cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the efficacy of the Measure of Understanding of Macroevolution as a valid tool for undergraduate non-science majors

Efficacy of the Measure of Understanding of Macroevolution (MUM) as a measurement tool has been a point of contention among scholars needing a valid measure for knowledge of macroevolution. We explored the structure and construct validity of the MUM using Rasch methodologies in the context of a general education biology course designed with an emphasis on macroevolution content. The Rasch model was utilized to quantify item- and test-level characteristics, including dimensionality, reliability, and fit with the Rasch model. Contrary to previous work, we found that the MUM provides a valid, reliable, and unidimensional scale for measuring knowledge of macroevolution in introductory non-science majors, and that its psychometric behavior does not exhibit large changes across time. While we found that all items provide productive measurement information, several depart substantially from ideal behavior, warranting a collective effort to improve these items. Suggestions for improving the measurement characteri...
News Translation as a Source of Syntactic Borrowing in Italian

In this article, I present results from an investigation of translation in the press from English into Italian. The investigation combines fieldwork carried out in an international news agency with the linguistic analysis of a corpus of translated news dispatches. The investigation revolves around three case studies concerning adjective position, passive constructions, and verbal -ndo forms. I use the case studies to determine whether (and to what extent) news translation could be a source of syntactic borrowing in contemporary Italian. The results are interpreted in the context of a larger project on syntactic borrowing in French and Italian. By situating the results in this broader context, I am able to draw theoretical conclusions about news translation as a source of linguistic change, and more generally about the linguistic outcomes of language contact.
Morphological Transformation of Enucleated Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells by Dibutyryl Adenosine 3′,5′–Monophosphate and Hormones

TREATMENT of cultured mammalian cells with cytochalasin B, a metabolite isolated from the mould Helminthosporium dematioideum, yields a population of enucleated cells1–3. Such enucleates are excellent experimental material for the study of nucleus-cytoplasm interactions as certain normal physiological characteristics of the intact cells can be preserved. Indeed, it has been reported that baby hamster kidney cells (BHK-21) and African green monkey kidney cells (BSC-1) enucleated with cytochalasin retain such properties of their intact counterparts as cell shape formation, cell locomotion and contact inhibition4. Furthermore, replication of vaccinia virus5 and polio virus6 can occur in enucleates from mouse L cells and BSC-1 cells, respectively.
PCR assay for screening patients at risk for 22q11.2 deletion.

ABSTRACT Deletions of 22q11.2 have been detected in the majority of patients with DiGeorge, velocardiofacial, and conotruncal anomaly face syndromes by either cytogenetic analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), or Southern blot hybridization. However, these techniques may not be the most efficient or cost-effective means of screening large numbers of “at-risk” patients. Therefore, we developed a PCR assay to assess a patient's likelihood of having a 22q11.2 deletion based on homozygosity at consecutive markers in the DiGeorge chromosomal region. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR screening were evaluated in a cohort of cardiac patients. We conclude that a PCR-based assay is a reliable and efficient means of identifying which patients are at greatest risk for a 22q11.2 deletion and should have FISH studies to confirm their deletion status.
Effect of Gymnodinium breve toxin on hemolysis induced by Prymnesium parvum toxin

Abstract A toxin fraction has been isolated from axenic cultures of the Florida red-tide organism, Gymnodinium breve and purified by gel filtration chromatography, using Sephadex LH 20 and chloroform. The hemolytic activity of this toxin fraction has been compared with that of purified prymnesin, the toxin isolated from the euryhaline chrysomonad Prymnesium parvum (Carter). The hemolytic activity, using rabbit erythrocytes in isotonic buffer at pH 5·5 and expressed as hemolytic units (HD50), of G. breve toxin is slight in comparison with that of prymnesin. The G. breve toxin fraction, however, appears to inhibit the hemolytic activity of prymnesin, principally by extending the prolytic phase of hemolysis and not the lytic phase.
Differences between pair and bulk hydrophobic interactions.

Abstract It is now well known that the pair interaction between two hydrocarbon molecules in water has distinctly different properties from the bulk hydrophobic interaction familiar to the biochemist, which is modeled by the transfer of a hydrocarbon from aqueous solutions to pure liquid hydrocarbon. We consider experimental data for pair interactions, which have been fitted by a simple empirical potential function, and point out some of their properties. (i) Surface free energy and cosphere overlap models, of the type considered until now, cannot reproduce correctly both the pair and bulk hydrophobic interactions. (ii) Pair interactions though still attractive are strikingly weaker in aqueous solution than in the gas phase, in contrast to the usual view of hydrophobic interactions. (iii) For pair interactions in water, the solvent-separated configuration is less important than the contact configuration if the hydrocarbon has more than two carbon atoms.
On chains and Sperner k-families in ranked posets, II

