cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduction of synaptojanin 1 accelerates Aβ clearance and attenuates cognitive deterioration in an Alzheimer mouse model.

Recent studies link synaptojanin 1 (synj1), the main phosphoinositol (4,5)-biphosphate phosphatase (PI(4,5)P2-degrading enzyme) in the brain and synapses, to Alzheimer disease. Here we report a novel mechanism by which synj1 reversely regulates cellular clearance of amyloid-β (Aβ). Genetic down-regulation of synj1 reduces both extracellular and intracellular Aβ levels in N2a cells stably expressing the Swedish mutant of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Moreover, synj1 haploinsufficiency in an Alzheimer disease transgenic mouse model expressing the Swedish mutant APP and the presenilin-1 mutant ΔE9 reduces amyloid plaque load, as well as Aβ40 and Aβ42 levels in hippocampus of 9-month-old animals. Reduced expression of synj1 attenuates cognitive deficits in these transgenic mice. However, reduction of synj1 does not affect levels of full-length APP and the C-terminal fragment, suggesting that Aβ generation by β- and γ-secretase cleavage is not affected. Instead, synj1 knockdown increases Aβ uptake and cellular degradation through accelerated delivery to lysosomes. These effects are partially dependent upon elevated PI(4,5)P2 with synj1 down-regulation. In summary, our data suggest a novel mechanism by which reduction of a PI(4,5)P2-degrading enzyme, synj1, improves amyloid-induced neuropathology and behavior deficits through accelerating cellular Aβ clearance. Background: Recent studies have linked synaptojanin 1 (synj1) with Alzheimer disease (AD). Results: We report that synj1 reduction decreases amyloid plaque burden and attenuates cognitive deterioration in an AD mouse model. These effects are mediated through accelerating endosomal/lysosomal degradation of Aβ. Conclusion: Our data suggest a novel mechanism by which synj1 reduction promotes Aβ clearance. Significance: These studies implicate a therapeutic strategy for AD.
Aerial video and ladar imagery fusion for persistent urban vehicle tracking

We assess the impact of supplementing two-dimensional video with three-dimensional geometry for persistent vehicle tracking in complex urban environments. Using recent video data collected over a city with minimal terrain content, we first quantify erroneous sources of automated tracking termination and identify those which could be ameliorated by detailed height maps. They include imagery misregistration, roadway occlusion and vehicle deceleration. We next develop mathematical models to analyze the tracking value of spatial geometry knowledge in general and high resolution ladar imagery in particular. Simulation results demonstrate how 3D information could eliminate large numbers of false tracks passing through impenetrable structures. Spurious track rejection would permit Kalman filter coasting times to be significantly increased. Track lifetimes for vehicles occluded by trees and buildings as well as for cars slowing down at corners and intersections could consequently be prolonged. We find high resolution 3D imagery can ideally yield an 83% reduction in the rate of automated tracking failure.
The Branching Hierarchy of Multiple Solutions in a Model of Moist Convection

Abstract The dynamics of two-dimensional, shallow moist convection is examined with the use of a six-component spectral model. Latent heating effects are incorporated by assuming that upward motion is moist adiabatic and that downward motion is dry adiabatic. The resulting nondimensional system of equations has the same form as that for Benard convection, with the moist effects included by replacing the Rayleigh number with a modified form. The six-coefficient model contains a wide variety of multiple solutions with as many as 12 time-independent convective states and one conductive state occurring simultaneously. Temporally periodic solutions are also indicated, and some are found numerically that branch from stationary solutions at critical values of the external parameters. Only some of the solutions are linearly stable and hence observable, and we give a summary of the possible branching orders of these solutions. We find that the development of moist convection proceeds in the model via one of severa...
Effects of the degree of hydrolysis on radiation induced reactions in the poly(vinyl alcohol)–poly(vinyl acetate) system

Abstract In the early stages of radiolysis of 100% hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA, ionizing radiation produces trapped electrons whose lifetimes depend on temperature and the water content. Pulse radiolysis of films containing pyrene show that the pyrene anion, Py−, in PVA is formed within the electron pulse, while in PVAC it takes 0.5 μs for the Py− to reach its maximum concentration. Similar observations of the pyrene cations show that the positive holes produced in the initial act of ionization in PVA do not oxidize Py, as shown in both low temperature steady state gamma radiolysis and pulse radiolysis experiments. This is rationalized as the effect of very fast deprotonation producing radicals with less oxidizing ability. Significant yields of P+ are produced in PVAC, due to a more stable positive hole in this polymer. Decreasing the degree of hydrolysis of PVA affects the extent of the cation process. The G value for the Py+ formation increases from 0 to 0.45 on decreasing the degree of hydrolysis to zero. Pulse radiolysis of PVAC/pyrene films gives rise to pyrene fluorescence. The decay of the fluorescence is not a single exponential as in photo-excitation, but exhibits an initial rapid decay. This is attributed to spur effects in the radiolysis. Following γ-irradiation at 77 K there is no thermally stimulated emission associated with the pyrene cation and anion decay process in PVAC due to the polarity of the polymer matrix. Py− in PVA undergoes protonation forming the 1-hydro-1-pyrenyl radical as shown in both pulse radiolysis and steady state gamma radiolysis experiments. This process does not depend on the degree of hydrolysis of the film. Contrary to the situation in fluids, the 1-hydro-1-pyrenyl radical is quite stable in PVA and PVAC as long as it is kept below the glass transition temperature(s) thus enabling a study of its physico-chemical properties.
Depressive symptoms in Black and Puerto Rican adolescent mothers in the first 3 years postpartum.

