cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Knotting of DNA caused by a genetic rearrangement. Evidence for a nucleosome-like structure in site-specific recombination of bacteriophage lambda

Intramolecular recombination between two attachment sites on a circular substrate can invert one segment of the circle with respect to the other. We have studied the topological form of the products of such site-specific inversion as a function of two parameters of the substrate circle: the degree of supercoiling and the distance between the recombining sites. For both integrative and excisive recombination, supercoiled substrates produced knotted recombinants; the complexity of the knots reflects the distance separating the sites. This confirms and extends earlier observations and supports the hypothesis that random interwrapping of segments of the double-helical substrate persists during recombination. For integrative recombination, we find that even at conditions that should limit random interwrapping, absence of supercoiling and very short separation between attachment sites, only about one-half of the recombinant products are simple circles and the rest are knotted. Under the same conditions, excisive recombination yields only simple circular inverted recombinants. We propose that the excess knotting that characterizes integrative recombination reflects the requirement for wrapping of one attachment site, presumably attP, into a nucleosome-like structure. This hypothesis accounts for both the frequency of knots and the observation that the extra knots are trefoils rather than more complex forms.
Typical and atypical clinical signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction and delayed seeking of professional care among blacks

Background Despite the fact that the effectiveness of thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction is inversely related to the time between the onset of signs and symptoms and definitive therapy, long delays in seeking treatment have been reported consistently. A variety of reasons for the delays have been suggested. Because such delays are associated with longer hospital stays and higher mortality and morbidity, interventions that reduce delays are especially important. Purpose To examine research on patients with myocardial infarction who delay seeking professional treatment and the factors related to the delay, and to review studies indicating that black patients have premonitory clinical signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction and changes in the structure and function of the cardiovascular system that are different from those in whites. Methods Studies were reviewed by using MEDLINE and by doing a manual search of relevant research journals in cardiovascular, nursing, and behavioral medicine published since 1970. Data published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research were also reviewed. Results Although the lengths of the delays have varied considerably, blacks have generally experienced longer delays than whites between acute onset of signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction and arrival at the emergency department. Studies show that black patients have a lower incidence of classic chest pain or discomfort but an increased incidence of dyspnea, whereas white patients are much more likely to complain of chest pain. Conclusion Culturally sensitive public education about typical and atypical premonitory clinical signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction and the significance of early treatment of myocardial infarction in blacks is needed.
Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Ready-To-Eat Dry Beans

Red Kidney and Pinto dry beans were processed into a ready-to-eat snack food by several methods. The dry beans were soaked in water overnight or germinated under controlled conditions at 22°C for 4 days prior to processing. The germination process removed most of the raffinose and stachyose in the beans as revealed by HPLC analysis. Protease inhibitor activity in the beans was greatly reduced by cooking the rehydrated beans in tomato sauce or by frying the beans in hydrogenated vegetable oil at 180°C for 6 min. The in vitro protein digestibility of the beans was improved as evidenced by the decrease in trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors in the cooked and fried products.
Instructionally-Based Training in Self-Control: Behavior-Specific and Generalized Outcomes Resulting from Student-Implemented Self-Modification Projects

Significant pre-post changes in outcome measures, differences between successful and unsuccessful students on expectations, and other factors are shown.
Has the Risk for Coronary Heart Disease Changed Among U.S. Adults

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to compare the 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) among U.S adults during the years 1988 to 1994 with that among U.S. adults during the years 1999 to 2002. BACKGROUND A decline in deaths as the result of CHD has been reported. Data about changes in actual risk of developing CHD among U.S. adults are sparse. METHODS Data for noninstitutionalized U.S. residents ages 20 to 79 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)-III (1988 to 1994) or NHANES 1999 to 2002 were examined to compute 10-year risk of developing CHD using modified Framingham risk score, as adopted by the National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III. RESULTS Most participants in both surveys had a low ( 20%) 10-year risk of developing CHD also was similar. CONCLUSIONS Data from national surveys conducted approximately a decade apart showed no appreciable difference in the distribution of 10-year risk of developing CHD. Greater efforts are needed to reduce the risk of developing CHD among U.S. adults.
Ecology and adaptation: Contrasting studies of constraints on humans in adverse environments

Schull, William J., and Francisco Rothhammer, eds. The Aymara: Strategies in Human Adaptation to a Rigorous Environment. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1990. xiv + 261 pp. including references, glossary, and index. $74.00 cloth. Wenzel, George. Animal Rights, Human Rights: Ecology, Economy and Ideology in the Canadian Arctic. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991. ix + 206 pp. including appendix, bibliography, and index. $18.95 paper, $55.00 cloth.
Association behaviour of the self-fertilizing Kryptolebias marmoratus (Poey): the influence of microhabitat use on the potential for a complex mating system