Abstract A ranked poset P has the Sperner property if the sizes of the largest rank and of the largest antichain in P are equal. A natural strengthening of the Sperner property is condition S: For all k, the set of elements of the k largest ranks in P is a Sperner k-family. P satisfies condition T if for all k there exist disjoint chains in P each of which meets the k largest ranks and which covers the kth largest rank. It is proven here that if P satisfies S, it also satisfies T, and that the converse, although in general false, is true for posets with unimodal Whitney numbers. Conditions S and T and the Sperner property are compared here with two other conditions on posets concerning the existence of certain partitions of P into chains.
Parenting the NICU infant: A meta-ethnographic synthesis

Abstract Parenting the infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) comes with a multitude of unique challenges, and NICU parents are often unprepared and ill equipped for the challenges. Moreover, a gap in the literature still exists concerning a full understanding of the breadth of the process parents of NICU infants undergo from the time of admission to discharge. This study utilized Noblit and Hare's meta-ethnography synthesis method for literature extraction and data analysis to illuminate the NICU parenting process by metaphorically comparing the process to Patricia Benner's novice to expert theory. Fourteen studies including 12 published qualitative research articles and 2 dissertations from the nursing discipline were included in the analysis. Findings illuminated the process of becoming a NICU parent more fully and revealed the most salient and effective facilitators of the process from being a novice and advanced beginner to becoming a competent, proficient, even expert NICU parent. In addition, this paper discusses four influencing factors in a NICU parent's progression: contact with and proximity to their infant, relationship with the nurse, having information, and social support. Nurses must engage with NICU parents in such a way as to maximize the likelihood that these parents will reach at minimum the proficient and at maximum the expert parenting stage by discharge.
A theory for stable crack extension rates in ductile materials

Abstract A novel theory is presented for the growth of cracks in ductile materials. The theory predicts the steady state crack tip extension velocity as it depends on the remote loading, geometry, and material parameters. The theory is based on (a) a kinetic law for the crack tip velocity v as it depends on the stress state at the crack tip and (b) a realistic real time flow rate law for the material non-elastic deformation. It is shown that with a rate flow law and for a finite crack tip velocity, no matter how small, the crack tip stress field is characterized by a r −½ singularity. This is contrary to the case for a strictly stationary crack. Because of this stress behavior, the Irwin crack extension force is again available as a driving force in the crack tip kinetic law noted above. The theory predicts a broad range of crack extension phenomena such as are commonly observed. Steady state threshhold values and “critical” values for apparent stress intensity factors arise in the theory from stability limits of the predicted steady state curves.
Rho Signaling Agonist Stimulation and Depolarization Come Together

Force development in smooth muscle is dependent on Ca2+/calmodulin (Ca2+/CaM) activation of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and the subsequent phosphorylation of the regulatory myosin light chain (MLC20).1 However, when smooth muscle is stimulated with agonists2 or by direct activation of the G-proteins,3–6 a higher force is developed for a given [Ca2+] than for depolarization. Although the mechanism for this Ca2+ sensitization of the contractile filaments is still the subject of investigation, evidence suggests that the signaling pathway may involve either the activation of Rho (for reviews see7–9) and/or protein kinase C (PKC),10,11 although a pathway involving Rho and subsequent activation of Rho-kinase is more widely accepted. Agonist stimulation of smooth muscle can be divided into two phases: an initial rapid, transient increase in Ca2+ and MLC20 phosphorylation, and a subsequent phase of a sustained force despite lower levels of Ca2+ and MLC20 phosphorylation.12 There is evidence that the sustained phase of force maintenance is dependent on the activation of Rho.13 Although uncertainty exists regarding the mechanism by which receptor-mediated activation of the G-proteins leads to force enhancement, it is generally accepted that membrane depolarization leads to an increase in intracellular [Ca2+] and a Ca2+-dependent activation of MLCK to increase MLC20 phosphorylation and force. Thus, it has become dogma that depolarization leads to only an increase in Ca2+ and a subsequent activation of MLCK, without the activation of additional signaling pathways. Challenging these generally accepted principles is recent evidence that Rho-kinase inhibition almost completely eliminates the sustained portion of the phasic force response to 60 mmol/L KCl …
Colonic endoscopic mucosal resection of large polyps: Is it safe in the very elderly?

