cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impetigo: a reassessment of etiology and therapy

Traditional concepts regarding the bacteriology and therapy of nonbullous impetigo have been reexamined. Although in the United States the disease is considered primarily of streptococcal origin and amenable to penicillin therapy, we found that Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolate in 71 patients studied. Only two patients yielded pure cultures of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci. All but two isolates of S. aureus were resistant to penicillin; one of these two isolates was also resistant to erythromycin. Erythromycin appeared to be more efficacious than penicillin for the treatment of impetigo.
Seismically induced stresses and stability of soil media

Abstract Most soil systems behave nonlinearly under dynamic loads. For design and safety evaluation of such nonlinearly behaving soil systems, a direct approach is presented in which seismic design inputs defined in the form of response spectra can be directly used. The proposed approach is essentially an equivalent linear approach in which an iterative analysis scheme is used. Though equivalent strain dependent soil properties are used, a linear analysis is performed in each iteration. The choice of shear modulus and damping values in each iteration is based on a stochastic linearization procedure. As smoothed design spectra are to be used as seismic inputs, the normal mode approach is employed in the analysis. Thus response quantities like stress and strains are obtained by the (modified) square-root-of-the-sum-of-the-squares procedure. The applicability of the approach for nonlinear dynamic analysis is verified by a numerical simulation study in which the numerical results obtained for an ensemble of time histories by a step-by-step nonlinear approach are compared with the results obtained by the proposed approach for an equivalent seismic input defined by response spectra. A favorable comparison is obtained in the calculated maximum stress and peak stress characteristics. The approach can be used to obtain a conservative estimate of factor of safety against cumulative damage type of failures.
Breaks in DNA stimulate Transcription by Core RNA Polymerase

RECENTLY Burgess et al.1 discovered a protein that can bind to E. coli RNA polymerase and greatly stimulate its activity on certain DNA templates. This “sigma” factor, which remains attached to the “core” enzyme through most purifications, has since been shown to act at the level of initiation2. The core polymerase alone can transcribe some templates quite well, for instance, calf thymus DNA, while it is virtually inactive on others, such as T-4 DNA. The existence of sigma and the suggestion that other similar factors may be involved in regulation of transcription raise the question whether there is any biological significance to the low level at which the core polymerase can read DNA templates. The experiments described here show that (a) breaks in the DNA template can stimulate RNA synthesis, but that (b) breaks or free ends cannot account for all of the synthesis by core polymerase.
Nursing’s Role in Cancer Pain Management

Nurses have advanced practice, research, and education in the field of cancer pain management. This paper highlights the contributions nurses have made to pain science and practice through literature published in the past 3 years. Work accomplished by nurses is examined in the areas of pain assessment, pain management, intervention-based research, evidence-based practice, patient education, and palliative care. Nurses serve as advocates for empowering patients to engage in self-management of their pain, and offer education and support to patients and families at their most vulnerable times. Nurse researchers have been at the forefront of work to develop and test new instruments and approaches to measure pain, elucidate pain experiences through quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and gauge the quality of pain care for patients and its impact on their caregivers. This research has uncovered many patient, health care professional, and systemic barriers to effective pain control, and has offered feasible solutions to overcoming these barriers.
Cross-cultural training in southern africa: A call for psychoecological pluralism

Abstract This article provides a description of counseling services in one southern African nation and documents the results of a qualitative investigation of that nation's counselor training needs. Implications for cross-cultural training are drawn from the study, and related complexities are elaborated. The findings of the study are synthesized with the outcomes of a follow-up study and with the results of subsequent related research on indigenous healing practices in three southern African nations. The synthesis supports a rationale for considering psychoecological pluralism in designing cross-cultural training in human services.
Multiparameter pulse height analysis programs

Abstract An extensive set of programs for a large computer has been developed to process the magnetic tape output of a small on-line computer. The two computers together constitute a very versatile general purpose multiparameter pulse height analysis system. The programs are written in the Fortran IV and MAP programming languages for the University of Iowa's IBM 7044 digital computer. The on-line computer is a CDC 160A.
Extensive Crosstalk Between O-GlcNAcylation and Phosphorylation Regulates Cytokinesis

