cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maximum unloaded length (MUL) and graft force as criteria for anterior cruciate ligament graft fixation

The biomechanical determinants of graft force after ACL resconstruction are reviewed. It is proposed that the two primary determinants are tunnel location and ”maximum unloaded length” (MUL), defined as the distance between the origin and insertion tunnels when the graft just begins to carry load. MUL and graft stiffness determine graft force for a given flexion angle and external load. Although several variables can affect MUL, such as pretension level, flexion angle at pretension, and direction of tension, one variable is important, fixation position of the graft relative to the bone. It is proposed that a more rational basis for establishing graft fixation, rather than isometry, is graft force, reflecting the choice of MUL. Setting graft force with a device that adjusts MUL allows adjustment of the graft force to a chosen level of fixed pretension and joint laxity, while avoiding overstressing during passive range of motion due to poor tunnel placement.
Higher potency of the synthetic retinoid MX3350-1 compared to the natural all- trans -retinoic acid in modulation of cell cycle and induction of apoptosis in head and neck squamous carcinoma cells

Higher potency of the synthetic retinoid MX3350-1 compared to the natural all- trans -retinoic acid in modulation of cell cycle and induction of apoptosis in head and neck squamous carcinoma cells
Avian thyroid destruction by radioiodine.

Abstract IT has been shown that more than 3 mc./100 gm. of body weight of I131 were necessary to effect a complete thyroidectomy in six day old New Hampshire chicks (Winchester et al., 1949). Complete thyroidectomies were also accomplished with 6 mc. I131/100 grams of body weight in 40 to 66 gram New Hampshire chicks (Winchester and Davis, 1952). Typical symptoms of extreme hypothyroidism were produced in three different breeds of chickens with injections of 1.5 mc. I131/100 gm. body weight following a pretreatment of low iodine diets (Mellen and Wentworth, 1962). The general symptoms of depressed growth, obesity, fringed feathers, and subnormal gonadal development appeared in these chicks over varying periods of time. It is apparent from these studies that large quantities (millicuries) of radioiodine produce extreme hypothyroidism, or even complete thyroidectomies. It is reasonable to infer that small dosages (microcuries) might also produce some destruction. During a study of . . .
Fossil microorganisms from Upper Cretaceous amber of Mississippi

Abstract Microfossils are described from Upper Cretaceous amber from Tishomingo County, Mississippi, the first fossils from this amber. They include the oldest fossil record of the chrysomonad Dinobryon and two new actinomycetes, Streptosporangiopsis russelli and Paleomonospora tishomingoensis, the earliest certain fossil representatives of the Streptosporangiaceae and Micromonosporaceae, respectively. Fungal spores and hyphae of uncertain affinities are also reported. The paleoenvironment of these fossils seems to have been aquatic or semi-aquatic. The description of these microfossils is used as a base to establish of these fossils seems to have been aquatic or semi-aquatic. The description of these microfossils is used as a base to establish principles for distinguishing true microfossils from pseudofossils in amber: true microfossils should be completely enclosed inside the amber matrix and should be comparable to living analogues, as far as can be observed, in size and cellular structure.
A kinetic model of TMV-RNA replication based on rates of virus accumulation in vivo

Abstract A kinetic model is presented which describes the replication of TMV-RNA and its molecular precursors. The model is based on observed rates of virus accumulation in vivo. The TMV growth curve in young, expanding, “third” leaves is envisioned as consisting of four discrete phases. A mathematical description is presented for the “early” (phase II) and “late” (phase IV) stages of infection as defined previously (Hagiladi et al., 1974). The growth in phase II is expressed as an exponential function with time, and a linear expression is used for phase IV of the TMV growth curve. Predictions of the model and possible experimental approaches to verify the model are discussed.
Measurement of the critical aspect ratio and interfacial shear strength in MWNT/polymer composites

Abstract This paper presents a bulk composite method for determining the critical aspect ratio and relative interfacial shear stress (ISS) for multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT)/polymer composites. Through a modified pullout test and fragmentation test, it was found that the critical aspect ratio was 300 and decreased by a factor of 3 due to surface modification, and that MWNTs at an angle of greater than 60° to the loading direction failed in bending instead of pulling out of the matrix. Finite element analysis was used to determine the critical bending shear strength and MWNT modulus. The obtained bending shear strength was used in a mechanics model developed to provide bounds for the ISS in the experimental composite system. The calculated ISS for as-received nanotube falls between 4.8 and 13.7 MPa, and for surface treated nanotube falls in the range of 11.1 and 38.3 MPa. These values are consistent with the ISS reported for carbon fiber/polymer composites and also show that the ISS almost triples due to chemical modification of the MWNT surface.
Family Functioning and Sexual Aggression in a Sample of College Men

