cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The feasibility of a telephone coaching program on heart failure home management for family caregivers.

Abstract Objectives To test the feasibility of delivery and evaluate the helpfulness of a coaching heart failure (HF) home management program for family caregivers. Background The few available studies on providing instruction for family caregivers are limited in content for managing HF home care and guidance for program implementation. Method This pilot study employed a mixed methods design. The measures of caregiver burden, confidence, and preparedness were compared at baseline and 3 months post-intervention. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize program costs and demographic data. Content analysis research methods were used to evaluate program feasibility and helpfulness. Results Caregiver (n = 10) burden scores were significantly reduced and raw scores of confidence and preparedness for HF home management improved 3 months after the intervention. Content analyses of nurse and caregiver post-intervention data found caregivers rated the program as helpful and described how they initiated HF management skills based on the program. Conclusions The program was feasible to implement. These results suggest the coaching program should be further tested with a larger sample size to evaluate its efficacy.
Taxonomic studies on Filobasidiella species and their anamorphs

The taxonomy of Filobasidiella neoformans Kwon-Chung and F. bacillispora Kwon-Chung and their anamorphs were reinvestigated. Although the cross between the type cultures of the two species failed to produce viable basidio-spores, another pair of isolates did yield viable basidiospores. The segregation of phenotypic markers among the tetrads isolated from this interspecific cross proved that meiosis had occurred. On the basis of other previously known differences and the present genetic study, the two species are now considered to be two varieties of the species, F. neoformans. The anamorph of F. neoformans var. neoformans grew well at 37°C in vitro and produced fatal infection in mice while that of F. neoformans var. bacillispora grew poorly at 37°C and failed to produce fatal infection in mice. Cryptococcus bacillisporus Kwon-Chung et Bennett is regarded as a synonym of C. neoformans var. gattii Vanbreuseghem et Takashio.
A tachistoscopic index of body perception. I. Body boundary and body interior awareness.

Abstract Fisher and Cleveland originally proposed that individuals differ in exterior-interior body awareness. A study was conducted in a population of 61 men and 43 women to examine this hypothesis. Tachistocopic recognition times for picture categories depicting the exterior and interior (E and I) body sectors were ascertained. A chi square analysis revealed that these recognition times were significantly related (P = 0.01) to Rorschach measures reflecting E-I awareness. An additional finding was that men recognized the I category more rapidly. This was considered to provide further support for the hypothesis that men have accentuated I awareness. An outline was given of ongoing work designed to measure the extent of the tachistoscope's regional specificity.
Child pedestrians: the role of parental beliefs and practices in promoting safe walking in urban neighborhoods.

The purpose of this study was to describe parents’ child pedestrian safety practices, knowledge, risk perceptions, and beliefs. We surveyed 732 parents from four elementary schools in urban neighborhoods that differed in income, and child pedestrian injury risks. Findings indicated that most parents taught their children street safety. Few (16%) knew basic pedestrian safety facts; 46% believed children younger than 10 years could safely cross streets alone; 50% believed a child pedestrian crash was likely. Parents in lower income neighborhoods reported the highest rates of unpleasant walking environments and concerns about drug dealers, crime, violence, and trash. We conclude that education should focus on children’s risk, developmental capabilities, and supervision needs. Promoting physical activity in urban neighborhoods, especially lower income ones, must address concerns about the physical and social environment.
A prospective analysis of the use of octylcyanoacrylate tissue adhesive for wound closure in pediatric neurosurgery.

Objective: Cyanoacrylate monomers have been developed for use as skin adhesives. Previous studies have demonstrated that using this skin adhesive for the closure of traumatic lacera
Greenhouse Evaluation of Simulated Injected Liquid Beef Manure

(...) A greenhouse study was initiated to determine corn (Zea mays L.) response to stimulated knife (vertical) and sweep (horizontal) placement of liquid beef manure (equivalent field application rate of 37400 L ha −1 ). Derinda silt loam soil (fine, mixed mesic Typic Hapludalf), 0- to 20-cm depth, was collected from a field site where crop growth problems associated with knife-injected manure had been documented by previous field research. (...)
Spatial association between residential radon concentration and bedrock types in New Hampshire

Using a large database of residential short-term radon measurements in New Hampshire, this study evaluated the ability of expert-assigned bedrock radon potential for predicting residential radon concentration. First, each bedrock type was assigned a radon potential level by a geologist familiar with the local geology. Then, using residential radon measurements, a continuous surface of radon concentration was generated through a kriging process. The mean residential radon concentration within the spatial extent of each bedrock type was then calculated based on that surface. The Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient was calculated between the two ranks of the bedrock types, one based on the expert-assigned potential level and the other based on the mean residential concentration. A strong correlation between the rank correlation and the area of the bedrock type was found. When only the 15 largest bedrock types were used, the Spearman Correlation Coefficient reached 0.6. Geological knowledge is concluded to be useful in predicting and mapping residential radon concentration, but the prediction should be interpreted with caution, especially for areas in which the underlying bedrocks are highly localized.
Viscosity study of DNA

