittmack) have not been determined for Alabama soils. This study was conducted to determine the effects of N sources and N rates on the agronomic performance of spring triticale. ‘Beagle’ and ‘Drira’ were grown on Norfolk loamy sand [Thermic Typic Paleudult) during two cropping seasons. The N treatments were 50, 100, and 200 kg N/ha applied as NH4NO3 or SCU. Increasing N rate increased plant height, grain yields, and, in the case of SCU, grain protein but did not affect the number of spikes per plant and test weights. There was a high correlation between the grain yields and grain protein of Drira grown with SCU fertilizer but not with NH4NO3.
Revascularisation combinée endovasculaire et ouverte

La derniere decennie a ete le temoin d'une transformation des soins destines aux patients atteints de pathologie vasculaire. Il y a eu une transition rapide vers des techniques moins invasives liee a une progression concernant l'habilete des operateurs pour les techniques endovasculaires et leur acces a des materiels plus recents et plus sophistiques. Les patients qui ne sont pas de bons candidats a une revascularisation percutanee complete ou ceux pressentis comme etant a risque prohibitif pour une revascularisation chirurgicale traditionnelle pourraient tirer benefice d'une therapie hybride, combinant la chirurgie ouverte au traitement endovasculaire, avec l'opportunite d'une revascularisation complete en diminuant la morbidite et la mortalite. Cette revue examine l'applicabilite des procedures hybrides pour le traitement des patients presentant une claudication intermittente invalidante, une ischemie critique de membre, une pathologie de la crosse aortique, un anevrysme thoraco-abdominal, une pathologie de la carotide extra crânienne et une coronaropathie.
Finite representation of impulse functions: In solving differential equations

TRANSIENT PROBLEMS, such as closing a switch at a certain time, or throwing a load on a machine suddenly, or applying an impulse to a system, involve the use of discontinuous functions. These may be expressed in one type of notation by multiplying any given function by the Heaviside Null Unit Function H(x,x 0 ), which is equal to zero when x 0 and is equal to unity when x > x 0 . Similarly, in studying the fields due to point sources in a continuous medium the impulse function which is the derivative of the Null Unit Function H′(x, x 0 ) arises.
Legal commentary on "Defending patient autonomy: the case of the challenging spouse".

For hospital counsel, this case will present a dilemma between respecting the patient's legal rights and protecting the institution from frivolous litigation. Most hospital attorneys work closely w...
Ferroelectric properties of YMnO3 films deposited by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates

Abstract YMnO 3 thin films were studied on Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si as a candidate for ferroelectric transistor random access memory (FeTRAM). The films were deposited by flash-evaporated metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at low temperature and post annealed to crystallize the films to form a c -axis oriented hexagonal phase. Polarization versus electric field measurements on metal/ferroelectric/metal capacitors shows a remnant polarization of about 2 μC/cm 2 and a coercive field of approximately10 kV/cm. Fatigue stress cycling shows no degradation of films up to 10 11 cycles.
Use of novel immunohistochemical markers expressed in colonic adenocarcinoma to distinguish primary ovarian tumors from metastatic colorectal carcinoma.

