cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activation of striated muscle: nearest-neighbor regulatory-unit and cross-bridge influence on myofilament kinetics.

Abstract We have formulated a three-compartment model of muscle activation that includes both strong cross-bridge (XB) and Ca 2+ -activated regulatory-unit (RU) mediated nearest-neighbor cooperative influences. The model is based on the tight coupling premise—that XB retain activating Ca 2+ on the thin filament. Using global non-linear least-squares, the model produced excellent fits to experimental steady-state force-pCa and ATPase-pCa data from skinned rat soleus fibers. In terms of the model, nearest-neighbor influences over the range of Ca 2+ required for activation cause the Ca 2+ dissociation rate from regulatory-units ( k off ) to decrease and the cross-bridge association rate ( f ) to increase each more than ten-fold. Moreover, the rate variations occur in separate Ca 2+ regimes. The energy of activation governing f is strongly influenced by both neighboring RU and XB. In contrast, the energy of activation governing k off is less affected by neighboring XB than by neighboring RU. Nearest-neighbor cooperative influences provide both an overall sensitization to Ca 2+ and the well-known steep response of force to free Ca 2+ . The apparent sensitivity for Ca 2+ -activation of force and ATPase is a function of cross-bridge kinetic rates. The model and derived parameter set produce simulated behavior in qualitative agreement with steady-state experiments reported in the literature for partial TnC replacement, increased [P i ], increased [ADP], and MalNEt-S1 addition. The model is an initial attempt to construct a general theory of striated muscle activation—one that can be consistently used to interpret data from various types of muscle manipulation experiments.
Actual or ideal body weight to calculate CD34+ cell dose in patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic SCT for myeloma?

CD34+ cell dose calculations are usually based on actual body weight (ABW). We have shown that ideal body weight (IBW) may provide a better basis for this in a small population of patients with hematologic malignancies. This was studied further in 514 myeloma autografts. The CD34+ cell doses (106/kg) by IBW and ABW were 1.37–39.36 (median 6.03) and 1.15–29.67 (median 4.84), respectively. IBW-based cell doses correlated slightly better with engraftment than ABW-based doses (higher r2): 0.5 × 109/l neutrophils 0.83 versus 0.82, 1.0 × 109/l neutrophils 0.78 versus 0.77, 20 × 109/l platelets 0.54 versus 0.53 and 50 × 109/l platelets 0.57 versus 0.55. When outliers (hematologic recovery in 16 days) were excluded, the findings were similar: 0.5 × 109/l neutrophils 0.85 versus 0.84, 1.0 × 109/l neutrophils 0.85 versus 0.84, 20 × 109/l platelets 0.86 versus 0.85 and 50 × 109/l platelets 0.85 versus 0.84. CD34+ cell doses based on IBW as well as ABW significantly affected engraftment when analyzed separately as continuous variables. However, when analyzed together, only the dose based on IBW retained significance. We conclude that calculation of CD34+ cell numbers for autotransplantation should be based on IBW.
Retrospective review of flow patterns following retropubic prostatectomy.

Aim of this study: We retrospectively evaluated penile inflows in 103 previously potent individuals who underwent standard nerve sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for the treatment of prostate cancer. No effort to identify or spare the accessory pudendal artery (APA) was made in any case. Our goal was to investigate the role of the accessory internal pudendal artery (APA) in the maintenance of erections in this population. We hypothesize that if the APA is present in a significant number of men, and its ligation significantly contributes to post-RRP impotence, then there should be an increased incidence of asymmetry between R/L cavernous arterial flows among post RRP patients with vascular impotence. Materials and methods: One hundred and three previously potent individuals complaining of persistent erectile dysfunction for at least six months after RRP were studied with color duplex Doppler, following age specific dosing of PGE1. Vascular assessment was performed before and after self-stimulation, measuring peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistive index (RI). Erections were visually rated as inadequate (INA), adequate (ADE) for penetration, or excellent (EXC) with sustained rigidity for at least 20 min. Cavernous artery asymmetry (CAA) was defined as a >10 cm/s difference between right and left sided arterial flows. Results: Mean duration between surgery and Doppler study was 14.7 months. 27 out of 103 (26%) of patients developed excellent rigidity consistent with isolated neurogenic impotence (PSV=32.0 cm/s, mean RI=0.95); 24 out of 103 (23%) had adequate vascular responses making it impossible to infer presence or absences of neurogenic impotence; 52 out of 103 (51%) had inadequate rigidity consistent with vascular insufficiency (PSV=23.7 cm/s, mean RI=0.66). We noted that of patients with EXC response, 48% (13 out of 27) had CAA. Among patients with severe inflow disease (INA responders), CAA was seen in only 21% of cases (11 out of 52). Conclusions: The incidence of APA has been reported as being from 4–70%, and its significance in the maintenance of erections has been questioned. Assuming that the APA provides significant inflow in some patients, we expected an increase in CAA in individuals in whom it was sacrificed. We found a higher incidence of CAA among post-RRP patients with normal vascular erectile responses to PGE1 (48%) compared to men with true vasculogenic impotence post-RRP (21%). These data do not support the importance of the APA in the maintenance of erections in the post-RRP patient.
Evolution of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in hypertension, heart failure, and vascular protection

