cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Serglycin and betaglycan proteoglycans are expressed in the megakaryocytic cell line CHRF 288‐11 and normal human megakaryocytes

This study has characterized the proteoglycans from the megakaryocytic tumor cell line CHRF 288-11 and the effect of the differentiation-inducing agents phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on proteoglycan synthesis in these cells. There appeared to be two classes of proteoglycans. One, serglycin, was recognized to have a core protein of 31 kDa, an overall molecular mass of 200–300 kDa, and glycosaminoglycan chains of mean size 250 kDa was present. Probes for Northern blot analysis were prepared by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on the sequences of human serglycin and betaglycan. The serglycin probe recognized a 1.4 kb band, and the betaglycan probe recognized a 4.1 kb band, on blots prepared from RNA from CHRF cells and cultured normal human megakaryocytes. Both proteoglycans in their intact form adhered to peptides derived from fibronectin and collagen, but the free GAGs released by alkaline borohydride digestion did not adhere. Synthesis of two proteoglycans appears to be a part of the differentiation process of megakaryocytic tumor cells and normal megakaryocytes. © 1995 Wiley-Liss Inc.
Temporal arteritis and sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract Objectives: The association of temporal arteritis and sensorineural hearing loss is a rare occurrence. We present four cases with both these disorders. Methods: A 10-year retrospective review of all cases seen at the Geisinger Medical Center showed 271 cases of temporal arteritis and four cases with concomitant sensorineural hearing loss. The four cases were identified, obtained, and extensively reviewed. Patients ranged in age from 59 to 76 years and presented with sensorineural hearing loss and signs, symptoms, and biopsy evidence of temporal arteritis. The response to therapy and clinical course of each case are discussed. Results: In three patients, the hearing loss preceded the diagnosis of giant cellarteritis by 2 days to 2 months. In one case, the hearing loss was noted concurrently with systemic features of giant cell arteritis. All cases were treated with corticosteroids and had full or partial return of hearing. Conclusions: Sensorineural hearing loss can be a preceding or concurrent symptom of temporal arteritis. Recognition and treatment may lead to partial or full recovery. It is not certain whether the time from onset of hearing loss to diagnosis to institution of therapy influences recovery.
Characterization of pepsin fragments of basement membrane collagen obtained from a mouse tumor.

Basement membrane collagen was purified from an acetic acid extract of a mouse tumor and subjected to pepsin treatment. At initial stages disulfide-linked molecules, consisting of peptide chains with an apparent molecular weight of 140000, were formed which were some 15 - 20 smaller than the chains in the original protein. In a second stage further fragmentation occurred producing at least five peptides ranging in molecular weight from 27000 to 72000. Each of these peptides was isolated and characterised by amino acid composition, cyanogen bromide cleavage, circular dichroism and antigenic activity. The data indicate that the major portion of the initial pepsin-resistant fragment is degraded forming two triple-helical segments, the disulfide-linked fragment P3 and the cysteine-free fragment P1 containing chains with molecular weights of 72000 and 55000 respectively. The other fragments (P2, P3B and P3C) were recovered at lower yields and may originate from a second, genetically distinct type of basement membrane collagen. This interpretation is supported by partial amino acid sequence analysis of the two non-disulfide-linked fragments (Pl, P2). These sequences show that P1 and P2 are different and start with a non-helical sequence followed by the helical triplet structure Gly-X-Y. Studies on pepsin fragments of the insoluble tumor collagen demonstrated a pattern similar to that obtained with the soluble form except for the occurrence of disulfide-linked a-chain-like material. These chains also have an amino acid composition characteristic for basement membrane collagen. Taken together, the findings suggest that the tumor produces several related collagens. Pepsin digestion is a convenient method to solubilize and characterize interstitial collagens, since the enzyme removes short, non-helical cross-linking sequences from the ends of the molecule but leaves the large, triple-helical body of the molecule intact [l, 21. Kefalides [3] has reported that basement membrane collagen has a structure similar to other collagens and consists of three ul(1V) chains after pepsin treatment. Others have not found abundent amounts of u-chainlike material in pepsin digests of basement membranes but rather collagenous polypeptides both larger and smaller than x chains [4 - lo]. Circular dichroism studies [7,11] and electron microscopy [7,12,13] have, however, shown that basement membrane collagen possesses a typical triple-helical structure which is as long as or even extends beyond the triple helix of interstitial collagens. The marked heterogeneity of fragments from the basement membrane collagen after
Update on vitamin D and its newer analogues: Actions and rationale for treatment in chronic renal failure

