cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Fully Automatic hp -Adaptivity

We present an algorithm, and a 2D implementation for a fully automatic hp-adaptive strategy for elliptic problems. Given a mesh, the next, optimally refined mesh, is determined by maximizing the rate of decrease of the hp-interpolation error for a reference solution. Numerical results confirm optimal, exponential convergence rates predicted by the theory of hp methods.
Toward Teaching Environmental Ethics: Exploring Problems in the Language of Evolving Social Values

I explore the problems created by the natural and social science approaches to values in higher education, arguing that over time they will render moral language unintelligible. I illustrate these problems with an examination of the value implications of the Yukon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. I suggest a way in which value education at the primary and secondary school levels could help prepare adults of the future for a kind of policy making that promotes the values stipulated in environmental law. I use the concept of environmental citizenship pioneered by Environment Canada coupled with training in traditional values in the context of a variety of fields in the arts, humanities, and the sciences.
TRPM1: New Trends for an Old TRP

TRPM1, initially named Melastatin, is the founding member of the TRPM subfamily of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channels. Despite sustained efforts, the molecular properties and physiological functions of TRPM1 remained elusive until recently. New evidence has uncovered novel TRPM1 splice variants and revealed that TRPM1 is critical for a non-selective cation conductance in melanocytes and retinal bipolar cells. Functionally, TRPM1 has been shown to mediate retinal ON bipolar cell transduction and suggested to regulate melanocyte pigmentation. Notably, TRPM1 mutations have also been associated with congenital stationary night blindness in humans. This review will summarize and discuss our present knowledge of TRPM1: its discovery, expression, regulation, and proposed functions in skin and eye.
Extracting topographic features for outdoor mobile robots

Methods are presented for building high-level terrain descriptions, referred as topographic maps, by extracting terrain features like peaks, pits, ridges, and ravines from the contour map. The resulting topographic map contains the location and type of terrain features as well as the ground topography. The authors develop new definitions for those topographic features based on the contour map. They build a contour map from an elevation map and generate the connectivity tree of all regions separated by the contours. The authors use this connectivity tree, called a topographic change tree, to extract the topographic features. Experimental results on a digital elevation model support the definitions for topographic features and the approach. >
Theory of radar return from terrain

It is often convenient to have theoretical expressions for the back-scattering cross-section of terrain, in order to properly organize experimental data, and to permit complete analysis of radar operation. Two models have been proposed for this purpose. The first, applicable to roadways and similar smooth surfaces, gives the return in terms of the roughness, the height correlation function and the complex dielectric constant of the surface, and is in excellent quantitative agreement with experiment. The second model, applicable to grass or similar cylindrical vegetation, gives the return as a function of the number, size, and complex dielectric constant of the cylindrical scatterers; it is in qualitative agreement with experiment. Applications to the problem of characterizing terrain, and to radiometry are mentioned.
Anaphase onset and dephosphorylation of mitotic phosphoproteins occur concomitantly

The cyclical phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the centrosome during mitosis was analyzed by immunofluorescence methods using the MPM-2 antibody, which reacts with a subset of mitotic phosphoproteins. Quantification of MPM-reactivity indicated that centrosomal phosphorylation attained a maximal level just prior to anaphase onset. This level was maintained in metaphase cells blocked from further mitotic progression with the microtubule depolymerizing agent nocodazole. However, when nocodazole was added to cells that had just initiated anaphase, the level of centrosomal phosphorylation decreased rapidly as in untreated anaphase cells. We conclude that the onset of dephosphorylation of the centrosome coincided with the onset of anaphase and continued in the absence of chromosome movement. Dephosphorylation of MPM-2 reactive phosphoproteins may be taken as a biochemical indicator of anaphase onset.
Okita's Notes For a Poem on Being Asian American

(2004). Okita's Notes For a Poem on Being Asian American. The Explicator: Vol. 62, No. 4, pp. 247-249.
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Regulates Nuclear Association of Human Progesterone Receptors

Breast cancers often have increased MAPK activity; this pathway may drive breast cancer cell growth by targeting steroid hormone receptors. MAPK phosphorylates human progesterone receptors (PRs) on Ser294, thus regulating several aspects of PR activity. To study the role of PR Ser294 phosphorylation on subcellular distribution, we stably expressed wild-type (wt) or S294A (Ser294 to Ala) PR-B in several cell types. PRs phosphorylated on Ser294 were nuclear. Activation of MAPK induced Ser294 phosphorylation and rapid nuclear translocation of wt, but not S294A, PR-B; both receptors concentrated in the nucleus after progestin treatment. The MAPK kinase inhibitor, U0126, blocked epidermal growth factor but not progestin-induced Ser294 phosphorylation and translocation of wt PR, indicating a novel mechanism for nuclear localization. After progestin treatment, wt PR-B underwent ligand-dependent down-regulation, while S294A PR-B persisted in nuclei. Prolonged treatment with U0126 or the nuclear export inhibitor, leptomycin B, promoted nuclear accumulation of wt PR-B and blocked ligand-dependent PR down-regulation, suggesting that PR degradation occurs in the cytoplasm and requires MAPK-dependent nuclear export. Stabilization of PRs by leptomycin B also blocked PR transcriptional activity, indicating a link between nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, receptor stability, and function. These results support a regulatory role for MAPK in nuclear steroid hormone receptor subcellular localization and coupling to multiple PR functions.
Making Computer Science a First-Class Object in the K-12 Next Generation Science Standards (Abstract Only)

Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are (in most states) rallying around the Next Generation Science Standards. First released in 2012, the NGSS address the "mile wide, inch deep" science teaching so prevalent in K-12 and instead emphasize disciplinary core ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and practices in science and engineering. The NGSS make a nuanced distinction between science (inquiry) and engineering (design) and include performance standards for engineering design that "literate citizens" are expected to know. Early versions of the NGSS caused kerfluffles in the CS community - "the attention paid to the discipline of computer science does not match its importance in terms of workforce demand." Ignoring calls from industry and academia to promote computer science, the authors relegated it, like statistics, to a supporting role. Putting CS in a supporting role means that it becomes a second-class object of study - a tool for investigating other disciplines - instead of a first-class object that is investigated in terms of disciplinary core ideas. Part of the problem is the lack of widely accepted core ideas that are easily explained. In the course of our work on building assessments for the Exploring Computer Science course (including drawing from the AP CS Principles framework) we have identified a manageable set of core ideas and mapped them to the NGSS engineering design standards. In this talk, I will point to materials we have developed that the community can use to show how computer science can replace engineering in the NGSS to teach practices and meet standards.
Teacher, educate thyself

Abstract A test of the willingness of subjects to apply accounting calculations (LIFO, FIFO, average, specific identification) to nonaccounting phenomena was conducted. A majority of nonaccountant subjects were unwilling while a majority of accountant subjects were willing to apply accounting calculations to nonaccounting phenomena. A second “unobtrusive” and a third “quasi-obtrusive” test was conducted on subjects' willingness to accept the addition of numerals and the same difference between accountants and nonaccountants was observed. The basis of the difference in all tests was nonaccountants' requirement that numerals derived from calculations correspond to an independent measurement while accountants were unaware that such a requirement existed. The difference in subjects was inferred to be the result of nonaccountants having been taught about the correspondence concept and accountants not having been so taught. A recommendation that the accounting curriculum include the correspondence concept is offered.
Influence of Dietary Calcium and Phosphorus on Urinary Calcium in Commercial Leghorn Hens

An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of dietary Ca (2, 4, and 6%) and P (.3 and .6% total) on urinary Ca and pH and on plasma Ca++ and inorganic P (Pi) in commercial Leghorn hens. Urine (six hens per treatment) or blood (eight hens per treatment) was collected from hens at 0, 7, 14, and 21 h postoviposition on Days 3 and 10 after its introduction to treatment diets. Low dietary P reduced (P less than or equal to .05) plasma Pi concentrations. The lowest concentration of dietary Ca reduced (P less than or equal to .05) plasma Ca++. Urinary pH and Ca were lowest at 14 h after oviposition. Increasing dietary Ca from 4 to 6% had no influence on urinary Ca excretion when the diet contained .6% P. However, when the diet contained 4% Ca, lowering dietary P (from .6% to .3%) increased urinary Ca significantly. Increasing dietary Ca to 6% in the presence of low dietary P further elevated urinary Ca. Urine was acidic with all diets except with that containing 6% Ca and .3% P at 14 h after oviposition. Results indicate that low dietary P has a greater influence on elevating urinary Ca in laying hens than excess dietary Ca.
Qualitative Inquiry and the Future of Health Communication Research

This article examines the ways that qualitative inquiry, especially when used in concert with quantitative inquiry in multimethodological designs, can contribute to the research challenges of health care and health promotion. It explores methodological diversity in health communication research and illustrates how survey, textual analytic, and ethnographic research are utilized in health communication research. The article concludes with a discussion of how multimethodological research designs have been successfully employed to examine complex health communication models, theories, and processes.
Leading-Edge Film-Cooling Physics: Part II — Heat Transfer Coefficient

