cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CD8+ T Cells Prevent Antigen-Induced Antibody-Dependent Enhancement of Dengue Disease in Mice

Dengue virus (DENV) causes pathologies ranging from the febrile illness dengue fever to the potentially lethal severe dengue disease. A major risk factor for developing severe dengue disease is the presence of subprotective DENV-reactive Abs from a previous infection (or from an immune mother), which can induce Ab-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE). However, infection in the presence of subprotective anti-DENV Abs does not always result in severe disease, suggesting that other factors influence disease severity. In this study we investigated how CD8(+) T cell responses influence the outcome of Ab-mediated severe dengue disease. Mice were primed with aluminum hydroxide-adjuvanted UV-inactivated DENV prior to challenge with DENV. Priming failed to induce robust CD8(+) T cell responses, and it induced nonneutralizing Ab responses that increased disease severity upon infection. Transfer of exogenous DENV-activated CD8(+) T cells into primed mice prior to infection prevented Ab-dependent enhancement and dramatically reduced viral load. Our results suggest that in the presence of subprotective anti-DENV Abs, efficient CD8(+) T cell responses reduce the risk of Ab-mediated severe dengue disease.
Evidence for Chelatable Zinc in the Extracellular Space of the Hippocampus, But Little Evidence for Synaptic Release of Zn

Zinc colocalizes with glutamate in the synaptic vesicles of certain glutamatergic vesicles in the mammalian brain. Here, I introduce a method for detecting Zn in the extracellular space of brain slices and another method for detecting the passage of Zn out of the slice. In both cases, the fluorimetric Zn probe FluoZin-3 is used in conjunction with a slow Zn chelator, Ca-EDTA, to reduce background fluorescence. In addition, a new Zn chelator, ethylenediiminodi-2-pentanedioic acid, with little affinity for Ca or Mg is introduced. These tools are then used to show that little Zn (approximately 2 nm) is released during the course of synaptic transmission into the extracellular space. However, when hippocampal slices are subjected to a high potassium stimulus (50 mM) combined with an increase in osmolarity, Zn is externalized in the Timm's-stained areas (approximately 6 nm). This stimulus also leads to even greater Zn elevations in area CA1 that is only weakly stained by the Timm's method. Nevertheless, even under these conditions, little if any Zn makes its way out of the slices. I present evidence for a layer of Zn in the extracellular space that maps onto the Timm's stained region of the hippocampus. This Zn veneer appears to be loosely associated with molecules in the extracellular space and may be the raison d'etre for vesicular Zn.
Identification of a novel allele: DQB1*06:127 in Hispanic sisters

Newly identified allele, HLA-DQB1*06:127, differs from DQB1*06:02:01 by the single nucleotide substitution 426C-A at codon 110 in exon 3.
Inhibition of mitosis by okadaic acid: possible involvement of a protein phosphatase 2A in the transition from metaphase to anaphase.

The effects of the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid were examined using the pig kidney cell line LLC-PK. At relatively low concentrations of the inhibitor (8–40 nM), cells became blocked in a metaphase-like mitotic state beginning 6–8 h after initial treatment. Spindle microtubules were present throughout the period of the mitotic block, but were not stabilized since they remained sensitive to nocodazole depolymerization. With increasing length of the mitotic block chromosome alignment at the metaphase plate was disrupted and multipolar spindles developed. Cells continued to accumulate in mitosis for at least 24 h, indicating that at these low concentrations okadaic acid was not cytotoxic, but rather acted as a cytostatic agent. Upon release of the okadaic acid block, mitotic LLC-PK cells recovered and completed anaphase. After extended periods of treatment some cells were able to escape the okadaic acid-induced mitotic block. These cells were multinucleate and had undergone cytokinesis in the absence of chromosome segregation. At higher concentrations of okadaic acid (0.5-1.0 microM), mitosis was blocked within 30–60 min of treatment. However, within 90–120 min treated cells rounded up and detached from the monolayer, regardless of whether they were in interphase or mitosis. Cytoplasmic microtubules were depolymerized in the detached cells, and these cells could not recover from the cytotoxic effects of such high concentrations of okadaic acid. Thus, differential effects of the phosphatase inhibitor could be demonstrated, depending upon the concentration of okadaic acid applied to the cultures. The okadaic acid-induced mitotic blockage was probably due to the inhibition of a type 2A protein phosphatase that is involved in the transition from metaphase to anaphase.
Dependence of tryptophan emission wavelength on conformation in cyclic hexapeptides.

