cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Posttransplant T-cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders- An Aggressive, Late Complication of Solid-Organ Transplantation

T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are an uncommon occurrence after solid-organ transplantation. We describe a morphologically and immunophenotypically distinct group of T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders that occurred late in the course of six patients with solid-organ transplants. The patients ranged in age from 31 to 56 years (median, 43). Three were male; all were splenectomized. The interval from transplant to the diagnosis of lymphoma ranged from 4 to 26 years (median, 15). Symptoms at presentation were related to sites of involvement. Pulmonary, marrow, and CNS involvement were present in five, four, and one case, respectively. No patient had lymphadenopathy. Five patients had an elevated lactate dehydrogenase level (range, 226 to 4,880 IU/L; median, 1,220 IU/L). Five of six patients had a leukoerythroblastic reaction. All cases had large-cell histology and frequently contained cytoplasmic granules. Those cases tested expressed CD2, CD3, and CD8 and were negative for B-cell antigens. T-cell receptor beta- and gamma-chain genes were clonally rearranged in three of three and one of three cases, respectively. All T-cell posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (T-PTLDs) studied were negative for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1 (HTLV-1), human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 2 (HTLV-2), and human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8) genomes. Treatment with acyclovir (three patients) or chemotherapy (three patients) resulted in two responses. All patients had an aggressive course, with a median survival duration of 5 weeks. In conclusion, a clinically aggressive T-PTLD may be a late complication of solid-organ transplantation and does not appear to be related to EBV, HTLV-1, HTLV-2, or HHV-8 infection.
Neural release of substance P causes dilation of arterioles in rat striated muscle

Abstract Substance P, which is present in small nerve terminals and proximal to microvessels in rat strated muscle, may have a vasodilator role if released into the microcirculation. Male, Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (50 mg/kg, i.p.) and the cremaster muscle, with intact blood supply and innervation, was suspended in a bath containing a physiological salt solution. The major autonomic innervation to the cremaster (genito-femoral nerve) was isolated and its cut, distal end was stimulated (3–5 Hz, 2 ms, 10–20 V). Diameters of third order arterioles (14–23 microns) were measured by television microscopy. Stimulation after a 20-min pretreatment with the α-adrenergic receptor antagonist phentolamine (2·10 −5 M) unmasked a moderate vasodilation, which was attenuated by treatment with the substance P receptor antagonist [ d -Arg 1 , d -Pro 2 , d -Trp 7,9 ,Leu 11 ]-substance P (1·10 −6 M). This neurogenic vasodilation was not sensitive to muscarinic receptor blockade by atropine (1·10 −4 M), but was partially blocked by the β-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol (1·10 −5 M). These data suggest that the rat striated muscle microvasculature is innervated with nerves containing substance P, and the release of substance P from the nerve terminals causes arteriolar dilation.
Degrees of monotone complexity

Levin and Schnorr (independently) introduced the monotone complexity, K m (α), of a binary string α. We use monotone complexity to define the relative complexity (or relative randomness) of reals. We define a partial ordering ≤ K m on 2 ω by α ≤ K m β iff there is a constant c such that K m (α | n ) ≤ K m (β | n )+ c for all n . The monotone degree of α is the set of all β such that α K m β and β K m α. We show the monotone degrees contain an antichain of size , a countable dense linear ordering (of degrees of cardinality ), and a minimal pair. Downey, Hirschfeldt, LaForte, Nies and others have studied a similar structure, the K -degrees, where K is the prefix-free Kolmogorov complexity. A minimal pair of K -degrees was constructed by Csima and Montalban. Of particular interest are the noncomputable trivial reals, first constructed by Solovay. We defineareal to be ( K m , K )-trivial if for some constant c , K m (α | n ) ≤ K ( n ) + c for all n . It is not known whether there is a K m -minimal real, but we show that any such real must be ( K m , K )-trivial. Finally, we consider the monotone degrees of the computably enumerable (c.e.) and strongly computably enumerable (s.c.e.) reals. We show there is no minimal c.e. monotone degree and that Solovay reducibility does not imply monotone reducibility on the c.e. reals. We also show the s.c.e. monotone degrees contain an infinite antichain and a countable dense linear ordering.
Up and Running

When it comes to building new facilities, time is money. Delays cost dollars, blunt your competitive edge, and leave you with a building that's obsolete before it opens. Here's how to use functional programming, process‐oriented teams and good planning to keep your project on track and your company on budget.
A Brief Rejoinder to Goldstone: The Varieties of Deductivism

