cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The binding of 3H-(3-MeHis2) thyrotropin releasing hormone to brain and pituitary membranes of morphine tolerant-dependent and abstinent rats

The effect of chronic administration of morphine and subsequent withdrawal on brain and pituitary receptors for thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) was investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were implanted subcutaneously with four morphine pellets (each containing 75 mg of morphine free base) during a 3-day period. Placebo pellets, which contained all the excipients of morphine pellets except the morphine, were implanted in rats which served as controls. Both tolerance and physical dependence on morphine have been shown to develop as a result of this procedure. TRH receptors were labeled with 3H-(3-MeHis2) TRH (MeTRH). 3H-MeTRH bound to brain membranes at a single high affinity site with Bmax (receptor density) value of 24.6±2.2 fmol/mg protein and Kd (apparent dissociation constant) value of 3.7±0.4 nM. The binding of 3H-MeTRH to five regions of the brain namely, hypothalamus, cortex, striatum, midbrain and pons + medulla, as well as pituitary was also investigated. The binding of 3H-MeTRH to pituitary membranes was increased during the development of tolerance, whereas the binding to membranes prepared from different brain regions was unaffected. Serum concentration of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) were found to be lower in chronic morphine-treated rats when compared to placebo-treated rats, however, serum TSH level remained unaltered. Twenty-four hours after the removal of morphine pellets (natural withdrawal), the binding of 3H-MeTRH to pons + medulla membranes was greater than in placebo control group. Naloxone-precipitated withdrawal produced results which were qualitatively similar to those obtained in rats from which pellets had been removed. The results suggest that the development of tolerance to morphine may be associated with changes in the pituitary-thyroid axis.
Passport services: a business plan for Alameda County Library

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a business plan for libraries to offer profitable passport services to patrons.Design/methodology/approach – Gives an overview of demographic, financial, and management profiles of California libraries that offer passport services. Presents a plan for introducing passport service in two California libraries.Findings – Current political and demographic environments for the two libraries make the introduction of passport services a potentially lucrative opportunity.Research limitations/implications – Little to no correlation was found between patron demographics of libraries currently offering passport services and the amount of revenue the services produce.Practical implications – Passport services may provide libraries a simple but effective way to supplement their budgets.Originality/value – Suggests an innovative way for libraries to increase relevance to patrons through services as well as create a stable funding source.
Reducing the dimensionality of the protein-folding search problem

How does a folding protein negotiate a vast, featureless conformational landscape and adopt its native structure in biological real time? Motivated by this search problem, we developed a novel algorithm to compare protein structures. Procedures to identify structural analogs are typically conducted in three-dimensional space: the tertiary structure of a target protein is matched against each candidate in a database of structures, and goodness of fit is evaluated by a distance-based measure, such as the root-mean-square distance between target and candidate. This is an expensive approach because three-dimensional space is complex. Here, we transform the problem into a simpler one-dimensional procedure. Specifically, we identify and label the 11 most populated residue basins in a database of high-resolution protein structures. Using this 11-letter alphabet, any protein's three-dimensional structure can be transformed into a one-dimensional string by mapping each residue onto its corresponding basin. Similarity between the resultant basin strings can then be evaluated by conventional sequence-based comparison. The disorder → order folding transition is abridged on both sides. At the onset, folding conditions necessitate formation of hydrogen-bonded scaffold elements on which proteins are assembled, severely restricting the magnitude of accessible conformational space. Near the end, chain topology is established prior to emergence of the close-packed native state. At this latter stage of folding, the chain remains molten, and residues populate natural basins that are approximated by the 11 basins derived here. In essence, our algorithm reduces the protein-folding search problem to mapping the amino acid sequence onto a restricted basin string.
Regulation by Light of Cyclic Nucleotide-dependent Protein Kinases and Their Substrates in Frog Rod Outer Segments

Cyclic nucleotides (both cAMP and cGMP) stimulate the phosphorylation of several proteins of 65-70, 50-52, 21, 13, and 12 kD in rod outer segments (ROS) of the frog retina. Subcellular fractionation showed that phosphopeptides of 67, 21, 13, and 12 kD were soluble and phosphopeptides of 69, 67, 50-52, and 12 kD were membrane associated at physiological ionic strength. Components I and II, 13 and 12 kD, respectively, are the major cyclic nucleotide-dependent phosphoproteins of ROS and have been reported to be phosphorylated in the dark and dephosphorylated in the light. Under unstimulated conditions, phosphorylated Components I and II were found in the soluble fraction. Cyclic nucleotide stimulation of phosphorylation resulted in increased phospho-Components I and II in the soluble fraction, and phospho-Component II on the membrane. Light had no effect on the phosphorylation level of soluble Components I and II, but it caused a depletion within 1 s of the membrane-bound phospho-Component II. A half-maximal decrease in membrane-bound Component II was seen at 5 x 10(5) rhodopsins bleached per outer segment. The cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase(s) were found primarily in the peripheral membrane fraction of ROS proteins. 8-bromo cyclic AMP was two orders of magnitude more effective than 8-bromo cyclic GMP at stimulating Component I and II phosphorylation. An active peptide of the Walsh inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase [PKI(5-22)amide] blocked the phosphorylation with an IC50 of 10 nM. Photoaffinity labeling studies with 8-N3-cAMP and 8-N3-cGMP revealed the presence of a 52-kD band specifically labeled with 8-N3-cAMP, but no specific 8-N3-cGMP labeling. These data suggest that cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein phosphorylation in ROS occurs via the activation of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase.
Strategy Generalization Across Orientation Tasks: Testing a Computational Cognitive Model