While depressive symptoms in adolescent mothers may affect both their own and their babies' development, little research has focused on the mothers. Self-reported symptoms on the Beck Depression Inventory were collected at 1, 6, 12, and 28–36 months postpartum. Concurrent and reciprocal longitudinal relations among symptom levels, stressful life events, and social supports were investigated. Symptom levels declined over the four assessments, with changes in somatic, rather than cognitive affective, symptoms accounting for the decrease. Stressful life events and all sources of social supports predicted concurrent levels of depressive symptoms, but only social supports predicted declines in symptoms in the first year postpartum. Reciprocally, depressive symptoms tended (p = .06) to predict increases in stressful life events over time. Mothers were also categorized as reporting few (50%), intermittent (27.5%), or chronic (22.5%) symptoms in the first 12 months postpartum. Intermittently and chronically depressed mothers perceived their own mothers as less accepting than nondepressed mothers. Compared to nondepressed and intermittently depressed mothers, chronically depressed mothers also reported more stressful life events, were more likely to live alone, and experienced more moves by 28–36 months postpartum. The reciprocal causal relations among depressive symptoms, stress, and attachments to grandmothers and peers are discussed.
THE EFFECT OF ACETYLCHOLINE ON TWITCHES OF THE LOCUST LEG.

Abstract 1. 1. Concentrations of acetylcholine from 10−7 to 10−2 molar can increase the amplitude of isotonic twitches of the extensor tibiae of Schistocerca gregaria. 2. 2. Fully isometric twitches are not affected by the same concentrations of acetylcholine. 3. 3. The lack of action on isometric twitches may explain previous negative results of the application of acetylcholine to insect nerve-muscle preparations.
Exploratory techniques for the determination of potential dose-response relationships between human health and air pollution

Abstract This paper seeks to verify the usefulness of selected multivariate statistical techniques for exploring new dose-response relationships between human health and air pollution. We do so by comparing our results with those already established in the literature through hypothesis testing procedures or laboratory work. This use of multivariate techniques is pretheoretical and should be interpreted as suggesting relationships which warrant further investigation with more traditional methodologies. Our results conform very well with those existing in the literature and lend credence to the use of such pretheoretical statistical methods.
Application of an Improved Trust-Region Method to Rigid-Plastic Finite Element Analysis in Strip Rolling

Rigid-plastic finite element analysis (RPFEA) is an efficient and practical method to calculate rolling parameters in the strip rolling process. To solve the system of simulations equations involved in the RPFEA, a numerous of numerical methods, including the standard Newton-Raphson method, the modified Newton-Raphson method, and etc., have been proposed by different researchers. However, the computational time of the existed numerical methods can not meet the requirement of the online application. By tracking the computational time consumption for the main components in the standard Newton-Raphson method used in finite element analysis, it was found that linear search of damping factor occupies the most of the computational time. Thus, more efforts should be put on the linear search of damping factor to speed up the solving procedure, so that the online application of RPFEA is possible. In this paper, an improved trust-region method is developed to speed up the solving procedure, in which the Hessian matrix is forced to positive definite so as to improve the condition number of matrix. The numerical experiments are carried out to compare the proposed method with the standard Newton-Raphson method based on the practical data collected from a steel company in China. The numerical results demonstrate that the computational time of the proposed method outperforms that of the standard Newton-Raphson method and can meet the requirement of online application. Meanwhile the computational values of rolling force obtained by the proposed method are in good agreement with experimental values, which verifies the validity and stability of the proposed method.
Adherence characteristics of endocarditis-derived Streptococcus gallolyticus ssp. gallolyticus (Streptococcus bovis biotype I) isolates to host extracellular matrix proteins

