cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tracing landscapes of the past in class subjectivity : Practices of memory and distinction in marketizing Russia

The creation of class subjectivities is an important but understudied topic for social memory studies, particularly in former socialist contexts. Soviet policies generated fertile conditions for the intertwining of class subjectivity and popular memory by deploying the categories of “intelligentsia” and “worker” as reified, enduring, and oppositional groups and privileging these groups in contradictory and often hypocritical ways. In this article, I explore the traces such policies left on contemporary, educated Russians’ sense of themselves as long-standing victims of class-based dispossession. Ethnographically, I examine debates I had with Russian friends about Mikhail Bulgakov's popular novel, Heart of a Dog, which depicts the Bolsheviks’ establishment of power in the 1920s through the eyes of an elite physician–scientist. Exploring Russians’ reactions to this story and their sense of its broader relevance reveals how aspiring middle-class subjects embraced a narrative of the Soviet past to justify the emerging inequalities of market reforms. Narrative landscapes of the socialist past illuminate a politics of victimization and moral restitution that underlies the contemporary embrace of inequality and stratified consumption. [memory, class, stratified consumption, health care, postsocialism, Russia]
Electron-hole quantum-confined states affected by point charge in semiconductor crystallite

The effects of a point charge inside a semiconductor crystallite on the electron, hole and electron-hole (e-h) pair ground quantum-confined states have been studied under the effective-mass approximation by means of the variational-perturbation approach. The electron, hole and e-h pair ground quantum-confined state energy as functions of the crystallite radius, the charge position inside the crystallite have been obtained. The validity of the variational-perturbation method is presented. Effects of this point charge on the optical properties of the crystallite have also been discussed.
Targeted therapy of multiple myeloma based upon tumor-microenvironmental interactions

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable, but recent advances in genomics and proteomics have allowed for advances in our understanding of disease pathogenesis, identified novel therapeutic targets, allowed for molecular classification, and provided the scientific rationale for combining targeted therapies to increase tumor cell cytotoxicity and abrogate drug resistance. Besides these advances, recognition of the role of the bone marrow (BM) milieu in conferring growth, survival, and drug resistance in MM cells, both in laboratory and animal models, has allowed for the establishment of a new treatment paradigm targeting the tumor cell and its microenvironment to overcome drug resistance and improve patient outcomes in MM. In particular, thalidomide, bortezomib, and lenalidamide all overcome conventional drug resistance, not only by directly inducing tumor cell cytotoxicity, but by inhibiting adhesion of MM cells to BM. This abrogates constitutive and MM-binding–induced transcription and secretion of cytokines, inhibits angiogenesis, and augments host anti-MM immunity. These three drugs have rapidly translated from bench to bedside and in treatment protocols of MM, first in patients with relapsed refractory disease, and then alone and in combination in newly diagnosed patients. Promising novel targeted agents include the novel proteasome inhibitor NPI-0052 and the heat shock protein inhibitor KOS-953. Importantly, gene-array, proteomic, and cell-signaling studies have not only helped to identify in vivo mechanisms of action and drug resistance to novel agents, but also aided in the design of promising combination-therapy protocols.
Plasma domains in extrinsic GaAs and InP

Abstract Various parameters are introduced relevant to criteria for physical domains in solid-state plasmas. Application is made to extrinsic GaAs and InP at 300 K and varying charge-carrier concentrations. At concentrations less than ~ 1015 cm−3, charge-carrier plasmas for both p- and n-type semiconductors, respectively, are classical and weakly coupled. At a concentration of 1016 cm−1 the plasmas grow degenerate. At a concentration of 1017 cm−3 both p-type materials approach a degenerate state whereas both n-type materials are weakly-coupled degenerate.
A new and fast algorithm for estimating the perimeter of objects for industrial vision tasks

Abstract We describe a new and fast method for estimating the perimeter of an object from its digitized counterpart. Such a method will be especially suitable for industrial vision tasks. An algorithm for implementing such a method on a digital computer is presented. The performance of the new method is given and the results are compared against those which would have been obtained using a standard approach.
Deviation from strict homeostasis across multiple trophic levels in an invertebrate consumer assemblage exposed to high chronic phosphorus enrichment in a Neotropical stream

