cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimation of delay of signature sequences in coherent chip-asynchronous DS/SS systems

We consider the chip-asynchronous model for which the unknown delay of the received signature sequence is of the form (k+/spl epsiv/)T/sub c/, where k is an integer, /spl epsiv//spl isin/[0, 1) is the fractional delay, and T/sub c/ is the chip duration. We assume that a serial search scheme is used to obtain an estimate k/spl circ/ of k, and propose schemes which may be used to estimate /spl epsiv/ to any specified degree of accuracy simultaneously with the operation of the serial search. Such schemes may be useful in reducing the overall time to synchronization, because the code tracking loop will lock quickly if it is supplied with an accurate estimate of /spl epsiv/ (assuming that k/spl circ/=k). We have derived various estimators for /spl epsiv/, and in particular obtained an optimal estimator which is easily implementable and which has the best possible acquisition error probability performance, both in the average and minimax senses. Thus, it is possible to obtain an optimal estimate of /spl epsiv/ simultaneously with the operation of the serial search scheme, and at very little extra hardware cost. Some numerical results illustrating the performance of this optimal estimator are provided. >
The effects of testosterone, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, 3α-androstanediol, and 3β-androstanediol on the maturation of rabbit epididymal spermatozoa in organ culture

The fertilizing ability of spermatozoa from epididymal tubules maintained in organ cultures from 1 to 7 days was assessed after artificial insemination into receptive does. It was found that spermatozoa from the distal corpus which were already capable of fertilizing eggs prior to the cultures retain this ability for 1 day without addition of hormone and for 3–4 days when testosterone (0.5 μg/ml) or 5α-dihydrotestosterone (0.5 μg/ml) is added to the culture medium. Spermatozoa from the proximal corpus which were not capable of fertilizing eggs prior to the cultures remain so after 1 day in cultures without addition of hormone. Testosterone, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, 3α-androstanediol, or 3β-androstanediol was added to cultures of proximal corpus at a concentration of 0.5 μg/ml. Only with 5α-DHT is the mean percentage of fertilization significantly higher than the percentage obtained without addition of hormone. Insulin does not potentiate the effect of 5α-DHT on sperm fertilizing ability. Epithelial growth factor is ineffective. Spermatozoa from the caput epididymidis kept in cultures for 1 to 4 days remain infertile. The results are discussed in light of the morphological findings presented in the preceding communication and in relation to the physiological requirement for sperm maturation in the epididymis.
Immunological questions on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered an inflammatory autoimmune disorder. Approved immunotherapies are only moderately effective in reducing disease exacerbations and brain inflammation in a subset of patients. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has emerged in recent years as the first opportunity to offer to patients a radical, potentially curative treatment. Here, we will summarize key immunopathological aspects of MS and discuss important questions that need to be addressed to clarify the therapeutic role and mechanism of action of HSCT in this disorder.
Cloning and heterologous expression of genes from the kinamycin biosynthetic pathway of Streptomyces murayamaensis.

The genes for most of the biosynthesis of the kinamycin antibiotics have been cloned and heterologously expressed. Genomic DNA of Streptomyces murayamaensis was partially digested with Mbo I and a library of ∼40 kb fragments in E. coli XL1-BlueMR was prepared using the cosmid vector pOJ446. Hybridization with the act I probe from the actinorhodin polyketide synthase genes identified two clusters of polyketide genes. After transferal of these clusters to S. lividans ZX7, expression of one cluster was established by HPLC with photodiode array detection. Peaks were identified from the kin cluster for dehydrorabelomycin, kinobscurinone, and stealthin C, which are known intermediates in kinamycin biosynthesis. Two shunt metabolites, kinafluorenone and seongomycin were also identified. The structure of the latter was determined from a quantity obtained from large-scale fermentation of one of the clones.
Waste-to-Energy Residues: The Search for Beneficial Uses

In the U.S., about 28.5 million tons of municipal solid waste are combusted annually in waste-to-energy facilities that generate 25–30% of ash by weight of the MSW feed. Since some residues were found to contain high levels of lead and cadmium prior to the 1990s, they were commonly associated with environmental pollution. However, for the last years nearly all ash samples have been tested non-hazardous. Research on the beneficial use of combustion residue has been conducted for the past few decades yet the actual ash reuse rate in the U.S. has remained close to 10%. Currently most of the ash is landfilled at considerable cost to the waste-to-energy industry. A consortium of researchers at Columbia University, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Temple University, and other institutions seeks to develop and to advance the beneficial uses of combustion residues, such as in construction materials or remediation of contaminated abandoned mines and brownfields. This paper describes the search for beneficial use applications and provides an overview of the first year of this consortium.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Meiotic chromosome structures constrain and respond to designation of crossover sites