This study attempted to contribute to the integrative etiological models of sexual aggression by comparing the family-of-origin functioning and rape-supportive attitudes of sexually aggressive and nonaggressive college men. The participants completed self-report instruments that measured rape myth acceptance, acceptance of interpersonal violence, adversarial sexual beliefs, sexual aggression, and family functioning factors. Contrary to expectations, sexually aggressive participants did not exhibit higher levels of authoritarian family style, enmeshment, or conflict than the nonaggressive men. However, a canonical correlation revealed that a significant correlation did exist between the composite of rape-supportive attitudes (adversarial sexual beliefs, acceptance of interpersonal violence, and rape myth acceptance) and the composite of family functioning factors (conflict, enmeshment, and authoritarian family style). Yet, simple bivariate correlations between the factors did not reach significance. Implic...
Isolation of urinary β2-microglobulin by isoelectric focusing: Use of a new method of protein localization

An indirect fluorescence method for locating colorless protein bands in focused Sephadex gel slabs, demonstrated previously using standard protein solutions [1, 2], has been applied to a complex natural protein mixture: preconcentrated human urine. Protein bands separated by distances of 2 mm or less in the gel slab were accurately located and excised without cross-contamination. Urinary pigment did not interfere with the localization technic. Microgram quantities of six protein bands were excised from thin gel slabs, and then partially characterized by cellulose acetate electrophoresis. In addition, the bands belonging to two homologues of β2-microglobulin (B2M I and II) were identified immunologically after systematic excision of the various protein bands in the focused pattern. This one-step protein isolation procedure was scaled up to the milligram level for the isolation of B2M-II. In two experiments, 1.60 mg and 2.22 mg were isolated in 73 % and 78 % purity, with yields of approximately 55 % and 76 %.
Purification and cell-free translation of mRNA coding for a variant specific antigen from Trypanosoma brucei gambiense

Abstract Messenger RNA (mRNA) coding for a variant specific surface antigen (VSA) from Trypanosoma brucei gambiense was isolated from total trypanosomal polyribosomes by indirect immunoprecipitation. An IgG fraction of antisera to purified VSA was obtained by ion exchange chromatography and Protein A-agarose affinity chromatography. These antibodies were then subjected to affinity chromatography on a VSA-agarose column to remove non-specific IgG. Polyribosomes from the same antigenic variant of T. b. gambiense were isolated from a cell lysate and those polysomes bearing nascent VSA were bound to the IgG by gentle mixing and the complexes formed were retrieved by precipitation with fixed Staphylococcus aureus cells. The VSA-specific mRNA was separated from these complexes be dissociation of the polysomes, deproteinization, and affinity chromatography on oligo(dT)-cellulose. The mRNA isolated in this way was shown to be undergraded, active in protein synthesis and homogeneous electrophoretically. The products of the cell-free translation of this mRNA were precipitable by specific IgG but not by antiserum to heterologous VSA. The translation product was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel exclusion chromatography. The molecular weight of the mRNA was measured by electron microscopy, agarose and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Enough highly purified mRNA can be isolated in this manner to be used for hybridization analysis of the VSA gene(s).
Effects of colchicine and vinblastine on platelet contractility and release

Pre-incubation of normal platelet-rich plasma for 30 minutes at 37 degrees C with concentrations of colchicine (2.5 x 10(-4)M) or vinblastine (1.1 x 10(-4)M) which disrupt platelet microtubles did not inhibit aggregation induced by ADP or collagen. Even following pre-incubation of platelets with a 10-fold higher concentration of colchicine (2.5 x 10(-3)M), platelets released 14C-serotonin and aggregated in response to collagen. In the presence of a 10-fold higher vinblastine concentration (1.1 x 10(-3)M), platelets lysed and released 51Cr. Dynamic viscoelastic measurements on recalcified platelet-rich plasma in a Weissenberg rheogoniometer demonstrated that neither colchicine (2.5 x 10(-4)M to 5 x 10(-3)M) nor vinblastine (1.1 x 10(-4)M) interferes with the initiation, rate of generation, or extent of contractile force produced in platelet-fibrin clots. These results indicate that polymerized tubulin is not essential for collagen-induced release of platelet dense granule contents. In addition, intact tubulin polymers are not required to support the platelet surface configuration necessary for platelet-fibrin adherence and the platelet contractile events which result in platelet-fibrin clot retraction.
The strong CP problem

Abstract QCD depends on an extra parameter θ ¯ . When θ ¯ ≠ 0 , P and CP are violated. Because the strong interactions conserve P and CP, θ ¯ must be very small, of order 10 − 10 or less. However, within the Standard Model, θ ¯ is expected to be of order one. This puzzle is called the strong CP problem. Possible solutions are briefly described.
Human cytomegalovirus entry into cells.

