cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Probing contacts to the DNA backbone in the trp repressor-operator sequence-specific protein-nucleic acid complex using diastereomeric methylphosphonate analogues.

Fourteen analogue DNA sequences containing the trp operator sequence and a single diastereomeric methylphosphonate linkage are each prepared from the stereochemically pure nucleoside methylphosphonate dimer building block, prepared as a phosphoramidite. The analogue sequences are shown to be single diastereomers on the basis of HPLC analysis of the digestion mixture; in each case, only a single diastereomeric dimer is present. These analogue sequences can be used effectively to probe for interactions to either of the prochiral phosphate oxygens as illustrated by their use to identify critical interactions in the trp repressor−operator complex. In a number of cases, the pairs of diastereomeric analogue sequences exhibit variable binding affinities that can be used to identify one of the prochiral phosphate oxygens as a critical site for complex-stabilizing interactions. Upon the basis of dissociation constants, apparent incremental binding energies are assigned to specific interactions. In all but one exam...
Monitoring and Reversal of Anticoagulation and Antiplatelets

Since percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was first described and the breakthrough studies of the role of stents were reported, the evolution in anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy used during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has reduced periprocedural ischemic events and stent thrombosis. Although greater combinations and doses of anticoagulation with antiplatelets seem to provide the best protection against thrombogenic and embolic events, there is a significant trade-off with a higher risk of major and minor bleeding episodes. This review article expands on each of the commonly used antiplatelet and anticoagulants used at time of PCI, focusing on drug monitoring and reversal.
An actin-like protein from amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum

An actin-like protein has been isolated and purified from amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum. The 3.7S protein polymerizes upon addition of 0.1 m KCl to a polymer of 26S. An increase in viscosity accompanies this polymerization and electron micrographs have revealed beaded, helical filaments with a diameter of 60–75 A and an axial periodicity of 350 A. These F-actin-like filaments produced a 5-fold activation of muscle myosin Mg-ATPase at low ionic strength. When incubated with rabbit muscle heavy meromyosin (HMM) the amoeba F-actin-like protein formed typical “arrowhead” structures with polarized binding of HMM and arrowhead spacings of 350 A. In SDS polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis the purified amoeba protein migrates as a single band corresponding to a molecular weight of 48,000 daltons. The amino acid composition is very similar to that of muscle actin and includes the unusual amino acid 3-methylhistidine.
Evaluation of Soybean Cultivars with the Rps1k Gene for Partial Resistance or Field Tolerance to Phytophthora sojae

Phytophthora root rot, caused by Phytophthora sojae Kaufmann and Gerdeman, primarily attacks the roots of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] plants. Partial resistance and field tolerance in 14 commercial glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] tolerant soybean cultivars with the Rpslk resistance gene were studied. Partial resistance to compatible P. sojae races 28 and 30 was evaluated by the agar layer technique. Relative to the percentage of the control, all of the commercial cultivars with the Rpslk had reductions in top mass and plant height that were not significantly different from the partial resistant check 'Conrad' that had 83% top mass and 77% plant height reduction; two of the 14 commercial cultivars had significantly lower root mass (28 and 31% lower) than Conrad (84%). In addition, there was no significant difference in disease ratings (root or whole plant) of the 14 commercial cultivars with the Rpslk compared with Conrad. Field tolerance, studied in six field experiments at Urbana, IL, during 2002-2004, was identified when there were no significant differences between the yield of inoculated treatments with or without mefenoxam [methyl N-(methoxyacetyl)-N-(2,6-xyly)-D-alaninate] fungicide seed treatment or between inoculated and noninoculated treatments. There were no significant cultivar × inoculation × fungicide treatment interactions found in any of the field experiments, and a significant cultivar × inoculation treatment interaction was found in only one field experiment. Therefore, most of the cultivars appeared to be tolerant to P. sojae. It should be noted that field tolerance was not distinguished from partial resistance in the field component of this study.
EGF: new tricks for an old growth factor

During the past year, the biology of epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been investigated in lower organisms (Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila and bacteria). These experiments have produced some surprising results: the identification of defects produced by mutation of EGF-like genes; the role of EGF receptors in bacterial invasion; and the role of EGF-like precursors as receptors for a bacteria toxin.
Distributed management of flexible times schedules