Distinguishing primary ovarian carcinoma, particularly endometrioid and mucinous subtypes, from metastatic colorectal carcinoma to the ovary is often difficult on histologic examination alone. Recently, three immunohistochemical markers CDX2, a homeobox gene encoding an intestine-specific transcription factor; α-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR/P504S), a mitochondrial and peroxisomal enzyme with fairly restricted expression in selective tumors and β-catenin, an adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutation product resulting in activation of the Wnt pathway, have been reported to have specific and sensitive expression in colorectal carcinomas. We evaluated a panel consisting of antibodies to CDX2, β-catenin and P504S in 23 primary ovarian adenocarcinomas (13 mucinous and 10 endometrioid) and compared the findings to 22 metastatic colorectal adenocarcinomas (seven mucinous and 15 nonmucinous tumors with endometrioid-like morphology hereafter referred to as pseudo-endometrioid) to the ovary stained with the same panel. Twenty (91%) metastatic tumors expressed at least two markers and seven (32%) expressed all three. In contrast, only three (13%) primary ovarian tumors expressed at least two markers and none expressed all three. Strong (2+, 3+) and diffuse (>40%) expression for CDX2 was noted in 21 (95%) metastatic tumors and five (22%) primary ovarian tumors (three mucinous, two endometrioid). P504S was similarly expressed in seven (32%) metastatic and none of the primary ovarian carcinomas. Nuclear expression of β-catenin was noted in 13 (59%) metastatic tumors and in eight cases (36%), it was diffuse and strong. In contrast, four (19%) primary tumors showed nuclear expression of this protein with only one (5%) case expressing it in a diffuse pattern. Immunohistochemical expression of gene products and enzymes of colorectal carcinogenesis in some primary ovarian carcinomas suggest that the morphologic similarities between colorectal and mucinous/endometrioid carcinoma of the ovary extends to the genetic level, although differences in the level of expression exist between these tumors. Diffuse expression of all three markers (CDX2, β-catenin and P504S) in a tumor in the ovary was found to be virtually diagnostic of metastasis from a colorectal primary in this study.
The anticoagulant function of coagulation factor V

Almost two decades ago an anticoagulant function of factor V (FV) was discovered, as an anticoagulant cofactor for activated protein C (APC). A natural mutant of FV in which the R506 inactivation site was mutated to Gln (FVLeiden) was inactivated slower by APC, but also could not function as anticoagulant cofactor for APC in the inactivation of activated factor VIII (FVIIIa). This mutation is prevalent in populations of Caucasian descent, and increases the chance of thrombotic events in carriers. Characterisation of the FV anticoagulant effect has elucidated multiple properties of the anticoagulant function of FV: 1) Cleavage of FV at position 506 by APC is required for anticoagulant function. 2) The C-terminal part of the FV B domain is required and the B domain must have an intact connection with the A3 domain of FV. 3) FV must be bound to a negatively charged phospholipid membrane. 4) Protein S also needs to be present. 5) FV acts as a cofactor for inactivation of both FVa and FVIIIa. 6) The prothrombotic function of FVLeiden is a function of both reduced APC cofactor activity and resistance of FVa to APC inactivation. However, detailed structural and mechanistic properties remain to be further explored.
Droplet behavior in counterflowing streams

Single droplets of n-heptane fuel are observed in two countcrflowing laminar streams with well-defined velocity and state fields. The simpler of the two involves identical isothermal streams of nitrogen and nonevaporating droplets. The second consists of a non-premixed flame leading to droplet evaporation on both sides of the reaction zone and to combustion when oxygen and suitably high temperatures exist in the ambient surrounding the droplet. In both flows the droplet trajectory and in the flame the radius history are observed by photographic means. The measurements are compared with engineering models for the drag and heat and mass transfer of droplets.Significant discrepancies between the data and predictions in both flows arc found. Particularly interesting is the magnitude of the lift that the droplets experience and the extent of the modification of droplet drag by acceleration.
Irreducible root systems for space-time coding in wireless communication

ABSTRACT The theory of groups and group representations have been shown by several researchers to generate promising space-time codes for multiple-antenna links in wireless communication. In this report, potential codes from a root system in a real Euclidean space are examined. In particular, general properties of codes from the infinite irreducible systems A l , B l , C l , and D l are analytically studied, while codes from the exceptional systems G 2 , F 4 , E 6 , E 7 and E 8 are numerically determined. Some of these exceptional codes meet general coding-theoretic expectations, for example in terms of the number of code words. The effort described in this paper is part of a general attempt to assess the use of modular representations of groups, as opposed to classical, i.e. complex-numbered, representations, for antenna diversity. Java technologies are used for the implementation of our numerical experimentation platform. Keywords: root systems, wireless communication, antenna diversity, group representation, space-time coding, groups of Lie type
P-type ATPase TAT-2 negatively regulates monomethyl branched-chain fatty acid mediated function in post-embryonic growth and development in C. elegans.

