cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular weight variations in the diversity of phospholipase A2 forms in reptile venoms

Reptile venoms exhibit a wide diversity of phospholipase A2 forms when examined by electrophoretic and chromatographic techniques which separate on the basis of net charge. In principle, diversity in charge among the enzyme forms could result from two types of structural modifications: (i) pretranslational modifications, such as differences in amino acid sequences; (ii) post-translational modifications, such as partial proteolysis or hydrolysis of amide functions of asparagine and glutamine residues. Some types of modifications alter both charge and molecular weight. A radiolabeling technique has been developed which allows detection of phospholipase A2 enzymes after electrophoretic separation on the basis of molecular weight in polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecylsulfate. Venom preparations were radiolabeled by incubation with p-dodecylphenacylbromide, which was prepared radiolabeled to high specific activity with tritium. The labeling agent was dispersed in phosphatidylcholine liposomes and incubated with venom preparations under conditions of optimal enzyme activity. The preparations were then extracted with ether and hexane to remove substrate and unbound label and subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under standard conditions. Protein-bound radiolabel was detected by fluorography and autoradiography. Patterns of labeled species obtained by gel electrophoresis of selected venoms using separation on the basis of charge were similar to the patterns of phospholipase A2 variants obtained under the same electrophoretic conditions using enzymatic detection in phosphatidylcholine-containing gels. Examination of a variety of snake and lizard venoms using this technique revealed the presence of multiple molecular weight forms of labeled enzymes, but the extent of diversity was less than that observed with the same venoms using separation of phospholipase electrophoretic variants on the basis of charge. The results are consistent with diversity in reptile venom phospholipase A2 forms being derived from differences in both molecular weight and charge.
Enhancement of acetaminophen-induced chronic hepatotoxicity in restricted fed rats: a nonclinical approach to acetaminophen-induced chronic hepatotoxicity in susceptible patients.

Acetaminophen (APAP) is a commonly used and effective analgesic and antipyretic agent. However, some patients encounter hepatotoxicity after repeated APAP dosing at therapeutic doses. In the present study, we focused on the nutritional state as one of the risk factors of APAP-induced chronic hepatotoxicity in humans and investigated the contribution of undernourishment to susceptibility to APAP-induced chronic hepatotoxicity using an animal model mimicking undernourished patients. Rats were divided into 2 groups: the ad libitum fed (ALF) and the restricted fed (RF) rats and were assigned to 3 groups (n = 8/group) for each feeding condition. The animals were given APAP at 0, 300 and 500 mg/kg for 99 days under each feeding condition. Plasma and urinary glutathione-related metabolites and liver function parameters were measured during the dosing period and hepatic glutathione levels were measured at the end of the dosing period. In the APAP-treated ALF rats hepatic glutathione levels were increased and hepatic function parameters were not changed, but in the APAP-treated RF rats hepatic glutathione levels were decreased at 500 mg/kg and hepatic function parameters were increased at 300 and 500 mg/kg. Moreover the urinary endogenous metabolite profile after long-term treatment with APAP in the ALF and RF rats was similar to that in human non-responders and responders to APAP-induced chronic hepatotoxicity, respectively. In conclusion, the RF rats were more sensitive to APAP-induced chronic hepatotoxicity than the ALF rats and were considered to be a useful model to estimate the contribution of the nutritional state of patients to APAP-induced chronic hepatotoxicity.
Chromosome counts for Mexican ferns

Chromosome numbers for 106 species in 36 genera of Mexican ferns are reported. Of these, 47 are first reports for the species. Ten additional counts differ from previous reports. These counts suggest taxa where additional sampling might aid in making taxonomic decisions.
Postpartum copulatory and maternal behaviour in Norway rats under seminatural conditions

Abstract Virgin female rats were mated at a freely cycling oestrus, and then again with the same males at the subsequent postpartum oestrus. Copulatory behaviour at each mating was compared and the temporal patterning of the female's mating and maternal behaviour was analysed. Postpartum females were found to conserve the number of ejaculatory series received, yet the series were shorter, resulting in a shorter time being occupied, by this mating. During mating, females spent little time with their litters, and then mainly in the post-ejaculatory intervals. Ejaculatory series were rarely disrupted by nesting. The postpartum female rat seems to engage in behavioural time-sharing.
Lean Management of Environmental Consulting

Lean management has traditionally been adopted by manufacturing industries to improve operations through the identification and elimination of all forms of waste. Encouraged by the successful integration of lean principles in service industries, this article provides an investigation into the applicability of lean management principles to improve business operations in an environmental consulting company. An organized approach of applying the five fundamental concepts of lean management (specify value, identify the value stream, flow, pull, and perfection) is presented in a manner that environmental managers may use as a model to achieve specific operational goals. Examples are presented to illustrate how lean concepts were applied at two environmental consulting firms.
Sphingosine 1-phosphate and lysophosphatidic acid receptors: agonist and antagonist binding and progress toward development of receptor-specific ligands