We consider the problem of managing schedules in an uncertain, distributed environment. We assume a team of collaborative agents, each responsible for executing a portion of a globally pre-established schedule, but none possessing a global view of either the problem or solution. The goal is to maximize the joint quality obtained from the activities executed by all agents, given that, during execution, unexpected events will force changes to some prescribed activities and reduce the utility of executing others. We describe an agent architecture for solving this problem that couples two basic mechanisms: (1) a "flexible times" representation of the agent's schedule (using a Simple Temporal Network) and (2) an incremental rescheduling procedure. The former hedges against temporal uncertainty by allowing execution to proceed from a set of feasible solutions, and the latter acts to revise the agent's schedule when execution is forced outside of this set of solutions or when execution events reduce the expected value of this feasible solution set. Basic coordination with other agents is achieved simply by communicating schedule changes to those agents with inter-dependent activities. Then, as time permits, the core local problem solving infra-structure is used to drive an inter-agent option generation and query process, aimed at identifying opportunities for solution improvement through joint change. Using a simulator to model the environment, we compare the performance of our multiagent system with that of an expected optimal (but non-scalable) centralized MDP solver.
A comprehensive evaluation of SAM, the SAM R-package and a simple modification to improve its performance

The Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) is a popular method for detecting significantly expressed genes and controlling the false discovery rate (FDR). Recently, it has been reported in the literature that the FDR is not well controlled by SAM. Due to the vast application of SAM in microarray data analysis, it is of great importance to have an extensive evaluation of SAM and its associated R-package (sam2.20). Our study has identified several discrepancies between SAM and sam2.20. One major difference is that SAM and sam2.20 use different methods for estimating FDR. Such discrepancies may cause confusion among the researchers who are using SAM or are developing the SAM-like methods. We have also shown that SAM provides no meaningful estimates of FDR and this problem has been corrected in sam2.20 by using a different formula for estimating FDR. However, we have found that, even with the improvement sam2.20 has made over SAM, sam2.20 may still produce erroneous and even conflicting results under certain situations. Using an example, we show that the problem of sam2.20 is caused by its use of asymmetric cutoffs which are due to the large variability of null scores at both ends of the order statistics. An obvious approach without the complication of the order statistics is the conventional symmetric cutoff method. For this reason, we have carried out extensive simulations to compare the performance of sam2.20 and the symmetric cutoff method. Finally, a simple modification is proposed to improve the FDR estimation of sam2.20 and the symmetric cutoff method. Our study shows that the most serious drawback of SAM is its poor estimation of FDR. Although this drawback has been corrected in sam2.20, the control of FDR by sam2.20 is still not satisfactory. The comparison between sam2.20 and the symmetric cutoff method reveals that the relative performance of sam2.20 to the symmetric cutff method depends on the ratio of induced to repressed genes in a microarray data, and is also affected by the ratio of DE to EE genes and the distributions of induced and repressed genes. Numerical simulations show that the symmetric cutoff method has the biggest advantage over sam2.20 when there are equal number of induced and repressed genes (i.e., the ratio of induced to repressed genes is 1). As the ratio of induced to repressed genes moves away from 1, the advantage of the symmetric cutoff method to sam2.20 is gradually diminishing until eventually sam2.20 becomes significantly better than the symmetric cutoff method when the differentially expressed (DE) genes are either all induced or all repressed genes. Simulation results also show that our proposed simple modification provides improved control of FDR for both sam2.20 and the symmetric cutoff method.
Contrast tuning in auditory cortex

The acoustic features useful for converting auditory information into perceived objects are poorly understood. Although auditory cortex neurons have been described as being narrowly tuned and preferentially responsive to narrowband signals, naturally occurring sounds are generally wideband with unique spectral energy profiles. Through the use of parametric wideband acoustic stimuli, we found that such neurons in awake marmoset monkeys respond vigorously to wideband sounds having complex spectral shapes, preferring stimuli of either high or low spectral contrast. Low contrast-preferring neurons cannot be studied thoroughly with narrowband stimuli and have not been previously described. These findings indicate that spectral contrast reflects an important stimulus decomposition in auditory cortex and may contribute to the recognition of acoustic objects.
Microbial endocrinology in the microbiome-gut-brain axis: how bacterial production and utilization of neurochemicals influence behavior.

The ability of bacterial pathogens to influence behavior has been recognized for decades, most notably bacteria that directly invade the nervous system. However, increasing evidence is mounting that microorganisms may directly interact with elements of the host's neurophysiological system in a noninvasive manner that ultimately results in modification of host behavior. This ability of microorganisms contained within the microbiome to influence behavior through a noninfectious and possibly non-immune-mediated route may be due to their ability to produce and recognize neurochemicals that are exactly analogous in structure to those produced by the host nervous system. This form of interkingdom signaling, which is based on bidirectional neurochemical interactions between the host's neurophysiological system and the microbiome, was introduced two decades ago and has been termed microbial endocrinology [1]. Many of the neuroendocrine hormone biosynthetic pathways that are more commonly associated with eukaryotic cells are found in prokaryotic cells, and the acquisition of such neurochemical-based synthesis pathways by eukaryotic systems is believed to be due to lateral gene transfer from bacteria. Approaching the microbiome from a microbial endocrinology-based vantage point may provide an understanding of the specific pathways by which microorganisms may influence behavior and thereby lead to new approaches to the treatment of specific mental illness based on modulation of the microbiome-gut-brain axis.
Invariant subspaces of finite codimension in Banach spaces of analytic functions