Like phosphorylation, the addition of O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAcylation) is a ubiquitous, reversible process that modifies serine and threonine residues on nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. Overexpression of the enzyme that adds O-GlcNAc to target proteins, O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), perturbs cytokinesis and promotes polyploidy, but the molecular targets of OGT that are important for its cell cycle functions are unknown. Here, we identify 141 previously unknown O-GlcNAc sites on proteins that function in spindle assembly and cytokinesis. Many of these O-GlcNAcylation sites are either identical to known phosphorylation sites or in close proximity to them. Furthermore, we found that O-GlcNAcylation altered the phosphorylation of key proteins associated with the mitotic spindle and midbody. Forced overexpression of OGT increased the inhibitory phosphorylation of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and reduced the phosphorylation of CDK1 target proteins. The increased phosphorylation of CDK1 is explained by increased activation of its upstream kinase, MYT1, and by a concomitant reduction in the transcript for the CDK1 phosphatase, CDC25C. OGT overexpression also caused a reduction in both messenger RNA expression and protein abundance of Polo-like kinase 1, which is upstream of both MYT1 and CDC25C. The data not only illustrate the crosstalk between O-GlcNAcylation and phosphorylation of proteins that are regulators of crucial signaling pathways but also uncover a mechanism for the role of O-GlcNAcylation in regulation of cell division.
Thermal entrance lengths for laminar flow in various ducts for constant surface heat flux

Abstract A method for the determination of thermal or diffusion entrance lengths for transport in ducts with a uniform flux is illustrated. The method requires only a knowledge of the asymptotic downstream solution of the transport equation, which is far easier to obtain than the full solution. The results have a simple form and include effects of axial conduction. Geometries considered are parallel planes, concentric annuli and rectangular ducts of varying aspect ratio. Effects of asymmetric boundary conditions and flow development are considered.
Aromatic cyclic peroxides and related keto-compounds from the Plakortis sp. component of a sponge consortium.

Six unreported aromatic compounds, 1–6, were isolated, along with the known compounds dehydrocurcuphenol and manoalide, from a sample of Plakortis sp., which was the main component of a Pacific sponge consortium. The new molecules were chemically characterized by spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1–4 contain a six-membered cyclic peroxide, whereas 5 and 6 display a terminal methyl ketone. The new metabolites were tested for antifungal and antibacterial properties. Compounds 1 and 4 were weakly active against S. aureus.
Some genuine graph models in anthropology

After long implicit use, graph theory is beginning to assume its rightful place in anthropology. Current research on exchange in Oceanian societies (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia) demonstrates its value for the classification, quantification, simulation, and enumeration of structural forms.
Effect of thermomechanical treatment on the superplasticity of Zn-22%Al

Abstract The effect of prior thermomechanical treatment on the mechanical behavior of superplastic Zn-22%Al eutectoid was studied at temperatures from 443 to 533 K. Constant-velocity tension testing revealed three regions of behavior over the strain rate range from 5 × 10−7 s−1 to 2 × 100 s−1. At low strain rates a region I with n = 3.1 and Q = 123 ± 10 kJmol−1 was evident after concurrent grain growth had been compensated for. At high strain rates, region III with n = 4.7 and Q = 100 ± 5 kJmol−1 was observed, with no detectable dependence of flow stress on grain size in this region. At intermediate strain rates, region II with n values of 1.8 – 2.3 and activation energies of 73 – 94 kJ mol−1 was observed. The n value was independent of strain rate in region II, but both n and the flow stress level decreased as the amount of prior cold working increased. The activation energy increased as the prior cold working was increased. Variations in the calculated values of A for different amounts of prior cold working were considered insignificant because of other changes in the constitutive equation.
Predictors of Weight Control Smoking in Caucasian College Women

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To determine which weight- and dieting-related, social, and expectancy variables were significant in predicting smoking for weight control purposes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of weight- and dieting-related, social, and expectancy variables in weight control smoking. Subjects were 86 normal-weight, Caucasian university women. Subjects were classified as weight control smokers and non-weight control smokers based on scores on the Weight Control Smoking Scale. Subjects completed the Restraint Scale and the Cognitive-Behavioral Dieting Scale and provided information on smoking, family, and peers. The MAXR regression procedure was used to determine the overall ability of the variables to predict weight control smoking. A 4-variable model accounted for 74.81% of the variance. Weight control smoking was predicted by higher Restraint Scale scores, greater expectancies about weight control benefits of smoking, greater number of previous quit attempts, and lower self-efficacy for resisting cigarettes. Results indicate that it may be useful to address weight control smoking in eating disorders and smoking prevention programs and to develop smoking cessation interventions that specifically address the needs of weight control smokers.
Design and simulation of advanced surface micromachined micromirror devices for telescope adaptive optics applictions

This paper describes the design, fabrication, modeling, surface characterization, and simulation of advanced surface micromachined micromirror devices that are optimized for adaptive optics applications. Design considerations and fabrication capabilities are presented. Simulation of adaptive optics performance of unique Flexure-Beam and Axial-Rotation Micromirror devices is performed for many common aberrations. These devices are fabricated in the state-of-the-art four-level planarized polysilicon process available at Sandia National Laboratories known as the Sandia Ultra-planar Multi-level planarized MEMS Technology. This enabling process permits the development of micromirror devices with near-ideal characteristics that have previously been unrealizable in standard three-layer polysilicon processes. This paper describes such characteristics as elevated address electrodes, array wiring techniques, planarized mirror surfaces using chemical mechanical polishing, unique post-process metallization, and the best active surface area to date.
Forest canopy arthropods as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium pools in forests

