cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Presenilins are required for maintenance of neural stem cells in the developing brain

The early embryonic lethality of mutant mice bearing germ-line deletions of both presenilin genes precluded the study of their functions in neural development. We therefore employed the Cre-loxP technology to generate presenilin conditional double knockout (PS cDKO) mice, in which expression of both presenilins is inactivated in neural progenitor cells (NPC) or neural stem cells and their derivative neurons and glia beginning at embryonic day 11 (E11). In PS cDKO mice, dividing NPCs labeled by BrdU are decreased in number beginning at E13.5. By E15.5, fewer than 20% of NPCs remain in PS cDKO mice. The depletion of NPCs is accompanied by severe morphological defects and hemorrhages in the PS cDKO embryonic brain. Interkinetic nuclear migration of NPCs is also disrupted in PS cDKO embryos, as evidenced by displacement of S-phase and M-phase nuclei in the ventricular zone of the telencephalon. Furthermore, the depletion of neural progenitor cells in PS cDKO embryos is due to NPCs exiting cell cycle and differentiating into neurons rather than reentering cell cycle between E13.5 and E14.5 following PS inactivation in most NPCs. The length of cell cycle, however, is unchanged in PS cDKO embryos. Expression of Notch target genes, Hes1 and Hes5, is significantly decreased in PS cDKO brains, whereas Dll1 expression is up-regulated, indicating that Notch signaling is effectively blocked by PS inactivation. These findings demonstrate that presenilins are essential for neural progenitor cells to re-enter cell cycle and thus ensure proper expansion of neural progenitor pool during embryonic neural development.
Who done it: Workers, intellectuals, or someone else? Controversy over Solidarity's origins and social composition

Solidarity, perhaps the most massive social movement in history, has attracted a number of social scientists who have engaged in the uneasy task of defining, describing, and explaining this unusually complex and fascinating social phenomenon. 1 One of the most hotly debated issues in this constantly expanding field of studies is the "Leninist" dilemma of who was more important in bringing about the revolutionary change, the (oppositional) intellectuals or the workers. In The Roots of Solidarity: A Political Sociology of Poland's Working-Class Democratization by Roman Laba and in Lawrence Goodwyn's Breaking the Barrier: The Rise of Solidarity in Poland, workers are portrayed as the primary causal force behind Solidarity; the role of intellectuals was, as they construe it, non-causal ("creative but not causal" in Laba's words). 2 In Goodwyn's interpretation, the oppositional sub-cultures and organizations of workers (particularly at the Baltic Coast) developed independently from the parallel organizations of intellectuals (such as KOR), with only a minimal and insignificant dialogue between them.
Renal allograft dysfunction associated with cytomegalovirus infection

Renal transplant recipients are at an increased risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, which occurs as a primary infection or as a result of reactivation of a latent virus. The main risk factors for symptomatic CMV disease include a CMV-negative recipient of a kidney from a CMV-positive donor (primary infection) and treatment of rejection with monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. In this study, we report a renal transplant recipient with multiple risk factors for the development of CMV infection. He developed three episodes of CMV disease; the first was associated with gastrointestinal tract involvement, and the second episode was diagnosed according to surveillance laboratory test results in the absence of symptoms. The third episode was associated with acute allograft dysfunction. The renal transplant biopsy specimen showed viral inclusions without acute rejection or glomerular abnormality. Despite the absence of morphological injury on biopsy, treatment of CMV with ganciclovir was accompanied by an improvement in renal function. Further studies are needed to establish the mechanism of allograft dysfunction in the absence of inflammatory changes.
Carbon dioxide regulates the tonic activity of locus coeruleus neurons by modulating a proton- and polyamine-sensitive inward rectifier potassium current

The electrophysiological effects of CO2 on locus coeruleus noradrenergic neurons were investigated in rat brain slices. Under control conditions, when slices were perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid containing 24 mM NaHCO3/5% CO2 (pH approximately 7.34, 33 degrees C) and exposed to 5% CO2/95% O2 arriving through an interface chamber, locus coeruleus neurons discharged spontaneously at approximately 1 Hz. Extracellular recordings showed that lowering CO2 that arrived through the chamber below 5% resulted in reductions in firing rate, often with a complete cessation of activity when exogenous CO2 was removed completely. Intracellular recordings revealed that lowering CO2 produced an outward current with an increase in slope conductance and a reversal potential near the potassium equilibrium potential; doubling the concentration of external potassium shifted the reversal potential of the current activated by CO2 removal by approximately +20 mV. Raising CO2 above 5% induced an increase in firing rate, an inward current, a decreased slope conductance at potentials near resting membrane voltage, and an increased slope conductance at more negative potentials. These effects of CO2 were mimicked by other manipulations that are known to affect intracellular pH. For example, NH4Cl, which acutely induces intracellular alkalinization, caused a marked reduction in firing rate, an outward current and an increased slope conductance that reversed near the potassium equilibrium potential. Bath-applied barium blocked the effects induced by removal of CO2 or addition of NH4Cl. The polyamine spermine (tetrahydrochloride) applied via intracellular micropipettes blocked the outward current induced by removal of CO2 or addition of NH4Cl. Spermine (free base) or an equivalent concentration of putrescine failed to alter the CO2 (0%)- or NH4Cl-induced effects. We conclude that CO2 maintains the tonic activity of locus coeruleus neurons by decreasing intracellular pH which, in turn, closes inward rectifier potassium channels, an effect that may be mediated by a protonated polyamine. According to this model, when there is alkalinization of locus coeruleus cells through removal of CO2 or addition of NH4Cl, endogenous spermine or a similar polyamine becomes partially deprotonated, releasing the channel block and allowing the cell to hyperpolarize. The possible implications of these results for the physiological effects of CO2 in the locus coeruleus are discussed.
The parallel replacement problem with demand and capital budgeting constraints

