cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tobacco carcinogen metabolites and DNA adducts as biomarkers in Head and Neck cancer: Potential screening tools and prognostic indicators†

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of many cancers that are strongly associated with tobacco use. Whereas HNSCC is often seen in tobacco users, many tobacco users do not develop carcinoma; and the differences between smokers with and without HNSCC are poorly studied to date. Some smokers may be inherently more susceptible to developing carcinoma due to patterns of tobacco use, innate metabolism of carcinogens, or altered excretion. Identifying those smokers at greatest risk for HNSCC would have great benefit through targeted smoking cessation efforts and enhanced surveillance. One approach to better understand the extent of exposure to, and metabolism of, tobacco carcinogens is through the use of tobacco-specific metabolites. Tobacco-specific metabolites can identify patterns of dose, exposure, and metabolism, and perhaps ultimately characterize the important differences between smokers who develop HNSCC and smokers who do not.
High frequency dielectric and electromechanical properties of ferroelectric nylon 11

Abstract Measurements of the high frequency dielectric and thickness-mode electromechanical properties of ferroelectric nylon 11 are reported. Two sets of nylon 11 film samples were produced. The first set was melt-quenched and poled, while the second set was melt-quenched and then cold-drawn at room temperature before poling, resulting in a three-dimensionally ordered sample. Gold electrodes, 10 mm by 10 mm, were evaporated onto opposing sample surfaces. The remanent polarization of the unoriented sample measured 27 mC/m2 while that of the oriented sample measured 52 mC/m2. Samples of each film were placed in a programmable environmental chamber while connected to a Hewlett-Packard 4195A Network/Impedance Analyzer via a custom remote fixture. Broadband measurements were made of the clamped capacitance and dissipation factor, thickness-mode electromechanical coupling coefficient kt , mechanical quality factor Qm , and longitudinal sound velocity v 1 for each sample over a temperature range of 20°–160°C. C...
Biomet Microfixation Temporomandibular Joint Replacement System: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study of Patients Treated During 1995 to 2005

Purpose To assess the safety and efficacy of a stock alloplastic total temporomandibular joint (TMJ) implant system, the Biomet Microfixation TMJ Replacement System. Materials and Methods During a 10-year multicenter clinical trial from 1995 to 2005, 442 Biomet Microfixation TMJ Replacement Systems were implanted in 288 patients (154 bilaterally and 134 unilaterally). Patients were followed at landmark times, including the date of surgery and at 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, 1 year 6 months, and 3 years. The 3 major metrics that were evaluated were preoperative and postoperative pain, interference with eating, and maximal incisal opening. Paired t tests and comparison analyses were used to assess outcomes. Results There was statistically significant improvement in pain level (P = .0001), jaw function (P = .0001), and incisal opening (P = .0001). Although there were complications necessitating the removal of 14 of 442 implants (3.2%), there were no device-related mechanical failures. Conclusions The clinical study presented supports the conclusion that a stock TMJ alloplastic replacement, based on sound orthopedic and biomedical principles, is a safe and efficacious option when alloplastic reconstruction of the TMJ is indicated.
NICMOS: the next U.S. infrared space mission

The near IR camera and multi-object spectrometer (NICMOS), is a new instrument for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). NICMOS provides opportunities for near IR astrophysical investigations with HST in the 0.8 - 2.5 micrometers spectral region. NICMOS contains three cameras at different spatial resolutions for imaging, grisms for multi-object spectroscopy, polarizers for polarimetry, and a coronagraphic spot and mask for coronagraphic imaging. A solid nitrogen dewar maintains the three 256 x 256 pixel HgCdTe detectors at their operating temperature of 58K for five years. NICMOS is the next US IR space mission, scheduled on STS Mission 91 in March 1997. It is anticipated that the European ISO mission will be launched and operational by that time and that joint observational programs with the two instruments will be possible.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Synergistic anti-tumor effects of combined gemcitabine and cisplatin nanoparticles in a stroma-rich bladder carcinoma model

Tumors grown in a stroma-rich mouse model resembling clinically advanced bladder carcinoma with UMUC3 and NIH 3T3 cells have high levels of fibroblasts and an accelerated tumor growth rate. We used this model to investigate the synergistic effect of combined gemcitabine monophosphate (GMP) nanoparticles and Cisplatin nanoparticles (Combo NP) on tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs). A single injection of Combo NP had synergistic anti-tumor effects while the same molar ratio of combined GMP and Cisplatin delivered as free drug (Combo Free) fell outside of the synergistic range. Combo NP nearly halted tumor growth with little evidence of general toxicity while Combo Free had only a modest inhibitory effect at 16mg/kg GMP and 1.6mg/kg Cisplatin. Combo NP increased levels of apoptosis within the tumor by approximately 1.3 folds (TUNEL analysis) and decreased α-SMA-positive fibroblast recruitment by more than 87% (immunofluorescence) after multiple injections compared with Combo Free, GMP NP or Cisplatin NP alone. The TAF-targeting capability of Combo NP was evaluated by double staining for TUNEL and α-SMA at various time points after a single injection. On day one after injection, 57% of the TUNEL-positive cells were identified as α-SMA-positive fibroblasts. By day four, tumor stroma was 85% depleted and 87% of the remaining TAFs were TUNEL-positive. Combo NP-treated tumors became 2.75 folds more permeable than those treated with Combo Free as measured by Evans Blue. We conclude that the antineoplastic effect of Combo NP works by first targeting TAFs and is more effective as an anti-tumor therapy than Combo Free, GMP NP or Cisplatin NP alone.
Leaf area allometrics and morphometrics in baldcypress