Abstract Background Outcomes on colon endoscopic mucosal resection in the very elderly patient population are unknown. Aims Aims of this study were to evaluate the outcomes and safety of colon endoscopic mucosal resection in this target population. Methods Observational, retrospective study of patients ≥80 years of age that underwent colon endoscopic mucosal resection ≥2 cm. Demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, procedural data, and surgical treatment data were collected. Results One-hundred-and-thirty-one colon endoscopic mucosal resections were performed on 99 patients ≥80 years of age with a mean age of 84. The majority of American Society of Anesthesiologists class was II. Mean lesion size was 3.3 cm (range, 2–12.5 cm), more procedures were performed in the right colon and adenoma/tubulovillous adenoma was the most common pathology. En bloc resection was performed on 26.7% of polyps ( N = 35). Eight procedure-related adverse events (8/131, 6.1%) occurred. No anaesthesia related adverse events or deaths occurred. Six patients required a colonic operation, and overall, 94% of the patient cohort evaded a colon operation. Conclusions Colon endoscopic mucosal resection in very elderly patients can be performed at experienced endoscopy centres with a low rate of complications and offers these patients a non-surgical option of management of colorectal lesions.
TRICUSPID REGURGITATION IS AN INDEPENDENT PREDICTOR OF FAILURE OF AV NODE ABLATION

AV nodal (AVN) ablation is sometimes needed to control ventricular rate and/or to optimize biventricular pacing (BiVP) in patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias (ATa). Limited data is available on the predictors of failure of AV nodal ablation. We performed a retrospective study including all
A limit-point criterion for a class of Sturm-Liouville operators defined in L^p spaces

Using a recent result of Chernyavskaya and Shuster we show that the maximal operator determined by M[y] = -y + qy on [a, ∞), a > -∞, where q > 0 and the mean value of q computed over all subintervals of R of a fixed length is bounded away from zero, shares several standard limit-point at ∞ properties of the L 2 case. We also show that there is a unique solution of M[y] = 0 that is in all L p [a, ∞), p = [1, ∞].
A tutorial on discrete-system simulation in Ada

Ada, the new Department of Defense standard language, contains many new features designed to facilitate the rapid construction of software for embedded computer system applications. However, Ada is also suitable for general purpose programming, and the size and backing of the Ada project means that the language will enjoy considerable use and support. It is therefore important that simulation professionals are aware of the features of Ada suitable for the construction of discrete-system simulations. In this tutorial we provide a brief introduction to these features and we outline the implementation of a process-oriented simulation in Ada. We also describe how a SIMULA-like "hold" procedure can be implemented as a package in Ada.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBESITY IN ADOLESCENCE AND EARLY GROWTH.

This study reports similar birth weights of obese and nonobese adolescent girls. At 1 year of age, though heights were similar, those who were obese at adolescence had gained weight more rapidly than those who remained at normal weight. The mean menarcheal ages of the obese and control groups were not different.
Nonlinear Restoration of Diffused Images

We develop a method to recover diffused and noise-hidden images by using spatial nonlinearity to seed instability. Optimal recovery depends on signal content, scattering statistics, and nonlinear coupling strength.
Hospital Esophageal Cancer Resection Volume Does Not Predict Patient Mortality Risk

Background Insurers often seek to direct esophageal cancer patients to hospitals with high volumes of esophageal resection. However, controversy exists regarding the strength and validity of evidence for the volume-outcome association. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the volume-outcome relationship for esophageal cancer resection in a large population dataset and to compare 3alternative techniques for measuring the effect of volume. Methods Esophageal cancer resection patients were identified in the 2007 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Hospital volume was measured using a continuous linear function, a nonlinear function using restricted cubic splines, and using quintiles of volume. The statistical significance of the relationship between hospital volume and mortality risk was assessed, and adjusted for patient age, for comorbid disease, and for correlated events within hospitals. Results A total of 6,248 esophageal cancer resection patients from 217 hospitals were identified. All 3 models demonstrated excellent performance characteristics (C index=0.94, Nagelkerke R 2 = 0.62). However, no significant association was demonstrated between hospital procedure volume and in-hospital mortality in any model. Important predictors of mortality included age, hypertension, weight loss, and peripheral vascular disease ( p Conclusions Esophageal cancer resection volume is not a significant predictor of mortality and should not be used as a proxy measure for surgical quality.
Collaborative Development of a Recipe and Menu Planning Guide for Child Care Providers.