A generalized parallel replacement problem is considered with both fixed and variable replacement costs, capital budgeting, and demand constraints. The demand constraints specify that a number of assets, which may vary over time, are required each period over a finite horizon. A deterministic, integer programming formulation is presented as replacement decisions must be integer. However, the linear programming relaxation is shown to have integer extreme points if the economies of scale binary variables are fixed. This allows for the efficient computation of large parallel replacement problems as only a limited number of 0–1 variables are required. Examples are presented to provide insight into replacement rules, such as the “no-splitting-rule” from previous research, under various demand scenarios. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 47: 40–56, 2000
Computational Protein Design Quantifies Structural Constraints on Amino Acid Covariation

Amino acid covariation, where the identities of amino acids at different sequence positions are correlated, is a hallmark of naturally occurring proteins. This covariation can arise from multiple factors, including selective pressures for maintaining protein structure, requirements imposed by a specific function, or from phylogenetic sampling bias. Here we employed flexible backbone computational protein design to quantify the extent to which protein structure has constrained amino acid covariation for 40 diverse protein domains. We find significant similarities between the amino acid covariation in alignments of natural protein sequences and sequences optimized for their structures by computational protein design methods. These results indicate that the structural constraints imposed by protein architecture play a dominant role in shaping amino acid covariation and that computational protein design methods can capture these effects. We also find that the similarity between natural and designed covariation is sensitive to the magnitude and mechanism of backbone flexibility used in computational protein design. Our results thus highlight the necessity of including backbone flexibility to correctly model precise details of correlated amino acid changes and give insights into the pressures underlying these correlations.
Seismic albedo from the total seismic energy dependence on hypocentral distance in southern California

Abstract Scattering and absorption of seismic waves have been studied in southern California to determine their respective contributions to the measured apparent attenuation. We measured the total seismic energy from the onset of the S waves for local earthquakes recorded at stations on granitic rock—reduced to a common source by eliminating the source and site effect by the coda method, then applied Wu's method based on the radiative transfer theory, which has the facility to separate the intrinsic absorption from the scattering effect. The observed total energy as a function of hypocentral distance exhibits a striking behavior, increasing to a maximum at about 50 km, then decreasing exponentially as a function of hypocentral distance. Decay of the total energy as a function of distance is remarkably similar for all frequency bands, centered at 1.5, 3.0, 6.0 and 12.0 Hz, in good agreement with earlier results on Q of coda and S waves in southern California. Comparison with Wu's theoretical plots, which shows curves that differ in shape because of differences in seismic albedo, if B 0 = η s (η s η a ) , where ηs and ηa are the scattering and absorption coefficients, respectively, leads to the conclusion that the S-wave energy is primarily redistributed in space by scattering rather than intrinsically absorbed by the Earth. Our results from southern California agree with those of Toksoz et al., who found seismic albedo, B0, to be 0.8–0.9 in eastern North America. Coda Q in southern California, however, closely agrees with scattering Q using Wu's model, in disagreement with the conclusions of Toksoz et al. for eastern North America, where coda Q is close to the absorptive Q obtained from the total energy study. The agreement between Wu's theoretical curves and our observations is not perfect. Departure of the observed curves from the theory may be due in part to inhomogeneous distribution of scatterers and absorbers as well as non-isotropic scattering. We need more realistic models which can also account for inhomogeneous bounded media.
The Expanding Clinical Spectrum of Idiopathic Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy

A peculiar hemorrhagic disorder of the macula, idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (IPCV) was first described, more than a decade ago1. The maculopathy was classified and designated by Kleiner et al. as posterior uveal bleeding syndrome2,3 and by Stern et al. as multiple recurrent retinal pigment epithelial detachments in black women4,5. Yannuzzi et al. had suggested the term IPCV because the pathogenesis was unknown, the primary abnormality involved the choroidal circulation and the characteristic lesion was an inner choroidal vascular network of vessels ending in an aneurysmal bulge or outward projection, visible clinically as a reddish-orange, spheroidal, polypoid-like structure1,6,7. The disorder was characterized as a distinct clinical entity which was associated with multiple, recurrent, serosanguineous detachments of the retinal pigment epithelium and neurosensory retina, secondary to leakage and bleeding from the peculiar choroidal vascular abnormality. Vitreous haemorrhage, relatively minimal fibrous scarring and the absence of drusen, retinal vascular disease, and signs of intraocular inflammation were also features of the maculopathy.
A dynamic mathematical model for microbial removal of pyritic sulfur from coal.