Abstract Over 100 years of scientific investigation has established that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays an important role in both the renin–angiotensin system and the kinin–kallekrein system. ACE inhibitors—which stem the production of angiotensin II, a potent vasoconstrictor—have proved to be useful agents in the management of hypertension, in the prevention and treatment of heart failure, and in the improvement of endothelial function. Generally, ACE inhibitors are as efficacious as β blockers and thiazide diuretics in reducing blood pressure and also induce regression of left ventricular hypertrophy. Many trials—including the Cooperative North Scandinavian Enalapril Survival Study (CONSENSUS), the Veteran's Administration Cooperative Vasodilator–Heart Failure Trial (V-HeFT I), the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD), and the Survival and Ventricular Enlargement (SAVE) trial—have demonstrated the ability of ACE inhibitors to reduce mortality within a wide range of heart failure, from asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction to severe heart failure. The SAVE trial specifically evaluated the effects on post-myocardial infarction mortality and remodeling and found that ACE inhibitors were effective in reducing both. Further studies are assessing the potential additional antiatherosclerotic aspects of ACE inhibitors. Initial research indicates a reversal of endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerotic animals, and subsequent clinical trials, including the Trial on Reversing ENdothelial Dysfunction (TREND), support the likelihood of a similar effect in humans. Beneficial effects in hypertension or heart failure may also be gained with other interruptors of the renin–angiotensin system, such as angiotensin receptor blockers. Results from studies assessing these receptor blockers will bring greater understanding to the mechanism of action of ACE inhibitors.
Studies on combustion of double streams of methanol/dodecanol fuel droplets next to a cooling wall

Combustion characteristics of double droplet streams were experimentally investigated. The streams were injected parallel to a cooling wall in a hot gas environment. The streams were a mixture of methanol and dodecanol. Dodecanol was initially present in mass fractions of 0.0, 0.10, 0.15, 0.30, 0.40, and 0.50 and distances between the nearest droplet stream and the wall were either 0.32 mm or 0.16 mm. Droplets initially about 200 μm in diameter were injected through the center of a flat flame burner at 2.6 m/s. The center-to-center droplet spacing within droplet streams was about 260 μm and the distance between droplet streams was about 360 μm. Results show that droplet size histories for the two streams were very similar and that burning rates increased as the dodecanol mass fraction increased; however burning rates remained constant after the initial dodecanol mass fraction reached 0.30. It was also observed that droplet stream stability depended on the fuel pumping rate and distance between the droplet...
Idioms and mental imagery: the metaphorical motivation for idiomatic meaning.

We conducted three experiments to investigate the mental images associated with idiomatic phrases in English. Our hypothesis was that people should have strong conventional images for many idioms and that the regularity in people's knowledge of their images for idioms is due to the conceptual metaphors motivating the figurative meanings of idioms. In the first study, subjects were asked to form and describe their mental images for different idiomatic expressions. Subjects were then asked a series of detailed questions about their images regarding the causes and effects of different events within their images. We found high consistency in subjects' images of idioms with similar figurative meanings despite differences in their surface forms (e.g., spill the beans and let the cat out of the bag). Subjects' responses to detailed questions about their images also showed a high degree of similarity in their answers. Further examination of subjects' imagery protocols supports the idea that the conventional images and knowledge associated with idioms are constrained by the conceptual metaphors (e.g., the MIND IS A CONTAINER and IDEAS ARE ENTITIES) which motivate the figurative meanings of idioms. The results of two control studies showed that the conventional images associated with idioms are not solely based on their figurative meanings (Experiment 2) and that the images associated with literal phrases (e.g., spill the peas) were quite varied and unlikely to be constrained by conceptual metaphor (Experiment 3). These findings support the view that idioms are not "dead" metaphors with their meanings being arbitrarily determined. Rather, the meanings of many idioms are motivated by speakers' tacit knowledge of the conceptual metaphors underlying the meanings of these figurative phrases.
The Tripartite Mission of an Academic Psychiatry Department and the Roles of the Chair

Within academic medical centers, psychiatry, pediatrics, and certain other specialties of internal medicine carry a disproportionate responsibility for teaching but are least able to support teaching and research through clinical income. This article reviews the educational, research and clinical missions of an academic psychiatry department and the major challenges facing chairs as they seek to lead their departments. Though the leadership role that the chair plays in psychiatric education, research, and clinical services can be tremendously satisfying, it is also true that being a chair in these times has much in common with "middle management" in other corporate structures.
Automated robotic liquid handling/laser-based nephelometry system for high throughput measurement of kinetic aqueous solubility

