cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of Protein-Protein interactions of the major sperm protein (MSP) of Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract In nematodes, sperm are amoeboid cells that crawl via an extended pseudopod. Unlike those in other crawling cells, this pseudopod contains little or no actin; instead, it utilizes the major sperm protein (MSP). In vivo and in vitro studies of Ascaris suum MSP have demonstrated that motility occurs via the regulated assembly and disassembly of MSP filaments. Filaments composed of MSP dimers are thought to provide the motive force. We have employed the yeast two-hybrid system to investigate MSP-MSP interactions and provide insights into the process of MSP filament formation. Fusions of the Caenorhabditis elegans msp-142 gene to both the lexA DNA binding domain (LEXA-MSP) and a transcriptional activation domain (AD-MSP) interact to drive expression of a lacZ reporter construct. A library of AD-MSP mutants was generated via mutagenic PCR and screened for clones that fail to interact with LEXA-MSP. Single missense mutations were identified and mapped to the crystal structure of A. suum MSP. Two classes of mutations predicted from the structure were recovered: changes in residues critical for the overall fold of the protein, and changes in residues in the dimerization interface. Multiple additional mutations were obtained in the two carboxy-terminal β strands, a region not predicted to be involved in protein folding or dimer formation. Size fractionation of bacterially expressed MSPs indicates that mutations in this region do not abolish dimer formation. A number of compensating mutations that restore the interaction also map to this region. The data suggest that the carboxy-terminal β strands are directly involved in interactions required for MSP filament assembly.
Prevalence of Learning Disability among United States Children with Asthma and Diabetes

Purpose Learning disability is common among United States (US) children and affects about 1 in 10. The likelihood of learning disability is high among children with multiple special health care needs. To purpose of this project was to explore the association of learning disability with two most common childhood chronic diseases, asthma and diabetes. Methods Prevalence of learning disability among children under the age of 18 with asthma and diabetes were calculated using the data from 2003 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). The NSCH was designed to produce national and state-specific prevalence estimates for a variety of health indicators and measures of children's health. Data analyses were done by SAS callable SUDAAN in order to account for the complex survey design and to calculate accurate variance statistics. Results Prevalence of learning disability is higher in US children under the age 18 with asthma and diabetes compared to those without. Among children without asthma it was 9.0% (95% CI 8.7, 9.4) compared with 14.4% (95% CI 13.2, 15.4) among children with asthma (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.5, 1.9). Similarly, prevalence of learning disability among children without diabetes was 9.7% (95% CI 9.4, 10.1), compared with 18.3% (95% CI 12.7, 25.6) among children with diabetes (OR=2.1, 95% CI 1.4, 3.2). The results were similar in the adjusted logistic regression models. The odds of learning disability among children with asthma were OR=1.5 (95% CI 1.3, 1.7) compared to those without and adjusted for age, gender, household education, poverty, smoking, and family structure. Among children with diabetes, the odds of learning disability were OR 1.7 (95% CI 1.1, 2.9), compared to those without and adjusted for age, gender, household education, poverty, smoking, and family structure. Conclusion US children under the age 18 with asthma and diabetes are significantly more likely to have learning disability than children without asthma and diabetes, indicating that learning disability is a co-morbidity among US children under the age 18 with asthma and diabetes.
A heat transfer study for beamline components in high‐power wiggler and undulator beamlines. Part II. Beryllium windows (invited)

The designs for heat transfer capabilities of beryllium windows and prefilters at Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) high power wiggler and undulator beamlines are discussed, based on experimental test results and finite element analysis calculations for determining temperature and thermal stress values and distributions.
Intense natural selection caused a rapid morphological transition in a living marine snail.

Abstract Shell shape and shell thickness of the intertidal snail Littorina obtusata changed markedly between 1871 and 1984 in northern New England. Shells collected prior to 1900 were high-spired with thin walls, whereas shells collected in 1982-84 were low-spired with thick walls. An intertidal crab (Carcinus maenas) which preys on L. obtusata expanded its range into northern New England around 1900. This suggests that the change in snail shell form was a response to predation by Carcinus. Field and laboratory experiments demonstrated that the high-spired form of L. obtusata, which can still be found in some Maine localities, is more vulnerable to predation by Carcinus than is the low-spired form of L. obtusata. Electrophoretic comparisons of high- and low-spired populations of L. obtusata confirmed that these populations represent different morphological forms of L. obtusata rather than different species [Nei's D (unbiased measure of genetic distance) = 0.003]. These data demonstrate that classical Darwinian selection can produce a rapid morphological transition without speciation.
Interactions of adrenergic compounds with brain membrane constituents