Members of the Streptococcus bovis group are frequent colonizers of the intestinal tract, which can also cause endocarditis. However, their ability to adhere to and colonize host tissues and the factors associated with pathogenicity are largely unknown. Here, we assessed 17 endocarditis-derived human isolates [identified here as 15 Streptococcus gallolyticus ssp. gallolyticus (S. bovis biotype I), one S. gallolyticus ssp. pasteurianus (biotype II/2) and one Streptococcus infantarius ssp. coli (biotype II/1)] for their in vitro adherence to components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Adherence to collagen type I was found to be the most common phenotype exhibited by 76% of isolates, followed by collagen type IV (53%), fibrinogen (47%), collagen type V (35%) and fibronectin (35%). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses showed that >50% of endocarditis-derived S. gallolyticus ssp. gallolyticus isolates are genetically diverse, although two clusters of two and four isolates were observed. The diversity of strains and differences observed in adherence characteristics to distinct host ECM proteins suggest that isolates of S. gallolyticus ssp. gallolyticus produce different surface components, similar to other gram-positive pathogens, to colonize the host and cause infection.
Changes in child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric admission diagnoses between 1995 and 2000

This study examined changes in the prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses at admission among children and adolescents treated for mental health problems in psychiatric inpatient settings between 1995 and 2000. Using a large, nationwide database (MarketScan) of private health insurance claims, our sample consisted of 5,346 children under the age of 18 who received psychiatric inpatient services, out of a total of 1,723,681 covered children. Odds ratios were used to measure changes in the prevalence of specific mental health disorders between 1995 and 2000. The study identified several significant changes, most notably, that the proportion of hospitalized children treated for bipolar or eating disorder doubled between 1995 and 2000. Significant decreases were observed for adjustment, anxiety, oppositional, and substance abuse disorders. This study lends support to recent concerns that the prevalence of bipolar disorder among the youth is increasing. Further research is needed to identify the underlying reasons for these observed changes.
Ultrastructural analysis of the midaxial extracellular matrix in spinal dysraphism.

Ultrastructural aspects of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the midaxial region of dysraphic embryos of the loop-tail (Lp) mutant mouse were analyzed by means of electron microscopy. In 17–23 somite embryos, ultrastructural differences in the ECM occurred with respect to the presence of a pair of long trailing basal laminar strands extending continuously from the ventral notochordal cells to the gut in abnormal (Lp/Lp) embryos, in contrast to short, ragged, discontinuous strands in normal (+ /+;Lpj +) embryos. The ultrastructural localization and configuration of fibronectin (FN) and laminin (L) associated with these strands, however, were similar in normals and abnormals. In addition, FN occurred over interstitial bodies, fibrils, and sporadically along the basal laminae of the neural tube (or folds), notochord, gut, and vessels, whereas L was largely confined to the basal laminae. The results indicate that although the ultrastructural pattern of FN and L reactivity are similar in normal and abnormal embryos, a disturbance in the manner whereby the notochord detaches from the gut in dysraphic embryos may be of causal significance in the etiology of dysraphism in this mutant.
Girls, consumption space and the contradictions ofhanging out in the city

Geographers have effectively examined girls' reactions and resistances to adult control in public space, but the ways that girls learn about and reinscribe social differences like race and class through ‘hanging-out’ practices in public, urban space have yet to be sufficiently explored and theorized. Therefore, in this paper I consider the normative productivity of girls' spatial practices, as well as girls' resistances to adultist space. I examine the case of consumption space and focus on how girls utilize, create and reproduce myriad social identifiers as they hang out in public, urban space. Consumption space and consumerism dominate the urban spaces and hanging-out practices of teenagers, and while girls complain about the ubiquity of consumption space, girls' public social-spatial activities inevitably involve consumption space. Therefore, consumption's symbols and spaces are central to the normative production of girls' identities like class and race, and of social difference more generally in urba...
Replication of significant correlations in small samples

Abstract Researchers conducting studies involving individuals with exceptionalities are often prevented from involving large numbers of participants in their study samples. When this is the case, some say significant correlations are likely to replicate because the relation between two variables must be robust enough to be detected even with low statistical power. Others say that significant correlations in the context of small sample sizes are not likely to replicate because one or two data points can have ‘undue influence’ over the fit of the data to the regression line. The purpose of this article is to review the relationship between sample size and the replication of significant findings in correlational research. Data simulations are used to illustrate the effect of sample size and correlation magnitude on obtaining statistical significance in randomly drawn samples. Considerations for researchers interested in replicating findings from correlational research are provided.
Optical and systolic implementation of an artificial neural network

The optical implementation of a locally interconnected systolic architecture of a neural network is considered in this paper. In the design presented here, the Hopfield model, one of the widely researched artificial neural network, is formulated as a consecutive matrix-vector multiplication problem with some prespecified threshold operations. The multiplication array structure is derived from a cascaded dependence graph with nonlinear assignment. By the same nonlinear assignment, a locally interconnected systolic array with bidirectional communicational links is then obtained. Each processing element in the systolic array is treated as a neuron and the synaptic strengths are stored in it. The optical design employs a liquid crystal light valve (LCLV) structure to implement the matrix-vector multiplier. The paper will show that the optical and systolic implementation of the neural networks achieves a higher precision in computation.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Differential response of four tree species to ozone‐induced acceleration of foliar senescence