The ability to rapidly and consistently measure aqueous solubility in a preclinical environment is critical to the successful identification of promising discovery compounds. The advantage of an early solubility screen is timely attrition of compounds likely to fail due to poor absorption or low bioavailability before more costly screens are performed. However, due to the large number of compounds and limited sample amounts, thermodynamic solubility measurements are not feasible at this stage. A kinetic solubility measurement is an alternative to thermodynamic measurements at the discovery stage that provides a rank listing of solubility values with minimal sample requirements. A kinetic solubility measurement is attractive from an automation vantage because it features rapid data acquisition and is amenable to multi-well formats. We describe the use of a robotic liquid/plate handler coupled to nephelometry detection for the measurement of kinetic solubility. We highlight the liquid handling validation, serial dilution parameters, and a comparison to the previous method. Experiments to further enhance throughput, or increase confidence in the automation steps, are described and the effects of these experiments are presented. In our integrated nephelometry method, we observe rapid liquid handling with an error of less than 10%, after a series of validation studies, and a sample throughput up to 1800 compounds per week. We compare the nephelometry method with our semi-thermodynamic flow-injection analysis (FIA) method, and find a 75% bin agreement between the methods.
A unified approach to the linear camera calibration problem

The camera calibration process relates camera system measurements (pixels) to known reference points in a three-dimensional world coordinate system. The calibration process is viewed as consisting of two independent phases: the first is removing geometrical camera distortion so that rectangular calibration grids are straightened in the image plane, and the second is using a linear affine transformation as a map between the rectified camera coordinates and the geometrically projected coordinates on the image plane of known reference points. Phase one is camera-dependent, and in some systems may be unnecessary. Phase two is concerned with a generic model that includes 12 extrinsic variables and up to five intrinsic parameters. General methods handling additional constraints on the intrinsic variables in a manner consistent with explicit satisfaction of all six constraints on the orthogonal rotation matrix are presented. The use of coplanar and noncoplanar calibration points is described. >
A high resolution time-to-digital converter on FPGA for Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting

Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) can provide not only the time information of a photon, but also the photon density information. Based on the conclusion of usual time interval measuring methods, this paper chooses the scheme of Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) based on delay line structure, meeting the TCSPC system's requirement for high timing resolution. This TDC contains two delay lines and a main counter. After finishing the framework of the TDC using Verilog, we confirm the architecture of the delay element by simulation and on-board test. Using the histogram from FPGA, the TDC system implement is for time resolution below 200 ps.
The Blithedale Romance and Post-Heroic Life

Miles Coverdale9s complex emotional posture at the close of Nathaniel Hawthorne9s The Blithedale Romance (1852) embodies the plight of post-heroic life in the 1850s: a decade in which the self-proclaimed "children" of America9s revolutionary founders wrestled with the lingering contamination introduced into public life by the invidious nexus of slavery and the Mexican War. America, as Theodore Parker fiercely proclaimed in 1846, had become "a dead nation corrupting beside its golden tomb." Hawthorne9s third novel in three years-a feverish rate of production-portrays a cultural climate obsessed with its secret and shameful wounds. The prophylactic zone of Blithedale farm, in fact, hosts a variety of spiritual and physical contagions, perfectly suited to Coverdale9s epidemiological imagination and reflected in the moody volatility of his story. Each of the book9s central characters responds to what its narrator terms the "diseased action" of the heart, forming a collective portrait of social and moral pathology that no utopian dream can effectively check. Zenobia9s eloquent delirium at the book9s conclusion, and Miles Coverdale9s enigmatic malaise, capture in distinct and poignant ways the painful conjunction of majesty and futility to which the post-heroic condition ultimately leads.
Emergency defibrillation using a temporary pacing electrode catheter.

Direct application of electrical current to the heart utilizing special equipment such as implantable defibrillators or specially designed catheters has been useful in patients with recurrent ventricular tachyarrhythmias. We describe a patient who developed intractable ventricular fibrillation (VF) during the course of electrophysiologic testing. VF continued for 50 minutes, during which time multiple transthoracic shocks of 360 joules failed to convert the arrhythmia, intracardiac shocks were then delivered via a transvenous 6 French standard quadripolar pacing catheter positioned in the right ventricular apex by direct application of the defibrillator paddle to the catheter, with the patient lying on the posterior paddle. Energy of up to 300 joules failed to defibrillate the patient, but use of 360 joules delivered in this fashion defibrillated the patient twice. Despite the protracted time of cardiac arrest, the patient recovered without sequelae. We report this case to demonstrate that VF refractory to transthoracic defibrillation may be converted by intracardiac shocks using a temporary pacing catheter without special equipment.
Anodic oxidation of aromatic aza hydrocarbons