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To identify the components in the development and evaluation of a recipe and menu planning guide for child care providers based on dietary guidelines. In an effort to introduce the basic concepts of the Dietary Guidelines to child care providers, a project was undertaken to create a recipe and menu planning guide. At the onset of the project (Phase 1), an advisory committee of experts in child care feeding was formed to provide input, direction and evaluation. Representatives of family day care homes and child care centers provided ideas for the guide by participating in one of five focus groups conducted across Pennsylvania. Each session was conducted by a trained moderator, audio taped, transcribed and analyzed. Phase 2 consisted of the development of the guide itself. A total of 50 recipes were collected and/or developed, tested for acceptance and ease of preparation by the developers and selected providers, and nutritionally analyzed. The result is twenty weeks of CACFP approved menu cycles meeting the 1995 Dietary Guidelines for total fat and saturated fat Menu planning tools also were created as were sections on child nutrition, food safety, educational activities and references. Provider input regarding layout, content and usability of all sections was solicited during this phase. Phase 3 consisted of a formative evaluation focusing on the recipe and menu planning sections. Current menus cycles (10 – 14 days) were requested of all sponsor agencies attending a CACFP sponsor workshop. Collected menus were scored to determine approximate fat content Additionally, individual child care providers conducted on site evaluations of both the menu planning tool and the recipes. Menu planners were asked questions related to use of the menus, recipes, and the menu planning tools. Food preparers were questioned about ease of implementation, availability of ingredients, changes to recipes or menu cycles, acceptability by the children, etc. In addition, 22 children (ages 4 – 5 years) were interviewed and asked their acceptance of the new foods. The final result, a two-color 89 page guide, represents the collaborative efforts of child care providers and sponsors, the expert advisory committee, the developers and the funding agency. This project was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Nutrition Education & Training Program through the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Alcoholic korsakoff's syndrome: Some unresolved issues concerning etiology, neuropathology, and cognitive deficits

Recent neuropsychological and neuropathological investigations with long-term alcoholics suggest that the etiology and neuropathology of the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome are more complex than previously believed. While problem solving and visuoperceptual deficits seem to develop slowly during decades of alcoholism, the amnesic symptoms associated with Korsakoff's syndrome may appear acutely when severe malnutrition and alcoholism are combined. Furthermore, the report that alcoholic Korsakoff patients, like patients with Alzheimer's Disease, have endured a substantial neuronal loss in the nucleus basalis of Meynert has questioned the role of the medial diencephalon in the alcoholic patients' amnesic syndrome. Some initial demonstrations of similarities in the memory disorders of alcoholic Korsakoff and Alzheimer patients indicate that Korsakoff's syndrome may be more accurately characterized as a "basal forebrain" than as a "diencephalic" amnesia.
Magnetic Domains by the Longitudinal Kerr Effect

Rotation of the polarization plane of obliquely incident light reflected from a polished ferromagnetic surface is successfully employed to reveal the antiparallel domains lying in the surface of a large single crystal of silicon iron. This Kerr magneto-optic effect is the basis of two methods of domain observation which are described in detail: (1) the optical probe method in which a small, focused beam of plane polarized light scans the crystal surface before being reflected into a photomultiplier tube located behind the Nicol prism analyzer, and (2) the photographic method in which the crystal surface is broadly illuminated with polarized light and the reflected beam is photographically recorded after passage through the analyzer. The truly saturated character of the domains is demonstrated, and the directions of the domains are assigned without ambiguity. Domain wall movement and Barkhausen discontinuities are revealed in photographs taken as the crystal is subjected to a changing magnetizing field. Possible applications and limitations of the method are discussed.
Cloning and characterization of the gene encoding penicillin-binding protein A of Streptomyces griseus

An internal segment of the penicillin-binding protein gene, pbpA, of Streptomyces griseus was amplified from genomic DNA using the polymerase chain reaction and used as a hybridization probe to isolate the complete gene from a cosmid library. pbpA encodes a 485 amino acid sequence that conserves three motifs of PBPs, SXXK, SXN, and KTG. The pbpA gene was located downstream of a gene homologous to the Bacillus subtilis spoVE gene. The pbpA gene was disrupted by replacing an ApaI fragment of the pbpA gene in S. griseus chromosome with an apramycin resistance gene cassette or directly inserting this apramycin resistance gene cassette at the NcoI site of pbpA penicillin-binding domain. No obvious defects in growth, sporulation, or spore sonication resistance were observed in the constructed pbpA mutants, suggesting that PBPA is not essential for growth and sporulation under normal laboratory conditions in S. griseus.
Fetal response to maternal methadone administration

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of methadone on fetal neurobehavioral functions and maternal physiologic indicators. Study design Forty women attending a substance abuse treatment facility with otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies were evaluated at peak and trough methadone levels. Fetal measures included heart rate, variability, periodic accelerations/decelerations, motor activity, and fetal movement-heart rate coupling. Maternal measures included maternal heart period, variability, electrodermal skin conductance, respiration, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Repeated measure analysis of variance was used to evaluate within-subject changes. Results At peak methadone, fetal heart rate was slower, less variable, and displayed fewer accelerations. Fetuses displayed less motor activity, and the integration between heart rate and motor activity was attenuated. Maternal heart rate and skin conductance were unchanged, but methadone administration was associated with lower respiratory rate and RSA, an indicator of parasympathetic tone. Conclusion Maternal methadone administration has significant effects on fetal behavioral functions that are independent of maternal effects.
Perifusion of rat pituitary cells with gonadotropin-releasing hormone, activin, and inhibin reveals distinct effects on gonadotropin gene expression and secretion