Ozone (O3)-induced accelerated senescence of leaves was measured in four tree species: black cherry (Prunus serotina), hybrid poplar (Populus maximowizii x trichocarpa, clone 245), northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum). Seedlings or ramets of the four species were subjected to chronic O3 exposures and designated leaves harvested periodically from emergence to senescence. Gas exchange was analysed, and concentrations of total soluble protein and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase were measured as indicators of leaf senescence. Total antioxidant potential and ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities also were determined. Black cherry and hybrid poplar exhibited O3-induced accelerated leaf senescence, whereas sugar maple and northern red oak did not. When the O3 effects were related to cumulative uptake of the gas, black cherry was the most sensitive of the four species. Although hybrid poplar exhibited similar symptoms of O3-induced accelerated senescence after the same exposure period as did black cherry, this species took up much greater quantities of O3 to achieve the same response. The O3-induced increase in glutathione reductase activity in hybrid poplar was consistent with the capacity of this species to take up high concentrations of the gas. Relative tolerance of northern red oak and sugar maple could be explained only in part by lower cumulative O3 uptake and lower rate of uptake. Sugar maple had the highest antioxidant potential of all four species, which may have contributed to O3 tolerance of this species. Ascorbate peroxidase activity, when expressed on a fresh weight basis, could not account for differential sensitivity among the four species.
The solubility in aqueous urea solutions of the micellar caseinates of milk and milk products subjected to various sterilizing heat treatments.

Summary A study was made of the changes that occur in the micellar caseinates when heated in their natural environment. The caseinates were separated from heated milks by centrifugation at 27,000 times gravity in a Servall centrifuge, followed by washing and lyophilizing. The dry caseinates were equilibrated by shaking for 24 hr. at 25° C. in 6.6 M urea solution. After dilution to 3.3 M urea, and equilibration for 48 hr., the solutions were centrifuged to separate the insoluble casemates. The soluble caseinates of the solution were determined by micro-Kjeldahl analyses after dialysis to remove urea. Solubility curves, obtained by plotting the amount of the casein in 3.3 M urea solution against the amount of micellar caseinates present in the system, exhibit solubility phenomena characteristic of heterogeneous systems and show that: 1.Increased heating decreases the solubility of the caseinates in aqueous urea. 2.Fat present in milk during heating decreases the solubility in urea. 3.Increased solids content of milk gives decreased protein solubility in aqueous urea after heating. 4.High-temperature—short-time methods of sterilizing concentrated milk products generally produce less change in the protein solubility in urea than does the conventional sterilization method. 5.The presence of citrate and phosphate ions in the urea system increases the protein solubility. 6.The heat-produced protein component in the casein micelle concentrates in the 3.3 M urea insoluble fraction.
A Categorical Approach to Threshold Agent Networks

Threshold agent networks (TANs) constitute a discretized modification of threshold (also known as neural) networks that are appropriate for modeling computer simulations. In this paper morphisms are introduced between TANs, thus forming a category TAN. Several of the properties of this category are explored. A generalization of TANs to allow more flexible interactions between the agents is then introduced. The new objects are also endowed with appropriate morphisms and the properties of the newly obtained category are compared with the properties of its older subcategory.
Structural basis for the specific recognition of dual receptors by the homopolymeric pH 6 antigen (Psa) fimbriae of Yersinia pestis

The pH 6 antigen (Psa) of Yersinia pestis consists of fimbriae that bind to two receptors: β1-linked galactosyl residues in glycosphingolipids and the phosphocholine group in phospholipids. Despite the ubiquitous presence of either moiety on the surface of many mammalian cells, Y. pestis appears to prefer interacting with certain types of human cells, such as macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells of the lung. The molecular mechanism of this apparent selectivity is not clear. Site-directed mutagenesis of the consensus choline-binding motif in the sequence of PsaA, the subunit of the Psa fimbrial homopolymer, identified residues that abolish galactosylceramide binding, phosphatidylcholine binding, or both. The crystal structure of PsaA in complex with both galactose and phosphocholine reveals separate receptor binding sites that share a common structural motif, thus suggesting a potential interaction between the two sites. Mutagenesis of this shared structural motif identified Tyr126, which is part of the choline-binding consensus sequence but is found in direct contact with the galactose in the structure of PsaA, important for both receptor binding. Thus, this structure depicts a fimbrial subunit that forms a polymeric adhesin with a unique arrangement of dual receptor binding sites. These findings move the field forward by providing insights into unique types of multiple receptor–ligand interactions and should steer research into the synthesis of dual receptor inhibitor molecules to slow down the rapid progression of plague.
Electrically large structures in WIPL-D

In this paper, an electrically large structure, a 50-/spl lambda/ (where /spl lambda/ is the wave length) long airplane and a dual-polarized 60-element Vivaldi array are run in 64-bit version WIPL-D/sup /spl reg// software on the Intel/sup /spl reg// Itanium2/sup /spl reg// platform with 64GB physical memory. The scattering electromagnetic parameters (the RCS, the surface current, and the near field) and the radiation pattern are shown. The memory usage and the CPU times for different number of unknowns larger than the limit of 32-bit PCs are listed. We also show that this 64-bit version of WIPL-D can go beyond the 64GB physical memory and the speed is not significantly decreased when the virtual memory is used.
Dosimetric effects of edema in permanent prostate seed implants: a rigorous solution.