HCMV entry into different cell types involves distinct pathways and different gH/gL complexes. Entry into fibroblasts involves direct fusion with the plasma membrane and requires gH/gL but not gH/gL/UL128-131, while entry into epithelial and endothelial cells involves macropinocytosis and fusion with endosomes and requires gH/gL/UL128-131. A number of HCMV receptors have been described, but it appears likely that there are other receptors that mediate entry of wild type HCMV into epithelial and endothelial cells and monocyte- macrophages.
Microbial biomass and community structure of a phase-separated methanogenic reactor determined by lipid analysis

An anaerobic phase-separation biomass reactor was established on cellulose with the hydrolysis and fermentation steps occurring in the first stage, and acetogenesis and methanogenesis in the second stage. Based upon lipid biomarker analysis, eubacterial and eukaryotic cells accounted for approximately 6% of the volatile solids of the first stage and 17% of the second, while methanogens were approximately 1% of the volatile solids in the first stage and 9% of the second. Clustering the polar lipid fatty acids into groups based upon their distributions between the two stages of the reactor clarified the differences in community structure caused by phase-separated operation. Although inoculated from the same source, the two stages maintained very different microbial communities. Signature fatty acids known as indicators of unbalanced growth in eubacteria were significantly higher in the first stage of the reactor.
PROBING HYDROGEN BONDING AND THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT OF SILANOLS ON SILICA SURFACES VIA NUCLEAR SPIN CROSS POLARIZATION DYNAMICS

By studying 1H→29Si cross-polarization dynamics of two untreated and two “dry” silica gel samples (one evacuated at 25 °C and one evacuated at 200 °C), we find that all the surface silanols on the two untreated silicas are hydrogen bonded, either to the hydroxyl groups of adjacent silanol(s) or to water molecule(s). About 46% and 47% of the geminal silanols and 53% and 58% of the single silanols that were hydrogen bonded only to water in the two untreated silicas become non-hydrogen bonded on the two “dry” silica surfaces, but the remainder of the silanols of the untreated silicas (i.e., those hydrogen bonded to other silanols) remain hydrogen bonded to other silanols upon drying. The ratio of the number of hydrogen-bonding single silanols to the number of hydrogen-bonding geminal silanols is 17-to-1 for a Fisher silica surface evacuated at 25 °C and 16-to-1 for a Baker silica surface evacuated at 200 °C. These results can be explained in terms of a generalized silica surface model based on the β-cristoba...
Macrophage inflammatory protein-1α C-C chemokine in parapneumonic pleural effusions

Parapneumonic pleural effusions are associated with the presence of a variety of inflammatory cells whose influx into the pleural space is attributed to the presence of inflammatory cytokines. Macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), an important mononuclear chemokine, plays a critical role in pulmonary parenchymal inflammatory disease, but its role in the recruitment and activation of mononuclear phagocytes in the pleural space is unknown. In this study we demonstrate that complicated parapneumonic pleural effusions (empyema) and uncomplicated parapneumonic pleural effusions contain significantly (P < .001) higher levels of MIP-1α with higher numbers of mononuclear cells when compared with effusions resulting from malignancy and congestive heart failure. The MIP-1α was biologically active and contributed 43% and 37% of the mononuclear chemotactic activity of complicated and uncomplicated parapneumonic pleural fluids, respectively. In vitro, human mesothelial cells, when stimulated with interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), or bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), produced MIP-1α. Northern blot analysis confirmed that both endogenous (IL-1β or TNF-α) and exogenous (LPS) factors induce MIP-1α expression in mesothelial cells. Supernatants from activated mesothelial cells demonstrated chemotactic activity for mononuclear cells. This activity was blocked by MIP-1α antibody, indicating that the MIP-1α released was biologically active. We conclude that in parapneumonic pleural effusions, MIP-1α plays a major but not exclusive role in the recruitment of mononuclear leukocytes from the vascular compartment to the pleural space, and pleural mesothelial cells by production of MIP-1α actively participate in this process.
An Infrared and X-ray Absorption Study of the Structure and Equilibrium of Chromate, Bichromate, and Dichromate in High-Temperature Aqueous Solutions

The structure and speciation of bichromate, dichromate, and chromate was studied to temperatures up to 400 °C using the combined information obtained from infrared (IR) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. Actual species concentrations were obtained from the IR measurements, which were then used as fixed input parameters for the XAFS analysis. With this procedure a complete description of the molecular structure of each chromate species to high temperatures was obtained. In agreement with previous high temperature studies on the chromate system, the bichromate species was found to become thermodynamically favored at high temperatures under acidic or near-neutral conditions. For example, only the bichromate species was found to be present at 350 °C in a 0.145 m aqueous chromate solution having an initial solution pH of 3.3. Because of this, the bichromate molecular structure could be fully characterized from the measured XAFS data. The first-shell structure around the central chrome ato...
Environmental enrichment aides in functional recovery following unilateral controlled cortical impact of the forelimb sensorimotor area however intranasal administration of nerve growth factor does not

Abstract Purpose An injury to the forelimb sensorimotor cortex results in the impairment of motor function in animals. Recent research has suggested that intranasal administration of nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein naturally found in the brain, and placement into enriched environments (EE) improves motor and cognitive function after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The purpose of this study was to determine whether NGF, EE, or the combination of both was beneficial in the recovery of motor function following TBI. Results Uninjured animals had fewer foot faults than injured animals, displaying a lesion effect. Injured animals housed in EE were shown to have fewer foot faults whether or not they received NGF. Injured animals also displayed an increased reliance on the non-impaired limb further validating a lesion effect. Conclusion EE is an effective treatment on the recovery of motor function after a TBI. Intranasal administration of NGF was found to not be an effective treatment for functional motor recovery after a TBI.
Measurements of line intensities and line widths in the ν3-fundamental band of nitrous oxide at atmospheric temperatures

