cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A retrospective review of XEN implant surgery: efficacy, safety and the effect of combined cataract surgery.

To investigate the safety and efficacy of glaucoma XEN stent implantation and examine the effect of undergoing combined phacoemulsification and XEN versus XEN implant alone. A retrospective case note review of patients who underwent XEN implantation by a single surgeon over a 24-month period was performed. Outcomes included changes in IOP and medication use after XEN implant insertion as well as complications post-surgery. Subgroup analysis was also performed, separating phaco-XEN (phacoemulsification and XEN implantation) and stand-alone XEN implantation. 186 XEN implant procedures were included in this study from a total of 143 patients. Intraocular pressure changes with time were as follows: preoperative 18.1 mmHg (± 5.77), 6 months 13.2 mmHg (SD ± 3.9), 12 months 13.7 mmHg (SD ± 5.6) and 24 months 12.6 mmHg (SD ± 3.1). For visits up to 12 months, comparison from preoperative IOP was significant at the < 0.0001 level; for 18 and 24 months, significance was < 0.05. Medication usage with time was as follows: preoperative 2.5 (SD ± 1.1) 6 months 0.7 (SD ± 0.9), 12 months 0.8 (SD ± 0.97), and 24 months 1.7 (SD ± 1.7). All results were significant at < 0.05 level. Subgroup analysis of separate phaco-XEN and stand-alone XEN groups did not reveal significant differences in IOP; however, there was a significant difference between the two groups preoperatively. Initial hypotony occurred in 75 cases (40%). There were 9 cases of hypotonous maculopathy, 3 cases of persistent choroidal effusions, 3 cases of IOP spikes, 1 cases of cyclodialysis cleft and 1 case of corneal decompensation. 25 (13%) cases had needling during their treatment. The XEN implant appears to be safe and effective at reducing intraocular pressure and medication usage in glaucoma patients. XEN implantation is an effective treatment option for a range of glaucoma types and can be used as a stand-alone procedure or combined with cataract surgery to treat glaucoma patients.
Consistent Regularization of Both Kernels in Hypersingular Integral Equations

A common method to regularize the stronger kernel that appears in derivatives of boundary integral equations, or hypersingular equations, is through subtraction of the ascending terms of the Taylor series expansion of the density function in the vicinity of the singular point. This isolates the kernel in an integral with unit density, which can generally be integrated analytically, or equivalently reduced in singularity order by the use of known solutions to the equation. In this process, terms arising from the analytically integrated term can be associated with the “flux” density and provide a regularization for the weaker kernel as well. This kind of formal development is, however, not well suited for computational purposes, since the added back flux term must be determined through derivatives of the primary variable on the boundary.
The role of replication proteins in the regulation of bacteriophage T4 transcription. I. Gene 45 and hydroxymethyl-C-containing DNA.

Abstract In this and the following paper, expression of the phage T4 late genes in the absence of DNA replication has been examined. With only one exception, mutants that block viral replication allow synthesis of late RNA and late proteins. The peculiar character of the DNA replication-independent T4 late transcription (measured, in our experiments, as RNA that hybridizes with the isolated r -strand of T4 DNA) is the dependence of the proportion of r -transcription on the number of infecting phage and the temperature sensitivity of this transcription. Mutants in gene 45 fail to synthesize appreciable proportions of late RNA. The effects of mutations in gene 45 on late transcription are more severe than those in the other hitherto identified T4 late transcription control genes, 33 or 55. We conclude (see also the following paper by Wu et al. , 1975) that the product of T4 gene 45 is required for T4 late transcription as well as for DNA replication. Mutants in four T4 DNA genes—30, 41, 46 and 56—have defective replication but synthesize some viral DNA. Mutations in three of these genes, 30, 41 and 46, allow the synthesis of T4 late RNA at levels that do not depend on the multiplicity of infection. Mutations in gene 56 (which codes for a dCTPase) lead to the synthesis of T4 DNA containing C in place of hydroxymethyl. Such DNA is subject to degradation by virus-specified endo- and exonucleases. In cells infected with a gene 56 mutant, some r -strand-specific T4 RNA is synthesized but synthesis of late T4 proteins is defective. We provide evidence that this is an intrinsic property of C-containing T4 DNA rather than a consequence of its susceptibility to degradation by phage-specified nucleases.
Impact of sustainable viticulture programs on American Viticultural areas: Lodi AVA

Winegrape productivity and quality are important characteristics in the production of superior wines and efforts to maintain these features have potential environmental impacts. Agricultural adjustments and conservation initiatives that anticipate potential harmful impacts are essential for sustainability. Recent attempts to institute practical sustainable practices for the production of wine include the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing. Our research examined the effects of this program over time. Did sustainable viticulture initiatives that focus on both social and environmental issues also translate into economic success? In order to investigate the economic impacts of the Lodi Sustainable Viticulture initiatives the relationship between weighted average price per ton and sustainable development variables, are investigated in are regression model. The model relies on a time series analysis using California Crush Reports from 1976 to 2012 (NASS 2012). We found the publication of the Lodi Rules Work...
Transient neurogenic bladder secondary to presacral abscess. Association with regional ileitis.

