cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic treatment of severe episodic epistaxis in a patient with a left-ventricular assist device

Brief Abstract Epistaxis is a common otolaryngologic emergency that prompts medical or surgical intervention in up to 6% of the population. Presence of LVADs is a unique risk factor and non-surgical bleeding has been reported as the most common adverse event of CF-LVAD support. Given their anticoagulation requirements and complex medical profiles, these patients represent a challenging cohort for otolaryngologists managing their epistaxis. We present the case of a 63-year-old Asian female with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure who underwent an uncomplicated CF-LVAD placement. Three weeks after the procedure, the patient developed recurrent epistaxis requiring nasal and oropharyngeal packing. She remained intermittently hemostatic for two days before another episode of severe epistaxis prompted return to the OR. Nasal endoscopy revealed diffuse telangiectatic mucosal lesions consistent with endonasal AVMs. Bilateral sphenopalatine artery ligations and ablation of the AVMs with KTP lasers was performed. Patient remained hemostatic after the procedure and underwent successful cardiac transplant two months later. Patients with CF-LVADs represent a growing population with unique risk factors for recalcitrant and severe epistaxis. Underlying systemic coagulopathies and diffuse distribution of AVMs throughout bilateral nasal cavities can limit effective bedside management. Prompt operative intervention with nasal endoscopy should be considered in this growing patient population.
Who Is the Author of the Gospel of John, and When Was It Written?

This chapter proposes that the Fourth Gospel was written by an early church leader named John, different from the Apostle John. This John, who later became an elder in the church at Ephesus (and is hence known as John the Elder), was likely a Sadducean priest in the Jerusalem Temple and an eyewitness to those events in Jesus’ ministry that occurred during Jesus’ festival visits to Jerusalem. He may well have owned the house where the Last Supper was eaten. The Gospel of John was written between 85 ce and 90 ce. I conclude by explaining how these hypotheses may stimulate future research into the relationships between the Fourth Gospel and eyewitness testimony and between the Fourth Gospel and the Temple establishment.
Re-evaluating how low intrinsic efficacy and apparent bias for G protein activation relates to the improved side effect profiles of new opioid agonists

In a recent report by Gillis et al., 2020, Science Signaling, it was suggested that low intrinsic agonism, and not biased agonism, leads to an improvement in the separation of potency in opioid-induced respiratory suppression versus antinociception. Although the compounds that were tested have been shown to display G protein signaling bias in prior publications, the authors conclude that since they cannot detect biased agonism in their cellular signaling studies the compounds are therefore not biased agonists. Rather, they conclude that it is low intrinsic efficacy that leads to the therapeutic window improvement. Intrinsic efficacy is the extent to which an agonist can stimulate a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) response in a system. The designation of full agonist is made to compounds that produce the highest observable activation in a system (maximum intrinsic efficacy); agonists producing some fraction of that response are considered partial agonists. The maximum response window is determined by the cellular environment, receptor and effector expression levels, and the amplification readout of the system. Biased agonism takes into consideration not only intrinsic efficacy, but also potency (concentration required to reach half maximal efficacy) of an agonist in an assay. Herein, the data published in the aforementioned manuscript was used to rederive the intrinsic efficacy and bias factors as ΔΔlog(τ/KA) and ΔΔlog(Emax/EC50). Based on this reanalysis, the data does not support the conclusion that biased agonism, favoring G protein signaling, was not present. Further, these observations agree with prior studies wherein oliceridine, PZM21 and SR-17018 were first described as biased agonists with improvement in antinociception over respiratory suppression in mice. Therefore, introducing G protein signaling bias may be a means to improve opioid analgesia while avoiding certain undesirable side effects.
The effect of suppliers' corporate social responsibility concerns on customers' stock price crash risk

Abstract We investigate the spillover effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) concerns along the supply chain. We propose an information incorporation effect for whether suppliers' CSR concerns affect customers' stock price crash risk. Customers' investors can incorporate information about suppliers' CSR into stock price valuations, lowering the probability of abrupt stock price crashes. Our findings support the information incorporation effect. Suppliers' CSR concerns are negatively associated with customers' stock price crash risk. The negative relationship is more pronounced for firms with high media coverage, negative media sentiment, high investor attention, negative investor sentiment, low trade policy uncertainty, and low political uncertainty. Moreover, we rule out the alternative explanation that suppliers' CSR strengths dominate the effect. Our main finding is supported by change analysis and robustness tests, including an alternative measure test.
Chaperones directly and efficiently disperse stress-triggered biomolecular condensates