Humans use their spatial information processing abilities flexibly to facilitate problem solving and decision making in a variety of tasks. This article explores the question of whether a general strategy can be adapted for performing two different spatial orientation tasks by testing the predictions of a computational cognitive model. Human performance was measured on an orientation task requiring participants to identify the location of a target either on a map (find-on-map) or within an egocentric view of a space (find-in-scene). A general strategy instantiated in a computational cognitive model of the find-on-map task, based on the results from Gunzelmann and Anderson (2006), was adapted to perform both tasks and used to generate performance predictions for a new study. The qualitative fit of the model to the human data supports the view that participants were able to tailor a general strategy to the requirements of particular spatial tasks. The quantitative differences between the predictions of the model and the performance of human participants in the new experiment expose individual differences in sample populations. The model provides a means of accounting for those differences and a framework for understanding how human spatial abilities are applied to naturalistic spatial tasks that involve reasoning with maps.
An Assessment of Students’ Confidence in Performing Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Skills: The Impact of the Clinical Practicum Experience

Background:In 2008, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the International Society for Psychiatric Nursing jointed developed Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing competencies for BSN students. In the newly created accelerated track of the BSN program, students spend less time than traditional students in psychiatric mental health (PMH) clinical practica.Objectives:The primary objective was to discover how the PMH practicum experience influences BSN students’ perceptions of their confidence in performing PMH clinical skills.Design:An evaluation design was used in this study.Results:There was significant improvement in students’ confidence performing PMH clinical competencies after completing the PMH nursing practicum. The current structure of clinical provides students with experiences that promote their confidence.Conclusions:Students self-assessment about learning needs and skill level should be assessed preclinically to allow for practice to gain confidence.
Bark beetle-mediated fungal infections of susceptible trees induce resistance to subsequent infections in a dose dependent manner

1 Experiments were conducted to determine whether propagule loads on the twig beetles Pityophthorus setosus and Pityophthorus carmeli (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) influence the pathogen infection of the host tree in the Monterey pine-Fusarium circinatum system. 2 On an average, F. circinatum was isolated from 2.6% and 3.3% of trapped P. setosus and P. carmeli, respectively, although the isolation percentages varied over the season, being highest in the spring and lowest in late summer and fall for both species. Mean pathogen load was 13.4 and 22.6 propagules per beetle, on P. setosus and P. carmeli, respectively, and decreased from May to November for both species. The pathogen was also isolated from approximately 55% of both beetle species that emerged from infected branches. Mean propagule load on emerged P. setosus and P. carmeli was 39 and 66.5, respectively. 3 On the basis of these data, beetle species were treated with one of three propagule loads (low, medium, high) and caged onto live branches to determine whether they could transmit the pathogen. At all propagule loads, both species transmitted the pathogen, and transmission percentage and lesion length, a measure of tree susceptibility, were positively correlated with propagule load. 4 To investigate further whether the previous transmission by beetles could affect response of the same trees to subsequent infection with F. circinatum, different branches were inoculated on the same trees used in the transmission study, and lesion lengths were measured. Lesion lengths were lower on trees that had been previously exposed to beetles treated with high or medium propagule loads than on trees that had previously been exposed to beetles treated with low propagule loads. This suggests that the initial infection by beetles carrying high or medium propagule loads induced resistance to subsequent infections of the host, whereas infections caused by beetles with low propagule loads did not.
Antipeptide antibodies reveal interrelationships of MBP 200 and MBP 235: unique apoB-specific receptors for triglyceride-rich lipoproteins on human monocyte-macrophages.

