cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coagulation abnormalities in patients with Gaucher's disease: effect of therapy.

Various coagulation defects have been associated with Gaucher's disease, including factor IX deficiency and acquired von Willebrand's disease (VWD). We performed repeated coagulation assays in 9 patients with Gaucher's disease over a period of 2 years. The prothrombin time (PT) and fibrinogen levels were normal in 8 of 9 patients, while the partial thromboplastin time (PTT) was abnormal in 5 of 9; all mixing PTT tests showed correction. Factor IX was normal repeatedly in the 7 of 7 patients tested. In contrast, factor XI was decreased in 3 of 9 patients assayed. Anticardiolipin (ACL) IgM was normal in all patients. ACL IgG was highly variable; levels were abnormal at least once in 6 of 8 patients, but were also normal at least once in 7 of 8 patients. Factor VIII was also quite variable: levels were decreased at least once in 4 of 9 patients, and normal at least once in 8 of 9 patients. Von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF Ag) studies were normal in 7 of 8 patients, but VWF activity was decreased at least once in 4 of 8 patients. In some patients, these problems could be overcome by specimen dilution. In ony 1 patient was VWF Ag decreased; this patient had a factor VIIIC level of 13% , and VWF activity of 18.7%. Coagulation assays performed before and after alglucerase administration failed to demonstrate any significant improvement in these assays, and neither was there a consistent improvement over the duration of therapy. We suggest that previously reported decreases in factor IX and VWF may be secondary to the interfering presence of increased cerebroside levels. Caution must be used in the interpretation of clotting assays in the patient with Gaucher's disease.
The AIDS Risk Reduction Model: Examining Intentions to Use Condoms Among Injection Drug Users1

This paper uses the AIDS Risk Reduction Model (ARRM) to examine psychosocial factors involved in adopting safer sex practices in a sample of Los Angeles injection drug users (IDUs; n= 161) who reported having more than one sex partner in the year preceding the interview. The ARRM hypothesizes that behavior change is a process occurring in three stages: (a) labeling one's behavior as problematic, (b) making a commitment to behavior change, and (c) taking action to accomplish that change. We test the first two stages of the model using a measure of perceived risk of HIV infection (Stage I), and intentions to use condoms always during vaginal or anal sex in the next year (Stage 2). We examine differences in the predictive value of the ARM between IDUs who reported using condoms in the year prior to the interview and those who reported not using them. We identify leverage points in the model-factors which appear to have a major influence on intentions to use condoms and which may be amenable to change through educational or other types of intervention. For both condom users and non-users, susceptibility to AIDS predicted perceived infection risk (Stage I). For condom users, knowledge about AIDS also predicted perceived risk. For both groups, self efficacy, peer norms concerning condom use, and the perceived pleasure of using condoms predicted intentions to use condoms (Stage 2). Our findings do not support either direct or indirect relationships between the Stage 1 and Stage 2 outcome variables for either group.
Electrochromic properties of conducting polymer metal nanoparticles composites

Electrochromic devices were made using a nanocomposite blend of conducting polymer poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene):poly styrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and metal nanoparticles of silver or gold. Microscopic analysis showed a random distribution of metal nanoparticles with little aggregation in the matrix. The two terminal devices exhibited an increase in absorption that is dependant on the loading of nanoparticles in the polymer. Further, the active electrochromic spectral window showed a bias dependant tuning and a broadened spectral response. All devices exhibited slow relaxivities which we interpret as resulting from the high capacitance of the metal nanoparticles embedded in the polymer matrix.
Morbidity of cytomegalovirus infection in recipients of heart or heart-lung transplants who received cyclosporine.