Abstract We measured concentrations of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium in forest canopy arthropod functional groups collected from vegetation of clearcut and uncut hardwood forests at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina during 1977 and 1978. Functional groups differed significantly in concentrations of the four elements. Spiders had the significantly highest sodium concentrations, followed in decreasing order by some other predators and then herbivores. Caterpillars and sawfly larvae had the significantly highest potassium and magnesium concentrations and high calcium concentration. Detritivores had the significantly highest calcium concentrations. Our data indicate that nutrients contained in nominal biomass of canopy arthropods do not contribute significantly to litter nutrient pools.
Logarithmic derivative reflectance spectra of BaO and SrO

Experimental studies of both reflection and wavelength derivation reflection spectra from freshly cleaved SrO and BaO crystals at 55 K are presented. The data are interpreted in a manner consistent with optical data on MgO and CaO crystal surfaces, in terms of Γ-, X-, and L-excitons. Es werden experimentelle Untersuchungen der Reflexionsspektren und der nach der Wellenlange abgeleiteten Reflexionsspektren an frisch gespaltenen SrO- und BaO-Kristallen bei 55 K durchgefuhrt. Die Werte werden mittels Γ-, X- und L-Exzitonen in einer Weise interpretiert, die mit optischen Daten an MgO- und CaO-Kristalloberflachen konsistent ist.
Some biomechanical aspects of the carpal tunnel

Abstract Previously presented evidence indicates that carpal tunnel syndrome is related to compression of the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel. Biomechanical arguments in which the extrinsic finger flexor tendons inside the carpal tunnel are characterized as a frictionless pulley-belt mechanism are presented to show quantitatively how wrist size, wrist position and hand position affect forces on the tendons and their adjacent structures.
Phytochromes are Pr-ipatetic kinases

A series of new studies reveal how the red/far-red light photoreceptors called phytochromes act. Phytochrome A and phytochrome B each move to the nucleus when activated by light, and phytochrome A is a kinase. Phytochrome-interacting proteins provide candidate signal transduction components and a recent physiological study suggests how phyA may mediate responses to far-red light. Regulation of phytochrome nuclear localization and kinase activities creates multiple phytochrome species, which may each have different regulatory activities.
Modulation of Arachidonic Acid Metabolism in a Cultured Newborn Rat Keratinocytes Cell Line

Newborn rat keratinocytes, the NBR cell line, synthesized the cyclooxygenase metabolic products, prostaglandins E2 and F2« and the lipoxygenase metabolic product, hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid. This metabolism was stimulated by incubation of the cells with the Ca+ + ionophore, A23187; melittin; bradykinin; recombinant human f-met epidermal growth factor; the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorobol-13-acetate; and the synthetic analog of diacylglycerol, 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl glycerol. Production of the cyclooxygenase products was inhibited by the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone. The stimulation appeared to be modulated by deesterification of arachidonic acid from the cellular lipids, presumably by phospholipase A2. Increased intracellular levels of Ca+ + and phosphorylating activities that result from polyphosphoinositol turnover as well as phosphorylating activities independent of phosphatidylinositol turnover appear to be regulating phospholipase A2 hydrolysis of phospholipids.
Design of a Near IR Doppler Instrument for Planet Searches

Doppler searches are extending to the near infrared to detect and characterize habitable planets around low mass stars. We present an optical design and performance of a near-IR Doppler instrument. This instrument has two operating modes covering 0.8-1.8 microns. One mode is called IRET, which consists of a fix-delay interferometer and a crossdispersed echelle spectrograph to simultaneously cover 0.8-1.35 microns with a spectral resolution of R=22000 on a 2k x 2k H2RG IR array. The other mode is called FIRST, which uses a silicon immersion grating as the main disperser to simultaneously cover 1.4-1.8 microns with a spectral resolution of R=55000 on the same detector as IRET. The triplepass parabola white pupil design is used to restrain background scatter radiation with stable configuration for precision radial velocity measurements. We used high index standard glasses for camera optics and VPH gratings as crossdispersers in both modes. The FIRST mode can be switched in and out conveniently while the IRET mode is kept without moving parts to increase its stability. This instrument is designed to deliver up to 1 m/s Doppler precision RV measurements of nearby bright M dwarfs at the Apache Point Observatory 3.5 meter telescope. The instrument is expected to be operational in the spring 2011.
Methionine aminopeptidase (type 2) is the common target for angiogenesis inhibitors AGM-1470 and ovalicin