A central tenet of ecological stoichiometry is that consumer elemental composition is relatively independent of food resource nutrient content. Although the P content of some invertebrate consumer taxa can increase as a consequence of P-enriched food resources, little is known about how ecosystem nutrient loading can affect the elemental composition of entire consumer assemblages. Here we examine the potential for P enrichment across invertebrate consumer assemblages in response to chronic high P loading. We measured elemental ratios in invertebrate consumers and basal food resources in a series of streams in lowland Costa Rica that range widely in P levels (2-135 μg l−1 soluble reactive P). Streams with high P levels receive natural long-term (over millennia) inputs of solute-rich groundwater while low-P streams do not receive these solute-rich groundwater inputs. P content of leaf litter and epilithon increased fourfold across the natural P gradient, exceeding basal resource P content values reported in the literature from other nutrient-rich streams. Invertebrate consumers from the high-P study stream were elevated twofold in P content across multiple taxonomic and functional feeding groups, including predators. Our results strongly support the hypothesis that elevated P content in consumers feeding on P-enriched food resources is a consequence of deviation from strict homeostasis. In contrast to prior studies, we found that between-stream variation in P content of a given taxon greatly exceeded within-stream variation among different taxa, suggesting that environment may be as important as phylogeny in controlling consumer stoichiometry. Relaxing the assumption of strict homeostasis presents challenges and opportunities for advancing our understanding of how nutrient limitation affects consumer growth. Moreover, our findings may provide a window into the future of how chronic anthropogenic nutrient loading can alter stoichiometric relationships in food webs.
Gender differences in the primary prevention of stroke with aspirin

Aspirin is used to prevent ischemic stroke and other types of cardiovascular disease. Seven trials of aspirin focusing on the effectiveness of primary prevention of stroke and other cardiovascular events have been performed, but three of these did not include women. Data from these trials, and one meta-analysis, suggest that aspirin prevents myocardial infarction in men and stroke in women, although the findings in women were driven by the results of a single large study, and a subsequent meta-analysis did not find a gender difference. The reasons for the possible gender differences in aspirin's effectiveness are not entirely clear.
Comparison of phosphoprotein isolated from mature and immature human tooth roots

Mature (average patient age = 29.5 yr, closed apical foramen) and immature (average patient age = 17.5 yr, open apical foramen) root shards were placed in dialysis tubing and demineralized to completion using either 10% disodium EDTA plus protease inhibitors or 0.6 N HCl. The demineralized shards were re-extracted (five times) with 0.05 M tris-HCl, 1.0 M NaCl and then collagenase digested. No major differences were observed in chromatograms of extracts, re-extracts or collagenase digests from root shards demineralized in either way. In contrast, chromatograms of immature and mature roots showed qualitative differences. Chromatograms of mature roots demineralized in either way showed broader protein peaks and less organic phosphorus than those from immature tooth roots. A distinct band amid degraded phosphoprotein (150 K) was found in SDS-PAGE gels (7.5%) from EDTA-extracted immature tooth roots but not from mature tooth roots. Electroelution of this band revealed a typical phosphoprotein amino-acid profile containing increased aspartic acid and serine residues. Comparison of the total phosphoprotein and amino acid composition of extracts, re-extracts and collagenase digests revealed that phosphoprotein, serine and to a lesser extent aspartic acid were recovered in greater quantities from immature roots than mature tooth roots. These data suggest that the degree of maturation is crucial to the isolation of an intact phosphoprotein and provides additional evidence that human dentine phosphoprotein undergoes amino acid compositional changes during maturation.
Augmented transport of extracellular solutes in concentrated erythrocyte suspensions in couette flow

Abstract Local motions of suspended particles or droplets can augment molecular diffusion and govern the transport of solutes in flowing dispersions. An electrochemical technique was developed for measuring the rates of augmented transport of solutes in a direction normal to the bulk flow through erythrocyte suspensions in Couette flow. Human, bovine, and rabbit erythrocytes in the form of normal, hardened, and ghost cells at volume fractions from 0.1 to 0.4 were studied at shear rates up to 3680 sec−1. Augmentation is defined as ( D e D s − 1) × 100% , where De and Ds are, respectively, the effective diffusivities in flowing and stationary suspensions. The augmentation is correlated with a characteristic Peclet number, a2γ/DsF, where a is the effective radius of the particle, γ is the shear rate, and DsF is the Fricke's diffusion coefficient. The data are well described by A = αPeβ in the Pe range from 4 to 100. The values of α and β depend on particle volume fraction φ and rigidity. The augmentation, however, does not change significantly between φ = 0.2 and 0.4. For suspensions of normal human erythrocytes at a volume fraction of 0.4, the augmentation is well described by A(%) = 6.1Pe0.89. This correlation agrees with all the reported experimental evidence of transport of heat, urea, albumin, and platelets in flowing blood. The correlations for hardened erythrocyte suspensions are also in agreement with the results on transport of heat, helium, and sodium chloride in flowing suspensions of rigid microspheres. Particle deformability does not affect the augmentation significantly at φ = 0.1 or less. For more concentrated suspensions, normalized augmentation increases with φ for suspensions of hardened erythrocytes, whereas it decreases with φ for suspensions of normal and ghost erythrocytes. It is inferred from this result that at φ > 0.1, multiplet collisions are important for augmentation for suspensions of rigid particles, whereas membrane rotation and deformation is the dominant mechanism for suspensions of deformable particles. The results also indicate that transport of macromolecules is significantly enhanced in flowing blood. For example, in flowing blood at a shear rate of 500 sec−1, the augmented transport rate of lipoproteins with a Ds = 10−8 cm2/sec is about 100-fold of the Brownian diffusion rate.
Heat flow and thermal history of the Anadarko Basin and the western Oklahoma Platform