Abstract We give a characterization of invariant subspaces of finite codimension in Banach spaces of vector-valued analytic functions in several variables, where invariant refers to invariance under multiplication by any polynomial. We obtain very weak conditions under which our characterization applies, that unifies and improves a number of previous results. In the vector-valued case, the results are new even for one complex variable. As a concrete application in several variables, we consider the Bergman space on a strictly pseudo-convex domain, and we improve previous results (assuming C ∞ -boundary) to the case of C 2 -boundary.
Preparation of Chlorosilyl Enolates

A variety of chlorosilyl enolates has been prepared starting from esters, thiol esters, acylsilanes, and ketones. Two general methods are involved, direct enolsilylation with trichlorosilyl triflate and diisopropylethylamine, and a number of methods based on electrophilic substitution of either C- or O-silyl or stannyl carbonyl compounds. The most useful method is a Hg(OAc)2-catalyzed trans-silylation from trimethylsilyl to trichlorosilyl enol ethers, providing a wide range of ketone enolates in good to high yield.
Abstract 5335: The histone deacetylase inhibitor MS-275 sensitizes osteosarcoma cells and osteosarcoma lung metastases to FasL-induced cell death by the downregulation c-FLIP

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor, MS-275, on the Fas signaling pathway and susceptibility of osteosarcoma (OS) to FasL-induced cell death. OS metastasizes almost exclusively to the lungs. We have shown that Fas expression by OS cells inversely correlates with their metastatic potential. Fas+ cells are rapidly eliminated when they enter the lungs via interaction with FasL, which is constitutively expressed in the lungs. OS cells that are Fas− escape this FasL-induced apoptosis and survive in the lung microenvironment. Moreover, upregulation of Fas expression on established OS lung metastases results in tumor regression. Therefore, agents that upregulate Fas or activate the Fas signaling pathway may have therapeutic potential. These investigations utilized the Fas− metastatic osteosarcoma cell lines LM7 and CCH-OS-D. Treatment of OS cells with 2µM MS-275 sensitized cells to FasL-induced cell death in vitro, as quantified by MTT, trypan blue and clonogenic assays. We have demonstrated that blocking Fas signaling by transfecting cells with a FADD dominant-negative (FDN) plasmid, inhibited MS-275-induced sensitization to FasL-mediated cell death, suggesting the involvement of the Fas pathway in this mechanism. We found that treatment of OS cells in vitro did not alter the expression of Fas on the cell surface, rather it resulted in the downregulation of the anti-apoptotic protein, c-FLIP (cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein), which was determined to be a result of MS-275-induced downregulation of FLIP mRNA. Downregulation of c-FLIP correlated with caspase activation and induction of apoptosis. Treatment of nu/nu-mice with established OS lung metastases with oral MS-275 resulted in tumor regression, increased apoptosis and a significant inhibition of c-FLIP expression in tumors. Histopathological examination of mice receiving oral MS-275 showed no evidence of toxicity. Overall, these data suggest that the mechanism by which MS-275 sensitizes OS cells and OS lung metastases to FasL-induced cell death may be by a direct reduction in the expression of c-FLIP. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5335. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5335
Wettability of Pharmaceutical Solids: Estimates of Solid Surface Polarity

Abstract Contact angle measurements of water and methylene iodide with various organic solids were used to estimate the surface free energy per square centimeter, γ S , and the contributions of non‐polar and polar forces, γ S d and γ S p , respectively. The ratio of γ S p to γ S was used as an estimate of solid surface polarity, and values ranging from 0 to 42% polarity were calculated for materials of pharmaceutical interest. Surface free energies per mole were calculated to compare the influence of different substituent groups on wettability. This approach offers a convenient means to quantitate the polarity of organic pharmaceutical solid surfaces.
Swelling in commercial Fe-Cr-Ni based alloys under electron irradiation

Abstract Electron irradiation in a 1 MeV electron microscope has been used to study the void swelling response of several commercial austenitic stainless steels and iron-nickel based superalloys. Use of the 1 MeV microscope permits direct, continuous observation of the void development during elevated-temperature irradiations at displacement rates about 10 000 times greater then those in a fast breeder reactor. The alloys examined in this work included AISI 310, RA 330, A286, M813, Nimonic ∗ PE16, Inconel ∗ 706, Inconel ∗ 718 and Incoloy ∗ 901. Both helium preinjected specimens and uninjected specimens were studied. In all of the above alloys, swelling proceeds by formation of irradiation-induced dislocations and voids, followed by growth of the voids. The swelling rates and peak swelling temperatures vary considerably with alloy composition, heat treatment and helium preinjection. Comparisons of these results with recently reported swelling data from the same alloys after high fluence neutron irradiation in the EBR-II reactor shows good qualitative agreement in most cases. Helium preinjection of the electron irradiated specimens generally produced a poorer simulation than no helium preinjection. In one or two cases where the electron and neutron irradiation results strongly disagree, the differences appear to result from differences in irradiation-induced precipitation. Although the correlations between neutron and electron irradiation results are inadequate to obtain reliable engineering data by simulation, in-reactor swelling behavior is in general qualitatively well-represented by swelling response in the 1 MeV electron microscope.
Septal lesions, cue availability, and passive avoidance acquisition by hooded male rats of two ages.