A comprehensive study of film cooling on a turbine airfoil leading edge was performed with a documented, well-tested computational methodology. In this paper, numerically predicted heat transfer coefficients on the film-cooled leading edge are compared with experimental data from the open literature. The results are presented as the ratio of heat transfer coefficient with film cooling to that without film cooling, and the physics behind the surface results are discussed. The leading edge model was a half-cylinder in shape with a bluff afterbody to match the validation experiment, and other geometric parameters matched those of Part I of this study. Coolant at a density equal to that of the mainstream flow was injected through three rows of cylindrical film-cooling holes. One row of holes was centered on the stagnation line of the cylinder, and the other two rows were located ±3.5 hole diameters off stagnation. The downstream rows were staggered such that they were centered laterally between holes in the stagnation row. The holes were inclined at 20° with the surface, and made a 90° angle with the streamwise direction (radial injection). Four average blowing ratios were simulated in the range of 0.75 to 1.9, corresponding to the same momentum flux ratios as in Part I of this work. The multi-block, unstructured numerical grid was characterized by high quality and density, especially in the near wall region, in order to minimize error in predictions of the heat transfer. A fully-implicit scheme was used to solve the steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, and a realizable k-e model provided turbulence closure. A two-layer near-wall treatment allowed the resolution of the viscous sublayer for maximum accuracy in the prediction of the wall heat transfer coefficient. The numerical predictions exhibited generally good agreement with experimental data. The heat transfer coefficient was observed to increase sharply aft of the holes in the downstream rows. When coupled with the adiabatic effectiveness results of the first paper in this series, it is evident that a systematic computational methodology may be effectively applied to investigate and understand the complicated leading edge film-cooling problem.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Solution of finite element systems on concurrent processing computers

A new computer program architecture for the solution of finite element systems using concurrent processing is presented. The basic approach involves the automatic creation of substructures. A host provides control over a set of processors, each of which is assigned initially to one substructure, then dynamically reassigned to the common interface for the solution of the complete system of substructures. Algorithm details are presented fo each phase of the analysis.
Plastic surgery and smoking: a prospective analysis of incidence, compliance, and complications.

BACKGROUND Tobacco use remains a persistent risk factor in elective plastic surgery. Although nicotine is thought to increase complications, which procedures are affected and the reliability of patient-provided histories remain poorly defined. The authors sought to examine nicotine use and its impact on outcomes. METHODS All patients in a single-surgeon practice undergoing surgery with general anesthesia during a 2-year period were enrolled. Preoperative evaluation included a thorough smoking history. All patients had urine samples taken on the day of surgery to assess for nicotine metabolites. Patients were followed for a minimum of 3 months after surgery and monitored for complications. RESULTS Four hundred fifteen patients were enrolled. Of these, 139 (33.5 percent) stated that they had quit smoking and 39 (9.4 percent) were admitted active smokers. For the 362 patients with urine nicotine analysis available, 54 showed active smoking. Fifteen of these (4.1 percent) had denied current tobacco use. Patients stating that they had quit smoking were more likely to be deceitful than those stating they had never smoked (p < 0.001). Smokers had significantly higher overall complication rates (OR, 3.7; p < 0.001) and tissue necrosis rates (OR, 4.3; p = 0.02) and were likelier to require reoperation (OR, 3.7; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In a large cohort study examining the prevalence and impact of nicotine in the general plastic surgery population, substantial rates of deception regarding smoking status were found. Furthermore, active smoking was strongly correlated with complications. A methodologic approach to the detection and management of patients using tobacco products can help to optimize outcomes. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Risk, II.
Hyperoxia increases hepatic arginase expression and ornithine production in mice

Hyperoxic exposure affects the levels and activities of some hepatic proteins. We tested the hypothesis that hyperoxic exposure would result in greater hepatic .NO concentrations. C3H/HeN mice were exposed to >95% O(2) for 72 or 96 h and compared to room air-breathing controls. In contrast to our working hypothesis, exposure to >95% O(2) for 96 h decreased hepatic nitrite/nitrate NO(X) concentrations (10.9 +/- 2.2 nmol/g liver versus 19.3 +/- 2.4 nmol/g liver in room air, P < 0.05). The hepatic levels of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and inducible NOS (iNOS) proteins were not different among the groups. The arginases, which convert L-arginine to urea and L-ornithine, may affect hepatic NOS activities by decreasing L-arginine bioavailability. Hepatic ornithine concentrations were greater in hyperoxic animals than in controls (318 +/- 18 nmol/g liver in room air, and 539 +/- 64, and 475 +/- 40 at 72 and 96 h of hyperoxia, respectively, P < 0.01). Hepatic arginase I protein levels were greater in hyperoxic animals than in controls. Hepatic carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPS) protein levels and activities were not different among groups. These results indicate that increases in hepatic levels of arginase I in mice exposed to hyperoxia may diminish .NO production, as reflected by lower liver levels of NO(X). The resultant greater hepatic ornithine concentrations may represent a mechanism to facilitate tissue repair, by favoring the production of polyamines and/or proline.
Womanism: A Methodologic Framework for African American Women

Although nurse scholars have become increasingly engaged in feminist research and theory development, only a few have included important feminist thoughts expressed by African American womanist theorists. This article presents an abbreviated review and synthesis of Afrocentric ways of knowing, which includes Black feminist, womanist, and Afrocentric perspectives. A developing methodology for use with African American women is also described.
THE EARNINGS-PRICE AND STANDARDIZED UNEXPECTED EARNINGS EFFECTS: ONE ANOMALY OR TWO?