Abstract Background: Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is essential for tumor growth. The inhibition of angiogenesis is therefore emerging as a promising therapy for cancer. Two natural products, fumagillin and ovalicin, were discovered to be potent inhibitors of angiogenesis due to their inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation. An analog of fumagillin, AGM-1470, is currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of a variety of cancers. The underlying molecular mechanism of the inhibition of angiogenesis by these natural drugs has remained unknown. Results: Both AGM-1470 and ovalicin bind to a common bifunctional protein, identified by mass spectrometry as the type 2 methionine aminopeptidase (MetAP2). This protein also acts as an inhibitor of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (elF-2α) phosphorylation. Both drugs potently inhibit the methionine aminopeptidase activity of MetAP2 without affecting its ability to block eIF-2α phosphorylation. There are two types of methionine aminopeptidase found in eukaryotes, but only the type 2 enzyme is inhibited by the drugs. A series of analogs of fumagillin and ovalicin were synthesized and their potency for inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation and inhibition of methionine aminopeptidase activity was determined. A significant correlation was found between the two activities. Conclusions: The protein MetAP2 is a common molecular target for both AGM-1470 and ovalicin. This finding suggests that MetAP2 may play a critical role in the proliferation of endothelial cells and may serve as a promising target for the development of new anti-angiogenic drugs.
Essential glycan-dependent interactions optimize MHC class I peptide loading

In this study we sought to better understand the role of the glycoprotein quality control machinery in the assembly of MHC class I molecules with high-affinity peptides. The lectin-like chaperone calreticulin (CRT) and the thiol oxidoreductase ERp57 participate in the final step of this process as part of the peptide-loading complex (PLC). We provide evidence for an MHC class I/CRT intermediate before PLC engagement and examine the nature of that chaperone interaction in detail. To investigate the mechanism of peptide loading and roles of individual components, we reconstituted a PLC subcomplex, excluding the Transporter Associated with Antigen Processing, from purified, recombinant proteins. ERp57 disulfide linked to the class I-specific chaperone tapasin and CRT were the minimal PLC components required for MHC class I association and peptide loading. Mutations disrupting the interaction of CRT with ERp57 or the class I glycan completely eliminated PLC activity in vitro. By using the purified system, we also provide direct evidence for a role for UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase 1 in MHC class I assembly. The recombinant Drosophila enzyme reglucosylated MHC class I molecules associated with suboptimal ligands and allowed PLC reengagement and high-affinity peptide exchange. Collectively, the data indicate that CRT in the PLC enhances weak tapasin/class I interactions in a manner that is glycan-dependent and regulated by UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase 1.
An optimized database for spacecraft state-of-health analysis

This paper describes the design and implementation of an optimized state-of-health (SOH) database. We include performance data for querying measurands with various sample rates and with various change rates across multiple time intervals.
Application of Dyadic Data Analysis in Pediatric Psychology: Cystic Fibrosis Health-Related Quality of Life and Anxiety in Child–Caregiver Dyads

Objective To demonstrate the use of the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) of dyadic relationships in a sample of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and their caregivers. Methods Multilevel modeling evaluated relations between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and anxiety in 29 child–caregiver dyads. The following effects were evaluated: actor and partner, and the respondent (i.e., child or caregiver) � HRQOL interaction. Results This study demonstrated a practical application of the APIM. Significant actor effects were found (i.e., lower child HRQOL was associated with increased child anxiety, caregiver anxiety increased as caregiver perceptions of their child’s HRQOL decreased), but not partner effects. The significant interaction indicated that the effects were different for children and caregivers. Conclusions The APIM has the potential to increase pediatric researchers’ understanding of how social relationships and environments impact health outcomes. Future research should consider using dyadic data analysis when youth and caregiver data are available.
A Maximum Rank‐Sum Test for One‐Pulse Variation in Monthly Data

A nonparametric test to detect a pulse in monthly data is presented. This test is a maximum rank-sum test. The test statistic can be computed from frequencies or rates. The exact null distribution of the test statistic is tabulated for pulses that last 3, 4, 5, or 6 months. Estimates from a simulation study of the test's type I error rate and power are presented. The statistical modeling of the data is discussed. Several examples are given to illustrate the application of the test and the modeling procedures. Practical matters such as the treatment of tied observations, the effect of unequal lengths in the months, sample-size calculation, and post-test power analysis are discussed and illustrated with examples.
Radiation-Induced Micro-RNA Expression Changes in Peripheral Blood Cells of Radiotherapy Patients