Update on vitamin D and its newer analogues: Actions and rationale for treatment in chronic renal failure. Vitamin D is an important hormone for mineral homeostasis and the proper formation and maintenance of bone. In addition, vitamin D has broader functions in the body that expand its traditionally known role in mineral balance. In chronic renal failure, calcitriol deficiency contributes to the development and progression of secondary hyperparathyroidism, bone disorders, and altered mineral metabolism. Recent revelations of the broader role of vitamin D also suggest calcitriol deficiency may contribute to decreased cardiac and immune function in chronic renal failure patients. Research on vitamin D has led to a more complete understanding of the actions of vitamin D at the transcriptional level and with respect to the clinical use of vitamin D and its analogs to control parathyroid hormone overactivity and to replace the other D hormone-dependent actions in patients with renal failure. Limitations of vitamin D and its metabolites include hypercalcemia, hyperphosphatemia and suppression of bone turnover with the risk of adynamic bone disease. Vitamin D analogs may offer greater selectivity and potentially greater safety as compared to calcitriol because of their altered relative potency on calcium and phosphorus metabolism. This review focuses on the current understanding of the biological actions of vitamin D and its analogs and the rationale for treating patients with chronic renal failure.
Lingual clamping procedures for measuring oral vibrotactile thresholds: I. Effects of using a free-surround disk

Lingual vibrotactile thresholds were obtained from four groups of subjects using a different tongue-clamping procedure with each group. The four experimental conditions were designed to assess the effect on threshold sensitivity, across five frequencies, which results when using a free-surround clamping disk. Data indicated that the free-surround clamping disk used limits stimulus spread and results in greater threshold sensitivity than that obtained for conditions which do not employ this procedure. Findings supported the view that pressure receptors in the anterior dorsal surface of the tongue are selectively responsive to differences in vibratory rates of mechanical displacement.
The deterrent effect of urban police services: Further results

A model of the crime deterrence process is formulated based on the assumption that the objective of the police in allocating resources among various programs is to minimize the social losses from crime. The independent deterrent effects of two such programs, patrol and investigation, are analyzed using linear regression analysis and employing data, from police departments in the Los Angeles region. The results support the hypothesized deterrence process and show that, while separate deterrent effects are important, extensive complementarity also exists between patrol and investigation. In addition, it is found that the most cost-effective law enforcement policies for curbing urban crime are those that merely redeploy existing police resources but that social policies, especially those aimed at reducing poverty, are also important alternatives.
Diagnosing the Locus of Trust: Multilevel and Temporal Influences on Perceived Trustworthiness

Interest in the determinants of interpersonal trust has been increasing, and a substantial amount of work has looked at the effect of trustee behaviors and characteristics. Yet, characteristics of ...
The Electric Vehicle Shortest-Walk Problem With Battery Exchanges

Electric vehicles (EV) have received much attention in the last few years. Still, they have neither been widely accepted by commuters nor by organizations with service fleets. It is predominately the lack of recharging infrastructure that is inhibiting a wide-scale adoption of EVs. The problem of using EVs is especially apparent in long trips, or inter-city trips. Range anxiety, when the driver is concerned that the vehicle will run out of charge before reaching the destination, is a major hindrance for the market penetration of EVs. To develop a recharging infrastructure it is important to route vehicles from origins to destinations with minimum detouring when battery recharging/exchange facilities are few and far between. This paper defines the EV shortest-walk problem to determine the route from a starting point to a destination with minimum detouring; this route may include cycles for detouring to recharge batteries. Two problem scenarios are studied: one is the problem of traveling from an origin to a destination to minimize the travel distance when any number of battery recharge/exchange stops may be made. The other is to travel from origin to destination when a maximum number of stops is specified. It is shown that both of these problems are polynomially solvable and solution algorithms are provided. This paper also presents another new problem of finding the route that minimizes the maximum anxiety induced by the route.
Spin-isospin correlation and multi-nucleon effects in η meson production by pions on 3He

Abstract Pion-induced η production on a pair of nucleons is shown to be as important as the one-step π → η conversion on a single nucleon. The dominant two-nucleon contribution comes from the π(NN)J=0,I=1→η(NN)J′=0,I′=1 transition. Because of the larg cancellation among various three-nucleon amplitudes, the effect of three-nucleon processes on the η-production cross sections is much smaller than that of the two-nucleon processes.
Paleoclimate and human evolution workshop

Over the past two and a half decades, new techniques for studying climate change, applied especially to deep-sea drill core records, have driven the development of environmental forcing hypotheses of human evolution.These hypotheses link specific climate transitions in the Neogene (23 to 2 million years ago) or changes in Neogene climate variability to events in hominin physical and adaptive evolution and species diversification [e.g., Vrba, 1988; Potts, 1996; Bobe and Behrensmeyer, 2004]. Key developments in hominin evolution, and especially in the human genus Homo with its unique array of behavioral characteristics, may be tied to specific climate ‘events’ or to the increase or decrease in climate variability in particular time intervals. The key forcing factors might include the stepwise aridification of Africa during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene (about 3 to 1.5 million years ago), or changes in the variability of climate (and the food and water resources affected by the new climate regime) driven by changes in the Earth's orbital precession, obliquity, and eccentricity, (Milankovich insolation forcing) or millennial-scale climate fluctuations.
Effect of pH on the Anodic Behavior of Tungsten