Abstract We present measurements of the absolute intensities, N2-, O2-, and air-broadened half-widths of spectral lines in the 4.5 μm (ν3-fundamental) band of 14 N 2 16 O at 216, 250 and 296 K . These data were obtained using a high-resolution ( 0.002 cm −1 ) Fourier-transform spectrometer. The variation of the line widths with temperature and the rotational quantum number m (|m| is J in the P-branch and J+1 in the R-branch, with J being the rotational quantum number of a linear molecule) is examined. Simple empirical polynomial (quartic) fits of the measured half-widths are presented. A new improved method of extrapolation of line-width data to higher values of m has also been devised.
Ribonomics: identifying mRNA subsets in mRNP complexes using antibodies to RNA-binding proteins and genomic arrays.

Although in vitro methods have been used to identify putative targets of mRNA-binding proteins, direct in vivo methods are needed to identify endogenously associated mRNAs and their cognate proteins. Therefore, we have developed high-throughput methods to identify structurally and/or functionally related mRNA transcripts through their endogenous association with RNA-binding proteins. We have termed the identification and analysis of mRNA subsets using RNA-associated proteins ribonomics, and have established four primary steps for the method: (1) isolation of endogenous mRNA-protein complexes (mRNPs) under optimized conditions, (2) the en masse characterization of the protein and mRNA components associated with the targeted mRNP complexes, (3) identification of sequences or structural similarities among members of the mRNA subset, and (4) determination of functional relationships among the protein products coded for by members of the mRNA subset. We have hypothesized that mRNAs are organized into structurally and functionally linked groups to better affect information transfer through coordinate gene expression. The functional consequences of such organization would be to facilitate the production of proteins that regulate processes necessary for growth and differentiation. This article describes a series of biochemical techniques that deal with the first two steps of ribonomic profiling: purifying endogenous mRNP complexes and identifying multiple mRNA targets using microarray analysis.
Magnetic field mapping of the K-500 cyclotron at M.S.U☆

Abstract The results of an extensive magnetic field mapping of the K-500 cyclotron under construction at M.S.U., covering the entire operating range of the machine, are reported. The data are analyzed in detail, and a comparison with the theoretical calculations used in designing the cyclotron is carried out. This comparison allows one to draw some general conclusions on the reliability of the theoretical model and its implications for superconducting cyclotron design.
A model of hemodynamic responses of rat tumors to hyperoxic gas challenge

We measured the changes of oxy-hemoglobin (Δ[HbO2]) and deoxy-hemoglobin concentration (Δ[Hb]) in rat breast 13762NF tumors with respect to oxygen or carbogen inhalation using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The changes in tumor blood flow can be estimated from the NIRS data provided with certain model assumptions. In the theoretical approach, we modified the Windkessel model so as to associate the mathematical model with such physiological parameters of tumor vasculature as total hemoglobin concentration ([HbT]), tumor blood flow (TBF), and tumor metabolic rate of oxygen (TMRO 2 ). The computational results show that hyperoxic gas administration to the rat tumors always gave rise to improvement of tumor Δ[HbO 2 ], while the same hyperoxic gas intervention could result in different responses in tumor [HbT], TBF, and TMRO 2 . This preliminary study has demonstrated that NIRS, a noninvasive tool to monitor tumor oxygenation, may also be used to estimate tumor perfusion and oxygen consumption rate in response to therapeutic interventions, if a suitable mathematical model is provided.
Interpersonal Attraction: Fashionability and Perceived Similarity:

A random sample of 227 college women were' classified as wearers of high-, mass-, low-, or counter-fashion clothing styles. The subjects' attraction to a stimulus sketch of each clothing style was ...
Cataract secondary to electrical shock from a Taser gun

A 35-year-old man presented with traumatic iritis, angle-recession glaucoma, and a retinal dialysis secondary to blunt trauma from a Taser gun in the right eye and a unique electrical cataract in the left eye. Taser guns, which can also function as stun guns, can lead to electrical cataract formation. Given the increasing use of Taser guns by law enforcement and citizens, blunt mechanical and electrical sequelae of Taser gun injuries should be recognized.
Differential expression of Id genes in multipotent myeloid progenitor cells: Id‐1 is induced by early‐ and late‐acting cytokines while Id‐2 is selectively induced by cytokines that drive terminal granulocytic differentiation