Abstract Heat shock triggers formation of intracellular protein aggregates and induction of a molecular disaggregation system. Although this system (Hsp100/Hsp70/Hsp40 in most cellular life) can disperse aggregates of model misfolded proteins, its activity on these model substrates is puzzlingly weak, and its endogenous heat-induced substrates have largely eluded biochemical study. Recent work has revealed that several cases of apparent heat-induced aggregation instead reflect evolved, adaptive biomolecular condensation. In budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the resulting condensates depend on molecular chaperones for timely dispersal in vivo, hinting that condensates may be major endogenous substrates of the disaggregation system. Here, we show that the yeast disaggregation system disperses heat-induced biomolecular condensates of poly(A)-binding protein (Pab1) orders of magnitude more rapidly than aggregates of the most commonly used model substrate, firefly luciferase. Pab1 condensate dispersal also differs from aggregate dispersal in its molecular requirements, showing no dependence on small heat-shock proteins and a strict requirement for type II Hsp40. Unlike luciferase, Pab1 is not fully threaded (and thus not fully unfolded) by the disaggregase Hsp104 during dispersal, which we show can contribute to the extreme differences in dispersal efficiency. The Hsp70-related disaggregase Hsp110 shows some Pab1 dispersal activity, a potentially important link to animal systems, which lack cytosolic Hsp104. Finally, we show that the long-observed dependence of the disaggregation system on excess Hsp70 stems from the precise mechanism of the disaggregation system, which depends on the presence of multiple, closely spaced Hsp70s for Hsp104 recruitment and activation. Our results establish heat-induced biomolecular condensates of Pab1 as a direct endogenous substrate of the disaggregation machinery which differs markedly from previously studied foreign substrates, opening a crucial new window into the native mechanistic behavior and biological roles of this ancient system.
Efficient Likelihood Estimation of Generalized Structural Equation Models with a Mix of Normal and Nonnormal Responses

A maximum likelihood estimation routine is presented for a generalized structural equation model that permits a combination of response variables from various distributions (e.g., normal, Poisson, binomial, etc.). The likelihood function does not have a closed-form solution and so must be numerically approximated, which can be computationally demanding for models with several latent variables. However, the dimension of numerical integration can be reduced if one or more of the latent variables do not directly affect any nonnormal endogenous variables. The method is demonstrated using an empirical example, and the full estimation details, including first-order derivatives of the likelihood function, are provided.
Insufficient Vitamin C Levels among Adults in the United States: Results from the NHANES Surveys, 2003-2006.

Vitamin C, well-established in immune function and a key factor in epigenetic inflammatory modifications, is only obtained through consistent dietary intake. Identifying individuals at risk for Vitamin C insufficiency may guide prevention and treatment, however, national surveillance has not been evaluated in the United States since 2006. A descriptive, cross-sectional secondary analysis was performed utilizing data from the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) assessing non-institutionalized adults. Five categories of plasma Vitamin C were delineated: deficiency (<11 μmol/L), hypovitaminosis (11–23 μmol/L), inadequate (23–49 μmol/L), adequate (50–69 μmol/L), and saturating (≥70 μmol/L). Results indicated 41.8% of the population possessed insufficient levels (deficiency, hypovitaminosis, and inadequate) of Vitamin C. Males, adults aged 20–59, Black and Mexican Americans, smokers, individuals with increased BMI, middle and high poverty to income ratio and food insecurity were significantly associated with insufficient Vitamin C plasma levels. Plasma Vitamin C levels reveal a large proportion of the population still at risk for inflammatory driven disease with little to no symptoms of Vitamin C hypovitaminosis. Recognition and regulation of the health impact of Vitamin C support the goal of Nutrition and Healthy Eating as part of the Healthy People 2030.
The effects of cueing on walking stability in people with Parkinson's disease

Research indicates that visual and verbal cues change gait spatiotemporal parameters in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) (Morris, Iansek, Matyas, & Summers, 1994a, 1994b; Bagley, Kelly, Tunnicliffe, Turnbull, & Walker, 1991). But the degree to which these cues affect walking stability has not been investigated. Previous studies show that utilizing harmonic analysis based on acceleration patterns (a measure of walking stability) differentiates walking patterns between old and young adults (Menz, Lord, & Fitzpatrick, 2003). One purpose of this study is to examine the differences in harmonic ratios between people with PD and healthy older adults. A second purpose is to determine the effect of visual and verbal cues on the harmonic ratios of participants with PD when compared with their harmonic ratios during preferred walking. Eleven people with PD and 11 ageand gender-matched healthy older adults walked an 18 meter walkway under preferred walking conditions and visual and verbal conditions. The visual cues consisted of stripes on the walkway at distances equal to 40% of the participant’s height and 20% longer than preferred step length. The verbal cues consisted of the participants thinking “big step” (internal verbal), the experimenter saying “big step” to the participant (external verbal), and telling the participant to walk faster than preferred. A triaxial accelerometer measured acceleration of the trunk during the testing session to measure acceleration of the trunk in three orthogonal planes (anterior-posterior, vertical, and medial-lateral). The data showed significant group differences in preferred walking and across most experimental conditions indicating lower walking stability in people with PD. Of note, the spatiotemporal variables (velocity, step length, stride time, cadence) did not differentiate between groups. The one exception for harmonic ratios was the external verbal condition in which there were no group differences.
Ceramic Powder Characterization

