cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Membrane Lipid Composition Regulates Tubulin Interaction with Mitochondrial Voltage-dependent Anion Channel

Elucidating molecular mechanisms by which lipids regulate protein function within biological membranes is critical for understanding the many cellular processes. Recently, we have found that dimeric αβ-tubulin, a subunit of microtubules, regulates mitochondrial respiration by blocking the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) of mitochondrial outer membrane. Here, we show that the mechanism of VDAC blockage by tubulin involves tubulin interaction with the membrane as a critical step. The on-rate of the blockage varies up to 100-fold depending on the particular lipid composition used for bilayer formation in reconstitution experiments and increases with the increasing content of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) in dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) bilayers. At physiologically low salt concentrations, the on-rate is decreased by the charged lipid. The off-rate of VDAC blockage by tubulin does not depend on the lipid composition. Using confocal fluorescence microscopy, we compared tubulin binding to the membranes of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) made from DOPC and DOPC/DOPE mixtures. We found that detectable binding of the fluorescently labeled dimeric tubulin to GUV membranes requires the presence of DOPE. We propose that prior to the characteristic blockage of VDAC, tubulin first binds to the membrane in a lipid-dependent manner. We thus reveal a new potent regulatory role of the mitochondrial lipids in control of the mitochondrial outer membrane permeability and hence mitochondrial respiration through tuning VDAC sensitivity to blockage by tubulin. More generally, our findings give an example of the lipid-controlled protein-protein interaction where the choice of lipid species is able to change the equilibrium binding constant by orders of magnitude.
Behavior of Pyrene End-Labeled Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Polymer Tails in Mixtures of 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonylimide and Toluene

We report on the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence of a linear poly(dimethylsiloxane) polymer that is end-labeled with pyrene (Py-PDMS-Py, Mn = 3100, Mw/Mn = 1.07) when it is dissolved at low concentration in an ionic liquid,1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonylimide ([C4mim][Tf2N]), as a function of temperature and added cosolvent (toluene). Toluene is a good solvent for PDMS. The Py-PDMS-Py behavior in [C4mim][Tf2N]/toluene is reminiscent, in part, of its behavior in liquid MeOH, a poor PDMS solvent. The Py residues are surrounded by a PDMS-rich microenvironment at all toluene loadings (0−50 vol %). No detectable excimer-like emission is seen in pure [C4mim][Tf2N] or [C4mim][Tf2N]/toluene mixtures until 50 vol % toluene. The Py-PDMS-Py ground state is heterogeneous, containing monomers and preformed dimers prior to photoexcitation. The observed excimer-like emission does not arise from a dynamic excimer. The Py-PDMS-Py time-resolved intensity decay data reveal the presence o...
Unexpected Death Following Aortocoronary Bypass

Since 1968, 1,800 aortocoronary bypass procedures have been performed with 37 operative or early postoperative deaths (2.1%). Twenty-one deaths (57%) occurred in patients with one or more of the following predetermined risk factors: ventricular aneurysm, decreased left ventricular contractility, left main coronary artery stenosis, valve replacement, recent infarction, or cardiogenic shock. The remaining 16 deaths (43%) were unexpected and occurred in patients with none of these risk factors.
The asymptotic Chebyshev coefficients for functions with logarithmic endpoint singularities: mappings and singular basis functions

Abstract When a function is singular at the ends of its expansion interval, its Chebyshev coefficients a n converge very poorly. We analyze three numerical strategies for coping with such singularities of the form (1± x ) k log(1± x ), and in the process make some modest additions to the theory of Chebyshev expansions. The first two numerical methods are the convergence-improving changes of coordinate x =sin[( π /2) y ] and x= tanh [Ly⧸(1-y 2 ) 1 2 ] . We derive the asymptotic Chebyshev coefficients in the limit n → ∞ for both mappings and for the original, untransformed Chebyshev series. For the original function, the asymptotic approximation for general k is augmented by the exact Chebyshev coefficients for integer k . Numerical tests show that the sine mapping is excellent for k ⩾1, increasing the rate of convergence to b n = O (1⧸ n 4 k +1 ). Although the tanh transformation is guaranteed to be better for sufficiently large n , we offer both theoretical and numerical evidence to explain why the sine mapping is usually better in practice: “sufficiently large n ” is usually huge. Instead of mapping, one may use a third strategy: supplementing the Chebyshev polynomials with singular basis functions. Simple experiments show that this approach is also successful.
Postseismic relaxation following the 1994 Mw6.7 Northridge earthquake, southern California