Leaf area relationships are important physiologically and ecologically but are not well studied in baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. var. distichum). Tree leaf area (LA) and leaf area index (LAI) were measured in a wetland in southern Louisiana by dissecting crowns of felled trees and by scaling stand-level measurements with allometry. Branchlet morphology ranged from flat and open with high specific leaf area (87.2 ± 30.7 cm2·g−1; mean ± SD) to scaled with appressed leaves and low specific leaf area (22.1 ± 11.6 cm2·g−1). Leaves were more appressed higher in the canopy. Tree LA was strongly related to sapwood basal area (SBA), and SBA was related to diameter; these allometric relationships enabled estimating LA from diameters. At the plot level, LAI estimated by allometric relationship (ranging from 1.8 to 10.2) was not linearly related to output from an optical canopy analyzer measuring light extinction; ratios of allometric to optical methods were 0.8 for the sparsest plot and 2.4 for the dens...
Structural and magnetic properties of clean and methylthiolate-adsorbed Co(0 0 0 1) surfaces: a first-principles study

Abstract Aimed at studying new materials suitable for spintronic applications, we have performed density-functional theory calculations for clean and methylthiolate(CH 3 S)-adsorbed Co(0 0 0 1) surfaces. We find that the adsorption of methylthiolate at the three-coordinated FCC and HCP hollow sites is most stable. The S–C bond tends to be normal to the surface. The bonding between the Co surface atoms and the S atoms does not quench the interface magnetism, which makes organic molecular self-assembled monolayers with a CH 3 S headgroup in Co/organic heterostructures possible candidates for spin injection.
Misfolded proteins induce aggregation of the lectin Yos9.

A substantial fraction of nascent proteins delivered into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) never reach their native conformations. Eukaryotes use a series of complementary pathways to efficiently recognize and dispose of these terminally misfolded proteins. In this process, collectively termed ER-associated degradation (ERAD), misfolded proteins are retrotranslocated to the cytosol, polyubiquitinated, and degraded by the proteasome. Although there has been great progress in identifying ERAD components, how these factors accurately identify substrates remains poorly understood. The targeting of misfolded glycoproteins in the ER lumen for ERAD requires the lectin Yos9, which recognizes the glycan species found on terminally misfolded proteins. In a role that remains poorly characterized, Yos9 also binds the protein component of ERAD substrates. Here, we identified a 45-kDa domain of Yos9, consisting of residues 22–421, that is proteolytically stable, highly structured, and able to fully support ERAD in vivo. In vitro binding studies show that Yos9(22–421) exhibits sequence-specific recognition of linear peptides from the ERAD substrate, carboxypeptidase Y G255R (CPY*), and binds a model unfolded peptide ΔEspP and protein Δ131Δ in solution. Binding of Yos9 to these substrates results in their cooperative aggregation. Although the physiological consequences of this substrate-induced aggregation remain to be seen, it has the potential to play a role in the regulation of ERAD.
The Effect of Whole‐Lake Nutrient Enrichment on Mercury Concentration in Age‐1 Yellow Perch

Abstract We evaluated the effect of whole-lake nutrient enrichment on Hg concentration in age-age-1 yellow perch Perca flavescens and assessed whether reduced Hg concentration in fish from enriched lakes could be attributed solely to enhanced fish growth (i.e., growth dilution). A survey of yellow perch in eighteight reference lakes and twotwo experimentally enriched lakes (P input = 2–6 mg · m−2 · d−1; N : P > 25 : 1 by atoms) indicated that yellow perch Hg concentration was highly correlated with lake pH and nutrient enrichment (R 2 = 0.87). Age-1 yellow perch were four to five times larger and had 50% lower Hg concentrations in enriched lakes than in reference lakes of an equivalent pH (reference lakes = 0.24 μg Hg/g wet mass; enriched lakes = 0.11 μg Hg/g). A mass balance model of Hg dynamics indicated that growth dilution could only account for 30–40% of the reduction in yellow perch Hg concentration, suggesting that lake enrichment produced effects on fish Hg concentration that were not explained by...
Ficklebase: Looking into the future to erase the past