Forty-four heart and five heart-lung transplant recipients with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection were investigated for risk factors associated with symptomatic CMV infection (17 patients) and CMV pneumonia (eight patients). Symptomatic infection was associated with primary rather than reactivated infection (P less than .005), younger age (P less than .005), heart-lung transplantation (P less than .001), and significant rises in titer of antibody to the early antigen of Epstein-Barr virus (P less than .001). Among recipients of heart transplants, patients with cardiomyopathy more often had symptomatic disease due to CMV (P less than .05). CMV pneumonia was associated with heart-lung transplantation and, in patients with primary CMV infection, earlier positive cultures for CMV after transplantation (P less than .02). CMV viremia was found in all patients with symptomatic infection, including the eight patients with CMV pneumonia, and the frequency of positive buffy coat cultures for CMV was significantly higher in patients with symptoms than in patients without symptoms (P less than .001). Neither symptomatic CMV infection nor CMV pneumonia was significantly associated with the use of antithymocyte globulin, restricted to therapy for rejection, and the use of high doses of acyclovir in 11 patients had no demonstrable impact on CMV culture positivity.
Factors Controlling the Size and Spacing of Cumulus Clouds as Revealed by Numerical Experiments

Abstract Factors controlling the size and spacing of cumulus clouds are determined by the numerical integration of a compressible set of hydrodynamic equations for an atmosphere with saturation processes and cloud microphysics included. Sets of integrations, each carried out for several hours of cloud simulation, produce fields of numerical clouds that pass through various stages of development. The characteristics of clouds in the initiation, growth, and fully-developed stages are examined. In addition, the development of group structures and cloud merging are also found. Comparison of numerical results with a variety of observations shows that the model gives realistic cloud characteristics.
Motor Vehicle Fatalities Increase Just After Publicized Suicide Stories

The average increase in motor vehicle fatalities is 9.12 percent in the week after a suicide story. The more publicity given to the story, the greater the rise in motor vehicle deaths thereafter. This rise apparently occurs because suicide stories stimulate a wave of imitative suicides, some of which are disguised as motor vehicle accidents.
Sulfur amino acid metabolism in cystinuria: a biochemical and clinical study of patients.

Sulfur amino acid metabolism in cystinuria: A biochemical and clinical study of patients. Sulfur amino acid metabolism was studied in 26 homozygotic cystinuric patients, some of whom received D-penicillamine, 2-mercaptopropionylglycine or N-acetylcysteine treatments in order to evaluate signs of cyst(e)ine deficiency. Decreased leukocyte glutathione and taurine levels, plasma cyst(e)ine and taurine concentrations and urinary inorganic sulfate, taurine, mercaptolactate and thiosulfate outputs were found in cystinuric patients, probably reflecting intracellular cyst(e)ine deficiency. An increased mercaptoace-tate-cysteine mixed disulfide output was found, probably a result of a poor tubular reabsorption of this compound, as well as for cystine. Normal retinal function was recorded in all patients. During drug treatments, the excretion of most of the sulfur compounds in cystinurics was as those found in controls, probably reflecting an increased mobilization of cysteine. N-acetylcysteine treatment increased the excretion of cyst(e)ine and can thus not be recommended as stone preventive therapy in cystinuria.
Circadian Clock NAD+ Cycle Drives Mitochondrial Oxidative Metabolism in Mice

Circadian clocks are self-sustained cellular oscillators that synchronize oxidative and reductive cycles in anticipation of the solar cycle. We found that the clock transcription feedback loop produces cycles of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) biosynthesis, adenosine triphosphate production, and mitochondrial respiration through modulation of mitochondrial protein acetylation to synchronize oxidative metabolic pathways with the 24-hour fasting and feeding cycle. Circadian control of the activity of the NAD(+)-dependent deacetylase sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) generated rhythms in the acetylation and activity of oxidative enzymes and respiration in isolated mitochondria, and NAD(+) supplementation restored protein deacetylation and enhanced oxygen consumption in circadian mutant mice. Thus, circadian control of NAD(+) bioavailability modulates mitochondrial oxidative function and organismal metabolism across the daily cycles of fasting and feeding.
Hypoxic-ischemic leukoencephalopathy in man.