Abstract The specific activity of the Na + , K + -ATPase of rat brain synaptosomes was modulated by a series of adrenergic compounds in a manner related to each compound's partition between aqueous and organic solvents. The more organic-soluble compounds, the β-2 adrenergic blockers propranolol, pronethalol and butoxamine, inhibited the enzyme between 13 and 30 per cent. The more aqueous-soluble compounds, the agonists, epinephrine, norepinephrine and isoproterenol, and the β-1 blockers, practolol and acebutolol, stimulated the enzymatic activity by 30 per cent. These effects may be due to non-specific membrane interactions rather than to specific receptor effects. Optical measurements with pure protein and phospholipid indicated that the aqueous-soluble compounds bound to protein while the organic-soluble compounds interacted with acidic phospholipid phosphatidyl serine. The possible consequences of the compounds binding with acidic phospholipids and the resulting effect on membrane properties are discussed.
Baby STEPS: A Giant Leap for Cell Therapy in Neonatal Brain Injury

We advance Baby STEPS or Stem cell Therapeutics as an Emerging Paradigm in Stroke as a guide in facilitating the critical evaluation in the laboratory of the safety and efficacy of cell therapy for neonatal encephalopathy. The need to carefully consider the clinical relevance of the animal models in mimicking human neonatal brain injury, selection of the optimal stem cell donor, and the application of functional outcome assays in small and large animal models serve as the foundation for preclinical work and beginning to understand the mechanism of this cellular therapy. The preclinical studies will aid our formulation of a rigorous human clinical trial that encompasses not only efficacy testing but also monitoring of safety indices and demonstration of mechanisms of action. This schema forms the basis of Baby STEPS. Our goal is to resonate the urgent call to enhance the successful translation of cell therapy from the laboratory to the clinic.
PARTICIPATION AND COMMUNICATION IN VIRTUAL TEAMS USING REPRESENTATIONAL AVATARS

The study examined how quantitative formative assessment tools may be applied to virtual team communication and provide quality and progress metrics to virtual team leaders. Representational avatars benefit virtual team communication and productivity. Organizational leaders need measurement tools to assess avatar innovation and monitor progress in virtual teams. A goal of this research was to supply a suite of tools to evaluate the potential for avatars to improve as well as monitor and measure virtual team participation and communication. The virtual teams were composed of students (N= 97) at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) in New Zealand and Uppsala University in Sweden. Students enrolled in the Intelligent Business Systems (IBS) course formed teams by country and were randomly assigned to a text-only or avatar-enriched communication format. Survey results indicated that text-based teams were perceived as efficient but lacking in inspired participation. Avatar-enriched teams noted frustration with software but rated their experience as enjoyable. No significant difference in communication quality between teams was indicated, but avatar-enriched teams posted significantly more words on weekly logbooks than text-based teams. Recommendations include a model for data disaggregation that may be of value to improve assessment, productivity, and administrative costs of technology-enhanced virtual teams.
The effect of vitamin K and warfarin on rat liver prothrombin concentrations.

Abstract Prothrombin was identified in rat liver microsomal extracts by its biological activity, adsorption on BaSO4, and electrophoretic mobility. The prothrombin activity was very low in normal rats and absent in vitamin K-deficient rats or rats treated with warfarin. Liver prothrombin concentrations in those rats reached a maximum 10 or 15 min after vitamin K administration, and then fell as prothrombin was secreted into the plasma. The appearance of prothrombin in the liver is not blocked by administration of sufficient cycloheximide to block liver protein synthesis. These data provide additional evidence that the function of vitamin K is to activate a preformed liver precursor to active prothrombin.
Ethical Dimensions of Ultrasound Screening for Fetal Anomalies

Abstract: The ethical dimensions of the debate on routine ultrasound are analyzed. The central role of the informed consent process, based on a respect for the autonomy of the pregnant woman, is presented. Failure to offer quality ultrasound in clinical settings where it is available restricts access to pregnant women to the diagnosis of fetal anomalies and therefore restricts access to the options of abortion and fetal therapy. We show that beneficence- and justice-based considerations do not supersede respect for autonomy.
Fans, filters, or rays? Pros and cons of the current environmental tuberculosis control technologies.

sion of its Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Tuberculosis in Health-Care Settings.1 The delay in publication reflects considerable honest disagreement among the various technical experts involved, and among organizations and individuals who have strong interests in the policies, procedures, and engineering interventions ultimately recommended in that document. The purpose of this editorial and of other articles2 in this series is to discuss some of the controversies regarding technologies currently available to reduce the risk of tuberculosis (TB) transmission in institutional environments. Although the revised guidelines will address all aspects of tuberculosis control in institutions, most attention has focused on the sequestering of known or potentially infectious TB cases and high-risk procedures in well-ventilated, negative-pressure TB isolation rooms to protect other building occupants, and the use of effective personal respiratory protection for those who must enter these and other high-risk areas. This issue features articles that discuss room filtration3 and ultraviolet (UV) air disinfection2methods considered supplemental to ventilation in the revised CDC guidelines. In this commentary, I highlight some of the pros and cons of building ventilation, filtration, and UV irradiation as primary as well as supplementary methods of air disinfection. FANS: BUILDING VENTILATION AS AN APPROACH TO AIR DISINFECTION
Analysis of the Mechanism of Die Soldering in Aluminum Die Casting