Two human monocyte-macrophage (HMM) mem- brane binding proteins, (MBP) 200 and 235, are receptor candidates that bind to the apolipoprotein (apo)B-48 do- main in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins for uptake indepen- dent of apoE. Microsequence analysis of the purified re- duced MBP 200R characterized tryptic peptides of MBP 200R. A synthetic peptide mimicking a unique, unambigu- ous 10-residue sequence (AEGLMVTGGR) induced anti- peptide antibodies that specifically recognized MBP 200, 235 and 200R, in 1- and 2-dimensional analyses, indicating 1 ) the ligand binding protein was sequenced and 2 ) MBP 200 and 235 yielded MBP 200R upon reduction. These anti- bodies identified the MBPs in human blood-borne, THP-1, U937 MMs, and endothelial cells (EC) but not in human fi- broblasts or Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Fluores- cence activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis located the MBPs on the MM surface as necessary for receptor function. The 10-residue, unambiguous MBP 200-derived sequence is unique, with no matches in extant protein databases. Anti- peptide antibodies bind to the MBPs in reticuloendothelial cells that have this receptor activity, but not to proteins in cells that lack this receptor activity. These studies provide the first direct protein sequence and immunochemical data that a new, unique apoB receptor for triglyceride-rich lipo- proteins exists in human monocytes, macrophages, and en- dothelial cells. —Bradley, W. A., M. L. Brown, M. P. Ram- prasad, R. Li, R. Song, and S. H. Gianturco. Antipeptide antibodies reveal interrelationships of MBP 200 and MBP 235: unique apoB-specific receptors for triglyceride-rich li- poproteins on human monocyte-macrophages. J. Lipid Res. 1999. 40: 744-752.
A Distributed Algorithm for Determining the Provenance of Data

As computational techniques for tracking provenance have become more widely used, applications are beginning to produce large quantities of provenance information. Furthermore, many of these applications are composed from distributed components (e.g. scientific workflows) that may, for reasons of scalability, security or policy, need to store this information across multiple sites. In this paper, we describe an algorithm, D-PQuery, for determining the provenance of data from distributed sources of provenance information in a parallel fashion. To enable scientist to use D-PQuery on already existing Grid infrastructure, we present an implementation of the algorithm as a Condor DAGMan workflow that works across Kickstart records, which are produced in several production e-Science applications including the example application used in this paper, the astronomy application, Montage. Initial performance benchmarks are also presented.
A comparison of slider bearing simulations using different models

Recently published air bearing calculations for close spacings or high Knudsen numbers have been contradictory. A. Burgdorfer (1959) introduced a first-order correction to the continuum nonslip boundary condition used in the Reynolds equation. A second-order correction was then suggested by Y. Hsia et al. (1983). Gans (1985) presented developments based on the linearized Boltzmann equation. S. Fukui and R. Kaneko (1986) re-examined Boltzmann's linearized equation and derived a different lubrication equation, the FK model. The present authors have carried out numerical simulations for actual taper-flat slider-bearing designs, using the continuum model, the first- and second-order slip corrections, and the FK model. The calculations show that for Knudsen numbers relevant to this application, the second-order slip model gives a better approximation to the FK equation than the first-order model. >
Postoperative orbital fluid accumulation masquerading as subperiosteal orbital abscess: A case report and literature review

We herein present the case of a postoperative orbital fluid accumulation in a 1.5-year-old boy masquerading as subperiosteal orbital abscess (SPA). The patient was admitted to our hospital under the impression of orbital cellulitis with SPA. He subsequently underwent endoscopic sinus surgery and received external drainage for decompression. A significant amount of fetid odor abscess was drained from the subperiosteal space. However, a new episode of eyelid swelling was noted 1 week after the operation. Furthermore, a sinus computed tomography showed a very similar picture of the swelling compared with the preoperative image. Under the impression of recurrent SPA, a second operation was then performed. This time, however, only a small amount of granulated tissue and serosanguineous fluid was found. No microorganisms were cultured from this tissue/fluid, which ruled out any possible infection. It is thus a challenge to establish a differential diagnosis between postoperative fluid accumulation and SPA.
Olanzapine-associated diabetes mellitus.

Study Objective. To explore the clinical characteristics of hyperglycemia in patients treated with olanzapine. Design. Retrospective, epidemiologic survey of spontaneously reported adverse events related to olanzapine therapy. Setting. Government-affiliated drug evaluation center. Patients. Two hundred thirty-seven patients with olanzapine-associated diabetes or hyperglycemia. Intervention. One hundred ninety-six cases from January 1994-May 15, 2001, were identified with the United States Food and Drug Administration's MedWatch Drug Surveillance System, and 41 cases published through May 15, 2001, were identified with MEDLINE or through meeting abstracts. Measurements and Main Results. Of the 237 cases, 188 were new-onset diabetes, 44 were exacerbations of preexistent disease, and 5 could not be classified. Mean patient age for newly diagnosed cases was 40.7 ± 12.9 years and male:female ratio was 1.8. Seventy-three percent of all cases of hyperglycemia appeared within 6 months of start of olanzapine therapy. Eighty patients had metabolic acidosis or ketosis, 41 had glucose levels of 1000 mg/dl or greater, and 15 patients died. When olanzapine was discontinued or the dosage decreased, 78% of patients had improved glycemic control. Hyperglycemia recurred in 8 of 10 cases with rechallenge. Conclusions. Number of reports, temporal relationship to start of olanzapine therapy, relatively young age, and improvement on drug withdrawal suggest that olanzapine may precipitate or unmask diabetes in susceptible patients.
Deep in Ethical Waters Transformative Perspectives for Qualitative Social Work Research