This chapter discusses the various techniques of ceramic powder characterization. These characteristics include particle shape, surface area, pore size distribution, powder density and size distribution. Emphasis is placed on particle size distribution, using log-normal distributions, because of its importance in ceramic powder processing. A quantitative method for the comparison of two particle size distributions is presented. In all ceramic raw materials, both natural and synthetic, a powder with a particular chemical formula is the primary objective. Chemical analysis of ceramic powders is performed by many techniques from X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrometry to the wet chemical methods of titration. After satisfying this primary objective of chemical purity, other powder characteristics are important to optimize the powder to the requirements of the ceramic process in which it may be used. The diversity of these production methods calls for the choice of ceramic powders to be based on different characteristics. Beyond chemical purity, the most important characteristics for subsequent ceramic processing are particle morphology, particle size distribution, and surface chemistry.
Variable region differences affect antibody binding to immobilized but not soluble antigen.

We have examined the antigen binding characteristics of two chimeric IgG, antibodies that differ only in the heavy chain variable region. Antibodies lOB and Bll were expressed from two different anti-(Tyr, Glu)­ Ala-Lys murine VH genes joined to human IgG, constant region genes in a murine anti-(Tyr, Glu)-Ala­ Lys heavy chain loss variant hybridoma. The binding characteristics of the antibodies to (Tyr,Glu)-Ala­ Lys and to a peptide conjugate, CYYYEEEEY:BSA, were measured in solution and solid phase assays. The antibodies exhibited similar affinities and binding characteristics when assayed in solution assays. However, when we measured binding of antibodies to immobilized antigens, we found that antibody affinity depended on the epitope density in the immobilized immune complexes. The binding of antibody lOB and of Bll to immobilized (Tyr, Glu)-Ala-Lys and to CYYYEEEEY:BSA were similar at high antigen density, but antibody Bll bound less well at lower antigen density. Fab fragments of lOB bound to immobilized (Tyr,Glu)-Ala-Lys and CYYYEEEEY:BSA, but Fab fragments of Bll did not bind to (Tyr, Glu)-Ala-Lys and bound less well to CYYYEEEEY:BSA than lOB Fabs.
Solid State Quantum Interferometers (with and without the Warts)

A brief review of quantum interference in small conductors is followed by a discussion of quantum interference in ballistic conductors. The ballistic conductors are characterized by conservation of the momentum vector and this leads to a simple model for the details of the conductance of the system. In contrast, for diffusive conductors one can only predict the statistical behavior of the interference contributions to the conductance. The response of the ballistic interferometers is governed by semiclassical physics of the electron momentum states (i.e. the modes) in the quantum conductor. Under circumstances of reduced backscattering of the modes, the interference pattern appears to imitate that from a simple optical interferometer. New results from ballistic interferometers are reviewed briefly.
Evaluation and design of highly reliable and highly utilized cloud computing systems

Cloud computing paradigm has ushered in the need to provide resources to users in a scalable, flexible, and transparent fashion much like any other utility. This has led to a need for developing evaluation techniques that can provide quantitative measures of reliability of a cloud computing system (CCS) for efficient planning and expansion. This paper presents a new, scalable algorithm based on non-sequential Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) to evaluate large scale cloud computing system (CCS) reliability, and it develops appropriate performance measures. Also, a new iterative algorithm is proposed and developed that leverages the MCS method for the design of highly reliable and highly utilized CCSs. The combination of these two algorithms allows CCSs to be evaluated by providers and users alike, providing a new method for estimating the parameters of service level agreements (SLAs) and designing CCSs to match those contractual requirements posed in SLAs. Results demonstrate that the proposed methods are effective and applicable to systems at a large scale. Multiple insights are also provided into the nature of CCS reliability and CCS design.
THE CHEMISTRY OF ALLERGENS. XVII. DISC ELECTROPHORESIS AND GEL DIFFUSION OF THE CARBOHYDRATE-FREE ALLERGENIC PROTEIN, CB-65A, FROM CASTOR BEANS.

Abstract The carbohydrate-free protein mixture, CB-65A, which contains the principal allergen(s) of castor beans, was resolved into four bands by disc electrophoresis on a 7.5% polyacrylamide gel. Gel diffusion analysis revealed that these four bands all contained antigens with identical antigenic specificities.
Hot Electrons in Magnetic Oxides

If electrons in a material are given energy by an applied electric field, they can ionize the atoms of the material to yield more electrons. This process can continue toward an electron "avalanche" and is the basis for a variety of electronic devices such as photodetectors and semiconductor switches. In his Research Commentary, Keimer discusses results reported by [ Fiebig et al ][1]. in which an unusual kind of avalanche instability has been observed in a manganese oxide material. This type of material is of interest for its colossal magnetoresistance--a phenomenon in which the substance becomes highly sensitive to magnetic fields. The authors are able to use optical imaging to detect the reflectivity changes that occur when laser pulses are used to induce a transition from an insulating phase to a conducting phase; the current that flows through the conducting material in turn maintains the phase transition after the laser pulse is off. The findings reveal new physics and the potential for new device applications. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/280/5371/1925
Over 3 million low-income children in rural areas face cut in child tax credit if recovery act improvement expires