A mechanism of soldering of an aluminum alloy die casting to a steel die is proposed. A soldering critical temperature is postulated, at which iron begins to react with aluminum to form an aluminum-rich liquid phase and solid intermetallic compounds. The liquid joins the die with the casting upon solidification. The critical temperature is determined by the elements in both the casting alloy and the die material and is equal to the solidus temperature of the resulting alloy. The critical temperature is used to predict the onset of die soldering, and the local liquid fraction is related to the soldering tendency. Experiments have been carried out to validate the concept and to determine the critical temperature for die soldering in an iron-aluminum system. Thermodynamic calculations are used to determine the critical temperature and soldering tendency for the cases of pure aluminum and a 380 alloy in a steel mold. Factors affecting the soldering tendency are discussed, and methods for reducing die soldering are suggested.
Sequence homology between bacteriorhodopsin and G-protein coupled receptors: exon shuffling or evolution by duplication?

Abstract Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) is a membrane protein of known structure, widely used for the homology modeling of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). The observation of apparently transposed sequence similarities between some of the helical domains of BR and GPCR has led to the suggestion that exon shuffling may have occurred in the later evolution of GPCR, which would necessitate a different folding pattern for the seven transmembrane helices of GPCR. An alternate hypothesis is that duplication occurred in the evolution of an ancestral gene, such that helices 5–7 originated as duplicates of helices 1–3, leading to intragenic as well as intergenic similarities between helices 1–3 and 5–7 of BR and various GPCR. Analyses of GPCR and BR sequences suggest that such a duplication may have occurred; symmetry within the BR structure is also consistent with homology between these two regions. The hypothesis of evolution by duplication is consistent with the conventional, unshuffled homology model, which is also supported by the obvious conservation of the retinal binding Lys moiety on helix 7 in both BR and the mammalian opsins.
A Method of Improving Power System Transient Stability Using Controllable Parameters

Controllable parameters in a power system include generator terminal voltage, generator input power, and network admittances. These parameters can be controlled to damp mechanical rotor oscillation in the generators and thereby improve system transient stability. Explicit equations are derived for the control of these parameters to introduce damping uniformly throughout a large power system. These equations are derived on the basis of minimizing a positive definite error function. Decision functions are included which inhibit damping action when it leads to system instability. This method can be used to coordinate the application of locally based damping techniques.
The study of epithelial function by quantitative light microscopy

Quantitative light microscopy can be used to analyze the mechanisms of salt and water movement across epithelial cells. Methods for light microscopic visualization and image aquisition are reviewed. Video image recording and processing are shown to be essential for the study of epithelial cell function by light microscopy.
Kinetics of extraction of ferredoxin-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate reductase from spinach chloroplasts.

Abstract The kinetics of extraction of ferredoxin-NADP reductase from chloroplasts was studied under standardized conditions. The process appeared to be irreversible and did not follow first-order kinetics. The rate was increased by addition of ethanol to the extraction buffer or by elevated temperatures and pH, but extraction was retarded by high concentrations of sucrose or inorganic salts. The kinetics of extraction was unaffected by a wide variety of modifications of the standardized conditions, including freezing and thawing. Chloroplasts isolated by precipitation in 95% acetone released the reductase more rapidly than those isolated in buffered sucrose solutions.
Childhood burns in Ghana: epidemiological characteristics and home-based treatment

The objectives of this research were to study the epidemiological characteristics and home-based treatment of childhood burns in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Children aged 0-5 years with a burn history were identified through a community-based, multisite survey. A standard questionnaire was administered to mothers of 630 of these children to elicit information on their sociodemographic characteristics and the circumstances of the burn event. Ninety-two per cent of the burns occurred in the home, particularly in the kitchen (51 per cent) and the house yard (36 per cent), with most of them happening in the late morning and around the evening meal. The main causes of the burns were scalds (45 per cent), contact with a hot object (34 per cent) and flame (20 per cent). 'Cool' water was applied to the burned area in 30 per cent of cases. Otherwise, treatment with a traditional preparation was the most popular first-aid choice. Since a considerable proportion of burns happened between meals when children 'play with fire' in the house yard, the provision of alternative play activities and community play areas may reduce the incidence of burns to these children. Secondly, we recommend that education on first-aid management of burns be intensified, with special emphasis on alternatives to the use of traditional preparations.
Authenticating public access networking