Hematopoietic development is regulated by a complex mixture of cytokine growth factors that guide growth and differentiation of progenitor cell populations at different stages in their development. The genetic programs that drive this process are controlled at the molecular level by the type and number of transcriptional regulators coexpressed in the cell. Both positive- and negative-acting helix-loop-helix transcription factors are expressed during hematopoietic development, with the Id-type transdominant negative regulators controlling the net helix-loop-helix activation potential in the cell at any given time. It has been demonstrated that some of these Id factors are involved in the checkpoint at which undifferentiated progenitor cells make the commitment to terminal maturation. Therefore, we sought to determine whether these Id family factors are selectively induced or extinguished by cytokines that act at different points during hematopoiesis. NFS-60, a myeloid progenitor line that proliferates in response to multiple cytokines, was stimulated by treatment with SCF, IL-3, IL-6, G-CSF, and erythropoietin. Id-1 expression correlated tightly with cellular proliferation: it declined when growth factor stimulation was withdrawn and was quickly induced whenever the cell began to proliferate. The regulation of Id-2 was more complex: its expression was slightly upregulated in factor-deprived cells but only strongly reinduced after extended exposure to cytokines that drive granulocytic differentiation (IL-6, G-CSF, and TGFbeta). These data support a cell-cycle regulatory role for Id-1 in multipotent myeloid progenitor cells and a role for Id-2 during terminal granulocytic differentiation.
SU-E-I-97: A Protocol for Attenuation Characterization of Neurovascular Devices under Fluoroscopic Conditions

Purpose: Current approaches for ensuring adequate visualization of neuroendovascular devices that are implanted under fluoroscopic guidance, such as stents and flow diverters, are based on ad hoc methods and measures. Lack of specific standards makes it difficult to determine the adequacy of device contrast under clinical conditions. Inadequate device contrast due to low attenuation may result in increased radiation dose to the patient either due to prolonged fluoroscopy or due to the use of high dose‐ rate imagingsequence. Alternatively, this may lead to inaccurate positioning of these devices within cerebrovascular structures with potential impact on clinical outcome. We developed a protocol and applied it for evaluating such devices. Methods: The protocol comprises three parts: quantitative measurement of equivalent attenuation (in mm of Al) under conditions used for characterizing imaging system performance (RQA5 of IEC standards), visual assessment of device contrast in homogenous background (water phantom) of anatomically relevant thickness, and visual assessment of the device contrast with anatomic background. Ten devices (2 Ni‐Ti stents, 7 Co‐Cr and 1 Ni‐Ti flow diverters) were assessed using this protocol. Results: Quantitative assessment of the stents showed substantial equivalent attenuation of the device end/tip marker (Pt) bands but poor attenuation characteristics of the device body. The flow diverters demonstrated improved attenuation along the device body than the stents. The newer generation of flow diverters with Pt wires interwoven with the Co‐Cr wires demonstrated improved attenuation characteristics compared to previous generation which did not include Pt wires. Visual assessment under homogenous (16 cm water phantom) and anatomic background (skull phantom immersed in 16 cm water) provided qualitative confirmation. Conclusions: The proposed protocol with further refinements can serve as the basis for evaluating the adequacy of x‐ray contrast of neuroendovascular devices that are implanted under fluoroscopic guidance. Devices provided by Surpass Medical LTD. (Tel Aviv, Israel). Research supported in part by NIH/NCI R01CA128906 and NIH/NIBIB R21EB007767. The contents are sole responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official views of the NIH, NCI or NIBIB. MG: Has been a consultant per hour for Micrus Endovascular and Codman Neurovascular; receives research support from Stryker Neurovascular, Micrus Endovascular, Codman Neurovascular, Neurointerventional Technologies, Neuravi, Thrombolysis Scientific Inc, and Concentric Medical. AW: Has been a consultant per hour for Codman Neurovascular, Stryker Neurovascular, Boston Medical Associates, Surpass Medical Ltd; holds ownership interest in Surpass Medical Ltd; receives research support from Philips Healthcare.
Anti-β2-microglobulin monoclonal antibodies induce apoptosis in myeloma cells by recruiting MHC class I to and excluding growth and survival cytokine receptors from lipid rafts

We recently showed that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against β2-microglobulin (β2M) have a remarkably strong apoptotic effect on myeloma cells. The mAbs induced apoptosis by recruiting major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I to lipid rafts, activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and inhibited phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) pathways. Growth and survival cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), which could protect myeloma cells from dexamethasone-induced apoptosis, did not affect mAb-mediated cell death. This study was undertaken to elucidate the mechanisms underlying anti-β2M mAb–induced PI3K/Akt and ERK inhibition and the inability of IL-6 and IGF-I to protect myeloma cells from mAb-induced apoptosis. We focused on lipid rafts and confirmed that these membrane microdomains are required for IL-6 and IGF-I signaling. By recruiting MHC class I into lipid rafts, anti-β2M mAbs excluded IL-6 and IGF-I receptors and their substrates from the rafts. The mAbs not only redistributed the receptors in cell membrane, but also abrogated IL-6– or IGF-I–mediated Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK/STAT3), PI3K/Akt, and Ras/Raf/ERK pathway signaling, which are otherwise constitutively activated in myeloma cells. Thus, this study further defines the tumoricidal mechanism of the mAbs and provides strong evidence to support the potential of these mAbs as therapeutic agents for myeloma.
An off-line digital system for reproducible interpretation of the exercise ECG.