Gonadotropin biosynthesis and secretion are influenced by pulsatile GnRH derived from the hypothalamus as well as by paracrine factors. In the current studies, we compared the effects of inhibin, activin, and GnRH, alone and in combination, on gonadotropin subunit messenger RNA (mRNA) levels and gonadotropin secretion. A pituitary perifusion system was used to allow GnRH to be administered as pulses and to minimize paracrine effects. FSH beta mRNA levels were increased 25-fold by a maximal concentration of activin (3 ng/ml) and suppressed 83% by a maximal concentration of inhibin (30 ng/ml). When activin and inhibin were perifused together, inhibin attenuated the effects of maximal activin stimulation in a concentration-dependent manner, with a 10-fold excess of inhibin required to block the effects of activin entirely. Whole cell receptor assays using 125I-labeled activin confirmed that the inhibin used in the perifusion experiments competed for activin binding sites, although with a lower affinity. Direct competition at the activin receptor may thus account for part of the activin/inhibin antagonism observed at the level of FSH beta mRNA. Neither activin nor inhibin had a significant effect on levels of LH beta or alpha mRNAs. Hourly pulses of 10 nM GnRH elicited a 2- to 5-fold increase in FSH beta mRNA. This increment was maintained in the presence of activin and inhibin, suggesting separate, but dependent, mechanisms of action for GnRH vs. inhibin and activin. In studies of secretion, continuous activin stimulation (3 ng/ml) elicited only a small (approximately 30%) increase in basal FSH secretion. However, the response of FSH to pulses of GnRH was amplified 3-fold in the presence of activin. A similar enhancement of GnRH-induced, but not basal, LH release was also observed. Inhibin, in contrast, elicited no changes in basal or GnRH-stimulated release of FSH or LH. We conclude that activin and inhibin are the primary regulators of FSH beta mRNA levels, whereas GnRH appears to be the major effector for gonadotropin secretion. There is significant functional overlap, however, and the combined actions of activin, inhibin, and GnRH determine the final level of FSH beta mRNA and the pattern of gonadotropin secretion.
Making their own way: recognizing the commons in water management. Wyoming 1900–1925

In an era of population growth and climate change, when water management is increasingly important worldwide, it can be useful to re-examine how water management schemes have been crafted, and how they have changed, in the past. In the U.S., where management through private property or central government control are the most familiar approaches to natural resources, it is worth considering an example of a different approach. This article takes up an instance of Americans who changed an institution of centralized state management into an institution with strong attributes of common property management. Such was the case in the years 1900–1925 in Wyoming with management of water, which is scarce and sought-after in that state. Historical evidence, from court cases, state records and correspondence, details how and why, in response to their physical and economic environment, Wyoming water administrators and water users together made institutional change. They moved away from their centralized management system, once lauded as a model for the nation, to create a system far more complex—with aspects recognizable to students of common property.
A Mutant Prion Protein Displays an Aberrant Membrane Association When Expressed in Cultured Cells

Inherited forms of prion disease have been linked to mutations in the gene encoding PrP, a neuronal and glial protein that is attached to the plasma membrane by a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. One familial form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is associated with a mutant PrP containing six additional octapeptide repeats. We report here our analysis of cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing a murine homologue of this mutant PrP. We find that, like wild-type PrP, the mutant protein is glycosylated, GPI-anchored, and expressed on the cell surface. Surprisingly, however, cleavage of the GPI anchor using phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C fails to release the mutant PrP from the surface of intact cells, suggesting that it has an additional mode of membrane attachment. The phospholipase-treated protein is hydrophobic, since it partitions into the detergent phase of Triton X-114 lysates; and it is tightly membrane-associated, since it is not extractable in carbonate buffer at pH 11.5. Whether membrane attachment of the mutant PrP involves integration of the polypeptide into the lipid bilayer, self-association, or binding to other membrane proteins remains to be determined. Our results suggest that alterations in the membrane association of PrP may be an important feature of prion diseases.
Symmetry in the design of large-scale complex control systems: Some initial results using dissipativity and lyapunov stability

In this paper, stability conditions for large-scale systems are derived by categorizing agents into symmetry groups and applying local control laws under limited interconnections with neighbors. Particularly, stability for dissipative systems is considered. It is assumed that subsystems are dissipative and stability is studied. Conditions are derived for the max number of subsystems that may be added while preserving stability and these results may be used in the synthesis of large-scale systems with symmetric interconnections.
ADHD, Conduct Disorder, Substance Use Disorder, and Nonprescription Stimulant Use.