Abstract The average geothermal gradient in the Anadarko Basin and the Oklahoma Platform estimated from 856 corrected bottom-hole temperatures (BHTs) is 21°C/km. Analysis of previously published thermal maturation data indicates that the Anadarko Basin has undergone from 1 to 3 km of erosion starting about 40 to 50 Ma. The average thermal gradient at the time of maximum burial was in the range of 22 to 25°C/km. There is no evidence that the thermal state of the Anadarko Basin has changed significantly since the late Paleozoic (250 Ma). To estimate heat flow in the Anadarko Basin and the Oklahoma Platform, we made 652 thermal conductivity measurements on drill cuttings from 9 oil and gas wells. All measurements were corrected for the effects of anisotropy, temperature, and porosity. Matrix conductivities perpendicular to bedding at 22°C range from 1.7 W m−1 K−1 for Permian age sandstone and shale, to 2.6 W m−1 K−1 for Devonian–Silurian age limestone and shale. In-situ thermal conductivities vary from 1.3 W m−1 K−1 to 1.9 W m−1 K−1. Estimated heat flow (±20%) ranges from 30 mW/m2 to 42 mW/m2, with a mean of 36 mW/m2. We found no evidence for heat flow to increase significantly from the Anadarko Basin in the south to the Oklahoma Platform to the north. These results contradict a previous study which found heat flow increases from south to north, with heat flow in the Oklahoma Platform as much as 50% greater than heat flow in the Anadarko Basin. At the present time, we do not know if these differences are related to spatial variations or reflect methodological errors. If our results are averaged with those reported in previous work, mean heat flows in the Anadarko Basin and Oklahoma Platform are 39 mW/m2 and 51 mW/m2, respectively.
Constitutive activation of AtMEK5,a MAPK kinase,induces salicylic acid- independent cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana

AtMEK5 DD is an active mutant of AtMEK5, a MAP kinase kinase in Arabidopsis. Induction of AtMEK5 DD expression in transgenic plants leads to activation of 44 and 48 kD MAPKs and causes a rapid cell death. To compare the cell death induced by the expression of AtMEK5 DD with the HR-cell death induced by avirulence pathogen infection, we analyzed the activation of downstream MAP Kinase and induction of PR genes expression in permanent transgenic Arabidopsis plants. In-gel kinase activity assay revealed that the infection of Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 harboring Avr Rpt2 gene also lead to activation of 44 and 48 kD MAPKs. PAL, PR1 and PR5 were strongly induced in plants undergoing HR-cell death caused by the infection of P. syringae DC3000, while only the expression of PR5 was strongly induced in transgenic plants expressing AtMEK5 DD protein. NahG protein in AtMEK5 DD × NahG plants cannot suppress the cell death induced by AtMEK5 DD. And AtMEK5 DD protein expressed AtMEK5 DD × NahG plants showed no significant change in salicylic acid (SA) level. All these suggest that the cell death induced by the activation of AtMEK5 is salicylic acid-independent.
The Effect of Clarion "Transitions" on Student Academic Performance and Retention.

Developed in 1999 by teams of faculty, staff, and students, Clarion Transitions is a multi-year student success program designed to increase student retention at a public university in western Pennsylvania. Clarion Transitions: Exploration is a credit-bearing, peer/faculty-facilitated co-curricular that engages freshmen in activities designed to encourage high levels of academic performance, campus knowledge, and social integration, thus encouraging higher levels of retention to the second semester and second year of college. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the Exploration co-curricular on first-year students' academic performance and retention. Results indicate that, compared to students who do not complete the Exploration program, completers of the Exploration program earn higher semester GPAs, are more likely to attempt and earn more credit hours, are less likely to be placed on probation or suspension, and are more likely to return for their second semester and their second year.
A review of the market penetration of US residential and commercial demand-side management programmes

Abstract The expected market penetration of demand-side management (DSM) technologies and programmes is a key uncertainty in estimating the availability of energy-efficiency resources. This article reviews the market penetration of residential and commercial DSM programmes in the USA by characterizing typical patterns of variation (including ranges, averages and maximum levels) in their customer participation rates and by identifying the factors that affect participation.
Analysis of the growth and transformation suppressor domains of promyelocytic leukemia gene, PML.