The University of Pittsburgh began offering network connections to residence hall students in 1998. Initially, students were assigned static IP addresses and manual processes were implemented to record the each computer's network card MAC address. This quickly became unwieldy as service was expanded to all of the nearly 6,000 residence hall rooms. In 2000, DHCP was used to provide student IP addresses in conjunction with registration software to record the necessary machine information. Tracing activity in response to security issues was still time-consuming because of the time needed to research activity logs.The adaptation of the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) for broadband use by commercial Internet Services Providers (ISP's) provided a much simpler solution for registering users, and providing IP addresses. Direct user authentication to the network is accomplished by requiring the entry of a username and password each time the user establishes a connection. Tracing specific activity is simplified because it is not necessary to research different sets of logs to determine the IP address and username. Management of the system is entirely dynamic. The system can be used just as easily for ports located in public areas, classrooms, and in conjunction with wireless network services. The need for authenticated access to the network from these locations is even more important than from the residence halls.Although PPPoE has been used for authenticated access in the residence halls during the past academic year, this service will be converted to the IEEE 802.1x standard, which eliminates the requirement for client authentication software in the coming year. Our experience with PPPoE is that support requirements are very low and are primarily limited to client software installation assistance. Further reduction of support requirements is expected with the introduction of 802.1x authentication for residence hall, public access, classroom, and wireless network connections.
Vanadium-base alloys for fusion reactor applications — a review

Abstract Vanadium-base alloys offer potentially significant advantages over other candidate alloys as a structural material for fusion reactor first wall/blanket applications. Although the data base is more limited than that for the other leading candidate structural materials, viz., austenitic and ferritic steels, vanadium-base alloys exhibit several properties that make them particularly attractive for the fusion reactor environment. This paper presents a review of the structural material requirements, a summary of the materials data base for selected vanadium-base alloys with emphasis on the V-15Cr-5Ti alloy, and a comparison of projected performance characteristics compared to other candidate alloys. Also, critical research and development (R&D) needs are defined. The relatively high thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion coefficient of vanadium-base alloys, which result in lower thermal stresses for a given heat flux compared to most other candidate alloys, should enhance the reactor wall-load and lifetime capability. Since the mechanical strength of vanadium-base alloys is retained at relatively high temperatures, higher operating temperatures are projected for these alloys than for austenitic or ferritic steels. The refractory metals, including vanadium, characteristically exhibit good corrosion resistance in purified liquid metals. The vanadium alloys also exhibit favorable neutronic properties which include lower parasitic neutron absorption leading to better tritium breeding performance, lower bulk nuclear heating rates, and lower helium generation rates compared to the steels. Limited data from moderate fluence neutron irradiations (fast breeder reactor) and high-damage level ion irradiations indicate good radiation damage resistance. Major concerns regarding the use of vanadium-base alloys for fusion reactor applications relate to cost, reactivity with oxygen/air, and the limited data base. The impact of these concerns and potential design solutions are discussed. Because of the corrosion/compatibility considerations, the vanadium alloys offer greater promise for liquid metal breeder concepts than for the solid breeder concepts.
The inhibitory upstream open reading frame from mammalian S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase mRNA has a strict sequence specificity in critical positions

The upstream open reading frame (uORF) in the 5' leader of the mammalian mRNA encoding S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) serves as a negative regulatory element by suppressing translation of the associated downstream cistron. Certain changes in the amino acid sequence of the hexapeptide (sequence MAGDIS) encoded by the uORF destroy suppressive activity, implying specific interaction with a cellular target. In this paper, we examine the extent of alterations that can be tolerated in this uORF. The mammalian AdoMetDC uORF inhibits downstream translation when placed into the 5' leader of a yeast mRNA with characteristics resembling those in mammalian cells, suggesting that the encoded peptide has a similar target across species. Using yeast for the initial screen, we tested the specificity of the critical three codons at the 3' end of the uORF by saturation mutagenesis. Altered uORFs selected from the primary yeast screen were then retested in mammalian cells. The requirements at codons 4 and 5 were quite stringent; only aspartic acid at codon 4 yielded a fully suppressive peptide, and only valine could substitute productively for isoleucine at codon 5. The specificity at codon 6 was much looser, with many substitutions retaining suppressive activity in both yeast and mammalian cells.
An improved upwind finite volume relaxation method for high speed viscous flows