Potentiodynamic and potentiostatic polarization, and the rotating disk electrode technique, were used to study the anodic behavior of tungsten (W) in a broad pH range (0.5-13.5) in H 3 PO 4 /KOH buffered solution. Surface oxides were found to play a prominent role in the anodic oxidation and dissolution of tungsten. Five distinct pH regimes and the corresponding reaction mechanisms were identified. Below pH I (region A) H + -assisted dissolution was the main dissolution pathway. As the pH increased, the role of H diminished and at pH 2.6 (region B), which was identified as the point of zero charge (pzc) of the surface tungsten oxide, dissolution was mainly H 2 O-assisted. The dissolution was observed to be OH -assisted above the pzc. The reaction order for OH was one between pH 4.5 and 6.5 (region C). The reaction order became zero at pH 8 (region D). This observation was attributed to the pH-independent dissolution of the hydrated oxide phase. Above pH 10, OH dependence of the anodic current commenced and at around pH 12.5 (region E) the reaction order for OH - became one.
Mechanism modelling of shot peening effect on fatigue life prediction

A new mechanism modelling is proposed in this paper to explain the shot peening effect on fatigue life predictions of mechanical components. The proposed methodology is based on the crack growth analysis of shot peened specimens, which are affected by the interaction of surface roughness and residual stress produced during the shot peening process. An asymptotic stress intensity factor solution is used to include the surface roughness effect and a time-varying residual stress function is used to change the crack tip stress ratio during the crack propagation. Parametric studies are performed to investigate the effects of surface roughness and the residual stress relaxation rate. Following this, a simplified effective residual stress model is proposed based on the developed mechanism modelling. A wide range of experimental data is used to validate the proposed mechanism modelling. Very good agreement is observed between experimental data and model predictions.
Issues and Strategies for Faculty Development in Technology and Biomedical Informatics

Biomedical informatics and technology are becoming important components of dental education. The tools and techniques now available have the potential for significant impact on teaching and research by improving the way information is acquired, stored, retrieved, and managed. However, a gap exists between those who create, introduce, or implement the technology applications and the faculty in dental schools faced with the challenge of using it. For technology and informatics to thrive in the areas of didactic teaching, clinical teaching, and clinical practice, more than a select few must understand the potential applications. This paper provides an overview of the issues and strategies involved with faculty development for the use of technology in the educational setting. The discussion covers important reasons for developing faculty competence in technology applications, significant barriers to faculty development in this area, and several strategies designed to overcome these barriers.
On the road: progress in finding the unique pathway of invariant NKT cell differentiation.

Two populations of natural killer T cells with invariant TCR α-chains (iNKT cells) have been identified in mice and humans. These conserved populations have distinct functional properties and anatomical distributions. The differentiation pathway of iNKT cells positively selected by CD1d molecules branches off from the pathway of mainstream thymocyte development at the double-positive (CD4+CD8+) stage. Recent work shows how signaling events early in the thymus can imprint the memory-like behavior of these iNKT cells and that unique molecular interactions govern their development and emigration from the thymus. Factors shaping their variable repertoire of the T-cell antigen receptor β-chain, in addition to novel autologous antigens, have been defined; however, it remains unclear whether there is a single autologous antigen responsible for both positive selection and peripheral activation.
The management of chronic heart failure.

Heart failure is a complex of symptoms — fatigue, shortness of breath, and congestion — that are related to the inadequate perfusion of tissue during exertion and often to the retention of fluid. Its primary cause is an impairment of the heart's ability to fill or empty the left ventricle properly. The management of heart failure can no longer be confined to the relief of symptoms. The processes that contribute to left ventricular dysfunction may progress independently from the development of symptoms (Figure 1). Treatment to prevent or delay the progression of left ventricular dysfunction may therefore be quite different . . .
High-Temperature Fiber Optic Pressure Sensor

Two versions of a fast-response microbend pressure sensor have been developed for deployment in high temperature environments. Aluminum-coated fiber is used in a drum configuration in the sensors which employ a unique "fingered" flexural diaphragm technique to induce microbend attenuation. A dedicated test facility consisting of a shock tube and customized furnace has been established for high-temperature pressure sensor evaluation. The shock tube delivers reproducible, fast rise-time pressure pulses. Sensor response has been obtained using single mode fiber. The furnace, which has been built around the shock tube, and which maintains a heated environment to 750°C, has not yet been used with the fiber sensors.
On Teaching Russian Literature in Russian

THE rapidly growing interest in Russian on many American campuses today is a phenomenon which goes back less than a decade. Because it is such a recent development, teachers of Russian are just now facing problems with which their colleagues in the Romance languages and German became familiar many years ago, and some of the most challenging problems come up in connection with teaching Russian literature. How is Russian literature best taught to American students?
Effect of added cysteine and lysine upon lysinoalanine levels in various alkaline treated food proteins.