Objective: To assess whether the relationship of an ADHD diagnosis by adolescence to nonprescription stimulant use in adulthood is direct or indirect, via Conduct Disorder (CD) and/or Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Method: Data were obtained from multiple waves of interviews and questionnaires completed by 551 community-based participants when they were between the mean ages of 14.1 and 36.6 years. Results: The results of the structural equation model (SEM) supported both a direct association between early ADHD and later nonprescription stimulant use (B = .18, z = 2.74) and the relationship from ADHD to later nonprescription stimulant use (B = .01, z = 1.72) via CD and SUD. Conclusion: The longitudinal data supporting these paths suggest that efforts to prevent and treat the misuse of nonprescription stimulants may be more effective if attention is paid to those with a history of ADHD, as well as to those who also had CD and SUD.
The global allostery model of hemoglobin: an allosteric mechanism involving homotropic and heterotropic interactions.

Abstract Studies of the allosteric mechanism of hemoglobin (Hb) have evolved from phenomenological descriptions to structure-based molecular mechanisms, as the molecular structures of Hb in deoxy and ligated states have been elucidated. The MWC two-state concerted model has been the widely accepted as the most plausible of the allosteric mechanisms of Hb. It assumes that the O 2 -affinity of Hb is regulated/controlled primarily by the T/R quaternary structural transition and that heterotropic effectors bind preferentially to T (deoxy) Hb to shift the T/R allosteric equilibrium toward the T state. However, recent more comprehensive O 2 -binding measurements of Hb have revealed a new mechanism, the Global Allostery model. It describes that the O 2 -affinity and the cooperativity are modulated in greater extents and the Bohr effect is generated primarily by the tertiary structural changes in both T (deoxy) and R (ligated) states of Hb. Differential interactions of heterotropic allosteric effectors with both T (deoxy) and R (ligated) states of Hb induce these tertiary structural changes. The X-ray structure of a complex of R (ligated) Hb with BZF, a potent heterotropic effector, has revealed the stereo-chemical influence of these effectors on the structure of R (ligated) Hb, resulting in the reduction of the ligand affinity in R (ligated) Hb. This model stresses the fundamental importance of the heterotropic interactions in regulation/control of the functionality of Hb. They alter the tertiary structures of both T (deoxy) and R (oxy) Hb, leading to large-scale modulations of the O 2 affinity ( K T and K R ), and consequently the cooperativity ( K R / K T ) and the Bohr effect (Δ P 50 /ΔpH) from a global viewpoint of allostery in Hb. To cite this article: T. Yonetani, A. Tsuneshige, C. R. Biologies 326 (2003).
Estimation in multimarket disequilibrium models

Abstract A two-market disequilibrium model with spillovers is formulated. The parameters are estimated in sampling experiments by (1) ignoring spillovers, (2) treating them as if they were exogenous, (3) maximizing the likelihood function that is appropriate in the presence of spillovers. It is found that the cost in terms of root mean square error of using the incorrect estimator is serious. However, the computational time needed to maximize the likelihood function with spillovers rises sharply with the number of markets in the model due to the multiple integrals involved in evaluating the likelihood function.
Structure sensitivity of oxide surfaces: the adsorption and reaction of carbon monoxide and formic acid on NiO(100) and NiO(111)

Abstract The adsorption and reaction of CO and HCOOH on the NiO(100)/Mo(100) and NiO(111)/Mo(110) surfaces have been studied using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). Significant differences have been found for the two faces of NiO regarding the adsorption and reaction of HCOOH. While molecularly adsorbed formic acid is stable up to 200 K on the NiO(100) surface, formic acid decomposition to formate occurs on the NiO(111) surface at 100 K. Upon heating to 700 K, most of the formate on the NiO(111) surface dehydrogenates or dehydrates, while ∼ 70% of the formate species on the NiO(100) surface desorbs as molecular formic acid. With respect to CO adsorption, the NiO(111) surface shows a slightly higher binding energy than does the NiO(100) surface.
Genetic variability due to geographical inhomogeneity

The frequency of one of two alleles is studied as a function of position and time in a one, two, or three dimensional region. A nonlinear diffusion equation is employed. Each allele is assumed to have a selective advantage in some part of the region. An asymptotic solution is constructed for the case when the selection coefficient is large compared to the diffusion coefficient, i.e. when selection acts more rapidly than diffusion. Then as time increases, the solution tends to a cline, i.e. an equilibrium distribution in which both alleles are present everywhere, each predominating where it has the advantage. In a narrow region around the boundary where the selective advantage switches from one allele to the other, both alleles are present with comparable frequencies. Along a line normal to this boundary, the frequency varies as in a one dimensional habitat with a simple variation in selective advantage. The asymptotic solution is compared with the numerical solution for a special two dimensional case, and the agreement is found to be good.
'Disturbance zeros' in multivariable systems

Zeros of the transfer matrix relating the outputs to the disturbances ('disturbance zeros') of a linear time-invariant system are defined. It is shown that these zeros are invariant under output feedback to control inputs but not under state feedback to control inputs, and the effect of state feedback on disturbance zeros is studied. The results are used to develop an algorithm for assigning disturbance zeros and system poles by means of state feedback. As an application of the algorithm, it is shown that the disturbance zeros can be positioned such that the effect of a class of disturbances at the outputs is eliminated in the steady state. An example is given to illustrate the main results of the paper.
Salt appetite of adrenalectomized rats after a lesion of the SFO.