• Three cases of hypoxic-ischemic leukoencephalopathy were studied. In two patients, the neurologic disorder followed drug overdosage; in the third, the apparent precipitating event was a postoperative myocardial infarction complicated by circulatory insufficiency. All patients were deeply unresponsive, with varying reflex patterns. In all three cases, the brain showed extensive symmetrical necrotic lesions of the central white matter, with minimal damage to gray matter structures. The lesions in case 3 showed, in addition, vascular necrosis and ring hemorrhages. Common to all cases was a prolonged period of hypoxemia, hypotension, and elevated venous pressure. Acidosis occurred in two. These observations and analysis of previous reports of similar cases suggest that leukoencephalopathy tends to occur when the hypoxemia is prolonged and is associated with periods of hypotension and metabolic imbalance.
Genetic identity in subdivided populations. I. Two equal-sized subpopulations

Abstract Moments of the steady state frequency spectrum (probabilities of identity of samples of genes) are obtained for a subdivided population by using standard recursive identity by state calculations. These moments are used to obtain variances for some measures of genetic identity, including Nei's normalized genetic identity (I) and genetic distance (−logeI). The results are compared with those obtained from the corresponding undivided population theory, including adjustments to the effective number to try to account for subdivision. Undivided population approximations based on effective number are surprisingly accurate, regardless of the migration rate, when sampling exclusively from one subpopulation.
The dietary arginine requirement of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is influenced by endogenous synthesis of arginine from glutamic acid.

Previous studies with young mammals have established that arginine synthesis from glutamate-derived citrulline can be a major endogenous source of arginine. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to re-assess the dietary arginine requirement of juvenile channel catfish and to determine the metabolic effects of including glutamate or glycine to maintain isonitrogenous levels among diets. Two sets of diets were formulated to contain 24 g crude protein/100 g dry weight from casein/gelatin and crystalline amino acids with arginine supplementation in 0.5 increments from 0.5 to 2.0 g/100 g diet. Amino acid nitrogen was maintained equal, within sets, by replacing arginine with aspartate and either glutamate or glycine. Each diet was fed to apparent satiation to triplicate groups of 12 fish initially averaging 11.4 g/fish for 8 weeks. Weight gain (WG), feed efficiency (FE), protein efficiency ratio (PER), protein retention (PR) and survival were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by arginine. At the suboptimal level of dietary arginine, glutamate appeared to contribute arginine through internally derived citrulline based on increased plasma citrulline and arginine concentrations. WG and plasma amino acid concentrations of fish fed diets with glycine suggested that it does not serve as a precursor for citrulline. Based on WG and FE, juvenile channel catfish were found to require arginine at 3.3% to 3.8% of dietary protein, when glutamate was included in the diet. The requirement estimate was 33% higher when glycine replaced glutamate in the diet and was similar to the previously determined arginine requirement of channel catfish at 4.3 g/100 g of dietary protein. These results strongly suggest that dietary glutamate is used for endogenous synthesis of arginine in channel catfish, especially when arginine is deficient in the diet.
Computing fractal dimensions for additive cellular automata

Abstract Efficient methods are given for finding the statistics of symbol blocks occuring in the graphs of additive cellular automata after large numbers of iterations. In particular, the methods yield fractal dimensions, entropies, and a recurrence relation for the number of nonzero symbols. The methods are based on the construction of a nonnegative integer matrix A closely related to the automation. The largest eigenvalue of A tells the fractal dimension, while the corresponding eigenvector gives the relative frequencies of blocks.
Energetics of the middle atmosphere: theory and observation requirements

Abstract This paper presents an overview of the significant advances which have been made over the past three years in the understanding of the energy budget of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Recent calculations of key heat source terms are presented and compared. Observation requirements to further the understanding are also presented. In particular, the ozone concentration is shown to be of considerable importance to the mesospheric heat budget through absorption of solar ultraviolet radiation and participation in exothermic reactions. Two techniques by which ozone may be determined from space-based instruments employing infrared emission sensing are also reviewed and compared. Very accurate knowledge of the departure from local thermodynamic equilibrium in the observed emission features is required to reliably determine the ozone concentration.
Snow melt and surface albedo in the Arctic Basin