It has become apparent that in the digital world data once stored is never truly deleted even when such an expunction is desired either as a normal system function or for regulatory compliance purposes. Forensic Analysis techniques on systems are often successful at recovering information said to have been deleted in the past. Efforts aimed at thwarting such forensic analysis of systems have either focused on (i) identifying the system components where deleted data lingers and performing a secure delete operation over these remnants, or (ii) designing history independent data structures that hide information about past operations which result in the current system state. Yet, new data is constantly derived by processing existing (input) data which makes it increasingly difficult to remove all traces of this existing data, i.e., for regulatory compliance purposes. Even after deletion, significant information can linger in and be recoverable from the side effects the deleted data records left on the currently available state. In this paper we address this aspect in the context of a relational database, such that when combined with (i) & (ii), complete erasure of data and its effects can be achieved (“un-traceable deletion”). We introduce Ficklebase - a relational database wherein once a tuple has been “expired” - any and all its side-effects are removed, thereby eliminating all its traces, rendering it unrecoverable, and also guaranteeing that the deletion itself is undetectable. We present the design and evaluation of Ficklebase, and then discuss several of the fundamental functional implications of un-traceable deletion.
A Novel Leydig Cell cDNA-derived Protein Is a Relaxin-like Factor

According to Burkhardt et al. (Burkhardt, E., Adham, I. M., Brosig, B., Gastmann, A., Mattei, M. G., and Engel, W.(1994) Genomics 20, 13-19) Leydig cells contain the message for a protein of the insulin/relaxin family which was named Leydig cell insulin-like protein (LEY I-L). We have synthesized the human LEY I-L according to the amino acid sequence deduced from the published cDNA structure and obtained preliminary results concerning its potential target organs and its biological activity. Leydig cell insulin-like protein binds specifically to crude membrane preparations of mouse uterus and brain and shows cross-reactivity with the relaxin receptor, but not the insulin receptor. On the basis of these observations, together with the results of earlier structure-function considerations, we suggest that the new protein is a relaxin-like factor. By itself the new factor shows no obvious effect, but when given together with relaxin it significantly enhances relaxin-mediated widening of the mouse symphysis pubis.
Stress protection osteopenia due to rigid plating

The rigid plating of bones leads to a condition of reduced bone mass under the plate. This condition, stress protection osteopenia, is of concern to clinicians because of a risk of fracture of the weakened bone after plate removal. The extent of stress protection and the consequent osteopenia is dependent on the structural rigidity of the plate in relation to the rigidity of the bone. Stress reduction of up to 50% is possible when rigid metal plates are placed on long bones. Even though numerous experimental animal studies have documented morphological changes and decreases in bone strength due to plating, more clinical studies are needed to documentthe extent of stress protection osteopenia in humans. The use of less rigid plates and the use of plates that become progressively less rigid with time are being explored as a means of circumventing the problem of stress protection.
The Nacirema revisited: A pedagogical tool for teaching criminological theory

Modeled after Horace Miner's classic article “The Body Ritual of the Nacirema,” an explanation of modern day Nacirema undergraduates as “academic deviants” is used as a pedagogical tool for negotiating criminological theory. Similar to the question, why do people commit crime, this paper asks why are some students “criminal”, i.e., poor students?
BINARY MIXTURES OF DILUTE BOSE GASES WITH REPULSIVE INTERACTIONS AT LOW TEMPERATURE

It is shown that a mixture of dilute hard-sphere Bose gases of different particle mass phase separate at zero temperature. For more general short range repulsive irteractions for which no phase separation occurs the excitation spectrum is computed. (C.E.S.)
Existence of solutions to some non-linear thermoelastic systems with viscosity

In this paper a non-linear system of equations in a one-dimensional domain is considered, where both the viscosity, v, and R are positive. The existence of solutions in the case of Neumann boundary conditions for θ and a polynomial form of p(θ, ϵ) is proved. When θ satisfies the Dirichlet boundary condition, the existence of solutions is obtained under additional assumptions limiting the growth of p(θ, ϵ) with respect to θ. In both cases the uniqueness of the solutions is also established.
Extended cavity laser enhanced two-photon flow cytometry

We demonstrate enhanced sensitivity in two-photon flow cytometry with an extended cavity laser excitation source. At low power, the home-built 20-MHz oscillator was able to detect a significantly larger fraction, in either phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or whole blood, of green fluorescent protein (GFP)–expressing MCA-207 cells cross-labeled with the membrane-binding lipophilic dye DiD. A geometrical model is used to explain unique features of the signals resulting from the different spatial distribution of DiD and GFP. These unique features include sub-square law scaling of unsaturated two-photon signal, a sigmoidal sensitivity curve for detection under varying powers for cell detection thresholds as low as a single photon, and uncorrelated signal strengths in two detection channels.
MECHANISMS OF SIGNALING AND RELATED ENZYMES

Most enzymes involved in cell signaling, such as protein kinases, protein phosphatases, GTPases, and nucleotide cyclases catalyze nucleophilic substitutions at phosphorus. When possible, the mechanisms of such enzymes are most clearly described quantitatively in terms of how associative or dissociative they are. The mechanisms of cell signaling enzymes range from or = 10(5), general acid catalysis (approximately 10(3 +/- 1)), general base catalysis (approximately 10(3 +/- 1)), and transition-state stabilization by cationic and hydrogen bond donating residues (approximately 10(3 +/- 1)).
Moderation, Religion, and Public Discourse: The Rhetoric of Occasional Conformity in England, 1697-1711

Abstract: This paper analyzes the rhetoric of the eighteenthcentury English debate over occasional conformity in order to develop a better understanding of how persuasive appeals to moderation were used in this particular case. This debate is noteworthy because it reveais how the eighteenth-century veneration of moderation was influeneed by the seventeenth-century Protestant reading of the New Testament. This understanding of moderation led to some of the first arguments suggesting a need for separation of church and state. Further, this example extends our theoretical understanding of moderate rhetoric when we observe its use as a justification for social change.
Rates of indoleamine synthesis in maturing mouse brain.