A dynamic mathematical model has been developed to describe microbial desulfurization of coal by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. The model considers adsorption and desorption of cells on coal particles and microbial oxidation of pyritic sulfur on particle surfaces. The influence of certain parameters, such as microbial growth rate constants, adsorption-description constants, pulp density, coal particle size, initial cell and solid phase substrate concentration on the maximum rate of pyritic sulfur removal, have been elucidated. The maximum rate of pyritic sulfur removal was strongly dependent upon the number of attached cells per coal particle. At sufficiently high initial cell concentrations, the surfaces of coal particles are nearly saturated by the cells and the maximum leaching rate is limited either by total external surface area of coal particles or by the concentration of pyritic sulfur in the coal phase. The maximum volumetric rate of pyritic sulfur removal (mg S/h cm(3) mixture) increases with the pulp density of coal and reaches a saturation level at high pulp densities (e.g. 45%). The maximum rate also increases with decreasing particle diameter in a hyperbolic form. Increases in adsorption coefficient or decreases in the desorption coefficient also result in considerable improvements in this rate. The model can be applied to other systems consisting of suspended solid substrate particles in liquid medium with microbial oxidation occurring on the particle surfaces (e.g., bacterial ore leaching). The results obtained from this model are in good agreement with published experimental data on microbial desulfurization of coal and bacterial ore leaching.
Moral Status, Final Value, and Extrinsic Properties

Starting from a distinction between intrinsic and final value, I explore the implications of the supervenience of final value on extrinsic properties regarding moral status. I make a case for ‘extrinsic moral status’ based on ‘extrinsic final value’. I show that the assumption of ‘moral individualism’, that moral status supervenes merely on intrinsic properties, is misguided, and results from a conflation of intrinsic with final value. I argue that at least one extrinsic property, namely vulnerability, can be the basis of both final value and moral status, and that dependence on such extrinsic properties is compatible with the requirement of agent-neutrality.
Dynamical Instability in an Anisotropic Ionized Gas of Low Density

It is shown that when the thermal motions of a tenuous ionized gas are sufficiently anisotropic, the gas, and the initially uniform magnetic field which the gas is assumed to contain, become unstable. One mode of instability occurs when the gas pressure is greater parallel to the field than perpendicular, and another mode when the pressure is greoiter perpendteular than parallel. It is suggested that such instabilities may be of astrophysical interest, particularly with regard to the configuration of the solar dipole field as it is drawn out into interplanetary space by ionized gas from the sun. (auth)
Near Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis of Undried Silages as Influenced by Sample Grind, Presentation Method, and Spectral Region'

Abstract The objectives of this work were to evaluate how different grinding produres, spectral regions (680 to 1234 nm, 1100 to 2498 nm, and 680 to 2498 nm), and sample presentation methods influence near infrared reflectance analysis of undried silages. Grinds included 1) undried with dry ice in a Vita-Mix 3600 Plus blender, 2) undried in a Hobart chopper, 3) undried in a Wiley grinder, 4) in a Wiley grinder (20 mesh) after oven drying 60°C, and 5) intact. Presentation methods included 1) rectangular cell, 15-cm path, with and without polyethylene bags, and 2) a nonrotating circular cell. Undried (including dry ice regrinds of Hobart-grind and Wiley-grind) and dried silages were analyzed for DM, CP, and ADF. Each calibration was performed three times (average used) with each third of the samples used once as the validation set. Results, for undried samples, for DM and CP were about the same for all methods of grinding, presentation, and source of chemistry. Overall, the undried Wiley ground samples in the rectangular cell gave better results than any other grind-cell combination among the Wiley, Hobart, and intact undried materials. Intact samples generally did not result in satisfactory estimates of composition, even when multiple samples were scanned and averaged, nor did wavelengths below 1100 nm.
Echoes of 9/11 in the NYU classroom: A brief report from near ground zero.