Summary The anodic oxidation of several mono- and di-azaaromatic hydrocarbons in acetonitrile has been studied by a variety of electroanalytical techniques. With the exception of pyridine all of the compounds studied were found to be oxidized in a chemically complicated process. The overall reaction was found to require one electron per mole, and in the case of acridine the electrolysis product was found to be acridylacridinium perchlorate. The results of potential dependent chronocoulometric measurements carried out upon acridine were compared with those predicted by digital simulation for the several alternative mechanisms. The results indicated that the reaction pathway most likely was AcH − e − ⇄ AcH + AcH + + AcH → k ( AcH ) 2 + k = 1.3 × 10 5 1 mol − 1 s − 1 ( AcH ) 2 + − e − ⇄ ( AcHAc ) + + H + AcH + + ( AcH ) 2 + ⇄ ( AcHAc ) + + AcH + H + This general mechanism should be operative wherever the compound being oxidized is appreciably nucleophilic, and the diagnostic technique employed should be generally useful under these conditions.
An intensified descending pain-facilitating pathway

Various animal models have been used to study mechanisms for chronic pain including neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, visceral pain, illness-induced pain, chronic opioid-induced pain and opioid withdrawal-induced pain. Recent studies suggest a crucial role of the descending pain-facilitating pathway from the rostral ventromedial medulla in all of these chronic pain conditions. The mechanism for activation of the descending pathway is dependent on pain conditions and might be mediated by glutamate, cholecystokinin, noradrenaline and neurotensin.
Day-to-day stationary link flow pattern

Abstract Day-to-day traffic dynamics aim at modeling driver’s day-to-day learning and behavior adjustment process and providing insight on how the traffic flow pattern evolves over time. A number of continuous-time path flow dynamics have been proposed and studied in the literature whose stationary path flow pattern coincides with user equilibrium. However, the application prospects of these findings are limited by the fact that it might be difficult for transportation management centers to measure and monitor day-to-day dynamic path flow pattern. On the other hand, thanks to the fast development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), the day-to-day link flow pattern can be more easily monitored and analyzed. Thus, it is not only of theoretical interest but also with implement viability to explore equilibrium in the perspective of link flow dynamics. This paper carries on the study originated by [Zhang, D., Nagurney A., Wu, J., 2001. On the equivalence between stationary link flow patterns and traffic network equilibria. Transportation Research, 35B, 731–748] in investigating the relationship between a stationary link flow (SLF) pattern and traffic equilibrium, and makes significant developments on the subject in the sense that we prove that five existing route choice adjustment processes in the literature are all special cases of a so-called rational behavior adjustment process (RBAP) and thus this RBAP is mild and reasonable and can serve as a general framework of modeling driver’s rational behavior.
A Close Look at Domain Testing

White and Cohen have proposed the domain testing method, which attempts to uncover errors in a path domain by selecting test data on and near the boundary of the path domain. The goal of domain testing is to demonstrate that the boundary is correct within an acceptable error bound. Domain testing is intuitively appealing in that it provides a method for satisfying the often suggested guideline that boundary conditions should be tested.
Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion Is a Robust Outcome Measure in Systemic Sclerosis-associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Objective. The tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) strongly reflects right ventricular (RV) function and predicts survival in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). But its role in systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated PAH has not been established. Our objective was to validate the TAPSE in the assessment of RV function and prediction of survival in SSc-PAH. Methods. Fifty consecutive patients with SSc-PAH who underwent echocardiography with TAPSE measurement within 1 h of clinically indicated right heart catheterization were followed prospectively. The relationship between TAPSE and measures of RV function and measures of survival was assessed. Results. The majority of the cohort were women in New York Heart Association class III/IV with severe PAH (mean cardiac index 2.4 ± 0.8 l/min/m2). RV function was significantly impaired (mean cardiac index 2.1 ± 0.7 vs 2.9 ± 0.8 l/min/m2; p Conclusion. TAPSE is a robust measure of RV function and strongly predicts survival in patients with PAH-SSc. Future studies are needed to identify the responsiveness of TAPSE to PAH-specific therapy and to assess its diagnostic utility in PAH-SSc.
Relay Beamforming Using Interference Pricing for the Two-Hop Interference Channel

Relays in cellular systems are sensitive to interference. A good relay design will mitigate received interference and will transmit in a way that avoids excess out-of-cell interference. This paper proposes a distributed relay beamforming algorithm for the two-hop interference channel, which models a relay-based cellular system. Interference pricing is used to provide the relays with information on how the interference impacts the end-to-end achievable rates. A new method is proposed to compute the interference prices via an approximation of the end-to-end achievable rate, which accounts for the relationship of the parameters in two hops. This alleviates the rate mismatch experienced by the naive application of single- hop interference pricing algorithms. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm outperforms single-hop interference pricing, zero forcing and maximal ratio transmission beamforming.
Current ramping rate dependence of the critical current in 2H-NbSe2 crystals

Abstract By measuring the critical current at current ramping rate of 2×10−5 A/s to 5×102 A/s we find that at a fixed temperature and magnetic field the critical current in pure 2H-NbSe2 increases with increasing current ramping rate. These experiments show that metastable states, which are missed in the usual transport measurements, do exist in the field cooled vortex lattice. We also show that the fast transport technique provides a means of probing the initial vortex lattice.
A high power, 1.22 mm 13C H3 laser