Preliminary observations were conducted to identify conspicuous body postures and movements of males and hermaphrodites in the mangrove killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus. These behaviours were used quantitatively to examine the social interactions for experimental pairings of K. marmoratus of different sexual states (i.e. simultaneous hermaphrodite and male) in an aquarium with an open-water area and simulated crab burrows. This allowed observation of behaviours that could not be observed in the field. Kryptolebias marmoratus, regardless of sexual state and experimental treatment, spent 40% of the time in the burrow. Hermaphrodites exhibited a preference for associating with males rather than other hermaphrodites. The observed complexity of displayed behaviours and interactions between paired conspecifics indicate that K. marmoratus has a rich repertoire of social behaviour not predicted for a strictly selfing species. Also, land crab burrows play an important role in their social interactions.
The epidemic of diabetes and its impact on cardiovascular health in contemporary China

Summary Objectives To examine the epidemic of diabetes and its impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China. Methods We searched PubMed and local databases for studies published since 1980. Information on study design, sample characteristics, diagnosis, and prevalence of diabetes were extracted using a standardized protocol. We calculated average annual increases in rates and the population attributable risk of CVD due to Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Results Nationwide survey data indicate that the prevalence of T2D in Mainland China has increased from 0.67% in the early 1980s to 3.21% in the mid-1990s and to 5.5% in 2001–02. A 2001–02 national survey among people aged 35–74 showed that the prevalence was 5.2% in men and 5.8% in women. The prevalence increases with age and is higher in urban- than rural areas. The annual increase in the rate of T2D and impaired glucose tolerance were 0.70% and 0.64% point, respectively. People in Hong Kong and Taiwan (approximately 8–10%) had a higher prevalence of T2D than on the Mainland. Chinese adults with diabetes were 1.7 times more likely to develop CVD than those with normal fasting glucose. We estimated that 3.3% of CVD in China is attributable to T2D. Conclusions The prevalence of T2D has steadily increased in China over the past two decades, although it remains lower than many industrialized countries. Considerable differences in prevalence exist across regions and population groups. Urban and higher-income groups are affected the most, in particular, due to changes in lifestyle and a rising obesity epidemic. Timely national strategies are needed for the prevention, screening, and treatment of T2D.
Fingerprinting large data sets through memory de-duplication technique in virtual machines

Because of intellectual property, user privacy, and several other reasons, many scientific and military projects choose to hide the information about the data sets that they are using for analysis and computation. Attackers have designed various mechanisms to compromise the operating system or database management system to steal such information. In this paper, we propose a non-interactive mechanism to identify the data sets in use in a cloud computing environment when the virtual machine (VM) hypervisors adopt the memory de-duplication technique. Specifically, when multiple memory pages with the same contents occupy only one physical page, their reading and writing access delay will demonstrate some special properties. We use the access delay of the memory pages that are unique to some specific data sets to derive out whether or not our VM instance is accessing the same data sets as the target of the attack. The experiment results on a widely used scientific analysis software package ParaView demonstrate the practicability of the attack. We also discuss the mechanisms to defend against such attacks.
Identification of Amino Acids of Sindbis Virus E2 Protein Involved in Targeting Tumor Metastases in Vivo

Previous studies conducted in our laboratory with Sindbis viral vectors in animal models demonstrated excellent in vivo targeting of tumor cells and significant reduction of metastatic implant size. To explore the influence of Sindbis strain on these factors, we constructed new plasmids from the wild-type Ar-339 Sindbis virus strain and compared their sequences. We found differences in the replicase and envelope proteins between JT, HRSP, and Ar-339 sequences. We made chimeras combining both strains and studied their efficiency in SCID mice bearing tumor xenograft using IVIS in vivo imaging techniques. We found that JT envelope proteins targeted tumors more efficiently than those of Ar-339, while the Ar-339 replicase showed increased efficacy in tumor reduction. To determine which residues are responsible for tumor targeting, we made mutants of Ar-339 E2 envelope protein and tested them by IVIS imaging in ES-2 tumor-bearing and tumor-free mice. The change of only one amino acid from E70 to K70 in Ar-339 E2 suppressed the ability to target metastatic tumor implants in mice. A K70 and V251 double E2 mutant did not reverse the loss of targeting capability. Only the mutant with JT E2 and Ar-339 helper targeted tumor, though with less intensity.
Behaviorally Linked Location Hierarchies

Though the concept of hierarchy has been used extensively in the siting of multilevel service systems, particular attention has not been paid by analysts to the full variety of ways in which locational goals of different service levels can be linked. Many past studies of locational hierarchies, for example, have been merely structural elaborations of common single-level location problems, with little thought given to the way in which service goals can or should be linked.The purpose of this analysis is to develop multilevel siting models which incorporate spatial expressions of the functional interdependence between service levels. More importantly, however, this paper suggests the necessity for differentiating between two broad categories of hierarchical location systems, those which are technologically linked and those which are behaviorally linked. The basis of this differentiation is the type of spatial information which is communicated from one organization level to another. Furthermore, these two ty...
Nano-scale oxide dispersoids by internal oxidation of Fe–Ti–Y intermetallics