This paper will address the impact of 9/11 on a university campus classroom near Ground Zero. The effect on an NYU graduate Trauma course 8 years post 9/11 will be described. Dale & Alpert (2006) h...
Retinal Hemorrhages: Advances in Understanding

Retinal hemorrhage is a cardinal manifestation of abusive head injury characterized by repetitive acceleration-deceleration with or without blunt head impact. Detailed description of the hemorrhages and documentation are critical to diagnosis. Vitreoretinal traction appears to be the major causative factor. Outcome is largely dependent on brain and optic nerve injury.
Deformation of Granitic Rocks: Experimental Studies and Natural Examples

Crustal deformation is inherently complex because the crust is inhomogeneous and anisotropic on a wide variety of scales. Advances in our understanding have come from a combination of field observations, laboratory experiments and theoretical models. What necessarily links all these investigations is a focus on process. Crystal plasticity (dislocation creep) is one of several grain-scale deformation processes or mechanisms; each process is dominant over a certain range of conditions in the crust, has a particular form of the flow law, and produces a characteristic set of microstructures. Characterizing the deformation mechanisms for different minerals, over a range of conditions, allows one to link the mechanical behavior or flow law associated with that process to the microstructures it produces. The information on microstructures can be used to help interpret the thermomechanical history of naturally deformed rocks, and flow laws can be used to create more realistic models predicting crustal behavior in different tectonic settings. Iterations among field, theoretical, and experimental approaches are critical for making progress in our understanding. The deformation process of crystal plasticity is the main focus of this volume. Crystal plastic deformation of the crust is in many ways more complex than that of the mantle, because most crustal rocks are polyphase aggregates, and the strengths of common crustal silicates (such as quartz, feldspar, and mica) are very different at a given set of conditions. Yield strength envelopes for the crust, as shown schematically in Figure 1⇓, are commonly plotted using the dislocation creep flow law for quartz, which inherently assumes that quartz is the controlling phase and undergoes steady state flow. But is the flow law for dislocation creep of quartz a good approximation for the deformation of a granite, let alone a crustal ‘plum pudding’ of regions and layers of different lithologies? The crust …
Financial strategy at YPF

Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales (YPF) was formerly state-owned and the largest company in Argentina in 1995. It was privatized in 1993, and was planning its second annual capital budget as a private-sector company in the fall of 1994. When the Tequila Crisis hit Mexico in December of 1994, international borrowing became much more difficult for emerging market borrowers in general and Argentine borrowers in particular. This case presents the situation that faced YPF at the beginning of 1995, after most of the pieces of its capital budget had been laid out but not finalized at the end of 1994.
Environmental Responses Of Solar Reflective Surfaces

An assessment is undertaken of the environmental responses of solar reflective surfaces, with emphasis on dish-type concentrator surfaces exposed to the conditions of Southern California. A generalized mathematical model for specific solar reflective surfaces can be formulated on the basis of either experimental or assumed site degradation/corrosion data. In addition, the fabrication parameters of a parabolic reflecting surface and its substrate can be used to model combined reflective characteristics for the postulated environmental conditions.
Chemokine-mediated immune responses in the female genital tract mucosa

The genital tract mucosa is the site where sexually transmitted infections gain entry to the host. The immune response at this site is thus critical to provide innate protection against pathogens that are seen for the very first time as well as provide long-term pathogen-specific immunity, which would be required for an effective vaccine against sexually transmitted infection. A finely regulated immune response is therefore required to provide an effective barrier against pathogens without compromising the capacity of the genital tract to allow for successful conception and fetal development. We review recent developments in our understanding of the immune response in the female genital tract to infectious pathogens, using herpes simplex virus-2, human immunodeficiency virus-1 and Chlamydia trachomatis as examples, with a particular focus on the role of chemokines in orchestrating immune cell migration necessary to achieve effective innate and adaptive immune responses in the female genital tract.
Cancer: cell survival guide.

A jaded observer might consider the cancer research field near maturity and surprising new results improbable. But work on the protein netrin-1 shows that unforeseen insights into cancer can still occur.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy of lung tumors: Preliminary experience using normal tissue complication probability-based dose limits

Objectives:To assess the feasibility and toxicity of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for patients with locally advanced or metastatic tumors in lung.Methods:Twenty-five tumors in 17 patients were treated. All treatments were delivered in 3 daily fractions of 9 to 15 Gy per fraction. Normal tis
U.S. Comparative and International Graduate Programs: An Overview of Programmatic Size, Relevance, Philosophy, and Methodology

Previous work has concentrated on the epistemological foundation of comparative and international education (CIE) graduate programs. This study focuses on programmatic size, philosophy, methodology, and pedagogy. It begins by reviewing previous studies. It then provides a theoretical framework and describes the size, relevance, content, and methodological approaches of U.S.-based graduate programs. This study finds that (a) CIE graduate programs find relevance in today's knowledge economy by addressing the themes of globalization and development; (b) while education policy is a key component of CIE programmatic content, there does not appear to be a general consensus as to what a CIE program should teach; and (c) CIE pedagogy includes four broad categories: the humanities and social science disciplines, regional emphases, cross-cutting fields and theoretical lenses, and professional specializations. Although there appears to be no single formula or unified path, each program must sift through the various ...
Organic Priority Pollutants in Nearshore Fish from 14 Lake Michigan Tributaries and Embayments, 1983