These nearly 3.3 million low-income children live in rural areas all across America. More than 10,000 rural children will face reductions in the tax credit in each of the 44 states for which we have reliable rural data. In 11 states, more than 100,000 rural children will face a reduction. Moreover, rural children (i.e., those who live in non-metropolitan areas) will be over 20 percent more likely than children in urban and suburban areas to be affected — because their families are more likely to have modest incomes.
Zirconia-based lean air-fuel ratio sensor

An experimental sensor has been developed to indicate the air-fuel ratio of an engine operating on lean mixtures. Stabilized zirconia doped with iron was used as the sensor electrolyte. These sensors are internally temperature compensated, eliminating the need for additional temperature sensing or electronics. Sensor output is responsive to exhaust oxygen content, but is independent of exhaust temperatures above 450/sup 0/C at 18 : 1. Addition of iron increased uniformity of output among sensors.
Fatty acid separation of siliceous carbonate phosphates.

The University of Alabama Mineral Resources Institute (MRI) has developed a unique process for selective fatty acid flotation of carbonate gangue from sedimentary apatites (francolite) in the pH range of 4–6 without collector conditioning of the pulp. The process, which does not require an apatite depressant, was modified to beneficiate a high-MgO siliceous phosphate matrix from south Florida. The modified process includes two flotation stages, one for carbonate removal and the other for phosphate recovery from the siliceous gangue. The selective flotation separation of the carbonate and phosphate from siliceous constituents of the matrix at various pH levels and collector dosages are discussed. In the carbonate flotation stage, about 70% of the MgO was rejected in the froth. The phosphate flotation stage produced concentrates analyzing about 31% P2Ov 0.7% MgO, and 4% insol. The overall P2O5 recovery in the two stages was about 85%
The clinical significance of pelvic variations

Abstract The development of precise roentgenometric methods during the past decade has revised our concepts of the architecture of the female pelvis, and has added a diagnostic technique of great practical value to clinical obstetrics. Several methods for roentgen pelvimetry have been described, but some of these are so complicated, and require the use of such elaborate equipment, as to make them unsuitable for use in the average roentgen laboratory. Moreover, in some instances the interpretation of results is an esoteric art which few roentgenologists or obstetricians have the time or inclination to master. These shortcomings have tended to create an impression that roentgen pelvimetry is more properly an exercise of research laboratories than the concern of the practicing obstetrician. The potential usefulness of a roentgenologic survey in the management of individual obstetric cases has not been generally realized. The method which is briefly outlined in this communication is simple, rapid, and inexpensive, and, during the past four years, it has been used routinely in primigravid patients. The findings in 600 white women were recently published1 but did not include the routine measurement of the midpelvic plane. In the present series of 200 cases this has been done and the chief purpose of this presentation is to record and analyze the data in this group of patients. As in the previous series, these were primigravid white women consecutively delivered at term (child 2,500 gm. or over) in the wards of the New Haven Hospital. It is our opinion that they present a fair sample of obstetric pelves in white women and so furnish criteria of normalcy without which abnormalities cannot be properly evaluated. This analysis of pelvic findings will be preceded by a discussion of the obstetrically important pelvic diameters, a brief outline of the technique of pelvimetry and a classification of pelvic variations.
Are you certain you understand the economics for applying ASD systems to centrifugal loads

The advantages gained by using AC adjustable-speed drives (ASDs) on HVAC fans, pumps, compressors and other equipment have been widely publicized and their use in industry has been on a steady increase. Details presented include a layman's guide to fan laws, calculation of potential savings based on the three choices of variable air volume control, and evaluation of claims made by vendors. All dollar values presented are approximate, and are based on 1994 energy and equipment costs in the Southeast. Brand names are included to present a cross-section of equipment available and the listing is not intended to be all inclusive. >
Leonardo Bruni and the Poetics of Sovereignty

AbstractLeonardo Bruni’s well-known oration, the Laudatio Florentinae urbis, has long stood at the center of discussions on the emergence of the modern republican state. Recent historiographical trends have emphasized the degree to which Bruni’s oration represents a propagandistic attempt both to portray Florence as a territorial power of Northern Italy keen to impose its sovereign authority on neighboring polities and as a republic intent on fashioning an image of itself as a popular sovereignty. It is in this second element of Bruni’s oration that we can discover his rhetorical purposes: he needed to give a distorted image of Florence as enjoying “popular” rule precisely because Florence was in fact moving in the opposite direction towards a more oligarchic concentration of political authority. The essay investigates the changes contemplated in revisions to Florence’s juridical codes at precisely the time of the oration’s composition, suggesting that when these two sources are juxtaposed, Bruni’s oratio...
It's Not All in Your Head (or at Least Your Brain): Association of Traumatic Brain Lesion Presence and Location with Performance on Measures of Response Bias in Forensic Evaluation