Abstract Exercise electrocardiograms of 20 patients were analyzed using a customized software exercise electrocardiographic program and compared to measurements made by two cardiologists performing independent interpretations. The computerized program requires identification of the PQ junction, J point, and tracing of the ST-segment in three consecutive beats. The proportion of variance for J point, and ST 80 measurements was 0.93 and 0.90, respectively, when the same electrocardiogram was processed twice and analyzed by two separate cardiologists. The same 20 exercise electrocardiograms were analyzed by two other experienced cardiologists without computerized measurements. The proportion of variance was less at 0.73 and 0.76 for the J point and ST 80 measurements, respectively. The average amount of time required for the cardiologist to over read the computerized measurements was 2.7 ± 1.5 minutes per ECG as compared to 20.7 ± 11 minutes for the cardiologists who did not have computer-assisted measurements (p
Induction of reversible changes in cell-surface glycoconjugates and lung colonization potential by 13-cis retinoic acid

Murine squamous carcinoma cells (KLN205) grown in a medium supplemented with the retinoid, 13-cis retinoic acid (RA), had dose-dependent, selective increases in the expression of certain lectin receptors, which correlated with a dramatic decrease in the ability to form pulmonary colonies (P −.0003) (Couch MJ, Pauli BU, Weinstein RS, Coon JS: JNCI, 78:971 −977, 1987). These findings suggest a possible relationship between the RA-induced glycoconjugate alterations and the decreased experimental metastatic behavior. We further define the mechanism of RA's action. The finding that RA treatment (5 × 10−6 M, 5 × 10−7 M) did not perturb the cell cycle of KLN205 cells provides further proof that the decreased metastatic behavior is not attributable to any inhibition in the rate of growth or to alterations in the cell cycle. Furthermore, since stable subpopulations with variable lectin binding could not be detected, the mechanism of RA's action does not appear to be due to selection of variant tumor-cell subpopulations. Finally, in a scries of experiments designed to determine the reversibility of the RA treatment, the RA-induced decrease in metastatic behavior reverted back to a more metastatic state in the same time frame (3 days) as the reversion of the RA-induced changes in cell-surface glycoconjugate expression. This reversion provides further evidence for a close relationship between the RA-induced modulation of tumor cell-surface glycoconjugate expression and the decreased metastatic behavior; it suggests that transient, reversible modulation of the tumor cell surface may play a role in determining metastatic behavior.
Demonstration of an Excitable Gap in the Common Form of Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia

Premature ventricular depolarizations were introduced during sustained atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (“slow-fast” type) in a single patient during electrophysiological study. Preexcitation of the atrium with retrograde His bundle capture occurred over an 85 msec range of coupling intervals between the last antegmde His bundle depolarization and the first retrograde His bundle depolarimtion associated luith the premature beat (H1 - H2 interval). The interval between the retrograde His bundle depolarization (H2) and the retrograde atrial depolarization (A2) remained constant over this 85 msec excitable gap as the H1-H2 interval decreased. This indicates the presence of fully excitable tissue luithin the retrograde fast pathway of the reentrant circuit during the tachycardia and demonstrates the utility of this technique for defining the extent and conduction properties of the excitable gap in reentrant arrhythmias
Citizens and Paupers: Relief, Rights, and Race, from the Freedmen's Bureau to Workfare

There was a time when America's poor faced a stark choice between access to social welfare and full civil rights - a predicament that forced them to forfeit their citizenship in exchange for economic relief. Over time, however, our welfare system improved dramatically. But as Chad Alan Goldberg here demonstrates, its legacy of disenfranchisement persisted. Indeed, from Reconstruction onward, welfare policies have remained a flashpoint for recurring struggles over the boundaries of citizenship. "Citizens and Paupers" explores this contentious history by analyzing and comparing three major programs: the Freedmen's Bureau, the Works Progress Administration, and the present-day system of workfare that arose in the 1990s. Each of these overhauls of the welfare state created new groups of clients, new policies for aiding them, and new disputes over citizenship - conflicts that were entangled in racial politics and of urgent concern for social activists. This combustible mix of racial tension and social reform continues to influence how we think about welfare, and Citizens and Paupers is an invaluable analysis of the roots of the debate.
Stromal Processing Peptidase Binds Transit Peptides and Initiates Their Atp-Dependent Turnover in Chloroplasts

A stromal processing peptidase (SPP) cleaves a broad range of precursors targeted to the chloroplast, yielding proteins for numerous biosynthetic pathways in different compartments. SPP contains a signature zinc-binding motif, His-X-X-Glu-His, that places it in a metallopeptidase family which includes the mitochondrial processing peptidase. Here, we have investigated the mechanism of cleavage by SPP, a late, yet key event in the import pathway. Recombinant SPP removed the transit peptide from a variety of precursors in a single endoproteolytic step. Whereas the mature protein was immediately released, the transit peptide remained bound to SPP. SPP converted the transit peptide to a subfragment form that it no longer recognized. We conclude that SPP contains a specific binding site for the transit peptide and additional proteolysis by SPP triggers its release. A stable interaction between SPP and an intact transit peptide was directly demonstrated using a newly developed binding assay. Unlike recombinant SPP, a chloroplast extract rapidly degraded both the transit peptide and subfragment. A new degradative activity, distinguishable from SPP, was identified that is ATP- and metal-dependent. Our results indicate a regulated sequence of events as SPP functions during precursor import, and demonstrate a previously unrecognized ATP-requirement for transit peptide turnover.
Curanderismo and the Treatment of Alcoholism: Findings from a Focus Group of Mexican Curanderos