Given the commitment expressed by the social work community towards the furtherance of social justice as reflected not only in their ethical codes, but also in their historical legacy and current s...
Membrane Association of Soluble Protein Activators of Rat Liver Adenylate Cyclase Evidence for Distinctness from the Guanine Nucleotide-binding Stimulating Protein (NS)

Sonication of a crude rat liver membrane preparation and centrifugation at 100,000 x g yielded a supernatant which activated basal and hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclases [ATP pyrophospha telyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.1]. The membrane origin of the stimulatory activity was confirmed by the use of lactate dehydrogenase as a marker for contamination by cytosol. The solubility of the activating factors was verified by their passage through 0.05 μm diameter pores of Millipore filters. The membrane-derived activators were nondialyzable and destroyed by heat and trypsin in the same manner as adenylate cyclase activators detectable in cytosol. Stimulation by factors from membranes and cytosol was not additive. The amount of the activators which could be freed from membranes by sonication was 12–15% of that contained in cytosol previously separated from the membranes.Soluble activators from the two sources had limited ability to restore adenylate cyclase activity to membranes from the cycclone of S49 mouse lymph...
Cerebral interstitial tissue oxygen tension, pH, HCO3, CO2

BACKGROUND There are many techniques for monitoring the injured brain following trauma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or surgery. It is thought that the major determinants for recovery of injured cerebral tissue are oxygen, glucose delivery, and the clearance of metabolites. These factors, at optimal levels, are probably responsible for the regaining of neuronal functions. These parameters are in turn dependent on the tissue's blood flow and metabolism. METHODS We have been using a single, compact, polyethylene sensor, the Paratrend 7 TM , for the measurement of cerebral oxygen tension, CO 2 , pH, and temperature. This sensor is designed for continuous blood gas analysis to aid in monitoring neurosurgical patients, both during surgery and in the intensive care unit. RESULTS Using the Paratrend 7 TM sensor, we found the normal range of values to be: PO 2 33 ± 11 mm Hg; PCO 2 48 ± 7 mm Hg; pH 7.19 ± 0.11. Critical measurements are considered to be tissue PO 2 60 mm Hg, and pH <6.8. We have had no complications with this device; the risks are similar to those of placing a parenchymal intracranial pressure monitor. CONCLUSIONS We believe that assessment of interstitial cerebral oxygen saturation can be of great value both intraoperatively and postoperatively. In our experience, the Paratrend 7 TM system is an effective method of measuring tissue cerebral oxygen tension, along with carbon dioxide levels, pH, and temperature.
Estimation Performance for Canonical Shape Features

In this paper, we outline two parameter estimation schemes for discerning canonical shape parameters from bistatic and monostatic radar data collected over a non-linear flight path. We present initial results characterizing both optimal and sub-optimal estimation performance for location and size estimation of plates, dihedrals, and trihedrals.
Licensed Nurses’ Perceptions of Ethical Climates in Skilled Nursing Facilities

This study examines the presence of ethical climates in skilled nursing facilities and identifies their antecedents (work group, job position, tenure). A cross-sectional survey design was implemented. A total of 359 facilities were selected in the Midwestern United States. Responses were received from nurses representing 100 of those facilities (28%). A total of 656 usable questionnaires were returned of the 3060 distributed (21.4% response rate). Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and multivariate and univariate analyses of variance were used. The results confirmed the presence of five ethical climates. Significant differences between registered and licensed practical nurses with regard to egoistic and independence ethical climates were found. Furthermore, nurses in management and non-management positions differed significantly in their perceptions of caring and egoistic climates. The results suggest incongruence in value perceptions and imply that researchers and practitioners have to direct efforts towards preventing and identifying reasons behind this.
Stabilization of wave and plate-like equations with nonlinear dissipation on the boundary

Abstract In this paper we consider second order in time equations of Petrovsky type (wave and plate-like) with nonlinear dissipative boundary conditions. Under certain geometric conditions imposed on the domain Ω the results on asymptotic behavior of the solutions are established.
Sediment Structures Generated by Flow in Alluvial Channels: ABSTRACT

