cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mutational Analysis of the P1 Phosphorylation Domain in Escherichia coli CheA, the Signaling Kinase for Chemotaxis

ABSTRACT The histidine autokinase CheA functions as the central processing unit in the Escherichia coli chemotaxis signaling machinery. CheA receives autophosphorylation control inputs from chemoreceptors and in turn regulates the flux of signaling phosphates to the CheY and CheB response regulator proteins. Phospho-CheY changes the direction of flagellar rotation; phospho-CheB covalently modifies receptor molecules during sensory adaptation. The CheA phosphorylation site, His-48, lies in the N-terminal P1 domain, which must engage the CheA ATP-binding domain, P4, to initiate an autophosphorylation reaction cycle. The docking determinants for the P1-P4 interaction have not been experimentally identified. We devised mutant screens to isolate P1 domains with impaired autophosphorylation or phosphotransfer activities. One set of P1 mutants identified amino acid replacements at surface-exposed residues distal to His-48. These lesions reduced the rate of P1 transphosphorylation by P4. However, once phosphorylated, the mutant P1 domains transferred phosphate to CheY at the wild-type rate. Thus, these P1 mutants appear to define interaction determinants for P1-P4 docking during the CheA autophosphorylation reaction.
Primary explant culture of human prostate tissue : a model for the study of prostate physiology and pathology

An explant of human prostate tissue containing viable acini will give rise in vitro to an outgrowth of epithelial cells of presumed basal cell origin. These cells can be passaged by trypsinization, undergo numerous population doublings (up to 50-60), and attempt a normal pattern of differentiation, which may succeed, to varying degrees, depending on conditions of culture. The system can serve as a useful model for analysis of the role of hormones, growth factors, cytoskeletal elements, cell-cell interactions, and of the basement membrane both in normal physiology and in pathology of the prostate. The system also should prove useful in the evaluation of the possible roles of chemical carcinogens, radiation, and viral or cellular oncogenes in carcinogenesis. Moreover, the model system should be useful in the evaluation of chemical, physical, or biological agents for treatment or prevention of prostate cancers.
Waste arisings in Hong Kong

Abstract The quantity of waste arisings in Hong Kong has nearly doubled over the past decade and its quality has changed with changing consumerism. The relationship between quantities and qualities of waste per head of population and various socio-economic parameters is discussed and forecasting techniques for domestic, industrial/commercial and construction waste are identified. The importance of waste recovery is addressed. Arisings of sewage sludge, agricultural waste, THD (toxic, azardous and difficult wastes) and PFA (pulverised fly ash) will add significantly to waste quantities in the future. These new wastes have differing compositions and will require special handling, transport and disposal facilities. Therefore a reasonable forecast is made of the quantities of their arisings as this is essential for long term planning purposes.
Diabetes-induced resistance of ventromedial hypothalamus to damage by gold thioglucose: reversal by adrenalectomy.

Diabetes has been shown to cause resistance of the ventromedial hypothalamus (satiety center) to gold thioglucose-induced necrosis. In studies reported here, it is shown that adrenalectomy, which ameliorates diabetes, also restores the sensitivity of the satiety center to gold thioglucose in diabetic mice. In addition, adrenalectomy prevents the development of hyperphagia, a condition which occurs regularly in diabetic mice. The sensitivity of the satiety center of the diabeticadrenalectomized mouse to gold thioglucose was abolished by administration of cortisone. These findings indicate that the sensitivity of cells in the ventromedial hypothalamus to gold thioglucose varies with the levels of hormones involved in carbohydrate metabolism. (Endocrinology 95: 1636, 1974)
Molecular electronics: rectifying current behaviours.

Inorganic semiconductors have long been used to construct rectifying diodes, but making them out of single molecules has remained a challenge. Now, two separate studies have induced rectification behaviour within molecular systems through different approaches.
Embedded system and application aware design of deregulated energy delivery systems

Voltage regulation circuity can be removed from embedded systems, commonly saving 30% of the printed circuit board area. Most unregulated systems suffer from performance degradation or premature failure as battery voltage decreases. Researchers have described a technique called power deregulation, in which performance is preserved by activating processor cores as battery voltage decreases. Unfortunately, the operating lifespans of such systems may be limited due to mismatches between the battery discharge profiles and the voltage-performance characteristics of processors. This paper provides a technique for codesign of power deregulated systems in which battery, processor, and workload characteristics are jointly considered. This technique extends lifespans of deregulated embedded systems. We also describe new battery and system performance and power models, some of which are based on a recently commercialized silver-zinc battery technology that is well suited to power deregulated systems. These models support lifetime simulation of regulated and deregulated embedded systems. If it is possible to find an appropriate match between embedded system and battery characteristics, the proposed design technique results in lifetimes similar to those of regulated systems and eliminates the need for bulky power regulation components.
Spectral-function sum rules in asymptotically free theories

We show that the necessary and sufficient condition to derive Weinberg's second spectral-function sum rule within the framework of a Lagrangian theory invariant under a local non-Abelian gauge group $G$ and the global chiral $\mathrm{SU}(2)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\mathrm{SU}(2)$ group is that $G$ should commute with $\mathrm{SU}(2)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\mathrm{SU}(2)$. The $\mathrm{SU}(3)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\mathrm{SU}(3)$ spectral-function sum rules for currents and sum rules involving spectral functions of scalar and pseudoscalar densities are also discussed.
Level discrimination of frozen and random noise.