Monomethyl branched-chain fatty acids (mmBCFAs) are essential for Caenorhabditis elegans growth and development. To identify factors acting downstream of mmBCFAs for their function in growth regulation, we conducted a genetic screen for suppressors of the L1 arrest that occurs in animals depleted of the 17-carbon mmBCFA C17ISO. Three of the suppressor mutations defined an unexpected player, the P-type ATPase TAT-2, which belongs to the flippase family of proteins that are implicated in mediating phospholipid bilayer asymmetry. We provide evidence that TAT-2, but not other TAT genes, has a specific role in antagonizing the regulatory activity of mmBCFAs in intestinal cells. Interestingly, we found that mutations in tat-2 also suppress the lethality caused by inhibition of the first step in sphingolipid biosynthesis. We further showed that the fatty acid side-chains of glycosylceramides contain 20%–30% mmBCFAs and that this fraction is greatly diminished in the absence of mmBCFA biosynthesis. These results suggest a model in which a C17ISO-containing sphingolipid may mediate the regulatory functions of mmBCFAs and is negatively regulated by TAT-2 in intestinal cells. This work indicates a novel connection between a P-type ATPase and the critical regulatory function of a specific fatty acid.
From stone to metal: New perspectives on the later prehistory of West Africa

Earlier views saw West Africa as culturally stagnant through much of the Holocene until stimulus or intervention from north of the Sahara transformed Iron Age societies. Evidence accumulating over the past 15 years suggests that stone-using societies from 10,000 to 3000 B.P. were far more diverse than previously thought. Against an increasingly detailed record of Holocene climate change, the complexity of local adaptation and change is becoming better understood. Although a strong case currently exists for the introduction of copper and iron to West Africa from the north in the mid-first millennium B.C., the subsequent development of metallurgy was strongly innovative in different parts of the subcontinent. Soon after the advent of metals, a dramatic increase in archaeological evidence for social stratification and hierarchical political structures indicates the emergence of societies markedly more complex than anything currently documented in the Late Stone Age. The best-documented examples come from the Middle Niger region and the Nigerian forest. In these areas, earlier diffusionist models in which complexity originated outside West Africa have yielded to evidence that indigenous processes were instrumental in this transformation. Trade, ideology, climate shifts, and indirect influences from North Africa, including the introduction of the domesticated horse to the Sahelian grasslands, are identified as factors essential to an understanding of these processes.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE NASOPHARYNGEAL SECRETIONS FROM INFLUENZA PATIENTS : III. STUDIES OF THE CONCURRENT INFECTIONS.

1. Concurrent infections in the experiments described may be regarded as of accidental nature and are not causally related to the typical effects induced in rabbits by a material wholly free from ordinary bacteria. 2. The influenzal agent exerts an effect on the pulmonary tissue which encourages the invasion of the lung and subsequent multiplication there of ordinary bacteria, such as the pneumococcus, streptococcus, and Bacillus pfeifferi. 3. A similarity is believed to exist between the conditions under which concurrent infections arose in the inoculated rabbits and those which seem to favor the occurrence of concurrent infections during epidemic influenza in man. In no instance did death occur in the rabbits as a result of the uncomplicated effects of the influenzal agent alone. When death occurred in any of the inoculated animals concurrent infection of the lungs by ordinary bacteria was present. The microorganisms most commonly met with under these conditions were Pneumococcus Type IV and atypical Type II, streptococci, and hemoglobinophilic bacilli. Other kinds were encountered less often.
An Accumulating Pixel Array Detector for Single-Bunch Synchrotron Experiments