The intrinsic viscosity of DNA (salmon sperm, calf thymus, T4 phage) in the presence of univalent cations decreases in a continuous manner as the ionic strength is increased and then attains a characteristic limiting value for each cation. Between 0.1 and 0.5M the intrinsic viscosity is independent of cation, while at high salt concentration the order of decreasing limiting viscosity is K+, Na+, Li.+ The intrinsic viscosity of T4 bacteriophage DNA decreases with increasing Mg++ concentration and in 0.1M MgCl2 attains a value one-half of that found in 0.2M NaCl. Slightly beyond 0.1M MgCl2 spontaneous growth of birefringent fibers takes place, and upon further addition of Mg++ these fibers redissolve to form a transparent gel of higher viscosity. The observed Huggins' constants pass through a maximum with increasing salt concentration for all of the ions studied. It is demonstrated that the concentration dependence of the reduced viscosity may be abolished and regenerated by the introduction and removal of trace amounts of basic proteins, polypeptides and polyamines. The viscosity behavior observed with the deliberately contaminated DNA samples resembles most of that reported in earlier viscosity studies, indicating that a large body of previous work on DNA probably was performed on impure material.
Thalidomide's ability to augment the synthesis of IL-2 in vitro in HIV-infected patients is associated with the percentage of CD4+ cells in their blood.

Abstract Thalidomide is used for treating erythema nodosum leprosum. It is also used to treat aphthous ulcers in HIV-infected patients. The mechanism of action of this drug is yet to be fully understood, but modulation of inflammatory cytokines like IL-2 and TNF-α may play a role. We investigated the effect of thalidomide on the production of IL-2 and TNF-α by staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from HIV-infected patients. The PBMC from 20 patients was incubated in the presence of 4.0 μg/ml of thalidomide and 50 ng/ml of SEA. After 18 h, the culture supernatant was assayed for IL-2 and TNF-α. The PBMC incubated with thalidomide and SEA produced significantly more IL-2 than those incubated with SEA alone. The TNF-α secreted by the same cells incubated with thalidomide and SEA was not significantly different from that secreted by the cells incubated with SEA alone. The amount of IL-2 produced in the thalidomide and SEA treated cultures was directly correlated with the percentage of CD4+ cells in blood, and inversely correlated with the percentage of CD8+ cells in blood. No statistically significant correlations were found when comparing the amount of TNF-α produced in the thalidomide and SEA treated cultures with the percentage of CD4+ or CD8+ cells in the blood. Thalidomide can act, in vitro, as an additional stimulant to augment the synthesis of IL-2 in HIV-infected patients. Increased production of IL-2 by activated T-cells may be a mechanism through which it exerts its immunomodulatory effects.
Light Scattered By Random Rough Surfaces And Roughness Determination

The angular distribution of the light scattered by a rough surface contains information on the texture of the surface. Profiles of nine specimens were measured with a stylus instrument and angular distributions of the scattered light were measured with a detector. The rms roughness of a surface that has an identifiable specular beam can be determined from the relative intensity of that beam. The autocorrelation length and the parameters that define the autocorrelation function, as well as the roughness of rougher surfaces that produce no specular beam, can in principle be determined by fitting the distribution computed from a model of a random rough surface to the measured distribution. In practice, measurement errors and computation errors preclude the determination of these parameters by a leastA¢â‚¬â€?squares fit. Angular distributions were also computed from the surface profiles using a simplified model of the electromagnetic scattering.
Expression of a feedback‐resistant anthranilate synthase in Catharanthus roseus hairy roots provides evidence for tight regulation of terpenoid indole alkaloid levels

Different plant species produce a variety of terpenoid indole alkaloids, which are of interest as plant defensive secondary metabolites and as valuable pharmaceuticals. Although significant progress has been made, the mechanisms regulating the levels of this important class of compounds require continued elucidation. Previous precursor feeding studies have indicated that alkaloid accumulation can be improved during the exponential growth phase of hairy root cultures through enhanced tryptophan availability. To test this relationship, transgenic hairy root cultures of Catharanthus roseus were established with a glucocorticoid-inducible promoter controlling the expression of an Arabidopsis feedback-resistant anthranilate synthase alpha subunit. Enzyme assays demonstrated that the Arabidopsis alpha subunit is compatible with the native beta subunit and that anthranilate synthase activity is more resistant to tryptophan inhibition in induced than in uninduced extracts. The metabolic effects of expressing the feedback-resistant anthranilate synthase alpha subunit were also dramatic. Over a 6-day induction period during the late exponential growth phase, tryptophan and tryptamine specific yields increased from almost undetectable levels to 2.5 mg/g dry weight and from 25 microg/g to 267 microg/g dry weight, respectively. The greater than 300-fold increase in tryptophan levels observed in these studies under certain induction conditions compares favorably with the fold increases obtained in previous constitutive expression studies. Despite the large increases in tryptophan and tryptamine, the levels of most terpenoid indole alkaloids were not significantly altered, with the exception of lochnericine, which increased 81% after a 3-day induction period. These results suggest that terpenoid indole alkaloid levels are tightly controlled.
Weighing in on fistula failure.