This paper examines how the difference limen for level, ΔL, is affected by stimulus bandwidth and variability. The ΔL’s were measured in three normal listeners using an adaptive two‐interval, forced‐choice procedure. The 30‐ms stimuli were a 3‐kHz tone and nine noise bands with half‐power bandwidths ranging from 50 Hz–12 kHz. Except for the 12‐kHz bandwidth, which was a low‐pass noise, the noise bands were centered at 3 kHz. The ΔL’s were measured for both frozen and random noises presented at 30, 60, or 90 dB SPL overall. For frozen noises, the same sample of noise was presented throughout a block of 50 trials; for the random noises, different samples of noise were used in each interval of the trials. Results show that the ΔL’s are higher for random than for frozen noises at narrow bandwidths, but not at wide bandwidths. The ΔL’s for frozen narrow‐band noises decrease with increasing level and are similar to those for the pure tone, whereas the ΔL’s for wideband noises are only slightly smaller at 90 tha...
Genetic markers applied in regression tree prediction models.

Summary Classification and regression tree (CART) modelling was used to determine infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) resistance and susceptibility in Penaeus stylirostris. In a previous study, eight random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and viral load values using real-time quantitative PCR were obtained and used as the training data set in order to create numerous regression tree models. Specifically, the genetic markers were used as categorical predictor variables and viral load values as the dependent response variable. To determine which model has the highest predictive accuracy for future samples, RAPD fingerprint data was generated from new Penaues stylirostris IHHNV resistant and susceptible individuals and used to test the regression models. The best performing tree was a four terminal node tree with three genetic markers as significant variables. Marker-assisted breeding practices may benefit from the creation of regression tree models that apply genetic markers as predictive factors. To our knowledge this is the first study to use RAPD markers as predictors within a CART prediction model to determine viral susceptibility.
The effect of steelmaking on the hydrogen attack of carbon steel

Four normalized carbon steels made in different ways (Si-killed, Al-killed, REM-treated, and electroslag refined) were studied to determine the role of differing fine inclusions on the early stages of hydrogen attack (HA). Hydrogen exposures were made at 450°C (6.5 MPa) and 375°C (7.6 MPa). The first stage of HA is shown to be the development of a closely spaced (1 to 2 µm) array of small bubbles over the ferrite/pearlite, or occasionally the ferrite/ferrite boundaries. These bubbles grew together to form tears, primarily in the rolling plane, leading to more rapid expansion normal to this plane than parallel to it. Fracture planes followed high solute layers in banded steel but only rarely if ever did the fine bubbles form on inclusions. At 450°C REM-treated steel was attacked the fastest and Al-killed steel required exposures two to four times as long for attack.
Detecting Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) with Integrated Photoacoustic/Ultrasonic Imaging

Magnetic trapping and manipulation of polystyrene beads mimicking magnetically targeted circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has been demonstrated using magnetomotive photoacoustic (mmPA) imaging. These techniques appear promising for the detection of rare CTCs in the vasculature.
Some unexpected interferences in flames

Abstract A series of interferences has been observed in emission and absorption for rare earth elements in the nitrous oxide-acetylene flame and for some first row transition elements with air and acetylene. Signal changes, mostly suppressions, are observed at low (ppm) concomitant levels with the degree of interference consistently showing an abrupt slope change at mole ratios of concomitant to analyte element of between 1-1 and 2-1. The effects are observed for high boiling, oxygen containing mineral acids and for many organic compounds which contain oxygen and which decompose instead of vaporizing when heated. Some non-volatile, nitrogen containing compounds also give suppressions but here the behavior is less consistent. The effects are very sensitive to flame richness and often can be overcome by proper fuel to oxidant ratios. Also, the effects are much more severe when only analyte and concomitant are present in contrast to solutions containing other salts, i.e. a sample matrix. Though we cannot yet offer a complete explanation for the suppressions, definite stoichiometry is indicated in reactions involving the solid phase after desolvation and prior to vaporization.
Effects of maternal presence on sibling behavior

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine how maternal presence versus absence influences the way siblings behave. A total of 40 children (20 sibling pairs) were observed interacting in a laboratory playroom for a total of 30 min: half of that time with their mother present and half with her absent. Videotapes were later coded using a 21-category coding system. There were several significant differences in the behavior emitted by the siblings depending on whether mothers were present or absent. When mothers were present, siblings engaged in more attending, helping, and interacting. When mothers were absent, siblings engaged in more disapproval, independent play, ignoring, negative physical contact, talking, and teasing. Maternal presence also interacted significantly with sex of each individual child and the sex of the sibling pair. These findings indicate that maternal presence may play a facilitative role in promoting prosocial behavior whereas her absence is associated both with a wider variety of behavior and a greater incidence of antagonistic behavior by siblings. This has implications both for understanding the role of the family in socialization and for intervention with troubled families.
Genomic position affects the expression of tobacco mosaic virus movement and coat protein genes.