Composite, nearshore, whole fish samples of selected species, collected in fall 1983 from 13 Lake Michigan tributaries and Grand Traverse Bay, were analyzed for a wide range of pesticides and priority pollutants using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This study was carried out to identify existing source areas for known and previously unrecognized toxic substances. Our strategy was to analyze those resident fish with the highest likely levels of contaminants. All fish analyzed (eight species from southern Michigan to the upper peninsula) exceeded the 2 mg/kg FDA action levels for PCBs, while 50% of the samples exceeded the DDTr IJC objective of 1 mg/kg. St. Joseph River common carp (Cyprinus carpio) carried the heaviest contaminant burden of all fish examined for PCBs (27.6 mg/kg), DDTr (10.2 kg/mg), and toxaphene (3.3 mg/kg); chlordane levels (0.85 mg/kg) were second highest to those in Kalamazoo River common carp (0.87 mg/kg). Concentrations of PCBs, toxaphene, DDT, DDE, and other pesticides were higher in bottom-feeding fish, such as common carp, than in top predators, e.g., northern pike (Esox lucius). Bottom feeders are relatively fatty fish, and live and feed near contaminated sediments, which increases their potential to bioaccumulate fat-soluble contaminants. Pesticides were also present in elevated concentrations in fish from sites with higher industrial and agricultural development.
KivaTM: a numerical framework for improving foundation heat transfer calculations

KivaTM was developed to evaluate the energy performance of building foundation designs. This free, open-source tool can be integrated into existing annual building energy simulation software tools. This article describes the verification of Kiva's six numerical solution methods against the International Energy Agency Building Energy Simulation Test and Diagnostic Method test cases for slab-on-grade heat conduction. Comparisons of accuracy, computation time and stability between the numerical solution methods revealed their advantages and disadvantages. While each solution method satisfactorily approximates slab heat loss, many methods exhibited stability issues or required substantially longer computation time. The method least affected by these two challenges was the alternating-direction implicit (ADI) method. Kiva features four approaches of initializing the soil temperatures for an annual simulation. A new accelerated initialization approach is shown to reduce the required years of pre-simulation. The...
Matched Unrelated Transplants

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has a computerized registry of more than 900,000 volunteer bone marrow donors for patients in need of a transplant. The donors available through the NMDP offer an option for the 70% of patients who could benefit from a marrow transplant but who do not have a suitable related donor. The complex process of finding a compatible unrelated donor involves seven steps, and the median length of time to find a donor through the NMDP is approximately 6 months. Each month, approximately 50 marrow transplants are facilitated by the NMDP.
Crossover Scaling in Dendritic Evolution at Low Undercooling

We examine scaling in two-dimensional simulations of dendritic growth at low undercooling, as well as in three-dimensional pivalic acid dendrites grown on NASA’s USMP-4 isothermal dendritic growth experiment. We report new results on self-affine evolution in both the experiments and simulations. We find that the time-dependent scaling of our low undercooling simulations displays a crossover scaling from a regime different than that characterizing Laplacian growth to steady-state growth. [S0031-9007(99)09307-2]
Comparing ease of intraosseous needle placement: Jamshidi versus cook

In a sample of 34 study subjects, Cook and Jamshidi intraosseous (IO) needles were compared for ease of insertion into turkey bones. The averaged lapsed time of insertion was significantly shorter using the Jamshidi needle (25.5 v 56.2 seconds, P < .0001). The mean difficulty of insertion score was lower using the Jamshidi needle (3.0 v 7.1 on a 10-cm visual analog scale, P < .0001). The less costly Jamshidi needle is easier to use in IO insertion in this turkey bone model.
Transition-metal cluster chemistry: reactions of Mn2+ with O2

Evaluation de la section efficace totale. La production de MnO + semble endothermique, la section efficace presentant une barriere d'energie
Real-time indoor mapping by fusion of structured light sensors

In recent years the demand for indoor mapping applications with real-time data collection has increased with the decrease in the cost of mapping sensors. In this paper, a unique, automatic system is devised to map unknown indoor environments using a combination of two optical scanners, the Kinect Scanner and the static Leap Motion Controller to collect point clouds with true color information registered to a common frame of reference. There are several innovative features of our proposed system. First, the tracking is separated from the mapping in a manner similar to outdoor mobile mapping systems i.e. there is no feedback of mapping features to aid system tracking. This facilitates the data collection mechanism immensely as the accuracy is not dependent on feature matching techniques or odometry updates required in other navigation methods. Secondly, since we use the Leap Motion Controller to track the Kinect scanner, there is no requirement for an Inertial Navigation System, and therefore no drifts accumulate in the system. This prevents erroneous loop closures that degrade the accuracy of the scanned point clouds. Thirdly, the system is immensely cheap and compact which bodes well for use in situations not demanding high-accuracy, using commercially available structured light scanners. To quantify the data collection ability of the individual sensors, calibrations are performed followed by an accuracy analysis. Fusion is performed with a description of the mathematical models that reference the separate sensors to a common coordinate system. A quantitative analysis of the fused point cloud is provided which shows that registration can be performed on a real-time basis with a point-plane accuracy of 10–11 cm that shows promise for being commercially viable option for the indoor mapping.
Angiotensin II receptors and in vitro aldosterone responses of aldosterone-producing adenomas, adjacent nontumorous tissue, and normal human adrenal glomerulosa.