Since Sewell and I appear to be in almost complete agreement with one another, I will focus my remarks on Goldstone's remarks. If I understand his remarks correctly, Goldstone agrees with the general direction of my critique of deductivism but believes that it goes a bit too far. Specifically, he agrees that the covering-law model of scientific explanation is neither an accurate description of, nor a fruitful prescription for, research practice in the social sciences. But he does not see this as grounds for rejecting "rational-deductive methods" tout court. Rather, he argues that "rational-deductive" and "empiricalinductive" methods have long operated side-by-side and can even operate together in both the natural and the social sciences. My reaction to Goldstone's essay is a little different than his reaction to mine: I agree with its general direction, but I don't think that it goes quite far enough. Like Goldstone, I believe that deductive and inductive approaches can be combined. Indeed, I think that most social scientists do combine them, if not always consciously or systematically, even in those instances when they present their work as if it were purely deductive or purely inductive. This was one of the central points in my discussion of Skocpol's work: While she emphasized induction in her methodological pronouncements, her actual research practice also involved deduction. However, I not only think that deductive and inductive approaches can be combined, I believe that they should be combined. For in their pure forms, both have certain crucial weaknesses. Unalloyed deductivism can lead to excessive formalism and sometimes even to
The Psychological Reality of Reasons

Action explanations like ‘I am heading to the ferry because the bridge is closed,’ are supposed to require restatement: ‘I am . . . because I believe the bridge is closed,’ because (i) the objective claim may be false though the intended explanation is correct, and (ii) because objective circumstances have to be cognitively mediated if they are to bear on action. This supposition is rejected here. Restatements cannot withdraw the objective claim without withdrawing the explanation. In the context of reason-giving, belief statements do not function as assertions about the inner life. The fact that belief statements may be true though the belief itself is false creates the illusion of distinctive subject matters. The illusion is exploited by conceptions of belief positing stored representations. Even if there were such representations, retrieved for the sake of expressing previously acquired beliefs, the expression of belief must endorse p and cannot merely advert to the existence and content of a representation. The reverse of the standard philosophical view about restatement is actually correct. Wherever an agent correctly adduces a belief that an objective circumstance obtains in explaining his action, a de-psychologizing restatement that merely makes the objective claim must be ascribable to the agent.
Use of a cerebral angiographic catheter facilitates crossing the pulmonary valve in neonates with critical or severe pulmonary valve stenosis

The inability to cross the pulmonary valve in neonates with severe pulmonary stenosis remains a primary reason for procedural failure. We describe the use of a standard pediatric cerebral angiographic catheter that enables crossing the pulmonary valve in these neonates with relative ease and rapidity.
Chemical and colloidal analyses of natural seep water collected from the exploratory studies facility inside Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

Yucca Mountain is being considered as a geological repository for the USA’s spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste. Numerous groundwater seeps appeared during March 2005 within the exploratory studies facility (ESF), a tunnel excavated in the mountain. Because of the relevance to radionuclide transport and unsaturated zone-modeling studies, we analyzed the seep samples for major anions and cations, rare earth elements, and colloids. Major ion species and elemental concentrations in seep samples reflect interaction of the water with the volcanic rock and secondary calcites. Elemental fractograms from flow-injection field-flow fractionation ICP–MS scans detected Br, Ca, Cl, Cu, Fe, I, Mg, Si, Sr, W, and U at void fractions, suggesting they may be present in the form of dissolved anions. Colloids approximately 10 nm in hydrodynamic diameter, possibly calcite, were also present in the seepage samples. Geochemical calculations indicate, however, these may be an artifact (not present in the groundwater) which arose because of loss of CO2 during sample collection and storage.
Pharmacokinetic and Clinical Implications of Quinidine Protein Binding

Equilibrium dialysis was used to assess factors influencing quinidine binding to serum proteins. Binding was not influenced by prolonged storage at − 20° or by variation in total serum quinidine concentrations over a clinically relevant range. Protein binding decreased with increasing temperature between 24 and 37° (p < 0.001) and when total serum protein concentrations were decreased from 6.0 to 2.6 g/100 ml by dilution with phosphate buffer. The addition of therapeatic concentrations of salicylic acid, phenylbutazone, and tolbutamide significantly reduced quinidine binding (p < 0.025), but 10 other commonly coadministered drugs did not. Displacement of quinidine by salicylic acid was nonlinear; the extent of displacement increased with increasing total quinidine concentrations. The unbound quinidine fraction among 12 healthy subjects varied almost twofold and was partly explained by differences in serum albumin concentrations within the usual range of normal (3.9–4.8 g/100 ml). Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed on simultaneous total and unbound serum quinidine concentrations in 12 volunteers who received single intravenous doses of quinidine lactate. The mean elimination half-lives of total and unbound quinidine were not significantly different. However, the mean volume of distribution and total metabolic clearance of unbound quinidine were considerably greater than those determined using total drug concentrations. Renal clearance of free quinidine exceeded creatinine clearance, consistent with tubular secretion of the unbound fraction. Between-subject variability in elimination half-life and metabolic clearance of quinidine was less when free rather than total serum concentrations were analyzed. Acute ECG changes due to intravenous quinidine correlated better with unbound than with total drug concentrations. Thus, measurement of unbound as well as total serum quinidine concentrations may provide additional understanding of variations between individuals in pharmacokinetics and clinical effects of quinidine.
Contact condition modelling for machining fixture setup processes