1. 1. Rates of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) synthesis in hemispheres and brainstem of maturing mouse brain have been made. Inhibitor methods with precursor assay have been employed. 2. 2. Rates of 5-HT synthesis are higher in neonatal brain than in vitro enzyme analysis might suggest. Changes in synthetic rate are more conservative in the hemispheres. The lowest synthetic rates are generally at 1 week of age. 3. 3. The possible general significance of maturational rate patterns for 5-HT synthesis are discussed.
Attachment of Agrobacterium to plant surfaces

Agrobacterium tumefaciens binds to the surfaces of inanimate objects, plants, and fungi. These bacteria are excellent colonizers of root surfaces. In addition, they also bind to soil particles and to the surface of artificial or man-made substances, such as polyesters and plastics. The mechanisms of attachment to these different surfaces have not been completely elucidated. At least two types of binding have been described unipolarpolysaccharide-dependent polar attachment and unipolar polysaccharide-independent attachment (both polar and lateral). The genes encoding the enzymes for the production of the former are located on the circular chromosome, while the genes involved in the latter have not been identified. The expression of both of these types of attachment is regulated in response to environmental signals. However, the signals to which they respond differ so that the two types of attachment are not necessarily expressed coordinately.
Sensor network for extended health monitoring of hospital patients

Modern hospitals are equipped with a variety of medical devices for the care of the patients. A particular group of devices are the ones that monitor the patients' vitals such as heart rate, oxygenation or blood pressure. Monitoring these vitals allows the doctors and nurses to respond quickly in case a patient's condition is degrading and even to save his life. The disadvantages of such a system is that it is usually bulky, and patients who are wired cannot move away from the room. This paper proposes an efficient monitoring infrastructure for hospitals using compact and wireless devices that can be worn by every patient at all time, transmitting real-time data to a central place, which can be accessed by the doctors for expert diagnosis.
Behavioral response of the New England dog whelk, Nassarius trivittatus, to a temperature gradient

Thirty New England dog whelks (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Nassariidae), Nassarius trivittatus, were tested as a group for 3 days in a long linear gradient trough encompassing a thermal gradient ranging from 5°C to 45°C. The modal thermal preferendum of the snails lay between 30°C and 35°C. The lowest temperature interval voluntarily occupied by the snails was 15–20°C, the highest 35–40°C. W e believe this to be the first published study of temperature preference and avoidance behavior of gastropod molluscs.
Right-lobe living donor liver transplantation.

Key Points 1. Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is currently performed at about 30 centers in the United States. 2. Careful and critical evaluation of donor and recipient is required for optimal outcome. 3. Right lobe donation is preferred over left lobe donation in adult LDLT. 4. There has been 1 donor death (<0.3%) in the US experiences. Donor biliary complications occur in approximately 4% of the cases. 5. Recipient survival after adult LDLT in the United States is approximately 88%. Hepatic artery thrombosis occurs in 3% and biliary complications in 18%.
A kinetic model for curing reactions of epoxides with amines

Curing reactions of epoxy resins are accelerated by added hydrogen-bond donor solvent and hydroxyl groups produced during the course of polymerization. A kinetic model comprising several different polycondensation and polyaddition reactions that occur simultaneously is developed. The concept of diffusion controlled reactions is employed to describe the change of reaction rate constants with conversion after the formation of an infinite crosslinking network. Good agreement is obtained between the model predictions and experimental data available in the literature.
Precision measurements of fundamental muon properties

Abstract The g-factor of the muon differs from two due to the excitation of virtual field quanta and particles. The deviation from two, the g-factor anomaly, can be calculated with high precision in the Standard Model of particle physics. The g-factor anomaly can be measured with high precision by determining the rate at which the spin direction of high-energy muons circulating in a storage ring precesses. The Brookhaven National Laboratory g−2 experiment (BNL g−2 collaboration) has measured g−2 to 1.3 ppm. The result is essentially in agreement with the Standard Model. The result puts interesting constraints on Standard Model extensions. Data under analysis will reduce the uncertainty to the order of 0.5 ppm. The precision timing techniques used in the g−2 experiment are a central element of a new experiment to measure the lifetime of the positive muon. The goal of this experiment is to determine the lifetime to 1 ppm, and the Fermi coupling constant to 0.5 ppm. The high statistics demand of this measurement is satisfied by one of the surface muon beams of the Paul Scherrer Institute. An artificial time structure is imposed on the continuous beam by an electrostatic kicker. The decay positrons are detected in a 180 element quasi-spherical detector. The effective counting rate is of the order of 1 MHz. The experiment is designed to control systematic errors to a level below 1 ppm.
Cystic optic glioma.