ABSTRACT Throughout Mexico and Latin America curanderos or folk healers are often the source of mental health and substance abuse treatment. This article reports on the results of a focus group of Mexican curanderos who shared specific herbal, spiritual, physical, and psychological methods for the treatment of clients and their families who suffer from alcoholism.
Morphologic and Surface Characterization of Different Types of Activated Carbon Fibres

This study provides a comparison of different types of commercially available activated carbon fibres (ACFs). Thus, ACFs in cloth (ACFC) and felt forms (ACFF) with three different surface areas were each analyzed for their pore volumes, pore sizes and pore-size distributions. The fibre morphology and organization was visualized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microporosity of the ACF materials based on nitrogen isotherms, the percentage of micropores by area and volume, the average pore size and the pore-size distribution were also determined. An increase in the surface areas of the ACFC types led to an increase in the total pore volume, micropore volume, micropore area and pore width, but led to a decrease in the percentage of micropores by area and volume. The nitrogen isotherms demonstrated that the surface area dictated the amount of adsorption onto the ACF regardless of the form of the latter. The difference in the volume of smaller micropores between the ACFC and ACFF types may be attr...
Digital tomosynthesis mammography using a parallel maximum-likelihood reconstruction method

A parallel reconstruction method, based on an iterative maximum likelihood (ML) algorithm, is developed to provide fast reconstruction for digital tomosynthesis mammography. Tomosynthesis mammography acquires 11 low-dose projections of a breast by moving an x-ray tube over a 50° angular range. In parallel reconstruction, each projection is divided into multiple segments along the chest-to-nipple direction. Using the 11 projections, segments located at the same distance from the chest wall are combined to compute a partial reconstruction of the total breast volume. The shape of the partial reconstruction forms a thin slab, angled toward the x-ray source at a projection angle 0°. The reconstruction of the total breast volume is obtained by merging the partial reconstructions. The overlap region between neighboring partial reconstructions and neighboring projection segments is utilized to compensate for the incomplete data at the boundary locations present in the partial reconstructions. A serial execution of the reconstruction is compared to a parallel implementation, using clinical data. The serial code was run on a PC with a single PentiumIV 2.2GHz CPU. The parallel implementation was developed using MPI and run on a 64-node Linux cluster using 800MHz Itanium CPUs. The serial reconstruction for a medium-sized breast (5cm thickness, 11cm chest-to-nipple distance) takes 115 minutes, while a parallel implementation takes only 3.5 minutes. The reconstruction time for a larger breast using a serial implementation takes 187 minutes, while a parallel implementation takes 6.5 minutes. No significant differences were observed between the reconstructions produced by the serial and parallel implementations.
The politicization of the peasantry in a North Indian State: II.

During the past three decades, the dominant party in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), the Indian National Congress, has undergone a secular decline in its support in state legislative assembly elections. The principal factor in its decline has been its inability to establish a stable basis of support among the middle peasantry, particularly among the so‐called ‘backward castes’, with landholdings ranging from 2.5 to 30 acres. Disaffected from the Congress since the 1950s, these middle proprietary castes, who together form the leading social force in the state, turned in large numbers to the BKD, the agrarian party of Chaudhuri Charan Singh, in its first appearance in UP elections in 1969. They also provided the central core of support for the Janata party in its landslide victory in the 1977 state assembly elections. The politicization of the middle peasantry in this vast north Indian province is no transient phenomenon, but rather constitutes a persistent factor with which all political part...
Use of a three‐stage aerated lagoon system for disposal of dairy plant processing wastes 1

Abstract The disposal of dairy plant processing wastewater in a three‐stage aerated lagoon system was evaluated over a one‐year period. Aerators were fixed on the lagoon surfaces and designed to mechanically supply oxygen to the system. Monitored pollution parameters included flow‐rate, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total solids (TS), and pH. Microbiological parameters studied were heterotrophic plate count (HPC) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as measured by relative light units (RLU). The average daily effluent flow‐rate from the lagoon system was 163.3 x 103 L/d with 7 mg/L BOD5, 122 mg/L COD, 31 mg/L TSS, 652 mg/L TS, and 7.69 pH of effluent. An average BOD removal of 97% was achieved from the first lagoon sampling point to final pffluent, with 89% removal of COD, 93% removal of TSS, and 49% removal of TS. Overall, BOD was strongly correlated with the COD, TSS, TS, and pH. Also, COD showed a significant correlation with TSS and TS. Anothe...
Risk of white pine blister rust to limber pine in Colorado and Wyoming, USA