Sphingosine 1-phosphate and lysophosphatidic acid are two phospholipid growth factors whose importance in physiology and pathophysiology is becoming more and more apparent. Structure-activity relationships for agonism and antagonism at the thirteen known cell-surface and one intracellular receptor are described. Particular emphasis is placed on ligands having different selectivity than the parent molecules. Structural insights regarding agonist and antagonist recognition by the receptors from both computational modeling studies and crystallography are also discussed.
An information theoretic performance bound for passive sonar localization of a moving source

Several passive sonar signal processing methods have previously been developed for determining the location of a source radiating tonal acoustic energy while moving through a shallow water environment. These localization algorithms rely on the complex interference pattern resulting from multipath acoustic propagation. By treating passive sonar localization as a communications problem, an information theoretic upper bound on performance can be derived. The bound is based on acoustic propagation, and depends on radial distance the source travels through the waveguide, signal to noise ratio, frequency of the radiated acoustic tone, and minimum sound speed of the problem, and resolution of the localization. An example using parameters from the SWellEx-96 experiment is shown.
Acknowledging Gender in Women-Only Meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous

This research examines from a feminist perspective the participation of women in the gendered space of women-only Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. Taken from a survey of women who attend women-only meetings in a metropolitan area, data reflect that these women hold liberal feminist views, have experienced severe forms of oppression before recovery, but once in AA, help to create a culturally feminist environment by supporting women-only meetings. Moreover, in spite of AA's alleged patriarchal culture, this sample of women acknowledges and supports its own gendered space in AA, but does so as a supplement to and not as a substitute for AA in general.
Effect of visual feedback on surgical performance using the da Vinci surgical system.

Background: Robotic surgical systems quantify human movements in terms of position, velocity, and time span. This information can be used to objectively assess surgical skill. The aim of this study was to test the effects of three-dimensional vs. two-dimensional visualization on performance using the da Vinci® Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA). Materials and Methods: The movements of novice and expert surgeons were recorded using the da Vinci® Surgical System for a two-handed task in two visual environments (two-dimensional and three-dimensional). Data were analyzed to investigate the effect of visual feedback on performance. Results: Velocities and task completion times were significantly different for novices and experts (P < 0.05) for all velocity parameters in both visual conditions. Additionally, there was a significant difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional times for novices (P < 0.05). Novices were idle significantly longer in two-dimensional than in three-dimens...
Detection of X-ray induced dominant lethal mutations in mice: An in vitro approach

The expression of dominant lethal mutations induced by 450 rad of X-radiation in the germ cells of male mice was detected by an in vitro analysis. Embryos sired by irradiated males had a higher incidence of developmental failures in early cleavage, at the late morula stage, and at the late blastocyst stage due to dominant lethal mutations than did control embryos. Dominant lethal mutations were induced most frequently in germ cells exposed as early spermatids and spermatocytes and next most frequently in germ cells exposed as sperm. A decrease in fertilizations, presumably reflecting cell killing, was found in irradiated spermatocytes. These observations indicate that in vitro analysis permits a more detailed description of mutations that are expressed as preimplantation failures than does in vivo analysis.
Evidence for cooperative effects in the binding of polyvalent metal ions to pure phosphatidylcholine bilayer vesicle surfaces

Abstract An internal NMR monitor for the study of lanthanide ion (Ln 3+ ) binding to phospholipid bilayer membranes has been developed. The dimethylphosphate anion, DMP − , forms labile complexes with Ln 3+ in aqueous solution and in solutions also containing bilayer dispersions. The hyperfine shift in the DMP − resonance induced by Pr 3+ ions has been used to determine the overall thermodynamic formation constants for the Pr(DMP) 2+ and Pr(DMP) 2 + complexes: 81 (M −1 ) and 349 (M −2 ) at 52°C; the limiting hyperfine shift ( 31 P) at 52°C is 91.5 ppm downfield. These parameters, applied to the observed DMP − hyperfine shift in the presence of the membrane, establish both the free Pr 3+ concentration and the amount of Pr 3+ bound to the phospholipid surface. Extensive data for the binding of Pr 3+ to the outer surfaces of sonicated vesicles yield a limiting hyperfine shift per Pr 3+ of 181.6 ppm downfield for the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine 31 P resonance at 52°C, clearly demonstrating that the binding stoichiometry is two DPPCs per Pr 3+ . A Hill analysis indicates that the binding data are more anti-cooperative than a realistic Langmuir isotherm, yet more cooperative than a Stern isotherm incorporating electrostatic considerations at the Debye-Huckel level. Fittings to specific models lead to a cooperative model in which tense (T) sites, with low affinity for Pr 3+ , present in the absence of metal ions, quickly give way to relaxed (R) sites (two DPPCs per site), with much higher affinity for Pr 3+ , as the amount of Pr 3+ bound to the surface increases. The intrinsic equilibrium constants for the binding of Pr 3+ to DPPC vesicles are 2 M −1 and 3 000 M −1 for the T and R sites, respectively, at 52°C. The distribution coefficient between these sites ([R]/[T]) in the absence of Ln 3+ is 0.14 at 52°C. We picture the binding site conversion as a head-group conformational change involving mostly the choline moiety. Sketchy results for binding on the inside vesicle surface indicate that the overall affinity for Pr 3+ is significantly greater and suggest that the site stoichiometry may be different.
Severe metabolic bone disease as a long-term complication of obesity surgery.