Meteorological satellite imagery has been used to map the changes of surface brightness and texture associated with the seasonal progression of snow melt on the arctic pack ice in 1977 and 1979, and, using an image processor, surface albedo has been estimated. This is the first basin-wide information on the temporal and spatial change of the ice surface and its albedo. In both years studied, melt progressed poleward from the Barents and Kara Seas and from the southern Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Average surface albedo of the Arctic Basin fell to 0.40, and in the central Arctic to about 0.50, in late July of each year, but the melt occurred approximately 3 weeks later in 1979 than in 1977. Results suggest a significant year-to-year variability in the arctic energy and mass balances.
Mammalian community structure on islands: the importance of immigration, extinction and interactive effects

A general review of the patterns of species richness of insular mammals (Lomolino, 1984a) indicated that richness is determined by interactive as well as additive effects of factors affecting immigration and extinction. The present paper reports that species composition of insular mammals is also influenced by such additive and interactive effects. Therefore, insular incidence should be high for those species whose (or on those islands where) (immigration rates) are high relative to extinction rates. The model presented in this paper predicts that species have high incidence on islands if low immigration rates (poor immigrators and/or distant islands) are compensated by low extinction rates (good survivors and/or large islands), or high extinction rates are compensated for by high immigration rates. Therefore, poor immigrators may be frequent inhabitants of distant islands if their extinction rates are compensatorily low (large islands and/or low resource requirements). Conversely, extinction-prone species (large, specialist carnivores) may be frequent inhabitants of small islands if their immigration rates are compensatorily high (near islands and/or good immigrators). These ‘compensatory effects’ were well evidenced by the mammalian faunas of the islands in the Thousand Islands Region, New York, and Lake Michigan (U.S.A.). ‘Compensatory effects’ are also evidenced by mammals of other archipelagos, as well as by birds inhabiting real and habitat islands. These results are consistent with the fundamental assumption of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography, i.e. insular community structure is the result of recurrent (rather than unique) immigrations and extinctions. Accordingly, I suggest that the concept of a fixed critical minimum area for isolated populations may be meaningless unless immigrations are unimportant with respect to the fauna under study. Finally, apparently anomalous or stochastic distribution patterns of insular species may readily be explained by the deterministic model presented here which incorporates the interactive as well as additive effects of immigration and extinctions on insular community structure.
Orphanin FQ/nociceptin attenuates the development of morphine tolerance in rats

1. Recent evidence from studies in mice lacking the opioid receptor-like (ORL-1) receptor and from experiments using antibodies raised against orphanin FQ/nociceptin (OFQ/N) suggest that this peptide may be involved in morphine tolerance. In the present study we sought to investigate if administration of exogenous OFQ/N would modulate the development of tolerance to the antinociceptive effect of morphine. 2. Rats were treated for 3 days with either saline or morphine (10 mg kg(-1), s.c.) followed, 15 and 75 min later, by two intracerebroventricular injections of either artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) or OFQ/N. The dose of OFQ/N was doubled each day (7.5, 15, 30 nmol). On day 4, rats were tested on a hot plate apparatus before and 30, 60 and 90 min after morphine administration. 3. Repeated OFQ/N treatment did not affect basal nociceptive responses or morphine-induced antinociception. However, the same treatment significantly attenuated the development of morphine tolerance. 4. Since learning and memory could contribute to the development of morphine tolerance, in subsequent studies, we examined the effect of OFQ/N administered in the CA3 region of the hippocampus, where OFQ/N has been shown to block LTP and impair spatial memory. A greater attenuation of morphine tolerance with no alteration of baseline hot plate latency or morphine-induced antinociception was observed when OFQ/N was administered in this area of the rat brain. 5. Taken together, our results demonstrate that OFQ/N may act in the hippocampus to attenuate morphine tolerance.
Precipitation and growth of magnesium hydroxide nanopetals on zeolite 4A surfaces

Abstract We have studied the precipitation and growth of magnesium hydroxide Mg(OH) 2 nanopetals on zeolite 4A particles dispersed in aqueous magnesium chloride solutions at 298 K. We show that the precipitation of these petal-like nanostructures can be achieved by the addition of ammonium hydroxide to aqueous magnesium chloride, and their growth can be controlled by concentration and pH. We propose a mechanism for nanocomposite formation driven by acid–base interactions between the bridging hydroxyl groups on the zeolite surface and weakly basic Mg(OH) 2 .
Functional and Molecular Characterization of Receptor Subtypes Mediating Coronary Microvascular Dilation to Adenosine