Crossover recombination events between homologous chromosomes are required to form chiasmata, temporary connections between homologues that ensure their proper segregation at meiosis I. Despite this requirement for crossovers and an excess of the double-strand DNA breaks that are the initiating events for meiotic recombination, most organisms make very few crossovers per chromosome pair. Moreover, crossovers tend to inhibit the formation of other crossovers nearby on the same chromosome pair, a poorly understood phenomenon known as crossover interference. Here we show that the synaptonemal complex, a meiosis-specific structure that assembles between aligned homologous chromosomes, both constrains and is altered by crossover recombination events. Using a cytological marker of crossover sites in Caenorhabditis elegans, we show that partial depletion of the synaptonemal complex central region proteins attenuates crossover interference, increasing crossovers and reducing the effective distance over which interference operates, indicating that synaptonemal complex proteins limit crossovers. Moreover, we show that crossovers are associated with a local 0.4-0.5-micrometre increase in chromosome axis length. We propose that meiotic crossover regulation operates as a self-limiting system in which meiotic chromosome structures establish an environment that promotes crossover formation, which in turn alters chromosome structure to inhibit other crossovers at additional sites.
Emigration housing conditions and social stratification in China.

Using data from the 1995 China 1% Population Sample Survey, this article examines the impact of international migration on housing conditions in China. We find that international migration affects housing conditions differently in cities, towns, and rural areas. In rural areas, the impact of emigration on housing conditions is seen primarily through the increase of housing space, whereas in cities the impact of emigration on housing conditions is mainly reflected in the improvement of facilities. Although having a cadre in the household continues to be an important factor, international migration has begun to challenge, and even rival, this legacy of social stratification in China.
The influence of diet on the δ13C of shell carbon in the pulmonate snail Helix aspersa

Abstract The influence of diet and atmospheric CO2 on the carbon isotope composition of shell aragonite and shell-bound organic carbon in the pulmonate snail Helix aspersa raised in the laboratory was investigated. Three separate groups of snails were raised on romaine lettuce (C3 plant, δ13C=−25.8‰), corn (C4 plant, δ13C=−10.5‰), and sour orange (12C-enriched C3 plant, δ13C=−39.1‰). The isotopic composition of body tissues closely tracked the isotopic composition of the snail diet as demonstrated previously. However, the isotopic composition of the acid insoluble organic matrix extracted from the aragonite shells does not track diet in all groups. In snails that were fed corn the isotopic composition of the organic matrix was more negative than the body by as much as 5‰ whereas the matrix was approximately 1‰ heavier than the body tissues in snails fed a diet of C3 plant material. These results indicate that isotopic composition of the organic matrix carbon cannot be used as an isotopic substrate for paleodietary reconstructions without first determining the source of the carbon and any associated fractionations. The isotopic composition of the shell aragonite is offset from the body tissues by 12.3‰ in each of the culture groups. This offset was not influenced by the consumption of carbonate and is not attributable to the diffusion of atmospheric CO2 into the hemolymph. The carbon isotopic composition of shell aragonite is best explained in terms of equilibrium fractionations associated with exchange between metabolic CO2 and HCO3 in the hemolymph and the fractionation associated with carbonate precipitation. These results differ from previous studies, based primarily on samples collected in the field, that have suggested atmospheric carbon dioxide contributes significantly to the shell δ13C. The culture results indicate that the δ13C of aragonite is a good recorder of the isotopic composition of the snail body tissue, and therefore a better recorder of diet than is the insoluble shell organic carbon. Because the systematic fractionation of carbon isotopes within the snail is temperature dependent, the δ13C of the shell could provide an independent technique for estimating paleotemperature changes.
Insulin Therapy for a Non-Diabetic Patient with Severe Hypertriglyceridemia

Objective: To compare the short and long term effectiveness of fish oil, insulin, and gemfibrozil in a non-diabetic patient with severe hypertriglyceridemia.Method: An adolescent male with hypertriglyceridemia (triglyceride level 4575 mg/dl) and abdominal pain was treated with the goal of immediate reduction and maintenance of triglyceride (TG) level below 1000 mg/dl. Fish oil, insulin and gemfibrozil were administered sequentially, in separate time blocks, for a duration of 3, 6, and 6 months, respectively.Results: Fish oil took several weeks to lower TG level, and patient compliance during 3 months of therapy was inadequate. Insulin was effective in immediately lowering the TG level, but was unable to maintain the level below 1000 mg/dl. Gemfibrozil was ineffective in achieving the immediate reduction of TG level; however, it was adequate in maintaining the desired level in the long-term and patient compliance was better than with the fish oil.Conclusion: In patients with risk of pancreatitis due to sev...
High-resolution computed tomography of paragangliomas of the head and neck

High-resolution computed tomography with intravenous contrast enhancement is the initial procedure performed on individuals who present with signs and symptoms of a paraganglioma of the head and neck. Clinical information about these entities is reviewed and technical considerations are discussed.
Plant and fungal Fpg homologs are formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylases but not 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylases

Formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg) and endonuclease VIII (Nei) share an overall common three-dimensional structure and primary amino acid sequence in conserved structural motifs but have different substrate specificities, with bacterial Fpg proteins recognizing formamidopyrimidines, 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) and its oxidation products guanidinohydantoin (Gh), and spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) and bacterial Nei proteins recognizing primarily damaged pyrimidines. In addition to bacteria, Fpg has also been found in plants, while Nei is sparsely distributed among the prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Phylogenetic analysis of Fpg and Nei DNA glycosylases demonstrated, with 95% bootstrap support, a clade containing exclusively sequences from plants and fungi. Members of this clade exhibit sequence features closer to bacterial Fpg proteins than to any protein designated as Nei based on biochemical studies. The Candida albicans (Cal) Fpg DNA glycosylase and a previously studied Arabidopsis thaliana (Ath) Fpg DNA glycosylase were expressed, purified and characterized. In oligodeoxynucleotides, the preferred glycosylase substrates for both enzymes were Gh and Sp, the oxidation products of 8-oxoG, with the best substrate being a site of base loss. GC/MS analysis of bases released from γ-irradiated DNA show FapyAde and FapyGua to be excellent substrates as well. Studies carried out with oligodeoxynucleotide substrates demonstrate that both enzymes discriminated against A opposite the base lesion, characteristic of Fpg glycosylases. Single turnover kinetics with oligodeoxynucleotides showed that the plant and fungal glycosylases were most active on Gh and Sp, less active on oxidized pyrimidines and exhibited very little or no activity on 8-oxoG. Surprisingly, the activity of AthFpg1 on an AP site opposite a G was extremely robust with a kobs of over 2500 min−1.
Determinants of US Outside Director Compensation

Executive compensation has recently become the subject of extensive scrutiny by the popular press. However, compensation for corporate directors is one area which has only received little attention or research. The present study combined resource dependence and agency theories with previous research on executive salaries to develop an explanatory model of director compensation. Data were collected from US firms at two points in time to assess the stability of these predictors. Four variables were found to have a significant relationship with director compensation: firm size, firm profitability, equity ownership by directors, and resource richness of the board. However, the explanatory power of these variables appear to decline over time. Practical implications of these results are discussed.
Effects of tobramycin solution for inhalation on global ratings of quality of life in patients with cystic fibrosis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

In a previously published placebo-controlled trial, tobramycin solution for inhalation (TSI) was shown to improve lung function and other outcomes in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The objectives of the current study were to examine the effects of TSI on global ratings of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) by patients (or their parents) and physicians blind to group assignment, and to determine whether any perceived benefits persisted over time. The global ratings of HRQOL in 520 patients with CF and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 24 weeks of placebo or treatment with TSI 300 mg b.i.d., both administered in cycles of 28 days on drug (or placebo) followed by 28 days off, for a total of three cycles. After each on-drug cycle, patients or parents, and physicians, were asked to rate whether the patient's condition was better, unchanged, or worse. There was strong agreement between the paired patient/parent and physician global HRQOL ratings across the three cycles. Regression analyses demonstrated that patients in the TSI group were significantly more likely to report improvements in HRQOL than were patients in the placebo group. This effect was found to be both immediate (end of on-drug cycle 1) and delayed (end of subsequent on-drug cycles 2 and 3) (P < 0.05). In addition, change in forced expired volume in 1 sec (FEV1) % predicted values was a significant predictor of improvement in HRQOL ratings by patients and parents. After controlling for change in FEV1 % predicted, physician ratings showed significant improvement only at the end of cycle 1. Finally, controlling for initial lung disease severity, longitudinal growth models revealed that patients on TSI and their physicians reported higher HRQOL ratings than did placebo patients and their physicians across the three cycles; however, the magnitude of this effect decreased over time. Results of this study provided consistent evidence that TSI was associated with improved global ratings of HRQOL completed by both patients or parents, and physicians. Although these results are promising, they are limited by the use of a single-item rating of health. Future studies of the effects of TSI should utilize a well-validated, disease-specific measure of HRQOL. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002; 33:269–276. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The World of the Elderly Asian American

Older Asian Americans share a great deal with their fellow Asian Americans and with their fellow elderly, but the juxtaposition of all elements produces a personal history and present milieu that is shared neither with younger persons of similar national origins nor with age cohorts of various national origins. Understanding these individuals requires knowledge of their cultural origins and effects of early socialization, their life history in the United States, those age-related changes that occur regardless of early learning or ethnicity, and their expectations as to what it means to be old. Many values to which first-generation Asian Americans were effectively socialized are highly counterproductive for maintaining adequate life satisfaction during the later years.
Ca ISOTOPE EFFECTS IN ORGUEIL LEACHATES AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CARRIER PHASES OF 54 Cr ANOMALIES