Abstract Presacral abscess secondary to regional enteritis is rare and to our knowledge has not been previously reported as a cause of transient neurogenic bladder. This possible complication should be kept in mind in the evaluation of the genitourinary tract of patients with known regional enteritis. Because of the frequency of genitourinary eomplications associated with regional enteritis, preoperative evaluation of these patients should include excretory urography.
Nanophotonic structures for extreme light-confinement interaction

Nanophotonic architectures such as photonic crystals and metamaterials have become key players in modern photonics. They offer hitherto unprecedented capabilities combined with great versatility to control various properties of light -propagation, polarization, emission and photon statistics. They have become increasingly important for chip-scale photonics. In this talk, I will present research carried out at Sandia National Labs along with my colleagues in this area using photonic crystals and metamaterials. I will discuss titanium dioxide [1] and GaN [2],[3] based photonic crystals, III-nitride nanostructures for room temperature single photon sources [4] as well as broadband light confinement and enhancement in metallic periodic structures [5].
The characteristics of suicides within a week of discharge after psychiatric hospitalisation - a nationwide register study.

Background The characteristics of victims of immediate post-discharge suicides are not well known. We explored these characteristics for the purposes of better recognition and preventive efforts of potential immediate post-discharge suicides.
Properties and Purification of N-Acetylmuramyl-l-Alanine Amidase from Staphylococcus aureus H

The principal autolytic enzyme activity of the cell sap of Staphylococcus aureus H has been purified 400-fold. It is an N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase. This enzyme has a molecular weight of 8 to 10 × 105, a pH optimum of 7.3, an ionic strength optimum of 0.16 m and a Km of 10−3m murein repeating units.
Primary Plasmacytoma Arising in an Endocervical Polyp With Detection of Neoplastic Cells on Papanicolaou Test

Abstract Primary plasmacytomas of the female genital tract are extremely rare and present a substantial diagnostic challenge. Five cases morphologically representing plasmacytomas and localized to the uterine cervix have been reported previously; however, only 1 was shown to be monotypic for immunoglobulin light-chain expression. We report the case of a 37-year-old woman who had highly atypical plasma cells on her Papanicolaou test. A clinically detected endocervical polyp was removed and revealed a plasmacytoma, the diagnosis of which was substantiated by demonstrating monotypic λ-light-chain restriction and a clonal immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene rearrangement. The cytologic and histopathologic findings of plasmacytomas of the uterine cervix are discussed, including the utility of immunophenotypic and molecular techniques to confirm the neoplastic diagnosis.
Semileptonic decays of heavy Λ baryons in a quark model

The semileptonic decays of ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}$ and ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{b}$ are treated in the framework of a constituent quark model. Both nonrelativistic and semirelativistic Hamiltonians are used to obtain the baryon wave functions from a fit to the spectra, and the wave functions are expanded in both the harmonic-oscillator and the Sturmian bases. The latter basis leads to form factors in which the kinematic dependence on ${q}^{2}$ is in the form of multipoles, and the resulting form factors fall faster as a function of ${q}^{2}$ in the available kinematic ranges. As a result, decay rates obtained in the two models with the Sturmian basis are significantly smaller than those obtained with the harmonic-oscillator basis. In the case of the ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}$, decay rates calculated with the Sturmian basis are closer to the experimentally reported rates. However, we find a semileptonic branching fraction for the ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}$ to decay to excited ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{*}$ states of 11 to 19%, in contradiction to what is assumed in available experimental analyses. Our prediction for the ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{b}$ semileptonic decays is that decays to the ground state ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}$ provide a little less than 70% of the total semileptonic decay rate. For the decays ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{b}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{c}$, the analytic form factors we obtain satisfy the relations expected from heavy-quark effective theory at the nonrecoil point, at leading and next-to-leading orders in the heavy-quark expansion. In addition, some features of the heavy-quark limit are shown to naturally persist as the mass of the heavy quark in the daughter baryon is decreased.
Acrylamide in Polyacrylamide Gels Can Modify Proteins during Electrophoresis

Many notable discoveries have resulted from the characterization or purification of compounds by electrophoresis. The results reported here show that when polyacrylamide gels are used as the support matrix for electrophoresis, proteins can be modified by reaction with unpolymerized monomers of acrylamide, forming covalent acrylamide adduction products. This was demonstrated by electrophoresis of human and rat hemoglobins and subsequent analysis by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The degree of covalent acrylamide binding can be appreciable. The degree of adduction is dependent upon the condition of the gel matrix, the amount of material applied, and the reactivity of the material under investigation.
Control of Vibratory Energy Harvesting Systems with Optimized Passive Networks

