cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intake-rejection, verbalization, and affect: effects on heart rate and skin conductance.

Visual tasks judged to require stimulus intake or stimulus rejection were accompanied by instruction to verbalize or not to verbalize as they were presented to male students. Heart rate and skin conductance measures indicated that (1) Lacey's directional fractionation occurred to intake stimuli which were rated pleasant and to those rated unpleasant; (2) an instruction to verbalize following the task increased HR within the limits of a supposed ceiling effect, removing evidence of directional fractionation; and (3) there was no direct relationship between the measures and rated affect. The conclusions of other researchers were examined in relation to these findings.
The Onaway potato, an early variety

The Onaway variety is resistant to common scab, late blight, and mild mosaic, but susceptible to verticillium wilt and early blight. It is a high-yielding, white-skinned early variety that produces medium to large tubers with fair cooking quality. Chip tests do not rate it as one of the better varieties for chipping. It is adapted to sandy soils well supplied with organic matter. Its tubers will grow very large and rough unless prevented by close seed spacing. The advantages from planting seed produced by a competent seed grower are more apparent with Onaway than with most other potato varieties. Consequently, most seed growers of this variety have the seed stock sold before the crop is planted.
Dietary factors and second primary cancers: A follow‐up of oral and pharyngeal cancer patients

Abstract To investigate the possible relationship between dietary factors and the development of multiple primary cancer, a nested case‐control study was carried out within a cohort of 1,090 oral and pharyngeal cancer patients. This patient group, enrolled in 1984–1985 in a population‐based case‐control study conducted in four areas of the United States, was followed up through June 1989 for the occurrence of second primary cancer. Information on a number of risk factors, including diet, ascertained from interviews conducted at baseline (1984–1985) and at follow‐up were compared between 80 patients with histologically confirmed second primary cancers (39% in the upper aerodigestive tract, 32% in the lung, 29% elsewhere) and 189 sex‐ and survival‐matched control patients free of second cancers. Although few significant trends emerged, the results were suggestive of a protective effect provided by higher intake of vegetables. Risk of second primary cancers was 40–60% lower among those with the highest level...
A Model-Based Framework for the Integration of Parallel Tools

A large number of tools are already available to aid in the development of parallel scientific applications, yet many developers are unaware they exist, do not have access to them, or find them too difficult to use. And, unlike the wider software development community where the use of integrated development environments is best practice, parallel software development languishes with the lowest common denominator of command-line tools and Emacs style editors. By harnessing the power and flexibility of the phenomenally successful Eclipse framework, we have developed a platform for the integration of parallel tools that aims to provide a robust, portable, and scalable parallel development environment for the development of high performance scientific computing applications. The Eclipse Parallel Tools Platform utilizes a model-view-controller design and a generic API architecture to support a wide range of parallel computing environments. The platform has been designed so that it is easily extensible, and will support the integration of existing and new parallel tools. In this paper we describe the architecture of the platform, provide details of an example implementation for a particular parallel runtime system, and show how other parallel tools can be integrated with the Eclipse Parallel Tools Platform.
Crystal and molecular structure of a trisubstituted cyclopropane: dimethyl 2-methyl-2-[-2′-trans-methoxycarbonyl-3′-trans-(2″-p-nitrobenzoyloxyethyl)]-cyclopropylpropanedioate, C20H23NO10

Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of the title compound revealed that the dimethyl methylmalonate substituent wastrans to both of the other two substituents present on the cyclopropane ring.
Neuroprotective effects of pyruvate following NMDA-mediated excitotoxic insults in hippocampal slices

The activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and subsequent release of nitric oxide (NO) are likely contributors to the delayed neuronal damage that accompanies ischemia and other neurodegenerative conditions. NMDA receptor antagonists and inhibitors of NO synthesis, however, are of limited benefit when administered following excitotoxic events, suggesting the importance of determining downstream events that result in neuronal degeneration. Inhibition of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (GAPDH), a key glycolytic enzyme, which may result in glycolytic impairment, is one of the biological targets of NO. This suggests that alternative energy substrates may prevent neuronal damage. Using rat hippocampal slices from juvenile rats, we examined the role of glycolytic impairment in NMDA-mediated excitotoxicity and whether pyruvate, an end product of glycolysis, prevents the excitotoxic neuronal injury. We observed that administration of NMDA acutely depresses ATP levels and result in a slowly developing inhibition of GAPDH. Unlike NMDA receptor antagonists or NO inhibitors, exogenously applied pyruvate is effective in restoring ATP levels and preventing delayed neuronal degeneration and synaptic deterioration when administered in the period following NMDA receptor activation. This raises the possibility that treatment with agents that maintain cellular energy function can prevent delayed excitotoxicity.
Ultrasound visualization with the sonic flashlight

