cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Single-Molecule Dynamics of Conformational Interchange in Calmodulin

The recognition and binding of target binding domains by calmodulin (CaM) require global protein conformational changes. We describe single-molecule measurements of conformational interchange in CaM. CaM labeled with a FRET pair (Alexa Fluor 488 and Texas Red) was trapped in lipid vesicles tethered to the surface of a cover slip. Conformational transitions were observed on the time scale of 2 to 11 ms. The probability of a transition to a compact conformation was significantly lower at low than at high Ca2+ concentration, revealing more frequent transitions to a compact conformational state for CaM with bound Ca2+. These results show that CaM undergoes functional conformational dynamics even in the absence of target enzyme. Conformational searching may permit CaM to readily adopt a binding geometry upon encountering a target binding domain.FRET trajectories were also analyzed by a novel iterative Bayesian propagator to determine the probability distribution of FRET efficiencies as a function of time. We show that this analysis outperforms conventional running averages to resolve conformational jumps and conformational distributions. The figure shows a CaM FRET efficiency probability distribution (color scale). The red line shows the running average. The time axis is in milliseconds.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Nuclear magnetic moment of 203Hg by optical pumping

Abstract Optical-pumping techniques have been used to obtain a direct measurement of the nuclear magnetic moment of the 47-d radio-isotope 203 Hg. The result is ( 203 μ) uncorrected 0.83549 (13) μ N . The effect of distributed nuclear magnetization gives an hfs anomaly 203 Δ 201 = 0.0064 (2).
Genetic and immunological characterization of naturally occurring recombinant B3 rats

The B-stock population of rats was bred for homozygosity at the loci controlling coat color. In this process, theAg-B1 andAg-B3 haplotypes became fixed in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Extensive immunization and absorption studies showed that the specificities in the B-stock rats homozygous for theAg-B1 haplotype were the same as those found in the inbred F344 strain (Ag-B1), and that the specificities in the rats homozygous for theAg-B3 haplotype were the same as those found in the inbred BN (Ag-B3) strain. A homozygous line derived from the rats carrying theAg-B3 haplotype (B3) has the mixed lymphocyte reactivity and antibody responsiveness to poly (Glu52Lys33Tyr15) characteristic of the inbred strains in theAg-B4 group. Thus, it represents a naturally occurring recombination between the loci controlling MLR and immune responsiveness, on the one hand, and those controlling the Ag-B antigens on the other. Antibody responsiveness segregated with theAg-B3 haplotype in crosses between the B3 homozygotes and the low responder BUF and M520 strains; hence, this recombination is a stable one. There was no linkage of antibody formation or haplotype to coat color. The finding of a strain with a naturally occurring recombination in the major histocompatibility complex between the loci controlling mixed lymphocyte reactivity and the Ag-B histocompatibility antigens provides evidence for the separateness of these loci. Since the portion of the genetically determined mechanism controlling antibody responsiveness which is linked to the MHC was that characteristic of the MLR type, it too must lie outside the region defined by the serological specificities of theAg-B haplotype.
Interventions into Civil Wars: A Retrospective Survey with Prospective Ideas

The last decade has generated a robust study on the role of external interventions into civil wars. This literature builds on a rather small but influential foundation that at minimum pointed in the direction for a more systematic exploration for the conditions that lead to effective interventions. After a decade or more of research, it seems appropriate to take stock of where we have gone, what our results tell us, and how we might further advance this important theoretical and policy issue. In this review, I summarize and evaluate the large N, broadly cross-national studies on the conditions that lead to external interventions, and the conditions that lead to their success. I follow this with a discussion of how best to advance our understanding and move the research process forward.
Triple play of H pylori in ITP.

In this issue of Blood , the meticulous study by Yeh and colleagues offers new insight into the mechanism of “immune” TP associated with H pylori infection. “Idiopathic” thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is the most common autoimmune blood disorder, affecting both children and adults. The term
Applying family therapy theories to Asian/Pacific Americans

This paper introduces a framework by which the structural and communicative-interactive theories of family therapy can be logically and systematically applied with Asian/Pacific American families. It begins with an introduction to Schutz's FIRO theory and model. Application and relevance to work with Asian/Pacific American families is discussed and illustrated with a case application.
An integrated model of record segmentation and access path selection for databases

Abstract An analytic model is developed to integrate two closely related subproblems of physical database design: record segmentation and access path selection. Several restrictive assumptions of the past research on record segmentation, e.g. a single access method and the dominance of one subfile over the other, are relaxed in this model. A generic design process for this integrated performance model is suggested and applied to a relational database. A heuristic procedure and an optimal algorithm are developed for solving the model. Extensive computational results are reported to show the effectiveness of these solution techniques.
Phosphorylation of recombinant non-NMDA glutamate receptors on serine and tyrosine residues