Primitive meteorites contain small 40Ca excesses, in addition to rare anomalies in 48Ca. Refractory inclusions from Vigarano and Allende have larger 40Ca and resolvable 48Ca anomalies. These results imply that Ca isotopic heterogeneities were still present in the early solar system at both the mineral and whole-rock scale. The absence of correlated Ca isotope anomalies in leachates from the CI1 chondrite Orgueil containing large 54Cr anomalies has implications on the origin of the Cr anomalies. 54Cr has to be produced either in massive stars during s-process nucleosynthesis without accompanying 48Ca or in particular zones in the rare Type Ia supernovae. In the latter case, 54Cr has been produced in a zone predominantly enriched in Cr and 54Cr and not mixed with other zones, or 54Cr has been produced together with other neutron-rich nuclides and there has been subsequent decoupling of this material in the star, in the solar system, or in the laboratory.
Matrices of Perron numbers

Abstract A Perron number is an algebraic integer ≥1 that is strictly greater than the absolute value of its other conjugates. These numbers are precisely the spectral radii of nonnegative aperiodic integral matrices, and they possess an interesting arithmetic much like the natural numbers. Motivated by applications to symbolic dynamics and coding theory, we prove that the spectral radius of an aperiodic matrix whose nonzero entries are Perron is also a Perron number. Thus the set of Perron numbers is the “closure” of the natural numbers under the operation of taking spectral radii of aperiodic matrices with nonzero entries in the set. For a given nonnegative aperiodic integral matrix, we also obtain, by use of Diophantine arguments, an explicit upper bound on the smallest eigenvector in the dominant direction in which every entry is a Perron number.
Adsorption of Cr(VI) on γ-alumina in the presence and absence of CO2: Comparison of three surface complexation models

Abstract Adsorption of Cr(VI) on γ-alumina was investigated as a function of ionic strength (0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 M NaNO3), pH (4–10), Cr(VI) concentration (10−4 or 10−5 M with 5 g/L solid) and pCO2 (0, atmospheric, 2.5%). Cr(VI) sorption is significant at low pH and decreases with increasing pH, with 50% of the Cr(VI) adsorbed between pH ∼6.5 and 8. Adsorption varies little with ionic strength or pCO2 under most of the studied conditions. However, at low pH under high ionic strength and especially at high ionic strength and high pCO2, Cr(VI) sorption on γ-alumina is suppressed. The adsorption edge data were used to parameterize constant capacitance (CCM), diffuse double layer (DLM) and triple layer (TLM) surface complexation models. None of the models entirely captures the full range of observed adsorption dependence on ionic strength and sorbate/sorbent ratio. The best fits to the full dataset are produced by the CCM, mostly because it has ionic-strength dependent stability constants. The more sophisticated TLM, which requires the most fitting parameters, does not produce better fits than the simpler CCM or DLM approaches for the conditions tested in this study.
Residents Preparedness and Response to the Kalamazoo Tornado

A survey was conducted of individuals residing directly in the path of the tornado that hit Kalamazoo, Michigan, on 13th May 1980. The residents' tornado preparedness and response were examined in an effort to evaluate the city's emergency warning system. The system was adequate for people on the east side of the city and lacking for west side residents. Other factors pertaining to the storm event and human response were also evaluated.
Structure and location of amyloid beta peptide chains and arrays in Alzheimer’s disease: new findings require reevaluation of the amyloid hypothesis and of tests of the hypothesis

New in situ high resolution electronmicroscopic examination of amyloid fibrils in situ indicate that in Alzheimer's disease these fibrils are not simply long chains of self aggregated amyloid beta peptide. The amyloid beta is not only associated with P protein and glycans, as was well known from previous immunohistologic studies, but is arranged in the form of short chains at right angles to a P protein backbone with the glycans wrapped around that backbone. These findings suggest that the hypothesis causally relating simple, fibrillar amyloid beta to Alzheimer's disease must be reevaluated since such simple fibrils may be absent, or not the major form of the amyloid beta in the brain. Other data shows that shorter multimers, so-called protofibrils, or dimers of amyloid beta or molecules cleaved from it can be highly toxic. Some of these may be in the soluble amyloid beta fraction. Shorter multimers or dimers of amyloid beta, either extra or intracellular, may be the real links between amyloid beta production and Alzheimer's disease. Toxicity studies employing fibrillar amyloid beta may not be relevant, even if they produce lesions, because they do not employ amyloid beta in the form in which it actually exists in the Alzheimer brain. Studies of treatments designed to remove fibrils or to prevent their formation may be ineffective or suboptimal in effectiveness because they do not reduce the relevant amyloid burden and/or fail to alter the arrangement of shorter multimers of amyloid beta around its P-protein and glycan core.
Knowledge Production through Critical GIS: Genealogy and Prospects

AbstractOver the last decade, a new research program has emerged at the interface between geographic information science and geographical social theory, now called critical GIS. In this article I analyse the emergence of critical GIS as an example of knowledge production in geography. I examine its genealogy, highlighting the key debates, events, and individuals instrumental in facilitating a rapprochement between two initially opposed scholarly communities and tracing the directions that this has since taken. Addressing its current incarnation as critical GIS, I relate it to the critical theory tradition in the social sciences and assess the pertinence of the term “critical” for describing the epistemology and philosophy of critical GIS. I examine how technology, the geography of GIS research, and politics are shaping the future trajectory of critical GIS. Drawing on Helen Longino's vision for strong knowledge production, I argue that the future of critical GIS will depend on the ability of its practitio...
"Color Your Life:" an assessment and treatment strategy for children.