The promyelocytic leukemia gene (PML) involved in the t(15;17) (q22;q12) translocation in acute promyelocytic leukemia is a growth suppressor. To elucidate the functional domains of PML, several mutants lacking the nuclear localization signal (PMLnls-), the dimerization domain (PMLdim-), the proline-rich domain at the N-terminal (PMLpro-), the proline-rich RING finger motif (PMLpr-), the proline-rich RING finger B-box-1 (PMLprb-), the serine-proline-rich domain at the C-terminal (PMLsp-), and the double mutant (PMLprb-nls-) have been constructed. Immunofluorescence staining of transiently transfected NIH3T3 cells demonstrated that the RING finger motif, dimerization domain, and nuclear localization signal are all required for the formation of PML oncogenic domains (PODs). Immunofluorescence staining of transiently transfected GM637D human fibroblasts indicated that expression of PMLprb-, PMLnls-, and PMLprb-nls- led to a significant reduction or, in some cases, complete elimination of PODs. PMLdim-, PMLnls-, PMLpr-, PMLprb-, and PMLprb-nls- mutants were found to lose their ability to suppress transformation of NIH3T3 cells by activated neu, while PMLpro- and PMLsp- mutants did not. These results suggest that the ability of PML to form a POD is essential for suppression of growth and transformation. Furthermore, since PMLprb-, PMLnls-, and PMLprb-nls- mutants could block the suppression effect of wild-type PML on transformation of NIH3T3 cells by the neu oncogene, these PML mutants are potential dominant negative inhibitors of PML. Our study also suggests that the RING finger motif may interact with other nuclear proteins.
PHOTOOXIDATION OF 8-METHOXYPSORALEN WITH SINGLET OXYGEN*

— The in vitro photooxidation of 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) with singlet oxygen is studied. Irradiation of 8-MOP(295–400 or320–400 nm) in the presence of oxygen for 72 h results in the formation of a product (1.4%) which is identified as 6-formyl-7-hydroxy-8-methoxycoumarin by aid of IR, NMR, MS and co-chromatography with an authentic sample. A study of this reaction in the presence of l,4-diazobicyclo(2,2,2)octane, a singlet oxygen scavenger, indicates the involvement of 1O2 in the formation of this compound. In addition to this, formation of a novel dimer of 8-MOP is reported.
The biology of the finetooth shark, Carcharhinus isodon

The finetooth shark inhabits shallow coastal waters of the western Atlantic from North Carolina to Brazil. It is common off the southeastern United States, where it spends the summer off Georgia and the Carolinas and winters off Florida. The species appears in the nursery and mating areas of South Carolina when the surface water temperature rises above 20° C in late April and early May. Both adults and juveniles are common in the shallow coastal waters of South Carolina through the summer, where they feed primarily on menhaden. The finetooth shark leaves the Carolinas in early fall and migrates southward as the surface water temperature decreases below 20° C. Females reach maturity at about 1350 mm TL. Males mature at about 1300 mm TL. The finetooth shark has consecutive, year-long ovarian and gestation cycles, like most carcharhinid sharks. Mating occurs from early May to early June. Freshly mated females bear a large spermozeugma at the base of each uterus. The spermozeugmata are large almond shaped masses of individual spermatozoa embedded in a supporting matrix. Embryos are lecithotrophic during their first fifteen weeks of development. Subsequently, the embryos establish a placental connection to the mother. Implantation occurs when the embryos measure about 130 mm or at about the fifteenth week of gestation. Gravid females carrying young 480–550 mm TL enter the shallow water nurseries off South Carolina in late May. Parturition occurs from late May to mid-June, after a gestation period of about twelve months, plus or minus two weeks. The young measure 480–580 mm TL at birth. Oocytes grow little during the gestation cycle. After parturition, a cohort of oocytes begins to develop, that will be ovulated the following May. Thus, the ovarian cycle lasts about a year, although most of the oocyte growth occurs in the months just prior to ovulation.
A New Assessment of Openness and Inflation: Reply

Terra [1998] argues that my finding [Romer 1993] of a negative relationship across countries between openness and inflation is "actually caused by the severely indebted countries, over the debt crisis period." She proposes an explanation of the openness-inflation relationship based on indebted countries' need to raise revenue to repay their debts. The smaller a country's trade share, the more depreciated the real value of the currency must be in order to generate a given trade surplus as a share of GDP. And the more depreciated the currency, the greater the pressure on the government's budget-and thus the greater pressure to inflate. In contrast, in my paper I argue that the relationship stems from imperfect commitment in monetary policy. The less open the economy, the greater the benefits of surprise inflation, and thus the higher the level of inflation in the absence of complete commitment. Terra has uncovered interesting variation in the opennessinflation relationship across countries and over time. Nonetheless, I want to make three brief points that suggest that the channel she proposes accounts for only a modest part of the overall relationship. First, Terra's results do not justify her claim that the relationship is a product only of the severely indebted countries (SICs) during the debt crisis. This can be seen from her Table I. For the SICs, the openness-inflation link in the precrisis period, though weaker than during the crisis, is large and statistically significant. The estimates for the moderately indebted countries, although imprecise, suggest a relationship that is very similar to that for the SICs in both periods. And for the less indebted countries, the point estimates again suggest a negative relationship; indeed, for the full sample period the coefficient on openness is significantly different from zero. Only for the high-income countries (Terra's "all other countries") is there no evidence of a negative association between openness and inflation.'
Optimum wordlength search using sensitivity information