In this paper prior work on earnings-price (E/P) and standardized unexpected earnings (SUE) anomalies is re-examined and extended. A relation between excess returns and E/P is tested controlling for SUE. Results suggest that both anomalies are still present in the data, and that the E/P effect exists independently of the most recent earnings surprise.
On the Electrical Resistance of Contacts between Solid Conductors

A contact between two solid conducting bodies is visualized as a small gap between them. This gap can be described as a potential-hill over which electrons, according to the wave-mechanical theory, can pass even with insufficient kinetic energy. The general expression of the resulting current intensity as function of the potential-difference is obtained and discussed for the case of two identical or different bodies in connection with the resistance of granular structures (thin metallic films) and the rectifying action of certain contacts.
Significance probabilities of the wilcoxon signed-rank test

Currently available methods for determining exact probabilities of the signed-rank statistic without computer assistance are shown to be inadequate. Currently available tables are noted to be either excessively large or of limited coverage. A combination of methods is shown to give exact or very accurate approximations to the ρ values for most cases.
ICOS expression by effector T cells influences the ability of regulatory T cells to inhibit anti-chromatin B cell responses in recipient mice

T regulatory cells are critical for the prevention of autoimmunity. Specifically, Treg cells can control anti-chromatin antibody production in vivo, and this correlates with decreased ICOS expression on CD4+ T helper cells. Here we test the significance of high ICOS expression by T effector cells, firstly in terms of the anti-chromatin B cell response, and secondly on the ability of Treg cells to suppress T cell help. We bred CD4+ T cell receptor transgenic mice with mice that carry the Roquinsan/san mutation. The Roquin gene functions to limit ICOS mRNA such that CD4 T cells from mutant mice express elevated ICOS. Using an in vivo model, TS1.Roquinsan/san Th cells were compared with wild-type TS1 Th cells with regard to their ability to help anti-chromatin B cells in the presence or absence of Treg cells. Both TS1 and TS1.Roquinsan/san Th cells induced anti-chromatin IgMa antibodies, but the TS1.Roquinsan/san Th cells resulted in the recovery of more class-switched and germinal center B cells. Neither source of Th cells were capable of inducing long-lived autoantibodies. Treg cells completely suppressed anti-chromatin IgMa antibody production and reduced anti-chromatin B cell recovery induced by TS1 Th cells. Importantly, this suppression was less effective when TS1.Roquinsan/san Th cells were used. Thus, high ICOS levels on effector T cells results in autoimmunity by augmenting the autoreactive B cell response and by dampening the effect of Treg cell suppression.
The conditioning of the maximum entropy covariance matrix and its inverse

Abstract The maximum entropy covariance matrix is positive definite even when the number of variables p exceeds the sample size n . However, the inverse of this matrix can have stability problems when p is close to n , although these problems tend to disappear as p increases beyond n . We analyze such problems using the variance of the latent roots in a particular metric as a condition number.
Flt3 signaling regulates the proliferation, survival, and maintenance of multipotent hematopoietic progenitors that generate B cell precursors.

Flt3 signaling plays a crucial role in regulating the survival and differentiation of lymphoid progenitors into B cell precursors (BCPs) in bone marrow. To define further the role of Flt3 signaling in lymphoid progenitor survival, mice deficient in Flt3 ligand that also expressed a Bcl2 transgene (Eμ-bcl2tg flt3l−/−) were generated. Intracellular flow cytometry established transgene expression in primitive hematopoietic progenitors, including lineage-negative Sca-1+ c-kit+ (LSK+) CD27− cells enriched for functional hematopoietic stem cells. Compared with flt3l−/− mice, Eμ-bcl2tg flt3l−/− mice had significantly increased multipotential progenitors (MPPs), IL-7R+ common lymphoid progenitors, and B cell precursors. To determine whether forced expression of Bcl2 was sufficient to restore lymphoid priming in the absence of Flt3 signaling Eμ-bcl2tg flt3l−/− rag1-gfp+ mice were generated. Analysis of Eμ-bcl2tg flt3l−/− rag1-gfp+ mice revealed that the Bcl2 transgene had no effect on lymphoid priming before CD19 expression. Thus, forced expression of a survival gene can bypass the requirement for threshold levels of Flt3 signaling requisite for lymphoid priming. Temporal Flt3 ligand (FL) replacement therapy in flt3l−/− mice revealed specific requirements for Flt3 signaling in the expansion and maintenance of Flt3+hi MPP and Flt3+ all lymphoid progenitors, but not Flt3+ B lymphoid progenitors (BLPs), the immediate precursors of BCPs. BCPs were restored after temporal in vivo FL treatment, albeit with delayed kinetics. Together, these results show that Flt3 regulates the proliferation, survival, and maintenance of developmental stage–specific hematopoietic progenitors that give rise to BCPs.
Validity and reliability of measurement instruments used in research.