The formation of lysinoalanine (LAL) in casein, zein, and wheat gluten was studied in relation to varied levels of alkali, added cysteine, and added lysine. Protein suspensions were heated in alkali, subjected to acid hydrolysis conditions, and then analyzed for LAL using high-pressure liquid chromatography. Cysteine generally decreased LAL formations while lysine decreased formation in casein and increased the LAL level in zein and gluten. In a separate experiment, samples of normal and high lysine corn varieties were heated in a calcium hydroxide solution. Low levels of LAL were formed (200–217 ppm) but there was no significant difference between the two varieties in the amount of LAL found. Lysine fortification of the normal corn did not increase LAL formation. The addition of cysteine to high lysine corn caused increased levels of LAL.
Structured Model of Debriefing on Perspective Transformation for NP Students

Abstract Background The design of transformative learning experiences for nurse practitioner students as they shift roles is an ongoing challenge for nurse educators. The use of simulation-based experiential learning and, in particular, debriefing to promote reflection and perspective transformation (PT) may be integral to successful design. In this student population, PT is the shifting of their professional nursing perspective to include medical decision making. Methods This mixed methods study examined the effectiveness of a structured model of debriefing, Debriefing with Good Judgment, on acute care nurse practitioner students' reflective ability and PT. Results Twenty-two students participated in the study. Reflective ability (p = .289) did not differ between groups over time. However, PT was influenced by the interaction between time and group assignment at a statistically significant level (p = .049; ŋp2 = 0.125). The intervention group reported a higher incidence of PT (χ2[2] = 6.443; p = .040). The qualitative data supported these findings with participants in the intervention group engaging in deep reflection. Conclusions The use of a structured facilitated model of debriefing, Debriefing with Good Judgment, resulted in a significantly higher rate of PT.
Lipid Accumulation in Jejunal and Colonic Mucosa Following Chronic Cholestyramine (Questran) Feeding

The hypolipidemic agent, cholestyramine (Questran), when fed to rats inhibits intestinal absorption of cholesterol and triglycerides and causes significant epithelial cell damage in both small and large intestine. In this study, we report significant accumulation of lipids in the mucosal layer of both jejunum and colon in rats administered 2% cholestyramine for a four-week period, when compared to a control group maintained on regular chow. The total lipid increment with cholestyramine was 4.7-fold in the jejunum and 3.7-fold in the colon. The triglyceride fraction increased substantially in the small but not the large intestine. Relative phospholipid levels decreased in the treated jejunum but not in the colon. The biochemical data were reflected in morphological evidence of lipid-laden enterocytes obtained by light and transmission electron microscopy. Since cholestyramine has been shown to sequester 99.8% of micellar phospholipidin vitro, it is concluded that the presence of cholestyramine in the intestinal lumen may interefere with phospholipid availability for chylomicron synthesis and serosal lipid exit from the epithelium. This unusual deposition of lipid within the mucosal layer may also be correlated with the known cocarcinogenic effect of this resin in experimentally induced intestinal cancer.
Spectroscopically Probing Microscopic Solvent Properties of Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids with the Addition of Carbon Dioxide

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) provide an alternative for elimination of solvent emissions to the atmosphere for many reactions, but the subsequent separation of the products by conventional methods can be a challenge. However, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as an extractant offers potential for a novel class of environmentally benign media for chemical reaction and downstream separation. We have investigated the solvent properties of mixtures of 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6]) and CO2 as functions of temperature (35−50 °C) and CO2 pressure (0−230 bar). We report the Kamlet−Taft dipolarity/polarizability parameter, volume expansion, and microviscosity. The results are consistent with a picture of local enhancement of RTIL composition around a chromophore, maintaining solvent strength even at fairly high loadings of CO2, whereas the microviscosity in the vicinity of the solute is dramatically reduced, leading to enhanced mass transport and facilitated...
Therapy for Peripheral Artery Disease Gaps in Treating Patients With Claudication

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is estimated to affect up to 29% of people ≥50 years of age in the United States1 and >200 million people worldwide.2 Diagnosis of PAD is associated with an increased risk of adverse medical events and premature mortality from cardiovascular disease.3,4 The classic symptom of PAD, intermittent claudication (IC), is characterized by exertional leg pain that resolves with rest and is estimated to affect up to 35% of PAD patients ≥50 years of age.5,6 Patients with PAD and IC have impaired walking ability, poor functional outcomes, and a reduced quality of life resulting at least in part from the leg pain experienced.7 Thus, PAD with IC is a significant international healthcare concern with an adverse impact on patients resulting from systemic atherosclerosis and IC symptoms. Few pharmacological therapy options are available to treat PAD symptoms. The most efficacious option currently to improve IC is supervised walking exercise. However, this treatment is not widely available despite strong evidence of its efficacy. In contrast, options that are more readily available to provide symptom relief for IC include invasive treatments such as endovascular therapy and surgical procedures.8 Article see p 939 In this issue of Circulation , Nordanstig and colleagues9 present their results of a comparison of invasive and noninvasive treatments in a prospective, single-center, randomized, clinical trial of patients with stable IC symptoms. The aim of the Invasive Revascularization or Not in Intermittent Claudication (IRONIC) trial was to compare outcomes for PAD patients receiving peripheral revascularization in combination with noninvasive therapy with outcomes in patients who received only noninvasive medical therapy. The noninvasive therapy included the provision of educational materials and medical management of the systemic atherosclerosis, prescription of cilostazol (100 mg twice daily), and general advice …
Lamivudine and hepatitis B: Is the bloom already fading?