Many digital signal processing algorithms are first developed in floating point and later converted into fixed point for digital hardware implementation. During this conversion, more than 50% of the design time may be spent for complex designs, and optimum wordlengths are searched by trading off hardware complexity for arithmetic precision at system outputs. We propose a fast algorithm for searching for an optimum wordlength. This algorithm uses sensitivity information of hardware complexity and system output error with respect to the signal wordlengths, while other approaches use only one of the two sensitivities. This paper presents various optimization methods, and compares sensitivity search methods. Wordlength design case studies for a wireless demodulator show that the proposed method can find an optimum solution in one fourth of the time that the local search method takes. In addition, the optimum wordlength searched by the proposed method yields 30% lower hardware implementation costs than the sequential search method in wireless demodulators. Case studies demonstrate the proposed method is robust for searching for the optimum wordlength in a nonconvex space.
Unionized Construction Workers are More Productive

This paper presents evidence on the effect of unionism on productivity in construction. The linkages are distinct from those studied previously in industrial settings. Apprenticeship training and hiring halls probably raise union productivity, while jurisdictional disputes and restrictive work rules lower it. Using Brown and Medoff's methodology, union productivity, measured by value added per employee, is 44 to 52 percent higher than nonunion. The estimate declines to 17 to 22 percent when estimates of interarea construction price differences are used to deflate value added. Occupational mix differences and, possibly, apprenticeship training account for 15 to 27 percent of this difference.
Human Health and the Environment: In Harmony or in Conflict?

Health policy frameworks usually construe environmental protection and human health as harmonious values. Policies that protect the environment, such as pollution control and pesticide regulation, also benefit human health. In recent years, however, it has become apparent that promoting human health sometimes undermines environmental protection. Some actions, policies, or technologies that reduce human morbidity, mortality, and disease can have detrimental effects on the environment. Since human health and environmental protection are sometimes at odds, political leaders, citizens, and government officials need a way to mediate and resolve conflicts between these values. Unfortunately, few approaches to applied bioethics have the conceptual tools to do accomplish this task. Theories of health care ethics have little to say about the environment, and theories of environmental ethics don’t say much about human health. In this essay, I defend an approach to ethical decision-making that gives policy-makers some tools for balancing promotion of human health and protection of the environment.
Short Communication: Two Selected as PMSE Fellows in 2005

The American Chemical Society Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) has just completed its process to select a new class of Fellows for 2005, and the following people have been chosen: Eric Amis David Lohse They were inducted as the sixth class of PMSE Fellows during the Awards Lunch at the San Diego ACS Meeting. PMSE is pleased to welcome this distinguished group of polymer scientists and engineers to the ranks of fellows. Here is a short description of each of them.
The influence of time of day on infant social initiative.

Twelve children between the ages of 14 and 23 months were observed in play group interactions during three different periods of the day. The results suggest that the dimension of time is an important factor in determining individual differences in the behavior of young children.
A theory of the stress-induced crystallization of crosslinked polymeric networks

A non-Gaussian theory of the stress-induced crystallization of polymeric networks is presented. It is predicted that for uniaxial extension of crosslinked polyethylene, a perfectly oriented, extended-chain crystal is formed initially, changing to one-fold crystal oriented perpendicular to the stretch direction at low extension and to a two-fold crystal having nearly perfect orientation at high extension. The stress is predicted to decay initially and then to rise as the network chains switch from an extended- to a folded-chain morphology, the rise being delayed and finally suppressed by additional crosslinking. The final, equilibrium birefringence is calculated and found to be negative at low extension and positive at high extension. The initial rate of crystallization is calculated using irreversible thermodynamics and is found to increase with extension and decrease with increasing crosslinking and temperature. All of the theoretical predictions are in qualitative agreement with experiment.
MHC class II transport at a glance.

The cellular immune system functions in large part to recognize and destroy foreign pathogens. This process is aided by antigen-presenting cells (APCs), which internalize, degrade and subsequently express small antigenic fragments from foreign bodies on their cell surfaces. The presentation of
Cognitive Gains from Gist Reasoning Training in Adolescents with Chronic-Stage Traumatic Brain Injury

Adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI) typically demonstrate good recovery of previously acquired skills. However, higher-order and later emergent cognitive functions are often impaired and linked to poor outcomes in academic and social/behavioral domains. Few control trials exist that test cognitive treatment effectiveness at chronic recovery stages. The current pilot study compared the effects of two forms of cognitive training, gist reasoning (top-down) versus rote memory learning (bottom-up), on ability to abstract meanings, recall facts, and utilize core executive functions (i.e., working memory, inhibition) in 20 adolescents (ages 12-20) who were six months or longer post-TBI. Participants completed eight 45-minute sessions over one month. After training, the gist reasoning group (n = 10) exhibited significant improvement in ability to abstract meanings and increased fact recall. This group also showed significant generalizations to untrained executive functions of working memory and inhibition. The memory training group (n = 10) failed to show significant gains in ability to abstract meaning or on other untrained specialized executive functions, although improved fact recall approached significance. These preliminary results suggest that relatively short-term training (6 hours) utilizing a top-down reasoning approach is more effective than a bottom-up rote learning approach in achieving gains in higher-order cognitive abilities in adolescents at chronic stages of TBI. These findings need to be replicated in a larger study; nonetheless, the preliminary data suggest that traditional cognitive intervention schedules need to extend to later-stage training opportunities. Chronic-stage, higher-order cognitive trainings may serve to elevate levels of cognitive performance in adolescents with TBI.
MODELS OF MUSCLE Z-BAND FINE STRUCTURE BASED ON A LOOPING FILAMENT CONFIGURATION

The fine architecture of skeletal muscle Z bands is considered in view of stereo electron microscopical evidence and current biochemical and immunological concepts, and a new Z-band model is proposed. This model is based on a looping, interlinking configuration, within the Z band, of strands which emanate from I-band (actin) filaments of adjacent sarcomeres. Two versions of the model seem presently feasible: one in which the Z-band lattice is composed of actin loops; and another in which the same pattern is derived from tropomyosin. Either version satisfies actual electron micrograph images as well as or better than prior Z-band models. Moreover, the principle of looping linkage in filament-to-filament attachment can be related to similar filament patterns seen in several adhesion sites where intracellular filaments insert on cell membranes.
Superior Perovskite Oxide‐Ion Conductor; Strontium‐ and Magnesium‐Doped LaGaO3: I, Phase Relationships and Electrical Properties

The single-phase, cubic-perovskite region of the LaO1.5-SrO-Gao1.5-MgO phase diagram was determined from room-temperature and high-temperature X-ray diffraction. Two impurity phases were identified, LaSrGaO4 and aSrGa3O7. The conductivity of the oxygen-deficient perovskite phase was shown to be essentially a purely oxide-ion conductivity sigmao over a wide range of oxygen partial pressures 10-22 lessthan equal to PO2 lessthan equal to 1 atm. The highest values of sigmao = 0.17 and 0.08 S/cm were found for La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.17O0.2815 at 800° and 700°C, respectively; they remain stable over a week-long test. The Arrhenius plot of sigmao is curved, dividing into a high-temperature region T > T* similar/congruent 600°C and a low-temperature region T < T*. Above T* all the oxygen vacancies appear to be mobile; below T* they progressively condense into clusters of ordered vacancies.
Quasi-decentralized state estimation and control of process systems over communication networks

This paper develops a quasi-decentralized state estimation and control architecture for plants with limited state measurements and distributed, interconnected units that exchange information over a shared communication network. The objective is to stabilize the plant while minimizing network resource utilization and communication costs. The networked control architecture is composed of a family of local control systems that transmit their data in a discrete (on/off) fashion over the network. Each control system includes a state observer that generates estimates of the local state variables from the measured outputs. The estimates are used to implement the local feedback control law and are also shared over the network with the control systems of the interconnected units to account for the interactions between the units. To reduce the exchange of information over the network as much as possible without sacrificing stability, dynamic models of the interconnected units are embedded in the local control system of each unit to provide it with an estimate of the evolution of its neighbors when data are not transmitted through the network. The state of each model is then updated using the state estimate generated by the observer of the corresponding unit and transmitted over the network when communication is re-established. By formulating the networked closed-loop plant as a switched system, an explicit characterization of the maximum allowable update period (i.e., minimum cross communication frequency) between the distributed control systems is obtained in terms of plant-model mismatch, controller and observer design parameters. It is shown that the lack of full state measurements imposes limitations on the maximum allowable update period even if the models used to recreate the plant units? dynamics are accurate. The results are illustrated using a chemical process example and compared with other networked control strategies. The comparison shows that the minimum communication frequency required using quasi-decentralized control is less than what is required by a centralized control architecture indicating that the former is more robust with respect to communication suspension.
WebQuests: A Viable Solution to Meeting the Continuing Professional Education Needs of Home Health Care Nurses

The nursing shortage, coupled with growing case loads, limits the available time for nurses in home care to attend continuing professional education programs necessary to keep abreast of the change...
Gene therapy and heme oxygenase coming of age.