This study examined the relationship between lesion presence and localization and performance on measures of cognitive response bias, specifically in individuals purporting to have a traumatic brain injury. Ninety-two participants, all of whom were involved in workers' compensation or personal injury litigation, were administered an extensive neuropsychological battery, including neuroimaging (magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography), at a neuropsychiatric clinic in Lexington, KY. Those with evidence of intracranial injury on neuroimaging findings were placed in the head injury lesion litigation group and were coded based on the anatomical location and type of intracranial injury. Results demonstrated no significant relationships between lesion location and performance on performance validity tests (PVTs), as well as the Response Bias Scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form. Given the lack of research concerning lesions and performance validity tests, this study addresses important questions about the validity of PVTs as specific measures of response bias in patients who have structural changes secondary to traumatic brain injury.
PROCODER: A professional tape control, coding, and analysis system for behavioral research using videotape

PROCODER is a software system for observing and coding events that have been recorded on videotape. The system uses a personal-computer-based tape controller to control a VHS tape while observations are recorded. Frequencies of events, durations of events, and calculations of inter-observer agreement of events or intervals are included. Data can be output in ASCII format for use with other statistical programs. A sample study in which the system is used is described as well.
Population-based study of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: risk factors and survival in Metropolitan Atlanta, 1968-1999.

BACKGROUND Congenital diaphragmatic hernia affects about 1000 United States infants a year. In most cases, the etiology of this condition is unknown. Treatment strategies have changed in recent years. We sought to calculate the birth prevalence, determine risk factors, examine associated defects, and assess trends in survival. METHODS We conducted a population-based cohort study of all infants born during 1968–99 whose mothers resided in the five-county metropolitan Atlanta area (n = 1,029,143). Infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia were identified using the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program. To document vital status, we used data from hospital records, Georgia vital records, and the National Death Index. RESULTS The birth prevalence of congenital diaphragmatic hernia was 2.4 per 10,000 births. Infants with isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia were more likely to be premature, macrosomic, and male than their birth cohort. About one-third of affected infants had additional major defects. Of infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 8% had known syndromes, most commonly chromosomal abnormalities. During the study period, the percentage of infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia who survived to 1 year of age increased from 19% (1968–71) to about 54% (1996–99). During the last 10 years of the study, infants who were of low birth weight, had a syndrome, or were prenatally diagnosed were more likely to die than other infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. CONCLUSIONS Despite new treatments, the death rate from congenital diaphragmatic hernia remains substantial, highlighting the need to identify mechanisms for primary prevention. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 67:261–267, 2003. Published 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Use of tethering for axial confinement in optical tweezers

Lambda DNA is used to tether polystyrene microspheres to an optical substrate, thus eliminating the need for high numerical aperture trapping lenses in single beam optical tweezers to provide axial trapping. The tethered particle may be used as a sensor probe to measure local viscosity and forces on the trapped particle such as those induced by fluid flow.
Wear of Fluorapatite Single Crystals : V. Influence of Environment on Frictional Behavior and Surface Failure

The influence of environment on the frictional behavior and surface failure of fluorapatite single crystals was evaluated for sliding in air, water, and dimethylformamide. The coefficient of friction was independent of environment. The ductile-to-brittle transition, however, occurred at a lower load in water than in air.
A simple technique for the preparation and storage of sucrose gradients

A method for preparing multiple sucrose gradients by quickly freezing layers of sucrose has been developed. These gradients may be stored in the freezer indefinitely, and thawed from 8 to 24 h at 4 degrees C before use. The middle region of the resulting sucrose gradients was linear. Thawing time and centrifugation had little effect on the shape of the gradient. The method is applicable for both small- and large-volume centrifuge tubes. Gradients prepared in the same batch were nearly identical.
Transport of tryptophan into brain from the circulating, albumin-bound pool in rats and in rabbits.

Tryptophan is the only amino acid in the circulation that is bound by albumin, and previous studies have suggested that the brain tryptophan supply is a function of either the free or the albumin-bound pool of tryptophan in blood. Since the albumin molecule per se does not cross the brain capillary wall, i.e., the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the transport of tryptophan from the circulating albumin-bound pool may involve enhanced dissociation of tryptophan from the albumin binding sites within the cerebral microcirculation. This hypothesis was confirmed in the present studies wherein the dissociation constant (KaD) of albumin binding of tryptophan in the rat or rabbit brain microcirculation was measured in vivo. Brain extraction data for [14C]tryptophan determined with the carotid artery injection technique were fit to the Kety-Renkin-Crone equation modified for protein-bound solute. The KaD of albumin binding in the rat or rabbit brain microcirculation under pentobarbital anesthesia was 1.7 +/- 0.1 and 3.9 +/- 1.0 mM, respectively, as compared to the KD value measured in vitro with equilibrium dialysis, 0.13 +/- 0.03 mM. In contrast, the KaD value of albumin binding of tryptophan in vivo in the rabbit brain microcirculation was reduced by ether anesthesia to a value of 2.1 +/- 0.4 mM. This reduction in the KaD under ether anesthesia was associated with a 2.5-fold increase in cerebral blood flow. In addition, dialyzed rabbit serum caused a statistically significant inhibition in [14C]tryptophan influx during ether, but not pentobarbital, anesthesia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS OF SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION ON HOST AND VACATED COMMUNITIES