Glutamate receptors are the major excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the central nervous system. A variety of data has recently suggested that protein phosphorylation of glutamate receptors regulates their function. To examine at a molecular level the role of protein phosphorylation in the modification of glutamate receptors, we have transiently expressed the non-NMDA glutamate receptor subunit GluR1 (flop) in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Using a polyclonal antipeptide antiserum directed specifically against GluR1, we have immunoprecipitated a 106 kDa phosphoprotein corresponding to the GluR1 subunit. Phosphoamino acid analysis and thermolytic peptide mapping demonstrate that this basal phosphorylation occurs exclusively on serine residues in two phosphopeptides. Application of activators of endogenous cAMP-dependent protein kinase or protein kinase C revealed no consistant changes in the phosphorylation of GluR1. However, coexpression of the GluR1 subunit with the well characterized protein tyrosine kinase v-src results in phosphorylation of GluR1 on tyrosine residues, in a single thermolytic phosphopeptide. These results suggest that GluR1 may be a substrate for protein serine/threonine kinases as well as protein tyrosine kinases in the central nervous system.
Long-term food web change in Lake Superior

Restoration and rehabilitation of native species in the Laurentian Great Lakes is a priority for fisheries management agencies. Restoration efforts are increasingly incorporating a perspective that...
COMPOUND DYNAMIC EVENT METAMODELS FOR ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY LINE SYSTEMS

In the assembly line systems of the electronics industry, production controls based on steady-state conditions have proved ineffectual in coping with dynamic events, such as machine breakdowns, part supply shortages, and high priority job order processing, which can occur individually or simultaneously. There are few tools that give results quickly as to how many assemblies will be delayed by a dynamic event and how long it will take to recover from the impact. Computer simulation is available, but its lengthy execution time has hindered its application in real time. Previous research discovered that the patterns of these dynamic events can be represented by metamodels in the solution form of first order systems. In this paper, these results are unified and it is further shown that compound dynamic event metamodels can be developed from the individual metamodels using linear additivity. These metamodels are fit to the output from the simulation; and the resulting equations can be used in real time to meas...
Anomalous Reaction of Ethyl Bromofluoro- and Difluoro-Acetates with Dialkylphosphonites

The Michaelis–Arbuzov reaction of ethyl α -bromo-α -fluoro- and α, α -difluoro-acetates with dialkyl phenylphosphonites leads to the formation of unusual products including a fluorophosphinate. The reaction of ethyl bromofluoracetate with diisopropyl- and dimethyl-phenylphosphonites furnishes a complex mixture of eight and five compounds respectively. Five different compounds are obtained when ethyl bromodifluoroacetate is reacted with diisopropyl phenylphosphonite. Dimethyl phenylphosphonite yields three compounds when heated with bromochloromethane. The probable mechanism of formation of the compounds and their mass spectral characterization using GC-MS, tandem MS-MS and DART™ techniques are presented in this paper.
Metro status and African-American adolescents’ risk for substance use

The relative prevalence of substance use among African-American high school students living in rural, urban, and suburban areas was examined. Students in rural areas reported equivalent or higher rates of substance use than did students in urban or suburban areas. Attention to substance use prevention among rural African-American students is warranted.
Husserl's fifth meditation

Although there is a great deal of literature on Husserl's attempt, in the fifth meditation, to come to grips with the problem ofintersubjectivity,insufficient attention has been paid to the arguments therein. It seems that some commentators became so preoccupied with the particulars of Husserl's analysis that they overlooked the ostensible justification for some of the key positions. This paper is an effort to provide that needed attention in the form of a careful and critical assessment of Husserl's arguments in the fifth meditation. Since I have written about the problem of intersubjectivity elsewhere, 1 this paper will be about Husserl's solution exclusively. But a summary of my conclusions concerning the problem is necessary before discussing Husserl's solution. I argued that the problem of intersubjectivity is not identical with the problem of other minds, since Husserl does not attempt to prove the existence of anything in the fifth meditation. Rather, Husserl wants to clarify the sense of 'other subjects' by carefully describing and analyzing the paradigm case of those conditions under which we believe the expression has application - that is, when we believe we perceive someone else. But much more is involved, as a number of passages in Formal and Transcendental Logic and Cartesian Meditations show, for Husserl tries to clarify the sense and status of phenomenology itself by addressing the problem of intersubjectivity. 2 Husserl aims for a set of what he calls "objectively valid results", a number of results that can be refined by and withstand intersubjective criticism. Any truths that comprise phenomenology must be truths that could be recognized as such by other rational subjects if there are such subjects. Whatever justification there is for phenomenological positions must be recognizable as such by other rational subjects if there are others. The possibility of communication fits into this pattern as well. The antecedent, 'if there are others', is important because the phenomenological reduction requires neutrality as to whether there are (or are not) others. The adjective 'rational' is significant, too, as only those possible subjects that can do things associated with rationality (such as recognize relevant evidence) are relevant to clarification of the sense and status of phenomen
Fluctuation statistics of millimeter-wave scattering from distributed targets