Background: Metabolic bone disease is a well-documented long-term complication of obesity surgery. It is often undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed, because of lack of physician and patient awareness. Abnormalities in calcium and vitamin D metabolism begin shortly after gastrointestinal bypass operations; however, clinical and biochemical evidence of metabolic bone disease may not be detected until many years later. Case Report: A 57-year-old woman presented with severe hypocalcemia, vitamin D deficiency,and radiographic evidence of osteomalacia, 17 years after vertical banded gastroplasty and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Following these operations, she was diagnosed with a variety of medical disorders based on symptoms that, in retrospect, could have been attributed to metabolic bone disease. Additionally, she had serum metabolic abnormalities that were consistent with metabolic bone disease years before this presentation. Radiographic evidence of osteomalacia at the time of presentation suggests that her condition was advanced, and went undiagnosed for many years. These symptoms and laboratory and radiographic abnormalities most likely were a result of the long-term malabsorptive effects of gastric bypass, food intake restriction, or a combination of the two. Conclusion: This case illustrates not only the importance of informed consent in patients undergoing obesity operations, but also the importance of adequate follow-up for patients who have undergone these procedures. A thorough history and physical examination, a high index of clinical suspicion, and careful long-term follow-up, with specific laboratory testing, are needed to detect early metabolic bone disease in these patients.
Aspects of the Tidal Variability Observed on the Southern California Continental Shelf

Abstract Observations of the current and temperature field from the southern California continental shelf are analyzed in a frequency band (0.6–6 cpd) dominated by tidal fluctuations. The seasonal variability of the temperature and horizontal velocity component fields for this frequency band is characterized both in terms of mean variance statistics and change in the power spectra. The most striking seasonally varying feature is the O(102) increase in tidal band temperature variance observed from winter to summer on the inner shelf. Energetic cuspate peaks are observed centered at 1, 2, 3 and 4 cpd. The bandwidth of the peaks is approximately 0.2 cpd giving a decorrelation time of 5 days for tidally-induced current and velocity component fluctuations. A complex empirical eigenfunction analysis indicates that the amplitude and phase of coherent structures in the velocity component and temperature fields vary over vertical and horizontal spatial scales comparable to the local depth and shelf width respectiv...
Roles for IL-1 and TNFα in dynamic behavioral responses of Langerhans cells to topical hapten application

Summary Background To understand the behavioral biology of Langerhans cells (LCs), we recently recorded time-lapse images of LCs in the knock-in mice expressing the I-Aβ chain tagged with the enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP). EGFP+ LCs showed relatively limited motility in the steady state, whereas topical application of dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) markedly augmented a unique movement of dendrites characterized by rhythmic extension and retraction, termed dSEARCH, and triggered amoeba-like lateral migration of cell bodies. Objective To define underlying mechanisms by which hapten treatment alters LC behaviors. Methods The I-Aβ-EGFP mice received subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of recombinant IL-1α or TNFα (50 ng/animal) and dynamic behaviors of EGFP+ LCs were recorded by time-lapse confocal microscopy at several time points to measure their dSEARCH activities and lateral migration. In a different set of experiments, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) or soluble TNF receptor-2 (sTNFR2) (0.5 μg/animal) was s.c. injected into the ear skin 30 min before topical application of DNFB, and LC behaviors analyzed 30 h later. Results Local injection of IL-1α or TNFα induced significant, albeit modest, augmentation of both dSEARCH and lateral migration. Co-injection of TNFα and IL-1α further exacerbated motile activities in a synergistic manner by similar magnitudes observed after DNFB application. Conversely, DNFB-induced behavioral changes were inhibited completely by local injection of IL-1Ra or sTNFR2. Conclusion IL-1 and TNFα serve as equally important mediators of hapten-induced alteration of LC behaviors. Motile activities of epidermal LCs are reprogrammed by selected cytokines known to be produced by keratinocytes under pathological conditions.
Pulmonary function abnormalities in survivors of near drowning

To determine the pulmonary status of children surviving near-drowning accidents, we studied the pulmonary function of ten asymptomatic children 6 months to 8.5 years (mean 3.3 years) after the accident. All ten children had normal FEF max , FVC, FEV 1 /FVC, FEF 50% FRC, and RV/TLC. However, six patients had an elavated Viso V and five of these had a reducedVmax 50 , indicating peripheral airway disease. Seventy percent of the patients had bronchial hyperreactivity. Only one patient had completely normal pulmonary function. These results indicate that near drowning results in large and small airway dysfunction in children with no predisposition to lung disease, which may be present years after the initial insult. Such children may be at increased risk of developing chronic lung disease, especially if exposed to known airway irritants such as cigarette smoke.
Self-Regulated Strategy Instruction in Regular Education Settings: Improving Outcomes for Students With and Without Learning Disabilities