Abstract Pulsed power levels in excess of 5 kW at wavelengths near 1.2 mm have been obtained via optical pumping of 13C H3F in a 3 m, mirrorless waveguide laser, using a CO2 TEA laser as a source of pump radiation.
Optimizing performance of cooperative sensing for increased spectrum utilization in dynamic cognitive radio systems

Cognitive radios (CR) that sense spectrum usage and adjust their transmissions to meet specified spectral constraints have been proposed for use in future generations of wireless systems to enable dynamic access to the frequency spectrum. In cooperative spectrum sensing, a fusion center (FC) receives local sensing information from multiple CRs and combines it to provide better decision on the spectrum use. In dynamic scenarios where occurrence of spectrum opportunities is intermittent and their durations have limited time, the performance of cooperative sensing is affected by the size of the sensing window at local CR and by the time delay introduced by the FC for processing of the local sensing information. In this paper we study how these parameters influence the performance of cooperative sensing by introducing a new metric which incorporates both probability of detection along and spectrum utilization, and which can be used to optimize the performance of cooperative sensing. Numerical performance studies in dynamic scenarios where the PU activity changes in time and/or is affected by fading are also presented.
Automated, closed form integration of formulas in elliptic motion

In some perturbation theories it is possible to avoid expansion of the perturbations in powers of the eccentricity, obtaining results in closed form by using the true or eccentric anomaly instead of the mean anomaly. This paper describes an algorithm (which has been programmed for the 6600 computer using the formula manipulation system TRIGMAN) for automatically performing the integrals which arise in these theories.
Multiple Factors Regulate the Promoter Region of the Liver-Enriched Orphan Homeobox Protein, Hex

Multiple Factors Regulate the Promoter Region of the Liver-Enriched Orphan Homeobox Protein, Hex
User Centered, Application Independent Visualization of National Airspace Data

This paper describes an application independent software tool, IV4D, built to visualize animated and still 3D National Airspace System (NAS) data specifically for aeronautics engineers who research aggregate, as well as single, flight efficiencies and behavior. IV4D was origin ally developed in a joint effort between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (A FRL) to support the visualization of air traffic data from the Airspa ce Concept Evaluation System (ACES) simulation program. The three mai n challenges tackled by IV4D developers were: 1) determining how to d istill multiple NASA data formats into a few minimal dataset types; 2 ) creating an environment, consisting of a user interface, heuristic algorithms, and retained metadata, that facilitates easy setup and fa st visualization; and 3) maximizing the user?s ability to utilize the extended range of visualization available with AFRL?s existing 3D te chnologies. IV4D is currently being used by air traffic management re searchers at NASA?s Ames and Langley Research Centers to support data visualizations.
The prevalence and natural history of aortic aneurysms in heart and abdominal organ transplant patients.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence and clinical features of aortic aneurysms in heart and abdominal transplant patients. Methods: We undertook a retrospective review of 1557 patients who had heart, liver, or kidney transplantation between January 1, 1987, and December 31, 2000. Aortic aneurysms were identified by computed tomographic scan, ultrasound scan, or at the time of surgery for rupture. An aortic diameter of 3.5 cm was used as the threshold for the definition of aneurysmal disease. We compared dichotomous variables with Fisher's exact test and continuous variables with the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results: There were 296 heart, 450 liver, and 811 kidney transplants performed on adult patients during the study period. We identified 18 transplant patients who had an aortic aneurysm (13 heart, three liver, two kidney). Seven patients (41%) had rupture of the aortic aneurysm, and five of these patients died. There were no deaths from causes other than aortic aneurysm rupture. The rate of aneurysm rupture was 22.5% per year. Eight patients had the aortic aneurysm repaired electively with no deaths and no hospital stay greater than 15 days. The mean aortic aneurysm size at rupture was 6.02 ± 0.86 cm, and the smallest aneurysm that ruptured was 5.1 cm. The pretransplant rate of aortic aneurysm expansion was 0.46 cm/y, but this increased to 1.00 cm/y after transplantation ( P =.08). The rate of aortic aneurysm expansion among heart transplant patients and abdominal transplant patients was the same ( P =.51). The prevalence of aortic aneurysm was 4.1% in cardiac transplant patients and 0.4% in abdominal transplant patients. Earlier in our series (1987 to 1996), 11% of the cardiac transplant patients were screened for aortic aneurysms, and the prevalence rate of diagnosis was 3.0%. Screening of cardiac transplant candidates became more frequent in 1997 (87% screened), with an associated increase in the aortic aneurysm prevalence rate to 5.8% in the patients who were screened. Conclusion: Aortic aneurysms in cardiac and abdominal transplant patients have an aggressive natural history with high expansion and rupture rates. Screening transplant patients for aortic aneurysms will increase detection and facilitate elective repair, which is generally well tolerated. These findings support programs for early detection and elective treatment of aortic aneurysms in organ transplant patients, particularly those having heart transplants. (J Vasc Surg 2003;37:27-31.)
Molecular cloning of the murine BP-1/6C3 antigen: a member of the zinc-dependent metallopeptidase family.