The completion of the sequencing of the human, rat, and mouse genomes now provides an unprecedented opportunity for the discovery of new genes, pathways, and drug targets for the treatment of hypertension and associated end-organ dam- age. Unfortunately, an examination of the publicly available genome databases (eg, LocusLink, Online Medelian Inheri- tance in Man (OMIM), the Human Genome Organization (HUGO), and the Genome Database (GDB)) reveals that only 5000 of the 30 000 predicted human genes have any inferred function. The challenge is now to attach function to the genome and to identify the genes and pathways involved in human disease. Most of the progress to date has been generated using targeted gene knockout in mice. 2- 4 While this approach has proven to be extremely valuable to confirm the actions of known genes, it has been less effective in defining the function of the newly discovered genes. One of the problems is that it is difficult to develop phenotyping proto- cols broad enough to identify all the functional consequences associated with knockout of a gene without prior knowledge of the function or organ systems to study. The gene knockout approach has also run into problems with the failure to produce obvious phenotypes and genomic background ef- fects. 5 The emergence of adenoviral vectors for transient gene therapy 6 and now retroviral vectors to achieve long-term expression of constructs in vivo as described in this study 1 offers a number of advantages for future functional genomics studies. First, viral constructs can be produced to enhance or knockdown the expression of any gene. Viral-driven gene therapy can be applied to any species. This is especially relevant to workers using rats, in which a large number of well characterized inbred models of hypertension and asso- ciated end-organ damage are available. Given these advan- tages, it is likely that viral-driven gene therapy approaches as well as other related knockdown techniques (RNAi) will become as commonplace as traditional pharmacological tools to unravel the contribution of different genes and pathways to the pathogenesis of hypertension and other complex diseases.
Meiotic Recombination in Drosophila Msh6 Mutants Yields Discontinuous Gene Conversion Tracts

Crossovers (COs) generated through meiotic recombination are important for the correct segregation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis. Several models describing the molecular mechanism of meiotic recombination have been proposed. These models differ in the arrangement of heteroduplex DNA (hDNA) in recombination intermediates. Heterologies in hDNA are usually repaired prior to the recovery of recombination products, thereby obscuring information about the arrangement of hDNA. To examine hDNA in meiotic recombination in Drosophila melanogaster, we sought to block hDNA repair by conducting recombination assays in a mutant defective in mismatch repair (MMR). We generated mutations in the MMR gene Msh6 and analyzed recombination between highly polymorphic homologous chromosomes. We found that hDNA often goes unrepaired during meiotic recombination in an Msh6 mutant, leading to high levels of postmeiotic segregation; however, hDNA and gene conversion tracts are frequently discontinuous, with multiple transitions between gene conversion, restoration, and unrepaired hDNA. We suggest that these discontinuities reflect the activity of a short-patch repair system that operates when canonical MMR is defective.
Biopterin content of human and rat fluids and tissues determined protozoologically

The ultrasensitive growth response to biopterin of the protozoan Crithidia fasciculata served to provide the ranges of biopterin levels in rat and human fluids and tissues. Fight patients with gout averaged 3.6 ng/ml as compared to 1.9 ng/ml for 31 normal subjects; 7 uremic patients averaged 8.1 ng/ml, and 6.2 ng/ml in 12 patients with alcoholic liver disease. The potential value of biopterin determinations in such diseasesas well as parkinsonism and the carcinoid syndrome was noted. Am. J.Clin. Nutr. 27: 1247-1253, 1974.
Treatment of Periodontal Disease and Control of Diabetes: An Assessment of the Evidence and Need for Future Research

Evidence points to an increased cytokine response in type 2 diabetes, especially the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. Genetics, age, and, nutrition are important signals for this increased response and as reported more recently, infections and inflammation. Persistent elevation of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha in the diabetic state have an effect on the liver, stimulate the release of acute-phase proteins, produce the characteristic dysregulation of lipid metabolism associated with type 2 diabetes, and have effects on pancreatic beta cells as well. In addition, TNF-alpha, a potent inhibitor of the tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor, has been implicated as an etiologic factor for insulin resistance. Collectively, the evidence supports a role for cytokine elevation in the pathophysiology and metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes. Periodontitis is an infection that is twice as prevalent in diabetic individuals compared to non-diabetics. Porphyromonas gingivalis, one of the microorganisms responsible for this infection, is able to invade endothelial cells and is a potent signal for monocyte and macrophage activation. Thus, once established in the diabetic host, this chronic infection complicates diabetes control and increases the occurrence and severity of microvascular and macrovascular complications. Unlike treatment of acute infections, modalities of treatment for chronic infections are a matter of debate. Evidence indicates that mechanical removal of subgingival infection does not result in complete elimination of periodontal infection and consequently there is no effect on diabetes control measured as reduction in glycated hemoglobin. On the other hand, studies incorporating systemic antibiotics as adjuncts to mechanical debridement result in a reduction of P. gingivalis to nondetectable levels and a concomitant reduction in glycated hemoglobin, independent of the hypoglycemic effects of diabetes drugs or insulin. The evidence supports the notion that treatment of chronic periodontal infection is essential in the diabetic patient. Assessment of infection status in diabetic patients is fundamental for appropriate treatment decisions.
Evolution: Spatial Scaling of Microbial Interactions