Abstract Purpose: To derive a rigorous analytic solution to the dosimetric effects of prostate edema so that its impact on the conventional pre-implant and post-implant dosimetry can be studied for any given radioactive isotope and edema characteristics. Methods and Materials: The edema characteristics observed by Waterman et al ( Int. J. Rad. Onc. Biol. Phys , 41:1069–1077; 1998) was used to model the time evolution of the prostate and the seed locations. The total dose to any part of prostate tissue from a seed implant was calculated analytically by parameterizing the dose fall-off from a radioactive seed as a single inverse power function of distance, with proper account of the edema-induced time evolution. The dosimetric impact of prostate edema was determined by comparing the dose calculated with full consideration of prostate edema to that calculated with the conventional dosimetry approach where the seed locations and the target volume are assumed to be stationary. Results: A rigorous analytic solution on the relative dosimetric effects of prostate edema was obtained. This solution proved explicitly that the relative dosimetric effects of edema, as found in the previous numerical studies by Yue et. al. (Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 43, 447–454, 1999), are independent of the size and the shape of the implant target volume and are independent of the number and the locations of the seeds implanted. It also showed that the magnitude of relative dosimetric effects is independent of the location of dose evaluation point within the edematous target volume. It implies that the relative dosimetric effects of prostate edema are universal with respect to a given isotope and edema characteristic. A set of master tables for the relative dosimetric effects of edema were obtained for a wide range of edema characteristics for both 125 I and 103 Pd prostate seed implants. Conclusions: A rigorous analytic solution of the relative dosimetric effects of prostate edema has been derived for a class of edema characterized by Waterman et al. The solution proved that the dosimetric effects caused by the edema are universal functions of edema characteristics for a given isotope. It provides an efficient tool to examine the relative dosimetric effects of edema for any given edema characteristics and for any isotopes that may be considered for prostate implants.
Comparison of the Action of Ouabain on the Heart in Hypothyroid, Euthyroid and Hyperthyroid Dogs

Ouabain-induced changes in cardiac contractile force and differences in the amount of ouabain required to induce arrhythmias and to produce death were evaluated in normal, thyroidectomized and thyroxine-treated dogs. It was found, that ouabain, following alterations in thyroid function, still substantially augmented cardiac contractile force in anesthetized open-chest dogs. In both the hypothyroid and the hyperthyroid animals a moderate dose of ouabain produced an increase in contractile force of approximately the same extent as in the euthyroid animals, although of slower onset in the hypothyroid dogs. Larger doses of ouabain caused a smaller positive inotropic response. in hyperthyroid dogs than in euthyroid and hypothyroid animals. Changes in thyroid function increased the arrhythmia-producing and the lethal dose of ouabain, which in the hyperthyroid dogs may have been due to the markedly elevated heart rate.
Fundamental Limits of Linear Equalizers: Diversity, Capacity, and Complexity

Linear equalizers (LEs) have been widely adopted for practical systems due to their low computational complexity. However, it is also well known that LEs provide inferior performance relative to a maximum-likelihood equalizer (MLE) or other near-MLEs, because LEs usually cannot collect the diversity order enabled by the transmitter and at the same time they lose mutual information. More importantly, unlike MLE or near-MLEs, the performance of LEs has not been well quantified. This hinders more general applications of LEs in wireless systems. In this paper, we reveal a fundamental link between a channel parameter-orthogonality deficiency (od) of the channel matrix-and the diversity and capacity of LEs. We identify that when the od of channel matrix has an upper bound strictly less than 1 , the same diversity order as that of MLEs is collected by LEs and the outage capacity loss relative to MLEs is also a constant over signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). These results can be applied to designing a framework for hybrid equalizers. Furthermore, by studying the statistical properties of the od and comparing the complexity of different equalizers, we show that hybrid equalizers can trade off between performance and complexity by tuning the channel matrix od. The theoretical analysis is corroborated by computer simulations.
Video performance in Java

The tremendous growth in both Java and multimedia present an opportunity for cross-platform multimedia applications. However, little research has been done on Java multimedia performance. In this paper, we present experiments that measure the multimedia performance of an MPEG-1 client in Java. We find Just-In-Time compilation, local media access and processor type significantly affect multimedia performance, while choice of operating system, Java virtual machine and garbage collection have a negligible effect on multimedia performance. Overall, Java still lags considerably behind multimedia performance in C++.
Feedback Control of a Nonholonomic Vehicle Among Moving Obstacles Using Variable Structure Observer