Abstract The processing of high-temperature alloys containing nano-scale oxide dispersoids usually involves mechanical alloying, but dispersoid formation by internal oxidation is also an option. In this work, the internal oxidation of the intermetallics Fe 17 Y 2 and Fe 11 YTi was studied. Internal oxidation resulted in small (∼20 nm) oxide particles in an iron solid solution matrix. Oxides such as Y 2 O 3 , YFeO 3 , Y 2 Ti 2 O 7 , and Fe 2 TiO 4 were observed. Hardness values as high as those of the original intermetallics were observed. However, the oxide particles coarsened quickly during annealing at 1000 °C. In order to reduce the coarsening rates, oxides more similar to those in mechanically alloyed steels need to be synthesized.
SU-E-I-77: A Noise Reduction Technique for Energy-Resolved Photon-Counting Detectors

Purpose: Finding the optimal energy threshold setting for an energy-resolved photon-counting detector has an important impact on the maximization of contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR). We introduce a noise reduction method to enhance CNR by reducing the noise in each energy bin without altering the average gray levels in the projection and image domains. Methods: We simulated a four bin energy-resolved photon-counting detector based on Si with a 10 mm depth of interaction. TASMIP algorithm was used to simulate a spectrum of 65 kVp with 2.7 mm Al filter. A 13 mm PMMA phantom with hydroxyapatite and iodine at different concentrations (100, 200 and 300 mg/ml for HA, and 2, 4, and 8 mg/ml for Iodine) was used. Projection-based and Image-based energy weighting methods were used to generate weighted images. A reference low noise image was used for noise reduction purposes. A Gaussian-like weighting function which computes the similarity between pixels of interest was calculated from the reference image and implemented on a pixel by pixel basis for the noisy images. Results: CNR improvement compared to different methods (Charge-Integrated, Photon-Counting and Energy-Weighting) and after noise reduction was highly task-dependent. The CNR improvement with respect to the Charge-Integrated CNR for hydroxyapatite and iodine were 1.8 and 1.5, respectively. In each of the energy bins, the noise was reduced by approximately factor of two without altering their respective average gray levels. Conclusion: The proposed noise reduction technique for energy-resolved photon-counting detectors can significantly reduce image noise. This technique can be used as a compliment to the current energy-weighting methods in CNR optimization.
Inhibition of proline hydroxylation does not inhibit secretion of tropoelastin by chick aorta cells

In vertebrates, the protein elastin is a vital component of major blood vessels, imparting to them their elastic, rubber-like quality. Purified elastin is very inert and insoluble due to extensive crosslinking of the polypeptide chains by desmosines and other cross-linkages [ 1,2] derived from the oxidation of lysine residues by a copper-requiring enzyme [3-51. Sandberg, et al. [6] prepared a soluble protein called tropoelastin, from the aortae of copper-deficient pigs and this protein consisted of a single polypeptide chain with an estimated mol. wt. of about 70 000 and an amino acid composition which closely resembled that of insoluble elastin except for the absence of the desmosines. A significant portion of the tropoelastin molecule has been sequenced [7] and a model for cross-linked elastin has been proposed based on this data [8]. A similar protein has been isolated from the aortae of copper-deficient or lathyritic chicks [9,101. We have previously reported that isolated embryonic chick aortae synthesize a soluble protein whose labeling pattern with radioactive amino acids was suggestive of that of tropoelastin and which migrated close to serum albumin (68 000 daltons) during gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate [ 1 I]. During pulse-chase experiments this soluble protein was incorporated into an insoluble residue. Smith and Carnes [ 121 have demonstrated that when aortae from normal newborn pigs were incubated in vitro, they synthesize a labeled protein which manifests many of the properties of added carrier tropoelastin. Cells isolated from the media of pig aortae can synthesize elastin after they have been in long term culture [ 131. Recently we have shown that cells isolated from embryonic chick aortae can synthesize and secrete procollagen and tropoelastin into the surrounding medium when incubated in suspension culture under the appropriate conditions [ 141. In the present communication we report that incubation of these cells with concentrations of a,cy’-dipyridyl which totally inhibit proline hydroxylation markedly decreases the rate of procollagen secretion but does not affect the rate of tropoelastin secretion.
Trouble in paradise: The current status of sexual science

Abstract The scientific study of sexuality has achieved a level of development and a form that often goes unappreciated even by some who are part of this field. In this article I attempt to clarify some aspects of the nature of this field. This is more than a state of the field article; an attempt is made to integrate and to organize our thinking in this area by examining two positions: (a) the lack of any developed global sexual science discipline, and relatedly, (b) that the many scientific advances since Kinsey were made in several disciplines and not in any global discipline. It is important that the nature of sexual science be discussed in this fashion if we are to appreciate the directions we are moving in and the choices we have before us.
Early life history: A computer analysis