Purpose. Issues related to the validity and reliability of measurement instruments used in research are reviewed. Summary. Key indicators of the quality of a measuring instrument are the reliability and validity of the measures. The process of developing and validating an instrument is in large part focused on reducing error in the measurement process. Reliability estimates evaluate the stability of measures, internal consistency of measurement instruments, and interrater reliability of instrument scores. Validity is the extent to which the interpretations of the results of a test are warranted, which depends on the particular use the test is intended to serve. The responsiveness of the measure to change is of interest in many of the applications in health care where improvement in outcomes as a result of treatment is a primary goal of research. Several issues may affect the accuracy of data collected, such as those related to self-report and secondary data sources. Self-report of patients or subjects is required for many of the measurements conducted in health care, but self-reports of behavior are particularly subject to problems with social desirability biases. Data that were originally gathered for a different purpose are often used to answer a research question, which can affect the applicability to the study at hand. Conclusion. In health care and social science research, many of the variables of interest and outcomes that are important are abstract concepts known as theoretical constructs. Using tests or instruments that are valid and reliable to measure such constructs is a crucial component of research quality.
Intersections between immigration, language, identity, and emotions: a science teacher candidate's journey

This study reports a subset of findings from a larger, ongoing study aimed at exploring interactions between teacher identity, learning, and classroom practices in a social justice teacher education program at a selective liberal arts college in New York. This case-study explores the journey of Elena, as an immigrant, a student, and a pre-service teacher candidate towards becoming a social justice educator. Elena reflects upon her school language experiences as an immigrant youth, her learning in a social justice teacher education program, and her field experiences in an international high school. The analysis spans macro-, meso-, and microlevels to explore the ways globalization, particularly immigration, as well as schooling policies for English language learners interact with aspects of Elena’s core identity, particularly in school settings. The findings show some of the ways language and literacy verified and/or denied aspects of Elena’s core identity; specific instances where second language proficiency was cast as power and privilege versus disadvantage according to ethnic, language, and class categorizations; and the struggles Elena, and other immigrant youth may face given the focus on English language acquisition and high stakes accountability in schools, at the expense of students’ primary language proficiency and affirmation of core identity markers.
Coherent optical correlator using a deformable mirror device spatial light modulator in the Fourier plane

Attention is given to experimental results for a binary phase-only filter implementation's correlation operations, using the deformable mirror device (DMD) spatial light modulator as the Fourier plane filter. These results demonstrate the basic capabilities of the DMD in an image correlator system which, in combination with the potential 8-kHz frame rate for 128 x 128 DMDs, can constitute a very high speed pattern recognition system. The DMD has the further capability of operating in the analog mode.
3D CT imaging in clinical practice

Recent technological advances in multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) have enabled 3D diagnostic imaging with superb spatial and temporal resolution. This often provides useful information on precise detail and relationships.
Hedonic prices and cost/benefit analysis

Abstract Hedonic prices have been used to evaluate the willingness to pay for attributes. We reformulate the notion of hedonic price from a composite price on housing to a unit price on traded quantities, in conformity with long run competitive equilibrium theory. This formulation was suggested (but not developed) by Rosen (J. Polit. Econ. 82, No. 1 (1974), 34–35). By first characterizing an efficient allocation of consumers to space, we show that hedonic unit prices can be understood as a bid-rent function which supports the efficient allocation. This is despite the fact that the lots over which consumers bid are themselves endogenous. We show that unit hedonic prices reveal preferences in a manner different from composite hedonic expenditures.
Impact of curative ablation on pharmacologic management in children with reentrant supraventricular tachycardias

Abstract Background: The introduction of radiofrequency catheter ablation as a curative treatment option has led to a much better outlook for children with recurrent supraventricular reentrant tachycardias (SVT). This study sought to evaluate the impact of ablation on pharmacologic treatment of SVT. Methods: Two time periods were retrospectively compared with regard to number of episodes of SVT in different age groups, number of acute drug conversions of SVT, chronic antiarrhytmic drug treatments prescribed: in the first period (1989–1994) management of SVT was exclusively pharmalogical whereas during the second period (1995–2000) ablation was an option for patients aged 5 years or older. Results: The study included 88 pediatric patients with recurrent SVT, 40 in the first period, 48 in the latter. Of these, 16 children (all >5 years of age) had an ablation procedure during the second time period. In patients aged >5 years, the number of documented SVT fell from a mean of 3.7/patient to two episodes. The number of acute drug conversions of SVT decreased from a mean of 1.1/patient to 0.2 ( p > 5 years chronic antiarrhythmic treatment was given during a mean of 15 months/patient in period one compared to 4.6 months ( p Conclusion: In the current era with increasing use of ablation as first-line treatment in older children with recurrent SVT, acute as well as chronic pharmacologic intervention for SVT has become significantly less frequent.
Policy Complementarities and the Washington Consensus

While economists continue to debate whether particular economic policies, such as those referred to in Willliamson`s (1993) "Washington Consensus," can spur growth in developing countries, this paper demonstrates that it is combinations of policies that are more critical for growth. Policy complementarity refers to the mutually reinforcing benefits of policies that create an environment that is conducive to investment and growth. Quantitative measures of policy complementarity are developed, and the study shows empirically, through both an outcomes-based probability framework and a standard regression analysis, that these complementarities are significant and robust in explaining growth outcomes over the period 1985-95.
Thermodynamics of multivalent carbohydrate-lectin cross-linking interactions: importance of entropy in the bind and jump mechanism