Manufacturing automation often requires high precision and highly accurate equipment to achieve satisfactory performance. In many cases, precision and accuracy depend highly on the surface contact conditions between machine components. Described in this paper is the modelling of the response frequency of a modular fixturing system with multiple components in contact, and it has demonstrated that it is possible to monitor the contact conditions based on a fixture system's dynamic response frequencies. The virtual spring element based on the Hertz theory is used to recapitulate the fixture contact conditions in the finite element modelling. Possible contributing factors to contact conditions, such as material properties, surface finish, hardness and the contact area between the workpiece and fixture device, are investigated in the estimation of the virtual spring constant. Experimental analysis is also conducted to verify the analytical model. The application of this model can be used for control, monitoring, and design of general clamping devices in many manufacturing processes.
The Evolution of Technical Services: Learning From the Past and Embracing the Future

Libraries and librarians have struggled for many years with an identity crisis of sorts, as changes in the publishing industry, technological advances, and subsequent changes in user behaviors have reshaped the landscape of information and access. The goals of the authors in this article are to better understand where we have come from and, therefore, where we need to be heading. In this article the authors will also articulate the significant role of technical services in the evolution of libraries and create a better understanding of the ways in which technical services will continue to play a vital role in the future.
31P Nuclear magnetic resonance measurement of cardiac pH in perfused guinea-pig hearts.

Abstract Cardiac pH was measured by 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Measurements were made on 23 control hearts perfused with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer containing potassium phosphate (1.2 m m ) at pH 7.4, but with no external bathing medium. Only one very weak peak could be observed in the orthophosphate region at pH 7.0±0.1. Previous reports have shown a relatively strong line in this region at pH 7.4. The pH 7.0 value was confirmed by perfusion with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate-phosphate at pH 7.5, but this time in the presence of an external bathing medium composed of the same buffer. Two peaks were observed in the orthophosphate region. One was at pH 7.0 while the other was at pH 7.5. Replacement of the external bathing medium and perfusate by one free of phosphate (Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate-Tris-HCl, 1.2 m m Tris plus 1.2 m m KCl, pH 7.4) caused the pH 7.5 peak to disappear but did not affect the pH 7.0 line. Thus, cardiac pH in well-oxygenated, Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate-phosphate perfused hearts is 7.0, not 7.4. In addition, the magnitude of the observed acidosis associated with coronary artery ligation was about two times smaller (∼0.4 pH units) than that seen in the other studies owing to this difference in control pH. The current value of cardiac pH determined by nuclear magnetic resonance is now in excellent agreement with the values determined by more conventional methods.
Nonconstructive tools for proving polynomial-time decidability

Recent advances in graph theory and graph algorithms dramatically alter the traditional view of concrete complexity theory, in which a decision problem is generally shown to be in P by producing an efficient algorithm to solve an optimization version of the problem. Nonconstructive tools are now available for classifying problems as decidable in polynomial time by guaranteeing only the existence of polynomial-time decision algorithms. In this paper these new methods are employed to prove membership in P for a number of problems whose complexities are not otherwise known. Powerful consequences of these techniques are pointed out and their utility is illustrated. A type of partially ordered set that supports this general approach is defined and explored.
Solvation and Dynamics of Chymotrypsin in Hexane

We have investigated the serine protease γ-chymotrypsin (γ-CT) in three different solvation environments using molecular dynamics simulations. These solvation environments include the following: (1) γ-CT taken from the crystal structure of Yennawar et al. (Biochemistry 1994, 33, 7326−7336) with seven surface bound hexane molecules and 50 bound “essential” water molecules all immersed in 1109 hexane molecules (simulation labeled CT); (2) γ-CT taken from Yennawar et al. and solvated with 50 “essential” water molecules and immersed in 1107 hexane molecules (simulation labeled CTWAT); and (3) γ-CT taken from Yennawar et al. and solvated with a monolayer of 444 water molecules and immersed in 931 hexane molecules (simulation labeled CTMONO). From these trajectories we found that the placement of bound water molecules and the amount of hydration of the protein in the simulated structure had an effect on the protein flexibility as indicated by changes in the RMS deviation. The radius of gyration value was simil...
Reproductive dynamics of a tropical freshwater crocodilian: Morelet's crocodile in northern Belize

Morelet's crocodile Crocodylus moreletii has not been well-studied and many aspects of its life history are unknown. In particular there is a notable paucity of information on nesting and reproductive ecology. We studied the nesting ecology of Morelet's crocodile in northern Belize from 1992 through 1995. Nesting occurs at the onset of the wet season in mid-June and continues through mid-July (mean oviposition date =1 July±10 days). Eggs hatch from mid-August through mid- to late September. Nesting effort at our primary study site remained relatively constant during 1992, 1993 and 1995, but nearly doubled in 1994; this appeared to reflect a regional trend. Natural and man-made islands are heavily used as nesting sites. Nesting success in 1993 and 1994 was consistently higher on natural islands when compared with man-made islands or shoreline sites. Nest losses were primarily due to flooding and raccoon Procyon lotor predation. Losses from predation were greatest in 1994 when unseasonably low water levels facilitated predator access to nests. Females probably reach sexual maturity in 7–8 years after attaining a total length of 150 cm. Mean clutch size (25.0±7.6; range=9–42; n=73) did not differ among years. Mean clutch size, egg width (EW), egg length, egg mass (EM) and clutch mass were positively correlated with female snout–vent length (SVL). Mean EW was the best predictor of female SVL. A partial correlation analysis of egg and clutch attributes found that independent of female SVL, EM increases with increasing clutch size.
Cross-blot: a rapid screening procedure for determining specificity of antibodies to native proteins of the brown-rot fungus Postia placenta*