Angiotensin II (angio II) receptors have been compared using tissues from aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs), adjacent nontumorous adrenal tissue, and normal human adrenal glomerulosa. Plasma membrane-rich subcellular fractions were employed in a radioreceptor assay with [125I]angio II. In vitro aldosterone secretory responses to angio II were determined using isolated cells obtained by collagenase digestion. Results are reported as the mean ± SE. Normal glands have high and low affinity receptor sites for angio II. The Kn values for a normal adrenal obtained at surgery were 2.5 and 0.4 rnvT’, while autopsy adrenals were 1.1 ± 0.4 and 0.3 ± 0.15 nM-1 (n = 3). APAs and adjacent nontumorous tissue possessed only low affinity receptor sites (0.22 ± 0.05 nivT1; n = 11). The receptor concentration for a surgically obtained adrenal was 1562 fmol/mg protein, contrasted with 466 ± 135 from autopsy adrenals. APA and adjacent tissue bound 462 ± 112 fmol/mg protein. Cells from seven of eight APAs produced aldoste...
Evaluation of monoaminergic receptors in the genetically epilepsy prone rat

The intensity of sound-induced convulsions in the genetically epilepsy-prone rat (GEPR) was reduced in a dose related fashion by intracerebroventricular administration of dobutamine, (β1 agonist), terbutaline (β2 agonist) or phenylephrine (α1 agonist). BHT-920 (α2 agonist) did not cause a dose-related decrease in sound-induced convulsion intensity. Binding studies showed that whole brain α and β receptor densities (Bmax) were normal while the Kd was increased for the β ligand in GEPR brain.
Free energy and entropy of activation for phospholipid flip-flop in planar supported lipid bilayers.

Basic transition state theory is used to describe the activation thermodynamics for phospholipid flip-flop in planar-supported lipid bilayers (PSLBs) prepared by the Langmuir−Blodgett/Langmuir−Schaeffer method. The kinetics of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) flip-flop were determined as a function of temperature and lateral surface pressure using sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy (SFVS). From the temperature and lateral pressure dependent DSPC flip-flop kinetics, a complete description of the activation thermodynamics for flip-flop in the gel state, including free energy of activation (ΔG‡), area of activation (Δa‡), and entropy of activation (ΔS‡), was obtained. The free energy barrier for flip-flop of DSPC was determined to be ΔG‡ = 105 ± 2 kJ/mol at 40 °C at a deposition surface pressure of 30 mN/m. The free energy barrier was found to consist of large opposing entropic and enthalpic contributions. The influence of alkyl chain length on the activation thermodynamics of flip-flop ...
Aseptic meningitis in systemic lupus erythematosus

Three patients with aseptic meningitis were subsequently diagnosed as having lupus erythematosus. One patient had a single meningitic episode, another had chronic meningitis, and the third two acute episodes 5 years apart. All 3 patients developed further neurophychiatric manifestations of SLE, leading to death in 1. Aseptic meningitis appears to be an early manifestation of SLE and may herald more serious brain damage. No new cases of aseptic meningitis occurred in this series after initiation of therapy for SLE. In contrast, bacterial meningitis did occur as a late complication of the disease.
Lost in translation: overcoming barriers to integrating evidence with practice

A considerable amount of research is produced regarding the critical problems that nations face, yet local, national and international decision makers are not always apt to use the research for evidence-based policy making. The barriers to translating research into practice come from many sources and are often addressed piecemeal in the decision support literature, with little systematic analysis of the connections among them. To build decision infrastructures that are resilient and work seamlessly through the many decision moments of managing complex problems, it is important to have a framework for organising the sequence of those problems. This study presents such a framework and offers real world examples of decision infrastructures that have supported evidence-based decision making throughout the sequence. It draws on a diverse set of barriers identified from policy analysis, organisational management, and technology studies. The purpose of this paper is to give a broad perspective of the common and discovered challenges in relation to each other and to explore how systems thinking, policy informatics, and mature decision infrastructures can help to overcome some of these barriers.
Optomechanical model of surface micromachined tunable optoelectronic devices