The high affinity (K(d) = 0.2 nM) of the soybean agglutinin (SBA), a tetrameric GalNAc specific lectin, for a modified form of porcine submaxillary mucin, a linear glycoprotein, with a molecular mass of approximately 10(6) Da and approximately 2300 GalNAcalpha1-O-Ser/Thr residues (Tn-PSM) has been ascribed to an internal diffusion mechanism that involves binding and jumping of the lectin from GalNAc to GalNAc residue of the mucin [Dam, T. K., et al. (2007) J. Biol. Chem. 282, 28256-28263]. Hill plot analysis of the raw ITC data shows increasing negative cooperativity, which correlates with an increasing number of lectin-mucin cross-linking interactions and decreasing favorable binding entropies. However, the affinity of bound SBA for other Tn-PSM molecules during cross-linking is much higher than that of free SBA for GalNAcalpha1-O-Ser, a monovalent analogue. The high affinity of bound SBA for GalNAc residues on other Tn-PSM molecules appears to be due to the favorable entropy of binding associated with the internal diffusion mechanism. Furthermore, the increasing negative cooperativity of SBA binding to Tn-PSM correlates with a decreasing level of internal diffusion of the lectin on the mucin as cross-linking occurs. These findings indicate the importance of the internal diffusion mechanism in generating large, favorable entropies of binding that drive lectin-mucin cross-linking interactions. The results are important for understanding the energetics of lectin-mucin cross-linking interactions that are associated with biological signaling on the surface of cells and the role of the internal diffusion mechanism in ligand-biopolymer interactions in general.
Thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Thrombolytic agents are being employed clinically in increasing numbers of patients in the attempt to eliminate occlusive coronary thrombi in patients with evolving myocardial infarction. When administered by the intracoronary route, streptokinase lyses is successful in coronary thrombi in more than two-thirds of patients, but when administered intravenously is successful in only one-third. Since streptokinase is a nonselective plasminogen activator, it induces fibrinogenolysis when administered selectively or systematically with an attendant marked reduction in plasma fibrinogen levels and significant bleeding complications. In contrast, the action of tissue plasminogen activator (t-Pa) is relatively selective for fibrinolysis (as opposed to fibrinogenolysis). It induces coronary thrombolysis in at least 60% of patients when administered either into a coronary ostium or a peripheral vein without producing substantial reductions in circulating fibrinogen. Bleeding complications are modest and usually related to high administered doses and concomitant heparinization, and occur primarily at sites of vascular access. Thus, t-Pa appears to be a promising agent for thrombolytic treatment of patients with evolving acute myocardial infarction.
Spectral discrimination of coral reef benthic communities

Effective identification and mapping of coral reef benthic communities using high-spatial and -spectral resolution digital imaging spectrometry requires that the different communities are distinguishable by their spectral reflectance characteristics. In Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA, we collected in situ a total of 247 spectral reflectances of three coral species (Montipora capitata, Porites compressa, Porites lobata), five algal species (Dictyosphaeria cavernosa, Gracilaria salicornia, Halimeda sp., Porolithon sp., Sargassum echinocarpum) and three sand benthic communities (fine-grained carbonate sand, sand mixed with coral rubble, coral rubble). Major reflectance features were identified by peaks in fourth derivative reflectance spectra of coral (at 573, 604, 652, 675 nm), algae (at 556, 601, 649 nm) and sand (at 416, 448, 585, 652, 696 nm). Stepwise wavelength selection and linear discriminant function analysis revealed that spectral separation of the communities is possible with as few as four non-contiguous wavebands. These linear discriminant functions were applied to an airborne hyperspectral image of a patch reef in Kaneohe Bay. The results demonstrate the ability of spectral reflectance characteristics, determined in situ, to discriminate the three basic benthic community types: coral, algae and sand.
The importance of antegrade completion angiography in aortobifemoral bypass limb revision

Aortobifemoral bypass is a durable arterial reconstruction with well-defined failure modes. Management of graft limb thrombosis requires restoration of inflow and correction of any causative outflow lesions. Successful, minimally invasive inflow restoration with catheter thrombectomy can become problematic if assessment of technical adequacy is deficient or reveals causal lesions within the graft body. We describe a case illustrating the potential shortfall of retrograde graft limb completion angiography in depicting neointimal flaps, the benefit of antegrade angiography in depicting these flaps, and a novel utilization of a standard endovascular method to correct flaps that involve the graft body.
yuri gagarin is required for actin, tubulin and basal body functions in Drosophila spermatogenesis