The forms of bed roughness which are molded from the bed material by the flow in alluvial channels are broadly classified by their shape and their effect on flow resistance and by the mode of bedload transport associated with the bed form. The most common forms of bed roughness include ripples, dunes, a transition roughness as the dunes change to a plane or flat bed, plane bed, standing waves, and antidunes. The forms of bed roughness change from ripples to dunes and ultimately to antidunes as the tractive force is increased. The physical relationships between form of bed roughness and the variables upon which form roughness depends are extremely complex. The independent variables are interrelated so that it is impossible to completely isolate the effect of a single independent variable on form roughness in a flume or stream. Important interrelated variables include: characteristics of bed material such as physical size, fall diameter and gradation; the temperature or fluid viscosity; the concentration of very fine sediment; and the depth as well as other flow variables. Methods of predicting forms of bed roughness from known characteristics of the flow and sediment are inexact, but as a first approximation, the bed roughness is related to stream power and median fall diameter of bed material. Different types of cross-bedding are associated with the various roughness elements, based on equilibrium flow conditions in recirculating flumes. The tendency for all flows to meander, even in straight channels, complicates both the forms of bed roughness and the types of cross-bedding. This tendency to meander is reinforced by the large bars which exist adjacent to one bank and then the other on the beds of alluvial channels. These bars may be of such small amplitude to go almost unnoticed in a given system, particularly when small width-depth ratios exist. However, if by reducing depth or by widening the channel the width-depth ratio is increased, these large bars may develop to almost the full depth of the channel. The regular forms of bed roughness are in general superposed on th se large bars, but the roughness forms change dramatically as the depth, velocity, and direction of flow change over the bar as deposition and development of the bars progress. End_of_Article - Last_Page 547------------
Modeling and exploiting the spatio-temporal facial action dependencies for robust spontaneous facial expression recognition

Facial action provides various types of messages for human communications. Recognizing spontaneous facial actions, however, is very challenging due to subtle facial deformation, frequent head movements, and ambiguous and uncertain facial motion measurements. As a result, current research in facial action recognition is limited to posed facial actions and often in frontal view.Spontaneous facial action is characterized by rigid head movements and nonrigid facial muscular movements. More importantly, it is the spatiotemporal interactions among the rigid and nonrigid facial motions that produce a meaningful and natural facial display. Recognizing this fact, we introduce a probabilistic facial action model based on a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) to simultaneously and coherently capture rigid and nonrigid facial motions, their spatiotemporal dependencies, and their image measurements. Advanced machine learning methods are introduced to learn the probabilistic facial action model based on both training data and prior knowledge. Facial action recognition is accomplished through probabilistic inference by systemically integrating measurements official motions with the facial action model. Experiments show that the proposed system yields significant improvements in recognizing spontaneous facial actions.
Highly sensitive single-fibril erosion assay demonstrates mechanochemical switch in native collagen fibrils

It has been established that the enzyme susceptibility of collagen, the predominant load-bearing protein in vertebrates, is altered by applied tension. However, whether tensile force increases or decreases the susceptibility to enzyme is a matter of contention. It is critical to establish a definitive understanding of the direction and magnitude of the force versus catalysis rate (kC) relationship if we are to properly interpret connective tissue development, growth, remodeling, repair, and degeneration. In this investigation, we examine collagen/enzyme mechanochemistry at the smallest scale structurally relevant to connective tissue: the native collagen fibril. A single-fibril mechanochemical erosion assay with nN force resolution was developed which permits detection of the loss of a few layers of monomer from the fibril surface. Native type I fibrils (bovine) held at three levels of tension were exposed to Clostridium histolyticum collagenase A. Fibrils held at zero-load failed rapidly and consistently (20 min) while fibrils at 1.8 pN/monomer failed more slowly (35–55 min). Strikingly, fibrils at 23.9 pN/monomer did not exhibit detectable degradation. The extracted force versus kC data were combined with previous single-molecule results to produce a “master curve” which suggests that collagen degradation is governed by an extremely sensitive mechanochemical switch.
Newborn Screening of Lysosomal Storage Disorders

Background: Newborn screening is a state-based public health program established as a means for the early detection and treatment of certain medical conditions to minimize developmental disability and mortality. The program was initiated more than 40 years ago to detect and prevent phenylketonuria. Recent technological advances have expanded the scope of newborn screening to include more than 30 inborn errors of metabolism. Consideration is now being given to inclusion of screening for lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs). Content: Some lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) express early in infancy or childhood and are treatable. Initiation of treatment in presymptomatic patients or in syptomatic patients before important symptoms are present may improve the long-term outcome. Therefore, early diagnosis is critical. Based on the availability of therapy and development of a screening method, 6 of the more than 40 known LSDs are candidates for newborn screening in the US: Gaucher disease, Pompe disease, Fabry disease, Niemann-Pick disease, mucopolysaccharidosis I, and Krabbe disease. This report reviews the history of newborn screening, the technology that has allowed for expanded screening during the last decade, LSDs and their treatment, and the evolving methods that might allow additional expansion of newborn screening to include certain LSDs. Summary: Recent and evolving technological advances may be implemented for newborn screening for LSDs. This screening will identify presymptomatic newborns, allowing for early treatment and prevention or limitation of morbidity otherwise associated with these inherited rare diseases.
A Note on the Theory of Backscattering of Light by Living Tissue