From the discovery of X-rays over a century ago, clinicians have been presented with a wide assortment of imaging modalities yielding maps of localized structure and function within the patient. Some imaging modalities are tomographic, meaning that the data are localized into voxels, rather than projected along lines of sight as with conventional X-ray images. Tomographic modalities include magnetic resonance (MR), computerized tomography (CT), ultrasound, and others. Tomographic images, with their spatially distinct voxels, are essential to our present work.
Variability of refixations in infants

Abstract In adults, visual fixation is a foveal function in which a single retinal locus of regard (the fovea) is directed to a point of regard in the stimulus. Because of the immaturity of the infant fovea, the question arises as to whether or not infants use a consistent retinal locus of regard to direct fixations. Consistency of refixations of a small eccentric target was quantitatively examined in infants and adults using a television-based corneal reflection eye tracker. The scatter of refixations for most infants extended beyond the boundaries of the 1.5° square target but was not as large as the degree of central retinal immaturity that has been reported for infants. The mean standard deviation of scatter was about 0.8° [ n = 73]. No trend in age (19–388 days) was found. This scatter was greater for infants than for adults instructed to fixate carefully (0.1°). However, uninstructed adults exhibited extensive scatter (0.4°, n = 25), and some showed more scatter than some infants. These results suggest that attentional factors limit the scatter in refixations more than sensory or oculomotor immaturity in the visual system. The implications of these findings for the measurement and calibration of infant looking behavior are discussed.
High-Temperature Molecular Magnets Based on Cyanovanadate Building Blocks: Spontaneous Magnetization at 230 K

The molecular-based magnetic materials Cs 2 Mn || [V || (CN) 6 ] (1) and (Et 4 N) 0.5 Mn l.25 - [V(CN) 5 ]·2H 2 O ( 2 ) (where Et is ethyl) were prepared by the addition of manganese(II) triflate to aqueous solutions of the hexacyanovanadate(II) ion at 0°C. Whereas 1 crystallizes in a face-centered cubic lattice, 2 crystallizes in a noncubic space group. The cesium salt (1) has features characteristic of a three-dimensional ferrimagnet with a Neel transition at 125 kelvin. The tetraethylammonium salt (2) also behaves as a three-dimensional ferrimagnet with a Neel temperature of 230 kelvin; only two other molecular magnets have higher magnetic ordering temperatures. Saturation magnetization measurements indicate that in both compounds the V II and high-spin Mn II centers are antiferromagnetically coupled. Both 1 and 2 exhibit hysteresis loops characteristic of soft magnets below their magnetic phase-transition temperatures. The high magnetic ordering temperatures of these cyano-bridged solids confirm that the incorporation of early transition elements into the lattice promotes stronger magnetic coupling by enhancing the backbonding into the cyanide π* orbitals.
Bacterial utilization of cyclo(glycyl-L-prolyl)

3 strains of soil bacteria (2Achromobacter, 1Flavobacterium) were isolated by growth on cyclo(Gly-L-Pro) as carbon/nitrogen source. Good growth required yeast extract supplements. Utilization of cyclo(Gly-L-Pro) was inducible. Many efforts failed to obtain active cell-free preparations. Injected radioactive cyclo(Gly-L-Pro) was excreted intact by the albino rat; in contrast, injected radioactive H-Gly-L-Pro-OH was extensively metabolized.
Structure/property studies of polymeric gene delivery using a library of poly(β-amino esters)

Here we describe the synthesis and characterization of a library of 486 second-generation poly(beta-amino esters). To understand better the structure/property relationships governing polymeric gene delivery, we synthesized polymers with 70 different primary structures, at 6 to 12 different molecular weights, using monomers previously identified as common to effective gene delivery polymers. This library was characterized by (1) molecular weight, (2) particle size upon complexation with DNA, (3) surface charge upon complexation with DNA, (4) optimal polymer/DNA ratio, and (5) transfection efficiency. In this library, polymers with 20 of the 70 primary structures possess transfection efficiencies as good as or better than one of the best commercially available lipid reagents, Lipofectamine 2000. In general, the most effective polymers condense DNA into sub-150-nm complexes with positive surface charge. Among this group, the 2 most effective polymers condensed DNA to the smallest particle sizes (71 and 79 nm). Interestingly, the top 9 polymers were all formed from amino alcohols, and the structure of the 3 top performing polymers differs by only one carbon. This convergence in structure of the top performing polymers suggests a common mode of action and provides a framework with which future polymers can be designed.
Postnatal changes in biosynthesis of microvillus membrane glycans of rat small intestine: I. Evidence of a developmental shift from terminal sialylation to fucosylation