Abstract Thirty-four US centers participated in a prospective randomized placebo control trial of lamivudine 100 mg for 52 wk, followed by observation for an additional 4 months. Biopsies at baseline and after 52 wk of treatment were compared. All patients had the following attributes: • 18 yr of age • HBsAg positive at least 6 months • HBeAg positive at least 1 month • ALT 1.3–10 × ULN • histological changes of chronic hepatitis • positive HBV DNA Exclusion criteria were: previous antiviral B therapy; any antiviral therapy within 6 months; bilirubin >2.5 mg/dl; prothrombin time >3 s prolonged; albumen 1:160; creatinine >1.5; decreased formed elements, pregnancy, or breast feeding. The primary end-point was improvement by at least 2 points in histology score. Secondary end-points were loss detectable HBeAg, HBV DNA, emergence of anti HBe, and other markers of active liver disease. End-of-treatment (ET) and end-of-follow-up information is provided in Table 1. Adverse events were few and no worse in the lamivudine group. ET serum samples from 44 lamivudine respondants revealed YMDD variants in 32%. Only those without this variant had HBeAg seroconversion. YMDD converters still had lower ET HBV DNA and ALT levels than at outset, but at end of follow-up, HBV DNA values for those with YMDD mutants were back to baseline. ET liver biopsy improvement was seen in 63% of lamivudine-treated wild type and 43% of mutants.
A leaf roll virus control program in Idaho's seed potato areas

An area leaf roll virus control program was initiated by certified seed potato growers in Caribou County, Idaho in 1961 and became fully organized in 1963. This program consisted of early season control of the green peach aphid,Myzus persicae (Sulz.), on garden transplants and in home gardens, removal of winter hosts of this insect, and formulation of strict requirements for handling seed stocks for certification. Seed lots with more than a trace of leaf roll virus (0.1%) declined from 18.7% in the 1957–1961 period to 0% in the 1962–1965 period. Green peach aphid numbers showed a similar decline. Weather conditions, unfavorable for green peach aphid development in 1963 and 1964, probably contributed to the success of the program. Leaf roll virus incidence and green peach aphid numbers have declined in other Idaho seed potato producing areas where similar programs have been adopted.
Green cones of the piñon pine stimulate late summer breeding in the piñon jay.

REPRODUCTION in birds is influenced by a variety of environmental factors, usually classified as ultimate or proximate1. Ultimate factors determine efficiency of breeding, for example food supply for the young both before and after they become independent of their parents. Proximate factors, on the other hand, are the timers or predictors which initiate breeding at the appropriate time. Photoperiod is the most reliable and common proximate factor in those temperate zone species which breed exclusively in spring when daylength is increasing2. Other proximate factors, such as rainfall, provide predictive information in many regions of the world, in that increased food availability follows the rains3.
Exposure To Predators and Access To Food in Wintering White-Throated Sparrows Zonotrichia Albicollis

I studied a free-living population of white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) to determine which, among eleven behavioural, morphological and situational variables, were correlated with the distance from cover at which individuals fed (a presumed index of predation risk) and the amount of time they spent feeding at three observation sites. Time spent feeding was correlated only with dominance, an indication that dominant birds obtained greater access to high quality food. In contrast, an assortment of factors affected distance to cover. Individuals tended to feed far from cover if they were: (1) in large flocks, (2) males, (3) young and (4) subordinate. Distance to cover for the population as a whole increased during cold and cloudy conditions. The failure of dominance alone to determine a bird's distance to cover probably resulted in part from the confusion caused by dominant heterospecifics (e.g. cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis) and from their apparent tendency to tolerate mainly small white-throated sparrows (which tended to be subordinate) feeding with them. Overall, this study indicates that while dominance clearly allows easy access to food, it is only one of several factors affecting exposure to predators.
Depressive symptoms and their relationship with endogenous reproductive hormones and sporadic anovulation in premenopausal women

Purpose To determine whether depressive symptoms are associated with ovulation or reproductive hormone concentrations in eumenorrheic women without a reported diagnosis of clinical depression.
Fatty acids and antioxidant effects on grease microstructures