Abstract Adenosine is a potent vasodilator of the coronary microvessels and is implicated in the regulation of coronary blood flow during metabolic stress. However, the receptor subtypes and the vasodilatory mechanism responsible for the dilation of coronary microvessels to adenosine remain unclear. In the present study, using an isolated-vessel preparation we demonstrated that porcine coronary arterioles (50–100 μ m) dilated concentration-dependently to adenosine, CPA (adenosine A1receptor agonist) and CGS21680 (adenosine A2Areceptor agonist). These vasodilations were not altered by the A1receptor antagonist CPX, but were abolished by the selective A2Areceptor antagonist ZM241385, indicating that activation of A2Areceptors mediates these vasodilatory responses. The protein kinase A inhibitor Rp-8-Br-cAMPS abolished coronary arteriolar dilations to adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin and cAMP analog 8-Br-cAMP, but failed to inhibit adenosine- and CGS21680-induced dilations. The calcium-activated potassium channel inhibitor iberiotoxin also did not affect vasodilations to adenosine and CGS21680. In contrast, the ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel inhibitor glibenclamide abolished vasodilations to adenosine and CGS21680 but did not affect vasodilations to forskolin and 8-Br-cAMP. In addition, the cAMP level in coronary microvessels was not increased by adenosine or CGS21680. The results from RT/PCR and in situ hybridization indicated that adenosine A2Areceptor mRNA was encoded in coronary arterioles and the left anterior descending (LAD) artery but not in cardiomyocytes, whereas the A1receptor transcript was detected in the LAD artery and cardiomyocytes but not in arterioles. Similarly, adenosine A1and A2Aproteins were expressed in the LAD artery, but only A2Areceptors were expressed in coronary arterioles. Collectively, these functional data suggest that coronary arteriolar dilation to adenosine is primarily mediated by the opening of KATPchannels through activation of A2Areceptors. This conclusion is corroborated by the molecular data showing that coronary arterioles only express adenosine A2Areceptors. Furthermore, the dilation of coronary microvessels to adenosine A2Areceptor activation appears to be independent of cAMP signaling.
Effects of intra-amygdala injections of NMDA receptor antagonists on acquisition and retention of inhibitory avoidance.

Abstract These experiments examined the effects of intra-amygdala injections of NMDA receptor antagonists on the acquisition and retention of inhibitory avoidance. In Expt. I, rats received bilateral intra-amygdala injections of the NMDA antagonists d,l -AP5 (1–10 μg), d -AP5 (0.03–1 μg), CPP (0.125 or 0.375 μg), or MK-801 (0.2 or 0.5 μg) prior to training in a continuous multiple-trial inhibitory avoidance (CMIA) task. Acquisition of the task was not significantly affected by any of the drug injections. In contrast, all three competitive antagonists, d,l -AP5, d -AP5 and CPP, produced dose-dependent impairment of 48 h retention performance. Although the MK-801 injections did not significantly impair retention performance, the retention scores of the 0.5 μg MK-801 group were bimodally distributed, indicating retention impairment in a subgroup of the animals given that dose. Intra-amygdala injections of 3 or 10 μg d,l -AP5 did not affect footshock sensitivity (Expt. II) or locomotor activity (Expt. III) and their retention-impairing effects were not due to induction of state dependency (Expt. IV). The retention-impairing effects of intra-amygdala injections of NMDA antagonists were not due to diffusion of the drugs dorsally: injections of 1 μg d -AP5 into the striatal area directly above the amygdala impaired acquisition but not retention performance (Expt. V). The retention-impairing effects of 1 μg d -AP5 or 0.5 μg MK-801 were attenuated by giving additional training to the animals shortly after receiving intra-amygdala injections (Expt. VI). The implications of these findings for hypotheses concerning amygdala function in learning and memory are discussed.
Z-DNA conformation of N-2-acetylaminofluorene modified poly(dG-dC)·poly(dG-dC) determined by reactivity with anti cytidine antibodies and minimized potential energy calculations