Abstract Alterations in the genomic position of the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) genes encoding the 30-kDa cell-to-cell movement protein or the coat protein greatly affected their expression. Higher production of 30-kDa protein was correlated with increased proximity of the gene to the viral 3' terminus. A mutant placing the 30-kDa open reading frame 207 nucleotides nearer the 3' terminus produced at least 4 times the wild-type TMV 30-kDa protein level, while a mutant placing the 30-kDa open reading frame 470 nucleotides closer to the 3' terminus produced at least 8 times the wild-type TMV 30-kDa protein level. Increases in 30-kDa protein production were not correlated with the subgenomic mRNA promoter (SGP) controlling the 30-kDa gene, since mutants with either the native 30-kDa SGP or the coat protein SGP in front of the 30-kDa gene produced similar levels of 30-kDa protein. Lack of coat protein did not affect 30-kDa protein expression, since a mutant with the coat protein start codon removed did not produce increased amounts of 30-kDa protein. Effects of gene positioning on coat protein expression were examined by using a mutant containing two different tandemly positioned tobamovirus (TMV and Odontoglossum ringspot virus) coat protein genes. Only coat protein expressed from the gene positioned nearest the 3' viral terminus was detected. Analysis of 30-kDa and coat protein subgenomic mRNAs revealed no proportional increase in the levels of mRNA relative to the observed levels of 30-kDa and coat proteins. This suggests that a translational mechanism is primarily responsible for the observed effect of genomic position on expression of 30-kDa movement and coat protein genes.
Minimum-variance unbiased quadratic estimation of covariances of regionalized variables

The parameters of covariance functions (or variograms) of regionalized variables must be determined before linear unbiased estimation can be applied. This work examines the problem of minimum-variance unbiased quadratic estimation of the parameters of ordinary or generalized covariance functions of regionalized variables. Attention is limited to covariance functions that are linear in the parameters and the normality assumption is invoked when fourth moments of the data need to be calculated. The main contributions of this work are (1) it shows when and in what sense minimum-variance unbiased quadratic estimation can be achieved, and (2) it yields a well-founded, practicable, and easy-to-automate methodology for the estimation of parameters of covariance functions. Results of simulation studies are very encouraging.
Effect of 3-methyl-branching on the metabolism in rat hearts of radioiodinated iodovinyl long chain fatty acids.

The metabolism of two new 3-methyl-branched iodovinyl fatty acids in rat hearts was evaluated by determining the subcellular and lipid pool distribution of these radiolabeled analogues after intravenous injection. Methyl branching had been introduced into the straight chain analogue, 19-iodo-18-nonadecenoic acid (IVN), to produce the monomethyl analogue, 19-iodo-3-(R,S)-methyl-18-nonadecenoic acid (BMIVN) and the dimethyl derivative, 19-iodo-3,3-dimethyl-18-nonadecenoic acid (DMIVN) in the hope of inhibiting β oxidation. Since the presence of 3-methyl branching results in delayed myocardial clearance in rats, differences were sought in the lipid and subcellular distribution of these branched analogues that might correlate with the prolonged retention and reflect differences in metabolism. Hearts of rats injected intravenously with the radiolabeled fatty acids were removed and homogenized and the homogenates partitioned between the chloroform-methanol (organic) fraction and the aqueous fraction. Comparison of the distribution of radioactivity between the organic and aqueous fractions showed that most of the DMIVN and BMIVN activity was in the organic fraction with IVN activity initially divided equally between the two fractions. Identification of the lipid components of these organic fractions showed that there was slow incorporation of DMIVN into the triglyceride and polar lipid fractions with a slow loss from the free fatty acid fraction. With the straight chain IVN analogue which shows rapid washout from rat hearts, there was loss of activity from all 3 lipid components during the 60 min. The monomethyl branched BMIVN analogue demonstrated predominant storage in the polar lipid fraction with some incorporation into triglycerides. Subcellular distribution studies of the three analogues also showed differences that correlated with the observed differences in heart retention properties. With the unbranched IVN analogue, radioactivity was found primarily in the cytoplasmic fraction 30 min after injection, whereas the branched analogues demonstrated a much higher association with the microsomal and mitochondrial fractions of the heart. In rats fed prior to injection, these differences in the subcellular distribution profiles were minimized. The lipid and subcellular distribution patterns reported here for the methyl branched analogues as compared to those of the straight chain iodovinyl fatty acid may provide some understanding as to the mechanisms of retention in rat myocardium.
Game based capacity allocation for utility computing environments