A method is described for rapidly screening large numbers of mono- or polyclonal antibodies for specificity with an equivalent number of antigens on a single sheet of nitrocellulose paper. This method, referred to as cross-blot, uses only 120 μl of antigen or antibody and can be completed in less than 6 h. Cross-blot was developed for rapid screening of hybridoma culture supernatants and can be adapted for use with Western blots of native and denatured proteins as well as screening polyclonal antibodies. In this study, murine monoclonal antibodies were produced to Postia placenta, a brown-rot wood decay fungus. Immunizing antigens were derived from P. placenta-decayed wood extracts. The antibodies were screened for specificity to a number of native proteins produced by the fungus. Cross-blot proved to an efficient method of visualizing cross-reacting antibodies while screening large numbers of antibodies for specificity.
Induction of phage formation in protoplasts derived from a lysogenic organism

Protoplasts derived from B. Megatherium are inducible to produce free bacteriophage, therefore the cell wall is not the site of induction. Protoplasts rapidly develop inaptitude. An unknown component of partially purified bovine serum albumin blocks phage development in protoplasts but not in intact cells.
Ovipositional response of tobacco budworm moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to cuticular labdanes and sucrose esters from the green leaves ofNicotiana glutinosa L. (Solanaceae).

Field plots of three accessions ofNicotiana glutinosa L. (Nicotiana species accessions 24, 24A, and 24B) at Oxford, North Carolina and Tifton, Georgia were heavily damaged by natural populations of tobacco budworms,Heliothis virescens (F.), during 1985–1989. Experiments in outdoor screen cages demonstrated that all accessions ofN. glutinosa were as prone to oviposition byH. virescens moths as was NC 2326, a commercial cultivar of flue-cured tobacco,N. tabacum L. However, in greenhouse experiments, tobacco budworm larvae did not survive or grow as well when placed on plants ofN. glutinosa as they did when placed on plants of NC 2326. Four labdane diterpenes (manool, 2-hydroxymanool, a mixture of sclareols, and labda-13-ene-8α,15-diol [labdenediol]) and two sucrose ester fractions (2,3,4-tri-O-acyl-3′-O-acetyl-sucrose [G-SE-I] and 2,3,4,-tri-O-acyl-sucrose [G-SE-II]) were isolated from green leaves of the three accessions ofN. glutinosa. These components were bioassayed for their effects on the ovipositional behavior of tobacco budworm moths using small screen cages in a greenhouse at Oxford, North Carolina. Labdenediol, manool, and both sucrose ester fractions stimulated tobacco budworm moths to oviposit on a tobacco budworm-resistant Tobacco Introduction, TI 1112 (PI 124166), when these materials were sprayed onto a leaf.
Enantioconvergent Synthesis of (−)-(2R,5S)-1-Allyl-2,5-dimethylpiperazine, an Intermediate to δ-Opioid Receptor Ligands

A convenient, high-yield enantioconvergent synthesis of (−)-1-allyl-(2S,5R)-dimethylpiperazine from trans-2,5-dimethylpiperazine has been developed. This compound is an important intermediate in the synthesis of δ-opioid receptor ligands. The process allows for the laboratory preparation of 100 g quantities of this enantiomerically pure diamine without chromatography. The key steps in the sequence were an efficient optical resolution using relatively inexpensive resolving agents, followed by interconversion of the unwanted (+)-enantiomer into the desired (−)-enantiomer.
Immediate Settlement of Shallow Foundations Bearing on Clay

Immediate and long-term settlement checks are an integral part of foundation design. Therefore, reasonably accurate estimates of the immediate settlement of shallow foundations bearing on clay are necessary, particularly for highly plastic clays or organic soils, for which the immediate settlement may be significant. This immediate settlement is due entirely to the distortion of the clay underneath the shallow foundations because, in the short term, there is no opportunity for change in the clay volume. Since soil stress-strain response is nonlinear even at small strains, design procedures based on linear elasticity cannot accurately predict soil deformations. Hence, an immediate settlement analysis that takes soil nonlinearity into account is needed. In this paper, finite-element analysis is used to develop design charts that can be used to estimate the immediate settlement of axially loaded square, rectangular, and strip footings bearing on clay. The clay is modeled with a simple nonlinear constitutive ...
Gender and Student Reception of a Seminary's Dominant Messages

Theological schools seek to educate both women and men to serve the church and promote the study of religion. This education involves constant messaging through multiple channels. This article explores the central messages received by theological students at one free-standing Presbyterian seminary in the United States. Women commonly reported two messages, a message about community (relationships between students) and a message about professional training for ministry. By contrast, men commonly reported only the message about professional training. Both of these messages were part of the school's statement of purpose. The author interprets these findings in terms of communication theory. Specifically, the research site effectively reproduced its institutional culture. Socialized gender differences prior to enrollment in seminary influenced the reception and decoding of the school's messages. The author calls for more research about the experience of women in seminary and about the success of schools in co...
Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist gene expression in rat pituitary in the systemic inflammatory response syndrome: pathophysiological implications.