Abstract The conformation of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC), poly(dG).poly(dC), and calf thymus DNA modified with N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-acetoxy-AAF) was examined by extent of reaction with anti cytidine antibodies. In contrast to modified poly(dG).poly(dC0 and DNA, modified poly(dG-dC).poly (dG-dC) failed to react with the antibodies indicating that the base pairing in this polymer is intact. This in consistent with induction of the Z-DNA conformation in AAF modified poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC). Using minimized potential energy calculations on the dCpdG-AAF dimer as a model for the modified polymer, it is shown that the proposed Z-DNA conformation is energetically stable. A model is proposed for an AAF modified tetramer, dGpdCpdGpdC, in which the AAF is external to the Z-DNA duplex.
Periapical neural changes after pulpectomy

Pulpectomy and pulpal necrosis result in severance of the nerves that supply the pulp as well as loss of their target organ. Inflammatory changes commonly extend into the periapical region to involve those nerves. The neural response to pulpal loss combined with periapical inflammation is a derangement of the periodontal plexus normally located in the center of the periodontal space around the apical third of the root; the result is the formation of a disorganized group of sprouting and branching axons that have some features in common with neuromas. The inflammatory and neural responses continue for at least a year even when pulpectomy is followed by canal debridement and obturation. Then the responses are reduced but not eliminated by steroids. Root canal therapy with techniques that do not leave residual inflammation still results in increased periapical innervation; the increase seems to be an organized addition to the normal periradicular plexus.
Dissolution of beryllium in artificial lung alveolar macrophage phagolysosomal fluid

Dissolution of a lung burden of poorly soluble beryllium particles is hypothesized to be necessary for development of chronic beryllium lung disease (CBD) in humans. As such, particle dissolution rate must be sufficient to activate the lung immune response and dissolution lifetime sufficient to maintain chronic inflammation for months to years to support development of disease. The purpose of this research was to investigate the hypothesis that poorly soluble beryllium compounds release ions via dissolution in lung fluid. Dissolution kinetics of 17 poorly soluble particulate beryllium materials that span extraction through ceramics machining (ores, hydroxide, metal, copper-beryllium [CuBe] fume, oxides) and three CuBe alloy reference materials (chips, solid block) were measured over 31 d using artificial lung alveolar macrophage phagolysosomal fluid (pH 4.5). Differences in beryllium-containing particle physicochemical properties translated into differences in dissolution rates and lifetimes in artificial phagolysosomal fluid. Among all materials, dissolution rate constant values ranged from 10(-5) to 10(-10)gcm(-2)d(-1) and half-times ranged from tens to thousands of days. The presence of magnesium trisilicate in some beryllium oxide materials may have slowed dissolution rates. Materials associated with elevated prevalence of CBD had faster beryllium dissolution rates [10(-7)-10(-8)gcm(-2)d(-1)] than materials not associated with elevated prevalence (p<0.05).
The finding of chlorinated dibenzofurans in a Japanese polychlorinated biphenyl sample

Chlorinated dibenzofurans, including 1 ppm of tetrachlorinated dibenzofuran(s), and pentachloronaphthalene have been identified by combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in a polychlorinated biphenyl of Japanese manufacture (KC-400). The question of whether chlorinated dibenzofurans in KC-400 may have contributed to the reported Yusho incident is thus raised.
Model for an RNA tertiary interaction from the structure of an intermolecular complex between a GAAA tetraloop and an RNA helix