Abstract Circumventricular organs such as the subfornical organ (SFO) may mediate the effects of circulating angiotensin (ANG) II on salt appetite under conditions of sodium depletion in the rat. We studied the effects of an electrolytic lesion of SFO on salt appetite after adrenalectomy (ADX) in Long–Evans rats. The SFO lesion had no effect on saline intake, but it did abolish water intake after acute peripheral treatments with 2 mg/kg of captopril or a 10 mg/kg of furosemide. These findings contrast with other recent data from this laboratory demonstrating large reductions in salt appetite in adrenal-intact rats with lesions of either SFO or the organum vasculosum laminae terminalis during acute iv infusions of ANG II. Thus, the SFO may contribute to the salt appetite response to circulating ANG II, but it is not essential for the response to adrenalectomy.
Estrogen potentiates the stereotypy induced by dopamine agonists in the rat

Abstract Repeated weekly treatment with 100 μg/kg of estradiol benzoate (EB) to ovariectomized female rats intensified the stereotypy induced by the dopamine agonists amphetamine and apomorphine. A similar effect on amphetamine-stereotypy was produced 48 hours after a single injection of 10 μg/kg of EB. The fact that EB failed to increase blood or brain levels of either 3 H-amphetamine or 3 H-apomorphine suggests that these behavioral effects were not due to altered peripheral drug metabolism or uptake into the brain. The enhancement of stereotypy produced by EB is viewed as one manifestation of a more complex modulatory influence of estrogen on DA function.
Normal Ovulation in Non-Laying Hens

Abstract OVULATION and the subsequent laying of a normal egg, usually within 26 hours, are preceded and accompanied by certain changes in the body of the hen. The external characters that are associated with an active state of egg production are well known and are used as the basis for the periodic culling of commercial laying flocks. By the absence of external changes considered indicative of egg production, one is able to identify non-layers and to remove them from the flock, if so desired. It is customary to consider as layers those birds which show the external characteristics associated with egg production. We have learned, however, that some birds behave as though they were laying, and show appropriate changes in body condition, without actually producing an egg. This paper presents the pertinent findings when groups of such birds were subjected to study. SOURCES OF DATA Among large populations of pedigreed White …
Comparative Analysis of Monkeypox Virus Infection of Cynomolgus Macaques by the Intravenous or Intrabronchial Inoculation Route

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection has recently expanded in geographic distribution and can be fatal in up to 10% of cases. The intravenous (i.v.) inoculation of nonhuman primates (NHPs) results in an accelerated fulminant disease course compared to that of naturally occurring MPXV infection in humans. Alternative routes of inoculation are being investigated to define an NHP model of infection that more closely resembles natural disease progression. Our goal was to determine if the intrabronchial (i.b.) exposure of NHPs to MPXV results in a systemic disease that better resembles the progression of human MPXV infection. Here, we compared the disease course following an i.v. or i.b. inoculation of NHPs with 10-fold serial doses of MPXV Zaire. Classical pox-like disease was observed in NHPs administered a high virus dose by either route. Several key events were delayed in the highest doses tested of the i.b. model compared to the timing of the i.v. model, including the onset of fever, lesion appearance, peak viremia, viral shedding in nasal and oral swabs, peak cytokine levels, and time to reach endpoint criteria. Virus distribution across 19 tissues was largely unaffected by the inoculation route at the highest doses tested. The NHPs inoculated by the i.b. route developed a viral pneumonia that likely exacerbated disease progression. Based on the observations of the delayed onset of clinical and virological parameters and endpoint criteria that may more closely resemble those of human MPXV infection, the i.b. MPXV model should be considered for the further investigation of viral pathogenesis and countermeasures.
Measurements of the volatility of aerosols from α-pinene ozonolysis