Summary Cronartium ribicola, the introduced pathogen that causes white pine blister rust (WPBR), continues to spread to additional limber pine populations in the Southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming. Because WPBR can severely impact ecosystems, forecasts of its potential distribution and incidence would be useful to land managers. Site and climate data from long infested study areas in Wyoming were fit with two regression models [logistic and classification and regression trees (CART)] to determine the environmental conditions associated with the distribution of WPBR. These models were then used to map limber pine stands at risk of infestation by C. ribicola throughout Wyoming (where it has long occurred) and Colorado (where it is just becoming established). Although variables representing vegetation and landform could identify infested plots, 1-km-scale climate variables for monthly temperature and moisture were better predictors of current WPBR distribution and were available for mapping expected future distribution across the region. Of 280 485 ha where limber pine was projected to occur in Colorado, 41% was forecast by the logistic model to be at risk of infestation, and 53%, by the CART model. Of an estimated 782 229 ha in Wyoming with limber pine, the logistic model projected 61% to be at risk; CART projected 79%. Additional regression models were fit with site and climate data to predict WPBR incidence (per cent of trees infected) and intensification (incidence/age of the oldest canker). Nearly one half of the plot-to-plot variation in incidence was explained using environmental variables readily available to land managers. Although mean plot incidence increased over time, mean intensification decreased 50% per decade. This work provides managers with several tools to reduce uncertainty over the expected distribution and incidence of WPBR, but surveillance and monitoring remain prudent activities for supplementing forecasts of WPBR epidemics.
Effects of 532 nm pulsed-KTP laser parameters on vessel ablation in the avian chorioallantoic membrane: implications for vocal fold mucosa.

Objectives: Selective vascular ablation (photoangiolysis) using pulsed lasers that target hemoglobin is an effective treatment strategy for many vocal fold lesions. However, vessel rupture with extravasation of blood reduces selectivity for vessels, which is frequently observed with the 0.45-ms, 585-nm pulsed dye laser. Previous studies have shown that vessel rupture is the result of vaporization of blood, an event that varies with laser pulse width and pulse fluence (energy per unit area). Clinical observations using a 532-nm wavelength pulsed potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) laser revealed less laser-induced hemorrhage than the pulsed dye laser. This study investigated settings for the pulsed KTP laser to achieve selective vessel destruction without rupture using the avian chorioallantoic membrane under conditions similar to flexible laryngoscopic delivery of the laser in clinical practice. Study Design: The chick chorioallantoic membrane offers convenient access to many small blood vessels similar in size to those targeted in human vocal fold. Using a 532-nm pulsed KTP laser, pulse width, pulse energy, and working distance from the optical delivery fiber were varied to assess influence on the ability to achieve vessel coagulation without vessel wall rupture. Methods: Thirdorder vessels (n = 135) were irradiated: Energy (471-550 mJ), pulse width (10, 15, 30 ms), and fiber-to-tissue distance (1 mm, 3 mm) were varied systematically. Results: Selective vessel destruction without vessel wall rupture was more often achieved by increasing pulse width, increasing the fiber-to-tissue distance, and decreasing energy. Vessel destruction without rupture was consistently achieved using 15- or 30-ms pulses with a fiber-to-tissue distance of 3 mm (pulse fluence of 13-16 J/cm 2 ). Conclusions: This study substantiates our clinical observation that a 532-nm pulsed KTP laser was effective for ablating microcirculation while minimizing vessel wall rupture and hemorrhage.
Peripapillary and macular vessel occlusions in sickle cell anemia.

Sickle cell anemia is characterized by vas­ cular occlusions throughout the body that oc­ cur mainly in small blood vessels and cause numerous signs and symptoms. In the eye, occlusions frequently affect the peripheral retinal vessels, although a few cases of pos­ terior pole artery occlusions have been de­ scribed.' This paper reports the case of a black girl who manifested the clinical signs and symptoms of central retinal artery occlu­ sion, and who had, in addition, obstructions of the small peripapillary and macular ves­ sels.
AMERICAN STIOB: Or, What Late-Socialist Aesthetics of Parody Reveal about Contemporary Political Culture in the West

To those of us weaned during the Cold War there are few certainties more bedrock than the antithetical character of liberalism and socialism. For some four decades,liberal‐capitalistregimesandstate‐socialistregimesmarshaledenormous pedagogical and ideological resources to educate their citizens in this singular truth that legitimated the polarized geopolitics of the second half of the 20th century. The gist of this truth was that nothing could be farther from the constitutive liberal rights and freedoms of Western democracy than the tyranny and group think of communism or, seen from the other side, that nothing could be more opposite from the internationalist communitarian values of socialism than the predatory self-interestedness and class warfare of capitalism. It is no small testament to the success of this Cold War pedagogy that the certainty of antithesis has outlived by decades the geopolitics that inspired it. Even as the Cold War geopolitics crumbled in the years 1989 to 1991, a victorious liberalism spared no opportunity to remind the world of its fundamental oppositeness from communism’s “evil empire.” Liberal historiography has subsequently memorialized 1989‐91 as an end-of-history extinction event for socialism (Fukuyama 1992; Kornai 1992), as vindication not only of the idea that the philosophical premises of liberalism amount to human nature but also of the idea that socialism’s experiments to improve human sociality have been absolutely defunct and defrauded. Twenty