Purpose MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of noncoding small RNAs that regulate gene expression, are involved in numerous physiologic processes in normal and malignant cells. Our in vivo study measured miRNA and gene expression changes in human blood cells in response to ionizing radiation, to develop miRNA signatures that can be used as biomarkers for radiation exposure. Methods and Materials Blood from 8 radiotherapy patients in complete remission 1 or 2 was collected immediately before and 4 hours after total body irradiation with 1.25 Gy x-rays. Both miRNA and gene expression changes were measured by means of quantitative polymerase chain reaction and microarray hybridization, respectively. Hierarchic clustering, multidimensional scaling, class prediction, and gene ontology analysis were performed to investigate the potential of miRNAs to serve as radiation biomarkers and to elucidate their likely physiologic roles in the radiation response. Results The expression levels of 45 miRNAs were statistically significantly upregulated 4 hours after irradiation with 1.25 Gy x-rays, 27 of them in every patient. Nonirradiated and irradiated samples form separate clusters in hierarchic clustering and multidimensional scaling. Out of 223 differentially expressed genes, 37 were both downregulated and predicted targets of the upregulated miRNAs. Paired and unpaired miRNA-based classifiers that we developed can predict the class membership of a sample with unknown irradiation status, with accuracies of 100% when all 45 upregulated miRNAs are included. Both miRNA control of and gene involvement in biologic processes such as hemopoiesis and the immune response are increased after irradiation, whereas metabolic processes are underrepresented among all differentially expressed genes and the genes controlled by miRNAs. Conclusions Exposure to ionizing radiation leads to the upregulation of the expression of a considerable proportion of the human miRNAome of peripheral blood cells. These miRNA expression signatures can be used as biomarkers of radiation exposure.
Molecular phylogeny of earthworms (Annelida : Crassiclitellata) based on 28S, 18S and 16S gene sequences

Abstract. Relationships among, and content of, earthworm families have been controversial and unstable. Here we analyse molecular data from 14 Crassiclitellata families represented by 54 genera, the non-crassiclitellate ‘earthworms’ of the Moniligastridae, plus several clitellate outgroups. Complete 28S and 18S gene sequences and a fragment of the 16S gene analysed separately or in concatenated Bayesian analyses indicate that most previously proposed suprafamilial taxa within the Crassiclitellata are para- or polyphyletic. There is strong support for the Metagynophora, which consists of the Crassiclitellata and Moniligastridae. The most basal within-Clitellata branch leads to the small families Komarekionidae, Sparganophilidae, Kynotidae, and Biwadrilidae, found in widely separated areas. A clade composed of Lumbricidae, Ailoscolecidae, Hormogastridae, Criodrilidae and Lutodrilidae appears near the base of the tree, but Criodrilidae and Biwadrilidae are not closely related because the former is sister to ...
Effect of ethylene and temperature conditioning on sensory attributes and chemical composition of ‘Bartlett’ pears

Abstract ‘Bartlett’ pears are resistant to ripening after harvest. Ethylene and temperature conditioning have been successfully used to stimulate fruit ripening with improved eating quality over non-conditioned fruit. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of different conditioning treatments on the sensory attributes of the fruit. In this study, we compared a descriptive sensory evaluation with the chemical composition of ‘Bartlett’ pears after the fruit were exposed to the following conditioning treatments: 2 d 100 μl L−1 ethylene, 14 or 7 d at 0 °C, 7 or 3 d at 10 °C, or untreated control at 20 °C. Fruit were softened to 27, 18 and 9 N firmness before evaluation. At 9 N, fruit conditioned at 0 °C produced high levels of esters, and fruit conditioned at 0 °C for 14 d also were high in sweet taste and fruity flavor attributes. Fruit treated at 10 °C had lower concentrations of esters, but fruit treated at 10 °C for 3 d was high in sweet taste perception. Ethylene treated fruit produced low levels of esters and high levels of aldehydes and were associated with apple aroma, similar to the untreated control fruit. Water soluble pectin levels were highly and positively correlated with juiciness and sweetness and negatively correlated with firmness, crunchiness, and grittiness. Future studies should determine whether consumer liking of ‘Bartlett’ pear fruit is also influenced by conditioning treatment.
Orbit control at the ALS based on sensitivity matrices

A third-generation synchrotron-light source storage ring requires accurate orbit correction because its lattice is very sensitive to magnet imperfections and misalignments. If model-based control is used, calibration of this model is required in advance. Therefore, it is preferable to prepare some kind of model-free orbit control scheme that is complementary to model-based control. A sensitivity matrix (Smatrix) works effectively as the kernel of a model-free orbit control system for a given optics of a lattice. This paper describes recent efforts in this respect at Advanced Light source.
The role of immune responses in the pathogenesis of rabies

In the absence of treatment, infection with a variety of rabies virus strains most often results in a lethal outcome. This can be averted by prompt immunization following exposure demonstrating that the development of anti-rabies viral immunity prior to extensive infection of neurons is protective. Otherwise it might be expected that immune clearance of the virus would result in neurological sequelae. Thus, the capacity of a rabies virus to induce a protective immune response is a major, negative determinant of its pathogenicity and highly pathogenic rabies viruses have characteristics that avoid triggering protective immune responses. On the other hand, there is evidence that certain aspects of immunity may contribute to the pathogenesis of rabies under certain circumstances. The relationship between rabies virus and the immune system of the host is the focus of this review.
The Role of GTP Binding and Microtubule-Associated Proteins in the Inhibition of Microtubule Assembly by Carbendazim