An improved upwind relaxation algorithm for the Navier-Stokes equations is presented, and results are given from the application of the method to two test problems, including (1) a shock/boundary layer interaction on a flat plate (M[sub [infinity]] =2.0) and (2) a high-speed inlet (M[sub [infinity]] = 5.0). The technique is restricted to high-speed (i.e., supersonic/hypersonic) viscous flows. The new algorithm depends on a partitioning of the global domain into regions or sub-domains, where a relatively thin [open quotes]elliptic[close quotes] region is identified near each solid wall boundary, and the remainder of the flowfield is identified to be a single larger [open quotes]hyperbolic[close quotes] (i.e., hyperbolic/parabolic in the stream-wise direction) region. A direct solution procedure by lower/upper factorization is applied to the elliptic region(s), the results of which are then coupled to a standard line Gauss-Seidel relaxation sweep across the entire domain in the primary flow direction. In the first test problem, the new algorithm reduced total run times as much as 75% when compared to the standard alternating forward/backward vertical line Gauss-Seidel (VLGS) algorithm, whereas in the second test problem, a total savings as high as 20% was achieved. Essentially all of this improvement occurred only after the initial transientmore » in the solution was overcome. However, in the second test problem, a significant improvement in the computational performance of the standard forward/backward VLGS algorithm was noted when overcoming the initial transient simply by converting from the use of conserved variables to primitive variables in the spatial discretization and linearization of all terms. 22 refs., 11 figs.« less
Large sets in AC 0 have many strings with low Kolmogorov complexity

Abstract If A is a set in AC0 such that for some q > 0 and infinitely many n, ¦A = n ¦ > 2 n − log q n , then A contains more than quasipolynomially many strings with polynomial-time bounded Kolmogorov complexity below ne, for arbitrary e > 0, at each sufficiently large length n where A satisfies the above density condition.
Alkaline extraction conditions determine gelling properties of corn bran arabinoxylans

Abstract Alkali treatment is used for extraction of arabinoxylans (AXs) from cereal brans. Our objective was to determine the effect of alkali treatment conditions on oxidative gelling of corn bran AXs. AXs extracted through mild alkali treatment formed strong gels through ferulic acid (FA) crosslinking by the action of laccase. Increasing harshness of alkali treatment caused a decrease in average FA content of AXs and elasticity of gels. However, gelling capacity of the AX samples was not predicted well by average FA content. We hypothesize that this is due to the presence of AX molecules with different FA contents within a sample. AX molecules rich in FA would form crosslinks and participate in the network, while those with low FA contents would not. The proportion of participating molecules would be the factor deciding the gelling capacity of the sample. This concept of participating molecules was tested by establishing the presence of crosslinks in non-gelling samples through HPSEC and rheological measurements pertaining to the Cox–Merz rule. The study provides an approach to design of gels with different strengths, textures and colonic fermentation properties.
Study on a Continuous Heat Integrated Distillation Column

Abstract A novel continuous heat integrated distillation column called a concentric column has been studied using computer simulation. It is shown that a concentric column is a novel implementation of a thermodynamically reversible distillation column and has a lower energy loss than an ordinary distillation column. Our studies show that a concentric column has reduced column height, since the stripping section is configured concentrically around the rectifying section, and uses less utilities than a conventional column.
Aluminium bromide catalysed transalkylations of a Texas lignite coal

Abstract Texas lignite coal was treated at a variety of reaction times and temperatures with water-activated AlBr 3 in the presence of either m -xylene or diphenyl ether. Reactions with m -xylene resulted in increases in coal weights, probably due to incorporation of xylene into the coal structure, whereas reactions with diphenyl ether resulted in weight losses in the treated coal. The solubility in pyridine of the coal recovered from these reactions was increased significantly, reaching a maximum of 50% in one reaction with diphenyl ether. Suggestions are made for processes that may explain both the weight increases and the greater pyridine solubility. Support for the occurrence of transalkylation of alkyl groups from lignite to diphenyl ether was provided by g.c.-m.s. analysis of an ether extract in which diphenyl ether molecules substituted with C 1 –C 13 alkyl groups could be identified. Also of interest was the observation of the compound phenoxathin among the products of transalkylation.
Tilted Baroclinic Tidal Vortices

The structure of baroclinic vortices generated by horizontal flow separation past a sloping headland in deep, stably stratified waters is investigated. The most distinctive feature of these eddies is that their cores are strongly tilted with respect to the stratification, yet their velocity field remains quasi-horizontal. Field observations and numerical simulations are used to explore the consequences of the strong tilt on the eddy baroclinic structure. It is found that the background density field is altered in such a way as to maintain a pressure minimum in the tilted vortex cores. This adjustment results in a fundamental asymmetry of the density field. Isopycnals are deflected upward on the shoreward side and downward on the opposite side of the eddy center. The resulting pattern closely resembles the asymmetries of azimuthal wavenumber one that develop when tropical cyclones become tilted by an environmental shear.The authors provide a simple analytical model that suggests this structure is obtained via a balance between the centrifugal force and the horizontal pressure gradient. As the eddies release from the boundary, adjust, and decay, their tilt as well as the associated density perturbation decrease and lose coherence. It is suggested that this may lead to a conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy.
Prevention and Control of Periodontal Disease