Abstract The BP-1/6C3 antigen is a phosphorylated cell surface glycoprotein that can be identified by monoclonal antibodies on mouse pre-B cells, immature B cells, and certain stromal cell lines from bone marrow. Expression of this antigen is increased in stromal-dependent pre-B cell lines and retrovirally transformed pre-B cells. Expression of the BP-1/6C3 antigen thus correlates with proliferation and transformation of immature B-lineage cells. In this study, we report the isolation and characterization of cDNAs encoding the BP-1/6C3 antigen. Northern blot analysis revealed a major 4.1-kilobase mRNA in all BP-1/6C3+ mouse pre-B lines and in a human pre-B cell line. BP-1/6C3 mRNA was either absent or truncated in BP-1/6C3- cell lines. The cDNA sequence predicts a type II integral membrane protein of 945 amino acids with an intracytoplasmic amino terminus of only 17 amino acids and a typical zinc-binding motif in its extracellular domain. BP-1/6C3 has significant homology to aminopeptidase N and is the second member of the zinc-dependent metallopeptidase gene family to be found on the surface of early B-lineage cells.
Online workbenches for neural network connections.

The nervous system is the most complex object we know of. It is a spatially distributed, functionally differentiated network formed by axonal connections between defined neuron populations and effector cells. Computer science provides exciting new tools for archiving, analyzing, synthesizing, and modeling on the Web vast amounts of frequently conflicting and incomplete qualitative and quantitative data about the organization and molecular mechanisms of neural networks. To optimize conceptual advances in systems neuroscience, it is important for the research and publishing communities to embrace three exercises: using defined nomenclatures; populating databases; and providing feedback to developers about improved design, performance, and functionality of knowledge management systems and associated visualization tools. J. Comp. Neurol. 500:807– 814, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: neural circuits; neural pathways; neural systems; neuronal cell types
Synthesis and conformational transition of surface-tethered polypeptide: Poly(L-glutamic acid)

Surface-grafted poly(l-glutamic acid) (PLGA) films on silicon oxide surfaces were prepared and examined for their responsiveness to the external stimuli of pH, surfactant (decylammonium chloride), and divalent metal ion (Ca2+) in aqueous solutions. A surface-initiated vapor deposition−polymerization of N-carboxyanhydride of γ-benzyl l-glutamate was first performed to synthesize surface-grafted poly(γ-benzyl l-glutamate) (PBLG) thin films, followed by debenzylating with hydrogen bromide in anhydrous benzene. The successful conversion of surface-grafted PBLG to PLGA films was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ellipsometry. The conformational transitions and the corresponding changes in film thicknesses and refractive indices were in situ examined by circular dichroism (CD) and ellipsometry, respectively. The CD study shows that the conformation undergoes a transition between α-helix and random coil at pH 5.75−7. Upon the conformational transition, the film thicknesses and refractive i...
Global water cycle past, present and future

The hydrologic cycle presents one of the critical challenges in understanding the Earth. Water has a central role in a large number of Earth processes. Water is a limiting ingredient in life. The phases of water have a substantial impact on the radiation budget. Water plays a major role in energy transfer, and the hydrologic cycle governs salinity and vertical mixing rates in the ocean circulation.
Quantitative, Competitive PCR Assay for HIV-1 Using a Microplate-Based Detection System

We have developed a quantitative competitive PCR (QC-PCR) assay in a microplate format for quantifying human immunodeficiency virus Type 1 (HIV-1) DNA or RNA in a broad range of source materials. O...
Health status of Largescale Sucker (Catostomus macrocheilus) collected along an organic contaminant gradient in the lower Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, USA

article i nfo The health of Largescale Sucker (Catostomus macrocheilus) in the lower Columbia River (USA) was evaluated usingmorphometricandhistopathological approaches,anditsassociation with organic contaminantsaccumulat- edinliverwasevaluatedinmales.Fishweresampledfromthreesitesalongacontaminantgradient.In2009,body length and mass, condition factor, gonadosomatic index, and hematocrit were measured in males and females; liver and gonad tissue were collected from males for histological analyses; and organ composites were analyzed for contaminant content in males. In 2010, additional data were collected for males and females, including exter- nal fish condition assessment, histopathologies of spleen, kidney and gill and, for males, liver contaminant con- tent. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that biological traits in males, but not females, differed among sites in 2009 and 2010. Discriminant function analysis indicated that site-related differences among male popu- lations were relatively small in 2009, but in 2010, when more variables were analyzed, males differed among sites in regards to kidney, spleen, and liver histopathologies and gill parasites. Kidney tubular hyperplasia, liver andspleenmacrophageaggregations,andgillparasitesweregenerallymoresevere inthedownstreamsitescom- pared to the reference location. The contaminant content of male livers was also generally higher downstream, and the legacy pesticide hexachlorobenzene and flame retardants BDE-47 and BDE-154 were the primary drivers for site discrimination. However, bivariate correlations between biological variables and liver contaminants retained in the discriminant models failed to reveal associations between the two variable sets. In conclusion, whereas certain non-reproductive biological traits and liver contaminant contents of male Largescale Sucker dif- feredaccordingtoanupstream-downstreamgradientinthelowerColumbiaRiver,resultsfromthisstudydidnot reveal the specific environmental factors responsible for the differences in health status among fish populations.
Ratio dependence in the functional response of insect parasitoids: evidence from Trichogramma minutum foraging for eggs in small host patches