The applicability of the Rayleigh fading model for characterizing radar scattering from terrain is examined at 35 GHz for both backscattering and bistatic scattering. The model is found to be in excellent agreement with experimental observations for single-frequency observations of uniform targets such as asphalt and snow-covered ground. The use of frequency averaging to reduce signal fading variations was examined experimentally by sweeping the radar signal from 34-36 GHz in 401 steps. The results show that the formulation based on the Rayleigh model relating the reduction in signal fluctuation to the bandwidth used provides a reasonable estimate for the improvement provided by frequency averaging. >
New low-noise high-quantum-efficiency speckle imaging system

A design for a new-concept speckle imaging system is presented. The instrument, now under construction at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), will be able to use any large- format scientific-grade CCD as the imager. The high quantum efficiency, low noise, and linear response of current CCDs are attractive characteristics when compared with traditional photon-counting speckle imaging systems. The RIT system consists of an optics package, placed between the telescope and the imager, that contains a piezoelectric tip-tilt mirror capable of executing a timed sequence of movements to place many speckle patterns over the active area of the CCD. The system will either (a) place a series of speckle images in a row and then use the CCD electronics to periodically shift charge toward the serial register or, if the CCD electronics do not allow, (b) have the mirror perform a serpentine step- and-scan motion over the entire CCD. When the entire CCD is full of speckle images, the chip is read out as normal. This kind of 'burst mode' speckle data collection effectively uses the large area of the CCD as a memory cache of speckle data frames, allowing large format scientific-grade CCDs that already exist at many observatories to be used efficiently and inexpensively in speckle imaging. The expected performance of the system, which is dependent on the CCD imager, is discussed. CCD speckle observations at the WIYN* 3.5-m telescope and simulation results indicate that, when used with a very low noise CCD, this system could obtain speckle data that are superior to those of even the best photon-counting cameras at the fainter magnitudes where such cameras are currently used.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Trending Tech Services: Library and IT curriculum integration Part I. The case for a designed curriculum

Teaching students in library and information science programs involves weaving together technical, organizational, and operational content with the goal of helping students understand the role of information in complex organizations. Through core courses such as Information Organization, Information Seeking, and Information Technology, students “dive deep” into the content of a particular part of the field and learn the complex aspects of information practice. This emphasis on content separated into “core” courses can have the unintended consequence of making it difficult for students to integrate course content into their broader understanding of the profession. This two-part column explores the use of curriculum integrated with cloud-based instructional technology resources to create an active and hands-on setting that also helps students see relationships and interconnected aspects of information work. In discussing this approach, the author explores issues of student technology literacy and learning f...
Decreases in Frontal and Parietal Lobe Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Related to Habituation

We previously reported decreased mean CBF between consecutive resting conditions, ascribed to habituation. Here we address the regional specificity of habituation over three consecutive flow studies. Regional CBF (rCBF) was measured in 55 adults (12 right-handed men, 12 right-handed women, 14 left-handed men, 17 left-handed women), with the 133Xe inhalation technique, during three conditions: resting, verbal tasks (analogies), and spatial tasks (line orientation). Changes in rCBF attributable to the cognitive tasks were eliminated by correcting these values to a resting equivalent. There was a progressive decrease in mean rCBF over time, reflecting habituation. This effect differed by region, with specificity at frontal (prefrontal, inferior frontal, midfrontal, superior frontal) and inferior parietal regions. In the inferior parietal region, habituation was more marked in the left than the right hemisphere. Right-handers showed greater habituation than did left-handers. There was no sex difference in global habituation, but males showed greater left whereas females showed greater right hemispheric habituation. The results suggest that habituation to the experimental setting has measurable effects on rCBF, which are differently lateralized for men and women. These effects are superimposed on task activation and are most pronounced in regions that have been implicated in attentional processes. Thus, regional decrement in brain activity related to habituation seems to complement attentional effects, suggesting a neural network for habituation reciprocating that for attention.
Patronage, face, vulnerability: articulations of human rights in Thailand

This article is an ethnographic study of human rights at a moment of their emergence in Thailand characterised by widespread uncertainty about their definition and power. The article follows social actors' experimentation with human rights by reorienting conventional sources of social power like face-work, patronage relations, and status to the aid of human rights initiatives. It argues that there is simultaneously maintenance of dominant forms of sociality and a turning of these forms to lend human rights force in ways that rely on the familiarity of the conventions, even while they temporarily become vulnerabilities for agents of the state. The article concludes that the force of human rights in Thailand comes not from their abstract principles or formal statement, but from how they gain affective force by their articulation with and through everyday social conventions.
ENDOGENOUS SURFACTANT TURNOVER IN PRETERM INFANTS MEASURED WITH STABLE ISOTOPES, A NOVEL AND SAFE METHOD. |[dagger]| 1473