There has been a growing interest in the generation and storage of power from ambient vibration using piezoelectric transduction. It is well-known that by connecting a piezoelectric energy harvester to a power-electronic switching network, proper switching control can yield favorable energy transduction. It has also been shown that in broadband response, the switching controller maximizing power flow to storage can be solved as an H2 optimal control problem. For extremely small-scale applications, however, the background power necessary to keep a controller online continuously may exceed the average harvested power. In such circumstances, it is necessary to restrict feedback controllers to a class which can be realized with very little power. This paper investigates the use of passive networks to impose transducer voltage feedback laws on energy harvesting systems. Such an implementation requires external power only to gate one mosfet in the power-electronic drive circuitry at a constant duty cycle. The optimization of the passive network for optimal power generation is a challenging, nonconvex problem. This paper presents some preliminary results on a sub-optimal LMI-based design approach for this problem. An example is given for a stochastically-excited piezoelectric bimorph beam.
High‐resolution bent‐crystal spectrometer for the ultrasoft x‐ray region

A multichannel vacuum Bragg‐crystal spectrometer has been developed for high‐resolution measurements of the line emission from tokamak plasmas in the wavelength region between 4 and 25 A. The spectrometer employs a bent crystal in Johann geometry and a microchannel‐plate‐intensified photodiode diode array. The instrument is capable of measuring high‐resolution spectra (λ/Δλ≊3000) with fast time resolution (4 ms per spectrum) and good spatial resolution (3 cm). The spectral bandwidth is Δλ/λ0=15% at λ0=8 A. A simple tilt mechanism allows access to different wavelength intervals. In order to illustrate the utility of the new spectrometer, time‐ and space‐resolved measurements of the n=3–2 spectrum of selenium from the Princeton Large Torus tokamak plasmas are presented. The data are used to determine the plasma transport parameters and to infer the radial distribution of fluorinelike, neonlike, and sodiumlike ions of selenium in the plasma. The new ultrasoft x‐ray spectrometer has thus enabled us to demonst...
Fourier-series-based atmospheric phase screen generator for simulating anisoplanatic geometries and temporal evolution

Anew Fourier Series atmospheric phase screen generator is introduced. A Fourier Series (FS) is used to represent the wavefront phase as a two dimensional periodic function. The period of the function is chosen to be much larger than the outer scale of the turbulence and thus the FS accurately represents the power in the low spatial frequencies of the wavefront. The accuracy of the representation of the high spatial frequencies is determined by the number of terms used in the FS expansion. The FS based screen generator is capable of simulating atmospheric-induced wavefront phase distortions arising from temporal and/or anisoplanatic conditions. Both the spatial and temporal correlations between wavefront phases screens separated by time and/or angle are properly modeled. The conventional approach of simulating temporal evolution by making a large phase screen and then shifting is avoided. The phase screen generator is presented in an extremely compact and simple vector notation that lends itself for almost immediate implementation on modern mathematical analysis software packages.
A protein fraction (NHG) from serum of normal humans which is cytotoxic for HeLa cells in culture.

Abstract A fraction of the α-globulins (NHG) from normal human serum was cytotoxic for mouse L-cells in culture and Meth A tumors in mice. NHG inhibited the growth in vitro of human colon cancer (HT-29), melanoma (RPMI 7931) and a neuroblastoma cell line. Survival of HeLa S-3 cell colonies after 24 h exposure to 25, 50, 75 or 100 μg NHG/ml medium was 86%, 77%, 40% and 10%, respectively. Whole human serum or purified serum albumin had no anti-HeLa cell activity. These results confirm the presence of a protein in human serum with antitumor activity. An assay for NHG using HeLa S-3 tumor cells is described.
Pricing traffic in a spanning network

Each user of the network needs to connect a pair of target nodes. There are no variable congestion costs, only a direct connection cost for each pair of nodes. A centralized mechanism elicits target pairs from users, and builds the cheapest forest meeting all demands. We look for cost sharing rules satisfying• Routing-proofness: no user can lower its cost by reporting as several users along an alternative path connecting his target nodes;• Stand Alone core stability: no group of users pay more than the cost of a subnetwork meeting all connection needs of the group.We construct first two core stable and routing-proof rules when connecting costs are all 0 or 1. One is derived from the random spanning tree weighted by the volume of traffic on each edge; the other is the weighted Shapley value of the Stand Alone cooperative game.For arbitrary connecting costs, we prove that the core is non empty if the graph of target pairs connects all pairs of nodes. Then we extend both rules above by the piecewise-linear technique. The former rule is computable in polynomial time, the latter is not.
Considerations of menu structure and communication rate for the design of computer menu displays

Abstract A design methodology is presented for configuring computer menu displays to optimize total execution time for simple menu selection. Communication times and operator times were combined to obtain total execution times for four menu structures spanning the breadth/depth spectrum for 64 items. The broadest menu (64 items in one frame) was favored at the most rapid communication rate (960 characters per s) whereas menus with intermediate values of breadth/ depth (eight items per frame at two levels and four items per frame at three levels) yielded the fastest execution times at slower communication rates.
Saprophytic activities of Fusarium oxysporum F. SP. Melonis in soil