Many rural communities across the Great Plains have experienced patterns of outmigration and depopulation. These changes have resulted in a reallocation of public educational resources. For example...
Neutral thermospheric dynamics observed with two scanning Doppler imagers: 3. Horizontal wind gradients

[1] This is the third and final article in a series of papers reporting on observations of the 630.0 nm thermospheric airglow emission by two spatially separated scanning Doppler imagers (SDI's) in Alaska. In this article, bistatic winds derived from the combined measurements of both instruments in a region of field-of-view overlap were used to derive local-scale maps of horizontal neutral wind gradients. Averaged over the bistatic ‘field-of-view’, these gradient estimates were compared with the monostatic gradient estimates routinely produced by the two SDI's. The key findings to emerge from this study include: 1) the bistatic gradient estimate agreed very well with monostatic estimates for the majority of the time which, given the very different methods involved in each technique, gives us great confidence in our ability to measure F-region neutral wind gradients; 2) the strongest gradient was that which describes the magnetic meridional shear of the zonal wind, which is driven by momentum deposition from convecting ions; 3) vortical flow was more often observed than divergent flow, and both types of flow showed systematic variations with magnetic local time; 4) viscous heating due to non-negligible gradients was on the order of 10−11 Wm−3 which, while small compared to typical F-region Joule heating rates, may be comparable to particle heating, and in a time-integrated sense may be an appreciable source of heating.
Mercurimetric determination of chloride with diphenylcarbazide disodium disulfonate as an indicator

Abstract A procedure is given for the use of diphenylcarbazide disodium disulfonate as an indicator in the direct titration of chloride with mercuric nitrate. By adding ferric nitrate to form the carbazone and an inert green substance to serve as a color screen, a sharp and reversible endpoint changing from green to grey to purple is obtained. Studies were made on the indicator reaction and other factors, such as mercuric chloride concentration, pH, volume, temperature and the effect of various added salts. The pH must be adjusted to 1.8 to 2.0 for best results. A series of ten determinations on a sample gave a standard deviation of ±0.16 part per thousand.
Modulation of apical Na permeability of the toad urinary bladder by intracellular Na, Ca, and H.

The Na conductance of the apical membrane of the toad urinary bladder was measured at different concentrations of Na both in the external medium and in the cell. Bladders were bathed in high K-sucrose medium to reduce basal-lateral resistance and voltage, and the transepithelial currents measured under voltage-clamp conditions. Amiloride was used as a specific blocker of the apical Na channel. At constant external Na, the internal Na concentration was increased by blocking the basallateral Na pump with ouabain. With high Na activity in the mucosal medium (86mm), increases in intracellular Na activity from 10 to over 40mm increased the amiloride-sensitive slope conductance at zero voltage while apical Na permeability, estimated from current-voltage plots using the constant field equation, decreased by less than 20%. Lowering the serosal Ca concentration from 1 to 0.1mm had no effect on the change inP Na with increasing Nac, but increasing serosal Ca to 5mm enhanced the reduction inP Na with increasing Na c , presumably by increasing Ca influx into the cell.P Na was also reduced by serosal vanadate (0.5mm), a putative blocker of ATP-dependent Ca extrusion from the cell, and by acute exposure to CO2, which presumably acidifies the cytoplasm. Current-voltage relationships of the amiloridesensitive transport pathway were also measured in the absence of a Na gradient across the apical membrane. These plots show that outward current passes through the channels somewhat less easily than does inward current. The shape of theI-V relationships was not significantly altered by changes in cellular Na, Ca or H, indicating that the effects of these ions onP Na are voltage independent.
Intraprotein electron transfer in a two-domain construct of neuronal nitric oxide synthase: the output state in nitric oxide formation.

Intersubunit intraprotein electron transfer (IET) from flavin mononucleotide (FMN) to heme is essential in nitric oxide (NO) synthesis by NO synthase (NOS). Previous crystal structures and functional studies primarily concerned an enzyme conformation, which serves as the input state for reduction of FMN by electrons from NADPH and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) in the reductase domain. To favor the formation of the output state for the subsequent IET from FMN to heme in the oxygenase domain, a novel truncated two-domain oxyFMN construct of rat neuronal NOS (nNOS), in which only the FMN and heme domains were present, was designed and expressed. The kinetics of IET between the FMN and heme domains in the nNOS oxyFMN construct in the presence and absence of added calmodulin (CaM) were directly determined using laser flash photolysis of CO dissociation in comparative studies on partially reduced oxyFMN and single-domain heme oxygenase constructs. The IET rate constant in the presence of CaM (262 s-1) was i...
The clinical significance of duodenal diverticula.