[1] We have reexamined the postearthquake deformation of a 65 km long linear array of 11 geodetic monuments extending north–south across the rupture (reverse slip on a blind thrust dipping 40°S–20°W) associated with the 1994 Mw6.7 Northridge earthquake. That array was surveyed frequently in the interval from 4 to 2650 days after the earthquake. The velocity of each of the monuments over the interval 100–2650 days postearthquake appears to be constant. Moreover, the profile of those velocities along the length of the array is very similar to a preearthquake velocity profile for a nearby, similarly oriented array. We take this to indicate that significant postseismic relaxation is evident only in the first 100 days postseismic and that the subsequent linear trend is typical of the interseismic interval. The postseismic relaxation (postseismic displacement less displacement that would have occurred at the preseismic velocity) is found to be almost wholly parallel (N70°W) to the nearby (40 km) San Andreas Fault with only negligible relaxation in the direction of coseismic slip (N20°E) on the Northridge rupture. We suggest that the N70°W relaxation is caused by aseismic, right-lateral slip at depth on the San Andreas Fault, excess slip presumably triggered by the Northridge rupture. Finally, using the Dieterich (1994) stress-seismicity relation, we show that return to the preseismic deformation rate within 100 days following the earthquake could be consistent with the cumulative number of M > 2.5 earthquakes observed following the main shock.
Optimisation of the shear stability of aluminium pigmented waterborne basecoats

Aluminium pigmented waterborne basecoats can be predisposed to effect deterioration during their use in circulation line. The diminished metallic effect is used to measure paint stability. Different methods to determine the circulation line stability are described and discussed, existing theories to improve circulation stability are investigated and further effects and mechanisms on degradation stability are proposed. Contrary to current thinking, the flake nature is not entirely responsible for the colour shift. Interfacial interactions with other paint components are investigated and their impact on the colour stability is proven.
Theory of disordered unconventional superconductors

In contrast to conventional s-wave superconductivity, unconventional (e.g., p- or d-wave) superconductivity is strongly suppressed even by relatively weak disorder. Upon approaching the superconductormetal transition, the order parameter amplitude becomes increasingly inhomogeneous, leading to effective granularity and a phase ordering transition described by the Mattis model of spin glasses. One consequence of this is that at sufficiently low temperatures, between the clean unconventional superconducting and the diffusive metallic phases, there is necessarily an intermediate superconducting phase that exhibits s-wave symmetry on macroscopic scales.
Methodologic problems of exercise testing for coronary artery disease: Groups, analysis and bias

Abstract To determine why exercise testing remains controversial as a diagnostic test for coronary artery disease, a methodologic review was undertaken of 33 studies comprising 7,501 patients who had undergone both exercise tests and coronary angiography. Of seven methodologic standards for research design, only one received general compliance: the requirement for an adequate variety of anatomic lesions. Less than half of the studies complied with any of the remaining six standards: adequate identification of the groups selected for study; adequate analysis for relevant chest paln syndromes; avoidance of a limited challenge group; and avoidance of work-up bias, diagnostic review bias and test review bias. Only one study met as many as five standards. These methodologic problems may explain the wide range of sensitivity (35 to 88 percent) and specificity (41 to 100 percent) found for exercise testing, because the variations could not be attributed to the usual explanations: definition of anatomic abnormality, stress test technique or definition of an abnormal test. Determining the true value of exercise testing requires methodologic improvements in patient selection, data collection and data analysis.
Lysmata rafa, a new species of peppermint shrimp (Crustacea, Caridea, Hippolytidae) from the subtropical western Atlantic

Lysmata rafa n. sp. is described from freshly collected specimens from the Keys West Lakes, Florida Keys, and from a museum specimen collected at Bear Cut, Biscayne Bay, Florida. The new species is morphologically most similar to the western Atlantic Lysmata rathbunae Chace, 1970 and the eastern Pacific Lysmata gracilirostris Wicksten, 2000, but can be distinguished from them by the number of carpal segments in the second pereiopod; the length and dentition of the rostrum; the shape and number of spines on the dactylus of the third to fifth pereiopods; and the absence of a tooth on the pterygostomial margin of the carapace. Despite being a shallow-water species, L. rafa n. sp. has extremely elongate walking legs and third maxilliped that are more typical to deep-water or cave dwelling carideans.
Endometrial carcinoma associated with azathioprine and cortisone therapy. A case report.

Abstract Endometrial carcinoma is sometimes associated with unopposed estrogen activity. Carcinoma of the endometrium developed in a patient treated with prednisone for 16 months and azathioprine for 14 months. This patient had amenorrhea for 20 years, which probably was due to high levels of gonadotropin and was secondary to ovarian failure. There is no previously reported case of endometrial carcinoma related to immunosuppressive therapy.
Tectonic patterns on a reoriented planet: Mars