Obesity, though not commonly reported as a cause of fistula failure, may influence fistula survival by making it difficult to cannulate the vein and possibly by releasing adipokines, such as interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, or adiponectin, that modulate the development of neointimal hyperplasia and thrombosis leading to fistula failure.
Baryogenesis in a magnetized universe

Abstract We examine the cosmic baryon asymmetry generated by an almost uniform fossil magnetic field that is twisted on a scale larger than the present cosmological horizon. No extension of the Standard Model of particle physics is assumed or required. At high temperatures where the electroweak symmetry is restored, a hypercharge U(1)Y magnetic field retains net helicity even in the presence of SU(2) sphalerons that cancel baryon and lepton number from the primordial plasma. When the electroweak symmetry breaks, the hypercharge magnetic field decomposes into a U(1)em piece and a second Z0 piece that is not stable within the minimal Standard Model. The helical component of the hypercharge gauge field then induces a large potential through its coupling to fermions, which drives production of baryon number via the axial anomaly. The resulting baryon density is gauge invariant because the vacuum behaves like a superconductor in regions containing Z0-magnetic flux. The magnetic flux density required to generate the observed baryon asymmetry is B0∼10−25(LH0/c)−1/2 G, and decreases with increasing twist length L. This model does not strictly require that the electroweak symmetry was originally restored by thermal effects, and can in principle evade the washout of baryon number associated with a heavy Higgs and a weakly first order phase transition. Indeed, the enormous baryonic charge Nb within the twist volume L3 can be related to the mass hierarchy Mpl/MEW in a simple inflationary model in which the reheating temperature is very low, Trh N b ∼10 −5 (M pl /T rh ) 4 ∼10 79 (T rh / 10 MeV ) −4 .
Parental Negative Control Moderates the Shyness–Emotion Regulation Pathway to School-Age Internalizing Symptoms

Models of developmental psychopathology emphasize both mediation and moderation processes among child and caregiving attributes; however, little research has examined both these processes simultaneously on the development of internalizing problems. This study tested a moderated mediation model that related early childhood shyness, emotion regulation and maternal negative control to school-age internalizing problems among 257 boys from low-income families. Shyness and maternal negative control was assessed at ages 1.5–2, emotion regulation was observed at age 3.5, and internalizing symptoms were assessed by mothers and teachers at age 6 or 7. Results indicated that 1) the active distraction regulation strategy mediated the relations between early shyness and maternal report of internalizing symptoms; 2) the passive/dependent regulation strategy mediated the relations between shyness and teacher report of internalizing symptoms; and 3) both mediation processes were moderated by maternal negative control. The results are discussed in relation to implications for early prevention and intervention.
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Two Isoforms of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Acyl-CoA:Sterol Acyltransferase

Esterification of cholesterol by acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) is a key element in maintaining cholesterol homeostasis in cells of higher animals. In the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, accumulation of ergosteryl esters accompanies entry into stationary phase and sporulation. We have determined that two genes in yeast, SAT1 and SAT2, encode isozymes of acyl-CoA:sterol acyltransferase (ASAT) which are functionally related to ACAT. The SAT1 isozyme is the major catalytic isoform, accounting for at least 65-75% of total ASAT activity. Targeted deletions of one or both genes do not compromise mitotic cell growth or spore germination. However, diploids that are homozygous for a SAT1 null mutation exhibit significantly reduced sporulation efficiency. Furthermore, a larger fraction of the sporulating diploids arrest after the first meiotic division. Human ACAT expressed in sat1 sat2 mutant cells can catalyze esterification of cholesterol and, to a lesser extent, ergosterol in vitro, but restores ergosteryl oleate formation in vivo to only approximately 8% of that catalyzed by yeast ASAT in wild-type cells.
An interaction interpretation of special relativity theory. Part I

In the established space-time coordinate-transformation (STCT) interpretation of special relativity theory, relativistic changes are consequent upon the Lorentz transformation of coordinate clocks and rods between relatively moving systems. In the proposed alternative interpretation, relativistic changes occur only in association with physical interactions, and are direct alterations in the variables of the observed system. Since space-time and momentum-energy are conjugate four-vectors, transformation of a space or time variable of a system is to be expected only if there is a concomitant transformation of the corresponding momentum or energy variable. The Lorentz invariance of the scalar entropy functionS supports the interaction interpretation; timet=f(S) of a macroscopic, entropy clock should give a Lorentz-invariant time measure, and an illustrative entropy clock is discussed. Noninteracting physical processes may be called Clausius processes, in contrast to Lorentz processes for which there is interaction and associated Lorentz transformation. Changes of energy and frequency, withE=hv, are instances of the parallel relativistic transformations. Likewise, the variation with velocity in decay time of mesons follows directly from the relativistic energy transformation of decay products; this relationship is shown for muons by a simple calculation with β-decay theory.
Developmental mechanisms regulating the rapid decrease in a cohesion glycoprotein mRNA in Dictyostelium function primarily at the level of mRNA degradation.