Middle school students with and without learning disabilities (LD) were taught a strategy for planning and writing expository essays, using the Self-Regulated Strategy Development approach to instruction. Instructional procedures helped students to consider fully their topic in advance of composing and to use text structure knowledge to develop 5-paragraph essays. Students were instructed in procedures that encouraged planning throughout the composing process, as they set both process and content goals for writing. Regular education teachers provided instruction to all students in inclusive classrooms, and the effects of the instructional program were assessed using a multiple baseline with multiple probes in baseline design. Positive results were found for students with LD and low-, average-, and high-achieving writers: Students' papers became longer, more complete, and improved in quality. Changes in both writing performance and behavior were maintained over time.
Isospectral graphs and molecules

Abstract Isospectral molecules are nonidentical species whose molecular graphs have the same set of eigenvalues within HMO calculations. Several new concepts and methods for constructing pairs of isospectral graphs are discussed. Some possible experimental and theoretical applications of isospectral molecular pairs are outlined.
Mad2 Haploinsufficiency Protects Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells Subjected to Cell Cycle Stress In Vivo and to Inhibition of Redox Function of Ape1/Ref-1 In Vitro

Objective Cell-cycle checkpoints guarantee movement through the cell cycle. Mitotic arrest deficiency 2 (Mad2), a mitotic checkpoint protein, appears crucial for generating the wait anaphase signal to prevent onset of anaphase. We evaluated effects of Mad2 haploinsufficiency on hematopoietic stem (HSC) and progenitor (HPC) function in response to stress. Materials and Methods We studied effects of Mad2 +/− on in vivo recovery of bone marrow HPC from cytotoxic effects and also effects of cytostatic agents on HPC growth in vitro using Mad2 +/− mice. Results Mad2 +/− HPCs were protected from cytotoxic effects in vivo of a cell-cycle−specific agent, Ara-C, events consistent with Mad2 +/− HPCs being in a slow or noncycling state, but not from recovery of functional HPC after treatment with non-cycle−specific cyclophosphamide or sublethal irradiation. There were no differences in phenotyped HSCs in Mad2 +/− & Mad2 +/+ mice, information confirmed by no changes in short- or long-term repopulating HSC assay. To better understand Mad2 +/− HPC function, E3330, a cytostatic agent, was used to assess redox function of Ape1/Ref-1; colony growth was examined under 5% and 20% O 2 tension. Mad2 +/− HPCs were less responsive to E3330 than Mad2 +/+ HPCs, and E3330 was more effective under lowered O 2 tension. Mad2 +/− HPCs were not enhanced at lowered oxygen, as were Mad2 +/+ HPCs. Conclusions Our studies have unexpectedly found that Mad2 haploinsufficiency is protective in the presence of a cycle-specific DNA synthesis agent in vivo, and Ape1/Ref-1 inhibitor in vitro.
Effects of quadrat size and data measurement on the detection of boundaries

With sampled field data, the accuracy of delineation of ecotones is directly related to the resolution of the data (i.e. spatial and measurement type) and to the edge detection algorithm used. In the present study the reliability is investi- gated of an edge detection algorithm (lattice-wombling) to delimit vegetation boundaries when different spatial resolu- tions (quadrat sizes) are used. To quantify whether the edge detection algorithm is robust, it was applied to data from woody species in a second-growth woodland measured at different spatial resolutions with different data types. Bounda- ries were found at similar locations using any reasonable quadrat size (ca. 200 m2) but there were some slight differ- ences when using different vegetation measures (density ver- sus presence/absence data).
The use of the augmented unipolar left leg lead in the differentiation of the normal from abnormal Q-wave in standard lead III.

Abstract An attempt was made to evaluate the diagnostic significance of the QRS pattern in the augmented, unipolar left leg lead (Lead aV F ) as a means of establishing or excluding the diagnosis of posterior infarction. Forty-nine patients were selected for study because of the presence of a prominent Q wave in standard Lead III. One additional patient with posterior infarction was included. This patient did not have Q waves but exhibited the classical ST-T wave changes in Lead III. Multiple precordial and unipolar extremity leads were taken on every subject and esophageal leads were taken on forty-four of the fifty subjects. The presence of a posterior infarct was established in a total of twenty-five subjects, in four of these by autopsy, and in the remaining twenty-one by typical esophageal leads. The infarct was months or years old in all but four cases. Posterior infarction was excluded in a total of twenty-five subjects, in three by autopsy and in the remaining twenty-two by negative esophageal leads. In all cases where posterior infarction was excluded, a prominent Q 3 or QS 3 was present. This amounted to 25 per cent or more of the tallest R in twenty-three of the twenty-five cases; from an examination of the standard leads alone, many of these cases could not be distinguished from cases proved to have old posterior infarction. The pattern of the QRS in Lead aV F proved to be of considerable help in this differentiation. A QaV F which was 25 per cent or more of RaV F was found in twenty-two of the twenty-five subjects proved to have posterior infarct, and in only three of the twenty-five subjects in whom the diagnosis of posterior infarction had been excluded. In both cases of posterior infarct which had a Q 3 but failed to show QaV F , esophageal leads suggested that the infarct was located high on the posterior wall, near the auricular margin. The voltage of the QRS wave in Lead aV F was low in two of the three uninfarcted controls which showed a QR ratio exceeding 25 per cent in this lead. In the remaining case, the deep Q wave was present in Lead aV F when the patient was recumbent, but disappeared when the curve was taken with the patient in the erect posture. The mechanism of production of the Q wave in standard Lead III has been discussed separately for (a) that associated with posterior myocardial infarction, (b) that occurring in uninfarcted hearts with a horizontal or semihorizontal electrical axis, and (c) that occurring in uninfarcted hearts with a vertical electrical axis.
An Effect of the Accessibility of Word Forms on Sentence Structures