Abstract Both geologic and free-air-gravity data suggest that the positive mass anomaly associated with the Tharsis volcanoes may have reoriented Mars' lithosphere by as much as 25°. Since Mars is oblate (with flattening ƒ ⋍0.005 ), rotation of the lithosphere over the equatorial bulge by 25° produces membrane stresses of several kilobars, large enough to initiate faulting. These stresses were first evaluated by F.A. Vening-Meinesz (1947, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union 28, 1–61) who treated the lithosphere as a thin elastic shell. The fracture patterns which result from these stresses are determined by the relation between stress and faulting proposed by E.M. Anderson (1951, The Dynamics of Faulting, Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh). Plots of the magnitude and direction of stresses in a reoriented planet show that near Tharsis the dominant fault type should be north-south- trending normal faults. This normal fault province is centered about 30°N latitude and extends about 45° east and west in longitude. Similar faults should occur at the antipodes, north of Hellas Planitia. The polar regions should be occupied by roughly north-south-trending thrust faults which extend close to the equator south of Tharsis and north of Hellas. The regions between Tharsis and Hellas are subject to compression on a NE-trending axis and extension along a NW axis east of Tharsis (west of Tharsis the directions are NW compression and NE extension), thus predicting a zone of NNW and ENE strike slip faults east of Tharsis (NNE and WNW west of Tharsis). Although these patterns, except for the north-south normal faults north of Tharsis, have not yet been recognized, the discovery of such a tectonic system of the same age as Tharsis would provide strong support for the reorientation idea. Stresses due to reorientation appear to have little to do with Valles Marineris, since the stress normal to the axis of the Valles is predicted to be compressive, whereas geologic evidence suggests extension.
Looking above the prairie: localized and upward acute vision in a native grassland bird

Visual systems of open habitat vertebrates are predicted to have a band of acute vision across the retina (visual streak) and wide visual coverage to gather information along the horizon. We tested whether the eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna) had this visual configuration given that it inhabits open grasslands. Contrary to our expectations, the meadowlark retina has a localized spot of acute vision (fovea) and relatively narrow visual coverage. The fovea projects above rather than towards the horizon with the head at rest, and individuals modify their body posture in tall grass to maintain a similar foveal projection. Meadowlarks have relatively large binocular fields and can see their bill tips, which may help with their probe-foraging technique. Overall, meadowlark vision does not fit the profile of vertebrates living in open habitats. The binocular field may control foraging while the fovea may be used for detecting and tracking aerial stimuli (predators, conspecifics).
CONVERTIBLE CALLS AND SECURITY RETURNS

Abstract The study examines the impact of convertible security calls on securityholder's wealth. On average common stock values fall by approximately two percent at the announcements of convertible debt calls, but common stockholder's wealth is unaffected by convertible preferred stock calls. These findings are consistent with a corporate tax effect. A small average decrease in firm value is also found at the announcements of convertible debt calls. The study raises, but leaves unanswered, the interesting question of what motivates managers to make capital structure decisions that reduce stockholder wealth and firm value.
Well-defined polymers with activated ester and protected aldehyde side chains for bio-functionalization.

Abstract Polymers with reactive side chains and narrow molecular weight distributions were synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and the potential to utilize these polymers to prepare drug carriers was demonstrated. p -Nitrophenyl methacrylate (NPMA) and diethoxypropyl methacrylate (DEPMA) were polymerized utilizing cumyl dithiobenzoate (CDB) as the chain transfer agent and azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator to high conversions (≥ 86%). The resulting pNPMA and pDEPMA had narrow molecular weight distributions (polydispersity indices O -benzylhydroxylamine and O -methylhydroxylamine to form stable oxime bond conjugates was demonstrated. The percent substitution depended on the feed ratios. Conjugation of an aminooxy-functionalized RGD peptide was also demonstrated.
Effect of potassium and ammonium ions upon glycolysis catalyzed by an extract of rat brain.

Abstract The stimulatory effect of ammonium and potassium ions upon glycolysis, as catalyzed by an extract prepared from an acetone powder of rat brain, has been investigated. The effect is most pronounced when small amounts of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) are employed and it becomes progressively less apparent as the ATP concentration is increased. Unlike the extracts and homogenates obtained from fresh brain tissue (1,2), glycolysis by the acetone extracts is not inhibited significantly by sodium ion. This is apparently due to the low apyrase content of these extracts. In addition the experiments indicate that the NH 4 + and K + have direct stimulatory effects which are not due to antagonism between Na + and NH 4 + or K + . This suggestion gains credence by the observation that the same concentration of NH 4 + is required for stimulation whether or not the concentration of Na + is reduced through substitution of trishydroxymethylaminomethane buffer for the NaHCO 3 buffer. Apparently NH 4 + and K + serve to maintain ATP in these systems by initiating or accelerating phosphorylation reactions. In so doing, they prevent the formation of adenylic acid which is fairly rapidly dephosphorylated in those systems by a 5-nucleotidase.
The Inspection Time and Over-Claiming Tasks as Predictors of MBA Student Performance

Elementary cognitive tasks (ECTs) are typically used in laboratory settings for basic research on the structure of intelligence. More recently, ECTs have been shown to predict important educational and clinical outcomes. Here we found that ECTs possess both criterion and incremental validity over IQ and the graduate management admission test (GMAT) as predictors of (N = 116) MBA student grades and scores on a capstone exam. Validity coefficients for the ECTs ranged from 0.24 to 0.50. A median split on an ECT component showed that the best-performing ECT group had substantially higher grades, exam scores, IQs and GMAT scores. The inspection time ECT possessed significant incremental validity over both IQ and the GMAT. ECTs could therefore be promising additions to the arsenal of assessment techniques currently used in predicting important real-world outcomes.
Design, construction and performance of a large tornado simulator for wind engineering applications