A set of equations derived to describe the optics of highly scattering materials are explained, extended, and applied to the problem of in vitro and in vivo measurement of the relative oxygen saturation of nonhemolyzed blood. Fundamental absorption and scattering coefficients are described and related to the absorption coefficient of hemolyzed blood. Diffusion equations for light photons are used to solve the scattering problem in a three-dimensional system that may be useful for in vivo oxyhemoglobin measurements. Crude application to published data from in vitro measurements on nonhemolyzed blood indicates that the scattering coefficient of whole blood is probably not very wavelength-dependent.
Managing system complexity with a motivated interface: examining the effects parameter variation has on system stability

In order to understand how decision-making processes may differ from reasoning processes, the author examines how information maintained in a knowledge base may be affected by the interface between it and a user, the decision-maker. The knowledge domain studied relates to the identification and purchasing of a personal computer system. The interface represents a functional model of motivation. The implementation of the model examines how decision-making is the result of a set of operators interacting within a problem domain and in unison with available knowledge. Consequently, the author questions whether the discrete conclusions generated by reasoning systems differ from the varied conclusions of decision-making systems due to the influence of a layer of control in the processing. >
Waldenström macroglobulinemia: a review of therapy.

Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia is a rare monoclonal gammopathy-associated lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Its incidence is only 4 per million per year. This review contains the known published literature specifically on the available management tools for Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia and is designed to assist clinicians in making management decisions for patients with this uncommon disorder.
Sex Steroids Modify Working Memory

In the last ten years, numerous mechanisms by which sex steroids modify cortical function have been described. For example, estrogen replacement improves verbal memory in women, and animal studies have shown effects of estrogen on hippocampal synaptogenesis and function. Little is known about sex steroid effects on other aspects of memory, such as frontal lobe-mediated working memory. We examined the relationships between working memory and sex steroid concentrations and whether sex steroid supplementation would modify age-related loss of working memory in older men and women. Before hormone supplementation, working memory, tested with the Subject Ordered Pointing Test (SOP), was worse in older subjects than younger subjects, and there was no evidence of gender differences at either age. Testosterone supplementation improved working memory in older men, but a similar enhancement of working memory was not found in older women supplemented with estrogen. In men, testosterone and estrogen effects were reciprocal - with better working memory related to a higher testosterone to estrogen ratio. These results suggest that sex steroids can modulate working memory in men and can act as modulators of cognition throughout life.
The conversion of military bases to commercial airports: Existing conversions and future possibilities

Abstract The Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1988 closed over one hundred military facilities across the United States. This paper examines the five types of conversion at the 37 bases that had the potential to become civilian airports. There are two keys to a successful airport conversion: using locational advantage to attract certain kinds of air service, and political cooperation at the local, state, and national levels. Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, TX, and Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, IL, are case studies of successful conversions.
Utility of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Glutaredoxin a as a Platform to Study High-Resolution Mutagenesis of Proteins

Glutaredoxin from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is a small protein, containing only 88 amino acids, that participates in a large number of redox reactions, serving both as an electron donor for enzyme-catalyzed reductions and as a regulator of diverse metabolic pathways. The crystal structures of glutaredoxins from several species have been solved, including the glutaredoxin A isoform from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. We have utilized the small size of Synechocystis glutaredoxin A and its propensity to form protein crystals that diffract to high resolution to explore a long-standing question in biochemistry; i.e., what are the effects of mutations on protein structure and function? Taking advantage of these properties, we have initiated a long-term educational project that would examine the structural and biochemical changes in glutaredoxin as a function of single-point mutational replacements. Here, we report some of the mutational effects that we have observed to date.
Pro-angiogenic cytokines as cardiovascular therapeutics: assessing the potential

Coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease are global health concerns with limited therapies. Currently available medical and surgical therapies for these disease processes are highly effective for only a fraction of patients. Extensive effort has been devoted to finding molecular therapies to enhance perfusion and function of ischemic myocardial and peripheral skeletal muscle. Angiogenic cytokines (fibroblast growth factor [FGF], vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], hepatocyte growth factor [HGF], placental growth factor, stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha) have shown theoretical and experimental promise in upregulating endogenous endothelial progenitor cell-mediated angiogenesis. Preliminary clinical trials have suggested improvements in myocardial and peripheral perfusion following therapy with FGF, VEGF, and HGF. Further studies on the efficacy of cytokine-mediated angiogenesis are required before widespread clinical application is possible. Investigation into adjunctive cytokine therapies for myocardial and peripheral muscle ischemia is warranted. Based on experimental evidence, appropriate angiogenic cytokine therapy should provide benefits in both perfusion and hemodynamic function.
Minimal isometric immersions of inhomogeneous spherical space forms into spheres— a necessary condition for existence

Although much is known about minimal isometric immersions into spheres of homogeneous spherical space forms, there are no results in the literature about such immersions in the dominant case of inhomogeneous space forms. For a large class of these, we give a necessary condition for the existence of such an immersion of a given degree. This condition depends only upon the degree and the fundamental group of the space form and is given in terms of an explicitly computable function. Evaluating this function shows that neither L(5; 2) nor L(8; 3) admit a minimal isometric immersion into any sphere if the degree of the immersion is less than 28, or less than 20, respectively.
The HMG-1 box protein family: classification and functional relationships