The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is characterized by endothelial cell activation causing a generalized inflammatory response and cytokine-mediated pathophysiological alterations.1–2 The pathophysiology of SIRS involves changes in the functioning of several endocrine glands, including the pituitary.1–3 SIRS-induced alterations in pituitary function include activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis causing hypercortisolemia, the euthyroid sick syndrome, and cessation of reproductive function. These changes are in part mediated by cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 (IL-1). 4,5 IL-1 function depends on the local ratio of bioactive IL-1 and IL-1 receptor antagonist.6,7 Here we review our studies on IL-1βand IL-1ra mRNA levels in the pituitary in a rat model of SIRS.8,9 We have found that IL-1βmRNA peaked at 2 h after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration, increasing twelvefold over control values in the posterior pituitary and fivefold over controls in the anterior pituitary. IL-1ra mRNA levels peaked at 6 h post-LPS administration, later than those of IL-1β mRNA. IL-1ra mRNA levels increased tenfold in the anterior pituitary, but were induced only threefold in the posterior pituitary. IL-1ra gene expression is profoundly induced in the pituitary in vivo during systemic inflammation and its induction follows that of IL-1β, but it is differentially regulated and tissue- specific, occurring predominantly in the anterior pituitary. Future studies of the effects of IL-1 in the pituitary should take into account the local levels of IL-1ra.
Digital Media, 419, and the Politics of the Global Network

In his article "Digital Media, 419, and the Politics of the Global Network" Paul Benzon analyzes advance fee fraud, a scam in which con artists communicate with potential victims via email, promising them a monetary reward in return for financial assistance in extracting an allegedly astronomical (yet ultimately nonexistent) fortune from within a geographical zone often characterized as highly violent and unstable. Advance fee fraud is often referred to simply as 419, in accordance with the section of Nigerian penal code that addresses fraud. Benzon reads advance fee fraud as a practice of epistolary narrative that self-consciously allegorizes central processes of global financial circulation, trading in digitized narrative information rather than in digitized capital. In this sense, he suggests, it functions as a highly abstract financial instrument within the network of the global economy, dealing in a paradoxically literal fashion with imaginary money and thus using narrative form to probe and problematize the question of how and where money might move as data. Tracing the geopolitical and geoeconomic dimensions of advance fee fraud’s narrative and formal structure, Benzon argues that its random interpellations, arbitrary twists, and exaggerated claims deploy literary narrative in a manner that both relies upon and mirrors the material instability of global digital mediation itself. Paul Benzon, "Digital Media, 419, and the Politics of the Global Network" page 2 of 10 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 13.3 (2011): Thematic issue New Perspectives on Material Culture and Intermedial Practice. Ed. Steven Totosy de Zepetnek, Asuncion Lopez-Varela, Haun Saussy, and Jan Mieszkowski
Novel bridge of axon-like processes of epithelial cells in the aboral sense organ of ctenophores.

We describe by light and electron microscopy a novel structure in the aboral sense organ (apical organ) of cydippid (Pleurobrachia) and lobate (Mnemiopsis) ctenophores. An elevated bundle of long, thin, microtubule-filled processes arises from the apical ends of two groups of epithelial cells located on opposite sides of the apical organ along the tentacular plane of the body. This bundle of axon-like processes arches over the epithelial floor like a bridge, with branches at both ends running toward opposing pairs of ciliary balancers that are motile pacemakers for the rows of locomotory ciliary comb plates. The bridge in Pleurobrachia is ∼40 μm long and 3–4 μm wide and consists of ∼60 closely packed processes, 0.2–0.8 μm thick, containing vesicles and numerous microtubules running parallel to their long axes. There are ∼30 epithelial cells in each of the two groups giving rise to the bridge and each cell forms a single process, so roughly half of the processes in the bridge must originate from cells on one side and diverge into branches to a pair of balancers on the opposite side of the apical organ. The 150–200 cilia in each balancer arise from morphologically complex cellular projections with asymmetric lateral extensions directed towards a fork of the bridge. Presynaptic triad structures and vesicles are found in this region but clear examples of synaptic contacts between bridge processes and balancer cells have not yet been traced. Cydippid larvae of Mnemiopsis have a conspicuous bridge along the tentacular plane of the apical organ. Beroid ctenophores that lack tentacles at all stages do not have a bridge. We discuss the possibility that the bridge is an electrical conduction pathway to balancers that coordinates tentacle-evoked swimming responses of ctenophores, such as global ciliary excitation. J. Morphol. 254:99–120, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
TEMPORAL VARIATIONS OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD IN SUNSPOTS

We obtained simultaneous spectra with a spatial resolution of 1/2″ and a temporal resolution of 15 s in Hα, Ca ii-K, Caii 8542 A, and three Fei lines of the sunspot group responsible for the large flares of August, 1972 (McMath No. 11976). A time series taken 1972, August 3 in the Fei 6173 A Zeeman sensitive line was analyzed for oscillations of field strength and the angle between the field and the line of sight, and for changes of the field associated with the Ca ii-K umbral flashes discovered by Beckers and Tallant (1969). The power spectra show no significant peaks, conflicting with the results of Mogilevskii et al. (1972) who reported oscillations in the longitudinal component of the field strength with periods of 56, 90, and 150 s. Changes in the field were not observed to be correlated with the occurrence of umbral flashes. These results place restrictions on magnetic modes of energy transport between the photospheric layers and the chromospheric layers where the umbral flashes are observed.
Platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase activity in the urine of patients with renal disease.