Introduction: Little is known about surfactant metabolism in human infants. As radioactive isotopes cannot be used in human infants, we used the stable isotope [U-13C]glucose as precursor for endogenous synthesis of surfactant PC palmitate to study surfactant metabolism.
Visual laterality in belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) and Pacific white-sided dolphins ( Lagenorhynchus obliquidens ) when viewing familiar and unfamiliar humans

Lateralization of cognitive processes and motor functions has been demonstrated in a number of species, including humans, elephants, and cetaceans. For example, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have exhibited preferential eye use during a variety of cognitive tasks. The present study investigated the possibility of visual lateralization in 12 belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) and six Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) located at two separate marine mammal facilities. During free swim periods, the belugas and Pacific white-sided dolphins were presented a familiar human, an unfamiliar human, or no human during 10–15 min sessions. Session videos were coded for gaze duration, eye presentation at approach, and eye preference while viewing each stimulus. Although we did not find any clear group level lateralization, we found individual left eye lateralized preferences related to social stimuli for most belugas and some Pacific white-sided dolphins. Differences in gaze durations were also observed. The majority of individual belugas had longer gaze durations for unfamiliar rather than familiar stimuli. These results suggest that lateralization occurs during visual processing of human stimuli in belugas and Pacific white-sided dolphins and that these species can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar humans.
Societal Influences on Attribution: Blaming Some Victims More Than Others

Researchers have paid little attention to societal (as opposed to social) influences on attribution. The two present studies demonstrate the influence of sex, and its societal definition as gender, on attributions in the context of victimization. Across several types of assault and in different situations, more blame was attributed to female victims than to male victims. The type of blame attributed also varied by sex of the victim: (a) more blame was attributed to the character of female victims than to that of male victims, and (b) more blame was attributed to the behavior of male victims than to that of female victims. These attributional patterns were particularly strong among respondents with traditional gender role attitudes. Implications of these findings for the major attributional approaches are reviewed. The socioeconomic status, race, or sex of an actor may influence attributions about the behavior of that individual. The application for unemployment benefits by middle-income persons or by whites (both increasingly common phenomena), for example, may be attributed to different causes than applications for such benefits by members of the workingclass or by blacks. These different attributions, in turn, may influence the outcomes of such applications, or the self-esteem of the applicants and their families. Each of these factors—socioeconomic status, race, and sex— is the basis of a societal stratification system. The influence of such variables on the process of attribution, though not entirely ignored, has received little theoretical or empirical attention. Thorough consideration of the importance of societal and other omitted variables for the many theories of attribution of cause, blame, responsibility, or personal traits is a major theoretical endeavor. In this article I
SIRT1 Regulates Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Deacetylating β-Catenin

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multi-potent cells that can differentiate into osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes and myocytes. This potential declines with aging. We investigated whether the sirtuin SIRT1 had a function in MSCs by creating MSC specific SIRT1 knock-out (MSCKO) mice. Aged MSCKO mice (2.2 years old) showed defects in tissues derived from MSCs; i.e. a reduction in subcutaneous fat, cortical bone thickness and trabecular volume. Young mice showed related but less pronounced effects. MSCs isolated from MSCKO mice showed reduced differentiation towards osteoblasts and chondrocytes in vitro, but no difference in proliferation or apoptosis. Expression of β-catenin targets important for differentiation was reduced in MSCKO cells. Moreover, while β-catenin itself (T41A mutant resistant to cytosolic turnover) accumulated in the nuclei of wild-type MSCs, it was unable to do so in MSCKO cells. However, mutating K49R or K345R in β-catenin to mimic deacetylation restored nuclear localization and differentiation potential in MSCKO cells. We conclude that SIRT1 deacetylates β-catenin to promote its accumulation in the nucleus leading to transcription of genes for MSC differentiation.
Models and Exemplars of Scholarship in the Teaching of Psychology

This article provides ideas for engaging in the scholarship of teaching in psychology. Topics covered include contributing to the Society for the Teaching of Psychology's Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology and Teaching of Psychology. Writing and editing books also constitute scholarly work. Finally, teaching with intentionality and accountability can be productive in leading to scholarship opportunities. By providing models and exemplars of scholarship in the teaching of psychology, we hope to encourage more teachers to engage in such activities.
Identifying Low-Quality Preclinical Studies