Theoretical computer calculations, based in part on measurements of ‘young’ stars obtained with an orbiting telescope, may require a reexamination of some of the basic ideas about the composition of the earth's early atmosphere and the origin of life. According to Joel S. Levine, atmospheric geophysicist at the Langley Research Center, ‘the overwhelming majority of chemical evolution experiments since the first in 1952 may have been conducted with the wrong atmospheric mixture.’ Astronomical measurements indicate that considerably more ultraviolet (UV) radiation may have been emitted by the young sun in comparison to that emitted by the present sun. Therefore, high levels of such radiation from the young sun, potentially harmful to life, would have been striking the earth at the very time life was being formed. Recent photochemical calculations by Levine and others at Langley state that at the time complex organic molecules (the precursors of living systems) were first formed from atmospheric gases the earth's atmosphere was not composed primarily of methane, ammonia, and hydrogen, as was previously supposed; instead, it was composed of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapor, all resulting from volcanic activity. The calculations indicate that both methane and ammonia were extremely short-lived and that such an atmosphere was photochemically unstable if it existed at all.
What can animal aggression research tell us about human aggression

Research on endocrinological correlates of aggression in laboratory animals is implicitly motivated by an expectation that the results of such studies may be applicable to human aggression as well. Research with a focus on the stimulus antecedents of aggression, its response characteristics, and its outcomes suggests a number of detailed correspondences between offensive aggression in laboratory rodents and human angry aggression. These include resource (including status and territory) competition as motives that are particularly elicited by conspecific challenge situations and, when the aggression is successful, outcomes of reduction of challenge and enhancement of resource control and status. Although the response characteristics of human aggression have been dramatically altered by human verbal, technological, and social advancements, there is some evidence for targeting of blows, similar to a well-established pattern for offensive aggression in many nonhuman mammals. Finally, for people as well as for nonhuman mammals, fear of defeat or punishment is a major factor inhibiting the expression of offensive aggression. While defensive aggression has been very little researched in people, it may represent a different phenomenon than angry aggression, again providing a parallel to the offense-defense distinction of laboratory rodent studies.
Efficacy of letrozole in the treatment of recurrent platinum- and taxane-resistant high-grade cancer of the ovary or peritoneum.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of letrozole in patients with recurrent platinum- and taxane-resistant estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) high-grade cancer of the ovary or peritoneum. Methods A single-institution, phase II study was performed in women with recurrent ER+ epithelial carcinoma of the ovary or peritoneum. All patients had measurable disease. Letrozole was administered at a dose of 2.5 mg orally once daily until disease progression or toxicity occurred. Results Thirty-three patients were enrolled. The median age was 63 years (range, 38 to 83 years). Twenty-three patients (74%) had received three or more prior chemotherapy regimens. The 31 patients evaluable for response received a total of 81 cycles (4 weeks/cycle) of therapy (range, 1 to 14 cycles/patient). The median treatment duration was 8 weeks (range, 4 to 52 weeks). None of the patients had a complete response (CR), 1 (3%) had a partial response (PR), and 7 (23%) had stable disease (SD). The median duration of clinical benefit (SD and PR) was 9 weeks (range, 7 to 46 weeks). The median follow-up for all patients was 25 weeks. All patients were evaluable for toxicity. The most common adverse effects were fatigue (36%) and diaphoresis (21%). No grade 3 or 4 toxicities were reported, and no patients discontinued treatment owing to adverse effects. Eighteen patients (58%) went on to receive additional therapy with other agents. Conclusion In patients with ER-positive, platinum- and taxane-resistant high-grade ovarian and primary peritoneal cancer treated with letrozole, 26% derived a clinical benefit (SD and PR).
Regularity and multigrid analysis for Laplace-type axisymmetric equations

Consider axisymmetric equations associated with Laplace-type operators. We establish full regularity estimates in high-order Kondrat′vetype spaces for possible singular solutions due to the non-smoothness of the domain and to the singular coefficients in the operator. Then, we show suitable graded meshes can be used in high-order finite element methods to achieve the optimal convergence rate, even when the solution is singular. Using these results, we further propose multigrid V-cycle algorithms solving the system from linear finite element discretizations on optimal graded meshes. We prove the multigrid algorithm is a contraction, with the contraction number independent of the mesh level. Numerical tests are provided to verify the theorem.
A comparison of visual statistics for the image enhancement of FORESITE aerial images with those of major image classes