A pilocytic astrocytoma of the optic nerve, chiasm, hypothalamus, or third ventricle is a relatively common tumor of childhood. This case report illustrates such a tumor, originating from this location, which is unusual because of the association with two very large cystic extensions into the middle cranial fossa and into the third ventricle. The massive size and extent of this tumor and cysts was demonstrated on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, with gadolinium enhancement. This case illustrates a novel macroscopic appearance for a pilocytic glioma of the anterior third ventricle. The purpose of this report is to alert clinicians to the varied morphology this tumor may present as we apply increasingly our improved radiological, operative, and histopathological techniques.
Experimental investigation of a two-dimensional shock-turbulent boundary layer interaction with bleed

The two-dimensional interaction of an oblique shock wave with a turbulent boundary layer that included the effect of bleed was examined experimentally using a shock generator mounted across a supersonic wind tunnel The studies were performed at Mach numbers 2.5 and 2.0 and unit Reynolds number of approximately 2.0 x 10 to the 7th/meter. The study includes surface oil flow visualization, wall static pressure distributions and boundary layer pitot pressure profiles. In addition, the variation of the local bleed rates were measured. The results show the effect of the bleed on the boundary layer as well as the effect of the flow conditions on the local bleed rate.
Stimulus parameters affecting paired-pulse depression of dentate granule cell field potentials. I. Stimulus intensity.

Abstract Paired pulse stimulation of the perforant path provides a measure of inhibition of dentate granule cell field potentials that is reflected in the depression of the second (test) population spike (PS) relative to the first (conditioning) PS. The assumption that the strength of paired pulse depression is dependent upon the amplitude of the conditioning PS was investigated by increasing the stimulus intensity of both pulses (5–100% of maximum, Experiment 1), or by increasing the stimulus intensity of the conditioning pulse (5–100%) while maintaining a constant stimulus intensity of the test pulse (50%, Experiment 2). In both experiments, the threshold for early paired pulse depression (20 ms interpulse interval, IPI) was reached with moderate stimulation (30–40% of maximum). Above threshold, the test PS was depressed to a relatively constant amplitude in Experiment 1, in contrast to a nearly linear decrease observed in Experiment 2 with increasing stimulus intensity. This difference most likely reflects the lower stimulus intensity of the test pulse, relative to the conditioning pulse, in the second study, thereby allowing the increasing strength of early paired pulse depression to be detected more easily. The threshold for late paired pulse depression was reached near (20%, Experiment 1) or below (5%, Experiment 2) the PS threshold of dentate granule cells, and a paradoxical decrease in late paired pulse depression was detected with maximal stimulation in both studies. Together, these results suggest that early paired pulse depression exhibits a strong dependence upon the amplitude of the conditioning PS, whereas late paired pulse depression is marginally affected by the conditioning PS amplitude and is influenced by additional processes at both extremes of the stimulus intensity continuum.
Effect of counterpropagating beams on beam fanning in BaTiO3

Abstract The counterpropagating beams in the four-wave mixing geometry with parallelly polarized beams give rise to transmission gratings which are out of phase. This may be used to advantage in controlling beam fanning in BaTiO 3 . The counterpropagating beam, if tilted, also sets up near self-oscillation conditions in the presence of beam fanning. Such self-oscillation has been reported in Bi 12 TiO 20 . We present here the results of experimental and numerical investigations of the interaction between counterpropagating beams and beam fanning in BaTiO 3 .
Can Bridge to Recovery Help to Reveal the Secrets of the Failing Heart

Despite several decades of research and clinical experience, the basic mechanisms of the failing heart remain largely a secret. While pharmacological therapy can induce limited reverse remodeling, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy offers the opportunity to induce significant improvements to the structure and function of the heart, with major clinical implications. LVAD therapy also provides significant insight into which changes have an impact on function and which do not, and could therefore reveal some of the secrets of the failing heart. In addition, LVAD-induced mechanical unloading may unlock further myocardial properties hitherto unknown such as the proliferation of the stem cell compartment. It may also serve as an important platform for emerging therapies such as gene and cell therapies. In this review, we highlight the most recent novel discoveries related to LVAD therapy and bridge to recovery (BTR). Discovering the integrated network of events that underlies BTR could unravel the secrets of the failing heart.
Cognitive testing (delayed non-match to sample) during oral treatment of female adolescent monkeys with the estrogenic pesticide methoxychlor