Males of the genus Drosophila produce sperm of remarkable length. Investigation of giant sperm production in Drosophila melanogaster has demonstrated that specialized actin and microtubule structures play key roles. The gene yuri gagarin (yuri) encodes a novel protein previously identified through its role in gravitaxis. A male-sterile mutation of yuri has revealed roles for Yuri in the functions of the actin and tubulin structures of spermatogenesis. Yuri is a component of the motile actin cones that individualize the spermatids and is essential for their formation. Furthermore, Yuri is required for actin accumulation in the dense complex, a microtubule-rich structure on the sperm nuclei thought to strengthen the nuclei during elongation. In the yuri mutant, late clusters of syncytial nuclei are deformed and disorganized. The basal bodies are also mispositioned on the nuclei, and the association of a specialized structure, the centriolar adjunct (CA), with the basal body is lost. Some of these nuclear defects might underlie a further unexpected abnormality: sperm nuclei occasionally locate to the wrong ends of the spermatid cysts. The structure of the axonemes that grow out from the basal bodies is affected in the yuri mutant, suggesting a possible role for the CA in axoneme formation.
Cloning and characterization of CXIP1, a novel PICOT domain-containing Arabidopsis protein that associates with CAX1.

Abstract Regulation of Ca2+ transporters is a vital component of signaling. The ArabidopsisH+/Ca2+ exchanger CAX1 contains an N-terminal autoinhibitory domain that prevents Ca2+transport when CAX1 is heterologously expressed in yeast. Using a yeast screen, we have identified three different proteins that activate CAX1. One of these, CXIP1 (CAX-interactingprotein-1; 19.3 kDa) has amino acid similarity to the C terminus of PICOT (protein kinase C-interacting cousin ofthioredoxin) proteins. Although PICOT proteins are found in a variety of organisms, a function has not been previously ascribed to a plant PICOT protein. We demonstrate that CXIP1 activated the CAX1 homolog CAX4, but not CAX2 or CAX3. An Arabidopsis homolog of CXIP1 (CXIP2) weakly activated CAX4, but not CAX1. In a yeast two-hybrid assay, CXIP1 interacted with the N terminus of CAX1. In competition analysis, CXIP1 and a CAX1 N-terminal peptide appeared to bind to similar N-terminal domains of CAX1. Chimeric CAX3 constructs containing the N terminus of CAX1 were activated by CXIP1. InArabidopsis, CXIP1 transcripts, likeCAX1, accumulated in response to different metal conditions. This work thus characterizes a new class of signaling molecules in plants that may regulate CAX transporters in vivo.
HILLS AS RESOURCES AND RESISTANCES IN SYRACUSE, NEW YORK*

In an example of what William Freudenburg and his colleagues called the “conjoint construction” of nature and society, hills may represent either assets or liabilities for urban settlement, dependi...
Development of an Unsteady Pressure Measurement Method

Aerodynamic phenomena such as wakes behind bluff bodies are inherently unsteady. Thus, many aerodynamic experiments require the measurement of unsteady or dynamic flow characteristics such as surface or base pressure on the body. Pressure-measuring instruments (pressure transducers) have a transient response that depends on two factors: (1) the response of the transducer elements that senses the pressure and (2) the response of the pressure-transmitting fluid and the connecting tubing, etc. This latter factor is frequently the one that determines the overall frequency response of a pressure measurement system in unsteady flows. This study presents the development of a technique with which time domain samples of unsteady pressure signals can be corrected to compensate for the influence of the connecting tube. The technique was validated employing single and multiple-frequency periodic pressure fields as well as complex pressure fields generated inside the wind tunnel. The results indicated that the actual pressure field could be measured using this technique with reasonable accuracy.
Bacterial "glycogen" and survival.

IN certain conditions, bacteria accumulate relatively large amounts of polyglucose compounds with properties similar to those of animal glycogen1. An interpretation of bacterial “glycogen” production is that it provides a food and/or energy reserve for the organisms in unfavourable environments; in other words, bacteria rich in glycogen should survive longer than bacteria without such reserves. Experimental results apparently supporting this teleological interpretation were obtained with Aerobacter aerogenes2 and Escherichia coli3 but not with Sarcina lutea4; glycogen-rich S. lutea died at a faster rate than cells without glycogen during starvation in aerated phosphate buffer at 37° C. A feature of glycogen reserves in bacteria is their rapid depletion during starvation which suggests that any contribution glycogen makes towards maintenance and survival is of short duration5. It is possible that growth conditions which stimulate the accumulation of glycogen give rise to bacteria better able to resist stress for reasons not concerned with their glycogen content. The effect of glycogen reserves on bacterial survival was examined with E. coli; cells containing different amounts of glycogen were grown in a chemostat and their survival properties were determined in aerated saline phosphate buffer with and without magnesium at 37° and 48° C.
Coherent Square Wave Demodulation of Ideal Limiter Output

An ideal limiter may be used to single-bit quantize a noisy sinusoidal signal. This digitization is particularly economical if the signal is to be recorded. lt might then be desired to obtain phase coherence with the limited input signal. A single-bit digital phase-locked loop. utilizing a square wave reference, could be used for this purpose. The effects of coherent square wave demodulation on the signal-to-noise ratio and the (signal-to-noise spectral density) ratio are discussed. The latter result is directly applicable to the performance of the digital phase-locked loop.
Purification, Cloning, and Expression of a Cytidine 5′-Monophosphate N-Acetylneuraminic Acid Synthetase from Haemophilus ducreyi