Saprophytic growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis Leach & Currence (Snyder & Hansen) was studied on various substrates in naturally infested soil. The pathogen colonized detached or sterilized tissues of either host or non-host plants, and under favourable conditions the pathogen survived in colonized plant materials for several months. Colonization did not occur at 5°C, and the pathogen was a more active colonizer at 15° than at higher temperatures. The pathogen was found to compete successfully with other soil microorganisms in colonizing plant materials.
Far-infrared absorption in thin superconducting lead films

We describe measurements of the far-infrared conductivity ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{1}\ensuremath{-}i{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{2}$ of thin superconducting lead films with resistances of about $\frac{200\ensuremath{\Omega}}{\mathrm{square}}$ in the normal state. The conductivity is inferred from measurements of the transmittance and reflectance of a thin film of lead which has been evaporatively deposited on a quartz crystal. We report results for the real part of the conductivity of lead over the frequency range 9 to 120 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. From these we infer an energy gap for lead films at $T=0$ of 22.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, or $(4.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1)k{T}_{c}$, where $k$ is the Boltzmann constant and ${T}_{c}$ is the superconducting transition temperature. The measurements were made at 2.0, 4.3, and 5.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, and the energy gap varies with temperature in the manner predicted by the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory. The frequency dependence of the real part of the conductivity also is in good agreement with the theory. No evidence is found of the strong precursor absorption which had been previously reported in the energy gap in lead, but ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{2}$ is found to be anomalously low (by \ensuremath{\sim}25%) near and below the gap frequency. This is believed to result from the strong-coupling anomalies discussed by Nam. This anomalously low ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{2}$ would also account for the anomalously steep absorption edge observed in other experiments on lead.
Coatings for corrosion protection of steel used in reinforced concrete

Abstract Silicon and silicon-titanium protective coatings were deposited on steel rebars, wires and fibers using a novel chemical vapor deposition technique that combines the low cost of pack metallization with the advantages of subhalide chemistry and with the high heat and mass transfer of a fluidized bed reactor. The steel samples were immersed in a bed of silicon or silicon-titanium particles fluidized by an argon-0.1% HCl mixture and kept at temperatures ranging from 400 to 750°C. Diffusion coatings were obtained in all cases. Coating rates of over 1 μm min−1 were obtained at the highest temperatures. Selected coated samples were tested for corrosion resistance by chemical and electrochemical techniques. In general, silicon provided some corrosion protection as expected. A.c. impedance measurements in acidic chloride solutions indicated that very thin and very thick silicon coatings were as protective as coatings 1–5 μm thick. The best coatings were obtained when silicon and titanium were codeposited at temperatures around 550°C. These coatings increased the corrosion resistance by more than an order of magnitude with respect to the uncoated sample.
Direct numerical simulations of turbulent forced convection between counter-rotating disks

Abstract A Fourier–Chebyshev collocation spectral method is used to simulate the three dimensional unsteady flow inside a cylindrical annular enclosure comprised of two counter-rotating disks and sidewalls. Each disk is taken to be isothermal, with an imposed temperature difference between them, and the sidewalls are adiabatic. Buoyancy forces are neglected. A shallow annulus with aspect ratio, h / r o =0.06, and radius ratio, r i / r o =0.13, is considered (where 2 h is the distance between the disks and r i and r o are the inner and outer disk radii, respectively). One disk is rotating at the maximum speed and the other disk is rotating in the opposite direction. Results are obtained over a range of Re including the transition from laminar flow, for cases with both disks rotating at the same speed, Γ =−1.0, with one disk rotating more slowly than the other, Γ =−0.4, and with one stationary disk, Γ =0 (where Γ is the disk angular velocity ratio). The heat transfer rates between the disks are also obtained, showing the effects of transition to turbulence. The three-dimensional nature of the flows is characterized, and mean and RMS turbulence quantities are presented.
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION, SURVIVAL, AND FECUNDITY OF DIOON EDULE (ZAMIACEAE) IN A TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FOREST IN VERACRUZ, MEXICO, WITH NOTES ON ITS HABITAT'

A natural habitat of the cycad Dioon edule Lindl. in central Veracruz, Mexico is described. Prolonged drought periods and fire are factors contributing to seedling death resulting in a population structure with a reverse 'J' or Deevey type III survivorship curve. The cycads exhibited a -'clumped' or contagious distribution on shallow soils of the habitat and on rocky outcrops. This distribution was attributed to exclusion by competition from other species for water, soil nutrients, and/or seed dispersal by rodents. Estimated coning frequency varied from 2.8 to 8.8 years in male plants and from 10.0 to 52.0 years in female plants, though shorter intervals are known to occur, especially following exceptionally wet years. Chamberlain's age estimate for D. edule has been confirmed and a life table is presented.
Reversible Dissociation of Ribonucleic Acid