Abstract During the morphogenetic program in Dictyostelium discoideum, the transcript of the gene encoding the cohesion glycoprotein gp80 accumulates to a maximum level between 4 and 6 hr, (just prior to the onset of aggregation), remains high between 6 and 10 hr (the ripple to loose aggregate stages), and then decreases to less than 10% of the maximum level between 10 and 12 hr (the tight aggregate stage). The level of gp80 transcript also decreases precipitously at the time of the erasure event in the program of dedifferentiation, or when cAMP is added to a dedifferentiating cell population prior to the erasure event. In the dedifferentiation-defective mutant HI4, the cAMP-stimulated system for rapidly reducing the level of gp80 transcript is intact, but the mechanism functioning at the time of the erasure event is defective, demonstrating that the two reduction mechanisms are dissociable. By comparing the levels of gp80 transcript with the levels of in vitro transcription of the gene in isolated nuclei, it is demonstrated that the rapid reduction of gp80 transcript immediately after aggregation and immediately after addition of 10−4M cAMP are the result of increased transcript degradation. The rapid reduction of gp80 transcript at the erasure event may also be due to increased transcript degradation, but transcriptional regulation cannot be completely ruled out in this case.
Empirical Bayes prediction for a mixed linear model with autoregressive errors

Abstract An empirical Bayes predictor is derived for a vector of future observations in a mixed linear model with errors following a first-order autoregressive process. The consistency and the asymptotic normality of the empirical Bayes predictor are established.
Sex differences in the acquisition of IV methamphetamine self-administration and subsequent maintenance under a progressive ratio schedule in rats

Rationale Previous work indicates that female rats initiate cocaine use sooner than male rats and reach significantly higher break points (BPs) for a single injection of cocaine under a progressive ratio (PR) schedule compared to male rats.
Conduction Currents in Liquid n -Hexane under Microsecond Pulse Conditions

IN recent years, considerable progress has been made in the measurement of electric breakdown strengths in the liquid phase through the use of rectangular pulse techniques1,2,3, and such methods of measurement are now widely used. On the other hand, measurements of conduction currents have continued to rely upon d.c.2,4, presumably because of the experimental difficulties inherent in making reliable measurements of currents under short-pulse conditions.
Images in endocrine pathology: parathyroid adenoma with frozen section artifact mimics thyroid papillary carcinoma.

An 80-year-old female presented with osteopenia. Laboratory investigation revealed calcium was 11.0 mg/dL (normal, 8.9– 10.3) with a parathyroid hormone (PTH) of 10.8 pmol/L (normal range of 1.3 to 9.3). Sestamibi scan revealed a nodule in the region of the middle right lobe of the thyroid consistent with a parathyroid adenoma. During the operation, the right upper parathyroid was identified at the typical position measuring 1.8×1.3×0.9 cm andweighing 1.0496 g. The specimen was bisected to reveal a tan homogeneous cut surface, and one representative section was submitted for frozen section.
Concurrent anxiety and substance use disorders among outpatients with major depression: Clinical features and effect on treatment outcome

Abstract Background Depressed patients often present with comorbid anxiety and/or substance use disorder. This report compares the four groups defined by the disorders (anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, both, and neither) in terms of baseline clinical and sociodemographic features, and in terms of outcomes following treatment with citalopram (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). Methods The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial enrolled 2838 outpatients with non-psychotic major depressive disorder (MDD) from 18 primary and 23 psychiatric care clinics. Clinical and sociodemographic features were assessed at baseline. These baseline features and the treatment outcomes following treatment with citalopram were compared among the four groups. Results Participants with non-psychotic MDD and comorbid anxiety and/or substance use disorder showed several distinctive baseline sociodemographic and clinical features. They also showed greater depression severity; length of illness; likelihood of anxious, atypical or melancholic features; more intolerance/attrition; and worse remission/response outcomes with treatment. Participants with either anxiety or substance use disorder showed outcomes generally intermediate between those with both and those with neither. Conclusions Comorbid anxiety and/or substance use disorder are clinically identifiable, and their presence may define distinct MDD subgroups that have more problems and worse pharmacological treatment outcomes. They may benefit from more aggressive, multi-faceted treatment and psychosocial rehabilitation targeted at reducing their psychological comorbidity and functional impairment.
PTEN and PI-3 kinase inhibitors control LPS signaling and the lymphoproliferative response in the CD19+ B cell compartment