The fungicide carbendazim (CBZ) is known to disrupt microtubular structures in the testis and to cause testicular toxicity in rats. To investigate the mechanism underlying the toxicity of CBZ, tubulin and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) were isolated from rat testis and brain using two techniques. The effects of CBZ on MT assembly were compared with the known microtubule (MT) disruptors, colchicine and nocodazole. CBZ (100 mM) had no effect on the assembly of MTs from MAP-containing tubulin isolated with one cycle of glycerol-dependent assembly and disassembly while colchicine (40 mM) and nocodazole (12.5 mM) strongly inhibited the assembly reaction. Similarly, formation of MTs from tubulin prepared with two cycles of glycerol-dependent assembly was strongly inhibited by colchicine and nocodazole but only weakly by CBZ. All three compounds inhibited the assembly of MTs from MAP-free tubulin isolated with glutamate. However, the inhibition by CBZ was reversed by the inclusion of highmolecular-weight MAPs and not by unrelated protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA). Addition of nocodazole to assembled MTs caused immediate depolymerization, whereas CBZ did not directly cause depolymerization. However CBZ was an effective inhibitor of the polymerization of depolymerized tubulin. In competitive binding assays, CBZ was found to inhibit the binding of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) to tubulin. The data suggest that CBZ interferes with initial events of MT polymerization, specifically GTP binding, and that MAPs moderate this effect.
Successful treatment with injected hyaluronic acid in a patient with lip asymmetry after surgical correction of cleft lip.

BACKGROUND Surgical repair of cleft lip, while correcting deformity and dysfunction, may leave residual cosmetic imperfections. The resultant asymmetry and low volume of the upper lip can be addressed surgically and via less invasive methods. OBJECTIVE We present the first reported use of injectable hyaluronic acid to correct the characteristic lip asymmetry and poor volume after surgical repair of a cleft lip. METHODS AND MATERIALS Using injectable hyaluronic acid, we treated the patient's upper lip to restore symmetry and achieve an augmented volume. RESULTS We obtained a symmetric correction and aesthetically pleasing volume augmentation in the affected lip. These results lasted approximately 4 months. CONCLUSION Using a temporary, alloplastic, injectable soft tissue filler such as hyaluronic acid satisfactorily achieves correction of asymmetry and low volume in a surgically repaired cleft lip. For patients who have endured multiple corrective surgeries, this is a novel and less invasive way to improve their cosmetic concerns.
A linearized phase-modulated analog optical link

We demonstrate a linearized phase-modulated analog link that achieves a fifth-order-limited spurious-free dynamic range of ~130 dB-Hz4/5. This result represents a 17 dB improvement over conventional (single-detector) intensity-modulated links for the same received photocurrent.
Corticosteroid Therapy-induced Obesity in Children

The severity and persistence of corticosteroid-induced obesity were evaluated retrospectively in 23 children aged 1-14 yrs requiring more than 60 days of therapy with prednisone for idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. Mean relative weight (after clearing of proteinuria) at initiation of therapy was 107 +/- 10 percent. Peak relative weight on therapy was 119 +/- 15 percent following a mean total of 31 months of cumulative steroid therapy. The most recent available relative weight in remission at least 6 months following cessation of therapy was 107 +/- 18 percent. The number of children whose relative weight exceeded 120 percent at initiation of, during and following therapy was 3, 10, and 4, respectively. In those with normal initial relative weight (less than 110%) there was no persistent obesity. Two of three initially obese patients (relative weight greater than 120%) remained obese. All patients with persistent obesity following therapy had initial relative weight of at least 110 percent and peak relative weight of more than 130 percent. The risk of persistent obesity as a result of chronic corticosteroid therapy in initially normal weight children who do not exceed 130 percent relative weight during therapy appears to be small.
Reform, Nationalism and Internationalism: The Opium Suppression Movement in China and the Anglo-American Influence, 1900–1908

Of the late Ch'ing reforms, perhaps none is more surprising than the opium suppression movement. Beginning in late 1906, it had by the end of 1908 succeeded in markedly curtailing the cultivation and consumption of opium at home and in obtaining formal assurance from the British to terminate gradually opium imports. These startling achievement are further magnified when we consider the setting within which they occurred.
Using a personal computer to teach power system transients