THE work reported here was prompted by the observation that when infectious ribonucleic acid, isolated from Ehrlich ascites cells infected with Mengo encephalomyelitis virus1, was incubated with crystalline bovine plasma albumin in solutions of physiological ionic strength, its biological activity was lost or sharply inhibited. No loss of infectivity was observed when mixtures of these two substances were incubated in concentrated solutions of sodium chloride (0.6–1.0 M). However, infectivity was not regained when protein–ribonucleic acid mixtures in physiological saline were made 0.64 M with respect to sodium chloride. The biological activity of the Mengo ribonucleic acid and of the Mengo ribonucleic acid–bovine plasma albumin mixtures was assayed by a plaque method employing monolayers of Earle's L strain mouse fibroblasts2.
Predictive E-Mail Server Performability Analysis Based on Fuzzy Arithmetic

The performability of disk arrays systems has been studied before. However, in the case of imprecise data, a fuzzy model can be the base for the performability analysis. This paper presents a performability analysis of an MSExchange-like e-mail server. The analysis is based on a Markov reward model. The performability analysis is accomplished through the use of fuzzy arithmetic. Unlike traditional Markov chains, fuzzy Markov chains can successfully handle uncertain, imprecise probabilities. In cases where the failure rates, repair rates, or the workload parameters are uncertain, Markov Chains enhanced with fuzzy arithmetic provide means for comprehensive predictive performability analysis of a system. This performability analysis provides a valuable guideline regarding required resources such as the number of mailboxes, and therefore, the number of users the mail server can support with regards to the reliability and performance of the disk array used by the mail server. The fuzzy arithmetic helps in better visualization and estimation of the range of number of users the mail server is capable of servicing over long periods of time.
Structural effects on adsorption of atmospheric gases in mixed Li,Ag–X-zeolite

Silver is known to strongly affect the adsorptive properties of zeolites. In the synthesis of mixed Li,Ag low-silica X-type (LSX) zeolite, adding very small amounts of silver and specific dehydration conditions results in a sorbent with enhanced adsorptive characteristics for air separation. The location of the extraframework silver in relation to the aluminosilicate framework is of primary importance for elucidating the effect of silver cations on the adsorptive characteristics of the zeolite. In this work, mixed Li,Ag ion-exchanged zeolites were synthesized and treated to promote the formation of intracrystalline silver clusters. These samples were structurally characterized using Rietveld refinement of neutron powder diffraction data. Structural characterization revealed the presence of cations in a novel site II* in mixed Li,Ag–LSX zeolites that were vacuum-dehydrated at 450°C. Cations in this site II* are more interactive with the atmospheric sorbates of interest than silver at the conventional site II location. Vacuum dehydration at 450°C induced thermal migration of Ag+ from site II to site II* and gives rise to the superior properties for air separation.
Experimental Therapy of Cladosporiosis and Sporotrichosis with 5-Fluorocytosine

Cladosporium trichoides and Sporothrix schenckii are fungi known to be pathogenic for man. No effective chemotherapy is available for cladosporiosis, and systemic sporotrichosis can be very resistant to antifungal chemotherapy. Experimental infections of mice with these fungi resembled their respective infections in man and provided a model for evaluating a new antifungal agent, 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC). Our results with four isolates of C. trichoides demonstrated a statistically significant dose-related therapeutic effect with 5-FC. Mortality was significantly reduced in all treatment groups, and survivors showed no clinical sign of disease despite positive brain cultures. Results with a single isolate of S. schenckii were less encouraging. Fatality rate was significantly decreased in all treatment groups, but no trend was noted with increasing 5-FC dosage. Survivors manifested the signs of active disease, and all liver and spleen cultures were positive for S. schenckii . These results indicated that (i) 5-FC may be the first drug useful in the treatment of cladosporiosis, and (ii) 5-FC may have only limited therapeutic benefit in systemic sporotrichosis. Images
Inducible expression of a heterologous protein in Hansenula polymorpha using the alcohol oxidase 1 promoter of Pichia pastoris

Abstract Pichia pastoris (Pp) and Hansenula polymorpha (Hp) are methylotrophic yeasts commonly used for industrial purposes. Growth of either of these yeasts in the presence of methanol as the carbon source results in high-level induction of alcohol oxidase expression. The respective alcohol oxidase genes, AOX1 in Pp and MOX in Hp, have similar regulatory characteristics. Our studies show that the Pp AOXI promoter (AOX1p) can be used for methanol-induced expression of a heterologous gene in Hp . Furthermore, the size of an AOXlp-heterologous gene-AOX1 terminator cassette transcript synthesized in Hp is indistinguishable from that synthesized in Pp suggesting that transcription both initiates and terminates at the same sites in both yeast species. Induction of AOXIp in Hp demonstrates that the methanol-inducible regulatory mechanism in Hp is able to recognize and activate the Pp promoter in spite of extensive sequence variations between AOX1p and MOXp
Motivation and job satisfaction