Abstract The creation of sentences has been argued to proceed from a syntactic to a phonetic plan, with no interaction between the two. Three experiments investigated a phenomenon that appears to contradict the hypothesized absence of interaction. Coupling phonological priming with a sentence production task, Experiments 1 and 3 showed that words with accessible forms tended to precede those with less accessible forms. This occurred when word order changes required syntactic and morphological changes as well as when they did not. Experiment 2 found the same pattern when words were produced in lists rather than in sentences, further implicating a lexical source. Differences in accessibility also affected hesitations and false starts, suggesting that dysfluency and structural variation sometimes reflect the same underlying problem, a disruption in coordinating word forms with syntactic plans.
Rapid microassays for the measurement of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production by macrophages in culture using an automatic enzyme immunoassay reader

Two simple semiautomated microassays for the measurement of superoxide (O2−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production by cultured macrophages (MPs) are described. The measurement of O2− is based on the reduction of ferricytochrome c as assayed by the increase in its absorbance at 550 nm. Quantitation of H2O2 is based on the horseradish peroxidase (HRPO)-dependent oxidation of phenol red which is assayed by its increased absorbance at 600 nm. MPs are cultured in monolayers in 96-well flat-bottom tissue culture plates and covered with 100 μl amounts per well of either a ferricytochrome c solution or a solution containing phenol red and HRPO. Following the addition of an agent eliciting an oxidative burst (OB) and incubation of the plates at 37°C for various time intervals, the changes in the absorbance of ferricytochrome c and phenol red, respectively, are measured directly in the wells of the tissue culture plates with the cells in situ, by using an automatic 8-channel photometer which reads absorbances vertically through individual wells. This instrument, which was originally designed for reading enzyme immunoassays in microtitration plates, can be easily adapted for use in the above tests, when fitted with interference filters with wave lengths of 550 nm (for the assay of O2−) and 600 nm (for the assay of H2O2). The principal advantages of this techniques are: the ability to perform the assays directly in the culture plates with cells in situ; the small amounts of cells and reagents needed; its sensitivity and reproducibility; the ease with which kinetic experiments can be done; the large number of samples which can be tested in parallel, and especially the speed and convenience offered by the automated reading and printout of absorbance values.
The spatial temporal regime of stream flow of the conterminous U.S. in connection with indices of global atmospheric circulation

Long-term stream flow records (1929-1988) from seventy one U.S. Geological Survey gauging stations with drainage area in range 1000-10000 sq mi were analyzed using multivariate statistics. Factor analysis of average annual flow revealed seven patterns of river runoff within seven distinct regions of the territory. This factor model reflected 69% variance of the initial matrix. The second set of stream flow records (1939-1972) from ninety-seven gauging stations was used as control. This set contains all seventy one from first one and additional stations with shorter observation period. Factor analysis of this expended set again yielded seven factors (69% variance of the initial matrix) with very similar spatial distribution of gauging stations.Every group of watersheds obtained as a factor was presented by one gauging station with time series of annual discharges (1- 05474000, 2- 14321000, 3- 07019000, 4- 0815000, 5- 11186001, 6- 01666000, 7- 06800500) as the most typical for group. For the same time interval, streams represented by all patterns have increasing values (i. e. the positive difference between two time subintervals); but only the positive linear trend for patterns 1 and 7 are statistically significant. For the seven typical flow records, monthly average values were obtained from three to five seasons composed from different ensembles of months. For each annual time series of the typical seven stream flow patterns, regression equations were obtained from indices of global atmospheric circulation (AO, NAO, NPO and AAO). The equations contain from one to five variables (predictors) and have coefficients of correlation from 32% to 73%.
Rehearsing the "Warrior Ethos": "Theatre Immersion" and the Simulation of Theatres of War