A feedback controller is developed for navigating a nonholonomic vehicle in an area with multiple stationary and possibly moving obstacles. Among other applications the developed algorithms can be used for automatic parking of a passenger car in a parking lot with complex conguration or a ground robot in cluttered environment. Several approaches are explored which combine nonholonomic systems control based on sliding modes and potential eld methods.
Outcome predictions for patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

Estimating prognosis with patients with metastatic disease is important for patient counseling, guiding treatment selection, and assessing treatment outcomes. For patients with noncastrate metastatic disease, androgen ablation is considered first-line therapy, with upward of 80% of patients showing clinical benefit. For these patients, information about duration of response to hormones and overall survival is important. Most patients eventually relapse, at which point the mortality from cancer greatly exceeds that from other causes. This article focuses on prognostic models for patients with progressive noncastrate and castrate metastatic prostate cancer.
Carpet-Time Democracy: Digital Photography and Social Consciousness in the Early Childhood Classroom

Although much energy has been spent designing children's books and curriculum to bring issues of diversity and acceptance into classrooms, perhaps the most meaningful and relevant curricular materials only require a digital camera and a space for students to talk about photos of their own classroom community, creating an organic and everyday curriculum. From over three years of research in a preschool classroom, the researcher-author tells how she uses digital photography to allow students to examine and reimagine their own social community. She revives the pedagogies of seminal social educators like Vivian Paley and Fannie Shaftel while offering a photo methodology for researchers of children who are interested in better understanding children's peer culture. As play is perhaps the most important vehicle of social education, carving out a time and space in the school day for a reflective component with digital photography can be an interesting and empowering way for children to examine social dilemmas an...
Synthesis, enhanced fusogenicity, and solid state NMR measurements of cross-linked HIV-1 fusion peptides.

In the HIV-1 gp41 and other viral fusion proteins, the minimal oligomerization state is believed to be trimeric with three N-terminal fusion peptides inserting into the membrane in close proximity. Previous studies have demonstrated that the fusion peptide by itself serves as a useful model fusion system, at least to the hemifusion stage in which the viral and target cell lipids are mixed. In the present study, HIV-1 fusion peptides were chemically synthesized and cross-linked at their C-termini to form dimers or trimers. C-terminal trimerization is their likely topology in the fusogenic form of the intact gp41 protein. The fusogenicity of the peptides was then measured in an intervesicle lipid mixing assay, and the assay results were compared to those of the monomer. For monomer, dimer, and trimer at peptide strand/lipid mol ratios between 0.0050 and 0.010, the final extent of lipid mixing for the dimer and trimer was 2-3 times greater than for the monomer. These data suggest that the higher local concentration of peptide strands in the cross-linked peptides enhances fusogenicity and that oligomerization of the fusion peptide in gp41 may enhance the rate of viral/target cell membrane fusion. For gp41, this effect is in addition to the role of the trimeric coiled-coil structure in bringing about apposition of viral and target cell membranes. NMR measurements on the membrane-associated dimeric fusion peptide were consistent with an extended structure at Phe-8, which is the same as has been observed for the membrane-bound monomer in the same lipid composition. 1 Abbreviations: AAA, amino acid analysis; CD, circular dichroism; DMAP, 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine; ESR, electron spin resonance; FID, free induction decay; FMOC, 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl; FP, fusion peptide; FPdm, fusion peptide dimer; FPmn, fusion peptide monomer; FPtr, fusion peptide trimer; FRET, fluorescence resonance energy transfer; HEPES, N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; HPLC, high-performance liquid chromatography; LM, lipid mixture; LUV, large unilamellar vesicles; MAS, magic angle spinning; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance; N-NBD-PE, N-(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)-phosphatidylethano- lamine; N-Rh-PE, N-(lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl)-phosphatidyle- thanolamine; PI, phosphatidylinositol; POPC, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn- glycero-3-phosphocholine; POPE, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphoethanolamine; POPS, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-(phospho- L-serine); REDOR, rotational echo double resonance; SDS, sodium dodecyl sulfate; TFA, trifluoroacetic acid; TPPM, two pulse phase modulation.
A system theoretic approach for GCD extraction

A new algorithm for the GCD extraction of a set of polynomial matrices is given. The approach is based on system theoretic notions of feedback.
The power of a collaborative relationship between technical assistance providers and community prevention teams: A correlational and longitudinal study.