Because of the availability of low cost personal computers, students can use them as a computational tool in the study of power systems. This paper presents a technique for teaching power system transients using a personal computer. The technique allows the students to use their knowledge of network theory to develop a mathematical model for the power system. All components in the power system are represented by equivalent networks. For example, transmission lines are modeled by cascade connections of a finite number of pi-section segments. Each segment consists of a series resistance and inductance and a shunt conductance and capacitance. State equations are then formulated for the power system using the capacitor voltages and inductor currents as state variables. The result is a set of first-order, linear differential equations. Although the set is typically of high order, they are readily transformed to a set of linear difference equations by using trapezoidal integration. The resulting system of linear difference equations is quite manageable on the personal computer and the transient solution for system voltages and currents is readily obtained by linear algebra. Since this approach is based on network theory fundamentals, the modeling techniques can be taught to undergraduate students. The trapezoidal approach to the solution of the differential equations is intuitively appealing to undergraduates and may provide their first introduction to numerical integration. Therefore the student can develop the algebraic model and only needs a subroutine which solves a set of linear equations in order to obtain the transient solution.
Multifrequency viscoacoustic modeling and inversion

Modeling and inversion for seismic wavefields that include the attenuation and phase dispersion effects of Q can be implemented in the space-frequency domain. The viscoacoustic wave equation is solved by the moment method. Absorbing boundary conditions are implemented by reducing Q and adjusting the complex velocity (to reduce Q-dependent reflectivity) in a zone around the edges of the model grid. Nonlinear inversion is performed using iterative linearized inversions. The residual wavefield at a single frequency is back projected, using an anticausal Green's function, along the viscoacoustic wavepath in an estimate of the model, to get updated velocity and Q distributions. The model obtained from data at one frequency becomes input to inversion at the next higher frequency. Velocity and Q are inverted simultaneously as they are interdependent. Both modeling and inversion algorithms are successfully tested with synthetic examples; data at two or three frequencies are sufficient to produce reliable images from noise-free synthetic data.
Cholangioscopy and cholangioscopic forceps biopsy in patients with indeterminate pancreaticobiliary pathology.

Background & Aims: We report the usefulness of cholangioscopy in patients with indeterminate pancreaticobiliary pathology. Methods: A prospective collection of 62 consecutive patients during a period of 2.5 years who were referred to our tertiary referral center for cholangioscopy for indeterminate strictures suspicious for malignancy were included. Tissue sampling followed cholangioscopic visualization. Biopsies were obtained under direct visualization (cholangioscopy-directed) or through the duodenoscope (cholangioscopy-assisted). Results: Sixty-two patients had 72 examinations. Forty patients had nondiagnostic sampling before cholangioscopy. Indications were stricture (n = 67: 16 primary sclerosing cholangitis, 51 non–primary sclerosing cholangitis), ductal dilation, or intraductal mass (n = 5). Biopsies were not performed in 19 because cholangioscopy did not identify suspicious lesions. Of the remaining 53 procedures, 29 underwent either cholangioscopy-directed or cholangioscopy-assisted biopsy, and 24 had both. Cholangioscopy findings consisted of primary sclerosing cholangitis only (n = 18), benign stricture or inflammatory changes (n = 18), bile duct cancer (n = 14), normal (n = 10), pancreatic cancer (n = 5), and other (n = 7). Fifty-eight patients (94%) had follow-up for a mean of 12.4 months (95% confidence interval, 10.1–14.7). Sixteen of 18 (89%) patients with a final diagnosis of malignancy were detected with cholangioscopy. The 2 missed cancers were intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. Overall, sensitivity to detect malignancy by cholangioscopy with and without biopsy was 89%, specificity 96%, positive predictive value 89%, and negative predictive value 96%. Conclusions: Cholangioscopy with and without biopsy is highly accurate in diagnosing and excluding pancreaticobiliary malignancy in patients with indeterminate strictures.
Visualizing and quantifying molecular goodness-of-fit: small-probe contact dots with explicit hydrogen atoms.

The technique of small-probe contact dot surfaces is described as a method for calculating and displaying the detailed atomic contacts inside or between molecules. It allows one both to measure and to visualize directly the goodness-of-fit of packing interactions. It requires both highly accurate structures and also the explicit inclusion of all hydrogen atoms and their van der Waals interactions. A reference dataset of 100 protein structures was chosen on the basis of resolution (1.7 Aor better), crystallographic R-value, non-homology, and the absence of any unusual problems. Hydrogen atoms were added in stan- dard geometry and, where needed, with rotational optimization of OH, SH, and NH + positions. Side-chain amide orientations were corrected where required by NH van der Waals clashes, as described in the accompanying paper. It was determined that, in general, methyl groups pack well in the default staggered conformation, except for the terminal methyl groups of methionine residues, which required rotational optimization. The distri- bution of serious clashes (i.e. non-H-bond overlap of 50.4 A ˚ ) was studied as a function of resolution, alternate conformations, and temperature factor (B), leading to the decision that packing and other structural features would not be analyzed for residues in 'b' alternate conformations or with B-factors of 40 or above. At the level of the fine details analyzed here, structural accuracy improves quite significantly over the range from 1.7 to 1.0 Aresolution. These high-resolution structures show impressively well-fitted packing interactions, with some regions thoroughly interdigitated and other regions somewhat sparser. Lower-resolution structures or model structures could undoubtedly be improved in accuracy by the incorporation of this additional information: for example, nucleic acid structures in non-canoni- cal conformations are often very accurate for the bases and much less reliable for the backbone, whose conformation could be specified better by including explicit H atom geometry and contacts. The contact dots are an extremely sensitive method of finding problem areas, and often they can suggest how to make improvements. They can also provide explanations for structural features that have been described only as empirical regu- larities, which is illustrated by showing that the commonest rotamer of methionine (a left-handed spiral, with all w values nearˇ60) is preferred because it provides up to five good H atom van der Waals contacts. This methodology is thus applicable in two different ways: (1) for finding and correcting errors in structure models (either experimental or theoretical); and (2) for analyzing interaction patterns in the molecules themselves. # 1999 Academic Press
Emigrant Nation: the making of Italy abroad