Abstract A laboratory tornado simulator was designed, constructed and tested to generate tornado-like vortices for the purpose of quantifying tornado-induced aerodynamic loads on civil engineering structures. This simulator generates a vortex that can translate along a ground plane to interact with models of structures on the ground. The simulator uses a “rotating forced downdraft” technique that loosely matches the rear flank downdraft (RFD) phenomenon often emphasized as important to tornadogenesis. The rotating forced downdraft is generated using a 1.83 m diameter fan and an annular duct suspended from an overhead crane that can translate along a 10.4 m ground plane. Measurements were conducted to quantify the simulator’s flow structures. An 18-hole pressure probe was used to traverse and map the vortex flow field. The flow structures of the vortices were validated by comparing with mobile Doppler radar observations of two major tornados. Results show that tornado vortex radii from 0.23 to 0.56 m can be generated. A wide range of maximum tangential velocities are also possible (from 6.9 to 14.5 m/s). The simulator generates a range of vortex structures from single-celled vortices to two-celled vortices with corresponding swirl ratios ranging from 0.08 to 1.14. Comparisons of general flow structure and normalized profiles of tangential velocity showed excellent match between simulator and radar data. The range of tornado sizes together with model structures of 1/100 to 1/500 scale will allow extensive examination of tornado-induced wind loads on terrestrial structures. The effects of a tornado’s size, translation speed and detailed flow structure on these loads can now be studied.
Two samoan technologies for breadfruit and banana preservation

Polynesian cultures owe to a large degree their longevity and stability to their ability to exploit natural plant resources to provide food, shelter, clothing, medicine, and articles of religious or ceremonial value. Technologies involving indigenous plants, such as those used to poison fish, have been highly developed (Cox, 1979). The importation and/or selection of successful cultivars of taro, breadfruit, yams, and other crops allowed the establishment of relatively stable agrarian and fishing communities. The possibility of drought or invasion, however, presented two constant threats to the stability of the food supply. Unlike continental peoples, the Polynesians were seldom able to migrate to avoid the ill effects of a catastrophic drought; long or even intermediate length sea voyages required advanced preparation and storage of food. Early warning of impending invasion by war parties was also difficult to obtain since most of the villages in Polynesia are highly vulnerable to rapid sea-borne attack because of their proximity to the coast. Invasionary forces represented more than an indirect threat to the food supply; in many Polynesian traditions the greatest victory one could obtain over his enemy, short of eating part of him and thus obtaining his mana, was to destroy his crops completely. Even in modern Samoa, village councils still occasionally punish particularly heinous offences against the village with 'ati ma le lau or the complete destruction of the offender's crops. Thus the early Polynesians faced two separate problems in regards to their food supply: first, one of preserving crops against the onset of catastrophic drought, and secondly, one of concealing their stored crops from invasionary forces. The first problem was exacerbated by the high temperatures, high humidity, absence or poor development of pottery with which to form durable containers (although it appears that the progenitors of the Polynesians understood pottery making), and the lack of large ungulates which could be used to store a portion of the vegetable production as animal protein. The second problem was intensified, particularly on the low islands and atolls, by the difficulty in constructing large forts and places of refuge which could be fortified against attack and in which food stores could be concealed. It should not be surprising, then, that any technology which could overcome the dual challenges of food preservation and concealment would spread throughout the different island groups. The first technique I will describe in a Samoan context is known as lua'i masi (masi pits). Similar techniques are found in many different islands with similar names: ma in Marquesas, mahi in Kapingamarangi, ma'i in Mangareva, maratan in Ponape, manakajen in the Marshalls, and namandi in New Hebrides (Buck, 1950; Massal and Barrau, 1954; Murai et al., 1958; Scattenburg, 1976).
Spectrophotometric determination of fluorescein/protein ratios: Some theoretical and practical considerations

Abstract An empirical method relating r = OD 493 OD 283 to F P is described. It is hoped that this method may lend itself to the standardization of fluorescent antibody reagents and, thereby, to the production of reagents of uniformly high reliability.
Effect of Interface Atomic Structure on the Electronic Properties of Nano-Sized Metal–Oxide Interfaces

We report that the size dependence of electronic properties at nanosized metal–semiconducting oxide interfaces is significantly affected by the interface atomic structure. The properties of interfaces with two orientations are compared over size range of 20–200 nm. The difference in interface atomic structure leads to electronic structure differences that alter electron transfer paths. Specifically, interfaces with a higher concentration of undercoordinated Ti result in enhanced tunneling due to the presence of defect states or locally reduced tunnel barrier widths. This effect is superimposed on the mechanisms of size dependent properties at such small scales.
BringBackOurGirls and the Invisibility of Imperialism

The April 2014 abduction of nearly three hundred girls by the extremist group Boko Haram from a school in Chibok, Boro State, Nigeria prompted an international social media firestorm collected unde...
The roles of extracellular and intracellular calcium in lysosomal enzyme release and superoxide anion generation by human neutrophils.