The wavelength of maximum emission of tryptophan depends on the local electrostatic environment of the indole chromophore. The time-resolved emission spectra of seven rigid cyclic hexapeptides containing a single tryptophan residue were measured. The emission maxima of the three decay-associated spectra for the seven peptides ranged from 341 to 359 nm, suggesting that different tryptophan rotamers have different emission maxima even in the case of solvent-exposed tryptophans. This conclusion is supported by quantum mechanical/molecular dynamics simulations of the six canonical side chain rotamers of tryptophan in solvated hexapeptides. The calculated range of emission maxima for the tryptophan rotamers of the seven peptides is 344−365 nm. The precision of the wavelength calculations and the peptide, water, and charged side chain contributions to the spectral shifts are examined. The results indicate that the emission maxima of decay-associated spectra can aid in the assignment of fluorescence lifetimes to...
Tarnish and corrosion of noble metal alloys

A factorially designed experiment was chosen to form alloys of a gold-palladium-silver-copper quaternary system. A total of 81 alloys for three levels of concentration of each of the four elements were made and tested for the degree of tarnish in in vivo and in vitro environments. The following conclusions may be drawn: 1. In both the in vitro and in vivo experiments, increasing the gold levels of concentration within an alloy decreased the degree of tarnish. 2. In both the in vitro and in vivo experiments, increasing the palladium levels of concentration within an alloy decreased the degree of tarnish with an influence greater than that produced by the gold content. 3. In the in vitro environment of 2% sodium sulfide solution, the degree of tarnish increased as the levels of concentration of silver to copper were increased. 4. In both the in vitro and in vivo experiments, the effect of the interaction of the four elements on the degree of tarnish and corrosion is directly related not only to the concentration of each element within the alloy, but also to their ratios.
Avascular necrosis in neuronopathic Gaucher despite high-dose enzyme replacement therapy

Neuronopathic Gaucher disease presents a clinical spectrum of neurological features from eye findings to seizures and in severe cases brain and central nervous system damage. Treatment via enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is recommended, with excellent response for the visceral manifestations including bone health, but no impact on neurological disease. Recommendations suggest ERT doses upwards of 120 U/kg every two weeks for pediatric patients with neuropathic Gaucher and 60 U/kg every 2 weeks for adults (Altarescu et al., 2001; Vellodi et al., 2001). We report two patients with neuronopathic Gaucher (c.L444P homozygotes) maintained on high dose ERT who developed avascular necrosis (AVN) at 4.5 and 6 years post high dose ERT initiation, respectively. Patient 1 is a 13 year old Hispanicmalewho presented at age 14 months and began ERT at 60 U/kg every twoweeks at age 17 months. ERT was increased to 120 U/kg every two weeks at age 2. He had normalization of visceral manifestations at the increased dose. At age 6.5 years, he presented with left-sided bone pain; X-rays revealed sclerosis, and flattening and widening of the left femoral epiphysis, consistentwith AVN. At age 7 years, he presented with rightsided pain; X-rays revealed a femoral neck stress fracture, repaired by Spica cast. Bone density scanwaswithin two standard deviations of the mean onemonth prior to the onset of pain. Biomarkers were previously stable; chitotriosidase level increased from 4511 to 8771 nmol/h/ml approximately one month before onset of pain. Patient 1 initiated weekly ERT dose of 60 U/kg after surgical repair and showed improvement. Routine MRI at age 13 noted worsening bilateral femoral head AVNs. Patient 2 is an 18 year old Caucasianmale who presented at 18 months and began ERT at 22 months at a dose of 35 U/kg at an outside institution. He began care at Duke at age 4 years and continued on 35 U/kg. At 6.5 years, he was noted to have horizontal and vertical supranuclear gaze palsy, slow saccades, and difficulties with downward gaze. ERT dosewas increased andmaintained at 60 U/kg every 2 weeks; patient showed a good response, was growing and developing well without bone pain or symptoms. Routine surveillance MRI at age 17 noted a left femoral head AVN and bilateral femoral lytic lesions. Patient 2 was not reporting pain at this time. Previous surveillance MRI at age 15was normal. We present 2 cases of c.L444P homozygotes developing bone crises and avascular necrosis in spite of optimum ERT dosing for neuropathic Gaucher. Registry data will be queried to identify any additional cases. Both cases demonstrate the need for regular surveillance imaging as AVNs can present in a short amount of time. These cases additionally exhibit current challenges in the ability to prevent manifestations in bone tissue of patients with Gaucher disease.
Dynamically and Observationally Constrained Estimates of Water-Mass Distributions and Ages in the Global Ocean

AbstractA data-constrained ocean circulation model is used to characterize the distribution of water masses and their ages in the global ocean. The model is constrained by the time-averaged temperature, salinity, and radiocarbon distributions in the ocean, as well as independent estimates of the mean sea surface height and sea surface heat and freshwater fluxes. The data-constrained model suggests that the interior ocean is ventilated primarily by water masses forming in the Southern Ocean. Southern Ocean waters, including those waters forming in the Antarctic and subantarctic regions, make up about 55% of the interior ocean volume and an even larger percentage of the deep-ocean volume. In the deep North Pacific, the ratio of Southern Ocean to North Atlantic waters is almost 3:1. Approximately 65% of interior ocean waters make first contact with the atmosphere in the Southern Ocean, further emphasizing the central role played by the Southern Ocean in the regulation of the earth’s climate. Results of the a...
On a Partition Theorem of Göllnitz and Quartic Transformations