Abstract Platelet activating factor has been demonstrated in blood and urine and has a broad range of effects on kidney function. The kidney possesses the enzymes responsible for PAF synthesis as well as the specific acetylhydrolase which deactivates PAF. We used a radioactive assay to measure PAF-acetylhydrolase activity in urine samples obtained from normal individuals and patients with various nephropathies. Activity was detected hi the majority of normal urines with a mean + 2 SD = 0.70 nmol/30 min/ml. Activity exceeding this value was measured in the urines of 11 of 14 patients with diabetes mellitus, 14 of 22 with glomerulonephritis, and 5 of 16 with hypertensive renal disease. Further study is necessary to relate urine hydrolase activity to specific functional and structural abnormalities of the kidney.
Palladium−Charcoal-Catalyzed Reduction of Tri-O-acetyl-β-l-Fucopyranosyl Cyanide: A Route to Small Cluster Oligosaccharide Mimetics (SCOMs)

Synthesis of glycosyl cyanides was optimized with a new catalyst system. Reduction of tri-O-acetyl-β-l-fucopyranosyl cyanide with Pd−hydrogen, in the presence of Ac2O and Boc2O, gave N-protected-mono- and -di-(2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-β-l-fucopyranosylmethyl)-amines, which allow for the syntheses of small cluster oligosaccharide mimetics of fucopyranosylomethyl-substituted ureas. From di-(2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-β-l-fucopyranosylmethyl) amine was also prepared a carbamoyl chloride as a potentially useful synthon for preparation of more complex C-glycosidic conjugates.
Responses to temperature in the dipper, Cinclus mexicanus

Abstract 1. 1. Dippers have an excellent insulation as indicated by their low thermal conductance (0.33 cal/g per hr per °C) and lower critical temperature (11.5°C). This is attributed to the thickness of their extensive undercoat of down. 2. 2. The standard metabolic rate of 1.65 ml O2/g per hr was lower than predicted for passerines of the same size. 3. 3. Heart-rate, breathing rate and evaporative water loss increased rapidly when air temperature exceeded 34°C, the upper critical temperature. The percentage of metabolic heat dissipated b evaporation (evaporative efficiency) never approached 100 and the body temperature of dippers rose to lethal levels at air temperatures above 36°C. 4. 4. The uninsulated legs and feet appear necessary as avenues of heat loss at air temperatures above 36°C.
Effect of data organization in a system of interleaved memories on the performance of parallel search

Abstract The performance of parallel search algorithms with respect to three storage schemes—(a) low-order, complete binary tree, and (c) high-order—in a system of interleaved memory modules is analyzed.It is shown using analysis and simulation that parallel search algorithms using the latter two storage schemes, even in competitive mode, perform as well as or even better than the search algorithms using the low-order scheme involving various degrees of cooperation.
The study on design speech-control powerpoint presentation tool

This paper was mainly exploring the important tool for many people who were exchanging knowledge especially proceeding power-point presentation as one auxiliary tool. The lecturer's most proper position should be between the audience and screen of power-point and this location is far away the mouse or keyboard, so if we have designed one facility with wireless control and could be controlled with speech-recognition function so that users need not rush between the screen and computer. Today some identical products with RF [1]and push function on the power-point pen that needs users to pre-learn the functions and those usage often caused errors especially in the dark environment, so in this paper we combined WSN ZigBee modules[2] with speech-recognition function MPU to design the creative product, so to called “Hi-TEC ZigBee remote-controller of Power-Point presentation”.
Dynamic Oxygen Enhances Oocyte Maturation in Long-Term Follicle Culture

Traditionally, follicles have been grown in standard incubators with atmospheric oxygen concentration. However, preantral follicles exist in the avascular cortex of the ovary. This study examines the effectiveness of an oxygen delivery protocol that more closely mimics the in vivo environment of the ovary on oocyte viability, maturation, parthenogenetic activation, and fertilization from in vitro cultured rat preantral follicles. Of 54 oocytes cultured in the dynamic oxygen environment, 35 were viable while only 22 of 50 oocytes cultured within an ambient oxygen concentration remained viable (p < 0.05). Germinal vesicle breakdown was observed in 56% of oocytes from the dynamic oxygen group compared to 30% of oocytes from the ambient oxygen group (p < 0.05). Parthenogenetic activation was observed in a significant number of oocytes from the dynamic oxygen group, while none of the oocytes from the ambient oxygen group activated (p < 0.05). However, the proportions of oocytes from the dynamic oxygen group that remained viable underwent germinal vesicle breakdown, and activated were still significantly less than those from the in vivo control group (p < 0.05). Fertilization of the oocytes from the dynamic oxygen group was confirmed through a successful trial of intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
Properties of polyimide films doped with copper complexes