. 1. Despite considerable recent debate on the suitability of ratio dependence as a more general form for the functional response in consumer–victim relationships, there have been few detailed studies to experimentally determine the response of insect parasitoids to host and parasitoid density at a local scale. 2. The experimental host, Ephestia kuehniella, was used to test for host dependence and ratio dependence in the functional response of the egg parasitoid, Trichogramma minutum, a species widely used in inundative biological control. The functional response was examined through four series of experiments in which either host density, parasitoid density, or the ratio of previously parasitised to healthy hosts was manipulated. 3. The response to host density was type I for both single and simultaneously foraging parasitoids, indicating a lack of host dependence in the functional response. The upper limit to the response was estimated as 39 hosts attacked in a 24-h period, with an estimated per capita search rate of 1.32 for individual females and 0.37 for three simultaneously searching females. 4. The response to parasitoid density provided an interference constant of unity, indicating an equal sharing of hosts and thus ratio dependence in the functional response. Female parasitoids responded to the presence of conspecifically parasitised eggs with a significant increase in search rate (1.75), but with no change to the form or upper limit of the response. 5. It is suggested that ratio dependence may be more common among insect parasitoids than previously supposed, and that a type I functional response, or the absence of host dependence, may be an emergent property of phylogenetic constraint within the monophyletic grouping of Cales, Eretmocerus, and Trichogramma.
Underscoring the Need for Social Justice Initiatives Concerning the Sexual Objectification of Women

In this article, we emphasize the need to continually think outside the traditional therapy box in ways that we can intervene (and empower clients to intervene) to more directly address social problems, such as the sexual objectification of women, and to develop our own and our students’ advocacy skills to intervene at the level of organizations, processes, systems, and social policy. In addition, we encourage psychologists to actively take steps to increase the ways in which they turn their social justice agendas into action.
An adaptive bandwidth allocation scheme with preemptive priority for integrated voice/data mobile networks

This paper presents an adaptive bandwidth allocation scheme, called complete sharing with preemptive priority (CSPP) scheme, for integrated voice/data mobile networks. It uses the complete sharing approach to maximize the bandwidth utilization efficiency by allowing data traffic to share all the bandwidth resource of a cell and introduces a preemptive priority mechanism to maintain the high performance of voice traffic while the injury of data traffic is compensated through a victim buffer. A degradation/compensation mechanism is applied to the data traffic which has elastic characteristics. The model of the CSPP scheme is analyzed by a two dimensional Markov process. The steady state probability vector is obtained recursively by the matrix-analytic method and many important performance measures are then determined such as different types of probabilities, total channel utilization, transmission delay, busy period time and blocking period time. From the performance analysis and comparison as well as the numerical results, we can conclude that the CSPP scheme can achieve complete service differentiation for different traffic classes and very high and stable channel utilization under various traffic loads. By adjusting the defined constraint factors, we can not only maintain higher priority for handoff voice over new voice calls and voice calls over data calls but also provide necessary protection for data calls in hot-spot data traffic situations
Control Cases during the Software Development Life-Cycle

The control case is a tool that may be applied in software development to model non-functional requirements during the requirements engineering process. The control case complements the use case in requirements design by capturing the systems qualities not addressed by the use case. This includes attributes such as performance, security, and the prescribed technology and standards. Together, the use case and control case offer a more complete representation of the requirements that define the system to be developed. In this paper, we extend the previous work on the control case by illustrating how this modeling tool is applied during the software development lifecycle (SDLC) from initial requirements through to commercial deployment. This includes business process analysis, detailed requirements gathering, architecture & design, software build, systems testing, and deployment. This work helps to bridge the gap in applying the control case to model non-functional requirements, illustrating how control cases are decomposed and refined further during the SDLC.
Phase Equilibria in the System Na2O – Nb2O5