Linewidth is a critical performance parameter for many optoelectronic devices. We have developed a combined optical and mechanical simulation tool and demonstrate its application to micromachined vertical-cavity tunable optoelectronic devices. The deformation of the mirror surface is calculated from the area moment method. The optical field distribution is calculated by the Fox-Li method, and the diffraction losses are estimated from second-order perturbation theory. By comparison to experimental results, we find that the deformation of the central plate is well predicted by our theory. While deformation can be a major source of linewidth broadening in MEMS tunable optoelectronic devices, it is not the primary source in our devices.
Growth of Beta Alumina on Aluminum Oxide

The rate of growth of a beta alumina reaction layer at an interface between alpha alumina and sodium aluminate was determined. The data for the growth of this reaction layer were found to obey a parabolic rate law. Further analysis of the data indicated that the reaction is controlled by oxygen diffusivity in beta alumina.
Political participation in the-period of post-communist transition: The case of Russian capital owners

This article focuses on the political participation of Russian capital owners during the period of post-Communist transformation. The author examines the forms and levels of political participation...
New Public Management and Governance Perspectives in Understanding Public Management

Reform of public administration is a worldwide phenomenon, as governments grapple with rapid social, economic, and technological changes, including the effects of globalization. Several countries have implemented radical and comprehensive public sector reforms since the mid-1980s. These reforms have established objectives and set incentives for productive performance and involve greater transparency (Behn 2001; Peters 1996).
A Content Analysis of Health Education Teaching Strategy/Idea Articles: 1970–1998

Abstract A content analysis of health education teaching strategy/idea articles was conducted to determine the foci and trend of topic areas, teaching activities, target population, instructional objectives, and information about contributing author(s). All of the strategy/idea articles published by the Journal of Health Education (JOHE) (n=390) and the Journal of School Health (JOSH) (n=90) as of December 1998 were analyzed. Intercoder reliability was 92.6% and intracoder reliability was 95.7%. Various health education topics had been covered; however, the topic areas did not change much over nearly three decades. A variety of teaching activities had been introduced in both journals, with JOHE articles being more diverse. Many of the articles in both journals introduced several teaching and learning activities to teach one topic area. Student population was most often targeted. Significantly more JOSH articles than JOHE articles identified instructional objectives and the target population. University fa...
Development of Renewable Resource-Based Cellulose Acetate Bioplastic: Effect of Process Engineering on the Performance of Cellulosic Plastics

This paper deals with the development of a cellulose acetate biopolymer. Plasticization of this biopolymer under varying processing conditions to make it a suitable matrix polymer for bio-composite applications was studied. In particular, cellulose acetate was plasticized with varying concentrations of an eco-friendly triethyl citrate (TEC) plasticizer, unlike a conventional, petroleum-derived phthalate plasticizer. Three types of processing were used to fabricate plasticized cellulose acetate parts: compression molding, extrusion followed by compression molding, and extrusion followed by injection molding. The processing mode affected the physico-mechanical and thermal properties of the cellulosic plastic. Compression molded samples exhibited the highest impact strength, tending towards the impact strength of a thermoplastic olefin (TPO), while samples that were extruded and then injection molded exhibited the highest tensile strength and modulus values. Increasing the plasticizer content in the cellulosic plastic formulation improved the impact strength and strain to failure while decreasing the tensile strength and modulus values. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the cellulose acetate increased with increasing amounts of plasticizer. Plasticized cellulose acetate was found to be processable at 170-180°C, approximately 50°C below the melting point of neat cellulose acetate.
X-ray properties of QSOs and their cosmological implications

The dependences of the X-ray luminosities of QSOs on redshift and optical luminosities are examined using the data from the optically selected heterogeneous sample study (1982) and complete optically selected sample study (1985) of Avni and Tananbaum. It is observed that the heterogeneous sample is applicable to this type of analysis, that the X-ray luminosity is more dependent on the optical luminosity than the redshift luminosity, and that changes in the X-ray spectral index value from 0.0 to 0.5 do not affect the data. It is concluded that there are correlations between the X-ray and optical luminosities and the relative rates of X-ray and optical cosmological evolution.
Characterization of the TAG of peanut oil by electrospray LC‐MS‐MS

A study of processed peanut oil was undertaken to assess the utility of HPLC combined with tandem MS to obtain data easily regarding the number of TAG of fats and oils and their FA composition. Mass chromatograms and spectra corresponding to only TAG of a single M.W. were obtained for the full range of TAG in the sample. Analysis of the mass spectra allowed the identification of more than 160 TAG in the sample by their FA composition. In addition, it was possible to estimate relative abundances of the TAG and suggest the position of the FA on glycerol for a limited number of cases. This technique greatly simplifies the task of assigning FA to coeluting TAG and facilitates identification of TAG present in trace quantities in mixtures, with possible application in circumstances where such trace TAG could be significant markers. Results are quickly obtained without extensive sample preparation or prefractionation of the sample.
Teacher‐Created Electronic Books: Integrating Technology to Support Readers With Disabilities