Utility computing has the potential to greatly increase the efficiency of IT operations by sharing resources across multiple users. This sharing, however, introduces complex problems with regards to pricing and allocating these resources in a way that is fair, easy to implement, and economically efficient. In this paper, we study a queue-based model that attempts to address these issues. Each client / user has a continuous flow of jobs that need to be processed. The service rate each receives, however, is proportional to a bid it submits to the system operator. Assuming that user costs are some function of their average backlogs plus their bid amounts, we use this allocation mechanism to construct an economic game. Much previous research has shown that these types of allocation games have desirable properties if the cost functions are well-defined and convex over the space of possible outcomes. Because of its queueing interface, however, our model induces functions that do not satisfy the latter, commonly assumed properties. In spite of these complications, we show that the game still has a unique equilibrium and that the system will converge to this point if users iteratively make "best response" updates to their bids. Finally, we discuss some numerical examples, exploring the rate of this convergence as well as some monotonicity properties of the resulting outcomes. Future research will expand this model to broader classes of service and also rigorously investigate its efficiency.
Psychiatric diagnosis: are clinicians still necessary?

Presentation d'instruments objectifs (entretiens structures) pour l'etablissement de diagnostic, le DIS (NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule) et le SCID (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III)
Dynamic Fracture of Functionally Graded Composites Using an Intrinsic Cohesive Zone Model

This paper presents a Cohesive Zone Model (CZM) approach for investigating dy- namic failure processes in homogeneous and Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs). The failure criterion is incorporated in the CZM using both a snite cohesive strength and work to fracture in the material description. A novel CZM for FGMs is explored and incorporated into a snite element framework. The material gradation is approximated at the element level using a graded element formulation. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the eacacy of the CZM approach, in which the inauence of the material gradation on the crack branching pattern is studied.
“Definitive Therapy” for Cancer: Is Our Message Clear?

Asphysicians,we should strive for clear communicationwith our patients, particularly when the diagnosis is cancer. We choose words with the intention of accurately and precisely conveying information about the diagnosis and treatment alternatives. This is especially true whenwe are faced with a patient with newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa) because there are several management options. A patient with lowgrade, clinically confined PCa, for example, may be offered active surveillance, radiation therapy, or total prostatectomy. The language we use to deliver this information must not complicate an already challenging decision. Many patients with PCa will consider radiation or surgery as their initial treatment. These approaches are often referred to as definitive therapy. To physicians, the intention is clear: The intervention is the best or is one of several equivalent treatment options when all approaches have been considered. But when read or heard by patients, we may have caused confusion with the use of the term definitive. Will the patient think that this treatment is the only one that will be required? In this era of open access to medical information [1] and free exchange on unlimited numbers of Web sites [2], our patients are often exposed to unfamiliar medical jargon. In using the term definitive therapy, the intention is not to confuse the patient; rather, it is the opposite. Nonetheless, we have some concerns about the term’s use related to treatment. An adjective is often prefixed to a named intervention toqualify thenatureof a treatment; for example, thewords radical, total, subtotal, and partial convey the extent of a surgical procedure. Similarly, words such as prophylactic, curative, and palliative convey the intent of a named intervention. Most often these prefixes are self-explanatory and very precise. The term definitive, however, hasmore than one definition. To some, definitive therapy conveys the message that the treatment is the best option after all modalities have been considered. To others, this term may suggest that no
Pleural effusion causing cardiac tamponade: Report of two cases and review of the literature

We report on two patients who developed large left-sided pleural effusions in association with hemodynamic compromise. In both cases transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated left ventricular diastolic collapse confirming our clinical suspicion of cardiac tamponade. Large-volume thoracentesis in the first case and thoracotomy with drainage of the pleural collection in the second case resulted in immediate hemodynamic improvement. Our report shows that large pleural effusions can result in impaired cardiac filling and a tamponade-like physiology. Thoracentesis in this setting can lead to rapid improvement of the hemodynamic profile.
Urethral hemangioma in childhood : treatment by total excision and single-stage urethroplasty

We report a 4-year-old boy who had an asymptomatic hemangioma on the ventral aspect of the urethra that caused a dorsal curvature of the penis. Treatment consisted of total excision of the tumor, repair of the urethral defect using a vascularized island flap from the penile skin, and correction of the dorsal curvature of the penis by plication of the ventral aspects of the corpora cavernosa. The cosmetic and functional results were excellent. The peculiar clinical presentation, in which the tumor caused a dorsal curvature of the penis, and the treatment used have not previously been reported in the literature.
Quantitative laboratory spectra and spectral line parameters for the v2 and v4 bands of PH3 applicable to spectral radiative models of the atmosphere of Jupiter