Abstract Background Historically, effectiveness of community collaborative prevention efforts has been mixed. Consequently, research has been undertaken to better understand the factors that support their effectiveness; theory and some related empirical research suggests that the provision of technical assistance is one important supporting factor. The current study examines one aspect of technical assistance that may be important in supporting coalition effectiveness, the collaborative relationship between the technical assistance provider and site lead implementer. Methods Four and one-half years of data were collected from technical assistance providers and prevention team members from the 14 community prevention teams involved in the PROSPER project. Results Spearman correlation analyses with longitudinal data show that the levels of the collaborative relationship during one phase of collaborative team functioning associated with characteristics of internal team functioning in future phases. Conclusions Results suggest that community collaborative prevention work should consider the collaborative nature of the technical assistance provider – prevention community team relationship when designing and conducting technical assistance activities, and it may be important to continually assess these dynamics to support high quality implementation.
Use of Fluorescence Spectroscopy in Concentration and Supersaturation Measurements in Citric Acid Solutions

Measurement of supersaturation is of critical importance in the operation and control of crystallizers. In this work, we report a novel spectroscopic technique to achieve the measurement of concentration and supersaturation in crystallizing solutions. In order to develop a sensor for this measurement, citric acid is chosen as the model solute, and the analytical technique involves fluorescence spectroscopy. Citric acid is a common food-grade compound with a wide range of applications that is exclusively produced by crystallization. The fluorescent properties of a probe, 8-hydroxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonate (pyranine), are used to provide concentration measurements in aqueous citric acid solutions, thereby providing for supersaturation estimation. The change in the relative emission peak intensities of the probe in different solute concentrations gives an excellent calibration curve for concentration measurements. It is also shown that, although pyranine responds to both its solvent microenvironment and the pH of the solution, it is still possible to measure concentration and supersaturation by using this fluorescence technique.
Does A Fixed-Dollar Premium Contribution Lower Spending?

ABSTRACT: In a multiple-option health benefits program, the employer's premium contribution determines the incentives facing employees and participating health plans. Advocates of managed contribut...
Evidence for an Essential Catalytic Role of the F10 Protein Kinase in Vaccinia Virus Morphogenesis

Temperature-sensitive mutants of vaccinia virus, with genetic changes that map to the open reading frame encoding the F10 protein kinase, exhibit a defect at an early stage of viral morphogenesis. To further study the role of the enzyme, we constructed recombinant vaccinia virus vF10V5i, which expresses inducible V5 epitope-tagged F10 and is dependent on a chemical inducer for plaque formation and replication. In the absence of inducer, viral membrane formation was delayed and crescents and occasional immature forms were detected only late in infection. When the temperature was raised from 37 to 39°C, the block in membrane formation persisted throughout the infection. The increased stringency may be explained by a mild temperature sensitivity of the wild-type F10 kinase, which reduced the activity of the very small amount expressed in the absence of inducer, or by the thermolability of an unphosphorylated kinase substrate or uncomplexed F10-interacting protein. Further analyses demonstrated that tyrosine and threonine phosphorylation of the A17 membrane component was inhibited in the absence of inducer. The phosphorylation defect could be overcome by transfection of plasmids that express wild-type F10, but not by plasmids that express F10 with single amino acid substitutions that abolished catalytic activity. Although the mutated forms of F10 were stable and concentrated in viral factories, only the wild-type protein complemented the assembly and replication defects of vF10V5i in the absence of inducer. These studies provide evidence for an essential catalytic role of the F10 kinase in vaccinia virus morphogenesis.
Error assessment of lattice Boltzmann equation method for variable viscosity flows

In lattice Boltzmann simulations, variable viscosity can complicate the truncation error analysis and create additional interaction between the truncation error and the boundary condition error. In order to address this issue, two boundary conditions for the lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) simulations are used, including an exact, but narrowly applicable scheme previously proposed by Noble et al. (Phys. Fluids 1995; 7(1):203–209) and the popular bounce-back-on-link scheme. Using a 2-D laminar channel flow with a specified variable viscosity as a test case, it is shown that the boundary treatment error does not have a significant interaction with the truncation error associated with variable viscosity. The truncation error behaviour of the LBE for flows with variable viscosity is further investigated through a comparison between the LBE solution and the Navier–Stokes solution, showing that in the presence of strong variable viscosity the truncation error behaviour of the LBE solution is consistent with that of the Navier–Stokes solution, indicating that the LBE model closely matches the Navier–Stokes model for fluid flows with large viscosity variation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Decision-Directed Tracking of Doubly-Selective Channels Using Exponential Basis Models

We present a decision-directed tracking approach to doubly-selective channel estimation, exploiting the complex exponential basis expansion model (CE-BEM) for overall channel variations, and an autoregressive (AR) model to update the BEM coefficients. We track the BEM coefficients via Kalman filtering, aided by symbol decisions from a decision-feedback equalizer (DFE). The time gap between symbol decisions and required channel estimates, arising from the decision-directed tracking, is bridged by CE-BEM-based channel prediction using the estimated BEM coefficients. Simulation examples demonstrate its superior performance over several existing AR- or CE-BEM-based channel tracking schemes.
Leu-M1 antigen expression in advanced (tumor) stage mycosis fungoides.