This report presents preliminary data from a study of endocrine disruption in adolescence. A delayed non-match to sample (DNMS) task was used to assess the effects of the endocrine-active agent methoxychlor (MXC; 0, 25, or 50 mg/kg/day oral administration) in adolescent female monkeys 24-36 months of age (n=7-8/group). The testing utilized an automated touchscreen operant system (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Batteries [CANTAB]) with abstract, trial-unique visual stimuli. Basic performance of the task was established prior to dosing, training with simultaneous presentation of sample and choice stimuli continued during dosing, and delays (1/2, 1 or 2 s) were introduced near the end of the dosing period. The MXC50 group performed more poorly than controls during delay testing at the end of the dosing period, as well early in training with simultaneous presentation. No interaction between treatment group and delay interval was found. No significant differences from controls were observed at the lower dose (MXC25). Thus, MXC at a daily dose of 50 mg/kg appeared to interfere in a general way with performance of this visual discrimination and memory task. Further investigation will be needed to identify the impairment leading to this performance deficit.
Inhibition of Calpain Blocks Platelet Secretion, Aggregation, and Spreading

Abstract Previous studies have indicated that the Ca2+-dependent protease, calpain, is activated in platelets within 30–60 s of thrombin stimulation, but specific roles of calpain in platelets remain to be identified. To directly test the functions of calpain during platelet activation, a novel strategy was developed for introducing calpain's specific biological inhibitor, calpastatin, into platelets prior to activation. This method involves treatment of platelets with a fusion peptide, calpastat, consisting of the cell-penetrating signal sequence from Kaposi's fibroblast growth factor connected to a calpain-inhibiting consensus sequence derived from calpastatin. Calpastat specifically inhibits thrombin peptide (SFLLR)-induced α-granule secretion (IC50 = 20 μm) during the first 30 s of activation, thrombin-induced platelet aggregation (IC50 = 50 μm), and platelet spreading on glass surfaces (IC50 = 34 μm). Calpastat-Ala, a mutant peptide in which alanine is substituted at conserved calpastatin residues, lacks calpain inhibitory activity and fails to inhibit secretion, aggregation, or spreading. The peptidyl calpain inhibitors calpeptin, MDL 28,170 (MDL) and E64d also inhibit secretion, aggregation and spreading, but require 3–10-fold higher concentrations than calpastat for biological activity. Together, these findings demonstrate that calpain regulates platelet secretion, aggregation, and spreading and indicate that calpain plays an earlier role in platelet activation following thrombin receptor stimulation than had been previously detected.
Roles of acetyl-CoA carboxylase beta in muscle cell differentiation and in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase beta is expressed primarily in heart and skeletal muscle, where it may play a role in the control of mitochondrial fatty acid uptake and oxidation by controlling carnitine-palmitoyl-CoA transferase 1. To investigate the relationship between ACC-beta expression and myoblast differentiation, we specifically blocked ACC-beta production by expressing an antisense gene to the specific N-terminal region of ACC-beta in H9c2 cells. The expression of the antisense ACC-beta mRNA retarded cell fusion, myosin formation, and creatine kinase induction; all of these parameters are hallmarks of muscle cell differentiation. On the other hand, the rate of fatty acid oxidation was not affected by the presence or absence of ACC-beta in the cells.
A Binary Image Representation Scheme Using Irredundant Translation Invariant Data Structure

In this paper, we propose a novel 3-D binary image representation method using an irredundant, translation invariant data structure. In comparison with existing techniques (e.g. the quadtree), this approach has the advantages of translation invariance and spatial efficiency.
Directional tuning of the human presaccadic spike potential.

Abstract This study examined the behavior of the presaccadic spike potential (SP) in 20 normal, right-handed subjects for self-paced 10° saccades along vertical, horizontal and oblique meridians. The SP was recorded differentially between posterior parietal sites and a linked ear reference. The SP amplitude showed clear directional tuning properties, with the maximum response prior to saccades directed in an oblique, downward and contralateral direction. The minimum response was obtained for upward saccades. The data were fitted to a model consisting of 3 components: (1) a constant component reflecting saccadic amplitude; (2) a component with narrow directional tuning that is modeled from properties of frontal eye field neurons in monkeys; and (3) a component with broad directional tuning that is designed to reflect directional tuning properties of potentials originating from horizontal and vertical saccade generators, motoneurons and extraocular muscles. The narrowly tuned mechanism is sufficient to encode the direction of saccades. One surprising finding, though, was that the broadly tuned mechanism was necessary and sufficient to account for differences in SP amplitude as a function of electrode laterality. Application of this model approach to published data for periorbital SP, recorded between periorbital and parietal sites (G.W. Thickbroom and F.L. Mastaglia,Electroencephalogr. Clin. Neurophysiol., 64 (1986) 211–214), suggested that this potential represents a broadly tuned mechanism with directional tuning opposite the parietal SP. These data indicate that the periorbital and parietal SPs represent activation of different networks of central generators.
Activity of a new synthetic tetrapeptide in hypothalamic luteinizing and follicle stimulating releasing hormone assay systems.