We describe the development of a CMOS read-out chip for an X-ray pixel array detector that accumulates into analog storage elements with time resolution typical of synchrotron bunch spacings. Each pixel contains multiple analog storage elements to allow capture of full-frame images at submicrosecond separation. Additionally, each storage element is re-addressable, which allows accumulation of signal from temporally distinct acquisition windows. Test results show the ability to slew and settle the equivalent of 650 8-keV x-rays (1.21 Me-) in less than 100 ns. The detector RMS read-noise was measured to be 2350 e- and grows with the square-root of the number of accumulations with a coefficient of 415 e- (equivalent to 1.07 and 0.19 8-keV x-rays respectively). The saturation value for each storage element, in terms of 8 keV x-rays, was measured to exceed 1880 x-rays (6.42 Me-). The complete detector is anticipated to contain around 400 times 200 pixels with pixel size near 150 mum times 150 mum. Possible experimental applications include study of material failures, transient phase transformations, and high-speed X-radiography.
Slider Designs for Controlling Contamination

This paper presents a method for reducing particle contamination on sliders. A model for simulating particle movement in an air bearing is developed and solved numerically. Through the simulation, the paths of particles moving in the air bearing are studied for various designs of sliders. It is found that some slider designs have good characteristics that make most of the particles entering the air bearing leave the slider from the sides instead of from the trailing edge, which is regarded as beneficial to reduce the particle contamination on the sliders.
Reproductive styles of shallow-water groupers (Pisces: Serranidae) in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the consequences of fishing spawning aggregations

Seasonal and spatial aspects of spawning for three commercially important grouper species in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico are detailed. These species — all of which are protogynous hermaphrodites - spawn in deep water (> 25 m for red grouper,> 40 m for gag and scamp), making it difficult to observe spawning behaviors without ROV or submersible support. They respond to intense fishing pressure in ways that are directly related to their respective reproductive styles. Species that aggregate appear to be more susceptible to such pressures than those that do not, as evidenced by marked skewing of sex ratios in favor of females. Gag, Mycteroperca microlepis, have suffered a drop in the proportion of males from 17% to 1% in the last 20 years; scamp, Mycteroperca phenax, have dropped from 36% to 18%; and red grouper, Epinephelus morio, which do not aggregate, have shown little change in the sex ratio over the past 25–30 years.
New therapies: plasmapheresis, intravenous immunoglobulin, and monoclonal antibodies.

When satisfactory treatment for many patients with autoimmune diseases is not available, physicians explore nonconventional therapies. The situation sometimes becomes desperate when the disease progresses in a relentless manner or a flare up of the underlying condition proves life-threatening. Recent investigations have provided newer insights into disease process and led to explorations of newer therapies based on the known pathogenic mechanisms of the diseases [1–3]. Many of these therapies are still investigational and are awaiting controlled trials. Some therapies have a limited role in the poorly predictable chronic and indolent clinical course of systemic connective tissue diseases. Some of the newer therapeutic modalities are aimed at removing the disease-propagating factors, blocking the antibodies or cytokines, modifying cytokine-receptor interaction, or supplementing missing factors [1–7]. These therapies are relatively safe; however, some patients may develop critical illnesses as a result of these therapies [8–15] This article discusses the role of therapeutic apheresis, immunoadsorption, intravenous immunoglobulins, monoclonal antibodies, and other biologic agents in treating various rheumatologic conditions. Plasmapheresis Therapeutic apheresis is a technique by which plasmatic or cellular component is separated from whole blood to be discarded or treated to correct a pathogenic condition, either preventively or curatively [16]. Plasmapheresis is the most frequently performed therapeutic apheresis procedure [17]. The expected thera
Is multiple sulphatase deficiency due to defective regulation of sulphohydrolase expression

Multiple sulphatase deficiency disease is an unusual autosomal recessive disorder characterised biochemically by a deficiency of several sulphohydrolase activities1,2. The laboratory diagnosis of this combined neurological connective tissue disorder is made on the basis of decreased activities of the lysosomal enzymes, arylsulphatase A and arylsulphatase B and the microsomal enzyme, arylsulphatase C. The primary defect in this multi-enzyme deficiency has not been identified. Using immunological techniques to characterise further the residual activities of aryl-sulphatases A and B in the multiple sulphatase deficiency disease, we have examined the levels of cross-reacting material (CRM) to arylsulphatases A and B in cultured skin fibroblasts from controls and patients with multiple sulphatase deficiency, metachromatic leukodystrophy (deficiency of only arylsulphatase A activity) and Maroteaux–Lamy syndrome (deficiency of only arylsulphatase B activity). We report here results indicating that arylsulphatases A and B in multiple sulphatase deficiency are reduced in their levels of CRM while retaining a normal activity/CRM ratio. Because the two enzymes are apparently structurally unrelated, these data are consistent with the possibility that their combined deficiencies in this disorder may result from a defect in the coordinated expression of sulphohydrolases.
Pragmatics of model checking: an STTT special section