We present evidence of a change from sialylation to fucosylation of intestinal microvillus membrane oligosaccharides during postnatal development in the rat. The initial high sialic acid to fucose molar ratio in native and delipidated membranes was completely reversed after weaning. The specific binding of 125I-labeled wheat germ agglutinin to neuraminidase-sensitive sites in the native and delipidated membranes decreased markedly from early suckling to weaning ages. The binding of 125I-labeled Ulex europeus agglutinin I showed an age-related pattern opposite to that of wheat germ agglutinin. The changes in membrane reactivities to these lectins were entirely consistent with the existence of a developmentally-controlled shift from terminal sialyl to fucosyl substitutions among various glycoconjugate classes. This could play a key role on the functional transformation experienced by the intestinal epithelium of suckling rats.
Computer animation survey

Abstract Each section examines a single technique of conventional, manual animation. Within each section various means of automating the technique are considered. It is seen, for each technique, that there are advantages to using electronic rather than mechanical hardware. Desirable characteristics for an electronic base for animation are identified.
The anatomy of the Early Republic

The essay explores the cultural functions of the many dismembered bodies that haunt the visual culture of late eighteenth‐ and early nineteenth‐century America. Body parts routinely appeared on signs for taverns, guildhalls and shops, in delicate painted miniatures depicting isolated eyes and mouths, in political prints illustrating the dismembered bodies of women and animals as stand‐ins for states and colonies, and in large‐scale history paintings by John Singleton Copley and John Vanderlyn in which protagonists are threatened with the loss of a leg or a scalp. Complementing the work of historians of US art and culture, who have consistently read representations of whole bodies as iconographic signs of healthy institutions and nations and dismembered bodies as signs of loss and decay, I posit that in eras of cataclysmic change such normal orders are inverted, with body parts standing as affirmative signs of identity. The power and ubiquity of bodily wholeness as a sign of political or social health comp...
A first-principles study of compression twins in h.c.p. zirconium

Abstract Using fully self-consistent ab-initio techniques, we have determined values for{1122} and {1011} compression twin-boundary energies in h.c.p. zirconium. Experimentally, c-axis compression produces {1122} twins at temperatures below about 800 K; it has been suggested that this is due to the low energy of this type of twin. We find that the {1011} boundary has a much lower energy than the {1122} boundary, by a factor of four. Thus the ease of {1122} formation at low temperatures must be due to the other causes, such as a low barrier to twin nucleation.
Diurnal cycle of upper-air temperature estimated from radiosondes

[1] This study estimates the amplitude and phase of the climatological diurnal cycle of temperature, from the surface to 10 hPa. The analysis is based on four-times-daily radiosonde data from 53 stations in four regions in the Northern Hemisphere, equatorial soundings from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere/Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment, and more recent eight-times-daily radiosonde data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program's Central Facility in Oklahoma. Our results are in general qualitative agreement with earlier studies, with some quantitative differences, but provide more detail about vertical, seasonal, and geographic variations. The amplitude of the diurnal cycle (half the diurnal temperature range) is largest (1 to 4 K) at the surface. At 850 hPa and above, the regional-average amplitudes are <1 K throughout the troposphere and stratosphere. The amplitude of the diurnal cycle in the boundary layer is larger over land than over ocean, and generally larger in summer than winter (except for monsoon regions, where it is larger in the dry season). In the upper-troposphere and stratosphere, land-sea and seasonal differences are not prominent. The diurnal cycle peaks a few hours after local noon at the surface, a few hours later at 850 hPa, and somewhat earlier in the upper troposphere. The timing of the diurnal cycle peak in the stratosphere is more uncertain. Radiosonde data are also used to simulate deep-layer mean temperatures that would be observed by the satellite-borne microwave sounding unit, and the amplitude and phase of their diurnal cycles are estimated. An evaluation is made of the uncertainty in these results due to the temporal resolution of the sounding data, which is only barely adequate for resolving the first harmonic of the diurnal cycle, the precision of radiosonde temperature data, and potential biases in daytime stratospheric temperature observations.
Photoelectron energy spectra of opaque photocathodes in the extreme and far ultraviolet

Measurements of the EUV quantum detection efficiency (QDE) of opaque RbBr, CsBr, and KBr photocathodes are described and investigations of their photoemission characteristics over the 44-1560 A wavelength range are reported. The results show that high QDEs can be obtained in the EUV. Narrow QDE peaks at soft X-ray wavelengths occur at slightly different wavelengths for each of the materials studied. The long-wavelength thresholds vary according to the material band gap. Data on the photoemission from the photocathode layer on the microchannel plate interchannel web area are used to determine the number and energy distribution of the emitted photoelelectrons as a function of wavelength.
A home-care program of chemical preventive dentistry for orthodontic patients.