Abstract Synthetic pGlu-Tyr-Arg-Trp-NH2 released, in vivo , the luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, but there was no release of the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or thyrotropin (TSH). All four amino acids of this peptide seem to be included in the apparent ten amino acids of LRH. Together, this tetrapeptide and the thyrotropin releasing hormone released LH and TSH. This tetrapeptide also released LH, in vitro , indicating the pituitary as the site of action of this peptide. This relatively potent tetrapeptide is not LRH, and its failure to release FSH may indicate a “separation” of the functionalities of the molecule of LRH which release both LH and FSH if, indeed, one releasing hormone controls both LH and FSH.
Measurement of Eddy Diffusivity of Momentum in Film Cooling Flows With Streamwise Injection

Measurements of mean velocity and turbulent shear stress are presented for the mixing region of a film cooling situation in which the coolant is streamwise injected with an injection angle of 35 deg. Measurements are performed using triple-sensor anemometry so that all three instantaneous velocity components are documented. The free-stream turbulence intensity level is 12 percent, the ratio of the integral length scale to injection hole diameter is 4.0, the coolant-to-mainstream momentum flux ratio is 1.0, and the density ratio is unity. From these measurements, values for the eddy diffusivities of momentum in the lateral and wall-normal directions are calculated. Additionally, calculated values of the ratio of eddy diffusivity in the spanwise direction to eddy diffusivity in the wall-normal direction are presented, which provide documentation of the anisotropy of turbulent transport in this film cooling flow.
A Turnover Prevention Program for child care workers: A failed effort?☆

This study describes efforts to reduce turnover of child care workers, one of the many activities undertaken within the Milieu Enhancement Project. This 3-year endeavor, funded by the Division of Nursing of the Department of Health and Human Services, allowed nurses to provide care for orphaned and disadvantaged children, test the value of a nursing practice model, analyze the cost-benefit and the cost-effectiveness of the project, computerize existing and model-derived health care records, and allow faculty and graduate students to practice autonomously in a nontraditional setting. The research question was: What is causing job dissatisfaction in child care workers? Nurses and social workers used the Milieu Enhancement Model to conceptualize, address, and evaluate factors contributing to turnover. While statistical significance was not obtained in the turnover rates before and after implementation of the Turnover Prevention Program, the milieu was enhanced in many ways. Data are presented to support many aspects of the program's success.
Satisficing strategies for resource-limited policy search in dynamic environments

In this work, we examine the problem of searching for schedulable real-time control policies for resource-limited agents acting in dynamic environments. The dynamic properties of the environment and resource limitations of the agent render the problem of solving for an optimal policy infeasible. We therefore limit our search to a satisficing, rather than an optimal policy. We view the policy search as a search for a state reachability graph, with an action assigned to each of the states in the graph. In the search algorithm, we exploit properties of the reachability graphs to propagate failure conditions from inherent failure states to other states in the reachability graph, which allows us to exploit constraint satisfaction techniques to quickly remove some unacceptable policies from consideration. Our analysis and experiments show that, under certain conditions, such as when the "safe" states in the reachability graph are separated from the failure states by a relatively small set of states, we can use backtracking and memoization techniques that significantly improve the efficiency of the search algorithm.
The effects of symbolic bias in the science of immunogenetics-prediction and confirmation in alternative models

Immunogenetics uses symbols to identify antigens and alleles, as well as antibodies. The imagined structure of immunogenetic systems is influenced by the convention of using the same symbol to denote both a genetic factor and the serological reagent used to identify the factor. This convention forces a conceptual one-to-one correspondence between genetic factors and the antibodies or reagents used to define them. The notation oversimplifies things immunologically, and may produce a false, or artifactual, genetic complexity. There are apparent laws of the system which either disappear or are radically simplified when the system is described with different symbolism. By allowing a general relation, not constrained to be one-to-one, between genetic factors and their defining reagents, alternative serological definitions can be made that, in turn, lead to alternative genetic descriptions for some systems. When an alternative symbolization, which allows for cross-reactivity, is used, all linkage disequilibrium in the common human Ag bloodgroups disappears, as does the cis-trans effect seen in the Rh blood group system. The new notation describes straightforward systems with codominant alleles. Our results on HLA suggest that the C locus may itself be only a symbolic artifact. Current work in cloning genes associated with immunogenetic systems will not automatically rectify the problems. The reason is that (the wrong) serological definitions are used to identify the genes being cloned. Our work predicts that when the allele/antibody relation is identified for certain systems by molecular means, there will not be a simple one-to-one correspondence between alleles and the reagents used to identify them. This will contradict the very notation in which the immunogenetic systems are described. Serology will, therefore, have to be reinterpreted in terms of a more general notation, which will allow for cross-reactivity.
Oscillatory bursting of phasically firing rat supraoptic neurones in low-Ca2+ medium: Na+ influx, cytosolic Ca2+ and gap junctions.