Abstract The search for biobased material as industrial and automotive lubricants has accelerated in recent years. This trend is primarily due to the nontoxic and biodegradable characteristics of seed oils that can substitute mineral oil as base fluid in grease making. The paper discusses the preparation of lithium soap-based soy greases using different fatty acids and the determination of crystallite structure of soap using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Lithium soaps with palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids were synthesized and mixed with soybean oil (SBO) and additives to obtain different grease compositions. TEM measurements have revealed that the soap crystallite structure impact grease consistency. Soap fiber length and their cross-linking mechanism in the matrix control grease consistency (National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) hardness, ASTM D-217 method). Lithium stearate-based soy grease has a relatively more compact fiber structure than Li palmitate. Linoleic acid (C18,  ) with two sites of CC unsaturation in the chain has a much thinner and more compact fiber network than oleic acid (C18, ). The presence of additive in grease produces a soap with looser network and larger fiber structure than similar grease containing no additive. A close analysis of grease microstructure will help in the development of better performing grease for industrial applications.
Designing Public Policy toward Hazardous Wastes: The Role of Administrative Regulations and Legal Liability Rules

The production of many valuable products and services generates, as by-products, hazardous and toxic substances that may cause serious injury. Those who are most likely to be injured by these substances are not the producers' customers but rather third parties, who are generally not in a contractual relationship with the facility generating or disposing of hazardous wastes and cannot, therefore, internalize the risk of harm. For example, if the dangerous chemicals that are generated in the process of dry cleaning are not disposed of properly, they may reach underground aquifers and travel long distances before rising into water supplies and causing great harm to persons and property, such as livestock. As a result, the possibility of harm from the generation and disposal of hazardous wastes is an externality requiring some form of public policy to induce the externality generator to internalize the costs involuntarily imposed on others. Naturally, the question arises whether ex ante or ex post regulation or some combination of the two is the most efficient method of accomplishing this internalization of costs. No coherent federal or state regulatory policies have emerged for dealing with the harms that hazardous and toxic wastes may cause. Some states, such as Illinois and Massachusetts, have banned landfilling, the most popular and economical method of disposing of hazardous wastes; Minnesota has greatly expanded the ability of those harmed by exposure to hazardous wastes to recover money damages from the generator and disposer in private law suits. At the federal level, there is no coherent explanation for the m6lange of administrative agency regulations, taxes, and penalties for failing to clean up abandoned waste disposal sites by which generators and disposers are regulated. In the domain of private law, it is not yet clear the extent to which private citizens harmed by hazardous wastes may seek recovery in private causes of action; nor is it clear what liability standard the courts will apply if those private causes of action are allowed.
Long-range potentials and (n-1)d+ns molecular resonances in an ultracold Rydberg gas

We have calculated long-range molecular potentials of the ${0}_{g}^{+}$, ${0}_{u}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, and ${1}_{u}$ symmetries between highly excited rubidium atoms. Strong $np+np$ potentials characterized by these symmetries are important in describing interaction-induced phenomena in the excitation spectra of high $np$ Rydberg states. Long-range molecular resonances are one such phenomenon and they were first reported in S. M. Farooqi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 183002 (2003). One class of these resonances occurs at energies corresponding to excited atom pairs $(n\ensuremath{-}1)d+ns$. Such resonances are attributed to $\mathcal{l}$-mixing due to Rydberg-Rydberg interactions so that otherwise forbidden molecular transitions become allowed. We calculate molecular potentials in Hund's case (c), use them to find the resonance line shape, and compare to experimental results.
Influence of plant age and size on simazine toxicity and uptake.

Improper pesticide management can lead to environmental problems such as water quality degradation and ecological stress. Recent research in our laboratory has focused on development of constructed wetlands to assimilate pesticide-contaminated water. For improved aesthetics, these wetlands have been established with ornamental plant species. The effectiveness of a plant species for phytoremediation depends in part on its tolerance for the contaminant. Plant tolerance for pesticides may vary depending on plant age and size. This study examined the influence of plant age and size on the uptake, distribution, and toxicity of the herbicide simazine [2-chloro-4,6-bis(ethylamino)-1,3,5-triazine] in two ornamental wetland plants: parrot feather [Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc.] and canna (Canna × hybrida L. 'Yellow King Humbert'). Plants of different ages and sizes were exposed to simazine in 10% Hoagland's nutrient solution. Toxicity was characterized using plant growth, water uptake, and photosynthetic yield during exposure and postexposure periods. In addition, other plants were exposed to [ 14 C] simazine in nutrient medium to characterize pesticide uptake and translocation. Four-week-old parrot feather and canna were more tolerant of simazine than two-week-old plants. The two-week-old plant tissues of both species had higher tissue burdens of simazine than four-week-old plants. Simazine was primarily accumulated in the leaves of both parrot feather and canna. These results suggest that plants in a constructed wetland designed for simazine assimilation would be more vulnerable to simazine toxicity shortly after emergence.
Polarization-mode-coupling measurements along a spliced polarization-preserving fiber using a backscattering technique