The ability of a glycerin gel containing 0.4 per cent SnF2 to reduce enamel solubility was tested in thirty orthodontic patients, each requiring removal of four premolars. Two teeth were extracted and retained as controls. The gel was then employed in a home-care program for 1 to 7 weeks. The remaining two first premolars were then extracted and employed as experimental teeth. Differences in enamel solubility between the control and experimental teeth in each subject were used to estimate the effectiveness of the gel. Using the gel for 1 week reduced enamel solubility by 12.1 per cent and a highly significant increase in effectiveness was found with the longer periods of treatment. These results suggest that the daily use of such a gel may well be a valuable preventive adjunct in orthodontic treatment. Such a clinical study involving a large number of orthodontic patients has been in existence for approximately one year.
Uniparental inheritance is promoted by delayed division of the zygote in Chlamydomonas

SEXUAL REPRODUCTION in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a heterothallic, unicellular green alga, yields two types of zygotes: the thick-walled, dormant zygospore (meiotic), and less frequently, the vegetative zygote which divides mitotically soon after initial gamete fusion to produce stable diploid progeny1,2. Although vegetative zygotes account for less than 5% of the products of gamete fusion, their diploid progeny can be easily selected on minimal medium by crossing haploid strains which carry complementing auxotrophic mendelian mutations2. I report here that differences in chloroplast inheritance observed between meiotic and mitotic zygotes of Chlamydomonas are correlated to the timing, rather than the nature, of their first divisions. Environmental conditions which delay the first post-mating division of vegetative zygotes result in uniparental inheritance while favourable post-mating environments promote biparental inheritance of chloroplast genes.
Phage-Based Opto-Fluidic Ring Resonator for Label-Free Biomolecule Detection

Opto-fluidic ring resonators (OFRR) integrate microfluidics with state-of-the-art photonics sensing technology. Here we developed a label-free OFRR biosensor with bacteriophage as a biorecognition probe for streptavidin detection. A detection limit of 0.17 nM was achieved.
Effect of uncertainty on risk taking in individual and group decisions

Experimental gambling situations were used to test (1) the effects of uncertainty on individuals' willingness to take risk and (2) the effects of group discussion under conditions of positive, zero, and negative expected value. In all three experimental conditions individuals risked less money under uncertainty. The comparison of group with individual decisions showed results consistent with a model which proposes that group discussion enhances prior expected values and also results in a risk bias effect when uncertainty is present.
Wing shaping for optimum roll performance using independent modal-space control technique

A technique for deforming a flexible wing to achieve a specified roll rate within a specified time at different Mach Numbers is examined. Rather than using an aileron system for roll, antisymmetric elastic twist and camber is determined to achieve the required rolling moment for a specified roll rate. The elastic twist and camber is achieved by providing a system of actuating elements distributed within the internal substructure of the wing to provide control forces. The modal approach is used to develop the dynamic equilibrium equations which culminates in the steady roll maneuver of a wing subjected to aerodynamic loads and the actuating forces. The distribution of actuating forces to achieve the specified steady flexible roll rate within a specified time was determined by using Independent Modal-Space Control (IMSC) design approach. Here, a full-scale realistic wing is considered for the assessment of the strain energy required to produce the antisymmetric twist and camber deformation to achieve the specified roll performance.
Men's cardiovascular and pulmonary health

Heart disease in men is declining steadily, but it remains the number one killer of men in the United States. CLRD, influenza/pneumonia, and lung cancer are three more causes of top 10 mortalities in men. Epidemiological and clinical studies conclude that CVD is largely preventable through lifestyle modification. CHD, COPD, occupational lung disease, and lung cancer are all preventable by primary prevention (ie, no cigarette smoking). All men should be counseled about the grave significance of heart and lung disease as a cause of illness and death, the importance of primary prevention, and the great variability in symptom presentation. Nurses are in the ideal position to educate patients, families, and colleagues about heart and lung disease.
The prevalence of asthma in children of elementary school age in western New York.

To determine the prevalence of caregiver-reported asthma in children 4 to 13 years old in metropolitan western New York State, surveys were conducted during 1997–1999 in the Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Iroquois, and Gowanda school systems. Questionaires (3,889) were sent to the homes of elementary school children in nine schools in western New York. The caregivers were asked to complete a 13-item questionnaire for the child. Of the questionnaires, 60.5% (2,353/3,889) were completed.
What to Reuse?: A Probabilistic Model to Transfer User Annotations in a Surveillance Video

Techniques to extract or understand interactions between moving objects in video is becoming increasingly important as the amount of video increases. Applications in surveillance range from understanding traffic to studying fish schooling behaviour. Because of the massive amount of data, fast, approximate techniques based on statistical models are common. These models connect user annotations (labels) to scenes in a (short) video segment. The connection forms a domain, which associates information about moving objects in scenes with the labels, such as to indicate whether a user considers a particular traffic scene to be "dangerous." Unfortunately a statistical model trained in one domain often yields low precision and recall when applied to another domain because the random variables that explain video content exhibit changing marginal and conditional probability distributions over time (e.g., due to different backgrounds, changes in illumination, shading, and numbers of moving objects). This problem is exacerbated when new domains continuously arise (e.g., in the real-time processing of video) and user annotations are only limited to training data, a common scenario for surveillance video. In this paper, we propose a new, cross-domain technique that reuses labelled content from source domains to improve the prediction of user annotations in a target domain. Our model probabilistically learns how users annotate scenes based on the similarity of target to source domains. Two domains that are similar will share a large number of observable features. We encode the similarity in a covariance matrix, which flexibly allows allows users to set an arbitrary covariance structure between pairs of domains before training the model. Experiments show that our method improves state-of-the-art techniques (SVM and CF) in predicting dangerous scenes in real-world traffic surveillance videos.
Losses due to manipulation of social choice rules