The movement of workers to act in a desired manner has always consumed the thoughts of managers. In many ways, this goal has been reached through incentive programs, corporate pep talks, and other types of conditional administrative policy, However, as the workers adjust their behaviour in response to one of the aforementioned stimuli, is job satisfaction actualized? The instilling of satisfaction within workers is a crucial task of management. Satisfaction creates confidence, loyalty and ultimately improved quality in the output of the employed. Satisfaction, though, is not the simple result of an incentive program. Employees will most likely not take any more pride in their work even if they win the weekend getaway for having the highest sales. This paper reviews the literature of motivational theorists and draws from their approaches to job satisfaction and the role of motivation within job satisfaction. The theories of Frederick Herzberg and Edwin Locke are presented chronologically to show how Locke’s theory was a response to Herzberg’s theory. By understanding these theories, managers can focus on strategies of creating job satisfaction. This is followed by a brief examination of Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey’s theory on leadership within management and how this art is changing through time.
Developmental influences on carotid body responses to hypoxia

Progress on our understanding of the mechanisms by which ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia mature following birth will be reviewed. New reports have broadened the current understanding of these mechanisms, especially those relating to maturation of the arterial chemoreceptors in the carotid body. However, a clear understanding of the physiologic, morphologic, neurochemical and molecular developmental events remains elusive. Of particular interest is the change in carotid body sensitivity to oxygen in the first days following birth. Further, perinatal hypoxia or hyperoxia results in blunted hypoxic chemosensitivity in premature infants with chronic lung disease and in various animal models. Hence, cellular and molecular mechanisms altering the normal maturational progression will also be discussed.
A systems approach to surgical safety.

The documented and “accepted” incident rates in surgery are unacceptably high. Incident rates of 1–5% are generally accepted as a normal part of practice. Current morbidity and mortality reporting, while important, does not sufficiently examine or expose the active and latent errors that lead to adverse outcomes. Further. there is no process in place for systematically learning from surgical incident data so that appropriate changes can be incorporated in practice. Other high-risk industries have shown that process improvements, as well as the promotion of a culture of safety, can have a significant impact on an industry’s safety record. The establishment of surgical protocols and checklists has the potential to improve the standards of training and practice, as well as enhancing operating room communications. Data collection and analysis can identify latent errors that could be addressed through better training, device design, or surgical methods. Computerbased training could be instituted to allow surgeons to practice the perceptual, decision-making, and problemsolving skills that are a major part of surgery. These kinds of activities have been incorporated successfully into other industries and should also be applied to the practice of surgery.
Recombinant Pfs230, a Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte protein, induces antisera that reduce the infectivity of Plasmodium falciparum to mosquitoes.

Six regions of malaria transmission-blocking target antigen, Pfs230, encoding 80% of the 363-kDa protein, were expressed as recombinant proteins in E. coli as fusions with maltose-binding protein (MBP). Antisera generated against amylose-purified recombinant Pfs230/MBP fusion proteins (r230/MBP.A-r230/MBP.F) all recognized the 360-kDa form of parasite-produced Pfs230 by immunoblot. However, only antisera against the four carboxy regions (C-F) of Pfs230 and not the two amino regions (A and B) recognized the 310-kDa form of Pfs230, the form expressed on the surface of gametes. The data suggest that the 310-kDa form of Pfs230 arises from the cleavage of 50 kDa from the amino terminus of the 360-kDa form. Furthermore, antisera against r230/MBP.C bound to the surface of intact gametes and significantly reduced (by 71.2-89.8% (rank sum analysis, P < 0.01)) the infectivity of P. falciparum parasites to mosquitoes. This is the first report of a recombinant form of a P. falciparum gametocyte protein capable of inducing antisera that reduce malaria parasite infectivity to mosquitoes.
What is a Membrane? Mechanical Stress Viewed with the Patch Clamp

Much of what we know about cell membranes has come from studies of purified lipids in various forms: monolayers, bilayers, etc. However, cell membranes are much more complicated and even the definition of a cell membrane fails when we address the mechanics. Where does the membrane start and where does it end? In most cells, stresses are distributed in three dimensions and include the extracellular matrix, the bilayer and the cytoskeleton. What are we discussing when we refer to membrane stress? In bacteria, mechanosensitive ion channels (MSCs) have been reconstituted into lipid membranes so that the relevant stress is tension in the bilayer: a mean value or stress in a sub domain such as the head groups. Lipid reconstitution has yet to be verified for eukaryotic MSCs. If we assume that lipid stress adjacent to the channel is the driving stimulus, then for cells we need a relationship between the applied stimulus and the local stimulus. The applied stimulus is commonly a hydrostatic pressure across the bilayer produced by suction on a patch pipette. If the patch were elastic it would respond at the same rate as the pressure, but it is much slower (∼ 100ms) when judged by MSC activity or patch capacitance. This viscosity is probably generated by bond breaking in the stressed cytoskeleton that bears a substantial amount of the mean tension. Thus, patch mechanics are governed by multiple forces including hydrostatics, viscoelastic properties of the cytoskeleton and lipid, and the energy of adhesion of the membrane to the glass. Caution is advised in the interpretation mechanics data from a patch.
An Improvised Oxygen Supply System for Pandemic and Disaster Use