The abundant and highly-conserved nucleoproteins comprising the high mobility group-1/2 (HMG-1/2) family contains two homologous basic domains of about 75 amino acids. These basic domains, termed HMG-1 boxes, are highly structured and facilitate HMG-DNA interactions. Many proteins that regulate various cellular functions involving DNA binding and whose target DNA sequences share common structural characteristics have been identified as having an HMG-1 box; these proteins include the RNA polymerase I transcription factor UBF, the mammalian testis-determining factor SRY and the mitochondrial transcription factors ABF2 and mtTF1, among others. The sequences of 121 HMG-1 boxes have been compiled and aligned in accordance with thermodynamic results from homology model building (threading) experiments, basing the alignment on structure rather than by using traditional sequence homology methods. The classification of a representative subset of these proteins was then determined using standard least-squares distance methods. The proteins segregate into two groups, the first consisting of HMG-1/2 proteins and the second consisting of proteins containing the HMG-1 box but which are not canonical HMG proteins. The proteins in the second group further segregate based on their function, their ability to bind specific sequences of DNA, or their ability to recognize discrete non-B-DNA structures. The HMG-1 box provides an excellent example of how a specific protein motif, with slight alteration, can be used to recognize DNA in a variety of functional contexts.
U.S. Biomass Opportunities for Value-added Biomass Exports based on the European Union Renewable Energy Share Targets

World energy demand is expected to continue increasing in the coming years. This situation has created a worldwide pressure for the development of alternative fuel and energy sources, pursuing a more environmentally friendly usage of biofuels. The EU has the target of generating 20% of its energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. Member States have different individual targets to meet this overall target. Meanwhile in the United States, there are about 750 million acres [300 million hectares] of forestland, with slightly more than two-thirds classified as timberland or land capable of producing 20 cubic feet per acre [1.4 m3 per hectare] annually of roundwood. Given these circumstances, this research aimed to understand the U.S. opportunities to export woody biomass based on the targets that the European Union has imposed to its Member States. The data collected allowed several scenario developments by identifying the possible EU’s biomass deficits and U.S.’s capacity to supply the gaps. Considering the physical availability, the U.S. would be able to satisfy between 42 and 48% depending on the energy efficiency scenario. Nevertheless, when considering reasonable biomass prices, only a small portion of the EU demand could be covered by the U.S.
High Attributable Risk of Elevated C-Reactive Protein Level to Conventional Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Background C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, is predictive of coronary heart disease (CHD) events. However, the extent to which high CRP levels (>3 mg/L) may be attributable to high cholesterol levels and other CHD risk factors has not been well defined. Methods The prevalence of high CRP levels in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 15 341) was studied using CHD risk-factor cut points designated as abnormal (total cholesterol values, ≥240 mg/dL [≥6.22 mmol/L]; fasting blood glucose levels, ≥126 mg/dL [≥6.99 mmol/L]; blood pressure, ≥140/90 mm Hg; body mass index [BMI], ≥30 kg/m 2 ; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol values, borderline (total cholesterol values, 200-239 mg/dL [5.18-6.19 mmol/L]; fasting blood glucose levels, 100-125 mg/dL [5.55-6.94 mmol/L]; blood pressure, 120-139/80-89 mm Hg; BMI, 25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 , and triglyceride values 150-199 mg/dL [1.70-2.25 mmol/L], former smoking status), or normal . Results Weighted multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that high CRP level was significantly more common with obesity (odds ratio [OR], 3.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.28-4.35]), overweight (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.62-2.18), and diabetes (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.54-2.38) and that high CRP level was rare in the absence of any borderline or abnormal CHD risk factor in men (4.4%) and women (10.3%). Overall, the risk of elevated CRP level attributable to the presence of any abnormal or borderline CHD risk factor was 78% in men and 67% women. Conclusions These data suggest that elevated CRP levels in the general population are in large measure attributable to traditional CHD risk factors. Moreover, CRP level elevation is rare in the absence of borderline or abnormal risk factors. As such, CRP measurements may have limited clinical utility as a screening tool beyond other known CHD risk factors.
Efficient automated syntheses of high specific activity 6‐[18F]fluorodopamine using a diaryliodonium salt precursor