In a companion paper, “Gains from Manipulating Social Choice Rules,” we analyzed the incentive to manipulate by considering the maximum number of ranks someone can gain in their preference ordering by manipulation. This paper treats the number of ranks someone else can lose due to manipulation. We find large classes of rules where that loss is very large, a few rules where the loss can be significantly smaller, and even some rules where no one ever loses—even though manipulation will take place.
The management of respiratory failure in childhood status asthmaticus. Experience with 30 episodes and evolution of a technique

Abstract The allergy and anesthesiology services of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have, since 1961, managed 22 children in 30 episodes of status asthmaticus severe enough to need ventilatory assistance. The technique evolved with experience, starting with tracheal intubation followed by (1) general anesthesia and manual ventilation, 4 episodes; (2) mechanically assisted ventilation with a pressure-flow cycled ventilator (Bird Mark VIII) under heavy sedation, 7 episodes; (3) controlled mechanical ventilation (Bird Mark VIII) with d-tubocurarine and light sedation, 11 episodes; (4) controlled ventilation starting with a Bird Mark VIII and changing to a volume-cycled ventilator (Emerson), 3 episodes; and currently (5) controlled ventilation with the Emerson under light sedation and d-tubocurarine, 5 episodes. The criteria for respiratory failure in children with status asthmaticus are presented. Adjunctive therapy has included intravenous fluids with sodium bicarbonate, antibiotics, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and vigorous chest physiotherapy, followed by sterile endobronchial aspiration. Currently we monitor ECG and directly transduced central venous and peripheral arterial prcssure displayed on an oscilloscope. Arterial pH, P co 2 , base excess, and P o 2 are determined frequently, and there is continuous clinical observation in the intensive care unit. There have been 18 complications, including one death. Every patient was amnesic for the period of assisted ventilation. The technique is an effective method of supporting life in children in respiratory failure caused by status asthmaticus until the attack subsides. A trained team, constantly available, is necessary.
Consultation as a means of veteran suicide prevention.

The development and implementation of a suicide consultation service being run by an interdisciplinary team in a metropolitan Veteran’s Administration (VA) medical center is described. This service is grounded in a collaborative theoretical framework. An overview of the consultation process and theoretical and empirical literature to support the framework used by the service are provided. Some of the interventions commonly recommended to referring clinicians to reduce client suicide risk are reviewed. Although there are many challenges to running a service such as this, the authors conclude that the model presented is flexible enough to be applied in a variety of settings.
Prospective study of common variants in CX3CR1 and risk of macular degeneration: pooled analysis from 5 long-term studies.

Importance The CX3CR1 gene is implicated as a candidate gene for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) through several lines of evidence. There is uncertainty, however, as to whether common genetic variants in CX3CR1 alter risk of AMD, since prior studies have been inconsistent and mostly limited to evaluation of 2 nonsynonymous variants, T280M (rs3732378) and V249I (rs3732379). Objective To determine if common variants in CX3CR1 predict future risk of AMD. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective nested case-control study within 5 large study populations with long-term follow-up. We measured genotypes for T280M, V249I, and 13 other common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the CX3CR1 gene among people who developed AMD (n = 1110, including 369 with neovascular AMD) and 2532 age- and sex-matched controls. Main Outcomes and Measures We determined the incidence rate ratios (RR) and 95% CIs for incidence of AMD for each variant and examined interactions with other AMD-associated variants and modifiable risk factors. Results In additive genetic models, we identified nonsignificant associations with AMD for T280M (RR, 0.87; P = .07) and 3 other SNPs, rs2853707 (RR, 0.88; P = .07), rs12636547 (RR, 0.85; P = .10), and rs1877563 (RR, 0.84; P = .06), 1 of which, rs2853707, is positioned in the CX3CR1 promoter region and was associated with neovascular AMD (RR, 0.75; P = .03). We observed that a recessive model was a better fit to the data for some SNPs, with associations between rs11715522 and AMD (RR, 1.27; P = .03) and between rs2669845 (RR, 3.10; P = .04), rs2853707 (RR, 0.48; P = .050), and rs9868689 (RR, 0.31; P = .02) and neovascular AMD. Moreover, in exploratory analyses, we identified a number of possible interactions including between V249I and rs2669845 and dietary intake of ω-3 fatty acids ( P = .004 and P = .009, respectively) for AMD; between rs2669845 and obesity ( P = .03) for neovascular AMD; between T280M and complement component 3 (C3) R102G for AMD ( P = .03); between rs2669845 and Y402H in complement factor H for AMD ( P = .04); and between rs2669845, rs2853707, and V249I and C3 R102G for neovascular AMD ( P = .008; .04; and .002, respectively). Conclusions and Relevance This study failed to identify significant associations between common CX3CR1 variants and AMD after considering the number of SNPs analyzed and multiple comparisons. However, we observed evidence consistent with recessive modes of association and that an effect of CX3CR1 variants may depend on other factors including dietary intake of ω-3 fatty acids, obesity, and genotypes at CFH Y402H and C3 R102G. If replicated in other populations, these findings would support a role for CX3CR1 in AMD but also suggest that its role may involve mechanisms that are independent of the T280M/V249I variations.
Expression and polarized targeting of a rab3 isoform in epithelial cells.