Diverticula of the duodenum are found in about 2% of the population. They are most commonly located on the medial surface of the descending duodenum. A diverticulum may produce symptoms when it retains food or other foreign bodies. It may contain functioning aberrant glandular tissue and be the site of ulceration, perforation, or gangrene. These possibilities must be carefully considered in the examination of a patient who has a duodenal diverticulum and gastrointestinal symptoms which are not otherwise explained.
President Carter and the national energy policy

President Carter's legislative proposals for a national energy program began with a campaign on 20 April 1977 and ended rather anticlimatically and with something less than a bang 18 months later on Sunday, 15 October 1978, when the Congress presented the President with its handiwork. The whole experience validates the notion that while the President proposes, the Congress disposes. When the bill finally came to him for signature, the President bravely said, "We have declared to ourselves and the world our intent to control our use of energy and thereby to control our own destiny as a nation." Other observers were not as charitable: The gas bill became in the words of Rep. John Anderson (R.-II1.) "merely a vehicle for the President to prove his supposed new dynamism, macho and legislative competence." The final bill, he said, was "a marvel of tangled regulation and bureaucracy at its worst." Senator James Abourezk (D.-S.D.), the man who led the last fight on the Senate floor to derail the natural gas compromise, denounced the bill as "extremely bad, noxious legislation." It will be impossible in this article to reconstruct the entire transaction but we can look at the President's original proposals and how they were put together and compare them with the final bill.
Pre-Induction Age and Post-Induction Temperature Effects on Meadowfoam Flowering

The ability to predict meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba Hartweg ex. Benth.) phenology could help in commercial production management, and control of flowering date is also useful for managing crossing schedules in controlled environments. Effects of four pre-induction ages (30, 45, 60, and 90 d from seeding) and four post-induction temperature regimes (constant 12, 18, and 24 o C, and 24/12 o C day/night) on days from induction to first flower (f) in Mermaid meadowfoam (L. alba subsp. alba) were investigated
Binary Mask Optimization for Forward Lithography based on Boundary Layer Model in Coherent Systems

Recently, a set of generalized gradient-based optical proximity correction (OPC) optimization methods have been developed to solve for the forward and inverse lithography problem under the thin-mask assumption, where the mask is considered a thin 2-D object. However, as the critical dimension printed on the wafer shrinks into the subwavelength regime, thick-mask effects become prevalent and thus these effects must be taken into account in OPC optimization methods. OPC methods derived under the thin-mask assumption have inherent limitations and perform poorly in the subwavelength scenario. This paper focuses on developing model-based forward binary mask optimization methods which account for the thick-mask effects of coherent imaging systems. The boundary layer (BL) model is exploited to simplify and characterize the thick-mask effects, leading to a computationally efficient OPC method. The BL model is simpler than other thick-mask models, treating the near field of the mask as the superposition of the interior transmission areas and the boundary layers. The advantages and limitations of the proposed algorithm are discussed and several illustrative simulations are presented.
Enhanced magnetization of nanoscale colloidal cobalt particles.

We have used a microemulsion technique to synthesize metallic cobalt particles in the size range 18 to 44 \AA{} diameter. The particles are spherical, not aggregated due to their surfactant coating, and free of oxide. Magnetic properties such as total moment per particle, blocking temperature, and hysteresis all show reasonable size dependencies. The effects of small size are seen in: (1) the anisotropy constant increased markedly as particle size decreased, and (2) the total magnetic moment per atom in the Co particles was enhanced with decreasing particle size by as much as 30% over the bulk value. Magnetization versus applied field curves indicate the particles are heterogeneous with two magnetic phases, possibly a core-shell structure. The core phase has a large total moment and the shell phase is superparamagnetic with an effective moment of 7.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathit{B}}$ for all sizes. We propose that the shell phase is responsible for the enhanced anisotropy and magnetization.
Presalvage prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and PSA doubling time as predictors of biochemical failure of salvage cryotherapy in patients with locally recurrent prostate cancer after radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND. The value of presalvage cryotherapy serum PSA level in predicting biochemical failure in patients with local recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) after radiotherapy was documented; however, little is known about the predictive value of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doubling time (DT) in this patient group. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate serum PSA level and PSA DT as predictors of salvage cryotherapy outcomes in patients being treated for postradiotherapy locally recurrent PCa. METHODS. The charts of patients treated with salvage cryotherapy were retrospectively reviewed for locally recurrent PCa at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center from January 1980 to July 2004. Patients who received neoadjuvant or adjuvant hormone therapy were excluded. We assessed pre- and postradiotherapy clinical data, pre- and postsalvage cryotherapy clinical data, and other variables. Kaplan–Meier and log rank tests were performed to assess unadjusted survival probabilities and 2-group survival comparisons, respectively. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the effect of patient characteristics in predicting overall, disease-specific, and biochemical failure-free survival. RESULTS. Forty-nine patients met the eligibility criteria. The median age of patients at diagnosis was 66 years (58–81 years) with the initial clinical stage before radiotherapy most commonly T2 (n = 25) or T3 (n = 21). The median presalvage cryotherapy serum PSA level was 5.9 ng/mL (0.4–23.1 ng/mL) and the presalvage prostatic biopsies were frequently high grade (Gleason grade ≥8 in 51% of patients). The median postsalvage cryotherapy serum PSA level was 0.1 ng/mL (0.1-9.5 ng/mL), and biochemical failure (defined as a serum PSA level ≥2 ng/mL above the postsalvage cryotherapy PSA nadir) occurred in 26 patients. In these 26 patients, there was a statistically significant difference between pre- and postsalvage cryotherapy PSA DTs (12.3 months to 5.6 months, respectively; P = .02). A presalvage cryotherapy serum PSA level >10 ng/mL (P = .002) and PSA DT ≤16 months (P = .06) were found to predict the subsequent risk of biochemical failure. CONCLUSIONS. Presalvage PSA and PSA DT can predict biochemical failure of salvage cryotherapy, although the predictive value of PSA DT only trended toward significance. The statistically significant difference in pre- and postsalvage cryotherapy PSA DTs was reflective of aggressive tumor biology. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Interactive and Dominant Effects of Residues 128 and 141 on Cyclic Nucleotide and DNA Bindings in Escherichia coli cAMP Receptor Protein