The authors describe two patients with clinically and histopathologically documented advanced (tumor) stage mycosis fungoides. In each case the large, pleomorphic neoplastic cells lacked the monoclonal antibody-defined cell surface antigens commonly associated with immature and mature T-cells, i.e ., T11, Leu-1, T3, T4, T6, T8, and T10, but expressed various T-cell-associated activation antigens, such as HLA-DR, Tac, and T21. Leu-M1, a monocyte-associated antigen, was not expressed by the small, cerebriform neoplastic cells in the plaque stage lesions of either patient. However, Leu-M1 was expressed by most of the large, pleomorphic neoplastic cells present in the nodular lesions of both patients. The pattern of Leu-M1 antigen expression was identical to that previously reported in the Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin’s disease. Identification of these two patients suggests using caution in the interpretation of the results of immunophenotypic analysis of cutaneous lymphoid neoplasms and that Leu-M1 should not be used as a diagnostic indicator of Hodgkin’s disease or a histiocytic-derived neoplasm. These studies also suggest that Leu-M1 may be preferentially expressed on a sub-population of activated, rapidly proliferating, and/or dedifferentiated neoplastic T-cells that proliferate in the advanced (tumor) stages of mycosis fungoides.
Use of Monoclonal Anti-A in the Determination of a Neonate’s ABO Phenotype

This article describes a male neonate whose red blood cells (RBCs) at birth grouped AB with monoclonal (mouse) reagents, but grouped B with polyclonal (human) reagents. The RBCs reacted weakly with monoclonal anti-A, although this reagent often reacts strongly with cells in the subgroups of A that are weaker than A2 (Asub). The neonate’s mother had group A RBCs that showed a mixed field agglutination with polyclonal anti-A that is characteristic of A3 cells. The infant’s erythrocytes were retested at age 4 months to see if the discrepancy still existed. Tests performed at that time included an expanded ABO grouping of the infant, his mother, and another sibling, as well as an adsorption/elution performed with the infant’s cells and polyclonal anti-A. Test results indicated that this infant is group AsubB, with cells that adsorb and elute polyclonal anti-A. His cells’ reactions with anti-A are weaker than is characteristic of A3B cells. His mother and sibling have group A blood, with reactions characteristic of A3 cells.
THE HEAT SHOCK/OXIDATIVE STRESS CONNECTION : RELEVANCE TO ALZHEIMER DISEASE

Involvement of free-radical oxidations in the aging process has been a topic of interest since Harman's original contribution. Because of the close association between aging and Alzheimer disease (AD) and the qualitative similarity in the neuropathology of both conditions, it has been proposed by many investigators that oxidative stress may be important in Ad. If such modality of injury was indeed involved, one should expect to find markers of oxidation and heat shock (since free radicals are key mediators of heat-shock induction) in brains of patients with AD. In fact, several studies documented abnormal expression of antioxidant enzymes and heat-shock proteins (HSP) along with other markers of oxidation in AD brains. We showed that abnormally expressed antioxidant enzymes are topographically associated with senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, and that the activity of these enzymes is (contrary to what one would expect) markedly reduced. These findings have recently been confirmed by other investigators. Despite a large amount of evidence that suggests an association between oxidative stress and the pathogenesis of AD, it is not yet known whether oxidative stress is a cause or consequence of the disorder. Future research efforts regarding the oxidative stress hypothesis of AD should include attempts at generating AD pathology by oxidative means in laboratory animals, determining the role and integrity of the heat-shock response in AD, as well as that of various antioxidant systems, growth factors, and hormones with antioxidant and neuroprotective properties.
Ultrastructure of the gravid uterus of Hymenolepis diminuta (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda).

The fine structure of the uterus in gravid proglottids of Hymenolepis diminuta was examined by standard techniques for scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The uterus consisted of a syncytial uterine epithelium attached to the medullary parenchyma through a thin extracellular basal matrix. The epi- thelium contained prominent nuclei in the juxtalumenal cytoplasm. The cytoplasm was dominated by extensive granular endoplasmic reticulum, with dilated cisternae containing an electron-lucent material and widely scat- tered electron-dense spherical bodies. No Golgi body or other agranular endomembrane component was ob- served, but the epithelium contained numerous free ribosomes and a few mitochondria. The apical plasma membrane was folded into long microlamellae. Epithelial and epitheliomesenchymal folds and villi resulted in a compartmentalized uterine lumen, with each chamber containing 1 to several eggs. These data suggest a high level of synthetic activity within the uterine epithelium, but the chemical products and functional significance of this activity are not yet known. tained in the laboratory and thus are not widely studied by most tapeworm biologists. The vast majority of experimental tapeworm research is conducted with Hymenolepis diminuta, which is easily maintained in the laboratory and is oc- casionally parasitic in humans and some do- mesticated animals. However, with the excep- tion of a single scanning electron micrograph published in a review by Lumsden and Specian (1980), nothing is known about the uterine ul- trastructure of this species. Because of the im- portance of H. diminuta to tapeworm research, the present study was undertaken to elucidate the ultrastructure of its gravid uterus.