Abstract The relative importance of intracellular and extracellular calcium in the stimulation of human neutrophils was studied by use of chelators and calcium antagonists. In the first series of experiments, EGTA was used to see if extracellular calcium was an absolute requirement for neutrophil activation. Stimulated neutrophils secreted lysosomal enzymes and generated superoxide anion radicals in the presence or absence of 5 mM EGTA or Mg-EGTA. Seven different stimuli were employed: the chemotactic peptide N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (10−7 M), calcium ionophore A23187 (10−5 M), concanavalin A (30 μg/ml), serum-treated zymosan (2 mg/ml), zymosan-treated serum serum (10%), an immune complex (150 μg/ml) and phorbol myristate acetate (1 μg/ml). Release of the lysosomal enzymes β-glucuronidase and lysozyme and generation of superoxide anions in response to these stimuli were readily demonstrable in the presence of EGTA. Each response of neutrophils was variably, but not completely, reduced in the presence of the chelator; EGTA did not completely block the responses elicited by any of the stimuli. Consequently, it is unlikely that an influx of divalent cations from the extracellular medium is obligatory for stimulus-response coupling in human neutrophils. The role of intracellular calcium was then studied using calcium antagonists. Inhibition of neutrophil responses was readily obtained using TMB-8, an antagonist of the mobilization of intracellular calcium, and trifluoperazine and W-7, inhibitors of calmodulin. These results suggest that intracellular, but not extracellular, calcium plays an obligatory role in the responses of neutrophils to a variety of soluble and insoluble stimuli.
Synergism in binary mixtures of Thermobifida fusca cellulases Cel6B, Cel9A, and Cel5A on BMCC and Avicel.

In an earlier binding study conducted in our laboratory using Thermobifida fusca cellulases Cel6B, Cel9A, and Cel5A (formally Thermomonospora fusca E3, E4, and E5), it was observed that binding capacities for these three cellulases were 18–30 times higher on BMCC than on Avicel. These results stimulated an interest in how the difference in accessibility between the two cellulosic substrates would affect synergism observed with cellulase mixtures. To explore the impact of substrate, accessibility on the extent of conversion and synergism, three binary T. fusca cellulase mixtures were tested over a range of cellulase ratios and total molar cellulase concentrations on Avicel and BMCC. Higher extents of conversion were observed for BMCC due to the higher enzyme to substrate ratio resulting from the higher binding The processive endoglucanase, Cel9A, had four times the extent of conversion of the end endocellulase Cel5A, while the exocellulase Cel6B had three times the extent of conversion of Cel5A. Approximately 500 nmol/g of the cel9A+Cel6B mixture was needed to obtain 80% conversion, while the Cel6B+Cel5A and Cel9A+Cel5A mixtures required 1500 and 1250 nmol/g, respectively, to obtain 80% conversion. Thus, it appears that the more accessible structure of BMCC, as reflected by its binding capacity, results in relative higher processive activity.
Diversity and Social Justice Issues in Family Therapy Literature: A Decade Review

ABSTRACT In this paper, we report on our (a) review of diversity and social justice issues as represented across articles published in five family therapy journals between 1995 and 2005, and (b) in-depth analysis of the content of diversity and social justice related articles in one of the five journals (the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy [JMFT]) during the same time period. Our primary goal is to contribute to the discourse on diversity and social justice by examining how frequently these issues have been discussed across family therapy journals and in what ways they are talked about. The results of our research indicate that there has been an overall increase in articles focusing on diversity and social justice over time, although some dimensions of cultural identity, including class, age, and nation of origin, have been severely underrepresented. Our in-depth analysis of articles in the JMFT yielded trends in how diversity and social justice have been discussed as well as suggestions for clinica...
An Investigation of Maternal Play Styles during the Co-Occupation of Maternal-Infant Play

Objective: The purpose of this secondary analysis was to examine if play styles used by mothers when their infants are 6 months or older are exhibited by mothers who play with their 3–4 month old infants.Method: Sixteen healthy, mostly Caucasian, maternal-infant dyads participated in a repeated measures design study that consisted of two, 3-minute play episodes separated by an interval ranging from 2 to 10 minutes in length. Digital video recordings of the first and second play episodes were analyzed and coded using three specific play styles cited in the literature (attention-supporting, attention-directing and control play). Duration of time spent in each play style was determined and descriptive statistics were used to summarize the percentage of time the mothers exhibited each style across the two play episodes. Dependent t-tests were used to examine differences in the amount of time spent in each play style across episode one and two.Results: Mothers exhibited attention-supporting play for the longes...
Prevalence of, Evolution of, and Risk Factors for Fat Atrophy and Fat Deposition in a Cohort of HIV-Infected Men and Women