Since its discovery in the early 1980s, model checking has emerged as one of the most exciting areas in the field of formal verification of system correctness. The chief reason for this enthusiasm resides in the fact that model checkers establish in a fully automated manner whether or not a system satisfies formal requirements; users need not construct proofs. Until the early 1990s, however, the practical impact of model checking was modest, in large part because the state-explosion problem limited the applicability of the technology. Recent advances in the field have dramatically expanded the scope of model checking, however, and interest in it on the part of practitioners is growing. This special section surveys several recent approaches to attacking the state explosion that are supporting the continued advancement of model checking as a viable technology for improved system design.
Caries Through the Ages: A Worm's Eye View

Smog, acid rain, riddled teeth dental caries is often perceived as one of the modern plagues . . . that we are paying for the sweet life through the teeth. In a quantitative sense this is true: The sugar-laden diets of many technologically advanced societies can be associated with an increased prevalence of dental decay. But caries is an ancient disease, and there are hard data to support this view. The progressive demineralization and destruction of the teeth characteristic of dental caries in life cease as an active process upon death, with the depletion of locally fermentable carbohydrates, and skeletal remains provide a permanent record of dental caries through the ages. Indeed, jaws and teeth have proved to be the most durable of our remnants; examination of this inheritance contributes greatly to the reconstruction of the physical and social attributes of our forebears, and of their ills.1 Evidence of caries has been noted in skulls of Australopithecine hominids of South Africa a half million years old, in ancient Neanderthal skulls, and in teeth of prehistoric peoples around the world. This skeletal record tells us that the distribution of the caries lesions in the mouth was different than it is today and that the prevalence in ancient peoples was very low probably no more than a few percent of the teeth exhibited caries,2 but the disease was present. As long as hunting and gathering were the major means of eking out an existence, caries prevalence remained low. With the discovery of agriculture, however, and an increased availability of fermentable carbohydrates, the prevalence increased and reached 10% in some cultures3 -certainly a modest level when compared to most of the world today, but in people with no means of intervening in a really therapeutic way, caries meant excruciating pain, tooth fracture, and infection. Toothache has figured prominently in art, literature, and folklore. A Scythian vase from the Fourth Century B.C. depicts dental treatment in very realistic detail. The quotations on the subject range from Galen's observation in 130 A.D. that "the greatest pain that killeth not the patient is a toothache" to Shakespeare's in Much Ado About Nothing that "there has never been a philosopher that can endure the toothache patiently." The Elizabethans, at least the upper classes, were especially vulnerable to toothache, a consequence of caries resulting from their "too great use of sugar".2 Dental ills plagued Queen Elizabeth through most of her life, and surviving medical data and descriptions suggest that she "seems to have died from a septic condition arising from the mouth."4 In her review of Elizabethan toothache, Lavine5 calls attention to a passage in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, written ten years after Elizabeth's death:
Genetics and demography in biological conservation

Predicting the extinction of single populations or species requires ecological and evolutionary information. Primary demographic factors affecting population dynamics include social structure, life history variation caused by environmental fluctuation, dispersal in spatially heterogeneous environments, and local extinction and colonization. In small populations, inbreeding can greatly reduce the average individual fitness, and loss of genetic variability from random genetic drift can diminish future adaptability to a changing environment. Theory and empirical examples suggest that demography is usually of more immediate importance than population genetics in determining the minimum viable sizes of wild populations. The practical need in biological conservation for understanding the interaction of demographic and genetic factors in extinction may provide a focus for fundamental advances at the interface of ecology and evolution.