Emigrant Nation: the making of Italy abroad, by Mark Choate, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 2008, xii + 319 pp., US$45.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-674-02784-8 In this book, Mark Choate puts...
Genetic analysis of the maximum drinks phenotype

Using data provided by the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism we studied the genetics of a quantitative trait: the maximum number of drinks consumed in a 24-hour period. A two-stage method was used. First, linkage analysis was performed, followed by association analysis in regions where linkage was detected. Additionally, the extent of linkage disequilibrium among single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated with the phenotype was assessed. Linkage to chromosomes 2 and 7 was detected, and follow-up association analysis found multiple trait-associated SNPs in the chromosome 7 linkage region. Chromosome 4, which has been implicated in previous studies of the maximum drinks phenotype, did not pass our threshold for linkage evidence in stage 1, but secondary analyses of this chromosome indicated modest evidence for both linkage and association. The evidence suggests that chromosome 7 may harbor an additional locus influencing the maximum drinks consumption phenotype.
Diversity matters: the importance of comparative studies and the potential for synergy between neuroscience and evolutionary biology.

Basic research in neuroscience and clinical research on neurological disorders synergistically increase our understanding of the human brain. Traditionally, functional and clinical studies of the human brain were limited to postmortem histology, “natural experiments” (eg, lesions to brain areas caused by trauma or disease), and crude measures of electrical activity such as electroencephalography. More recently, the development of transcranial magnetic stimulation and rapid advances in imaging technology have greatly facilitated human brain research. In rare cases in which treating a neurological disorder involves implanting electrodes, researchers can even record the electrical activity of individual neurons. Although these approaches have led to important insights, they do not allow for a precise dissection of the underlying mechanisms by which the brain mediates perception, cognition, and behavior. Thus, neuroscientists and neurologists remain severely limited in the types of experiments they can perform on human subjects and much of our understanding of brain structure and function is based on research in animal models. In this article, I highlight the enormous potential for synergy between neuroscience and evolutionary biology. Nervous systems have been shaped by evolution, and comparative approaches take advantage of the resulting diversity to gain insight into the neural mechanisms of behavior. On the other hand, nervous systems and the behaviors and perceptions they mediate can play a fundamental role in the evolutionary processes that generate this diversity. To emphasize these points, I describe recent findings from research on African fishes that use electricity to communicate and navigate in their dark underwater world.
Insufficient Justification for Exclusion Prompts Compensatory Behavior

This experiment examined participants' compensatory behavior toward an excluded stranger. Participants engaged in a four-person social introductions task and rank-ordered each other member of the group; the lowest ranked person was excluded from a subsequent game. Using a 2 × 2 design, participants were randomly assigned to a justification condition (insufficient vs. sufficient) and to an exclusion responsibility condition (responsible for exclusion vs. exclusion by random selection). Results revealed that after limited introductions (i.e., insufficient justification for one's ranking decision), being responsible for the exclusion prompted compensatory behavior toward the excluded stranger. However, after extended introductions (i.e., sufficient justification of one's ranking decision), participants did not compensate the excluded person. These results suggest that insufficient justification for exclusion may lead to compensatory behavior, when one is responsible for the exclusion.
Cholera Toxin Toxicity Does Not Require Functional Arf6- and Dynamin-dependent Endocytic Pathways

Cholera toxin (CT) and related AB5 toxins bind to glycolipids at the plasma membrane and are then transported in a retrograde manner, first to the Golgi and then to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In the ER, the catalytic subunit of CT is translocated into the cytosol, resulting in toxicity. Using fluorescence microscopy, we found that CT is internalized by multiple endocytic pathways. Inhibition of the clathrin-, caveolin-, or Arf6-dependent pathways by overexpression of appropriate dominant mutants had no effect on retrograde traffic of CT to the Golgi and ER, and it did not affect CT toxicity. Unexpectedly, when we blocked all three endocytic pathways at once, although fluorescent CT in the Golgi and ER became undetectable, CT-induced toxicity was largely unaffected. These results are consistent with the existence of an additional retrograde pathway used by CT to reach the ER.