See related article, pages 2824–2829. The failure of the NXY-059 development program for acute stroke therapy has been a major setback in the field of neuroprotection. Large pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to finance further trials in this area of research in the foreseeable future. There have simply been too many disappointments.1 Reviewers at the National Institutes of Health have similar concerns and are currently resistant to funding much of this type of work. This is particularly regrettable because much has been learned about how to design and conduct such investigations in the past 15 to 20 years. I think it is likely that if current methodology had been used for several of the drugs that were abandoned along the way, some would have been found to be safe and effective for treating acute stroke victims. The article by Macleod et al2 in this issue is an attempt to identify specific factors that lead to the failure of NXY-059 to be proven useful. It is their contention that low-quality preclinical investigations were, in large measure, to blame, and that they have a method for detecting inferior work. Specifically, they used their Collaborative Approach to Meta …
Time‐domain integral‐equation based analysis of scattering from conducting surfaces including the singular edge behavior

A method for modeling singular electric currents near conducting edges within marching-on-in-time (MOT) simulators is presented. The use of singular basis functions in MOT simulators presents unique challenges not encountered in frequency-domain implementations. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed expansion results in accelerated convergence for scatterers with sharp features. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 34: 327–332, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10452
Tracing drinking water to its source: An ecological study of the relationship between textile mills and gastroschisis in North Carolina

Gastroschisis is a rare birth defect that has increased in prevalence over the past several decades but the etiology of the disease is largely unknown. Using data from the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program, we estimated multilevel logistic regression models to evaluate the association between drinking water source and upstream textile mills and the risk of a gastroschisis birth. Results indicate that while prenatal exposure to upstream textile mill effluent does not have an impact on the risk of a gastroschisis birth, women relying on public water systems that draw from a surface water source have an elevated risk. These findings suggest the possibility of a contaminant found in higher levels in surface water compared to groundwater.
Withdrawal-suppressing effects of a novel smoking system: comparison with own brand, not own brand, and de-nicotinized cigarettes.

Tobacco smoking is associated with many health risks, all of which are decreased by smoking cessation. Tobacco companies are marketing novel products (e.g., Phillip Morris' Accord, R.J. Reynolds' Eclipse) intended to reduce these risks. Evaluation of these products is necessary to determine if they increase, decrease, or fail to change smoking's health risks. This study examines the acute effects of the Accord system on cigarette smokers; the study extends a previous preliminary evaluation by controlling for the system's eight-puff/cigarette limit, smokers' brand preference, and the act of smoking. Smokers of light or ultra-light cigarette brands (> or = 10 cigarettes/day, 16 men and 16 women) participated in this within-subjects protocol. Prior to each of the four, Latin-square ordered, approximately 2.5-h sessions, subjects abstained from smoking for at least 8 h. In each session, subjects smoked eight puffs, at 30-min intervals, from either their own brand of cigarettes, a marketed brand that was not their own, de-nicotinized tobacco cigarettes, or the novel smoking system. Subjective and physiological effects were assessed regularly. Results confirmed previous observations that the withdrawal suppression, CO intake, and tachycardia produced by the novel system are all less than that produced by normally marketed cigarette brands, even controlling for the system's eight-puff limitation and for brand preference. Incomplete withdrawal suppression may increase smoking frequency, thus potentially offsetting any decreased risks associated with Accord use. Laboratory studies of the acute effects of novel smoking systems are an important part of a comprehensive evaluation program.
Performance measures for the next generation of spoken natural language dialog systems

Since approximately the mid 1980's, technology has been adequate (if not ideal) for researchers to construct spoken natural language dialog systems (SNLDS) in order to test theories of natural language processing and to see what machines were capable of based on current technological limits. Over the course of time, a few systems have been constructed in sufficient detail and robustness to enable some evaluation of the systems. For the most part, these systems were greatly limited by the available speech recognition technology. Continuous speech systems required speaker dependent training and restricted vocabularies, but still had such a large number of misrecognitions that this tended to be the limiting factor in the success of the system. For example, testing in 1991 of the Circuit Fix-It Shop of (Smith, Hipp, and Biermann, 1995) required an experimenter to remain in the room in order to notify the user when misrecognitions occurred.
Initial experience with bioactive cerecyte detachable coils: impact on reducing recurrence rates.