The prevention and arrest of periodontal disease are important facets in a total preventive dentistry program. In view of the recent widespread interest in plaque control, the Council on Dental Research deemed it appropriate to have a review prepared on the preventive aspects of periodontal disease. All material presented in this report was obtained from the scientific literature.
Pfaffians on Hilbert space

On presente une theorie des pfaffiens relatifs sur un espace de Hilbert de dimension infinie
Absorption of wave energy by elongated bodies

Abstract Slender-body approximations are used to predict the maximum rate of energy absorption by an elongated floating vessel which performs vertical motions of varying amplitude and phase along its length. Simple estimates are derived for the amplitude and phase of particular mode shapes, and for the corresponding power absorption. Specific mode shapes considered include polynomials, trigonometric functions, and piecewise-linear functions intended to represent an articulated raft. An articulated raft with two hinges appears to be optimum from the engineering standpoint.
Development and characterization of a rodent model of immune-mediated cholangitis

Abstract The cholangiopathies are a group of hepatobiliary diseases in which intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells, or cholangiocytes, are the target for a variety of destructive processes, including immune-mediated damage. We tested the hypothesis that cholangitis could be induced in rodents by immunization with highly purified cholangiocytes. Inbred Wistar rats were immunized with purified hyperplastic cholangiocytes isolated after bile duct ligation from either syngeneic Wistar or allogeneic Fischer 344 rats; control rats were immunized with bovine serum albumin (BSA) or hepatocytes. After immunization with cholangiocytes, recipient animals developed histologic evidence of nonsuppurative cholangitis without inflammation in other organs; groups immunized with BSA or hepatocytes showed no cholangitis. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that portal tract infiltrates around bile ducts consisted of CD3-positive lymphocytes, some of which expressed major histocompatibility complex class II antigen; B cells and exogenous monocytes/macrophages were essentially absent. Transfer of unfractionated ConA-stimulated spleen cells from cholangiocyte-immunized (but not BSA-immunized) rats into recipients also caused nonsuppurative cholangitis. Moreover, these splenocytes from cholangiocyte-immunized (but not BSA-immunized) rats were cytotoxic in vitro for cultured rodent cholangiocytes; no cytotoxicity was observed against a rat hepatocyte cell line. Also, a specific antibody response in sera of cholangiocyte-immunized rats was demonstrated by immunoblots against cholangiocyte proteins. Finally, cholangiograms in cholangiocyte-immunized rats showed distortion and tortuosity of the entire intrahepatic biliary ductal system. This unique rodent model of experimental cholangitis demonstrates the importance of immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of cholangitis and will prove useful in exploring the mechanisms by which the immune system targets and damages cholangiocytes.
Analysis of protein dynamics using local-DME calculations

Flexibility and dynamics of protein structures are reflected in the B-factors and order parameters obtained experimentally with X-ray crystallography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Methods such as Normal Mode Analysis (NMA) and Elastic Network Models (ENM) can be used to predict the fluctuations of protein structures for either atomic level or coarse-grained structures. Here, we introduce the Local-Distance Matrix Error (DME), an efficient and simple analytic method to study the fluctuations of protein structures, especially for the ensembles of NMR-determined protein structures. Comparisons with the fluctuations obtained by experiments and other by computations show strong correlations.
Chronic inflammatory lesions of the placenta

The chronic inflammatory lesions of the placenta often run in the shadows of the better-known acute inflammatory processes of the placenta, such as acute chorioamnionitis and acute funisitis. A heterogeneous population of T-cell lymphocytes, plasma cells, and macrophages is the primary player in chronic villitis, chronic chorioamnionitis, chronic deciduitis, and chronic intervillositis, and eosinophils are an added component of eosinophilic/T-cell chorionic vasculitis. The histologic appearance, sites of occurrence in the placenta, and pathogeneses of these entities are reviewed.
Upwelling Water as a Factor Influencing Choice of Spawning Sites by Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Abstract Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) generally select areas of upwelling spring water for spawning under natural conditions. When presented with suitable gravel containing an artificially controlled aquifer of about 0.1% the area of a circular tank, female trout selected spawning sites that were either in close proximity to the upwelling water or adjacent to it in 21 of 22 trials. Average time lapse for completion of spawning was about 30 hours. Use of a tank several times larger than 1.9 m2 would probably improve conditions for making more precise observations on discrimination of aquifers under laboratory conditions.
A Review of “Italy's Eighteenth Century: Gender and Culture in the Age of the Grand Tour”: Findlen, Paula, Wendy Wassyng Roworth, and Catherine M. Sama, eds., Stanford, CA, Stanford University Press 504 pp., $65.00, ISBN 978-0-8047-5904-9 Publication Date: January 2009

Falling between the glories of the Renaissance and the dramas of the Risorgimento, the eighteenth century is an often overlooked period of Italian history. Yet, as the authors of the pieces in Ital...
Light adaptation and the luminance-response function of the cone electroretinogram.