Pathways of polarized membrane traffic in epithelial tissues serve a variety of functions, including the generation of epithelial polarity and the regulation of vectorial transport. We have identified a candidate regulator of polarized membrane traffic in epithelial cells (i.e., rab3B), which is a member of the rab family of membrane traffic regulators. Rab3B is highly homologous to a brain-specific rab3 isoform (rab3A) that targets in a polarized fashion to the presynaptic nerve terminal, where it probably regulates exocytosis. The coding region for human rab3B was cloned from epithelial mRNA using a reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction strategy. This cDNA clone hybridized to a single mRNA species in Northern blots of poly(A)+ RNA isolated from epithelial cell lines. A rab3B-specific antibody that was raised against recombinant fusion protein recognized a 25-kD band in immunoblots of cell lysates prepared from cultured epithelial cells (e.g., T84 and HT29-CL19A), but not from a variety of nonepithelial cells (e.g., PC12 neuroendocrine cells). Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed that rab3B protein is preferentially expressed in cultured epithelial cells as well as in a number of native epithelial tissues, including liver, small intestine, colon, and distal nephron. Rab3B localized to the apical pole very near the tight junctions between adjacent epithelial cells within all of these cell lines and native epithelial tissues, as determined by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopic analysis. Moreover, this pattern of intracellular targeting was regulated by cell contact; namely, rab3B was reversibly retrieved from the cell periphery as epithelial cell contact was inhibited by reducing the extracellular Ca2+ concentration. Our results indicate that neurons and epithelial cells express homologous rab3 isoforms that target in a polarized fashion within their respective tissues. The pattern and regulation of rab3B targeting in epithelial cells implicates this monomeric GTPase as a candidate regulator of apical and/or junctional protein traffic in epithelial tissues.
Predicting the morphology of sickle red blood cells using coarse-grained models of intracellular aligned hemoglobin polymers

Sickle red blood cells (SS-RBCs) exhibit heterogeneous cell morphologies (sickle, holly leaf, granular, etc.) in the deoxygenated state due to the polymerization of the sickle hemoglobin. Experimental evidence points to a close relationship between SS-RBC morphology and intracellular aligned hemoglobin polymers. Here, we develop a coarse-grained (CG) stochastic model to represent the growth of the intracellular aligned hemoglobin polymer domain. The CG model is calibrated based on the mechanical properties (Young's modulus, bending rigidity) of the sickle hemoglobin fibers reported in experiments. The process of the cell membrane transition is simulated for physiologic aligned hemoglobin polymer configurations and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. Typical SS-RBC morphologies observed in experiments can be obtained from the current model as a result of the intracellular aligned hemoglobin polymer development without introducing any further ad hoc assumptions. It is found that the final shape of SS-RBCs is primarily determined by the angular width of the aligned hemoglobin polymer domain, but it also depends, to a lesser degree, on the polymer growth rate and the cell membrane rigidity. Cell morphologies are quantified by structural shape factors, which agree well with experimental results from medical images.
Photo-Elicitation: Reflexivity on Method, Analysis, and Graphic Portraits.

In this methodological discussion, the authors detail and reflect on the processes of using photo-elicitation interviewing as a way to align with positive qualitative methodologies, to gain access to participant beliefs and values, and to highlight participant voices through their choices of words and visuals. A review of the literature and an overview of the educational research experiences leading to the discussion are included. Next, the discoveries regarding what is methodologically new and/or valuable concerning this visual method is presented. In the final section, the authors reflexively contemplate aspects of visual methodological processes in an effort to address methodological crossroads of potential and tension including: (1) the potential of decontextualized photos, (2) photos as metaphors of meaning, (3) photos as representations of inherent meaning, (4) participant empowerment, and (5) graphic representation or graphic portraits.
The role of mycorrhizal fungi and microsites in primary succession on Mount St. Helens.