OBJECTIVE: Despite proven safety of endovascular coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms, the potential need for retreatment remains criticized. The goal of this prospective study was to assess the safety, durability, and effect on recanalization rates of the Cerecyte (Micrus Corp., Sunnyvale, CA) bioactive coil. METHODS: Two hundred twelve ruptured and unruptured aneurysms in 176 patients were prospectively enrolled in a database registry during a 12-month period. Adverse clinical outcomes directly attributed to the use of the Cerecyte coil were documented. Angiographic outcomes were determined immediately after coil embolization and during follow-up studies. All patients who received stent assistance or a non-Cerecyte coil were excluded. Two independent endovascular surgeons reviewed follow-up films. Any discrepancy was deemed a recurrence. RESULTS: After exclusion criteria, 81 patients with 89 aneurysms were available for a minimum of 6 months of follow-up. Of those 89 aneurysms, 65% were ruptured aneurysms and were treated in the acute setting. The mean size of the aneurysm was 7 mm. The mean angiographic follow-up period was 11.2 months. Recurrences requiring retreatment as a result of dome filling were identified in six aneurysms (6.7%). Four aneurysms (4%) developed compaction of more than 20%, which was defined as interstitial filling of the fundus. There was one thromboembolic event leading to permanent neurological deficit. No cases of chemical meningitis or delayed hydrocephalus occurred. CONCLUSION: The Cerecyte bioactive coil seems to be safe and effective for use in both ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. The bioactive polymer within the coils allows similar handling characteristics of a bare platinum coil. Studies to assess longterm outcomes with direct comparison to platinum coils and alternative bioactive coils are warranted.
Entropy estimation in turing's perspective

A new nonparametric estimator of Shannon's entropy on a countable alphabet is proposed and analyzed against the well-known plug-in estimator. The proposed estimator is developed based on Turing's formula, which recovers distributional characteristics on the subset of the alphabet not covered by a size-n sample. The fundamental switch in perspective brings about substantial gain in estimation accuracy for every distribution with finite entropy. In general, a uniform variance upper bound is established for the entire class of distributions with finite entropy that decays at a rate of O(ln(n)/n) compared to O([ln(n)]2/n) for the plug-in. In a wide range of subclasses, the variance of the proposed estimator converges at a rate of O(1/n), and this rate of convergence carries over to the convergence rates in mean squared errors in many subclasses. Specifically, for any finite alphabet, the proposed estimator has a bias decaying exponentially in n. Several new bias-adjusted estimators are also discussed.
Insulin Acutely Regulates Munc18-c Subcellular Trafficking ALTERED RESPONSE IN INSULIN-RESISTANT 3T3-L1 ADIPOCYTES

Abstract Preincubation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes in high glucose or glucosamine decreases acute insulin (100 nm)-stimulated glucose transport provided that insulin (0.6 nm) is included during preincubation. GLUT4 expression is unchanged (Nelson, B. A., Robinson, K. A., and Buse, M. G. (2000) Diabetes 49, 981–991). Munc18-c, a Syntaxin 4-binding protein, is a proposed regulator of the docking/fusion of GLUT4-containing vesicles with the plasma membrane. We examined the subcellular distribution of Munc18-c in response to acute (15-min) insulin (100 nm) stimulation after preincubation in 5 or 25 mm glucose ± 0.6 nm insulin. Immunoblotting detected Munc18-c mainly in the Triton X-100-soluble plasma membrane (TS-PM) and the Triton X-100-insoluble low density microsomal (TI-LDM) fraction. Under each condition except high glucose + insulin preincubation, acute insulin increased Munc18-c (∼50–200%) in TS-PM and decreased Munc18-c (∼60%) in TI-LDM. Munc18-c traffic was time-dependent with a lag time of ∼3 min compared with GLUT4. Preincubation with high glucose + 0.6 nm insulin significantly impaired acute insulin-stimulated Munc18-c trafficking and decreased basal Munc18-c in the TI-LDM. Preincubation with glucosamine + insulin had similar effects. Total cellular Munc18-c remained unchanged. In conclusion, acute insulin stimulation promotes the translocation of Munc18-c, apparently from a TI-LDM-associated compartment to the TS-PM. Chronically increased glucose flux or exposure to glucosamine disrupts this process, which may negatively impact the fusion of GLUT4-containing vesicles with the plasma membrane.
Prescription fill patterns in underserved children with asthma receiving subspecialty care

Abstract Background Children with asthma receiving specialty care have been found to have improved asthma outcomes. However, these outcomes can be adversely affected by poor adherence with controller medications. Objective To analyze pharmacy fill patterns as a measure of primary adherence in a group of underserved minority children receiving allergy subspecialty care. Methods As part of a larger 18-month nebulizer use study in underserved children (ages 2-8 years) with persistent asthma, 53 children were recruited from an urban allergy practice. Pharmacy records were compared with prescribing records for all asthma medications. Results Allergist controller prescriptions were written in 30-day quantities with refills and short-acting β-agonists (SABAs) with no refills. Only 49.1% of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), 49.5% of combination ICS and long-acting β-agonist, and 64.5% of leukotriene modifier (LTM) initial and refill prescriptions were ever filled during the 18-month period. A mean of 5.1 refills (range, 0-14) for SABAs were obtained during 18 months, although only 1.28 SABA prescriptions were prescribed by the allergist. Mean times between first asthma prescription and actual filling were 30 days (range, 0-177 days) for ICSs, 26.6 days (range, 0-156 days) for LTMs, and 16.8 days (range, 0-139 days) for SABAs. Conclusion Underserved children with asthma receiving allergy subspecialty care suboptimally filled controller prescriptions, yet filled abundant rescue medications from other prescribers. Limiting albuterol prescriptions to one canister without additional refills may provide an opportunity to monitor fill rates of both rescue and controller medications and provide education to patients about appropriate use of medications to improve adherence.
POD-based optimal control of current profile in tokamak plasmas via nonlinear programming