Abstract When a clearly relevant cue contingency was available, the performance of young adult hooded male septal rats did not statistically differ from that of cued or noncued control animals in the acquisition of a shock passive avoidance task. Noncued young adult septal rats did, however, display the septal deficit classically observed under these conditions. The provision of cues did not improve the performance of older septal rats in terms of number of shocks to criterion; but cued rats with septal lesions in both age groups did require fewer daily sessions to meet the acquisition criterion than their control counterparts. These results suggest important age-related attentional differences between septal and control rats.
Examining Perceptions of Social Acceptance and Quality of Life of Pediatric Campers with Physical Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of social acceptance (SA) and quality of life (QOL) amongst youth with disabilities who participated in a weeklong residential camp experience with similar peers. Findings demonstrated moderate quantitative correlational results between the constructs of SA and QOL. Strong qualitative outcomes three months post camp demonstrate the powerful social impact of the camp experience. These findings related to the theme of a supportive community that is consistent with other findings on the therapeutic value of community at specialty camps for children with disabilities. Despite favorable social support memories, qualitative analysis revealed a general negative feeling from campers of the lack of transference of these positive social experiences to their local communities. This new finding, although preliminary in nature, begins to paint a picture of the possible need for the development of follow-on programming post social treatment at camp.
Two-Dimensional Near-Field Contouring of Optical Fiber Cores

A microcomputer controlled system is described for measuring the two dimensional near-field radiation pattern from optical fibers. Because radiation measurements may be made in two dimensions, a novel method has been devised whereby a constant intensity contour of the core is mapped. A modified Left-Most-Looking (LML) digital image encoding algorithm is used to map the contour of the fiber core. The iso-intensity map provides information about the tolerance field, in which all of the measured iso-intensity points lie, and core noncircularity. Such information is useful in determining coupling efficiency at splices, connector joints, and terminal points. This paper will discuss the measurement apparatus, accuracy, precision, stability, and method of analysis of the NBS system. In addition, results will be presented on measurements of core diameters, the length dependence of such measurements, wavelength dependence of the radiation patterns, power law fits to the patterns, calibration apparatus, and iso-intensity contours of telecommunications-grade fibers.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Transition to adulthood in congenital heart disease: missed adolescent milestones.

Abstract Purpose To determine whether adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) are better adjusted than adults with acquired heart disease (AHD). Methods Twenty-five adults with CHD completed the Patient Adjustment to Illness Self Report (PAIS-SR). Results CHD patients had good adjustment for Heath Care Orientation and Family Relations, but poorer adjustment for Vocational, Social and Domestic Environment, Sexual Relations, and Psychological Distress. Conclusions The needs of CHD patients are not being met.
Spatially resolved Raman studies of diamond films grown by chemical vapor deposition.

The frequency and line shape of the diamond Raman line are examined in detail for a series of microwave-plasma-assisted chemical-vapor-deposition films grown on Si. The Raman lines in the films appear at higher frequency (shifts of up to 3 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$) than that of natural diamond and the observed lines are symmetric with broader linewidths than that of natural diamond, ranging from 5.7 to 17.1 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. In addition, the line frequencies and linewidths are correlated; the films with the highest vibrational frequencies have the largest linewidths. The data include single-point measurements on eight films grown under different conditions as well as 500 data points from different positions on a single film that were obtained in a spatially resolved Raman experiment. Several mechanisms for the frequency shift and the correlation of the linewidth with frequency are considered including phonon confinement, residual stress, and defect scattering. Contrary to the observations, Raman line shapes computed from the phonon-confinement model (which has been used successfully to model Raman scattering in microcrystalline Si and GaAs), using phonon-dispersion curves for diamond from the literature, are highly asymmetric at the linewidths observed. It is concluded that the observed shifts in the diamond Raman line do not arise from phonon confinement alone and arise primarily from compressive stress. The line broadening also is not produced by phonon confinement alone and may arise from decreasing phonon lifetime associated with scattering from defects or from an inhomogeneous stress distribution in the films. The observed correlation between Raman line frequency and width suggests that the degree of compressive stress may be associated with the density of microcrystalline defects.
Stromal Osteonectin Overexpression Is Associated with Poor Outcome in Patients with Ampullary Cancer