Polyimide films based on either 3, 3′, 4, 4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride or pyromellitic dianhydride with 4,4′-oxydianiline have been doped with copper(I) and copper(II) complexes. High-quality, flexible, glass-cast films have been obtained which exhibit increased softening temperatures and lower polymer decomposition temperatures. The atmosphere and glass sides of the films are quite different. The copper(I) dopant is oxidized on the air side of the film, while the glass side contains predominantly copper (I). In the copper(II) case most of the copper appears on the air side as a silvery substance in the Cu(II) state. Chemical as well as ion etching can remove this material. Electrical resistivity of the copper(II)-doped films is decreased by three to five orders of magnitude relative to the polymer alone.
Flow cytometric assay of pinocytosis: Correlation with membrane ruffling and metastatic potential in the dunning R-3327 rat prostatic adenocarcinoma model

Membrane ruffling has been associated with neoplastic transformation, Harvey ras expression, and metastatic capability. In the Dunning R-3327 rat prostatic adenocarcinoma model, membrane ruffling graded visually upon live cultured cells filmed by time-lapse video-microscopy has distinguished sublines of high and low metastatic potential. Fluid-phase pinocytosis is a constitutive, noninducible internalization of medium by cell membrane. Fluid phase pinocytosis may be measured flow cytometrically by cellular uptake of fluorescein-labelled medium constituents. The optimum conditions for a flow cytometric assay of pinocytosis were determined using AT-2 subline that has an intermediate degree of membrane ruffling. The optimum dextran concentration was selected from the midpoint of the linear portion of the dose-eesponse (0.01–10.00 mg/ml) curve, whereas the optimum incubation time was determined from a time course (1—405 min.) curve study. Cultured cells from 6 Dunning sublines incubated with 1.0 mg/ml of fluorescein-labelled dextran for 90 min were washed, fixed, and the fluorescence of 10,000 cells studied by flow cytometry. For each subline, dextran fluorescence was measured in four independent experiments. Pinocytosis failed to distinguish sublines of high (AT-3 63.5 ± standard error 4.1 mean channel number, MAT-LyLu 63.2 ± 6.3, MAT-tu 64.3 ± 5.6) and low (G 33.5 ± 1.2, AT-1 63.5 ± 4.1, AT-2 58.4 ± 3.6) (rank p = 0.38) metastatic potential but correlated strongly with visually graded membrane ruffling (r = 0.95, p = 0.003). Pinocytosis assayed by flow cytometry reflects membrane ruffling observed visually and thus flow cytometric assays may facilitate study of membrane activity. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Leukocyte function in children with malignancies

Blood was obtained on 414 occasions from 106 children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) or solid tumors. Resting and stimulated hexose monophosphate shunt (HMPS) activity and unstimulated and stimulated nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) dye reduction were assessed on each sample. The values obtained were compared to similar determinations made on blood obtained from 178 healthy children. Resting HMPS activity of all patients with malignant diseases was significantly (p smaller than 0.01) greater, and ability to stimulate HMPSP activity significantly (p smaller than 0.01) less than that noted in healthy control patients. Unstimulated NBT dye reduction of leukocytes obtained from patients with malignant disorders was significantly (p smaller than 0.01) less than that observed in healthy control children. No significant differences were noted in HMPS activity or NBT dye reduction in patients with ALL, rhabdomyosarcoma, or other solid tumors who had bacterial infection when compared to uninfected patients, or when patients were categorized according to the type of chemotherapy provided. HMPS activity and NBT dye reduction of patients with ALL prior to treatment, in remission, and during episodes of relapse did not differ from each other. Thus, a functional impairment in leukocyte function was noted in patients with ALL even when their peripheral blood and bone marrow cells exhibited normal morphology.
Melanocortin Receptor Binding Determinants in the Agouti Protein

The agouti protein plays an important role in the development of diabetes and obesity in rodents and has been shown to be a potent antagonist of melanocortin receptors. For this reason alanine-scanning mutagenesis was performed on the agouti protein carboxyl terminus to locate residues important for melanocortin receptor binding inhibition. When agouti residues Arg116 and Phe118 are changed to alanine, very large decreases in agouti affinity for melanocortin receptor 1, 3, and 4 result. Mutation of Phe117 to alanine causes a similar increase in agouti KI app at melanocortin receptor 4. Substitution of agouti residue Asp108 with alanine results in large increases in KI app for all three melanocortin receptors examined. All of these residues are conserved in the agouti-related transcript, ART, whose expression is up-regulated in animal models of obesity. The three-dimensional structure of the agouti carboxyl terminus was modeled, and residues which decrease receptor binding by a factor of ≥15 when mutated t...
Secretory Phospholipase A2 Type III Enhances α-secretase-dependent Amyloid Precursor Protein Processing by its Effect on Membrane Fluidity and Endocytosis