Fori=1, 2, 3, 4, letQi(n) denote the number of partitions of n into distinct parts ≢ (mod 4). New weighted identities in three free parameters are established connectingQi(n) with partitions whose parts differ by ⩾4 and such that consecutive members of the arithmetic progression ≡i(mod 4) cannot occur as parts. By the use of suitable quartic transformations, these weighted identities are shown to be reformulations of a deep partition theorem of Gollnitz. Applications include new relations for partitions of the Gollnitz-Gordon type, a new proof of Jacobi's triple product identity and a remarkable congruence modulo powers of 2 forQ2(n).
EVALUATING MODELS OF WORKING MEMORY THROUGH THE EFFECTS OF CONCURRENT IRRELEVANT INFORMATION

Working memory is believed to play a central role in almost all domains of higher cognition, yet the specific mechanisms involved in working memory are still fiercely debated. We describe a neuroimaging experiment with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a companion behavioral experiment, and in both we seek to adjudicate between alternative theoretical models of working memory on the basis of the effects of interference from articulatory suppression, irrelevant speech, and irrelevant nonspeech. In Experiment 1 we examined fMRI signal changes induced by each type of irrelevant information while subjects performed a probed recall task. Within a principally frontal and left-lateralized network of brain regions, articulatory suppression caused an increase in activity during item presentation, whereas both irrelevant speech and nonspeech caused relative activity reductions during the subsequent delay interval. In Experiment 2, the specific timing of interference was manipulated in a delayed serial recall task. Articulatory suppression was found to be most consequential when it coincided with item presentation, whereas both irrelevant speech and irrelevant nonspeech effects were strongest when limited to the subsequent delay period. Taken together, these experiments provide convergent evidence for a dissociation of articulatory suppression from the 2 irrelevant sound conditions. Implications of these findings are considered for 4 prominent theories of working memory.
REVIEW OF ANOTHER YEAR′S WORK IN THYROID DISEASE

In a clinic where thyroid diseases may be observed in a large number of cases, and where it is studied by a group organized for this purpose, it seems worth while to present from time to time a brief summary of the work, with such deductions from it as we feel justified in drawing, based upon that work or upon our previous experience with the disease. We have been impressed particularly in the last year with the fact that the seriousness of cases of thyroidism is being appreciated by the medical community at large, and that active measures to check the progress of the disease are being instituted eariler in an apparently much larger percentage of cases than heretofore, owing no doubt, to increased knowledge and wider interest in this subject. We believe that fewer and fewer patients are being subjected to the so-called “rest” or medical treatment, a method with which we have but little sympathy, resulting, as it does,
Trends in otitis media among children in the United States.

Background. The prevalence of repeated otitis media (OM) increased during the 1980s, but it is unknown if the increase has continued. Objectives. To determine trends in the prevalence of OM, early-onset OM, and repeated OM among US chil- dren from 1988 to 1994 and to identify factors that may explain any observed changes. Methods. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was administered in 2 phases: phase I (1988 -1991) and phase II (1991-1994), each comprising a national probability sample. OM (ever having had OM), early-onset OM (first episode at 3 episodes) were assessed for 8261 chil- dren <6 years of age. Results. After controlling for risk factors for OM, the prevalence of OM from phase I to phase II increased from 66.7% to 69.7% (odds ratio (OR) 1.1; 95% confi- dence interval (CI) .99, 1.1), early-onset OM increased from 41.1% to 45.8% (OR 1.1; 95% CI 1.03, 1.2), and repeated OM increased from 34.8% to 41.1% (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.1, 1.4). This observed increase corresponds to 561 000 and 720 000 more children having early-onset OM and repeated OM, respectively. Child care use, early breastfeeding termination, asthma, and access to health care did not significantly increase from phase I to phase II. The prevalence of early-onset OM and repeated OM was higher for affluent children, but the greatest increase in prevalence was among impoverished children. There was an increase in allergic conditions from phase I to phase II for poor children (22.6% to 30.2%). Conclusions. The prevalence of early-onset OM and repeated OM continued to increase among preschool children in the United States. Further research to inves- tigate this increasing prevalence should explore changes in management practice and an increase in prevalence of allergic conditions among poor children. Pediatrics 2003; 112:514 -520; otitis media, early-onset otitis media, Na- tional Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, allergy, epidemiology, pediatric, children.
The Philosophy of Hans Reichenbach

Among the greatest philosophers of science of all times one would surely have to include Aristotle, Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, and Kant. In an important sense Kant represents a culmination of this tradition on account of his strenuous attempts to provide an epistemological and metaphysical analysis appropriate to mature Newtonian science. There were, to be sure, significant developments in classical physics after Kant’s death — e.g. Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory — but these seemed more like completions of the Newtonian system than revolutionary subversions which would demand profound conceptual and philosophical revisions. It was only in 1905 that the first signs of fundamental downfall of classical physics began to be discernible; even though Planck’s quantum hypothesis and the Michelson-Morley experiment had occurred earlier, their crucial importance was only later recognized.
Progesterone levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin do not predict pregnancy outcome from the transfer of fresh or cryopreserved embryos from the same cohort