1. Whole-cell patch recordings were obtained from supraoptic nucleus (SON) neurones in horizontal brain slices of adult male rats. Low-Ca2+ or Ca(2+)-free perifusion medium induced oscillatory bursting activity in all sixty-nine cells displaying both phasic firing and depolarizing after-potentials (DAPs). In fifteen non-phasic cells without DAPs, Ca(2+)-free medium produced little or no oscillatory bursting. 2. Typical bursts started with rapid membrane depolarization, resulting in a plateau with superimposed action potentials, and ended several hundred milliseconds later in swift repolarization. Prominent bursting was observed at membrane potentials from -50 to -70 mV, with maximum amplitudes of 12.2 +/- 0.7 mV (mean +/- S.E.M.) around -70 mV. Development of oscillatory bursting was dependent on reduction of [Ca2+]o, with a threshold for the bursting < or = 1.2 mM Ca2+. 3. Bursting was abolished by addition of TTX, Co2+, Ni2+ or Mg2+ into the Ca(2+)-free medium, or by replacement of external Na+ with choline or Li+. Low concentrations of TEA or increased [K+]o prolonged burst durations and enlarged oscillation amplitudes. 4. Voltage-clamp techniques were used to examine the persistent Na+ current (INaP), and revealed that low [Ca2+]o shifted the threshold for INaP activation in a negative direction and enhanced the amplitude of this current. These changes in INaP were abolished by adding Co2+ or Mg2+ to Ca(2+)-free medium. 5. Direct diffusion of BAPTA or heparin into neurones or bath application of ryanodine suppressed bursting. Oscillations were also eliminated by the uncoupling agents heptanol, halothane or acidification. 6. CNQX, APV, bicuculline, CGP35348 (GABAB receptor antagonist), promethazine, atropine, d-tubocurarine and suramin had no obvious effects on oscillatory bursting. Blockers of transient Ca2+, or hyperpolarization-activating cation currents also did not alter bursting activity. 7. These results suggest that intrinsic burst activity in SON neurons perifused with low-Ca2+ or Ca(2+)-free medium involves enhanced Na+ influx through persistent Na+ channels, and requires the presence of rapid intracellular Ca2+ mobilization that might also explain the selective existence of oscillatory bursting in phasically firing cells. Intercellular communication through gap junctions appears to be important in determining neuronal activity of the neuroendocrine cells in low-Ca2+ medium.
The practical societal problem of pollution and public health as the source of a variety of problems regarding chance mechanisms operating in living organisms

Abstract The essence of the societal problem which justifies the expenditure of large sums on studies of pollution and health is illustrated by three figures included in this paper. The first two of these figures illustrate the contemporary publicity favoring the two competing energy-producing technologies, the nuclear and the conventional fossil-burning technologies. The very existence of this costly publicity demonstrates that the decisions affecting public health are now frequently made without due regard to the relevant scientific findings. The third figure illustrates the most laudable effort of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a relationship between hoped-for decreases in mortality and the dollar cost of removing from the environment any one of the several investigated pollutants, e.g., “particulates”, krypton-85, tritium, etc. The subsequent parts of this presentation tend to document the fact that the reliability of the EPA chart published in 1973 is illusory. The same applies to the large number of other official publications, including those of the National Academy of Sciences. The results of more modern studies brought to the fore a variety of biological chance mechanisms, such as competing risks, dose-rate effects, synergisms, etc., which make the problem attacked by EPA much more difficult than was originally anticipated. The basic research, combining the laboratory experimentation on animals and theoretical considerations, results in a better understanding of a variety of phenomena. However, this better understanding seems to imply that the solution of the practical societal problem requires a large multipollutant and multilocality epidemiological study.
Markov Clustering (MCL) based thread grouping and thread selection

Computing workload distribution is indispensable for resource sharing, cycle stealing and other modes of interaction in distributed systems and Grids. Computations should be arranged to adapt the capacity variation of system resources. Although computational migration is the essential mechanism for move computing tasks around, the decision making of which task should be relocated is even more critical, especially when multithreaded parallel programs are involved. Multiple threads might be treated as a partial workload and moved together. Based on thread similarity and the Markov Cluster Algorithm (MCL), this paper proposes a novel thread grouping algorithm, Markov Cluster Grouping (MCG), to classify threads into hierarchical thread groups, some of which can be picked by the proposed thread selection scheme, Markov Cluster Selection (MCS) for load distribution. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the grouping algorithm for parallel workload distribution.
Enabling integrated city operations

Cities throughout the world are facing increasingly complex R. J. Schloss challenges as they continue to accommodate population growth and demands for higher-quality services while managing budgetary constraints. An effective implementation of advanced technology is essential to addressing these challenges. The pervasive use of smart sensors to provide real-time monitoring and control of systems for services--such as public safety, water, and power--serves as a foundational layer. The next step is to integrate real-time information and processes so work is coordinated efficiently. The most valuable and powerful result of integration is the ability to create a unified real-time view of the status of the entire city similar to a network-operations-center view of a data center. This enables new solutions such as a city command center to optimize operations for individual services while simultaneously optimizing actions for goals associated with the city as a holistic entity. Real-time simultaneous optimization of all systems in a city may seem like a difficult goal to achieve, but this paper describes how information technology event-management architectures, semantic models, and standards can be extended in a practical fashion to accomplish this vision.