Aerial images from the Follow-On Radar, Enhanced and Synthetic Vision Systems Integration Technology Evaluation (FORESITE) flight tests with the NASA Langley Research Center's research Boeing 757 were acquired during severe haze and haze/mixed clouds visibility conditions. These images were enhanced using the Visual Servo (VS) process that makes use of the Multiscale Retinex. The images were then quantified with visual quality metrics used internally with the VS. One of these metrics, the Visual Contrast Measure, has been computed for hundreds of FORESITE images, and for major classes of imaging--terrestrial (consumer), orbital Earth observations, orbital Mars surface imaging, NOAA aerial photographs, and underwater imaging. The metric quantifies both the degree of visual impairment of the original, un-enhanced images as well as the degree of visibility improvement achieved by the enhancement process. The large aggregate data exhibits trends relating to degree of atmospheric visibility attenuation, and its impact on limits of enhancement performance for the various image classes. Overall results support the idea that in most cases that do not involve extreme reduction in visibility, large gains in visual contrast are routinely achieved by VS processing. Additionally, for very poor visibility imaging, lesser, but still substantial, gains in visual contrast are also routinely achieved. Further, the data suggest that these visual quality metrics can be used as external standalone metrics for establishing performance parameters.
Effect of intrathecally administered noradrenergic antagonists on nociception in the rat.

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that some groups of noradrenergic neurons found in the brainstem have axonal connections in the spinal cord dorsal horn and may be involved in the control of pain sensitivity. Such evidence includes the demonstration that intrathecal injection of noradrenergic agonists increases nociceptive threshold (hypoalgesia). The present studies examined whether the descending noradrenergic system is tonically active and, if so, what noradrenergic receptor subtypes mediate the actions of endogenously-released norepinephrine. These studies involved the measurement of nociceptive threshold before and after the intrathecal injection of noradrenergic antagonists having different relative affinities for α-noradrenergic receptor subtypes. The intrathecal administration of α-noradrenergic antagonists produced a dose-dependent decrease in nociceptive threshold (hyperalgesia). This finding is consistent with the proposal that tonically-active bulbospinal noradrenergic neurons modulate the processing of nociceptive information in the spinal cord. The potency and duration of the hyperalgesia was correlated with the relative potency of the antagonists for the α-2 noradrenergic receptor. The relative potencies were as follows: yohimbine > phentolamine > WB 4101 > prazosin. Thus, endogenous norepinephrine which is tonically released from bulbospinal axon terminals may interact preferentially with noradrenergic receptors of the α-2 type.
Aseptic Laboratory Techniques: Plating Methods

Microorganisms are present on all inanimate surfaces creating ubiquitous sources of possible contamination in the laboratory. Experimental success relies on the ability of a scientist to sterilize work surfaces and equipment as well as prevent contact of sterile instruments and solutions with non-sterile surfaces. Here we present the steps for several plating methods routinely used in the laboratory to isolate, propagate, or enumerate microorganisms such as bacteria and phage. All five methods incorporate aseptic technique, or procedures that maintain the sterility of experimental materials. Procedures described include (1) streak-plating bacterial cultures to isolate single colonies, (2) pour-plating and (3) spread-plating to enumerate viable bacterial colonies, (4) soft agar overlays to isolate phage and enumerate plaques, and (5) replica-plating to transfer cells from one plate to another in an identical spatial pattern. These procedures can be performed at the laboratory bench, provided they involve non-pathogenic strains of microorganisms (Biosafety Level 1, BSL-1). If working with BSL-2 organisms, then these manipulations must take place in a biosafety cabinet. Consult the most current edition of the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) as well as Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for Infectious Substances to determine the biohazard classification as well as the safety precautions and containment facilities required for the microorganism in question. Bacterial strains and phage stocks can be obtained from research investigators, companies, and collections maintained by particular organizations such as the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). It is recommended that non-pathogenic strains be used when learning the various plating methods. By following the procedures described in this protocol, students should be able to: ● Perform plating procedures without contaminating media. ● Isolate single bacterial colonies by the streak-plating method. ● Use pour-plating and spread-plating methods to determine the concentration of bacteria. ● Perform soft agar overlays when working with phage. ● Transfer bacterial cells from one plate to another using the replica-plating procedure. ● Given an experimental task, select the appropriate plating method.
Instability and breakup of charged liquid jets

Drops formed from the breakup of charged cylindrical liquid jets have been shown to be smaller than those formed in the unelectrified case. This change has been related to electrically induced instabilities on the jet. Small-perturbation analysis was used to formulate the Lagrangian and write the differential equation for the jet. Non-dimensionalized plots of the solutions exhibit the stabilizing or destabilizing influences of surface tension and electric effects, and allow these influences to be related back to liquid physical properties. Drop diameter to be expected from breakup of the electrified jet was calculated as a function of jet diameter, physical properties of the liquid, jet electrification, and the mode of instability dominating the breakup process.
High-temperature deformation measurements using digital-image correlation