Osteonectin has been suggested to be important in the progression of pancreatic cancer but has not been correlated with survival. We determined the osteonectin expression and its influence on survival in patients with ampullary carcinoma. Tissue microarrays were constructed from the tumors of 56 patients with ampullary cancer undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy. Immunohistochemical staining for osteonectin was undertaken and compared with staining in chronic pancreatitis (n = 13) and normal pancreas (n = 19). Survival curves were created by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log rank analysis. Median follow-up for all living patients with ampullary cancer was 69.6 months. Osteonectin was significantly (P < .05, Fisher’s exact test) overexpressed in the stroma of ampullary cancers (90%) relative to chronic pancreatitis (62%) and normal pancreas (0%). Tumors expressing osteonectin were more likely to have nodal metastases than those lacking osteonectin expression (48% vs. 0%, P = .06, Fisher’s exact test) and showed decreased survival. Node-negative status, pylorus preservation at the time of pancreaticoduodenectomy, and lack of osteonectin expression were predictors of prolonged survival by multivariate analysis. Although the importance of tumor-stroma interactions in periampullary cancers is not fully understood, our data suggest that osteonectin is an integral stromal element in ampullary cancers, and its overexpression is associated with decreased survival.
Mexican Mothers Retelling the City: stories from the ‘parents as writers’ workshop

This article explores the ways a group of Mexican immigrant mothers living in Chicago's Little Village reconfigure their relation to local and transnational spaces they occupy, through their participation in a parent writing and publishing workshop. By conceptualizing the writers' storytelling activity as “spatial practices,” I consider how writing and reading stories in the group, and circulating their stories through publication and public readings, have allowed participating mothers to occupy and identify with their neighborhood, the city, and their homeland in novel terms that defy the official gendered and racial/ethnic structuring of urban spaces.
Lipid dependence of activity-temperature relationship of (Na+, K+)-activated ATPase.

Abstract The lipid moieties of (Na + , K + )-dependent ATPases of bovine cerebral cortex and bullfrog kidney were partly replaced with extraneous lipids, and temperature effects on their activities were investigated. The effects were found to depend on the lipid moiety, and to be constant with a given lipid regardless of the enzyme source.
Developing Roles for Macro Practitioners Within the Health Field

The authors examine and describe a department of social work in a university teaching hospital where macro practitioners and students are introduced into service delivery areas at the line level. This new role for macro practitioners promotes generic practice through which both macro and micro skills can be utilized without compromising one for the other. The introduction of macro practitioners into the Department of Social Work has improved the department's status within the hospital, the school of social work, and the community.
Metal oxide formation by serine and cysteine proteases

Silicatein-α, a member of the cathepsin-L family of protease enzymes, has previously been identified as a mediator for the formation of metal oxides such as silica (K. Shimizu, J. Cha, G. D. Stucky and D. E. Morse, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 1998, 95, 6234). The active site of silicatein-α, a serine-histidine-asparagine triad, prompted us to investigate metal oxide formation in protease enzymes with similar active sites. Three enzymes were explored: the cysteine proteases papain and TEV (tobacco etch virus protease), and the serine protease trypsin. It was observed that papain and trypsin were able to mediate the formation of titania at room temperature and neutral pH. Only papain was able to mediate the formation of silica, and TEV was unable to mediate the formation of either titania or silica. The metal oxide formation activities of papain and trypsin were inhibited by heat denaturation, suggesting a role of protein tertiary structure on condensation activity. These activities are discussed in terms of sequence homology to silicatein-α and active site accessibility.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE CHEMOTAXIS OF THE MOTILE PHASES OF ALLOMYCES

The response of the various motile phases of A llomyces to sirenin and to casein hydrolysate was examined. Male gametes respond chemotactically to sirenin but not to casein hydrolysate. Female gametes do not respond to either of the reagents. Zygotes, mitospores and meiospores respond to casein hydrolysate but not to sirenin. The zygotes were shown to respond to the individual amino acids cysteine, proline and serine but not to the other amino acids tested. Chemotropism of germ-tubes to casein hydrolysate was also demonstrated. The high activity of sirenin and the specificity of its action is in marked contrast to the low activity and lack of specificity of the amino acids in producing chemotactic and chemotropic responses.
Cursor movement during text editing