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), e.g. toll receptors (TLRs) that bind ligands within the microbiome have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer. LPS is a ligand for two TLR family members, TLR4 and RP105 which mediate LPS signaling in B cell proliferation and migration. Although LPS/TLR/RP105 signaling is well-studied; our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms controlling these PRR signaling pathways remains incomplete. Previous studies have demonstrated a role for PTEN/PI-3K signaling in B cell selection and survival, however a role for PTEN/PI-3K in TLR4/RP105/LPS signaling in the B cell compartment has not been reported. Herein, we crossed a CD19cre and PTEN(fl/fl) mouse to generate a conditional PTEN knockout mouse in the CD19+ B cell compartment. These mice were further crossed with an IL-14α transgenic mouse to study the combined effect of PTEN deletion, PI-3K inhibition and expression of IL-14α (a cytokine originally identified as a B cell growth factor) in CD19+ B cell lymphoproliferation and response to LPS stimulation. Targeted deletion of PTEN and directed expression of IL-14α in the CD19+ B cell compartment (IL-14+PTEN-/-) lead to marked splenomegaly and altered spleen morphology at baseline due to expansion of marginal zone B cells, a phenotype that was exaggerated by treatment with the B cell mitogen and TLR4/RP105 ligand, LPS. Moreover, LPS stimulation of CD19+ cells isolated from these mice display increased proliferation, augmented AKT and NFκB activation as well as increased expression of c-myc and cyclinD1. Interestingly, treatment of LPS treated IL-14+PTEN-/- mice with a pan PI-3K inhibitor, SF1126, reduced splenomegaly, cell proliferation, c-myc and cyclin D1 expression in the CD19+ B cell compartment and normalized the splenic histopathologic architecture. These findings provide the direct evidence that PTEN and PI-3K inhibitors control TLR4/RP105/LPS signaling in the CD19+ B cell compartment and that pan PI-3 kinase inhibitors reverse the lymphoproliferative phenotype in vivo.
Homesick: From Beirut to Rochester

He lived 100 miles away but had come to the clinic over the past 5 years for various medical concerns. I was the 11th physician to see him in this short span. Not a good sign.
Differential thermal analysis of the decomposition of sodium bicarbonate and its simple double salts

Abstract The thermal decompositions of sodium bicarbonate, trona, and Wegscheider's salt (Na2CO3·3NaHCO3) have been studied in a closed system by means of differential thermal analysis (DTA) and X-ray diffraction analyses of reactants and products. The energies of activation of the thermal decompositions of these materials have been calculated from the differential thermograms using Kissinger's equations. The decomposition products of trona, sodium bicarbonate, and Wegscheider's salt have been identified by X-ray diffraction. A reaction sequence involving the formation of Wegscheider's salt has been proposed to explain the thermal anomalies previously observed in the decomposition of sodium bicarbonate in a closed system. A DTA cell design suitable for the study of decompositions and dehydrations in a sealed, self-generated atmosphere at constant pressure is described.
Ballistic electron emission testing of semiconductor heterostructures

Abstract In ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM) and spectroscopy, ballistic electrons are injected into a sample using a scanning tunneling microscope to probe the electrical properties of buried interfaces. In this communication, a method is proposed that uses the BEEM technique to observe the electron wave optical properties of semiconductor heterostructures. This method provides a three-terminal configuration for characterizing electron wave devices that overcomes many of the limitations encountered in other two- and three-terminal measurement techniques. Specifically, the method provides an injector, which is well isolated from the heterostructure, that injects a collimated beam of ballistic carriers with a precisely controlled energy distribution. These carriers accurately probe the quantum transmittance of a voltage-tunable electron wave interference structure, which can be designed with a light doping to minimize impurity and electron-electron scattering. A general procedure is presented for analyzing this experimental configuration based on a combination of the models used to describe BEEM and ballistic electron transport in semiconductors. Using this procedure, BEEM testing of an electron wave energy filter is modeled and clear quantum interference effects are predicted. This BEEM configuration should allow for the precise characterization of a wide range of ballastic electron transport effects such as quantum reflections from interfaces and electron wave interference effects, phenomena that are presently of wide interest.
Methods of measuring asthma severity and influence on patient assignment.

Background There is a need for nonclinical measures in studies where objective clinical data used to determine asthma severity, such as spirometry and peak expiratory flow rate meter readings, are not available. Objectives To determine whether different methods of defining asthma severity provide different distributions of patients across the categories of mild, moderate, and severe asthma. Methods Data were obtained from a mail survey and the database of a managed care organization located in Michigan. Seven methods of asthma severity that used either patient self-report or claims data were evaluated and divided into 3 categories: patient-perceived severity (1 method), symptom-derived severity (4 methods), and medication-derived severity (2 methods). To further evaluate the extent of the degree of agreement among the 7 severity methods, percent agreement and Cohen κ scores were calculated. Results Surveys were sent to 1,139 persons, and 603 responses were usable. Substantial differences exist in the number of patients in each severity level for different methods of determining asthma severity. The proportion of persons identified as having mild, moderate, and severe asthma ranged from 48% to 82%, 16% to 38%, and 2% to 33%, respectively. The percent agreement and Cohen κ scores were generally low among the 7 methods. Conclusions Due to variations caused by the method of measuring asthma severity, comparability among studies using different methods of classifying asthma severity is limited. Although a uniform evaluation of asthma severity is needed, the results of this study do not identify one preferable method. Rather, investigators should know the limitations of the methods used.
Performance analysis of a QoS capable cluster interconnect