The "Color Your Life" technique, a form of play therapy, is designed to help children become aware of the range of feelings possible, to talk about their own feelings and to move from action to verbal forms of expression. In this article, the authors describe the technique and its variations, and provide examples of its application in both assessment and treatment contexts.
Location, Sex-Typing, and Salary among Academics

This study focuses upon the effect of intra-university location as it influences the salaries of academics, as it differs for men and women, and as it relates to sex-typing of university locations....
Foraging dynamics in Steller's jays: size and viability of cacheable food items

Several species of birds and mammals cache food items, which in harsh conditions may translate into improved survival or reproductive success. Animals may benefit from evaluating the quality of cache items in terms of size, nutrition and storage viability. Steller’s jays, Cyanocitta stelleri, which cache seeds for later consumption, may handle multiple food items with their beak prior to making a selection. By picking items up, individuals may use visual and tactile cues to evaluate size and shell condition. The number of items an individual jay handles is repeatable, reflecting consistent individual-specific foraging behaviours that may differentiate success at selecting high-quality cache items. In this study we quantified population-level preferences for food items based on size and shell integrity, and individual Steller’s jay sampling behaviour when presented with these choices. Using field trials with free-ranging subjects, we quantified sampling frequency in a variety of choice tests and measured individuals’ success at choosing higher-quality items. We found that Steller’s jays selected items of greater weight and items with intact shells, and preferences for these properties were of comparable magnitude. Jays sampled more nuts during choice sets involving cracked and intact shells, resulting in individuals selecting more profitable nuts for caching. These results may suggest that Steller’s jays evaluate cache items based on both current and future expected energetic values, and that sampling behaviour may enable them to choose more valuable forage items.
Shining a light on post‐translational modification

Post-translational modification, such as phosphorylation or glycosylation, provides a mechanism for increasing the diversity of protein structures in the cell and regulating biological activity. In addition, such modifications may result in the localization of proteins to specific cellular organelles, with incorrect targeting being associated with a number of diseases. The simplest strategy to identify the functional importance of post-translational modifications is to use mutagenesis methods to replace the residue that is post-translationally modified by one that cannot undergo the relevant chemical transformation. Merely causing "loss of function" does not, however, address questions concerning how cellular function depends on the timing of post-translational changes andor the movement of modified proteins between organelles. The recent demonstration that genetically encoded "photocaged" proteins can be employed to resolve such issues therefore represents an exciting advance in this research area, and is an elegant illustration of the power of combining the power of chemical synthesis and methods for manipulating the biological machinery of protein synthesis.
Initial Fluvial Response to the Removal of Oregon's Marmot Dam

A temporary, 14-meter-high earthen cofferdam standing in place of Marmot Dam was breached on 19 October 2007, allowing the 80-kilometer-long Sandy River to flow freely from Mount Hood, Oregon, to the Columbia River for the first time in nearly 100 years. Marmot Dam is one of the largest dams in the Western United States (in terms of height and volume of stored sediment) to have been removed in the past 40 years, and its removal exposed approximately 730,000 cubic meters of stored sand and gravel to erosion and transport by the newly energetic mountain river. At the time, its breach represented the greatest release of sediment from any U.S. dam removal. (The subsequent March 2008 breaching of Montana's Milltown Dam exposed about 5 to 10 times as much sediment to potential erosion.) Ongoing, intensive monitoring of erosion, transport, and deposition of that sediment is providing the first detailed data from such a voluminous dam-removal sediment release, which will provide a basis for evaluating physical and numerical modeling of the effects of future dam removals from mountain rivers.
Threats to the validity of science performance assessments for English language learners

In recent years, at the same time that performance assessments in science have become more popular, the number of English language learners (ELLs) (i.e., students whose native language is other than English) served by the U.S. educational system has also increased rapidly. While the research base is growing in each of these areas independently, little attention has been paid to their intersection. This case study of the use of a science performance assessment with 96 ELLs in five high school science classes investigated the face, construct, and consequential validity of this intersection. Qualitative and quantitative data analyses showed that both teachers and students had an overall favorable response to the assessment, although students' English comprehension and expression skills were determining factors for certain items. While most responses were reliably scored, ELL spelling and syntax on certain responses were significant sources of error. The degree of specificity of teachers' guidance also significantly affected students' scores. Recommendations from this study include increasing the clarity of an assessment's design, allowing ELLs more time to complete assessments, and scoring by raters who are knowledgeable about typical patterns in written English for this student population. Furthermore, it is recommended that the use of performance assessments with ELLs be exploratory until such time as their validity and reliability with this population can be more adequately established. J Res Sci Teach 34: 721–743, 1997.
Plain radiographic findings in anterior cruciate ligament injury and repair