The temperature-dependence of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) concentrations is measured using a temperature-controlled smog chamber. Aerosols are generated from reaction of α-pinene (14−150 ppb) and ozone at a constant temperature of 22 ± 2°C in the presence of the OH-scavenger 2-butanol. After the reactions are completed the chamber is heated or cooled in a range from 20 to 40 °C. SOA volume concentrations increase at temperatures below the initial formation temperature and decrease at elevated temperatures. The response to the temperature change as measured by percent mass change per degree ranged from −0.4 to −3.6% K-1, for a total mass reduction of 5−60% upon heating from 22 to 35 °C. The reported range is due to two factors: (1) experimental uncertainty, arising mainly from uncertainty in evaporation and condensation behavior of particles lost to the chamber wall; (2) differences in the temperature response from experiment to experiment. Aerosol temperature sensitivity was also measured by tandem d...
Antigen-induced eustachian tube obstruction: An intranasal provocative challenge test☆

ETO and symptoms of AR have been demonstrated to develop after an intranasal provocative antigen-challenge test. To determine the antigen dose required to produce ETO, intranasal insufflations of increasing amounts of pollen (ragweed or timothy) from 0.1 to 100 mg were delivered to 29 patients, ages 20 to 31 yr with AR who were skin test positive or had elevated serum-IgE antibodies to ragweed or timothy but not pine pollen. Our results demonstrated ETO developed in four ears at 0.05 mg of pollen, in one at 0.5 mg, in four at 1 mg, in 28 at 10 mg, in 15 at 50 mg, and in two at 100 mg of pollen. ETO persisted from 2 to 120 hr. Dose responses and duration of ETO were compared to patients' serum-IgE antibodies that ranged from 3% to 36% B/T (median 26.4%). The patients with the highest serum-IgE antibody values (greater than or equal to 26.4%) required lower antigen-dose challenges (less than or equal to 10 mg) to develop ETO (p less than or equal to 0.01) that also persisted longer (less than or equal to 48 hr) p less than or equal to 0.05. Symptoms of AR developed with an antigen dose that was less than the antigen dose that resulted in the development of ETO in 22 patients and at the same antigen dose in the other seven subjects. At a later date, these same subjects were also challenged intranasally with 50 mg of pine pollen after which no symptoms of AR or development of ETO were noted. In summary, the expression of ETO after provocative intranasal pollen challenge in AR patients is an immune-mediated reaction that is antigen-dose dependent and related to serum-IgE antibody titer.
Discrete heat kernel determines discrete Riemannian metric

The Laplace-Beltrami operator of a smooth Riemannian manifold is determined by the Riemannian metric. Conversely, the heat kernel constructed from the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Laplace-Beltrami operator determines the Riemannian metric. This work proves the analogy on Euclidean polyhedral surfaces (triangle meshes), that the discrete heat kernel and the discrete Riemannian metric (unique up to a scaling) are mutually determined by each other. Given a Euclidean polyhedral surface, its Riemannian metric is represented as edge lengths, satisfying triangle inequalities on all faces. The Laplace-Beltrami operator is formulated using the cotangent formula, where the edge weight is defined as the sum of the cotangent of angles against the edge. We prove that the edge lengths can be determined by the edge weights unique up to a scaling using the variational approach. The constructive proof leads to a computational algorithm that finds the unique metric on a triangle mesh from a discrete Laplace-Beltrami operator matrix.
Impact of Management by Objectives on Maslows Need Hierarchy: An Empirical Study

A pilot study of changes in need deprivation following the introduction of a Management by Objectives program is reported. Changes in deprivation were measured by the Porter-Lawler Needs Questionnaire distributed to 44 subjects in a community service organization. Findings indicate significant decreases in deprivation for 4 of 5 need levels: social, self-esteem, autonomy and self-actualization following the introduction of the program.
Team Orientation, Self-Orientation, and Diversity in Task Groups Their Connection to Team Performance Over Time

Members of more than 50 student groups involved in a team problem-solving environment were surveyed with the Group Style Instrument (GSI) to examine interpersonal group processes for task groups. Analyses of the GSI data resulted in team-oriented and self-oriented dimensions for both samples by comparing several factor models. In a second sample, more than 80 culturally diverse and nondiverse groups involved in a similar team problem-solving format completed the GSI at three points in time after they had completed team projects involving substantial collaborative member effort. For Sample 2, culturally diverse teams reported more self-oriented behaviors (SOBs) over time and performed better that nondiverse teams on two of the three projects. Periodic feedback regarding team performance and interpersonal processing was given to all teams. By the third team project, nondiverse teams performed better. Emphasis is given concerning the importance of managing the balance of team-orientated behaviors and SOBs wi...
Cervical Laminoplasty Construct Stability: A Finite Element Study

Cervical laminoplasty is one of many modern techniques utilized in the management of cervical myelopathy. In the United States cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) has been classically treated with multilevel decompression and fusion. Furthermore, multi-level anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF), via disectomies or corpectomies, and multi-level cervical laminectomy and fusion have been well described [1]. In the last decade cervical laminoplasty has grown in popularity as a non-fusion alternative that allows multi-level cervical decompression.Copyright © 2008 by ASME