Nine participants used a full-screen computer text editor (XEDIT) with an IBM 3277 terminal to edit marked-up documents at each of three cursor speeds (3.3, 4.7, and 11.0 cm/s). These speeds occur when a user continuously holds down an arrow key to move the cursor more than one character position (i.e., in repeat or typamatic mode). Results show that cursor speed did not seem to act as a pacing device for the entire editing task. Since cursor speed is a form of system response, this finding is in contrast with the generally found positive relation between system-response time and user-response time. Participants preferred the Fast cursor speed, however. Overall, more than one-third of all keystrokes were used to move the cursor. We estimate that 9-14 percent of editing time was spent controlling and moving the cursor, regardless of cursor speed.
Observation of heavy atom effects in the development of water soluble caged 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal

During the course of our study on the photochemistry of 1-alkoxy-9,10-anthraquinones, we have developed a second generation of a caged 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (4-HNE). As we optimized the anthraquinonyl chromophore to achieve water solubility, we studied the photochemistry of various substituents to understand their effect on the photochemistry. We observed a significant heavy atom effect that severely reduced the rate of oxidative cleavage of the alkoxy group. Based on the results of our substituent study, we designed a new caged 4-HNE that is soluble under physiological conditions, and that releases 4-HNE photochemically in high yield.
Quality of Enzymatically Treated 72° Brix Orange Juice Stored at Refrigerated Temperatures

Fresh Valencia orange juice was treated with 0, 70, and 350 ppm of commercial pectic enzymes, concentrated to 72° Brix and stored at –7°, –1°, 7°, and 13°C for up to 6 months. The 70 ppm enzyme treatment successfully reduced initial apparent viscosity by about 25%. For the 70 ppm enzyme treated samples after 6 months storage at all four temperatures, juice cloud remained acceptable, furfural remained below the significant level, and at −1°C, vitamin C levels were above 32 mg/100 mL. There was no significant difference in taste after 6 months storage at −7°C between control and 70 ppm enzyme treated samples. Product quality of enzymatically treated orange concentrate stored at refrigerated temperatures was of sufficient quality to realize potential savings of 17% in storage and 30% in refrigeration.
Effects of borderline personality disorder features and a family history of alcohol or drug dependence on P300 in adolescents.

Abstract Decrements in P300 amplitude have been associated with familial risk for alcoholism as well as several other psychiatric disorders characterized by disinhibited behavior. The present study examined the P300 in relation to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) features in adolescents with a paternal history of alcohol or drug dependence. One hundred and seventy-five males and females, aged 14–20, were assigned to groups based on BPD features (BPD+ vs. BPD−), family history of substance dependence (negative FH−, alcohol FHA, drug FHD) and gender. BPD features were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-III-R questionnaire. P300 ERPs were recorded while each subject performed the Stroop color-word compatibility test. Repeated measures analyses, which included Conduct Disorder and Depression symptoms as covariates, indicated a significant reduction in P300 amplitude in the BPD+ group. There were no significant effects of FH or gender on P300 amplitude. These results document the presence of neurophysiological abnormalities associated with BPD features in an adolescent sample. This effect appeared to be independent of a family history of alcohol or substance dependence. These findings suggest that BPD symptoms during adolescence are relevant to the examination of the physiological antecedents of those forms of adult psychopathology characterized by behavioral disinhibition, including alcohol and drug dependence.
The Flux of Open and Toroidal Interplanetary Magnetic Field as a Function of Heliolatitude and Solar Cycle

We examine 45 years of near-Earth interplanetary observations as recorded in the National Space Science Data Center OMNI data set and 18 years of observations by the Ulysses spacecraft. We find that recent claims for a 50+ year low in interplanetary magnetic field intensity are substantiated, that the low flux levels can be attributed to open magnetic field lines, and that similar conditions existed in 1963-1964 during the start of the space age. Although the current solar minimum seems prolonged by recent standards and remarkably devoid of transient eruptions, we find no evidence that the present low in magnetic field intensity can be traced to the low in transient ejection rates as measured by toroidal magnetic field levels. We also find that the flux of toroidal magnetic field is approximately zero at high latitudes as measured by the Ulysses spacecraft at all times including both solar minimum and solar maximum conditions. We likely attribute this to the subphotospheric azimuthal magnetic fields that arise due to differential rotation. Our analysis of toroidal flux rates compares favorably with computed estimates of axial flux ejection associated with coronal mass ejections and allows us to place an upper limit on the average latitudinal separation of the footpoints.
On the Relationship between the Rotational Velocity and the Field Strength of Solar Magnetic Elements

By tracking various solar surface tracers, previous studies have found that magnetic structures, such as plages and sunspots, rotate faster than the quiet solar regions. We investigate how the rotational speed of these magnetic features is related to their magnetic field strength. By use of near-surface horizontal velocities inferred from time-distance helioseismology, we have studied a few Carrington rotations covering the years 1997-2002, from near the solar minimum to the maximum. It is found that the residual rotational velocity of magnetic elements nearly linearly depends on their magnetic field strength: the stronger the magnetic field strength, the faster the magnetic elements rotate relative to the quiet solar regions. It is also found that the magnetic elements rotate faster in the solar maximum years than the elements of the same magnetic strength but in years with moderate solar activity. For all Carrington rotations studied, magnetic elements of the following polarity rotate faster than the leading polarity elements of the same magnetic strength. Possible interpretations of the observed relations are discussed. Prograde supergranular advection may cause the faster rotation of the following polarity elements.
Progesterone Retards Postpartum Involution of the Rabbit Myometrium