New methods for principal-axis alignment for splicing polarization-preserving fibers and for evaluation of the axis-mismatching angle after splicing have been proposed, which use a backscattering technique. This technique can align the polarization axis within ±1 deg and is advantageous because the axis alignment is attained at one end of the test fiber. For the purpose of obtaining the axis-mismatching angle at a splice point, two kinds of backscattered signals coming through each principal axis of the fiber are utilized. By introducing a measurement technique for both ends, it is shown theoretically and experimentally that the principal-axis mismatch at each splice as well as local polarization-mode coupling along each fiber piece can be measured exactly.
Construction of Time-Frequency Distributions for Fields

We discuss the application of phase space distributions, such as the Wigner distribution, to study wave propagation in a dispersive medium. We show how the classical and quantum methods for particle motion can be applied to the solution of the wave equation. We derive an explicit evolution equation for the Wigner distribution and discuss a number of methods to solve it. We also discuss the application of phase space distributions to the evolution of noise fields in a dispersive medium.
Metallothionein isoform 1 and 2 gene expression in the human prostate: downregulation of MT-1X in advanced prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND Studies have shown an association of metallothionein (MT) overexpression with tumor type and grade. However, a family of genes underlies the expression of these proteins. The goals of this study were to define the expression of MT genes and protein in normal human prostate and to provide evidence that the expression of the MT isoforms is altered in prostate cancer. METHODS Immunohistochemistry was used to localize MT protein, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine the MT isoform-specific mRNAs, and immunoblot analysis to determine MT protein levels. RESULTS The localization of MT in the prostate was further defined using the E9 antibody. Using normal prostate tissue dissected from glands removed for prostate cancer, it was demonstrated that MT protein expression in the normal prostate is supported by mRNA from the MT-1A, MT-1E, MT-1X, and MT-2A genes. No expression of the MT-1X gene was demonstrated in cases of advanced prostate cancer. The expression of MT-1 and MT-2 isoform-specific mRNA varied among three commonly utilized prostate cancer cell lines. CONCLUSIONS MT protein in the normal human prostate is supported by transcription of mRNA from the MT-1A, MT-1E, MT-1X, and MT-2A genes. Expression of MT-1X mRNA is downregulated in advanced prostate cancer. Variable expression of MT mRNA in prostate cell lines provides evidence that MT gene expression may be altered among individual prostate cancers. Prostate 43:125–135, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque, 1818) CD156a (ADAM metallopeptidase domain 8): cDNA clone, characterization and expression in tissues.

Abstract CD156a, also known as a disintegrin and metalloprotease domain 8 (ADAM-8), is a type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein of the ADAM family. This protein plays important roles in immune and other physiological functions. In this communication, the channel catfish CD156a cDNA was characterized and its expression in various tissues was determined. The full-length of channel catfish CD156a cDNA had 3035 nucleotides, including an open reading frame which appears to encode an 850 amino acid peptide with a calculated molecular mass of 94.6 kDa. The peptide had three potential N-glycosylation sites. By comparison with other species, the degree of homology of the CD156a amino acid sequences ranged from 31.6% (vs. chicken CD156a) to 59.5% (vs. zebrafish CD156a). The channel catfish CD156a peptide could be structurally divided into nine domains. Several canonical features for CD156a functions were conserved in channel catfish. The CD156a transcript was detected by two-step RT-PCR in anterior kidney and gill, suggesting that CD156a may be involved in the innate immune response in channel catfish. Reagents for further elucidating the immune functions of channel catfish CD156a are under development.
Reasons for using the emergency department: results of the EMPATH Study.

Objectives: Emergency Medicine Patients' Access To Healthcare (EMPATH) was a cross-sectional, observational study conducted to identify the principal reasons why patients seek care in hospital emergency departments (EDs) in the United States. Methods: Twenty-eight U.S. hospitals, stratified by geographic region and hospital characteristics, participated in this study. Demographic, clinical, and insurance data were collected for a 24-hour period at each site, using chart reviews and a structured interview administered to all consenting adult patients seeking treatment during that period. Patients' reasons for presenting to the ED were assessed by their level of agreement (on a three-point Likert scale) with 21 carefully worded statements designed to capture a range of possible reasons for seeking care in the ED. Factor analysis was used to consolidate highly correlated responses and to identify the principal factors explaining patients' reasons for coming to the ED. Results: A total of 1,579 patient interviews and 2,004 chart reviews were obtained from a diverse sample that was 55.4% female, 58.3% white, 28.3% African American, 7.0% Hispanic, and 6.0% other ethnic groups. This exploratory analysis yielded five factors characterizing patients' principal reasons for seeking ED care, with medical necessity the most frequent, followed by ED preference, convenience, affordability, and limitations of insurance. Conclusions: Use of the ED is, for most people, an affirmative choice over other providers rather than a last resort; it is often a choice driven by lack of access to or dissatisfaction with other sources of care.
A comparison of magnetic, seismic, and gravitational profiles on three traverses across the Atlantic Coastal Plain