The ability of the computer-vision technique of digital-image correlation to measure full-field in-plane surface deformations at elevated temperatures was evaluated by a series of experiments. Samples were subjected to pure translation, free thermal expansion and uniform tensile loads. Results are presented which show that the digital-image-correlation technique remains fully capable of accurate measurement of the displacements and strains on the surface of a planar object at temperatures up to 650°C.
Expression of SSX genes in the neoplastic cells of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The cancer/testis antigen (CTA) group of tumor-associated proteins have been reported to be expressed in various cancers and in adult testis but they are essentially not found in any other normal adult nonneoplastic tissues. Prompted by the frequent detection of SSX1 in a previous comprehensive expression profile of the Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) cell line L428, we analyzed SSX expression by nonnested reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 4 HL cell lines (L428, L540, HD-MY-Z, and KM-H2) and 32 tumor samples of HL. The cellular localization of SSX expression in the tumor samples was further analyzed by in situ hybridization (ISH). All 4 HL cell lines were positive by RT-PCR using SSX consensus primers. Using primers specific to individual SSX genes, all 4 cell lines expressed multiple SSX family members. Five tumor samples (15.6%) were positive by RT-PCR using SSX consensus primers and direct sequencing of the RT-PCR products showed that 4 of 5 expressed more than 1 SSX family member. ISH confirmed that SSX expression originated in HL cells in all 5 RT-PCR-positive tumor samples. Furthermore, ISH demonstrated SSX-positive HL cells in 6 of 11 cases (55%) that were negative by RT-PCR. Our results suggest that members of the SSX family of CTA are expressed in most HL. This subset of HL may be a candidate for immunotherapy approaches directed at SSX proteins.
Influence of exercise and age on myocardial β-adrenergic receptor properties

Abstract The bradycardia following physical training may be mediated by an alteration in β-adrenergic receptor number or agonist affinity. We characterized the interaction between age and exercise on myocardial β-adrenergic receptor number and agonist affinity in 4- and 24-month-old F344 rats to test the hypothesis that the effects of training should be blunted in older rats. β-adrenergic receptor density was unchanged with age or training. The total number of receptors per heart increased with age due to increased ventricle weight. With training, in the senescent rats the total number of receptors decreased due to a reduced amount of homogenate protein recovered from the ventricle, the significance of which is unknown. The receptor agonist dissociation constant for isoproterenol was determined in both the absence and presence of β, γ-imidoguanosine 5′-triphosphate [Gpp(NH)p] and did not change with age or training. Neither training nor age influenced β-adrenergic receptor characteristics, suggesting that training bradycardia is not mediated by an alteration in β-adrenergic receptors.
Explosive vaporization in fused silica initiated by a tunable infrared laser

We present evidence for explosive vaporization in fused silica, initiated by picosecond pulses from a tunable free-electron laser (FEL) operating in the wavelength region from 2 to 10 μm. The unusual pulse structure of the FEL, which produces 1 ps micropulses at intervals of 350 ps in a macropulse lasting up to 4 μs, makes it possible to test separately the effects of intensity and fluence. We show that thermal descriptions of the ablation process fail in the regime where there is high vibrational excitation density in the solid due to resonant absorption of mid-infrared laser light.
Subset selection procedures for restricted families of probability distributions

In this paper we are interested in studying multiple decision procedures fork (k≧2) populations which are themselves unknown but which one assumed to belong to a restricted family. We propose to study a selection procedure for distributions associated with these populations which are convex-ordered with respect to a specified distributionG assuming that there exists a best one. The procedure described here is based on a statistic which is a linear function of the firstr order statistics and which reduces to the total life statistics whenG is exponential. The infimum of the probability of a correct selection and an asymptotic expression for this probability are obtained using the subset selection approach. Some other properties of this procedure are discussed. Asymptotic relative efficiencies of this rule with respect to some selection procedures proposed by Barlow and Gupta [3] for the star-ordered distributions and by Gupta [8] for the gamma populations with known shape parameters are obtained. A selection procedure for selecting the best population using the indifference zone approach is also studied.
Estimation of oceanic hydrothermal heat flux from heat flow and depths of midocean ridge seismicity and magma chambers

The difference between the heat flow predicted by thermal models of the lithosphere and that measured at the seafloor can be used to estimate the cooling by hydrothermal circulation. However, this approach may yield an overestimate because measurements in thinly sedimented young crust are typically made at topographic lows where hydrothermal circulation may systematically lower heat flow. To circumvent this bias we estimate the cooling using the depths of midocean ridge earthquakes and magma chambers in addition to heat flow data. The results indicate deeper hydrothermal circulation at slow spreading ridges, and higher near-axial hydrothermal heat loss at fast spreading ridges. The predicted global hydrothermal heat flux is ∼80% of that for models constrained only by heat flow.
The effect of chloroquine on herpesvirus infection in vitro and in vivo.