In a magnetic fusion reactor, the achievement of a certain type of plasma current profiles, which are compatible with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability at high plasma pressure, is key to enabling high fusion gain and noninductive sustainment of the plasma current for steady-state operation. The evolution in time of the current profile is related to the evolution of the spatial derivative of the poloidal flux profile, which is modeled in normalized cylindrical coordinates using a partial differential equation (PDE) usually referred to as the magnetic diffusion equation. The dynamics of the plasma poloidal flux profile can be modified by three actuators: the total plasma current, the non-inductive power, and the average plasma density. These three actuators, which are constrained not only in value and rate but also in their initial and final values, are used to drive the poloidal flux profile, or equivalently the current profile, as close as possible to a desired target profile at a specific final time. To solve this constrained finite-time open-loop optimal control problem, model reduction based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is combined with sequential quadratic programming (SQP) in an iterative fashion. The use of a low dimensional dynamical model reduces the computational effort, and therefore the time required to solve the optimization problem, which is critical for a potential implementation of a receding horizon control strategy.
Architectural issues in base-station frequency synthesizers

Base station frequency synthesizers have extremely stringent specifications in terms of low integrated RMS phase error and low lock time. Satisfying both these conflicting specifications demands the selection of the right architecture. At the same time, other significant issues, such as spur suppression and tuning range, necessitate the use of allied techniques. The different architectural choices available for this application are compared vis-a/spl grave/-vis their respective benefits and drawbacks. A dual-loop-PLL-based architecture that meets very strict specifications is designed and simulated at 2 GHz. This synthesizer has an integrated RMS phase error of 1/spl deg/ while having a phase noise of -120 dBc/Hz at 600 kHz offset. The lock time is 40 /spl mu/s, and the tuning range is 100 MHz.
Synapse elimination, the size principle, and Hebbian synapses.

Synapse elimination at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction reduces a polyinnervated population of muscle fibers to a monoinnervated state. The function of this developmental phenomenon (if any) is unproven. A theoretical analysis of Hebbian (correlation) rules connecting presynaptic and postsynaptic activity and synaptic strength at the neuromuscular junction is presented. The following points are demonstrated: (1) Correlational competition leads to the reduction of polyinnervation to a stable monoinnervated state; (2) the competition gives rise to the size principle over a wide range of the plausible parameter space; (3) over a significant subrange, the competition selectively eliminates topographically incorrect synapses; and (4) in cases in which topographic projection errors overwhelm the system, both error correction and the development of the size principle are disrupted. Correlational competition may explain contradictory experimental results concerning the effects of stimulating or silencing subpopulations of motor neurons. It may also explain an otherwise puzzling instance of a breakdown in the size principle seen in humans undergoing neural regeneration. Taken together, these findings suggest a novel hypothesis for the function of synapse elimination at the neuromuscular junction: the establishment of the size principle. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Colloid milium: a final degeneration product of actinic elastoid

Serum amyloid P component (SAP) is present not only in all types of cutaneous amyloidosis, but also in the normal dermal elastic fibers as well as abnormal elastic fibers, such as elastotic degeneration of elastic fibers in actinic keratosis. It was previously postulated that the colloid substance in colloid milium is a final degeneration stage of actinic elastosis. In a lesion of colloid milium SAP was intensely positive with an indirect immunofluorescence method using rabbit antiserum to human SAP. Electron microscopy of the colloid lesion revealed components of normal elastic fibers as well as those of actinic elastoid as seen in actinic elastosis. It is concluded that the colloid substance derives, at least in major part, from elastic fibers through actinic degeneration.
Positive Cerebrospinal Fluid Cultures After Normal Cell Counts Are Contaminants