Quantitative laboratory PH3 absorption spectra were obtained in the 800-1350/cm region, at approximately 0.05/cm resolution, with gas amounts corresponding to observed PH3 absorptions in the atmosphere of Jupiter. A compilation of spectral line positions, intensities and ground state energies has been generated for the nu2 and nu4 bands of PH3. Line-by-line calculations have been compared with the experimental spectra.
A centrally cracked thin circular disk, Part I: 3D Elastic–plastic finite element analysis

Abstract A full field solution, based on small deformation, three-dimensional elastic–plastic finite element analysis of the centrally cracked thin disk under mode I loading has been performed. The solution for the stresses under small-scale yielding and lo!cally fully plastic state has been compared with the HRR plane stress solution. At the outside of the 3D zone, within a distance of rσ o / J =18, HRR dominance is maintained in the presence of a significant amount of compressive stress along the crack flanks. Ahead of this region, the HRR field overestimate the stresses. These results demonstrate a completely reversed state of stress in the near crack front compared to that in the plane strain case. The combined effect of geometry and finite thickness of the specimen on elastic–plastic crack tip stress field has been explored. To the best of our knowledge, such an attempt in the published literature has not been made yet. For the qualitative assessment of the results some of the field parameters have been compared to the available experimental results of Chiang and Hareesh (1988) . Under mixed mode loading, the dominance of the elastic K-field outside the elastic–plastic region h!as been demonstrated at the load level at which the crack extension experiment has been performed in the thin disk. At this load level the extents of yielding are about four sheet thickness under mode I loading and about five to seven sheet thicknesses under mixed mode I and II. These extents of plastic zones are smaller than the crack length but not much smaller. In the mode I analysis, it has been demonstrated that in the elastic–plastic region, the elastic stress intensity factor, K , gives a fair estimate of the crack opening stress near the crack front at a distance of order 10 −2 in. On the basis of this analysis, the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics approach has been adopted in analyzing the fatigue crack extension experiments performed in the disk (Part II).
Influence of vortices on the magnetic resonance in cuprate superconductors

We investigate several theoretical possibilities for the suppression in a c-axis magnetic field of the magnetic resonance recently observed in inelastic neutron scattering experiments on ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6.6}.$ We find that neither the Doppler shift of the quasiparticle states caused by supercurrents outside the vortex core, nor an assumed spatially uniform suppression of the coherence factors or spectral gap due to the applied field, can account for the observed effect. In contrast, suppressing the gap or the coherence factors in the vortex core to zero is consistent with the data, and an even simpler description of the data can be achieved by assuming that the resonance is not supported within the core. These three models can then be used to estimate the effective radius ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ around each vortex, which we find to be larger than ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\mathrm{sc}}$ but smaller than ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\mathrm{sc}}+{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\mathrm{mag}},$ where ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\mathrm{sc}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\mathrm{mag}}$ are respectively the superconducting and spin-spin correlation lengths. We use this observation to predict the doping dependence of the field suppression.
Patient-reported recovery after abdominal and pelvic surgery using the Convalescence and Recovery Evaluation (CARE): implications for measuring the impact of surgical processes of care and innovation.

Background—Recovery is an integral part of the surgical process and measuring it provides insight into the impact of surgical innovation. This study used a recently validated instrument, the Convalescence and Recovery Evaluation (CARE), to measure return to baseline health after surgery and explore clinical factors associated with recovery. Study design—Patient health was measured among 96 patients before and after abdominal and pelvic surgery. Patients were grouped by time to recovery of 90% of baseline status. χ 2 Tests and logistic models were used to measure relationships between recovery time and patient characteristics, processes of care, and outcomes. Results—Return to baseline health was reached by 44% of patients within 2 weeks, 28% between 2 and 4 weeks, and 28% after 4 weeks. Patients who recovered faster were younger, female, single, and undergoing ambulatory surgery for benign diseases. Patients who were married, underwent surgery for cancer, or had bowel surgery were more likely to require longer recovery time. Conclusions—Several patient and clinical characteristics were found to be associated with recovery after surgery. CARE appears to be sensitive to these factors and may be useful for informed decision making, assessing changes in processes of care, and evaluating the impact of surgical innovations on recovery.
Timecourse of recovery after surgical intraperitoneal implantation of radiotelemetry transmitters in rats.