Magnetic traverses have been established by the writer along the lines of existing seismic and gravitational traverses across the Coastal Plain of Virginia arid New Jersey (see Figs. 1 and 2). This work was undertaken to see what relations existed between these three sets of geophysical data and to see if a correlation could be made between them and subsurface geologic conditions. In a previous study of the gravitational anomalies observed in Virginia [see 1 of “References” at end of paper] the writer reached the conclusion that the anomalies over most of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain areas were controlled primarily by lithologic variations in the crystalline rocks. The results of the present investigation appear to substantiate this hypothesis.
Urine leukocyte esterase as a screening tool for sexually transmissible diseases and vulvovaginitis in adolescent females

Abstract Study Objective: To determine the predictive value of leukocyte esterase as a means of screening for sexually transmissible disease or vulvovaginitis in adolescent females. Design: A prospective study was performed comparing the results of urine leukocyte esterase and the finding of sexually transmissible diseases or vulvovaginitis. Participants: Seventy-four females (mean age = 17.4 years) from a Chicago suburban adolescent family planning clinic who were requesting birth control services were enrolled in the study. Interventions: Patients submitted an initial 10–20 cc of a voided urine specimen for leukocyte esterase testing prior to undergoing a pelvic examination for Neisseria gonorrhoeae culture, Chlamydia trachomatis microtrak, vaginal wet mount preparation, and a Pap smear. Urine leukocyte esterase was recorded as positive (trace, +1, + 2) or negative and compared with the results of other laboratory tests for sexually transmissible diseases or vulvovaginitis. Results: Thirty-eight leukocyte esterase-negative subjects had no detectable infections. Thirty-six subjects were leukocyte-esterase positive: 2 had urinary tract infection, 9 had a sexually transmissible disease or vulvovaginitis, and 25 had no detectable infections. Conclusion: Urine leukocyte esterase was found to have a statistically significant predictive value for sexually transmissible disease and vulvovaginitis ( p = 0.003).
Radiologic Notes in Cardiology Dissecting Aneurysm of the Aorta

The diagnosis of a dissecting aneurysm can be suggested by the clinical findings or plain films of the chest but a definitive diagnosis cannot be made without angiography. Selective aortography is the procedure of choice as it provides the maximum amount of information at a relatively low risk. Important diagnostic findings include a double lumen within the aorta, separation of the opacified channels by a linear lucency, absence of filling of one or more major branches of the abdominal aorta, or a thickening of the aortic wall when there is no flow in the false channel. Because of the seriousness of the lesion, once the diagnosis of a dissecting aneurysm is suggested, aortography should be performed with a minimum of delay.
ASYMPTOTIC RESULTS FOR PERIODIC AUTOREGRESSIVE MOVING‐AVERAGE PROCESSES

. This paper is concerned with the derivation of asymptotic distributions for the sample autocovariance and sample autocorrelation functions of periodic autoregressive moving-average processes, which are useful in modelling periodically stationary time series. In an effort to obtain a parsimonious model representing a periodically stationary time series, the asymptotic properties of the discrete Fourier transform of the estimated periodic autocovariance and autocorrelation functions are presented. Application of the asymptotic results to some specific models indicates their usefulness for model identification analysis.
Plant-specific dynamic failure assessment using Bayesian theory

Abnormal events of varying magnitudes result in incipient faults, near-misses, incidents, and accidents in chemical plants. Their detection and diagnosis has been an active area of research [Venkatasubramanian, V., Rengaswamy, R., Kavuri, S.N., 2003a. A review of process fault detection and diagnosis, Part II: Quantitative model and search strategies. Computers and Chemical Engineering 27(3), 313–326; Venkatasubramanian, V., Rengaswamy, R., Kavuri, S.N., Yin, K., 2003b. A review of process fault detection and diagnosis, Part III: Process history based methods. Computers and Chemical Engineering 27(3), 327–346]. However, estimation of the failure probabilities of safety systems to predict these consequences (end-states), has received little attention in the CPI. In this work, methods for plant-specific, dynamic risk assessment are developed to predict the frequencies of abnormal events utilizing accident precursor data, helping to achieve inherently safer operations. These methods, which involve repetitive risk analysis after abnormal events occur, are especially beneficial for operations involving complex nonlinearities and multi-component interactions. Herein, the failure probabilities of safety systems and end-states are estimated using copulas and Bayesian analysis to ensure better predictions. The joint probability distribution for the failure probability of a safety system(s) having different consequences is modeled using the Cuadras and Auges copula [Nelsen, R.B., 1999. An Introduction to Copulas. Lecture Notes in Statistics, Springer, New York]. Accident precursor data are used to modify dynamically the initial estimates of failure probabilities to obtain posterior failure probabilities of the safety systems of an exothermic reactor. Finally, fuzzy memberships to various critical zones are formulated as a function of end-state probabilities to judge the safety status of a chemical plant.