Postpartum involution of the uterus was significantly reduced in rabbits by immediate and repeated injections of progesterone. Progesterone had no effect if the injections commenced 24 hours after delivery. The decrease in concentration of progesterone that accompanies birth results in release of proteolytic and other degradative enzymes from subcellular particles; these enzymes cause the involution, and, once the enzymes are released into the cellular milieu, progesterone has no effect.
Precision tracking control of shape memory alloy actuators using neural networks and a sliding-mode based robust controller

This paper presents a new approach to controlling shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators with hysteresis compensation by using a neural network feedforward controller and a sliding-mode based robust feedback controller. SMA actuators exhibit severe hysteresis, which is often responsible for position inaccuracy in a regulation or tracking system and may even cause instability in some cases. A single SMA wire actuator is used in this research. A testing system, which includes a wire stand, a linear bearing, a bias spring, a position sensor, a programmable current amplifier and a PC-based digital data acquisition and real-time control system, is used to test the SMA wire actuator in both open-and closed-loop fashions. The proposed control includes two major parts: a feedforward neural network controller, which is used to cancel or reduce the hysteresis, and a sliding-mode based robust feedback controller, which is employed to compensate uncertainties such as the error in hysteresis cancellation and ensures the system's stability. The feedforward neural network controller is designed based on the experimental results of open-loop testing of the wire actuator. With the proposed control, tests of the SMA actuator following sinusoidal commands with different frequencies and magnitudes are conducted. The experiments show that the actual displacement of the SMA actuator with the proposed control closely followed that of the desired sinusoidal command.
Generation of major histocompatibility complex class I antigens: functional interplay between proteasomes and TPPII.

The proteasome is key in the cascade of proteolytic processing required for the generation of peptides presented at the cell surface to cytotoxic T lymphocytes by major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. Proteasome-dependent epitope processing is greatly improved through the interferon-γ-induced formation of immunoproteasomes and the activator complex PA28. Tripeptidyl aminopeptidase II also has a strong effect on epitope generation. With its endoproteolytic and exoproteolytic activities, TPPII acts 'downstream' of the proteasome and relies on products released by the proteasome. The antigen-processing cascade involving different proteolytic systems raises anew the question of how antigenic peptides are generated. We therefore revisit the interferon-γ-induced immune adaptation of the proteasome and attempt to redefine its function in connection with the emerging importance of TPPII.
A Note on Matrix Inversion by the Square Root Method

rT HE square root method, also known as Choleski's method in the nonstatistical literature, has been discussed recently by Duncan and Kenney [1, pp. 16-29], Dwyer [4; 5, Sec. 6.5, 13.4, 13.7, 13.8], Fox, et al. [7, p. 159], and others, with a bibliography in [5, p. 118]. The essence of the method is the reduction of a symmetric matrix A to the product S'S-in which S is a triangular matrix with zeros below the main diagonal, and S' is its transpose. Then, if A and hence S is non-singular, A-' can be obtained either by inverting S and utilizing the relation
On parallel execution of multiple pipelined hash joins

In this paper we study parallel execution of multiple pipelined hash joins. Specifically, we deal with two issues, processor allocation and the use of hash filters, to improve parallel execution of hash joins. We first present a scheme to transform a bushy execution tree to an allocation tree, where each node denotes a pipeline. Then, processors are allocated to the nodes in the allocation tree based on the concept of synchronous execution time such that inner relations (i.e., hash tables) in a pipeline can be made available approximately the same time. In addition, the approach of hash filtering is investigated to further improve the overall performance. Performance studies are conducted via simulation to demonstrate the importance of processor allocation and to evaluate various schemes using hash filters. Simulation results indicate that processor allocation based on the allocation tree significantly outperforms that based on the original bushy tree, and that the effect of hash filtering becomes prominent as the number of relations in a query increases.
Imaging of spatial radiation dose distribution in agarose gels using magnetic resonance

Radiation dose distributions are conventionally measured using ionization chambers or diodes in liquid phantoms, or in two dimensions using film. This work describes a new application of magnetic resonance imaging to radiation dose planning. Agarose gels containing ferrous sulfate, sulfuric acid, and benzoic acid have been irradiated with /sup 137/Cs gamma rays and 6-14 MeV electrons, to doses of up to 20 Gy. The dose distributions have been imaged by magnetic resonance, making use of the effect on the T1 proton relaxation times of the radiolytic Fe/sup 3 +/. The image intensity was proportional to doses of up to 10 Gy, and images were stable for at least 24 h postirradiation. The G value for Fe/sup 3 +/ production was about 100 (molecules per 100 eV absorbed).
Speciation and isotopic composition of sulfur in sediments from Jellyfish Lake, Palau