This study was designed to examine the role of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) and microsites on the growth of pioneer species. Flat, rill, near-rock, and dead lupine microsites were created in plots in barren areas of the Pumice Plain of Mount St. Helens. VAM propagules were added to the soil in half of the plots. Six pioneer species were planted into both VAM and non-VAM inoculated microsites. Plants in dead lupine microsites were greater in biomass than those in flat, rill, and near-rock microsites. Significant effects of VAM on plant biomass did not occur. Microsites continue to be important to plant colonization on the Pumice Plain, but VAM do not yet appear to play an important role. This may be due to limited nutrient availability and the facultatively mycotrophic nature of the colonizing plant species. It is unlikely that VAM play an important role in successional processes in newly emplaced nutrient-poor surfaces. In the stressful environments on Mount St. Helens it is known that microsite patterns play a crucial role in plant colonization (del Moral and Bliss, 1993). However, little is known about how vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) affect primary successional processes on volcanic surfaces. This study was conducted to determine the role of VAM in plant growth on Mount St. Helens and how they may interact with microsites prevalent on barren surfaces. During primary succession on new volcanic substrates, pioneer species are expected to be nonmycorrhizal (Allen 1991). Only nonmycotrophic and facultatively mycorrhizal species usually inhabit these sites. Obligately mycotrophic species would be prevented from establishing in a site until a population of VAM fungi had built up. Thus, the seral sequence could reflect the mycorrhizal dependencies of the colonizing species, and the rate of succession may be related to the increase of mycorrhizal inoculum over time. Species of early-successional stages are nonmycotrophic, followed by facultatively mycotrophic species in the intermediate stages of succession, and obligately mycotrophic species dominate later seral communities (Doerr, Redente, and Reeves 1984; Gange, Brown, and Farmer, 1990; Allen, 1991; Boerner, 1992). Although mycorrhizae are considered to be important determinants of plant successional sequences, our knowledge of their role during early primary succession is scant. Also, the dispersal patterns of mycorrhizal fungi onto barren, new landscapes and the influence these patterns have on initial establishment have received little
The Zames-Falb IQC for systems with integrators

A feedback interconnection of a neutrally stable, linear time-invariant system and a nonlinearity with 0/spl les/x/spl phi/(x)/spl les/kx/sup 2/ is called critical because the worst case linearization is at best neutrally stable. This characteristic makes the stability analysis of such systems particularly hard. It is shown that an integrator and a sector bounded nonlinearity can be encapsulated in a bounded operator that satisfies several useful integral quadratic constraints, which gives powerful tools for stability analysis of a general class of critically stable systems.
Laplace's Law adapted to a blood vessel with two-phase wall structure

Traditional equations describing the equilibrium wall tension in a blood vessel assume that the wall consists of a solid material, although it is known to have both solid and fluid components. By describing the forces acting on the blood vessel and applying the Starling Hypothesis, a more general equation is derived describing the tension in a blood vessel wall that includes the individual contributions of the fiber and fluid components. Results show that, unlike in Laplace's Law, fiber tension is a function of transmural pressure and the average oncotic pressure within the wall. In cases where the fluid pressure within the wall is sufficiently negative, the vessel becomes unstable and tends toward closure.
Distinct Roles of Two Structurally Closely Related Focal Adhesion Proteins, α-Parvins and β-Parvins, in Regulation of Cell Morphology and Survival

Proteins at cell-extracellular matrix adhesions (e.g. focal adhesions) are crucially involved in regulation of cell morphology and survival. We show here that CH-ILKBP/actopaxin/alpha-parvin and affixin/beta-parvin (abbreviated as alpha- and beta-parvin, respectively), two structurally closely related integrin-linked kinase (ILK)-binding focal adhesion proteins, are co-expressed in human cells. Depletion of alpha-parvin dramatically increased the level of beta-parvin, suggesting that beta-parvin is negatively regulated by alpha-parvin in human cells. Loss of PINCH-1 or ILK, to which alpha- and beta-parvin bind, significantly reduced the activation of Rac, a key signaling event that controls lamellipodium formation and cell spreading. We were surprised to find that loss of alpha-parvin, but not that of beta-parvin, markedly stimulated Rac activation and enhanced lamellipodium formation. Overexpression of beta-parvin, however, was insufficient for stimulation of Rac activation or lamellipodium formation, although it was sufficient for promotion of apoptosis, another important cellular process that is regulated by PINCH-1, ILK, and alpha-parvin. In addition, we show that the interactions of ILK with alpha- and beta-parvin are mutually exclusive. Overexpression of beta-parvin or its CH(2) fragment, but not a CH(2) deletion mutant, inhibited the ILK-alpha-parvin complex formation. Finally, we provide evidence suggesting that inhibition of the ILK-alpha-parvin complex is sufficient, although not necessary, for promotion of apoptosis. These results identify Rac as a downstream target of PINCH-1, ILK, and parvin. Furthermore, they demonstrate that alpha- and beta-parvins play distinct roles in mammalian cells and suggest that the formation of the ILK-alpha-parvin complex is crucial for protection of cells from apoptosis.
Discrete complex image method for Green's functions of general multilayer media