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 holds U.S. schools accountable for the yearly assessment of all students as they progress toward meeting state educational goals. Students with disabilities continue to be a focal point for improving student achievement at the school and district levels. Creating teacher-made electronic books is an effective method of using technology to support students with disabilities. In the elementary classroom, assistive technologies such as electronic books can capture student responses and enhance student retellings of engaging children's literature. This article provides a brief overview of the use of electronic books to improve students' retellings, and specific instructions for creating electronic books that support struggling readers.
Morphology and growth rate of β-SiC grown on (100) silicon by chemical vapor deposition

The growth rates and morphologies of β-SiC deposited on Si by reaction of C3H8 and SiH4 at 1350°C in hydrogen are determined by the CSi ratio in the gas stream. As CSi varies from 1.2 to 3.0, growth rate falls from 4.8 to 2.4 μm/h and surfaces become flatter and more uniform. Electrical properties of the films appear to be unaffected by CSi.
Mutations in the INF2 gene account for a significant proportion of familial but not sporadic focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis

Mutations in the inverted formin 2 gene ( INF2 ) have recently been identified as the most common cause of autosomal dominant focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). To quantify the contribution of various genes contributing to FSGS, we sequenced INF2 where all mutations have previously been described (exons 2 to 5) in a total of 215 probands and 281 sporadic individuals with FSGS, along with other known genes accounting for autosomal dominant FSGS ( ACTN4 , TRPC6 , and CD2AP ) in 213 probands. Variants were classified as disease-causing if they altered the amino acid sequence and if they were not found in control samples and in families segregated with disease. Mutations in INF2 were found in a total of 20 of the 215 families (including those previously reported) in our cohort of autosomal dominant familial nephrotic syndrome or FSGS, thereby explaining disease in 9%. INF2 mutations were found in 2 of 281 individuals with sporadic FSGS. In contrast, ACTN4 - and TRPC6 -related diseases accounted for 3 and 2% of our familial cohort, respectively. INF2 -related disease showed variable penetrance, with onset of disease ranging widely from childhood to adulthood, and commonly leading to end-stage renal disease in the third and fourth decade of life. Thus, mutations in INF2 are a more common, although still a minor, monogenic cause of familial FSGS when compared with other known autosomal dominant genes associated with FSGS.
Factor Structure of Self-Actualization as Measured from Shostrom's Sav Scale

Shostrom's SAV Scale was administered to 393 students at a large southwestern university. Items were factor analyzed according to a principle components solution. Nine factors were derived, which collectively accounted 57% of the total matrix variance. Five of the factors corresponded closely to components of Maslow's self-actualization theory upon which the scale was theoretically based. Two factors corresponded to a single Maslow component, and one appeared to be a combination of two of his categories. One derived factor seemed better explained by Freudian than Maslow theory. In general, the results supported Maslow's 15-component scheme for conceptualizing self-actualization.
Management of Extraglandular Manifestations of Primary Sjögren's Syndrome

Primary Sjogren's syndrome can have multiple extra-glandular manifestations ranging from mild to severe. Treatment for extra-glandular manifestations is organ specific and therapies are targeted based on the primary organs involved. Preferred treatment options used for extra-glandular manifestations of Sjogren's syndrome are usually extrapolated from the physician's experience in treating similar manifestations in other autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematous. The lack of immunomodulating disease modifying drugs in Sjogren's syndrome can be frustrating for patients dealing with extra-glandular manifestations, however recent advances in the field has made the future look promising for new therapeutic options.
Methodological Understandings from Elementary Science Lesson Study Facilitation and Research

Teacher learning, as well as the development and testing of curriculum materials, are key for teaching lessons that bring the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards to life in classrooms. Lesson study is a process that links standards, teacher learning, curriculum materials, and instructional enactment together to facilitate student learning. This article has two goals: (1) describe the essential features of lesson study and, (2) discuss the challenges in facilitating and researching both teachers’ and students’ learning through this process. Lesson study’s adoption is relatively new in the United States, thus it is important to develop shared understanding of its features and how to study its impact.
Rapidly tunable acousto-optic spectrometer for a space environment

As a complement to our work developing rapidly-tunable (approximately 10 - 100 kHz) CO2 lasers for differential absorption lidar (DIAL) applications, we have developed a rapidly-tunable spectrometer. A rapid spectral diagnostic is critical for a high speed DIAL system, since analysis of the return signals depend on knowing the spectral purity of the transmitted beam. The spectrometer developed for our lidar system is based on a double-passed large- (75 mm) aperture acousto-optic deflector, a grating, and a fast single-element room temperature mercury-cadmium-telluride detector. The spectrometer has a resolution of approximately 0.5 cm-1, a tuning range of 9.0 - 11.4 micrometers , a random-access tuning speed of greater than 80 kHz and a S/N ratio of greater than 100:1. We describe the design and performance of this device, as well as of future devices featuring improved resolution, higher speed and easier and more robust alignment. We will also briefly discuss the applications and limitations of the technique in a space environment.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.