Abstract Jellyfish Lake, Palau, is a meromictic marine lake with high organic productivity, low reactive Fe content, and anoxic bottom waters. Sediment samples from Jellyfish Lake were examined for the distribution of sulfur species and their isotopic signatures in order to gain a better understanding of sedimentary sulfur incorporation in Fe-poor environments. Surface samples were taken along a transect from a near-shore site to the center of the lake, and include a sample below oxic water, a sample below the chemocline layer, and samples below anoxic waters. Three additional samples were taken from a core, 2 m long, collected near the lake center. Sulfur to organic carbon weight ratios in all samples were lower than the expected value of 0.36 for normal marine sediment, probably because the lake water is deficient in reactive Fe to form iron sulfides. Total sulfur contents in the surface sediments indicated no changes with distance from shore; however, the sulfur content of the surface sample at the chemocline layer may be slightly higher. Total sulfur content increased with depth in the core and is inversely related to organic carbon content. Organic sulfur is the major sulfur species in the samples, followed in descending order by sulfate, disulfides and monosulfides. Sulfate sulfur isotope δ 34 S-values are positive (from +20.56 to +12.04‰), reflecting the marine source of sulfate in Jellyfish Lake. Disulfide and monosulfide δ 34 S-values are negative (from −25.07 to −7.60‰), because of fractionation during bacterial reduction of sulfate. Monosulfide δ 34 S-values are somewhat higher than those of disulfides, and they are close to the δ 34 S-values of organic sulfur. These results indicate that most of the organic sulfur is formed by reaction of bacteriogenic monosulfides, or possibly monosulfide-derived polysulfides, with organic matter in the sediment.
Attributions for Different Types of Traumatic Events and Post-Traumatic Stress Among Women

This study investigated the relationship of attributions to post-traumatic stress symptoms among women exposed to different types of traumatic events. Participants were 424 female undergraduates who previously experienced a serious accident, natural disaster, child abuse, or adult interpersonal violence. Path analysis indicated a significant indirect pathway from event type to post-traumatic stress through global attributions. Interpersonal-violence survivors exhibited the highest levels of global attributions and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Regression analyses revealed significant interactions between event type and attributions in predicting post-traumatic stress. Stable attributions were associated with increased symptoms in sexual-assault survivors and decreased symptoms in natural-disaster survivors. These findings have implications for improving cognitive interventions for survivors of different types of traumatic events.
Role of topical steroids in reducing dysfunction after nerve injury.

Objective To determine the efficacy of topical dexamethasone in reducing nerve dysfunction after axonotmesis injury. Study Design A three-armed, blinded study including sham, control, and test groups was designed using the rat sciatic nerve crush injury model. Methods Twenty-two rats were randomly assigned to a control group or a topical steroid group. A standardized sciatic nerve crush injury was performed under sterile conditions on each animal. A separate group of five rats underwent a sham operation to isolate the crush injury as the source of postoperative dysfunction in the control and steroid groups. All animals underwent walking track analysis with calculation of the sciatic functional index (SFI) before surgery and through the postoperative recovery period. Dexamethasone saturated Gelfoam was placed at the site of injury in the topical steroid group. The functional performance of each group was compared throughout the recovery period. Results No morbidity associated with topical application of steroids at the injury site was noted. The topical steroid group had improved recovery at postoperative days 14, 18, and 22. This difference was statistically significant at day 14. At the termination of the study, there was a clear trend toward superior recovery for the steroid group compared with controls (90% vs. 73%), but this difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions Clinical use of topical steroids to reduce postoperative nerve dysfunction warrants further study.
Impact of time delay, observational learning, and attentional cuing upon word recognition during integrated small-group instruction

The effects of constant time delay, observational learning opportunities, and differential attentional cuing were examined during the small-group instruction of students in an integrated setting. Three students, one individual with moderate mental retardation and two individuals characterized as at-risk learners, participated in learning sight words through direct instruction and observational-learning conditions. A multiple probe design across three students was combined with a multitreatment design across treatment conditions to assess the impact of instructional variables. Reliability of scoring and procedural integrity were estimated and social validity of outcomes was considered. Findings support the salience of the constant time delay procedure in facilitating word acquisition in small, heterogeneous, and inclusive group learning arrangements. Further, a significant amount of learning through observation occurred for all students under both a general and specific attentional cue condition. A slight but discernible advantage of using the specific cuing strategy of transcribing target and nontarget words was realized.