Cone electroretinograms are typically isolated by presenting stimulus flashes against rod-desensitizing adapting fields. To investigate the manner in which adapting-field luminance affects cone electroretinogram response properties, we measured cone electroretinogram luminance-response functions of two normal subjects, with stimuli presented against adapting fields that ranged in luminance from -1.2 to 2.1 log cd/m2. A flicker rate of 31.1 Hz was used to isolate cone electroretinograms under all adaptation conditions. A hyperbolic equation of the form (R/Rmax)=Ln/(Ln+Kn) was fitted to each luminance-response function by a least-squares criterion. As adapting field luminance increased, the best-fit values of the variables K and n increased, which is in general agreement with results of electrophysiologic studies of light adaptation in retinal neurons. However, Rmax values also increased with adapting field luminance. The change in all three of these variables with adapting field luminance must be considered in the interpretation of cone electroretinogram luminance-response functions from patients with retinal disorders.
Developing Correlation Relationship Between Modulus of Subgrade Reaction and Resilient Modulus for Florida Subgrade Soils

The resilient modulus of pavement subgrade is an essential parameter for mechanistically based pavement design procedures; the modulus of subgrade reaction (k) is used as a primary parameter for rigid pavement design. The AASHTO pavement design guide (1986, 1993) suggested a theoretical relationship between modulus of subgrade reaction and resilient modulus of subgrade based on the assumption that the subgrade material is linear elastic. This paper presents an experimental study to evaluate the load-deformation and resilient modulus characteristics of the granular subgrade soils with the use of field and laboratory tests. An extensive field static plate bearing load testing program was conducted to evaluate the in situ bearing characteristics of typical Florida pavement subgrade soils. A full-scale laboratory evaluation of the subgrade performance was conducted in a test-pit facility that simulated the actual field conditions. A laboratory triaxial test was performed to evaluate the resilient modulus char...
Mode Mixity Dependence of Interfacial Fracture Toughness in Organic Electronic Structures

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and theoretical study of interfacial fracture in organic electronic structures. Interfacial fracture toughness is investigated as a function of mode mixity using Brazil disk specimens. The measured fracture toughness values are then compared with predictions determined from crack-tip shielding estimates and atomic force microscopy measurements of adhesion between layers that are relevant to organic electronic structures. The interfacial and layer fracture mechanics are elucidated before discussing the implications for the design of robust organic electronic structures.
An analytical model for depletion-region capacitance and widths of diffused p-n junctions

Depletion region widths and capacitance for silicon diffused p-n junctions with gaussian and complementary-error-function profiles have been calculated in detail by using an earlier model for depletion capacitance of an exponential-constant p-n junction. Beyond a certain range linear graded approximation is used to obtain better results. Incorporating graded junction approximation into the capacitance model an analytical model has been formulated which is valid for broad ranges of voltage, junction depth, background doping and surface concentration. Using this analytical model depletion capacitance and total widths of diffused junctions can be estimated from a set of expressions. Therefore, it is a viable alternative to the Lawrence and Warner curves which have been widely used in integrated circuit design. Furthermore, this analytical model has been simplified. This simplified model can be used to calculate depletion-region widths and capacitance for given values of applied voltage, junction depth, backg...
Propene pyrolysis and oxidation kinetics in a flow reactor and laminar flames

The pyrolysis and oxidation of propene were studied experimentally in an atmospheric flow reactor. Species profiles were obtained in the intermediate to high temperature range (∼1200 K) for lean, stoichiometric, rich, and pyrolytic conditions. Laminar flame speeds of propene/air mixtures were also determined over an extensive range of equivalence ratios, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, using the counterflow twin flame configuration. A detailed chemical kinetic model consisting of 469 reactions and 71 species was used to describe the high-temperature kinetics of propene, propyne, allene, and propane. It was shown that the kinetic model could accurately predict a wide range of combustion data for these fuels, including laminar premixed flame speeds, speciation in flow reactors, and ignition in shock tubes. Notable uncertainties in the reaction kinetics of these fuels are identified and discussed.
Readability and Content of Elder Abuse Instruments

Since elder abuse was first acknowledged as a health care and social problem, incidence and prevalence of mistreatment has been assessed sparingly in the United States and other countries around the world. Standardized instruments for determining the prevalence of elder abuse have not been developed and other instruments measuring a person's function and spousal violence have been adapted for the measurement of elder abuse prevalence. The purposes of this paper are to (1) ascertain the reading grade level of the most frequently used elder abuse prevalence instrument's text and (2) determine the content validity of the instruments with respect to the types of elder abuse included in them. A review of the instruments used to measure elder abuse prevalence was completed and a questionnaire was developed to measure the reading grade level and type of elder abuse content in four instruments. The Fry Readability, Flesch Reading Ease, and McLaughlin Grading formulas were used to determine reading grade level. A questionnaire regarding content validity was sent to 69 faculty and staff in one university department and a 59% return was achieved. The Conflict Tactics Scale and the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse-Screening Test had the lowest mean score at the 6th grade reading level. Results of content analysis for types of elder abuse demonstrated none of the instruments are comprehensive. Instruments to measure the prevalence are needed which balance readability and content validity.
Improving the computational efficiency of metric-based spares algorithms