To pre-expose deployment-bound troops to combatants' unconventional tactics, the Army has constructed vast simulations of wartime Iraq and Afghanistan. Termed "Theatre Immersion," these sites feature entire towns bustling with costumed villagers. The largest facility is at Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert. It is part of a long tradition of performance and war games, but never before has a military simulation worked to produce an environment with this kind of scale and attention to fidelity.
Evaluation of optical systems designed using the concentric-apalanatic method

After reviewing third-order aberration theory, three examples are given of the design of lenses by the concentric-aplanatic method. The performance of any optical system designed with this method can be improved by releasing all the constraints one by one. After correcting for third-order aberrations, the error function can be inspected to determine if the system is dominated by third- or higher-order aberrations.
Improved Clinical Efficiency in CNS Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) Using a Flattening Filter Free (FFF) Linear Accelerator

Linear accelerator (linac) based CNS stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) requires significant time resources. We hypothesized that CNS SRS using a flattening filter free (FFF) linac would reduce treatment time and improve clinical efficiency. A FFF linac was recently commissioned for CNS radiosurgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The efficiency of this linac for CNS SRS was retrospectively reviewed. Beam on time (BOT), time in room (TIR), and clinical dose rate (CDR) were calculated using an integrated treatment planning, record, and verification software platform and are proposed as surrogates for treatment efficiency. Twenty-seven eligible CNS SRS cases consisting of 1-5 fractions of 5 Gy or more per fraction were reviewed. Mean BOT was 1:21 (minutes:seconds; range: 00:36-2:52) and mean TIR was 10:42 (minutes:seconds; range: 6:05-22:56). The mean CDR was 1820 MU/ min (range: 872-2396). On regression analysis the number of alignment images, treatment arcs, targets, monitor units, and presence of intra-fraction imaging were factors significantly (p < 0.05) associated with prolonged TIR. Use of FFF mode in CNS SRS more than triples the CDR and results in shortened BOT and TIR compared to treatment at conventional dose rates. Reduction in clinical treatment times may translate to better target localization due to reduced opportunity for intrafraction motion. Linac-based CNS SRS can be completed in a normal time slot with a high output FFF linac.
The Impact on Housing Costs of the California Coastal Zone Conservation Act1

Evaluating the impact of California's Coastal Commissions' actions on housing costs provide challenges to economists and political scientists for which they lack both adequate theory and data to reach decisive conclusions. At best evaluation of eight years of Commissions' actions indicate that their actions have saved some scarce coastal resources most in need of protection. However, these achievements created some types of excessive costs and market dislocations which promise to affect adversely housing costs in major populous urban areas. Unfortunately the full range of public and private costs remains undefined and current judgments about Commissions' actions must remain tentative.
Approximation of the Initial Reserve for Known Ruin Probabilities.

Abstract An important problem in the study of actuarial risk theory is approximating the probability of ruin within finite time based on a specified initial reserve. In this paper we address the similar, but mathematically different, problem of how to approximate a desired initial reserve given a pre-specified probability of ruin. Although the procedures introduced here have desirable asymptotic properties such as consistency and asymptotic normality, they are computer-intensive and would not have been practicable before the wide spread availability of high-speed computers. The procedures rely on simulated realizations of a general risk process. Thus, they can be used in many of the models of risk processes that appear in the literature such as the Compound Poisson, ARMA and Stochastic Discounting models. Examples of several models are given to demonstrate the versatility of the procedures and to demonstrate that the procedures are computationally feasible.
Acetylcysteine protects against acute renal damage in patients with abnormal renal function undergoing a coronary procedure

Abstract Objectives We sought to evaluate the efficacy of the antioxidant acetylcysteine in limiting the nephrotoxicity after coronary procedures. Background The increasingly frequent use of contrast-enhanced imaging for diagnosis or intervention in patients with coronary artery disease has generated concern about the avoidance of contrast-induced nephrotoxicity (CIN). Reactive oxygen species have been shown to cause CIN. Methods We prospectively studied 121 patients with chronic renal insufficiency (mean [±SD] serum creatinine concentration 2.8 ± 0.8 mg/dl) who underwent a coronary procedure. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either acetylcysteine (400 mg orally twice daily) and 0.45% saline intravenously, before and after injection of the contrast agent, or placebo and 0.45% saline. Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were measured before, 48 h and 7 days after the coronary procedure. Results Seventeen (14%) of the 121 patients had an increase in their serum creatinine concentration of at least 0.5 mg/dl at 48 h after administration of the contrast agent: 2 (3.3%) of the 60 patients in the acetylcysteine group and 15 (24.6%) of the 61 patients in the control group (p Conclusions Prophylactic oral administration of the antioxidant acetylcysteine, along with hydration, reduces the acute renal damage induced by a contrast agent in patients with chronic renal insufficiency undergoing a coronary procedure.
Construction of an SI Theory of Fashion: Part 2. From Discovery to Formalization

In this second part of a three-part series presenting a symbolic interactionist (SI) theory of fashion, the theory presented in part one is used to demonstrate the process by which a theory can be ...
B cell regulation of anti-tumor immune response