Owing to the non-amyloidogenic pathway of amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing to produce neuroprotective and neurotrophic α-secretase-cleaved soluble APP (sAPPα), and preclude the amyloidogenic pathway which produces neurotoxic amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), increasing α-secretase activity and sAPPα levels have been suggested as pharmacological approaches for treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we demonstrated that cytokines including TNFα, IL-1β and IFNγ stimulated immortalized astrocytes (DITNC cells) to secrete secretory phospholipase A2 type III (sPLA2-III) into culture medium. When this conditioned medium was applied to differentiated human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y cells), it enhanced sAPPα secretion from cells. To further demonstrate the effect of sPLA2-III on sAPPα secretion, SH-SY5Y cells were exposed to sPLA2-III from bee venom, which is homologous to mammalian sPLA2-IIIs, and hydrolyzed products of sPLA2 including arachidonic acid (AA), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and palmitic acid (PA). We found that either sPLA2-III or AA, but not LPC and PA, increased membrane fluidity, increased the localization of APP at the cell surface without altering the total APP expression in cells, and enhanced sAPPα secretion in SH-SY5Y cells. In addition, neither sPLA2-III nor AA altered the expressions of α-secretases including ADAM 9, 10, and 17. APP has the motif which can target to clathrin-coated pits. We demonstrated that monodansylcadaverine (MDC), clathrin-mediated endocytosis inhibitor, can increase sAPPα secretion from SH-SY5Y cells by reducing APP internalization. Based on these results, sPLA2-III-enhanced sAPPα secretion is suggested to be a consequence in part, due to increased membrane fluidity, and reduced APP internalization through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Further study will focus on the effect of sPLA2-III on clathrin-mediated endocytosis.
Hopf bifurcation in a stomatal oscillator

Stomata are microscopic openings in leaves of green plants which permit gas exchange. This paper presents a parameter study of a model of a stomatal oscillator first derived by Delwiche and Cooke in 1977. We prove the existence of an unstable limit cycle by using the theory of the Hopf bifurcation. Other bifurcations exhibited by the model are also discussed.
Poststorage Behavior of Apple Fruit After Low Oxygen Storage as Influenced by Temperatures During Storage and in Transit

‘Delicious’, ‘Newtown’ and ‘Granny Smith’ apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) maintained acceptable flesh firmness and high levels of titratable acids and soluble solids after 9 months of storage in 1% 02 at either 0°C or 3.3°C. Low-02-stored ‘Delicious’ were kept at 0°C for 6 wk without developing physiological disorders before or after 8 days of ripening at 20°C. Storage at 3.3°C caused ‘Delicious’ to soften faster during 6 wk of post-storage holding plus 8 days of ripening. ‘Newtown’ apples developed flesh browning and alcohol flavor after 9 months of low 02 storage at 0°C. ‘Newtown’ fruit stored at 3.3°C developed only minimal incidence of flesh browning and alcohol flavor. ‘Granny Smith’ fruit were free from scald, core flush, flesh browning and alcohol flavor after low 02 storage, regardless of storage temperature. However, core flush and flesh browning appeared when ‘Granny Smith’ were kept for 6 wk at 0°C plus 8 days at 20°C.
Interface dislocation patterns and dislocation nucleation in face-centered-cubic and body-centered-cubic bicrystal interfaces

Abstract Nanolayered metallic composites exhibit unusual high strength at the layer thickness in nanometers. Plastic deformation including nucleation, glide, and transmission of dislocations is strongly related to interface structure and properties. Combining atomistic simulations with the classical Frank–Bilby theory, we studied dislocation structures of semi-coherent interfaces between face-centered-cubic (fcc) and body-centered-cubic (bcc) crystals. An atomically informed Frank–Bilby theory is proposed for quantitative analysis of interface dislocations. The results showed that (1) seven sets of interface dislocations are present in the Nishiyama–Wasserman (NW) interface and two sets of interface dislocation in the Kurdjumov–Sachs (KS) interface although they are misoriented by only ∼5.6°; (2) Burgers vectors of interface dislocations can be well defined in a commensurate/coherent dichromatic pattern (CDP) lattice corresponding to the NW interface and the Rotation CDP (RCDP) lattice corresponding to the KS interface; (3) the CDP and RCDP lattices are not simply a geometric average of the two natural lattices; finally we demonstrated that (4) the nucleation of dislocations, including interface dislocation loops corresponding to interface sliding and lattice dislocation loops corresponding to plastic deformation in crystals, are strongly correlated with interface dislocation patterns.
Molecular studies of hair cell development and survival.

The development of hair cells in both the auditory and vestibular sensory epithelia is a complex process that involves the coordinated expression of many regulatory proteins. Among these is the POU-domain transcription factor Brn-3.1. This factor is expressed in hair cell precursors immediately after commitment to the hair cell fate, and continues throughout life. Deletion of this factor in mice leads to failure of hair cell differentiation during development, and to the death of a majority of the undifferentiated cells. Normal expression of Brn-3.1 is required for adult hair cell survival as well, since a mutation in this gene causes dominant, late-onset, inherited hearing loss in humans. The timing of the onset of Brn-3.1 expression suggests that factors regulating its expression may be involved in fate determination of hair cells. Moreover, genes that are themselves directly regulated by Brn-3.1 appear to play critical roles in hair cell development and survival.