Although magnetic resonance imaging is the most accurate imaging method of evaluating the anterior cruciate ligament, several plain radiographic signs suggestive of anterior cruciate ligament injury have been described. Plain radiographs also play an important role in evaluating anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Credentialing Ambulatory Physicians Based Upon Core Competencies

Economic forces have created a revolution in health care. Traditional models of practice are changing. The care of the patient is being split between the hospitalist and the primary care physician in the ambulatory setting. Increasingly there are physicians that no longer come to the hospital except to attend meetings, yet departmental chairpersons must credential and privilege these physicians and vouch for their competence. This article discusses ways to be able to credential and privilege ambulatory physicians or physicians that rarely see patients in the hospital (low volume admitters) by using the core competencies designed by ACGME that are currently used to evaluate residents.
Molecular architecture of peptide hormones optical rotatory dispersion of cholecystokinin-pancreozymin, bradykinin and 6-glycine bradykinin.

Die optischen Rotationsspektren des intestinalen Hormons Cholecystokinin-Pancreozymin weisen, im Gegensatz zu denen des Secretins, auf das Fehlen bevorzugter Konformation und geben Einblick in den Zusammenhang zwischen molekularer Architektur und Hormonaktivitat.
Does unfairness feel different if it can be linked to group membership? Cognitive, affective, behavioral and physiological implications of discrimination and unfairness☆

Abstract We assessed whether unfair treatment leads to different attributional, emotional, behavioral, and cardiovascular responses depending on whether or not the treatment is group-based. Latino and White men (N = 209) were treated fairly or unfairly by an ingroup or outgroup member. As expected, attributions to discrimination were the greatest among those treated unfairly in an intergroup context. Moreover, among those treated unfairly in an intergroup context, Latinos who did not endorse the protestant work ethic (PWE) responded with more anger, had higher attributions to discrimination, and punished the offender more, compared to Whites and high-PWE Latinos. Cardiovascular responses to unfair intergroup treatment did not differ by ethnicity: unfair intergroup treatment was less threatening (more challenging) when low (vs. high) in PWE. Results suggest that for low-status group members responding to unfair intergroup treatment (i.e., discrimination), identifying the treatment as discriminatory and becoming angry may be more cardiovascularly-adaptive than not. Implications are discussed.
Nitrogen recycling efficiency in steady-state oceanic environments

Abstract Nitrogen recycling in oceanic environments is considered on a cost to benefit basis; recycling efficiency (R) defines the ratio of total heterotrophic nitrogen regeneration to the rate of phytoplankton grazed. A simple model is derived which demonstrates that R is a function of the excretion to ingestion ratios of organisms at each trophic level as well as the length of the food chain. R is discussed in relation to ecological efficiency, and model equations are solved for relative production, regeneration and egestion for 1–5 trophic levels using an ecological efficiency characteristic of an oceanic environment. Analysis of the microbial loop on the basis of recycling efficiency indicates that marine microheterotrophs may not contribute as much to nitrogen regeneration as previously suggested. Finally, the ecological role of nitrogen recycling is discussed in relation to the maintenance of nutrient-sufficient relatively high growing algal populations in oceanic waters depleted of inorganic nitrogen.
Alteration of the 5′ terminal caps of the mRNAs of vesicular stomatitis virus by cycloleucine in vivo

Abstract Cycloleucine, a methionine analog, which inhibits methylation in animal cells also inhibits the reproduction of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in infected cells. The replication of the VSV genome RNA is abolished and the steady state levels of viral mRNAs are greatly reduced. These effects of cycloleucine in vivo appear to be due to the role of the drug as an inhibitor of S -adenosylmethionine formation, since RNA synthesis and methylation in vitro with purified virus in the presence of added S -adenosylmethionine are unaffected by the drug. Pulse label experiments show that VSV mRNAs are synthesized in infected cells at nearly normal rates in the presence of cycloleucine, however, the majority of the transcripts appear to be unstable and are rapidly degraded. The limited amounts of VSV mRNAs which do accumulate during a 2 hr label in vivo contain the undermethylated 5′-terminal caps GpppA and 7mGpppA. No GpppA m capped or pppA initiated RNAs were detected. These last observations suggest that the pathway of viral RNA methylation within the infected cell occurs in the order GpppA → 7mGpppA → 7mGpppA m , instead of the reverse order which was proposed based on transcription studies in vitro . [ Testa, D., and Banerjee, A. K. (1977) . J. Virol. 24 , 786–793]. At least some of the undermethylated mRNAs are functional since there is a low level of synthesis in vivo of the virus proteins G, N, NS, and M.
17O NMR Spectral Properties of Pyrophosphate, Simple Phosphonates, and Thiophosphate and Phosphonate Analogues of ATP