Objectives To analyze the differences in pregnancy rates (PRs) from the transfer of fresh and cryopreserved embryos from the same cohort of oocytes based on serum P levels on the day of hCG administration and the day after. Setting Infertility patients stimulated for IVF-ET in an academic center. Patient(s) Three hundred thirty-three patients with fresh transfer and at least one transfer of cryopreserved embryos from the same cohort of recruited oocytes. All stimulations were downregulated with a GnRH agonist in a long protocol before gonadotropin stimulation. Main Outcome Measure(s) Clinical PR. Result(s) The clinical PR in fresh cycles was 24% for the P ≤ 0.9 ng/mL group (group A; conversion factor to SI unit, 3.18) and 34% for the P > 0.9 ng/mL group (group B). Group B patients were younger, received fewer ampules of gonadotropins, had higher peak E 2 levels, and had more mature oocytes. There were no significant differences in the P levels on the day of hCG between patients who conceived in both fresh and cryopreserved cycles and any other combination of pregnancy outcome sequence. Conclusion(s) These findings suggest that serum P level cutoffs, on the day of hCG and the day after, as a means of making clinical decisions with respect to canceling the fresh transfer and cryopreservation of all embryos for future transfer should be questioned. Fertil Steril ® 1997;67:296–301
Endogenous and induced monooxygenase activity in gypsy moth larvae feeding on natural and artificial diets

NADPH oxidase activity was measured in third to sixth instar gypsy moth larvae fed oak or pine foliage. Activity levels ranged from 400 to 1,900 pmol NADPH oxidized/min/mg microsomal protein, but enzyme activity was not correlated with host plant ingested. Similarly, activity levels in larvae fed diets containing inducers, such as the terpenoid α-pinene or pentamethylbenzene, ranged from 700 to 1,500 pmol NADPH oxidized/min/mg protein, levels that were comparable to those measured for larvae fed control diets. O-demethylase activity in older instar gypsy moth larvae fed pine averaged 109 pmol p-nitrophenol/min/mg protein, and activity levels in those fed diet containing α-pinene ranged from 22 to 55 pmol/min/mg protein. Although statistically significant, these induced O-demethylase levels are well below those observed for Heliothis zea larvae. Our findings indicate that monooxygenases play a minor, if any, role in the ability of later instar gypsy moth larvae to develop successfully on pine foliage.
Emergence of Transient Compulsive Symptoms during Treatment with Clothiapine

ABSTRACT Serotonergic dysregulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder has been repeatedly demonstrated. Recent reports on the emergence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients treated with clozapine support a hyposerotonergic hypothesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The authors report the emergence of de novo compulsive symptoms in a drug-naive 8-year-old schizophrenic child, shortly after the initiation of treatment with clothiapine. Clothiapine, an atypical antipsychotic agent, shares with clozapine its strong antiserotonergic properties. It seems that antagonistic activity of atypical neuroleptics at postsynaptic serotonergic receptors might be responsible for the development of iatrogenic obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Role of metabotropic glutamate receptors in the depression of GABA-mediated depolarization of frog primary afferent terminals

Sucrose gap recordings from the dorsal roots of isolated, hemisected frog spinal cords were used to determine the effects of metabotropic L-glutamate receptor activation on primary afferent terminals by (+/-)-1-amino-trans-1,3-cyclopentane-dicarboxylic acid (t-ACPD). Dorsal root potentials evoked by ventral root volleys were significantly reduced by t-ACPD (30 microM), as were GABA- and muscimol-induced afferent terminal depolarizations. The effects of t-ACPD on GABA-depolarizations depended upon activation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors, i.e. the effects were blocked by the group I/II antagonist (RS)-alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine, but not by the group II antagonist alpha-methyl-(2S,3S,4S)-alpha-(carboxycyclopropyl)-glycine or the group III antagonist alpha-methyl-(S)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate and were mimicked by the group I agonist 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine but were not mimicked by the group III agonist (S)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate. Increasing the intracellular concentration of 3'-5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate with 8-bromo-cAMP, forskolin, and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine significantly reduced GABA depolarizations, but the protein kinase inhibitors Rp-adenosine 3,5-cyclic monophosphothioate triethylamine and N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide did not alter t-ACPD's depression of GABA depolarizations. The actions of t-ACPD on GABA depolarizations were neither mimicked nor blocked by phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate, thapsigargin, staurosporine, or arachidonic acid, presumptive indications that the effects of t-ACPD did not involve phosphoinositide hydrolysis, the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores, or the formation of arachidonate. t-ACPD's effects on GABA depolarizations were blocked by 20 mM Mg2+, the broad spectrum L-glutamate antagonist kynurenate, and the selective N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid, but not by the non-N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione. Low concentrations of N-methyl-D-aspartate (10 microM) mimicked the effect of t-ACPD on GABA responses. These results suggest that t-ACPD's depression of GABA depolarizations involves an indirect, three-stage mechanism that includes activation of Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors on interneurons and/or on afferent terminals, the release of L-glutamate from the latter structures, and the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors on primary afferent terminals. The depression of GABA depolarizations caused by the release of L-glutamate from afferent terminal and/or interneurons leads to a block of presynaptic inhibition (produced in the frog spinal cord by GABA) resulting in a positive feed-forward amplification of reflex transmission.
Identification of Promoter Elements Involved in Cell-specific Regulation of Rat Smooth Muscle Myosin Heavy Chain Gene Transcription