Background: Current disaster planning for pandemic influenza anticipates overwhelming numbers of patients in need of hospitalization. The anticipated use of extra, or “surge,” beds is common in both hospital and community disaster response planning. In a pandemic of respiratory illness, supplemental oxygen will be a life-saving intervention. There are currently few options to provide these proposed surge beds with the necessary oxygen. Objectives: A method of providing an improvised oxygen delivery system for use in a disaster was developed and tested. This system was designed to use readily available commercial materials to assemble an oxygen delivery system. Methods: The study consisted of a laboratory design, assembly, and testing of an improvised oxygen system. Results: A liquid oxygen (LOX) Dewar container was used to supply oxygen systems built from inexpensive commercially available plastic tubing and fittings. The system will drive ventilators without significant pressure drop or ventilator malfunction. The final developed system will supply 30 patients with up to 6 L/min (l pm) oxygen each by nasal cannula from a single oxygen Dewar. Conclusions: An improvised system to deliver oxygen for patient beds or ventilator use can be easily assembled in the event of a disaster. This could be life-saving in the event of a pandemic of respiratory illness.
Computational Study of Porous Treatment for Altering Flap Side-Edge Flowfield

Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes calculations are used to investigate porous side-edge treatment as a passive means for flap noise reduction. Steady-state simulations are used to infer effects of the treatment on acoustically relevant features of the mean flow near the flap side edge. Application of the porous treatment over a miniscule fraction of the wetted flap area (scaling with the flap thickness) results in significantly weaker side-edge vortex structures via modification of the vortex initiation and roll-up processes. At high flap deflections, the region of axial flow reversal associated with the breakdown of the side-edge vortex is also eliminated, indicating an absence of vortex bursting in the presence of the treatment. Potential ramifications of the mean-flow modifications for flap-noise reduction are examined in the light of lessons learned from recent studies on flap noise. Computations confirm that any noise reduction benefit via the porous treatment would be achieved without compromising the aerodynamic effectiveness of the flap. Results of the parameter study contribute additional insight into the measured data from the 7x10 wind tunnel at NASA Ames and provide preliminary guidance for specifying optimal treatment characteristics in terms of treatment location, spatial extent, and flow resistance of the porous skin.
Determination and Selection of the Optimum Number of Sites and Patients for Clinical Studies

Calculating required sample sizes is a critical step in the design of any study. For dental studies, the sample size needs to be specified at two levels: (1) the number of patients (n) enrolled in the study, and (2) the average number of sites (m) examined per patient. In general, m and n should be selected in such a way that the precision of the research findings is maximized, while the cost of the study is minimized. This objective can be realized by taking stock of the components of variation and the costs involved with enrolling patients and examining sites. The research cost for n patients ($C1/patient), at an average of m sites per patient ($C2/site), can usually be approximated by nC1 + nmC2. The precision varies as a function of the variance components, m, and n. To optimize precision for a fixed cost, the average number of sites examined per patient (m(opt)) should be approximately equal to [formula: see text] where rho is the within-patient correlation coefficient of the site-specific variable measured. When m(opt) is approximately equal to or in excess of the average number of sites available per patient, whole-mouth examinations are indicated. When m(opt) is considerably smaller than the average number of sites available, the sample of optimum size should be obtained by some random mechanism. Examination of a number of sites considerably different from m(opt) results in a waste of resources, regardless of the number of patients studied. Standard statistical analyses for determination of the patient sample size required to obtain a pre-specified precision or power are discussed.
Rapid formation of Jupiter by diffusive redistribution of water vapor in the solar nebula

A model is presented for enhancing the abundance of solid material in the region of the solar nebula in which Jupiter formed, by diffusive redistribution and condensation of water vapor. A turbulent nebula is assumed with temperature decreasing roughly inversely with the radial distance from the center, and time scales set by turbulent viscosities taken from recent nebular models. The diffusion equation in cylindrical coordinates is solved in the limit that the sink of water vapor is condensation within a narrow radial zone approximately 5 AU from the center. Most of the water vapor is extracted from the terrestrial planet-forming zone. This “cold finger” solution is then justified by analytic solution of the diffusion equation in the condensation zone itself and inward and outward of that zone. The length scale over which most of the diffusively transported water vapor condenses is calculated to be ∼0.4 AU, provided the solids are not redistributed, and the surface density of ice in the formation zone of Jupiter is enhanced by as much as 75. The enhancement in surface density of solids is sufficient to trigger rapid accretion of planetesimals into a solid core along the lines of the model of Lissauer (1987, Icarus 69, 249–265), and hence produce Jupiter by nucleated instability on a time scale of approximately 10^5 to 10^6 years.
Curing cut or ritual mutilation? Some remarks on the practice of female and male circumcision in Graeco-Roman Egypt.