BACKGROUND At present, no uniform definition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated lipoatrophy exists. The risk factors for fat atrophy (FA) and central fat deposition (FD) are multifactorial. We assessed the evolution and predictors of FA and FD in HIV-infected men and women. METHODS Participants (n = 452) were evaluated at baseline (starting in November 1998) and 1 year later. FA was defined as triceps skin-fold measurement less than the 10th percentile on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for sex and age. FD was defined as a waist-to-hip ratio of > 0.95 for men and of > 0.85 for women. Predictors of the baseline prevalence of FA and FD and new cases of each syndrome after 1 year were determined. RESULTS The baseline prevalences of FA, FD, and combined FA and FD were 35%, 44%, and 14%, respectively. Twenty-two percent of subjects had newly developed FA at 1 year, and 16% of subjects with FA at baseline did not have it at 1 year. Also, 23% of subjects had newly developed FD at 1 year, and 15% of those with FD at baseline did not have it at 1 year. The risk of developing new FA was increased among participants with low triceps skin-fold values (P < .001), smaller hips (P < .001), higher nadir HIV load (P = .006), abacavir use (P < .001), stavudine use (P < .001), and use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (P = .002). The risk of developing new FD was higher among women (P < .001) and among participants with greater body fat levels (P = .005) and higher triglyceride levels (P < .001), and it was lower among those with a high school education (P = .003) and higher triceps skin-fold values (P = .026). CONCLUSIONS FA and FD are common in HIV-infected patients, but may change over time in the individual. FA and FD appear to be different syndromes, because risk factors for the development differ, and the prevalence of the combined syndrome differs from the prevalences of the 2 independent syndromes.
Exploring Family and Health Relationships

Concepts such as familial disease, familial aggregation, familial resemblance, family care, family violence, family therapy, family dynamics, and family history are increasingly bandied about by the media and popular news magazines of today. These ideas are used widely in the scientific literature, and several contributors to this volume make use of such concepts when describing areas of family scholarship. All are attempting to emphasize that the family is not only a unit of society useful for social analysis, but also a socioeconomic-emotional structure that cares for, interacts with, and sometimes harms its members. The purpose of this chapter is to explore family and familial factors that contribute either to healthy well-being or to its opposite, vulnerability to disease. To accomplish this goal several topics are described regarding family and health. An examination of family aggregations of disease is examined first. In this section emphasis is placed on chronic diseases and their risk factors. The concept of family inheritance and its interaction with environmental factors also is underscored. In a second section, contemporary issues of family and health are examined using several theoretical models as reference points to describe relationships between family and health and the factors contributing to these relationships. Finally, future research and policy implications are discussed.
Economic Incentives and Global Fisheries Sustainability

Widespread global collapses of fisheries corroborate decades-old predictions by economists, made long before large-scale industrialization of the world's fisheries, that open access would have deleterious ecological and economic effects on fishery resources. Incentive-based alternatives (collectively called catch shares) have been shown to generate pecuniary benefits, but little empirical evidence exists for, or against, a link to global fisheries sustainability. We report and expand on an analysis of >11,000 fisheries worldwide, in which we investigated the causes of fisheries collapse from 1950 to 2003. Using a program evaluation design, we found that catch shares prevent and, in some specifications, reverse fisheries collapse. Subsequent scientific studies reinforce and challenge these findings, suggesting fruitful avenues for future research linking incentive-based resource management to sustainability.
Equilibrium Beach Profile Concept for Delaware Beaches

We utilize beach profile data from 37 profile locations on the Atlantic coast of Delaware that were surveyed an average of 12 times between 1964 and 1993 to assess the validity of several equilibrium beach profile (EBP) formulations. Under consideration are (1) a power law formulation; (2) a formulation including the effects of downslope transport; and (3) a modified form of the latter model suggested herein. We perform a least-square fit of these models to the individual observed profiles, the mean profiles at the 37 locations, as well as regionally averaged profiles over eight geographically distinct regions. The analysis results in best-fit values for the model coefficients. The results indicate that the first model is robust and predicts observed mean and regionally averaged profiles with an estimated normalized error of 26 and 15%, respectively. However, the predicted beach slopes near the shoreline are infinite and, hence, unphysical. The second model includes the effects of downslope transport and ...
Correlation between DC polarization and failure characteristics of XLPE and EPR aged with AC voltage in a wet environment

Polarization and depolarization currents obtained at a low DC field for two different brands of XLPE and EPR insulation subjected to water treeing were correlated with the insulation breakdown characteristics to assess the diagnostic value of various polarization/depolarization current parameters. It is shown that for all three materials the polarization currents change more consistently with aging than do the depolarization currents. It is also shown that although the RC time constant and the area under the polarization current curve change consistently with the aging time for all three materials tested, the consistency and the diagnostic value of the information they provide about impending insulation failure depends very much on the type of material.
An Analysis of Instruments that Measure the Quality of Mathematics Teaching in Early Childhood.