Phase equilibria data, obtained both by differential thermal analysis and by quenching, are presented for the system Na2O-Nb2O5. Five compounds corresponding to the formulas 3Na2O.1Nb206, lNa2O. 1Nb2O5, lNa2O 4Nb2O6, lNazO.7Nb2O5, and lNa2O. 10Nb2O6 have been found. The compound 3Naz0.lNb2O5 melts congruently at 992°C. The compounds 1Na2O. 4Nb2O6, lNa2O.7Nb2O, and 1Na2O. 1Onb2O5 melt incongruently at 1265°, 1275°, and 1290°C., respectively. The well-known perovskite structure phase NaNbO3 was found to melt congruently at 1412°C. The transition temperatures in NaNbO5 were checked by thermal analysis and only the major structural changes at 368° and 640°C. could be detected. A new disordered form of NaNbO3 could be preserved to room temperature by very rapid quenching.
Corporate Credibility’s Role in Consumers’ Attitudes and Purchase Intentions When a High versus a Low Credibility Endorser Is Used in the Ad

Abstract Endorser credibility is one of the most frequently used methods in advertising to influence consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions. Corporate credibility, or the reputation of the firm, is another source of credibility identified in marketing that can influence these cognitions. Our experimental study examined these two sources of credibility to assess their impact on attitude-toward-the-ad, attitude-toward-the-brand, and purchase intentions. A 2 × 2 (high versus low corporate credibility and high versus low endorser credibility), between-subjects factorial design was used. One hundred women students were shown one of four mock magazine ads. The results indicate that both credibility types influence attitude-toward-the-ad and attitude-toward-the-brand, but corporate credibility alone appears to have a significant influence on purchase intentions. Moreover, whereas endorser credibility seems to have a greater influence on attitude-toward-the-ad, corporate credibility seems to have a greater influence on attitude-toward-the-brand and on purchase intentions.
Data model, dictionaries, and desiderata for biomolecular simulation data indexing and sharing

Background Few environments have been developed or deployed to widely share biomolecular simulation data or to enable collaborative networks to facilitate data exploration and reuse. As the amount and complexity of data generated by these simulations is dramatically increasing and the methods are being more widely applied, the need for new tools to manage and share this data has become obvious. In this paper we present the results of a process aimed at assessing the needs of the community for data representation standards to guide the implementation of future repositories for biomolecular simulations.
Resisting Temptation Revisited: Devaluation versus Enhancement of an Attractive Suitor by Exclusive and Nonexclusive Daters

Individuals committed to exclusive relationships often evaluate attractive, opposite-sex targets less favorably than do less committed individuals. This devaluative distortion of alternatives has been interpreted as relationship maintenance by exclusive daters. Two experiments evaluated an alternative hypothesis: Less committed individuals may more favorably evaluate attractive, other-sex targets because they are seeking a relationship. In Experiment 1, exclusive and nonexclusive daters imagined a scenario in which an attractive stranger showed interest in the participant (high threat/high opportunity) or in his or her best friend (low threat/low opportunity). In Experiment 2, exclusive and nonexclusive daters anticipated interacting with an attractive target who was either available/seeking a relationship (high threat/high opportunity) or unavailable for a relationship (low threat/low opportunity). As predicted, nonexclusive daters evaluated available targets more favorably than unavailable ones, showing...
Promoting and Assessing Pre-Service Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) in the Context of Case Development

This study investigated the extent to which case development allowed preservice teachers to recognize the interactions and integration of technology with content and pedagogy in their own practice. These interactions form the core of what has been called Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), a distinct type of knowledge required for effective use of technology in classroom teaching. Data were collected from 58 pre-service teachers in the context of a teacher education program in the United States. Results indicated that case development provided a fruitful context for helping pre-service teachers bring together different knowledge bases to design and implement effective technology-integrated lessons.
Built-in Test of Frequency Modulated RF Transmitters Using Embedded Low-Pass Filters

Frequency modulation is used in many important communication and wireless applications. A key defining characteristic of frequency modulated systems is the constant amplitude of the transmitted signal making it impossible to use envelope-based built-in test (BIT) techniques. In this paper, an efficient BIT technique for such transmitters using lowpass filters is proposed. The proposed BIT technique is low-cost and has minimal impact on RF transmitter performance. It can also be used to efficiently test devices such as voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), phase locked loops (PLL) etc through frequency discrimination. Simulation results and hardware measurements demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.
The compatibility of stratigraphic and comparative constraints on estimates of ancestor‐descendant relations

Abstract Palaeontologists have routinely used the temporal order of rock strata in which fossils are found (stratigraphy), in conjunction with comparative data, to help to estimate which species (or other evolutionary units) were the ancestors of others. The use of stratigraphy has been challenged in recent decades on the grounds that it does not accurately represent the time spans during which the species represented by fossils were extant. It is not the purpose of this paper to engage in this debate, but instead to present methods for exploring whether or not and to what extent comparative data and stratigraphy might logically contradict each other. If stratigraphy did reliably indicate the absolute or relative past time spans during which each of the species under study were extant, then some formally possible estimates of evolutionary relationships would become historically impossible, and some well known concepts concerning the compatibility of comparative data would no longer apply. Here we present ...