Abstract We propose a new heuristic algorithm to improve the computational efficiency of the general class of Multi-Echelon Technique for Recoverable Item Control (METRIC) problems. The objective of a METRIC-based decision problem is to systematically determine the location and quantity of spares that either maximizes the operational availability of a system subject to a budget constraint or minimizes its cost subject to an operational availability target. This type of sparing analysis has proven essential when analyzing the sustainment policies of large-scale, complex repairable systems such as those prevalent in the defense and aerospace industries. Additionally, the frequency of these sparing studies has recently increased as the adoption of performance-based logistics (PBL) has increased. PBL represents a class of business strategies that converts the recurring cost associated with maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) into cost avoidance streams. Central to a PBL contract is a requirement to perform a business case analysis (BCA) and central to a BCA is the frequent need to use METRIC-based approaches to evaluate how a supplier and customer will engage in a performance based logistics arrangement where spares decisions are critical. Due to the size and frequency of the problem there exists a need to improve the efficiency of the computationally intensive METRIC-based solutions. We develop and validate a practical algorithm for improving the computational efficiency of a METRIC-based approach. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm are analyzed through a numerical study. The algorithm shows a 94% improvement in computational efficiency while maintaining 99.9% accuracy.
Advances in Cytochemical Methods for Detection of Apoptosis

In an earlier article from this laboratory, the current methods developed to detect apoptosis in cells and tissues were highlighted, along with the challenges in their interpretation. Recent discoveries concerning the underlying biochemical mechanisms of apoptotic effector pathways have made possible further assays that allow a more direct measure of the activation of the apoptotic machinery in cells. This article summarizes some of these newer methods and extends the interpretation of the more classical assays of apoptosis in a defined cell system. We present data in KB and PC3 cell model culture systems induced to undergo apoptosis by the plant toxin ricin. Using a modified in situ nick translation assay (ISNT) with either Bodipy or BUdR labeling, we confirm that most cells showing altered nuclear morphology do not show reactivity with this assay until very late in the apoptotic process. We also show that only a minority of cells label with fluorescent annexin V during apoptosis but that apoptotic cells...
Religious Environmentalism and Environmental Religion in America

This essay aims to offer a rudimentary map of the subfield of religion and ecology by describing three distinct scholarly responses to the challenge leveled by Lynn White's influential 1967 article. It articulates an organizational view of the field by accounting for the three most prevalent perspectives on the antagonism between religion and environmentalism. The first, ecotheological apologism, looks to resuscitate “Judeo-Christian” theology from the critique that it is inherently anti-ecological. The second, sociological operationalization, forgoes normative engagement in favor of descriptive measurement, seeking to describe in empirical terms the environmental beliefs and behaviors of religious individuals in contemporary society. The third, theoretical functionalism, works to soften the very distinction between religious tradition and ecological morality. Examining the sources and outcomes of these scholarly divergences provides a reasonable account of the development of religion and ecology as an area of study and brings to the fore the challenges presently facing the subfield. In conclusion, the essay describes the exchanges among these scholarly threads and suggests how they might be woven together more closely.
An unsupervised learning rule for vector normalization and gain control

A neural network model is proposed for linear processing units and an unsupervised learning rule for normalizing input vectors drawn from a given probability distribution. After training the network, the gain with which the inputs are sampled is set at such a level that it yields a fixed mapping between the root of the average squared norm of the input vectors and the norm of the processing unit's outputs. Three cases of normalization are considered. The adaptive network simultaneously performs error correction and recalibration. It is shown that the author's learning rule solves the dual problem of Oja's single-unit unsupervised learning rule. >
The use of learner-centered assessment practices in the United States: the influence of individual and institutional contexts

Research examining the contexts that influence the use of learner-centered assessment (LCA) practices in undergraduate courses has not kept pace with those focusing on teaching practices. Such research is needed given that conceptualizations of effective pedagogy generally include both teaching and assessment. The authors examined a range of individual and institutional variables and their relationships to the use of LCA among faculty in the United States. These variables measured the structural and cultural contexts in which faculty make pedagogical decisions. Data from the 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty revealed that faculty who were highly involved in advising, service, and research and reported teaching-friendly cultures were the most likely to use LCA practices. But, it was also found that higher teaching loads and class sizes hindered LCA practices. Almost all of the differences in LCA use occurred within institutions, and the institutional-level variables had little net influence on L...