SummaryDespite in vitro inhibition by chloroquine of the replication of herpesvirus hominis types 1 and 2 in mouse embryo cell cultures, the course of in vivo infection of newborn mice was unaltered by chloroquine treatment. This discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo results suggest caution in the application of data derived from in vitro assays to the clinical therapy of herpesvirus infection. Plaques produced in BHK-21 cell cultures by HSV-1 and HSV-2 differed in appearance; this difference may prove useful for the presumptive identification of HSV isolates.
A Comparative Study of Prantal and Banthine in Hyperhidrosis

Quantitative determinations of sweat on various parts of the body were done prior to and after oral administration of Prantal, Banthine, or placebo tablets. A discussion is presented of the comparative effects of these drugs in reducing sweat in hidrose subjects and in normal subjects in whom hyperhidrosis was induced. The effects of prolonged Prantal administration on the hematopoietic system, cardiac mechanism, and basal metabolic rate of subjects with hyperhidrosis, as well as side reactions, are compared with a previously reported study on Banthine.
Lactic acid accumulation in cardiac patients performing circuit weight training : Implications for exercise prescription

Abstract Objective: Because blood lactic acid (LA) levels may be important in prescribing exercise for cardiac patients, this study documented the LA response to four different circuit weight training (CWT) protocols and compared these responses to both maximal treadmill and LA threshold values. Design: Intervention study following a crossover trial design. Setting: A phase III community-based setting. Patients: All subjects had documented cardiac disease and were volunteers. Interventions: We used 40% and 60% of the one-repetition maximum (1-RM) for six exercises and 30 or 60sec of rest between each station, resulting in four protocols, performed in random order. A discontinuous treadmill test was conducted, and the LA threshold was determined. Main Outcome Measure: The main dependent variable was LA after each CWT protocol. Results: No signs or symptoms suggestive of cardiovascular distress during any of the four CWT protocols were reported. A repeated-measures analysis of variance showed that the LA threshold value was significantly less than all four CWT protocols ( p p Conclusion: Because no positive signs or symptoms were reported, we recommend starting stable cardiac patients on a CWT program with an initial load between 40% and 60% 1-RM and allowing at least 60sec of rest between exercises.
A facile method for immunofluorescence microscopy of highly autofluorescent human retinal sections using nanoparticles with large Stokes shifts

The human retina is rich in autofluorescent species, such as lipofuscin and melanin. Consequently, it is difficult to localize antigens in the human retina using immunofluorescence microscopy. To address this issue, we have developed a methodology to tag retinal antigens using quantum dot nanoparticles that absorb in the ultraviolet and emit in the infrared, thereby avoiding the visible spectrum. This protocol dramatically improves signal-to-background autofluorescence ratios of immunofluorescence images of human retinal sections, thus enhancing the specific fluorescence in microscopic studies. Of particular note is the ability to detect antigens within the brightly autofluorescent RPE cell layer.
Relation of Heart Failure Hospitalization to Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution

Cardiopulmonary disease has been associated with particulate matter (PM) air pollution. There is evidence that exposure to elevated PM concentrations increases risk of acute ischemic heart disease events, alters cardiac autonomic function, and increases risk of arrhythmias. It is plausible, therefore, that PM exposure may exacerbate heart failure (HF). A case-crossover study design was used to explore associations between fine PM (PM2.5: particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm) and 2,628 HF hospitalizations. Patients lived on Utah's Wasatch Front and were drawn from those hospitalized at Intermountain Healthcare facilities with a primary diagnosis of HF. A 14-day lagged cumulative moving average of 10 μg/m3 PM2.5 was associated with a 13.1% (95% confidence interval 1.3 to 26.2) increase in HF admissions. The strongest PM2.5–HF associations were for elderly patients who had previously been admitted for HF and who required only a short period of hospitalization. HF hospitalizations are associated with lagged cumulative exposure to PM2.5 of approximately 2 weeks. In conclusion, particulate air pollution may play a role in precipitating acute cardiac decompensation in otherwise well-managed patients with HF, perhaps through effects of PM on myocardial ischemia, cardiac autonomic function, and/or arrhythmic effects.
Identity with Jesus Christ: The Case of Leon Gabor

From July 1, 1959 to August 15, 1961, Milton Rokeach studied three male patients at Ypsilanti State Hospital who believed that they were Jesus Christ. They met regularly together with Rokeach and his research staff, a procedure designed to challenge their delusional systems. He believed that Leon Gabor, the youngest of the three, would be the most likely to abandon his delusional beliefs. Instead, Leon met the challenges that the procedure posed by creative elaborations of his delusional system, especially through the adoption of a new name that gave the initial appearance of the abandonment of his Christ identity but in fact drew on aspects of the real Jesus Christ’s identity that were missing from his earlier self-representation.
Review on the Development of Non-Destructive Testing Based on Laser Ultrasonic Technique

Development of industry demands better performance of equipments and devices than ever. The property of material used to produce the equipments is the precondition to ensure the quality. As equipments are usually required to be integral during the quality inspection, non-destructive testing (NDT) plays an increasingly import role in modern industry quality control. Different NDT methods are introduced and analyzed. The mechanism of ultrasonic exciting is described. After the ultrasonic is excited, the vibration signal can be detected by transducer or optical method which are then illustrated. In the section of development of laser ultrasonic technology, contributions made by various researchers in theoretic development, experiment, simulation and application are introduced and the corresponding content of the researches as well. The conclusion and the outlook of laser ultrasonic technique is made at the last.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Advanced age affects the individual leg mechanics of level, uphill, and downhill walking.