In order to identify cis-acting regulatory elements involved in smooth muscle cell-specific gene regulation, we have cloned a 4. 7-kilobase pair fragment of the promoter for the rat smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, a protein expressed in differentiated smooth muscle cells. Sequence analysis of a 1.7-kilobase pair portion of this clone reveals potential binding sites for known transcription factors. A comparison of the primary sequence between the rat and rabbit smooth muscle myosin heavy chain promoters reveals numerous conserved consensus binding sites. Transient transfection analysis of promoter deletion constructs in rat aorta and tracheal smooth muscle cells, L8 myoblast cells, and rat pulmonary aorta endothelial cells suggests that a region of the promoter located between -1,249 and -1,317 base pairs is important for the restriction of gene expression to smooth muscle cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis of a highly conserved region located between -1,317 and -1, 085 base pairs reveals specific DNA-protein complexes formed in smooth muscle cell extracts, which can be competed with an oligonucleotide containing a nuclear factor 1 binding site.
Endogenous oxygen consumption rates of bovine attached gingiva.

This investigation provided oxygen quotients of slices of bovine whole attached gingiva, the epithelium and the connective tissue. Respiratory measurements were made on an hourly basis for three consecutive hours with Gilmont differential syringe manometers according to the direct Method of Warburg at 37.5 C. Oxygen quotients were calculated on a microliter per milligram of dry tissue per hour basis. Although a very slight but progressive decline in respiratory rate during the 3 hours of observation was noted in the three classes of tissue samples, the values of the oxygen quotients for each hour within each class were remarkably similar. The mean oxygen quotients obtained for slices of whole attached gingiva, epithelium, and connective tissue are 1.56, 2.09 and 0.69, respectively. The oxygen quotient for bovine gingiva is similar to that reported by others for human gingiva but lower than that reported for rat gingiva. The oxygen quotient for the connective tissue is similar to that of bovine slightly dentinogenically active dental pulp. Oxygen quotients calculated on a different basis in another laboratory yielded higher values for human gingival epithelium and connective tissue than are reported here but there is agreement that respiratory activity of the epithelium is about three times as great as that of the connective tissue. The abundance of stroma in the latter could account for the difference, but the oxygen quotients for the two specific types of cells remain to be determined.
Consumer‐based assessment of product creativity: A review and reappraisal

In the current value-based economy, organizations compete to match customer needs and requirements by adding various types of value to products or programs. One example of this added value is product creativity, which is defined as the originality and appropriateness of a product that elicits a positive affect compatible with the consumer or judge. In this article, the authors review current research on creativity, product development, and consumer behavior and reappraise the current tools to measure product creativity. The overall conclusion of this review and reappraisal is that whereas product creativity shows relevance to consumer behavior, a more detailed model of product creativity and measurement tool needs to be developed and validated before fully understanding the impact of product creativity on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 16: 155–175, 2006.
SIMULATION OF TWO-FLUID FLOWS BY THE LEAST-SQUARES FINITE ELEMENT METHOD USING A CONTINUUM SURFACE TENSION MODEL

In this paper a numerical procedure for simulating two-fluid flows is presented. This procedure is based on the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method proposed by Hirt and Nichols and the continuum surface force (CSF) model developed by Brackbill, et al. In the VOF method fluids of different properties are identified through the use of a continuous field variable (color function). The color function assigns a unique constant (color) to each fluid. The interfaces between different fluids are distinct due to sharp gradients of the color function. The evolution of the interfaces is captured by solving the convective equation of the color function. The CSF model is used as a means to treat surface tension effect at the interfaces. Here a modified version of the CSF model, proposed by Jacqmin, is used to calculate the tension force. In the modified version, the force term is obtained by calculating the divergence of a stress tensor defined by the gradient of the color function. In its analytical form, this stress formulation is equivalent to the original CSF model. Numerically, however, the use of the stress formulation has some advantages over the original CSF model, as it bypasses the difficulty in approximating the curvatures of the interfaces. The least-squares finite element method (LSFEM) is used to discretize the governing equation systems. The LSFEM has proven to be effective in solving incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and pure convection equations, making it an ideal candidate for the present applications. The LSFEM handles all the equations in a unified manner without any additional special treatment such as upwinding or artificial dissipation. Various bench mark tests have been carried out for both two dimensional planar and axisymmetric flows, including a dam breaking, oscillating and stationary bubbles and a conical liquid sheet in a pressure swirl atomizer.
A Measurement Technique for Structural Return Loss in Transmission Lines

A new method is described that will measure and locate the source of structural return loss in transmission lines in the presence of mismatch between the measuring bridge impedance and the average characteristic impedance of the transmission line. A conceptual measurement system that realizes the described method is also presented.
Inferences on the Correlation Coefficient in Bivariate Normal Populations from Ranked Set Samples

Abstract Ranked set sampling was first used to obtain an improved estimate of a population mean. This technique is useful when a small random sample can be visually ordered easily and fairly accurately, but exact measurement of an observation is difficult or expensive. The sampling method is generalized and applied to estimation of the correlation coefficient ρ of a bivariate normal random vector (X, Y). The asymptotic variance of the maximum likelihood estimator of ρ based only on the extreme Y's and their concomitant X's is reduced over that from a random sample if the visual ordering is any better than random.
Race and income disparity in ischemic stroke care: nationwide inpatient sample database, 2002 to 2008.