Ancient texts and archaeological artifacts provide the starting point for a review of the surgical aspects of female genital mutilation (FGM) in ancient Egypt. Analysis of the ancient surgical procedure incorporates modern experience on the subject as well as ancient literary and cultural perspectives. Comparison of FGM with ancient Egyptian male circumcision and consideration of motivations for the practice contribute to our understanding of FGM. In particular, the documented association between male circumcision and generative ability suggests a novel comparison with a natural process in the female-the breaking of the hymen on first intromission-and ultimately a new hypothesis for the origin of ancient FGM.
Reaction of nuclear-grade graphite with low concentrations of steam in the helium coolant of an MHTGR

Abstract The fuel elements for the MHTGR are manufactured from nucleargrade graphite and have core-residence times of about 1000 days that are determined from considerations based on nuclear-design criteria. To ensure structural integrity and minimize the risk to plant investment, a potential limitation of fuel-element life may result from graphite corrosion in the high-temperature regions of the core (T ≅ 1100 °C). This corrosion is caused primarily by reactions of graphite with the low concentrations of steam (0.01–0.1 ppm) that are normally present in the helium coolant Economical operation of the reactor requires that the steam concentrations be maintained at such low levels that corrosion rates will not impact the normal fuel cycle. In this paper, we develop a graphite-corrosion model and address this important practical problem.
Homology of Retractile Filaments of Vampire Squid

The axial filament nerves of Vampyroteuthis infernalis are joined to two separate parts of the brain. One branch of the nerve, apparently efferent, arises from the anterior portion of the middle subesophageal mass, and the other, apparently afferent. enters the ventral magnocellular lobe. Since this innervation is entirely different from that of the arms, the filaments can no longer be considered homologous with the arms. The validity and primitive nature of the order Vampyromorpha, therefore, needs to be reexamined.
Resolution of two compound C-type intermediates in the reaction with oxygen of mixed-valence state membrane-bound cytochrome oxidase

Abstract The reaction of mixed-valence state membrane-bound cytochrome oxidase with oxygen has been studied by difference spectroscopy with reference to the unliganded state and by the low temperature technique of Chance and coworkers. Three intermediates, compound A 2 and two compound C-type components denoted C 606 and C 610 , have been resolved in time and wavelength in the α region. Their optical properties are defined in the visible range. Compound A 2 disappearance and compound C 606 formation exhibit first-order kinetics with identical rate constants: 2.4 · 10 −3 s −1 at −94°C. Compound A 2 has its α band maximum at 590 nm and shares an isosbestic point at 595 nm with the C 606 species. The α band of this intermediate peaks at 606 nm. Compound C 610 is the real end point of the reaction and its α band maximum appears at 610 nm. Compound C 606 is interpreted as resulting from the transfer of one electron from heme a 3 copper to oxygen and compound C 610 as expressing a molecular reorganization due to the effect of the temperature. Structural requirements for the location of Cu B in the active site are discussed. It is concluded that the three observed compounds are the only intermediates formed in the reaction between oxygen and mixed-valence state membrane-bound cytochrome oxidase.
A dispersed-whole cell method for the determination of androgen receptors in human skin fibroblasts.

Abstract A method is described for the determination of binding capacity (Ro) and dissociation constant (Kd) of androgen receptors in dispersed, whole, cultured human skin fibroblasts. The cells, obtained from punch biopsies or operative specimens of skin, are grown to confluence in monolayers, harvested, washed, and dispersed in medium. Binding is assessed by incubating the cells with [3H]dihydrotestosterone 3 (DHT) at 22°C for one hour followed by washing, centrifugation and counting. Non-specific binding is determined by adding radioinert methyltrienolone (R1881). Scatchard plots are constructed using 6 concentration points; binding is expressed as sites/cell. The method is precise (Ro = 12,105 ± 4305 (S.D.) sites/cell; Kd = 1.0 ± 0.7 (S.D.) × 10−9M, n = 14 for one prepuce cell line) and independent of cell passage number. Binding is linear with respect to cell number and shows those characteristics commonly attributed to androgen receptors: high affinity, low binding capacity, saturable nuclear binding, androgen specificity, and an 8S peak in fibroblast cytosol using sucrose density gradients. Cell lines shown by other published methods to lack androgen receptors had no detectable DHT binding with this method. This assay technique has the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, and precision.
Ultrasonic communication of adult myomorph rodents

Abstract Many species of myomorph rodents produce ultrasounds. While the physical characteristics of rodent ultrasounds vary among species, the auditory system appears to be specially attuned for hearing conspecific ultrasounds. High frequency communication by rodents may have evolved because it provides a highly directional signal over a short distance without alerting distant predators. Ultrasounds from adults have been observed during courtship and sex behavior. In these situations, it is usually the male that emits ultrasounds although females of some species also emit ultrasounds. Such ultrasounds may serve as courtship signals prior to copulation and to maintain auditory contact during interejaculation intervals. Research to date has concentrated mainly on the house mouse, Norway rat, golden hamster, and collared lemming. Males of several species, notably excluding house mice, also emit ultrasounds during aggressive behavior. In rats, different types of ultrasound are emitted by dominant and subordinate animals. Although active ultrasonic echolocation would appear to be adaptive for many rodent species, it has not as yet been demonstrated.