Abstract An N-acetylneuraminic acid cytidylyltransferase (EC) (CMP-NeuAc synthetase) was isolated from a Haemophilus ducreyi strain 35000 cell lysate and partially characterized. The enzyme catalyzes the reaction of CTP and NeuAc to form CMP-NeuAc, which is the nucleotide sugar donor used by sialyltransferases. Previous studies have shown that the outer membrane lipooligosaccharides of H. ducreyi contain terminal sialic acid attached to N-acetyllactosamine and that this modification is likely important to its pathogenesis. Therefore, to investigate the role of sialic acid in H. ducreyi pathogenesis, the gene encoding the CMP-NeuAc synthetase was cloned using degenerate oligonucleotide probes derived from NH2-terminal sequence data, and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The derived amino acid sequence of the CMP-NeuAc synthetase gene has homology to other CMP-NeuAc synthetases and to a lesser extent to CMP-2-keto-3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid synthetases. The gene was cloned into a T7 expression vector, the protein expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified to apparent homogeneity by anion exchange, Green 19 dye, and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The final step yielded 20 mg of pure protein/liter of culture. The protein has a predicted molecular mass of 25440.6 Da, which was confirmed by electrospray mass spectrometry (Mexpt = 25439.9 ± 1.4 Da). The enzyme appears to exist as a dimer by size exclusion chromatography. In contrast to other bacterial CMP-NeuAc synthetases, the H. ducreyi enzyme exhibited a different substrate specificity, being capable of also using N-glycolylneuraminic acid as a substrate.
USING HOUSING ITEMS TO INDICATE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS: LATIN AMERICA

This note explores the possibility of using physical housing quality information from censuses to help indicate socioeconomic status, particularly that of children, elderly people and women in developing areas such as Latin America. We develop a comparative scale from six housing items (wall material, floor material, roof material, availability of electricity, type of sewerage and water facilities) since these items are recommended by the U.N., tend to be present in most housing censuses, tend to be highly related to each other and tend to have a similar valuation. A more basic three-item scale, consisting of the last three items listed above, is also discussed because this scale might be even more widely available while providing valuable, aggregated, information. The six-item and three-item scales correlate highly with each other. There is a wide range among Latin American countries in people's distribution along the scales but the scales themselves seem applicable everywhere. Not only have they been proving useful in our own research, but both scales correlate fairly well with a country's infant mortality rate on the aggregate level and with an individual's educational attainment among men and women 15 to 59 and among elderly people 60 years of age and older.
Third cumulant statistical control of the first generation structural benchmark problem

Cumulants are gaining in popularity for use in stochastic control and game theory. They also have been effective in application to building and vibration control problems. Much of the work has been done for the finite time horizon case. In this paper, cost cumulants will be used on a discounted cost function. The control will be concerned with the first three cumulants, the mean, variance, and skewness. A coupled Riccati equation is given with an optimal cumulant control law. The results are applied to a three story building subject to a seismic disturbance and those results are compared with other cumulant controllers, including the well-known LQG control method.
Local Luminosity Function at 15 micro m and Galaxy Evolution Seen by ISOCAM 15 micro m Surveys

A local luminosity function at 15 micro m is derived using the bivariate (15 micro m vs. 60 micro m luminosities) method, based on the newly published ISOCAM LW3-band (15 micro m) survey of the very deep IRAS 60 micro m sample in the north ecliptic pole region (NEPR).
Bridging the Hemispheres in Meditation: thicker callosal regions and enhanced fractional anisotropy (FA) in long-term practitioners

Recent findings suggest a close link between long-term meditation practices and the structure of the corpus callosum. Prior analyses, however, have focused on estimating mean fractional anisotropy (FA) within two large pre-defined callosal tracts only. Additional effects might exist in other, non-explored callosal regions and/or with respect to callosal attributes not captured by estimates of FA. To further explore callosal features in the framework of meditation, we analyzed 30 meditators and 30 controls, carefully matched for sex, age, and handedness. We applied a multimodal imaging approach using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in combination with structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Callosal measures of tract-specific FA were complemented with other global (segment-specific) estimates as well as extremely local (point-wise) measures of callosal micro- and macro-structure. Callosal measures were larger in long-term meditators compared to controls, particularly in anterior callosal sections. However, differences achieved significance only when increasing the regional sensitivity of the measurement (i.e., using point-wise measures versus segment-specific measures) and were more prominent for microscopic than macroscopic characteristics (i.e., callosal FA versus callosal thickness). Thicker callosal regions and enhanced FA in meditators might indicate greater connectivity, possibly reflecting increased hemispheric integration during cerebral processes involving (pre)frontal regions. Such a brain organization might be linked to achieving characteristic mental states and skills as associated with meditation, though this hypothesis requires behavioral confirmation. Moreover, longitudinal studies are required to address whether the observed callosal effects are induced by meditation or constitute an innate prerequisite for the start or successful continuation of meditation.