Background Health care disparities exist between demographic groups with stroke. We examined whether patients of particular ethnicity or income levels experienced reduced access to or delays in receiving stroke care. Methods We studied all admissions for ischemic stroke in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database between 2002 and 2008. We used statistical models to determine whether median income or race were associated with intravenous (IV) thrombolysis treatment, in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, hospital charges, and LOS in high- or low-volume hospitals. Results There were a total of 477,474 patients with ischemic stroke: 10,781 (2.3%) received IV thrombolysis, and 380,400 (79.7%) were treated in high-volume hospitals. Race ( P P P P = .0002). Patients in high-volume hospitals were 1.84 times more likely to receive IV thrombolysis ( P Conclusions African Americans, Hispanics, and low median income patients are less likely to receive IV thrombolysis for ischemic stroke. Low median income patients are less likely to be treated at high-volume hospitals. High-volume hospitals have lower mortality rates and a higher likelihood of treating patients with IV thrombolysis. There is evidence for an influence of socioeconomic status and racial disparity in the treatment of ischemic stroke.
Combustion wave propagation in activated-carbon beds for oxygen containing gases at low velocities

Abstract The propagation of combustion fronts in activated-carbon beds into gases containing 0.2–1.0 mole fraction of oxygen was studied at pressures of one to two atmospheres and at superficial gas velocities of 1–15 mm/s. At these low velocities, the experimental data and an interpretive model indicate that the propagation-nonpropagation limit is about 0.3 atm oxygen. If a thermal energy loss mechanism is important, extinguishment of a reacting region will occur in pure oxygen for velocities less than about 5 mm/s.
Nursing culture assessment tool (NCAT): Empirical validation for use in long-term care

Abstract Background Capturing general aspects of the occupational subculture of nursing is needed in long-term care (LTC) given its latent influence on the quality of care that residents receive and on the ability of nursing staff (licensed nurses and certified nursing assistants) to implement evidence-based practice innovations. The psychometrically validated Nursing Culture Assessment Tool (NCAT) provides a comprehensive assessment using six dimensions (teamwork, communication, satisfaction, professional commitment, behaviors, and expectations), and evaluation of these dimensions could help positively reshape the culture before any change implementation. Purpose Aims were to: (1) assess the validity and reliability of the NCAT across nursing staff in a single type of clinical setting – LTC facilities, and (2) present a refined theoretical model of the interaction of culture and practice implementation. Methods A cross-sectional, exploratory investigation of the NCAT in LTC settings was conducted. Empirical construct validity of the 19-item NCAT's six subscales was investigated by confirmatory factor analysis using a sample of licensed nurses and certified nursing assistants (n = 318). Results The model fit was judged using the comparative fit index (0.94) and standardized root mean-square residual (0.05). Cronbach's alpha correlation coefficients of items in each subscale and in the overall scale ranged from 0.76 to 0.94. Conclusion A summary of the NCAT development and report on its psychometric properties when administered in LTC settings is provided, extending previous findings of the NCAT's enhanced stability when used in assessing nursing staff perceptions in LTC and by demonstrating that the NCAT is a reliable and valid psychometric screening tool for nursing culture.
Observable preferences for public goods

Abstract This paper discusses the circumstances under which it is possible to use the market or aggregate demand functions generated from individual utility maximization to obtain consumers' preferences for certain classes of public goods, and thus obtain the information needed to satisfy the Samuelsonian efficiency conditions for these public goods. The restrictions on the preferences of all consumers which are sufficient to use the aggregate demand function are: (i) there exists a price vector such that the level of public good provisiion is valueless, and (ii) the marginal rate of substitution of the private good price for the level of public good provision is independent of income.
Effect of surface hydrophobicity on the conformational changes of adsorbed fibrinogen

Abstract The extent of conformational changes of fibrinogen adsorbed on germanium, poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (poly(HEMA), Biomer, and polystyrene surfaces was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) coupled with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) optics. The contact angles of water on the solid surfaces were 19.3°, 35.5°, 37.6°, and 90.5°, respectively. The adsorption kinetics of fibrinogen from 1 mg/ml solution showed that the amount of adsorbed fibrinogen increased as the surface became more hydrophobic. The spectra of fibrinogen in the bulk solution and of fibrinogen tightly adsorbed on germanium, poly(HEMA), Biomer, and polystyrene surfaces were treated using Fourier self-deconvolution and the synthetic single-peak fitting techniques to resolve the overlapped peaks in the amide I and II regions. It was found that some α-helical structures were changed into the unordered structures and the content of β-turns was increased upon the protein adsorption. A weighted-peak shift method was used to examine the extent of the protein conformational changes upon adsorption on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. The results indicated that the adsorbed fibrinogen underwent a larger degree of conformational changes as the surface hydrophobicity increased.
Proteins of rat liver free and membrane-bound ribosomes Modification of two large sub-unit proteins by a factor detached from ribosomes at high ionic strength