The evaluation of teaching quality in mathematics has become increasingly important following research reports indicating that preschoolers are developmentally able to engage in mathematic thought and that child performance in mathematics at this level is a strong predictor of later school achievement. As attention turns to early mathematics education, so too does the focus on teaching quality. This paper reviews nine instruments designed to measure mathematics teaching quality—their theoretical bases, foci, and psychometrics—and examines their appropriateness for administration in early childhood settings. Three of the nine measures are identified as having highly desirable characteristics, with one of them specifically designed for early childhood administration. The measures, our review process, and our recommendations for practice are presented. As school divisions and teacher educators examine teaching quality, they will be better able to support their teachers’ practice, and better able to reap the benefits in improved child outcomes.
Factor VIII inhibitors: a 50-year perspective.

Summary. Inhibitors of factor VIII (FVIII) have been studied for more than 50 years, but diagnostic and therapeutic challenges remain. To describe the features that distinguish alloantibodies from autoantibodies, list predisposing factors, and review methods for tolerance induction and autoantibody suppression. Review of key articles published during the past half-century that have advanced knowledge in this field. Alloantibodies generally bind to the A2 or C2 domains of FVIII and disrupt the formation of the FVIII–FIX complex. They exhibit type 1 reaction kinetics, are saturable by FVIII, and display anamnesis. In contrast, autoantibodies usually bind to the C2 domain of FVIII, interfering with phospholipid and von Willebrand factor binding. They have type-2 kinetics and are poorly neutralized by FVIII. Repeated exposures to FVIII induce tolerance in 70–80% of haemophiliacs with inhibitors, whereas drugs that deplete B-lymphocytes restore self-tolerance to FVIII in a similar percentage of non-haemophiliacs. Future work should focus on improving assays that detect and quantify inhibitors, examining the pathophysiology of inhibitor formation using contemporary immunologic tools, and investigating new treatment modalities. These should include agents to control bleeding with less thrombotic risk, more specific immunomodulating drugs to curtail antibody formation, and, for haemophilia patients, genetic therapies to provide FVIII resistant to or protected from inactivation by inhibitors.
Preferences for health outcomes associated with Group A Streptococcal disease and vaccination

A 26-valent Group A Streptococcus (GAS) vaccine candidate has been developed that may provide protection against pharyngitis, invasive disease and rheumatic fever. However, recommendations for the use of a new vaccine must be informed by a range of considerations, including parents' preferences for different relevant health outcomes. Our objectives were to: (1) describe parent preferences for GAS disease and vaccination using willingness-to-pay (WTP) and time trade-off (TTO) methods; and (2) understand how parents' implied WTP for a quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained might vary depending on the particular health outcome considered (e.g. averted GAS disease vs. vaccine adverse events). Telephone interviews were conducted with parents of children diagnosed with GAS pharyngitis at 2 pediatric practice sites in the Boston metropolitan area. WTP and TTO (trading parental longevity for child's health) questions for 2 vaccine and 4 disease-associated health states were asked using a randomly selected opening bid, followed by a 2nd bid and a final open-ended question about the amount willing to pay or trade. Descriptive analyses included medians and interquartile ranges for WTP and TTO estimates. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to assess differences in WTP/QALY values for vaccine adverse events vs. disease states. Of 119 respondents, 100 (84%) and 96 (81%) provided a complete set of responses for WTP and TTO questions, respectively. The median WTP and discounted (at 3% per year) TTO values to avoid each health state were as follows: local reaction, $30, 0.12 days; systemic reaction, $50, 0.22 days; impetigo, $75, 1.25 days; strep throat, $75, 2.5 days; septic arthritis, $1,000, 6.6 days; and toxic shock syndrome, $3,000, 31.0 days. The median WTP/QALY was significantly higher for vaccine adverse events (~$60,000/QALY) compared to disease states ($18,000 to $36,000/QALY). Parents strongly prefer to prevent GAS disease in children compared to vaccine adverse events. However, implied WTP/QALY ratios were higher for the prevention of vaccine adverse events. Regret for errors of commission vs. omission may differ and should be considered by vaccine policymakers.
Bathymetry Estimation From Single-Frame Images of Nearshore Waves