Our laboratory has been investigating the role of B cells on tumor immunity. We have studied the immune response in mice that are genetically lacking in B cells (BCDM) using a variety of syngeneic mouse tumors and compared immune responses in BCDM with those seen in wild type (WT) immunocompetent mice (ICM). A variety of murine tumors are rejected or inhibited in their growth in BCDM, compared with ICM, including the EL4 thymoma, and the MC38 colon carcinoma in C57BL/6 mice, as well as the EMT-6 breast carcinoma in BALB/c mice. In all three murine models, tumors show reduced growth in BCDM which is accompanied by increased T cell and NK cell infiltration, and a more vigorous Th1 cytokine response, and increased cytolytic T cell response in the absence of B cells. Reconstitution of the mice with B cells results in augmented tumor growth due to a diminished anti-tumor immune response and in reduction in CD8+ T cell and NK cell infiltration. Studies involving BCR transgenic mice indicated that B cells inhibit anti-tumor T cell responses through antigen non-specific mechanisms. More recent studies using the EMT-6 model demonstrated that both the number and function of Treg cells in ICM was increased relative to that seen in BCDM. Increased expansion of Treg cells was evident following EMT-6 implantation in ICM relative to that seen in non-tumor-bearing mice or BCDM. The percentage and number of Tregs in spleen, tumor draining lymph nodes, and the tumor bed are increased in ICM compared with BCDM. Treg functional capacity as measured by suppression assays appears to be reduced in BCDM compared with ICM. In contrast to other described types of B regulatory activity, adoptive transfer of B cells can rescue tumor growth independently of the ability of B cells to secrete IL-10, and also independently of MHC-II expression. In experiments using the MC38 adenocarcinoma model, BCDM reconstituted with WT B cells support tumor growth while tumor growth continues to be inhibited in BCDM reconstituted with OX40L(-/-) B cells. This suggests that interaction between OX40 on T cells and OX40-ligand on B cells may be important in modulating anti-tumor immune response. Ongoing experiments in the laboratory indicate that B cells migrate to the site of tumor and acquire expression of immunosuppressive ligands and/or cytokines that contribute to the inhibition of anti-tumor immune response. Significant infiltration of human tumors by Treg cells as well as B cells suggests that observations made in murine systems may be applicable to human tumors as well.
Effects of urbanization on species richness: A review of plants and animals

Many studies have described the effects of urbanization on species richness. These studies indicate that urbanization can increase or decrease species richness, depending on several variables. Some of these variables include: taxonomic group, spatial scale of analysis, and intensity of urbanization. Recent reviews of birds (the most-studied group) indicate that species richness decreases with increasing urbanization in most cases but produces no change or even increases richness in some studies. Here I expand beyond the bird studies by reviewing 105 studies on the effects of urbanization on the species richness of non-avian species: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and plants. For all groups, species richness tends to be reduced in areas with extreme urbanization (i.e., central urban core areas). However, the effects of moderate levels of urbanization (i.e., suburban areas) vary significantly among groups. Most of the plant studies (about 65%) indicate increasing species richness with moderate urbanization whereas only a minority of invertebrate studies (about 30%) and a very small minority of non-avian vertebrate studies (about 12%) show increasing species richness. Possible explanations for these results are discussed, including the importance of nonnative species importation, spatial heterogeneity, intermediate disturbance and scale as major factors influencing species richness.
Regulation of a COPII component by cytosolic O-glycosylation during mitosis

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport is blocked in mammalian cells during mitosis; however, the mechanism underlying this blockade remains unknown. Since COPII proteins are involved in this transport pathway, we investigated at the biochemical level post-translational modifications of COPII components during the course of mitosis that could be linked to inhibition of ER-to-Golgi transport. By comparing biochemical properties of cytosolic COPII components during interphase and mitosis, we found that Sec24p isoforms underwent post-translational modifications resulting in an increase in their apparent molecular weight. No such modification was observed for the other COPII components Sec23p, Sec13p, Sec31p or Sar1p. Analyzing in more details Sec24p isoforms in interphase and mitotic conditions, we found that the interphase form of Sec24p was O-N-acetylglucosamine modified, a feature lost upon entering into mitosis. This mitotic deglycosylation was coupled to Sec24p phosphorylation, a feature likely responsible for the increase in apparent molecular weight of these molecules. These modifications correlated with an alteration in the membrane binding properties of Sec24p. These data suggest that when entering into mitosis, the COPII component Sec24p is simultaneously deglycosylated and phosphorylated, a process which may contribute to the observed mitotic ER-to-Golgi traffic block.
Non-invasive electrophysiological imaging of acute rejection in a transplanted heart.