Abstract We have compared the protein composition of sub-units obtained from rat liver ribosomes prepared under different ionic strength conditions. Analysis of ribosomal proteins by one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that differences in the protein content of large (60 S) sub-units occurred according to whether the ribosomes were exposed to low ionic strength media or were prepared in the absence of added salts. These differences may be accounted for by the presence of a protease in both free and membrane-bound ribosomes, the activity of which is normally only observed under low ionic strength conditions and which cleaves a small portion of two large sub-unit proteins in a specific manner. The factor responsible for the alteration in electrophoretic mobility can be released from the ribosomes by exposure to high ionic strength conditions such as those used to dissociate polysomes into sub-units in the presence of puromycin. Free and membrane-bound ribosomes, prepared under conditions in which this protease activity was inhibited and in the absence of detergents, were compared by both one-dimensional and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Analysis by one-dimensional polyacrylamide-sodium dodcyl sulfate gel electrophoresis resolved 17 bands for 40-S sub-units and 26 bands for 60-S subunits. The profiles of free and membrane-bound ribosomal particles were identical. Two-dimensional analysis resolved 26 small sub-unit proteins and 38 large sub-unit proteins for both free and membrane-bound ribosomes. The protein complement of free and bound ribosomal sub-units was identical. These results suggest that there is no structural difference between free and bound ribosomes and that the two populations are interchangeable.
Predictors of contact with public service sectors among homeless adults with and without alcohol and other drug disorders.

Objective: Homeless persons with alcohol and other drug (AOD) disorders face multiple problems that go beyond their AOD use. As a consequence, they commonly access services in multiple sectors in addition to the AOD treatment system. This study examined the predictors of contact with agencies in the health, mental health, social welfare and criminal justice sectors by AOD status among a probability sample of homeless adults in Houston, Texas. Method: Cross-sectional data were collected from a multistage random sample of 797 homeless adults (579 men), age 18 or older, who were living in shelters and on the streets of Houston in 1996. Structured face-to-face interviews provided screening diagnoses for AOD disorders, self-report data on AOD treatment use and candidate predictors of treatment use. Service use was tracked retrospectively through administrative data obtained from 10 federal, state, county and municipal agencies that provide finding for physical and mental health services and AOD treatment, as w...
AUTOMATION STUDY OF β-N-ACETYLGLUCOSAMINIDASE ACTIVITY AS AN INDICATOR FOR EGG WHITE PASTEURIZATION

SUMMARY An automated β-N-acetylglucosaminidase activity test was devised measuring the degree of heat treatment given chicken egg white by the pH 7 pasteurization process of Lineweaver and Cunningham (1966). The test is based on measurement of p-nitrophenol released by the enzyme in egg white from p-nitrophenyl-N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide before and after pasteurization. The kinetics and thermal processing parameters for thermal inactivation of the enzyme activity in egg white have been determined by use of the Technicon AutoAnalyzer (35 egg white samples per hour). Percentage inactivation (60%) of β-N-acetylglucosaminidase activity upon heating appears to be a suitable indicator of whether egg white has been held at an adequate time-temperature combination approved by the USDA grading and inspection program. The test should be useful to egg product processors and USDA plant inspectors to insure that the egg product has actually been given the heat treatment intended.
Semantic congruity in symbolic comparisons: evidence against an expectancy hypothesis.

A previously proposed expectancy hypothesis predicts that the semantic congruity effect typically observed in symbolic comparison tasks will be eliminated when the items to be compared are presented prior to the comparative. Previous studies testing this hypothesis have been inconclusive. The present experiments demonstrate that a semantic congruity effect can be obtained when the comparative follows the pair after a 1-sec (Experiment 1) or 4-sec (Experiment 2) delay. Lexical markedness effects were also obtained. The key to producing a “comparative-after” congruity effect is to intermix questions about several different dimensions, so that when the pair is presented, subjects will be unable to anticipate the question. The results disconfirm the expectancy hypothesis.
The effect of millennial-scale changes in Arabian Sea denitrification on atmospheric CO2.