Advanced age brings biomechanical changes that may limit the uphill and/or downhill walking ability of old adults. Here, we investigated how advanced age alters individual leg mechanics during level, uphill, and downhill walking. We hypothesized that, compared to young adults, old adults would exhibit: (1) reduced trailing leg propulsive ground reaction forces (GRFs) and positive work rates during uphill walking, and (2) reduced leading leg braking ground reaction forces and negative work rates during downhill walking. We calculated the individual leg mechanical work performed by 10 old (mean±SD, age: 72±5 yrs) and 11 young (age: 26±5 yrs) adults walking at 1.25 m/s on a dual-belt force-measuring treadmill at seven grades (0° and ±3°, ±6°, ±9°). As hypothesized, old adults exhibited significantly reduced propulsive GRFs (e.g., −21% at +9°) and average trailing leg positive work rates (e.g., −26% at +9°) compared to young adults during both level and uphill walking. Old adults compensated by performing greater positive work than young adults during the subsequent single support phase. In contrast, we reject our second hypothesis. We found no differences in braking GRFs or negative work rates between old and young adults. However, old adults exhibited significantly reduced second peak perpendicular GRFs during downhill walking compared to young adults. Our findings most notably identify how advanced age may impair uphill walking ability and thus independence and quality of life.
Age-dependent variation in enzymatic and electrophoretic properties of house fly (M. domestica) carboxylesterases

Abstract 1. The general and carboxylesterase activities of an insecticide resistant (Rutgers) and a susceptible (CSMA) strain of house flies were compared in 1–8 day adults and in last instar larvae. 2. The major difference between the two strains was the markedly higher, approximately 4-fold, carboxylesterase activity of the CSMA strain compared to the Rutgers strain, despite the much higher resistance, about 20-fold, of the latter strain to the organophosphate and carboxylic ester, malathion. 3. Both strains exhibited multiple forms of the esterase, as many as 17 isozymes being detected in the hemolymph during the 8-day period of examination of the adults. However, there was a daily variation in the number of isozymes detected, ranging from 8 to 14 in the CSMA strain and from 12 to 15 in the Rutgers strain. 4. The esterase data are compared with similar data from two other Diptera, the flesh fly and the blow fly.
Normal coordinate treatment and assignment of fundamental vibrations of vinyl chloride and the seven deuterovinyl chlorides

Abstract The assignments of the fundamental wave numbers of vinyl chloride and the seven deuterovinyl chlorides have been reinvestigated on the basis of a normal coordinate treatment with a valence force type potential function. A six-constant out-of-plane and a 25-constant in-plane potential function reproduced the observed fundamental wave numbers very satisfactorily. The present calculations remove the violations to Rayleigh's rule in the hitherto adopted fundamental assignments and give reliable estimates of the uncertain or unobserved fundamental wave numbers.
Controlling the Green Bank Telescope

This paper presents the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) antenna control system architecture, describes the tracking options available to the observer, and details the GBT pointing, focus tracking and active surface control systems, as well as approaches to vibration reduction by use of minimal jerk trajectory generation. A description of the phased approach to improve telescope performance through the use of laser metrology range finders is given.
Local Density Augmentation in Supercritical Solvents: Electronic Shifts of Anthracene Derivatives

Fluorescence spectroscopy is used to measure local density augmentation in solutions of anthracene, 9-cyanoanthacene, 9,10-dichloroanthracene, and 9,10-diphenyl-anthracene in the supercritical solvents ethane, carbon dioxide, and fluoroform. For this purpose, the relationship between density and spectral shift is calibrated using dielectric continuum models of solvatochromism together with data in the gas phase and in liquid solutions. This approach, and the uncertainties inherent in it, are discussed in detail. The effective local densities (ρeff) deduced from the emission shifts in all of these solute/solvent combinations are comparable at temperatures near to the critical point (Tc+5 K or T/Tc = 1.02). Density enhancement factors ρeff/ρ increase with decreasing bulk density (ρ), reaching values of 5−6 at the lowest bulk densities observable. Density augmentation, the difference between the local and bulk densities (Δρeff ≡ ρeff − ρ) reaches a maximum at densities of ∼0.6 times the critical density (ρc)...