6-[(18)F]Fluorodopamine (6-[(18) F]F-DA) is a positron emission tomography radiopharmaceutical used to image sympathetic cardiac innervation and neuroendocrine tumors. Imaging with 6-[(18)F]F-DA is constrained, in part, by the bioactivity and neurotoxicity of 6-[(19)F]fluorodopamine. Furthermore, routine access to this radiotracer is limited by the inherent difficulty of incorporation of [(18)F]fluoride into electron-rich aromatic substrates. We describe the simple and direct preparation of high specific activity (SA) 6-[(18)F]F-DA from no-carrier-added (n.c.a.) [(18)F]fluoride. Incorporation of n.c.a. [(18)F]fluoride into a diaryliodonium salt precursor was achieved in 50-75% radiochemical yields (decay corrected to end of bombardment). Synthesis of 6-[(18)F]F-DA on the IBA Synthera® and GE TRACERlab FX-FN automated platforms gave 6-[(18)F]F-DA in >99% chemical and radiochemical purities after HPLC purification. The final non-corrected yields of 6-[(18)F]F-DA were 25 ± 4% (n = 4, 65 min) and 31 ± 6% (n = 3, 75 min) using the Synthera and TRACERlab modules, respectively. Efficient access to high SA 6-[(18)F]F-DA from a diaryliodonium salt precursor and n.c.a. [(18)F]fluoride is provided by a relatively subtle change in reaction conditions - replacement of a polar aprotic solvent (acetonitrile) with a relatively nonpolar solvent (toluene) during the critical radiofluorination reaction. Implementation of this process on common radiochemistry platforms should make 6-[(18)F]F-DA readily available to the wider imaging community.
Perspectives on the Fourth Amendment Forty Years Later: Toward the Realization of an Inclusive Regulatory Model

The Minnesota Law Review published Anthony Amsterdam’s celebrated Holmes Lectures just over forty years ago. Those lectures defended a normative, or at least very generally historical approach to the definition of “searches and seizures,” and a “regulatory model” as opposed to an “atomistic model” for assessing when "searches and seizures" are reasonable or “unreasonable.” Fourth Amendment jurisprudence substantially, but not yet completely, adopts these normative and regulatory templates. The Article argues that technological and institutional changes may finally usher in a Fourth Amendment regime much like the one Professor Amsterdam defended. Technological change is driving a practical merger of historical and normative interpretive approaches. A sophisticated historical approach concerns itself less with founding-era rules than with the values those rules reflected. The contemporary quest for historical value judgments is unlikely to veer very far from the quest for sound value judgments today. As examples, the Article considers historical analogues to GPS location tracking and to third-party subpoenas, and concludes that while historical evidence cuts against the third-party doctrine and in favor of the mosaic theory, history neither clearly requires nor clearly forbids either doctrine. Although some strands of Fourth Amendment doctrine still reflect the atomistic approach, technological and institutional changes have the potential to usher in a thoroughly regulatory regime. It should come as no surprise that rapid technological and institutional changes occasionally undermine the justification of particular rules, driving a turn toward Fourth Amendment law articulated as rules subject to rapid revision, including occasional reversions to general standards. Institutional reform injunctions are now applying the regulatory perspective even in areas where the Supreme Court has clung to atomism. These changes are underway, and should be encouraged. Toward that end, this article proposes two illustrative reforms. The first is making the Fourth Amendment third-party doctrine depend on the availability of an individual opt-out. The second is a federal program to certify local police departments for compliance with constitutional standards. Time may falsify my prophecy. In that case, Professor Amsterdam would have framed the issues for half a century without the vindication of practical success. "Perspectives on the Fourth Amendment" would still be ranked among the masterpieces of legal scholarship for just that — for framing deep and abiding issues with immense learning, acute analysis, and exquisite rhetoric.
Skeletal morphology and locomotor behavior of Pseudotomus eugenei (Rodentia, Paramyinae) from the Uinta Formation, Utah

Abstract A new skeleton of Pseudotomus eugenei is described and compared to extant large bodied rodents and those fossil manitshines represented by postcranial material (Pseudotomus robustus, Pseudotomus petersoni, and Manitshatanka). The postcranial skeleton of P. eugenei is unspecialized in terms of individual joint function as well as in overall proportions. The forelimb is heavily muscled with a generalized shoulder but with some distinctive features of the elbow and manus. These include an extremely broad distal humerus, long olecranon process, short proximal and middle phalanges and long, uncompressed ungual phalanges. The hind limb of P. eugenei is also generalized, but departs from those of earlier manitshines in the deeper patellar groove and femoral condyles, and in the size reduction of the peripheral metatarsals, suggesting a stronger commitment to terrestrial life. A quantitative analysis of limb proportions indicates that P. eugenei and the other manitshines generally resemble terrestrial ra...
State Diagnosis of a Lignite Deposit by Monitoring its Surface Temperature with a Thermovision Camera

The paper presents results of a research project [1] which was extended over two months and had as goal to prevent the self ignition phenomenon in a lignite deposit or stockpile. The idea was to monitor the surface temperature of the stockpile with a thermovision camera and compare the results with the ones provided by monitoring the temperature inside the stockpile with temperature sensors attached to an acquisition system. This paper focuses on finding out weather the state of a lignite stockpile can be diagnosed correctly by monitoring its surface temperature with a thermovision camera in order to prevent the self ignition phenomenon. The author actually tries to answer the question: does the surface temperature of a lignite stockpile monitored with a thermovision camera offer enough and correct temperature information to be able to prevent an upcoming fire?