The growing use of clusters in diverse applications, many of which have real-time constraints, requires quality-of-service (QoS) support from the underlying cluster interconnect. All prior studies on QoS-aware cluster routers/networks have used simulation for performance evaluation. In this paper, we present an analytical model for a wormhole-switched router with QoS provisioning. In particular, the model captures message blocking due to wormhole switching in a pipelined router, and bandwidth sharing due to a rate-based scheduling mechanism, called VirtualClock. Then we extend the model to a hypercube-style cluster network. Average message latency for different traffic classes and deadline missing probability for real-time applications are computed using the model. We evaluate a 16-port router and hypercubes of different dimensions with a mixed workload of real-time and best-effort (BE) traffic. Comparison with the simulation results shows that the single router and the network models are quite accurate in providing the performance estimates, and thus can be used as efficient design tools.
Alteration of dopamine synthesis in rat striatum subsequent to selective type A monoamine oxidase inhibition.

: Pretreatment of rat striatal slices with the selective type A monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor clorgyline was found to produce significant inhibition of dopamine (DA) synthesis. DA synthesis was reduced by nearly 50%, but not until more than 90% of the type A enzyme was inhibited. In contrast, complete inhibition of the type B MAO following deprenyl treatment had no effect. It is suggested that interneuronal accumulation of DA following inhibition of type A MAO leads to feedback inhibition at the rate-limiting step in DA biosynthesis, tyrosine hydroxylation. These results are also consistent with the presence of a type A MAO within DA-containing neurons and provide evidence of a regulatory role for type A MAO in the synthesis of brain DA.
Prospective Effects of Family Cohesion on Alcohol-Related Problems in Adolescence: Similarities and Differences by Race/Ethnicity

Research increasingly finds that race/ethnicity needs to be taken into account in the modelling of associations between protective factors and adolescent drinking behaviors in order to understand family effects and promote positive youth development. The current study examined racial/ethnic variation in the prospective effects of family cohesion on adolescent alcohol-related problems using a nationally representative sample. Data were drawn from the first two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and included 10,992 (50% female) non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic Black, Latino, and non-Hispanic White 7th-12th graders. Consistent with Hirschi's social control theory of youth delinquency, higher levels of family cohesion predicted lower levels of future adolescent alcohol-related problems, independent of race/ethnicity, sex, age, baseline alcohol-related problems, and family socioeconomic status. Findings from moderation analyses indicated that the magnitude of associations differed across groups such that the protective effect of family cohesion was strongest among White adolescents. For Latino adolescents, family cohesion was not associated with alcohol-related problems. Future longitudinal cross-racial/ethnic research is needed on common and unique mechanisms underlying differential associations between family processes and adolescent high-risk drinking. Understanding these processes could help improve preventive interventions, identify vulnerable subgroups, and inform health policy aimed at reducing alcohol-related health disparities.
Photolabeling acyl CoA binding proteins in microsome preparations

Abstract To identify key enzymes that participate in acylglycerol metabolism, 12-[(5-iodo-4-azidosalicyl)amino]dodecanoylcoenzyme A (ASACoA) was emploued as a photoaffinity label for those enzymes that use fatty acyl CoA as a co-substrate. ASACoA inhibited diacylglycerol acyltransferase activity in liver microsomes and was incorporated into triacylglycerol in a microsome dependent reaction. When photoactivated, ASACoA labeled four proteins in rat liver (75, 54, 50 and 37 kDa) and in epididymal fat cell (75, 64, 54 and 37 kDa) microsomes. Photolabeling was sensitive to palmitoyl CoA. After solubilization in Triton X-114, all four proteins were concentrated into the detergent phase, indicating that they are integral membrane proteins.
Early-retirement incentive programs for medical school faculty.

The Association of American Medical Colleges surveyed the principal business officers of all 126 accredited U.S. medical schools in late 1991 in order to learn about their retirement benefit programs for faculty and whether early-retirement incentive programs were being used. A total of 115 of the schools provided usable responses, which the author reports for all schools, public schools, and private schools. For all schools, defined-contribution plans (based on employer's and employee's contributions plus investment earnings) were the preferred type of retirement benefit program (77%, or 89, of the responding schools). Defined-benefit plans (based on a formula that uses variables of age at retirement, years of service, and salary) were available at 37% (43) of the schools. Early-retirement incentive programs had been used by 70% of the responding schools in the five-year period 1987-1991. Sixteen schools provided descriptions of their formal early-retirement programs, which are summarized. The author observes that, although nearly three-fourths of the responding schools are familiar with the use of the incentive programs, these programs have resulted in few actual early retirements. He discusses why this may be true and compares the pros and cons of formal and ad hoc programs. He concludes that no single program can be considered best; each institution must work with its faculty to design programs to meet institutional goals and faculty interests.
Sol-gel kinetics I. Functional group kinetics☆