Most global biogeochemical processes are known to respond to climate change, some of which have the capacity to produce feedbacks through the regulation of atmospheric greenhouse gases1. Marine denitrification—the reduction of nitrate to gaseous nitrogen—is an important process in this regard, affecting greenhouse gas concentrations directly through the incidental production of nitrous oxide, and indirectly through modification of the marine nitrogen inventory and hence the biological pump for CO2. Although denitrification has been shown to vary with glacial–interglacial cycles2,3, its response to more rapid climate change has not yet been well characterized. Here we present nitrogen isotope ratio, nitrogen content and chlorin abundance data from sediment cores with high accumulation rates on the Oman continental margin that reveal substantial millennial-scale variability in Arabian Sea denitrification and productivity during the last glacial period. The detailed correspondence of these changes with Dansgaard–Oeschger events recorded in Greenland ice cores4 indicates rapid, century-scale reorganization of the Arabian Sea ecosystem in response to climate excursions, mediated through the intensity of summer monsoonal upwelling. Considering the several-thousand-year residence time of fixed nitrogen in the ocean, the response of global marine productivity to changes in denitrification would have occurred at lower frequency and appears to be related to climatic and atmospheric CO2 oscillations observed in Antarctic ice cores between 20 and 60 kyr ago5.
Reduction of ferric iron by tumorous crown gall tissue is associated with cells modified by agro‐bacterium tumefaciens

Abstract Iron (Fe) uptake and use in plants is genetically controlled and physiological mechanisms such as Fe reduction are induced during Fe‐deficiency stress to make it available. Transfer of DNA into the cell genome by Agrobacterium tumefaciens alters physiological processes and causes undifferentiated growth. Tumor cells in sunflower (Helianthus annus L. cv. Mammoth Russian) show enhanced Fe reduction compared to normal stem tissue in a manner similar to root cells in plants that are genetically switched on or off to manage Fe acquisition. This study addresses whether alterations caused by the DNA transfer from A. tumefaciens result in Fe reduction or whether A. tumefaciens inoculum alone reduces Fe. Reduction of Fe was quantified from A. tumefaciens inoculum and from uninoculated or inoculated sunflower stem tissues daily over a 14‐day period. Neither A. tumefaciens inoculum nor uninoculated stem tissue alone activated massive Fe reduction. High rates of Fe reduction were associated with the prolifer...
Solution Structure of (+)-Discodermolide

[structure: see text]. The solution structure of (+)-discodermolide (1) has been determined via 1- and 2-D NMR techniques in conjunction with Monte Carlo conformational analysis. Taken together, the results demonstrate that in solution (+)-discodermolide occupies a helical conformation remarkably similar to the solid state conformation.
NP-complete problems simplified on tree schemas

A schema is a collection of finite subsets of a set. One can partition the class of all schemas into tree schemas and cyclic schemas. This partitioning has been extensively studied in relational database theory. In this paper we examine the impact of tree schemas on some NP-complete problems. We show that tree schema instances can be efficiently solved (i.e., polynomially) for certain NP-complete problems.
Studies on the mechanism of uptake of low density lipoprotein-proteoglycan complex in macrophages

Earlier, we (Vijayagopal, P. et al. (1988) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 960, 210) showed that mouse peritoneal macrophages metabolize low density lipoprotein (LDL)-proteoglycan complex by a receptor pathway distinct from the acetyl-LDL receptor. Further studies were conducted to probe further into the mechanism of LDL-proteoglycan complex uptake by macrophages. Both 125I-methyl-LDL-proteoglycan complex and 125I-LDL-proteoglycan complex were taken up and degraded by the cells to the same extent. Similarly, the ability of these ligands to stimulate cholesteryl ester synthesis was also indistinguishable. These results rule out the possibility of apoB,E receptor involvement in the uptake of LDL-proteoglycan complex in macrophages. Sodium fluoride, cytochalasin D and aggregated LDL inhibited degradation of the complex by 24%, 26% and 28%, respectively, indicating that phagocytosis is only a minor pathway for the uptake. Both binding and degradation of the complex were not inhibited by excess hyaluronic acid suggesting that ligand recognition was not through hyaluronic acid binding sites. As compared to acetyl-LDL, the cellular degradation of LDL-proteoglycan complex was retarded. Macrophages exhibited a rapid stimulation of [3H]inositol trisphosphate (IP3) release and diacylglycerol production when incubated with LDL-proteoglycan complex. Furthermore, pertussis toxin produced a 62% inhibition of LDL-proteoglycan complex mediated IP3 release, suggesting that LDL-proteoglycan complex metabolism in macrophages is dependent upon the G-protein coupled signal transduction mechanism. These results show that receptor mediated endocytosis plays a major role in the metabolism of LDL-proteoglycan complex in macrophages.
Light and Synthetic Pheromone as Attractants for Male Cabbage Loopers

Electric grid traps baited with synthetic pheromone of the cahbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), caught more male cabbage loopers than standard survey light traps baited with the pheromone. Also, grid traps baited with pheromone + one 15-w BL lamp caught 1.3 times more males than similar traps baited only with pheromone. When survey light traps were spaced at various distances from a source of the pheromone where moths were either killed or allowed to escape, the catches were the same whether or not the moths were killed. Statistically significant decreases in light trap catches occurred as the distances between the survey light trap, and the pheromone source were increased from 6 to 48 m; conversely, but only with 5 mg of pheromone, moth catches increased significantly at the pheromone source as the distance from the light trap increased.