Abstract Introduction Rats are used in drug safety because they satisfy regulatory guidelines, there is a large historical database, and their cardiovascular systems respond similarly to humans. The use of radiotelemetry offers a variety of advantages over non-invasive techniques. Implantation of telemetry devices for cardiovascular assessments in rats is not novel, but the time to recover from the surgery has not been reported. In order to assess this, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), body temperature (BT), body weight (BW), food consumption (FC), activity, and general health were determined in male Sprague–Dawley rats for 2 weeks following surgery. Methods Radiotelemetry transmitters (TL11M2-C50-PXT, Data Sciences® International, St. Paul, MN) were implanted into the peritoneal cavity of 15 rats under isoflurane anesthesia; 11 rats were used in the study. Data were collected (500 Hz for 24 h) using PONEMAH® Physiology Platform software (Gould Instruments, Inc, Valley View, OH, version 4.0) on days 3, 8 and 15 following surgery. Body weight and 24-h food consumption were recorded 1 day prior to surgery and on days 3, 8 and 15 post-surgery; general health was recorded daily. Results MAP tended to be greater on day 3 (104 ± 2 mmHg) than on days 8 or 15 (99 ± 2 mmHg and 99 ± 2 mmHg, respectively). By contrast, activity (arbitrary units) tended to be lower on day 3 (1.9 ± 0.2) than on days 8 or 15 (2.9 ± 1.2 and 3.0 ± 1.0, respectively). HR (∼ 460 bpm) and BT (∼ 37.5 °C) remained constant throughout the study. FC on day 4 postsurgery was less than pre-surgery (16.7 ± 6.6 g vs. 23.6 ± 1.2 g) and returned by day 9 (23.6 ± 5.4 g). BW on day 4 (295 ± 20 g) was not different from presurgery (297 ± 11 g) and the rats gained weight on subsequent days. There were no effects on overall appearance and behavior due to surgery. Discussion It is concluded that male Sprague–Dawley rats recover from surgery and can be used ∼ 1 week following intraperitoneal implantation of radiotelemetry transmitters with monitoring of body weight and food consumption.
Dislocated Rhetoric: The Anomaly of Political Theory

Although the estranged relationship between mainstream political science and much of the subfield of political theory has been properly attributed to developments during the last half of the twentieth century, the roots of this alienation are historically deeper. Many of the conversations of political theory are the progeny of a discursive form that attended the birth of modern social science. This genre was a legitimating rhetoric situated in the interstices of social science, philosophy, and politics. The study of the history of political thought originated as such a rhetoric, and it constitutes a paradigm case for examining the extent to which such a discourse can be transformed into a practice of knowledge. This field has succeeded to a greater extent than certain other elements of political theory which, transfixed by the tension between their practical aspirations and academic context, have become anomalous appendages to the social scientific study of politics.
How to find a prion: [URE3], [PSI+] and [β]

Abstract Infectious proteins (prions) in yeast or other microorganisms can be identified by genetic methods of rather general applicability. Infection in yeast means transfer by cytoplasmic mixing (cytoduction), a property of all non-chromosomal genetic elements whether plasmids, viruses, or prions. Prions can be diagnosed by reversible curability, increased occurrence when the corresponding protein is overproduced, a requirement for the gene for the corresponding protein for propagation, and, in some cases, similarity of phenotype of: (a) mutations in the gene for the protein and (b) the presence of the prion. This approach is illustrated with [URE3], an amyloid-based prion of the regulator of nitrogen catabolism, Ure2p and [PSI+] as a prion of the translation termination factor Sup35p. The prion concept is not limited to infectious amyloids, but includes proteins whose active form is necessary for the activation of the inactive precursor. We detail methods used in studies of [URE3] and [β], a self-activating protease, some of which are of broad application.
“Pollination” of a fungus by a fly

The mechanism resulting in fertilization of Epichloe typhina, a heterothallic ascomycete that is an endophytic pathogen of grasses, has now been discovered. Conidia of one mating type are produced in stromata and are then transferred by insects to individuals of the opposite mating type. One insect, Phorbia phrenione, is a particularly important vector of conidia. Once conidia of the opposite mating type have been transferred to a stroma, the life cycle continues with the formation of perithecia.
Further results on relative redundancy

Standard redundancy measures the excess number of bits needed to compress a sequence as a function of the sequencepsilas length. Since long sequences can have arbitrarily low minimum description length (MDL), even low standard redundancy can be arbitarily high compared to the sequencepsilas MDL. By contrast, relative redundancy evaluates the excess number of bits as a function of the sequencepsilas MDL. Hence unlike standard redundancy, low relative redundancy implies that the number of bits needed to compress any sequence is essentially the lowest possible. Results in [1] show that for iid distributions over binary alphabets, block relative redundancy essentially equals block standard redundancy while sequential relative redundancy is about twice its standard counterpart. We show that unlike binary alphabets, for larger alphabets both block and sequential relative redundancy essentially equal their standard counterparts. We also define and determine expected relative redundancy and show that it is almost same as worst-case relative redundancy.
Survey of traffic control protocols in ATM networks

Among the techniques proposed to implement broadband ISDN (B-ISDN), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) is considered to be the most promising transfer technique because of its efficiency and flexibility. Traffic control protocols in ATM networks are surveyed. The topics covered include congestion control and priority schemes to support multiple classes of traffic in ATM networks. Various preventive control schemes proposed for ATM networks are examined. Among them are admission control and bandwidth enforcement mechanisms, and, in particular, the leaky bucket method. Two priority schemes, a scheduling method and a local congestion control scheme, are discussed. >
The Social Psychology of Health Disparities