Abstract 1 H and 29 Si NMR were used to measure the concentrations of the various functional groups (alkoxy, silanol and SiOSi bond) in an acid-catalyzed Si(OCH 3 ) 4 (TMOS):CH 3 OH:H 2 O sol-gel solution. There are three kinds of functional group reactions: hydrolysis, water producing condensation and alcohol producing condensation. The hydrolysis rate constant was found to be greater than 0.2 1/(mol min). The water-producing condensation and alcohol-producing condensation rate constants are 0.006 and 0.001 1/(mol min), respectively. The rate of hydrolysis is much faster than either rate of condensation. Both condensation pathways are significant for typical sol-gel reaction conditions.
Glossing text with the PC-KIMMO morphological parser

For those studying languages with rich word structures, a morphological parser is a valuable tool. PC-KIMMO is a parser for small computers that is based on Koskenniemi's two-level model of morphology. Of the many practical uses for a morphological parser such as PC-KIMMO, this article describes one: producing automatically glossed interlinear text.
Predictors of on-call specialist response times in California emergency departments.

Objectives: To assess waiting times in emergency departments (EDs) for on-call specialist response and how these might vary by facility or neighborhood characteristics. Limited availability of on-call specialists is thought to contribute to ED overcrowding. Methods: Direct observational data from a random sample of 1,798 patients visiting 30 California EDs during a six-month period provided specialist waiting times. The authors used multivariate logistic regression and survival analysis to analyze predictors of time to on-call specialists' telephone response. Results: Eighty-six percent of on-call specialists who were paged responded by telephone within 30 minutes. Ten percent of specialists did not respond at all. After controlling for the annual percentage of nonurgent ED patients at each facility, near closure status, and hospital ownership status, for every $10,000 increase in hospital zip code income, the odds of on-call specialist response within 30 minutes increased by 123% (adjusted odds ratio = 2.23; 95% confidence interval = 1.24 to 4.02; p = 0.01). Conclusions: Although the majority of on-call specialists met the federal recommendation of a 30-minute response, those in poor neighborhoods were less likely to do so. One in ten on-call specialists did not respond at all. State and federal policies should focus on making more funding available for on-call specialist panels in poor areas.
Risk assessment of voting systems for teaching the art of information security

This paper describes case study assignment in risk assessment for a course in information security management. The instructor's approach in the course was to integrate various readings through discussion and assignments. The assignment described in this paper was based on an actual project and used in an information security management course taught in Summer 2010. Readers will benefit from the instructor's description of this assignment, which teaches the art of information security management by creating a hybrid risk assessment process that provides a practical, reusable, scholarly, and realistic exercise. The assignment proved to be a useful, hands-on practice that students were able to satisfactorily complete.
The Prodi government and Italy‐US relations: The case for optimism

(2006). The Prodi government and Italy‐US relations: The case for optimism. The International Spectator: Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 91-98.
Minimal Requirement for Store-Operated Calcium Entry: STIM1 Gates ORAI1 Channels in Vitro

Store-operated Ca2+ entry through the plasma membrane CRAC channel in mammalian T cells and mast cells depends on the sensor protein STIM1 and the channel subunit ORAI1. In order to dissect the essential steps in STIM-ORAI signaling in vitro, we have expressed ORAI1 in a sec6-4 strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which allows isolation of sealed membrane vesicles carrying ORAI1 from the Golgi compartment to the plasma membrane. S cerevisiae itself has no significant reservoir of Ca2+ in the ER, does not possess orthologues of the ER Ca2+-ATPase or IP3 receptor, and has no STIM or ORAI homologues. We show by in vitro Ca2+ flux assays that bacterially-expressed recombinant STIM1 opens wildtype ORAI1 channels, but not channels assembled from the ORAI1 pore mutant E106Q or the ORAI1 immunodeficiency mutant R91W. These experiments demonstrate that the STIM1-ORAI1 interaction is sufficient to gate recombinant human ORAI1 channels in the absence of other proteins of the human ORAI1 channel complex, and set the stage for further biochemical and biophysical dissection of ORAI1 channel gating. (∗Y.Z. and P.M. contributed equally to this work.)View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
The bHLH/PAS factor MOP3 does not participate in hypoxia responses.

Abstract The basic helix–loop–helix/PAS (bHLH/PAS) family of proteins regulates transcriptional responses during development and in response to environmental stimuli. bHLH/PAS factors act as heterodimers, and genetic and biochemical data indicate that multiple heterodimeric combinations are found in vivo to regulate hypoxic gene expression. For example, HIF1α heterodimerizes with the highly related proteins ARNT or ARNT2 in neurons. In vivo, MOP3 interacts with CLOCK to regulate circadian rhythms; however, its role in hypoxia responses is unclear. We show here that unlike ARNT and ARNT2, MOP3 does not effectively form HIF-1 complexes or restore HIF-1 target gene expression in response to low oxygen when expressed in Arnt −/− ES cells. Furthermore, Mop3 −/− day 9.5 embryos exhibit no angiogenic defects as shown for Arnt −/− , Hif1α −/− , and Hif2α −/− embryos. Therefore, by a variety of criteria, we show that MOP3 has little if any role in the regulation of hypoxia responses in vivo.
Some Aspects of the Behavior and of the Territory of A Dendrobatid Frog, Prostherapis Trinitatis