The molecular events in the cAMP-induced allosteric activation of cAMP receptor protein (CRP) involve interfacial communications between subunits and domains. However, the roles of intersubunit and interdomain interactions in defining the selectivity of cAMP against other cyclic nucleotides and cooperativity in ligand binding are still not known. Natural occurring CRP mutants with different phenotypes were employed to address these issues. Thermodynamic analyses of subunit association, protein stability, and cAMP and DNA binding as well as conformational studies of the mutants and wild-type CRPs lead to an identification of the apparently dominant roles of residues 128 and 141 in the cAMP-modulated DNA binding activity of CRP. Serine 128 and the C-helix were implicated as playing a critical role in modulating negative cooperativity of cyclic nucleotide binding. A correlation was established between a weak affinity for subunit assembly and the relaxation of cyclic nucleotide selectivity in the G141Q and S128A/G141Q mutants. These results imply that intersubunit interaction is important for cyclic nucleotide discrimination in CRP. The double mutant S128A/G141Q, constructed from two single mutations of S128A and G141Q, which exhibit opposite phenotypic characteristics of CRP− and CRP*, respectively, assumes a CRP* phenotype and has biochemical properties similar to those of the G141Q mutant. These observations suggest that mutation G141Q exerts a dominant effect over mutation S128A and that the subunit realignment induced by the G141Q mutation can override the local structural disruption created by mutation S128A.
mRNA encoding the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase is widely expressed in Xenopus cells.

Abstract Here, the sequence of a Xenopus laevis cDNA encoding the 640 carboxy-terminal amino acids of the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK cs ) is reported. The predicted Xenopus protein segment is 65% identical to the human counterpart. Northern blot analysis indicates that Xenopus DNA-PK cs is encoded by an approx. 13 000 nt transcript. DNA-PK cs mRNA is widely expressed in adult tissues as well as in oocytes and embryos. It is also shown that outside the conserved kinase domain, Xenopus DNA-PK cs bears significant similarities to hypothetical 420.8 and 433.2 kDa proteins in yeast species.
A Tungsten Filament Vaporizer for Sample Introduction into a Direct-Current Plasma:

The interface of a tungsten filament vaporization source with a direct-current plasma has produced significant improvement over other electrothermal vaporization plasma emission sources. A unique means of filament heating, using microprocessor control, is introduced. This allows temperature programming and the synchronization of the vaporization and data collection processes necessary to capture the transient analyte signals. The small dead volume, short interface distance, and rapid heating rates all contribute to the very narrow and rapidly appearing emission profiles. The mass detection limits are 80 fg Ca, 200 fg Cu, 90 fg Fe, and 200 fg Fe. These are among the lowest detection limits reported for thermal vaporization-plasma emission techniques. The copper concentration was determined in whole swine blood.
The antioxidant activity of phosphorus compounds—Part I: Decomposition of hydroperoxides by pentaerythritol diphosphites

Abstract A series of pentaerythritol diphosphites (PEDP) was used to study the effect of structure on the decomposition of 1-methyl-1-phenylethyl hydroperoxide (cumene hydroperoxide, CHP) in chlorobenzene under nitrogen at 75°C. Whilst pentaerythritol diphosphites with bonds: react in a strictly stoichiometric reaction with cumene hydroperoxide, forming phosphates, we propose that pentaerythritol diphosphites and thiophosphates with bonds: react with cumene hydroperoxide by a different mechanism. The active heteroatom is sulphur which, through the formation of a catalytically active species, causes rapid decomposition of the hydroperoxide which is studied by measuring infra-red spectra using FTIR techniques.