Attribution des deplacements chimiques de 17 O associes aux oxygenes pontes et non pontes de pyrophosphates. Ces resultats permettent l'attribution des resonances de tous les oxygenes phosphoryle de l'ADP et ATP et demontre que la spectrometrie RMN de 17 O peut etre utilisee pour evaluer le site et le degre de neutralisation de charge dans les anions phosphate et les especes analogues
New developments in our understanding of the β-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases

The beta-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases are a structurally conserved family of enzymes that catalyze the NAD(+) or NADP(+)-dependent oxidation of specific beta-hydroxyacid substrates like beta-hydroxyisobutyrate. These enzymes share distinct domains of amino acid sequence homology, most of which now have assigned putative functions. 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and beta-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase, the most well-characterized members, both appear to be readily inactivated by chemical modifiers of lysine residues, such as 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonate (TNBS). Peptide mapping by ESI-LCMS showed that inactivation of beta-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase with TNBS occurs with the labeling of a single lysine residue, K248. This lysine residue is completely conserved in all family members and may have structural importance relating to cofactor binding. The structural framework of the beta-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase family is shared by many bacterial homologues. One such homologue from E. coli has been cloned and expressed as recombinant protein. This protein was found to have enzymatic activity characteristic of tartronate semialdehyde reductase, an enzyme required for bacterial biosynthesis of D-glycerate. A homologue from H. influenzae was also cloned and expressed as recombinant protein. This protein was active in the oxidation of D-glycerate, but showed approximately ten-fold higher activity with four carbon substrates like beta-D-hydroxybutyrate and D-threonine. This enzyme might function in H. influenzae, and other species, in the utilization of polyhydroxybutyrates, an energy storage form specific to bacteria. Cloning and characterization of these bacterial beta-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases extends our knowledge of this enzyme family.
Preclinical validation of fluorescence in situ hybridization assays for clinical practice

Purpose: Validation of fluorescence in situ hybridization assays is required before using them in clinical practice. Yet, there are few published examples that describe the validation process, leading to inconsistent and sometimes inadequate validation practices. The purpose of this article is to describe a broadly applicable preclinical validation process. Methods: Validation is performed using four consecutive experiments. The Familiarization experiment tests probe performance on metaphase cells to measure analytic sensitivity and specificity for normal blood specimens. The Pilot Study tests a variety of normal and abnormal specimens, using the intended tissue type, to set a preliminary normal cutoff and establish the analytic sensitivity. The Clinical Evaluation experiment tests these parameters in a series of normal and abnormal specimens to simulate clinical practice, establish the normal cutoff and abnormal reference ranges, and finalize the standard operating procedure. The Precision experiment measures the reproducibility of the new assay over 10 consecutive working days. To illustrate documentation and analysis of data with this process, the results for a new assay to detect fusion of IGH and BCL3 associated with t(14;19)(q32;q13.3) in lymphoproliferative disorders are provided in this report. Results: These four experiments determine the analytic sensitivity and specificity, normal values, precision, and reportable reference ranges for validation of the new test. Conclusion: This report describes a method for preclinical validation of fluorescence in situ hybridization studies of metaphase cells and interphase nuclei using commercial or home brew probes.
The anaemia of chronic renal failure in sheep: studies in vitro

Summary. The presence of inhibitors which accumulate during uraemia has been postulated as a significant factor in the development of anaemia in chronic renal failure (CRF). To determine whether factors in uraemic serum depress erythropoiesis, samples were obtained from sheep prior to and after surgical induction of CRF. The sera were tested in vitro for their effect on erythroid colony growth. The sheep sera were substituted for fetal calf serum (30% concentration) in cultures of serotype-matched or autologous sheep marrow cells at optimal doses of erythropoietin (Ep). Forty-two paired sera from five animals were tested against normal (22) and uraemic marrow (20). In 7/42 random pairs, erythroid colony growth was decreased by 20% in the presence of uraemic serum when compared to a normal sample from the same animal. In the remainder of the cultures, uraemic sera stimulated or supported erythroid colony growth as well as normal sera. When the results were analysed individually, serum from only one of five animals showed minimal (10%) in vitro inhibition of erythroid colony growth. This study, performed in a prospective manner utilizing compatible target cells, disputes the hypothesis that uraemic toxins significantly inhibit in vitro erythropoiesis. These data correlate with the in vivo response to Ep in this sheep model, and suggest Ep would be effective in treating the anaemia of CRF.
Near optimal weights in nonparametric regression under some common restrictions

Abstract A fixed design nonparametric regression model having potentially correlated replicate measurements is considered. Optimal minimizers of the mean averaged squared error are derived under restrictions of symmetry and nonnegativity/normalization. The feasibility of a direct estimation strategy, naturally utilizing correlation, is discussed.
β-Adrenergic stimulation does not activate p38 MAP kinase or induce PGC-1α in skeletal muscle