Existing methods for determining bathymetry from remotely sensed images of nearshore waves exploit only information on the magnitude of wavenumber (k = 2pi/L), ignoring spatial changes in wave direction thetas that can provide information about bathymetry gradients. These methods also require wave period information, so they can only be used when time series imagery is available. We present an algorithm where changes in direction of refracting waves are used to determine underlying bathymetry gradients based on the irrotationality of wavenumber condition. Depth dependences are explicitly introduced through the linear dispersion relationship. The final form of the model is independent of wave period so that all necessary input measurements can be derived from a single aerial snapshot taken from a plane, unmanned aerial vehicle, or satellite. Three different methods were tested for extracting wavenumber and angle from images, i.e., two based on spatial gradients of wave phase and one based on integrated travel times between sample locations (a tomographic approach). Synthetic testing using monochromatic and bichromatic waves, with and without noise, showed that while all three methods work well under ideal wave conditions, gradient methods were overly sensitive to data imperfections. The tomographic approach yielded robust wave measurements and provided confidence limits to objectively identify unusable areas. Further tests of this method using monochromatic waves on three synthetic bathymetries of increasing complexity showed a mean bathymetry bias of 0.01 m and a mean rms error of 0.17 m. While not always applicable, the model provides an alternative form of bathymetry estimation when celerity information is not available.
Not Just a “Fleck” on the Epistemic Landscape: A Reappraisal of Ludwik Fleck’s Views of the Nature of Scientific Progress and Change in Relation to Contemporary Educational and Social Issues

In contrast to Thomas Kuhn, the work of Ludwik Fleck, a Polish-born physician, microbiologist, and epistemologist, is conspicuously absent from the science education literature. His originally obscure monograph first published in German in 1935, Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact, anticipates a number of views explicated by contemporary philosophers of science, cognitive psychologists, and learning theorists, and Fleck’s main thesis is, is many respects, strikingly similar to the oft-cited thesis developed later by Kuhn in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Fleck’s work is perhaps the best example of the social influence on scientific commitment and thinking and is one of the first works to suggest different scales or varieties of change in science. At the same time as Fleck’s work gains recognition, momentum, and force in philosophical circles, some educators are calling for a critical appraisal of Kuhn’s impact on science education. This climate provides an ideal opportunity to assess (or perhaps in some cases reassess) the value of Fleck’s work in a science education context. The primary aim of this article, therefore, is to introduce educators in general, and science educators in particular, to the main ideas developed by Fleck in his Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact. Throughout this article, Fleck’s ideas are compared and contrasted to those of Thomas Kuhn—arguably one of the most popular referents in nature of science studies over the past decade. As will be discussed, many of the ideas developed by Fleck anticipate central issues and perspectives in philosophy, epistemology, sociology, education, and cognitive psychology.
A Low Complexity Near Optimal Diversity-Multiplexing Switched MIMO Systems Based on Variable-Rate MQAM

A novel diversity-multiplexing decision switched algorithm is proposed for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system based on variable-rate MQAM. The proposed scheme is a closed-loop system, achieves adaptive bit and power allocation according to real-time channel state information (CSI), and the tradeoff between the diversity and multiplexing gains that can simultaneously achieved over a low-rate feedback channel with a little bits. The proposed algorithm takes minimum bit error rate as object, has lower cost can be easily implemented, improves the performance of the receivers, and achieves better bit error rate performance than the traditional suboptimal algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed decision algorithm achieves excellent performance.
Intrinsic Brain Surface Conformal Mapping using a Variational Method

We developed a general method for global conformal parameterizations based on the structure of the cohomology group of holomorphic one-forms with or without boundaries. 1, 2 For genus zero surfaces, our algorithm can find a unique mapping between any two genus zero manifolds by minimizing the harmonic energy of the map. In this paper, we apply the algorithm to the cortical surface matching problem. We use a mesh structure to represent the brain surface. Further constraints are added to ensure that the conformal map is unique. Empirical tests on MRI data show that the mappings preserve angular relationships, are stable in MRIs acquired at different times, and are robust to differences in data triangulation, and resolution. Compared with other brain surface conformal mapping algorithms, our algorithm is more stable and has good extensibility.
METAZOAN PARASITE COMMUNITIES OF SENTINEL BLUEGILL CAGED IN TWO URBANIZING STREAMS, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Urbanization has deleterious effects on water quality and biota in stream systems. This project used caged bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) to assess metazoan fish parasite communities in 2 urbanizing streams of the upper San Antonio River Basin, Bexar County, Texas. Field studies on Leon and Salado creeks were conducted during late summer in 1999 and 2000. Juvenile bluegill, obtained from a local aquaculturist, were held in cages for 10-22 days at middle and lower watershed sites to expose them to in-stream conditions and to allow parasite communities to establish. After removal from cages, fish were examined for metazoan parasites. In 2000, wild Lepomis spp. also were collected at study sites for parasite assessment. In both years, physical and chemical water properties were monitored at each site. Of the 120 fish examined for parasites, 96.7% were infected by at least 1 organism from among the 11 parasitic taxa observed. For caged fish, both diversity and equitability of parasite communities tended to be lower at the more eutrophic downstream sites; accordingly, parasite diversity and equitability were inversely correlated with nitrate concentrations. Ectoparasites were more prevalent in caged fish and endoparasites were more abundant in wild fish. An Ergasilus sp. copepod and a Posthodiplostomum sp. trematode dominated the ecto- and endoparasite faunas, respectively. This study suggests that assessment of watershed health can benefit from comparative cage studies of parasite community development involving sentinel fish species.