In recent years, scholars from a variety of disciplines have turned to the potential psychosocial determinants of health in pursuit of an explanation for socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities. This review discusses the literature on psychosocial factors and mental and physical health, focusing on the roles of subjective status, self/identity, and perceived discrimination. We argue that current research may have obscured important social psychological considerations and that it is an opportune time to reconsider the social psychology of disparities. A social psychology of disparities could provide a bridge between those who encourage research on health's “upstream” causes and those who encourage research on “downstream” mechanisms precisely because social psychology is concerned with the vast “meso” level of analysis that many allude to but few explicitly traverse. We point to the importance of person-environment interactions, contingencies, reciprocality, and meaning. Although psychosocial factors m...
Modeling an Opportunistic Spectrum Sharing System with a Correlated Arrival Process

In an opportunistic spectrum sharing (OSS) wireless network there are two types of users: primary users and secondary users. The primary users own the license for the system bandwidth, while the secondary users opportunistically share the spectrum resources with the primary users. When a secondary user detects a call arrival from a primary user in its current channel, the secondary user leaves the channel immediately and switches to an idle channel, if one is available, to continue the call. Otherwise, the secondary user is preempted. Call arrivals from primary users and secondary users in the OSS system are modeled by a Markovian arrival process (MAP) which captures correlation in the aggregate arrival process consisting of the two types of call arrivals. We derive the stationary probability vector using matrix-analytic methods and obtain expressions for a set of key performance measures. We present numerical results for a sample scenario.
Affirmation of a developmental systems approach to genetics

More than 40 years ago, Gilbert Gottlieb and like-minded scholars argued for the philosophical necessity of approaching genetic contributions to development through a multilevel, bidirectional systems perspective. Charney's target article builds on this heritage in significant ways, offering more recent examples of the interactions of biology and context, as well as the diversity of developmental mechanisms, and reaffirming a way forward for genetic research.
Neoplastic and Nonneoplastic Liver Lesions Induced by Dimethylnitrosamine in Japanese Medaka Fish

Small fish models have been used for decades in carcinogenicity testing. Demonstration of common morphological changes associated with specific mechanisms is a clear avenue by which data can be compared across divergent phyletic levels. Dimethylnitrosamine, used in rats to model human alcoholic cirrhosis and hepatic neoplasia, is also a potent hepatotoxin and carcinogen in fish. We recently reported some striking differences in the mutagenicity of DMN in lambda cII transgenic medaka fish vs. Big Blue(®) rats, but the pre-neoplastic and neoplastic commonalities between the two models are largely unknown. Here, we focus on these commonalities, with special emphasis on the TGF-β pathway and its corresponding role in DMN-induced hepatic neoplasia. Similar to mammals, hepatocellular necrosis, regeneration, and dysplasia; hepatic stellate cell and "spindle cell" proliferation; hepatocellular and biliary carcinomas; and TGF-β1 expression by dysplastic hepatocytes all occurred in DMN-exposed medaka. Positive TGF-β1 staining increased with increasing DMN exposure in bile preductular epithelial cells, intermediate cells, immature hepatocytes and fewer mature hepatocytes. Muscle specific actin identified hepatic stellate cells in DMN-exposed fish. Additional mechanistic comparisons between animal models at different phyletic levels will continue to facilitate the interspecies extrapolations that are so critical to toxicological risk assessments.
Factors impacting variability of the urinary normeperidine-to-meperidine metabolic ratio in patients with chronic pain.

Meperidine (Demerol w ) is a mu- and kappa-opiate receptor agonist used for moderate to severe pain. Overdose can result in respiratory depression, hypotension and coma, while accumulation of its toxic metabolite, normeperidine, can cause delirium and seizures. Little data exist examining the inter- and intrasubject variability of the normeperidine-to-meperidine metabolic ratio (MR) in urine. This retrospective data analysis examined meperidine and normeperidine urine concentrations collected from chronic pain patients. In 98 subjects with multiple visits, the geometric mean urinary MR 5 6.1 (coefficient of variation, %CV 5 68%). From single specimens obtained from 799 subjects, the geometric mean urinary MR 5 6.2 (%CV 5 212%). The urinary MR increased in young subjects compared with elderly (P 5 0.004) and middle-aged subjects (P 5 0.01). A 27% difference was found between the male and female urinary MR (male geometric mean MR 5 5.1, female geometric mean MR 5 7.0, P 5 0.02). Intersubject variability in meperidine metabolism was 3-fold greater than intrasubject variability. A significant difference in the urinary MR was found between males and females. The substantial variability in meperidine metabolism and the serious side effects of its metabolite normeperidine require greater vigilance in patient medication monitoring.
Primary and Secondary Phase Separation in CdF2‐LiF‐AlF3‐PbF2 Glasses