Intraspecific incompatibility in the soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus demonstrates that the social life of microbes is antagonistic on local and global scales. Antagonistic interactions and non-self recognition are likely to promote microbial diversity in local populations.
Sociology by Any Other Name: Teaching the Sociological Perspective in Campus Diversity Programs

This article suggests that the way in to sociology may not always be through the front door. The authors demonstrate how students in a three-day campus diversity program develop a sociological imagination despite not having a formal affiliation with the sociology department. In particular, students demonstrate a move from color blindness into racial consciousness and a shift from individual prejudice into institutional privilege when understanding both diversity issues and their own personal biographies. In short, despite not knowing the phrase, they develop a sociological imagination. While the goal is not to diminish the significance of traditional sociology classrooms, the authors argue that programs like theirs may diminish resistance to learning about privilege and inequalities once students enter the classroom. Such programs may also have the benefit of attracting students to the discipline and creating a more welcoming environment for related programs and events on campus. It is one model of public sociology that other campus communities may mirror outside of the traditional classroom environment.
Energy-aware hierarchical cell configuration: From deployment to operation

This paper develops an energy-aware hierarchical cell configuration framework that encompasses both deployment and operation in downlink cellular networks. Specifically, we first formulate a general problem pertaining to total energy consumption minimization while satisfying the requirement of area spectral efficiency (ASE), and then decompose it into deployment problem at peak time and operation problem at off-peak time. For the deployment problem, we start from an observation about various topologies including the real deployment of BSs that there is a strong correlation between the area covered by an additional micro BS and the increment of ASE. Under such an assumption, we prove the submodularity of ASE function with respect to micro BS deployment and propose a greedy algorithm that is shown to be a constant-factor approximation of optimal deployment. Although the greedy algorithm can be also applied as an offline centralized solution for the operation problem, we further propose online distributed algorithms with low complexity and signaling overhead to have more practical solutions. Extensive simulations based on the acquired real BS topologies and traffic profiles show that the proposed algorithms can significantly reduce the energy consumption.
Image halftoning using multipath tree coding

We suggest an optimization based method for halftoning that involves looking ahead into the future before a decision for each binary output pixel is made. We first define a mixture distortion criterion that is a combination of a frequency weighted mean square error and a measure depending on the distances between minority pixels in the halftone. A tree coding approach with the ML-algorithm is used for minimizing the distortion criterion and generate a halftone. >
SUMOylation regulates the SNF1 protein kinase

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a major stress sensor of mammalian cells. AMPK’s homolog in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the SNF1 protein kinase, is a central regulator of carbon metabolism that inhibits the Snf3/Rgt2-Rgt1 glucose sensing pathway and activates genes involved in respiration. We present evidence that glucose induces modification of the Snf1 catalytic subunt of SNF1 with the small ubiquitin-like modifier protein SUMO, catalyzed by the SUMO (E3) ligase Mms21. Our results suggest that SUMOylation of Snf1 inhibits its function in two ways: by interaction of SUMO attached to lysine 549 with a SUMO-interacting sequence motif located near the active site of Snf1, and by targeting Snf1 for destruction via the Slx5-Slx8 (SUMO-directed) ubiquitin ligase. These findings reveal another way SNF1 function is regulated in response to carbon source.
Examining the Link Between Public Transit Use and Active Commuting

Background: An established relationship exists between public transportation (PT) use and physical activity. However, there is limited literature that examines the link between PT use and active commuting (AC) behavior. This study examines this link to determine if PT users commute more by active modes. Methods: A volunteer, convenience sample of adults (n = 748) completed an online survey about AC/PT patterns, demographic, psychosocial, community and environmental factors. t-test compared differences between PT riders and non-PT riders. Binary logistic regression analyses examined the effect of multiple factors on AC and a full logistic regression model was conducted to examine AC. Results: Non-PT riders (n = 596) reported less AC than PT riders. There were several significant relationships with AC for demographic, interpersonal, worksite, community and environmental factors when considering PT use. The logistic multivariate analysis for included age, number of children and perceived distance to work as negative predictors and PT use, feelings of bad weather and lack of on-street bike lanes as a barrier to AC, perceived behavioral control and spouse AC were positive predictors. Conclusions: This study revealed the complex relationship between AC and PT use. Further research should investigate how AC and public transit use are related.
On time: Clocks, chronometers, and open-loop control

This paper addresses the peculiar treatment that time receives when studying control systems. For example, why is the ability to perfectly observe time assumed implicitly in virtually all control formulations? What happens if this implicit assumption is violated? It turns out that some basic control results fall apart when time cannot be perfectly measured. To make this explicit, we introduce information space concepts that permit imperfect time information to be considered in the same way as imperfect state information. We then argue that classical open-loop control should be reconsidered as perfect time-feedback control. Following this, we introduce a notion of strongly open-loop control, which does not require perfect time observations. We provide some examples of these concepts and argue that many fascinating directions for future controls research emerge.