There are reports that the β-adrenergic agonist clenbuterol induces a large increase in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) in skeletal muscle. This has led to the hypothesis that the increases in PGC-1α and mitochondrial biogenesis induced in muscle by endurance exercise are mediated by catecholamines. In the present study, we evaluated this possibility and found that injecting rats with clenbuterol or norepinephrine induced large increases in PGC-1α and mitochondrial proteins in brown adipose tissue but had no effect on PGC-1α expression or mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle. In brown adipocytes, the increase in PGC-1α expression induced by β-adrenergic stimulation is mediated by activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), which phosphorylates and activates the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) family member activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2), which binds to a cyclic AMP response element (CRE) in the PGC-1α promoter and mediates the increase in PGC-1α transcription. Phospho-CREB does not have this effect. Our results show that the reason for the lack of effect of β-adrenergic stimulation on PGC-1α expression in muscle is that catecholamines do not activate p38 or increase ATF2 phosphorylation in muscle.
Hydrogen bromide titration for soaps in fat products

Since none of the existing methods for determining soaps in fat products have been found to be entirely satisfactory, a method has been devised for the determination of alkali metal soaps by direct titration with Durbetaki reagent (hydrogen bromide dissolved in glacial acetic acid). When the titration was conducted at room temperature in acetic acid-benzene solution with crystal violet as indicator, soaps of potassium, sodium and lithium could be determined accurately in anhydrous oils, monoglycerides, and sucrose esters. The presence of alcohols, glycerol and sucrose did not interfere in the direct titration. However, oxidized oils, epoxides, and cyclopropenoid acids, which are known to consume hydrogen bromide, did interfere. Products containing the interfering substances could be analyzed by a modified procedure in which the alkali metal cations were extracted from a mixture of amyl acetate andn-butanol (1:3) into an aqueous solution of acetic acid, and titrated as the acetates.
Particle Manipulation Inside a Grooved Microfluidic Channel

The manipulation of particles and cells in micro-fluids, such as cell suspensions, is a fundamental task in Lab-on-a-Chip applications. According to their analysis purposes in either the pre- or post-processing stage, particles/cells flowing inside a microfluidic channel are handled by means of enriching, trapping, separating or sorting. In this study, we report the use of patterning flows produced by a series of grooved surfaces with different geometrical setups integrated into a microfluidic device, to continuously manipulate the flowing particles (5 to 20 μm in diameters) of comparable sizes to the depth of the channel in ways of: 1) concentrating, 2) focusing, and 3) potential separating. The device is fabricated using soft lithographic techniques and is composed of inlets, microfluidic channels, and outlets for loading, manipulating and retrieving cell suspensions, respectively. Such fabrication methods allow rapid prototyping of micron or submicron structures with multiple layers and replica molding on those fabricated features in a clear polymer. The particles are evenly distributed in the entrance of the microchannel and illustrate the enriching, focusing, or size-selective profiles after passing through the patterning grooves. We expect that the techniques of manipulating cell suspensions from this study can facilitate the development of cell-based devices on 1) the visualization of counting, 2) the visualization of sizing, and 3) the particle separating.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Evolution of the plastid ribosomal RNA operon in a nongreen parasitic plant: accelerated sequence evolution, altered promoter structure, and tRNA pseudogenes.

The nucleotide sequence of a 7.4 kb region containing the entire plastid ribosomal RNA operon of the nongreen parasitic plant Epifagus virginiana has been determined. Analysis of the sequence indicates that all four rRNA genes are intact and almost certainly functional. In contrast, the split genes for tRNAIle and tRNAAla present in the 16S-23S rRNA spacer region have become pseudogenes, and deletion upstream of the 16S rRNA gene has removed a tRNAVal gene and most of the promoter region for the rRNA operon. The rate of nucleotide substitution in 16S and 23S rRNAs is several times higher in Epifagus than in tobacco, a related photosynthetic plant. Possible reasons for this, including relaxed translational constraints, are discussed.
Circadian analysis of large human populations: Inferences from the power grid

Few, if any studies have focused on the daily rhythmic nature of modern industrialized populations. The present study utilized real-time load data from the U.S. Pacific Northwest electrical power grid as a reflection of human operative household activity. This approach involved actigraphic analyses of continuously streaming internet data (provided in 5 min bins) from a human subject pool of approximately 43 million primarily residential users. Rhythm analyses reveal striking seasonal and intra-week differences in human activity patterns, largely devoid of manufacturing and automated load interference. Length of the diurnal activity period (alpha) is longer during the spring than the summer (16.64 h versus 15.98 h, respectively; p < 0.01). As expected, significantly more activity occurs in the solar dark phase during the winter than during the summer (6.29 h versus 2.03 h, respectively; p < 0.01). Interestingly, throughout the year a “weekend effect” is evident, where morning activity onset occurs approxim...