We present the first case of non-invasive cardiac electrophysiological mapping using electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) of a 51-year-old man with acute cellular rejection 9 months after cardiac transplantation. He had moderate right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction and global left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (LVEF 40–45%) on …
True 2 nd order transmission condition in conjunction with corner edge penalty term for non-conformal domain decomposition methods in solving time-harmonic Maxwell equations

Non-overlapping domain decomposition methods (DDMs) have been shown to provide efficient iterative algorithm for the finite element (FE) solution of the time-harmonic electromagnetic wave problems [1–4]. It is well known that the convergence behavior of non-overlapping DD methods is directly related to the transmission conditions (TCs) used to enforce the continuity of tangential fields on the interface between sub-domains. Most often, a 1st order complex Robin TC (FOTC) is used. However, by including higher order derivatives in the transverse direction, the convergence of iterative algorithms can be improved. In [3], a new type of SOTC, called SOTC-TE, is shown to considerably improve the convergence w.r.t. FOTC. But, it is only effective in preconditioning one set of problematic eigenvalues. The eigenmodes neglected by the SOTC-TE, namely the transverse magnetic (TM) evanescent modes, present the last impediment to solver convergence. We address these modes by introducing a full second-order TC (SOTC-Full) that includes an additional term with a second-order transverse derivative. An analysis using a simplified problem shows that, the SOTC-Full shifts both TE and TM evanescent eigen-values away from the origin, and does not alter the convergence of the propagating modes when compared to the FOTC. However, when the SOTC-Full is applied to non-conformal DDMs, it is quickly discovered that the performance does not achieve the expected speed-up as in the conformal DDMs. We have found that the root cause of such a defect, it is mainly due to the enlargement of the function space for the auxiliary cement variables on the interfaces, namely the use of the discontinuous curl-conforming basis functions for the auxiliary variables. Consequently, the non-conformal DDMs allow for eigen-modes, whose magnetic fluxes do not satisfy the needed divergence-free condition on the corner edges. To mitigate such a malady, we employ the interior penalty formulation and introduce additional corner penalty term relating to the divergence free constraint for the cement variables. The introduction of the corner edge penalty terms in the IP formulation restores the full benefits of the 2nd order TC in the non-conformal DDMs.
Calude d'Abbeville and the Tupinamba: Problems and Goals of French Missionary Work in Early Seventeenth-Century Brazil

The Catholic church during the era of the Catholic Reformation experienced great vitality and vigor. Missionary activity was one of the clearest indications of this renewed spiritual energy. Simultaneously with Catholic revitalization there occurred the expansion of European commerce and colonization. In the wake of the Age of Discovery portions of Africa, Asia, and the New World became more accessible to Europeans. The Catholic church, by means of its religious orders, carried Christianity to the inhabitants of these regions. The drive and dedication which led to reform of the church within Europe also fueled an intense missionary commitment towards the people of other continents. The dedication and zeal of the regular clergy reflected the apostolic tradition within the church, but this older ideal was enhanced by a new spirit of expansionism. The Catholic religious orders shared the urge of many of their secular contemporaries to take advantage of new opportunities for growth overseas.
Spectrum of random Toeplitz matrices with band structure

This paper considers the eigenvalues of symmetric Toeplitz matrices with independent random entries and band structure. We assume that the entries of the matrices have zero mean and a uniformly bounded 4th moment, and we study the limit of the eigenvalue distribution when both the size of the matrix and the width of the band with non-zero entries grow to infinity. It is shown that if the bandwidth/size ratio converges to zero, then the limit of the eigenvalue distributions is Gaussian. If the ratio converges to a positive limit, then the distributions converge to a non-Gaussian distribution, which depends only on the limit ratio. A formula for the fourth moment of this distribution is derived.
Using Simulation-Based Training to Enhance Management Education

We suggest that simulation-based training (SBT) offers many advantages as an approach for management education, and in an effort to guide and encourage its appropriate use, we provide several pract...
Rearranging and concatenating a native RTX domain to understand sequence modularity

The use of repetitive peptide sequences forming predictable secondary structures has been a key paradigm in recent efforts to engineer biomolecular recognition. The modularity and predictability of these scaffolds enables precise identification and mutation of the active interface, providing a level of control which non-repetitive scaffolds often lack. However, the majority of these scaffolds are well-folded stable structures. If the structures had a stimulus-responsive character, this would enable the allosteric regulation of their function. The calcium-responsive beta roll-forming repeats in toxin (RTX) domain potentially offer both of these properties. To further develop this scaffold, we synthesized a set of RTX peptides ranging in size from 5 to 17 repeats, with and without Cterminal capping. We found that while the number of repeats can be altered to tune the size of the RTX face, repeat ordering and C-terminal capping are critical for successful folding. Comparing all of the constructs, we also observed that native configuration with nine repeats exhibited the highest affinity for calcium. In addition, we performed a comparison on a set of known RTX-containing proteins and find that C-terminal repeats often possess deviations from the consensus RTX sequence which may be essential for proper folding. We further find that there seems to be a narrow size range in which RTX domains exist. These results demonstrate that the deviations from the consensus RTX sequence that are observed in natural proteins are important for high-affinity calcium binding and folding. Therefore, the RTX scaffolds will be less modular as compared with other, non-responsive scaffolds, and the sequence-dependent interactions between different repeats will need to be retained in these scaffolds as they are developed in future protein-engineering efforts.