Territoriality, the defense of an area by one or more individuals against the invasion of that area by other members of the same species, has been observed in some arthropods and in many vertebrates. However, it was not until recent years that active territorial defense was reported for amphibians. Test (1954) observed that females of the South American dendrobatid frog, Prostherapis trmi itatis, defended areas against invasion by other frogs of the same species. Test also described some aspects of the territorial behavior of the frogs. Martof (1953) previously had demonstrated that male green frogs, Rana claniltans, maintained the same spatial relationships to each other within the calling congress even though the group moved considerable distances. He suggested that this was evidence of a weak territoriality. Going ( 1955) described some activities in the bull frog, Rana catesbeiana, which were highly suggestive of territorial defense. Grant (1955) has presented evidence interpreted as indicating territoriality in 2 species of salamanders, Eturvcca bislineata and Hemnidactylium scuttatiini. Stebbins and Hendrickson (1959) believe that the guarding of the eggs by male Phyllolates plinctaths is another example of territorial behavior. Further studies of the ethology and natural history of Prostherapis trinitatis were undertaken at the Estacion Biologica de Rancho Grande, located in the Parque Nacional Henry Pittier, Estado Aragua, Venezuela, from June 20 until September 3. 1956. The main purpose of this investigation was to determine the physical nature of the structural features making up the territorial area.
Surface spectrofluorometry of the rabbit urinary bladder

Proper function of the urinary bladder is dependent on the delivery of a normal supply of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the tissue. The smooth muscle elements of the bladder utilize metabolic energy in the form of ATP and other high-energy compounds to support bladder contraction. One of the first metabolic indications of contractile activity would be alterations in the oxidative state (redox) of the tissue, which is reflected by the NADH/ NAD ratio. NADH is a metabolic intermediate synthesized during substrate metabolism and utilized during energy production and utilization. We have studied NADH metabolism in the in vitro bladder strip preparation utilizing a surface spectrofluorometer. This instrument monitors NADH fluorescence in tissue preparations with the use of an optical fiber probe placed on the serosal surface of the strip. The bladder strips displayed rhythmic contractile activity. This was correlated with alterations in NADH fluorescence. There was an excellent correlation (correlation coeficient of 0.986) between the frequency of the spontaneous activity of both contraction and fluorescence. An increase in tension was followed (in seconds) by a decrease in fluorescence. The basal NADH fluorescence was modulated by metabolic inhibitors as would be expected by their metabolic actions: Anoxia and sodium azide (metabolic inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation) produced a marked increase in the redox state (NADH fluorescence), whereas DNP (a mitochondrial uncoupler) produced a marked decrease. Bethanechol stimulated an increase in tension and a reduction in fluorescence. The above findings suggest that NADH surface spectrofluorometry reflects NADH metabolism in the detrusor smooth muscle and that fluctuations in such spectra correlate well with functional activity. NADH surface spectrofluorometry displays potential as a noninvasive method of monitoring one aspect of detrusor metabolism.
Measurements of Dynamic List Structure Use in Lisp

This paper is an empirical study of how three large Lisp programs use their list structure during execution. Most list-cell references are due to the functions car and cdr, which are executed about equally often and greatly outnumber other primitive functions. Executions of cdr yield the atom NIL about 10 to 20 percent of the time, and nearby list cells most of the rest of the time. Executions of car yield atoms, small integers, and list cells in varying proportions in the three progrms. Atom references by car tend to concentrate on a small number of atoms. The function rplacd increases static pointer locality, but rplaca is used idiosyncratically. Repeated reference to list cells is likely: over half of all references were to one of the ten most recently referenced cells. Linearization is the rearrangement of lists so that consecutive cdr's are adjacent in memory whenever possible. This property deteriorates dowly after a list structure is linearized. If all of a program's lists are linearized, page faults are reduced slightly, but because of the high cost of a fault this small reduction has a large effect.
Recent formulations of the urinary concentrating mechanism: A status report

Since the paper by Wirz, Hargitay, and Kuhn in 1951 [1], the proposal of Kuhn and his colleagues [2–5] that in some way the countercurrent arrangement of tubules in the medulla is involved in the urinary concentrating mechanism has become generally accepted. Sodium chloride reabsorption from the ascending limb of Henle's loop through a water-impermeable epithelium creates a transepithelial difference in osmotic pressure (the "single effect"), which the anatomical arrangement of descending and ascending Henle's limbs in the renal medulla permits to be multiplied by countercurrent flow. In this manner, an axial osmotic gradient is established, rising progressively from the corticomedullary junction to the papillary tip. As the fluid passes down the collecting tubule, water is reabsorbed until the tubule contents and the hyperosmotic medullary interstitium reach osmotic equilibrium.