Occurrence of primary and secondary phase separation in the CdF2-LiF-AlF3-PbF2 glass system is observed. A primary phase separation, which is characterized by the formation of a small volume fraction of Cd-rich, Pb-deficient spheres whose size is on the order of 5μ is found to form upon cooling. A secondary phase separation initiates with precipitation of Pb-rich microspheres (about 4nm (40 A) in diameter) in a Cd-rich matrix. The Pb-rich spheres develop with heat treatment 35°C above the glass transition temperature. They increase in volume fraction while changing composition and then grow slightly. As the material is further heat-treated, the Pb-rich regions crystallize. A pseudobinary model explaining the occurrence of both primary and secondary decomposition phenomena is presented.
Moral Agency, Identity and Narrative in Moral Development

Many of the research programs within moral development have tended to organize around certain select features of the moral life. For the Kohlberg tradition, it was conflict resolution involving a moral dilemma where competing claims to justice had to be adjudicated fairly by the canons of deliberative reasoning. For Hoffman, it was coming to the aid of bystanders who were in distress. Prosocial reasoning was also a form of bystander intervention – should a farmer give up part of his crop for the sake of poor farmers down the road who were devastated by a flood? Should we donate blood at the risk of inconvenience? More recent research on moral exemplars has tended to focus on volunteering as the target moral behavior of interest. Each of these attributes of the moral life – dilemma-solving, bystander intervention, volunteering – privileges a particular element of human functioning – reason, empathy, identity – to carry much of the explanatory load. In this issue, Pasupathi and Wainryb introduce a new construct – moral agency – to account for another feature of moral life, which is the experience of intentional moral failure, of visiting harm unto others with full knowledge that it is wrong to do so. Moral failure is, of course, a commonplace, and its ubiquity in human life
Kluyveromyces lactis Maintains Saccharomyces cerevisiae Intron-Encoded Splicing Signals

Abstract The actin (ACT) gene from the budding yeast Kluyveromyces lactis was cloned, and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The gene had a single intron 778 nucleotides in length which possessed the highly conserved splicing signals found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae introns. We demonstrated splicing of heterologous ACT transcripts in both K. lactis and S. cerevisiae.
Foraging ecology of the South Australian glossy black‐cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus)

The endangered South Australian glossy black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus Mathews 1912) feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of the drooping sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata), and shows marked preferences for individual trees. This field study investigated foraging ecology and tree selection through observations of foraging birds and measurements of trees and seed cones. The cockatoos spent the vast majority of their foraging time (94%) handling seed cones, and handling behaviour was highly stereotyped. Handling time per cone was correlated primarily with cone size, while seed intake rate was correlated primarily with seed mass per cone. The cockatoos fed mostly in trees with signs of previous feeding. They tended initially to sample trees with large seeds, and to stay for long feeding bouts in trees with high ratios of seed-to-cone mass. As a result of these biases, feeding was concentrated in trees with high seed mass per cone. Preferred trees were also larger, with higher ratios of seed-to-cone mass and larger seeds containing more lipid and protein. By feeding from selected trees the cockatoos increased both their seed intake rate and the nutritional quality of the seeds ingested, thereby increasing their energy intake rate by an estimated 28%. They did not discriminate against trees that had re-grown from basal shoots after fires. Insect larvae were present in some seed cones but the cockatoos did not appear to actively seek them. Males foraged 19% more efficiently than females, resulting in greater daily food intake. The characteristics of individual A. verticillata trees that determined the cockatoos' feeding rates were also correlated with their distribution on a regional scale. This suggests that the distribution of this endangered cockatoo depends not only on the presence of food trees, but also on their regionally varying feeding profitability.
Fuzzy reliability in conceptual design

Conceptual design's intrinsic uncertainty and influence on product life cycle cost make reliability engineering tools during early design phases important. However, typically poor knowledge bases make the prediction of component failure and system performance challenging. Fuzzy techniques are used here during initial conceptual design stages to quantify imprecision and uncertainty in reliability and risk analysis. More specifically, a fuzzy approach is compared to the probabilistic approach presented in Reliability prediction models to support conceptual design by Ormon, et al. (2002). Triangular fuzzy numbers instead of triangular probability distributions represent unknown failure rates here. Two examples of fuzzy reliability analysis in conceptual design are presented where system reliability is evaluated at the subsystem level: The first is to familiarize the reader with fuzzy reliability subsystem level analysis. The second demonstrates fuzzy reliability prediction models for conceptual design tradeoffs. Examples include subsystems operating with active and standby redundancy. In the first example, defuzzified system reliability is a more conservative prediction than that found probabilistically. Recommendations in Example 2 do not differ from those based on the probabilistic models of Ormon, et al.