Previous literature on meningitis reports that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture contaminants are threefold more common than true pathogens. Clinical follow-up of patients with CSF contaminants is costly, time-consuming, and potentially unnecessary. In this study, we hypothesized that, in immunocompetent Emergency Department (ED) patients with normal CSF cell counts and negative Gram stains, all positive bacterial cultures are contaminants and patient follow-up is unnecessary. We retrospectively reviewed 191 ED charts of patients with positive CSF cultures over 5 years. We abstracted lumbar puncture results, disposition, and follow-up activities, and determined monetary charges. There were 137 patients (72%) who met inclusion criteria with CSF white blood cells ≤7 μL, negative Gram stain, and immunocompetence. Ninety-eight were discharged from the ED and 39 were admitted to the hospital for reasons other than meningitis. All 137 positive cultures were found to be contaminants, with coagulase-negative staphylococci found most commonly. Follow-up activities included telephone calls (49%), repeat ED visits (13%), repeat lumbar punctures (9%), unnecessary antibiotic treatment (6%), and hospitalizations (6%), generating $55,000 in charges. Follow-up may be unnecessary in ED patients with positive bacterial CSF cultures who were discharged from the ED, if their initial lumbar punctures were normal.
Multiple covariance matrix spectral model for direction of arrival

Presents a novel algorithm for modeling the behavior of the measured eigenvalues in order to find the direction of arrivals (DOAs) of sources. The authors use only the eigenvalues and not the eigenvectors to find the DOAs; no other algorithm works this way. The modeling process is based on the critical distance formula developed previously by the authors, which describes the best location to add a sensor to an existing subarray in order to improve the resolution performance of an array, also it is based on the concept of a structurally adaptive array, which promotes the idea of adapting the size and geometry of a subarray (of a much larger array) in order to optimize the detection for different scenarios.
Tissue factor in neutrophils.

The issues raised by Osterud and his colleagues in a paper in this journal are important and interesting. To prove a negative, however, is not possible because it implies that the entire universe must be examined - obviously an impossible condition. Osterud and his coworkers investigated the synthesis of tissue factor in whole blood and concluded that polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) do not synthesize this protein. This conclusion is important because TF has been seen on PMNs using immunohistochemical techniques on both the light- and electron-microscopic levels, which raises the question of how PMNs acquire TF, or more precisely, TF-antigen. A particularly interesting finding is that platelets increase monocyte TF induced by LPS, which has been previously shown even in the absence of LPS. The new aspect is that while TF activity rose, there was no increase in antigen. The authors speculate that this may be due to transfer of phospholipids to the cell membrane containing TF. This is a mechanism well-worth exploration.
Metamicrobiology: Analyzing Microbial Behavior at the Community Level

This chapter explores the intersection of stress biology, community ecology, and meta-level molecular sciences. The understanding of bacterial life is more sophisticated than that of any other group of organisms, despite the tremendous physiological complexity that is the hallmark of the prokaryotes. Much of microbial cell and molecular biology is based on the assumption that the behaviors of individuals and populations of cells are the same and this is often the case. Communities can be thought of as collections of organisms, each conducting a living in the context of the rest of the community. Metagenomics provides a system-level approach to studying communities of microorganisms. In studies of gene discovery based on functional expression, metagenomics can facilitate analysis of genes in both the culturable and unculturable portions of the community. The gut microbial community is emerging as one of the most influential organs in the human body. The fusion of reductionism and systems biology can be found in metagenetics, which is the application of classical bacterial genetics to understanding communities as systems. An interesting mixture of diffusible signals and direct contact comprises the arsenal of messages used by bacteria and fungi in the mouth. Future research will need to unite metagenomics with many other approaches, including metagenetics. The richness of the interplay is particularly well illustrated by the application of genomics and mutant analysis to community-level events in the oral biofilm.
Redefining the Prevalence of Dural Involvement in Rosai-Dorfman Disease of the Central Nervous System.

Background Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, also known as Rosai-Dorfman disease, is a rare condition, classically characterized by painless, massive cervical lymphadenopathy. Histologically, the pathognomonic findings include a dense, mixed inflammatory infiltrate with areas of emperipolesis. Albeit infrequent, when Rosai-Dorfman disease affects the central nervous system, it typically manifests as an isolated dural lesion, often mimicking a meningioma. A purely intraparenchymal manifestation of Rosai-Dorfman disease of the brain and spine with absent dural involvement is exceedingly rare. Case Description In this report, we describe a 59-year-old woman who underwent surgical excision of an intraparenchymal cerebellar lesion. Histologic analysis of the resected specimen diagnosed isolated Rosai-Dorfman disease with absent systemic involvement. We also provide an updated review of the literature of nondural-based Rosai-Dorfman disease in the central nervous system. Conclusions With the recent increase of such reported cases, it becomes imperative that Rosai-Dorfman be considered more than as a dural lesion that may mimic meningioma. Diagnostic and therapeutic challenges surrounding this disease entity are also discussed.
First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Arthrodesis Technique With Interposition Allograft Bone Block.

Background:We present a technique of first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis utilizing an interposition allograft bone block with a bipolar reaming technique that creates congruent fusion surfa...