The discrete complex image method is extended to efficiently and accurately evaluate the Green's functions of multilayer media for the method of moments analysis. The difficulty associated with the surface-wave extraction for muitilayer media is solved by evaluating a contour integral recursively in the complex k/sub p/-plane, With this scheme, the discrete complex image method works in both the near- and far-field regions for general multilayer media, whether open or shielded and lossy or lossless.
A Prospective Investigation of Biomechanical Risk Factors for Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: The Joint Undertaking to Monitor and Prevent ACL Injury (JUMP-ACL) Cohort

BackgroundPatellofemoral pain syndrome is one of the most common chronic knee injuries; however, little research has been done to determine the risk factors for this injury.HypothesisAltered lower extremity kinematics and kinetics, decreased strength, and altered postural measurements will be risk factors.Study DesignCohort study (prognosis); Level of evidence, 2.MethodsA total of 1597 participants were enrolled in this investigation and prospectively followed from the date of their enrollment (July 2005, July 2006, or July 2007) through January 2008, a maximum of 2.5 years of follow-up. Each participant underwent baseline data collection during their pre-freshman summer at the United States Naval Academy. Baseline data collection included 3-dimensional motion analysis during a jump-landing task, 6 lower extremity isometric strength tests, and postural alignment measurements (navicular drop and Q angle).ResultsRisk factors for the development of patellofemoral pain syndrome included decreased knee flexion...
Brown Adipose Tissue Mechanisms and Potential Therapeutic Targets

Obesity is a significant health challenge, with the latest projections estimating that there will be 2.16 billion overweight and 1.12 billion obese individuals globally by 2030. In addition to social stigmatization and impaired quality of life, obese people are faced with significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a number of cancers. Weight gain results from a sustained imbalance between energy intake (calories consumed) and energy expenditure (calories burned), resulting in positive energy balance. To tip energy balance toward weight loss, not only should food intake be decreased, but increasing physical activity may help. It is important to realize, however, that the secular rises in obesity over the past 3 to 4 decades can be explained by both physiological and environmental drivers and a number of putative factors (Figure 1).1,2 At one level, the obesity epidemic is a classic gene-environment interaction in which the human genotype is susceptible to environmental influences that affect energy intake and expenditure, with the obesogenic environment being dominant. These environmental factors include the 2 obvious explanations, ie, reduced physical activity and increased energy intake from high-calorie food and drinks, with the latter likely being the dominant factor.3 However, other less studied factors have been implicated, including longer time spent awake, increased mean age of mothers at first birth, decreased prevalence of smoking, presence of environmental pollutants, ingestion of many novel medications, and reduction in the variability of seasonal ambient temperature owing to the presence of almost ubiquitous air conditioning.4 Fundamentally, the obesity epidemic is explained by a dysregulation of energy balance in our obesogenic environment. Understanding the cause of obesity requires the study of how genetic and environmental factors interact to produce long-term positive energy balance. Figure 1. The effects of genes and environment on adiposity. Effects …
When Does Gender Matter?: Gender Differences in Specialty Choice Among Physicians

In the United States, women physicians remain concentrated in a few specialties despite their increased representation in the profession. Using data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Medical Association, and the National Survey of Attitudes and Choices in Medical Education and Training, this article assesses the extent of gender segregation across specialties for a cohort of physicians from their entry into medical school to 16 years postentry as well as the correlates of specialty aspirations and choices. Analysis reveals that specialty aspirations at entry into schooling are just as gender-different as specialty choices at exit and after. However, while early aspirations map closely onto gender differences in orientations toward medical practice, later choices encompass factors beyond job values, work–family, and encouragement and mentoring from others. These findings highlight the significance of gender in the development of both early preferences and later choices and sug...
Pharmaceutical Care in Community Pharmacies: Practice and Research in the US

Objective:To describe the state of community pharmacy, including patient care services, in the US.Findings:Chain pharmacies, including traditional chains, mass merchandisers, and supermarkets, comprise more than 50% of community pharmacies in the US. Dispensing of drugs remains the primary focus, yet the incidence of patients being counseled on medications appears to be increasing. More than 25% of independent community pharmacy owners report providing some patient clinical care services, such as medication counseling and chronic disease management. Most insurance programs pay pharmacists only for dispensing services, yet there are a growing number of public and private initiatives that reimburse pharmacists for cognitive services. Clinical care opportunities exist in the new Medicare prescription drug benefit plan, as it requires medication therapy management services for specific enrollees.Discussion:The private market approach to healthcare delivery in the US, including pharmacy services, precludes nat...