IN large structured RNAs, RNA hairpins in which the strands of the duplex stem are connected by a tetraloop of the consensus sequence 5′-GNRA (where N is any nucleotide, and R is either G or A) are unusually frequent1. In group I introns there is a covaria-tion in sequence between nucleotides in the third and fourth positions of the loop with specific distant base pairs in putative RNA duplex stems2: GNAA loops correlate with successive 5'-C-C · G-G base pairs in stems, whereas GNGA loops correlate with 5′-C-U · G-A. This has led to the suggestion that GNRA tetraloops may be involved in specific long-range tertiary inter-actions, with each A in position 3 or 4 of the loop interacting with a C-G base pair in the duplex, and G in position 3 interacting with a U-A base pair. This idea is supported experimentally for the GAAA loop of the P5b extension of the group I intron of Tetrahy-mena thermophilc3 and the L9 GUGA terminal loop of the td intron of bacteriophage T4 (ref. 4). NMR has revealed the overall structure of the tetraloop for 12-nucleotide hairpins with GCAA and GAAA loops5 and models have been proposed for the inter-action of GNRA tetraloops with base pairs in the minor groove of A-form RNA2,4. Here we describe the crystal structure of an intermolecular complex between a GAAA tetraloop and an RNA helix. The interactions we observe correlate with the specificity of GNRA tetraloops inferred from phylogenetic studies, suggesting that this complex is a legitimate model for intramolecular tertiary interactions mediated by GNRA tetraloops in large structured RNAs.
Person-portable gas chromatography: rapid temperature program operation through resistive heating of columns with inherently low thermal mass properties.

Abstract As open tubular gas chromatography was becoming widely adopted, the potential to rapidly heat and cool the low thermal mass of an open tubular fused silica column was recognized. Numerous resistive column heating approaches were subsequently described and demonstrated, often with a common objective to focus heating efforts on the column alone, rather than on a large convection oven. Low thermal mass column bundles have been commercially available for about ten years, where insulated wires in close proximity to a coiled open tubular capillary column provide resistive heating. Before this, person-portable gas chromatographs either operated isothermally at relatively low temperatures or at ambient temperature to lessen power demands, but several person-portable gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) instruments capable of temperature program operation have become available in the past ten years based on this heating method. When low thermal mass heated zones are used, and with a direct GC–MS interface, analysis times of less than 5 min are possible for target compounds having a wide range of volatilities. Previous capabilities in transportable and person-portable gas chromatography instrumentation are reviewed to demonstrate the scale of advancement made possible by the adoption of open tubular columns and low power heating techniques now becoming routinely available. Microcomachined columns which are usually etched in a silicon wafer represent a radical break from the traditional fused silica open tubular column design, and increasing efforts to use this column construction approach are also examined. The developments discussed have introduced the potential to rapidly analyze compounds with a wide volatility range in the field to protect deployed military forces, the health of workers, and the health of the general public.
Improved long-term outcome for patients with jejunoileal apple peel atresia

Abstract Background/Purpose: Although apple peal intestinal atresia is a rare lesion associated with significant morbidity and high mortality, the authors have seen no deaths since 1983. Similar success has rarely been reported, and there are no reports of long-term follow-up. This study examines the short-term and long-term complications and outcome for these children, critiques our evolution in care, and gives current recommendations for therapy. Methods: A retrospective review of 12 patients over 11 years was conducted. Perinatal history and operative and perioperative management were examined and end results and complications using different management plans compared. Long-term outcome was determined through clinic follow-up. Results: Mean follow-up was 5.1 years. Children had a mean 61.4 cm of total small bowel. Seven patients underwent a primary anastomosis and five had enterostomies. The proximal jejunum was tapered, plicated, resected or left intact. Eleven children required gastrostomy tubes. All children required total parenteral nutrition. Full enteral feeding was achieved in all children, but three required gastrostomy supplementation. Three patients who had enterostomies suffered bowel obstruction, two with dilated, dysmotile proximal jejunum required subsequent tapering. Eight children maintained a growth curve between the 5th and 50th percentile. None have short bowel physiology, and all have achieved acceptable bowel function. Conclusions: (1) Total parenteral nutrition is essential for initial nutritional management. (2) Use of an enterostomy leads to an increased incidence of complications. (3) The dilated proximal bowel should be resected, tapered, or plicated, and a primary anastomosis should be performed. (4) Gastrostomy tubes are necessary for initial management. (5) Early morbidity is common, though excellent long-term outcome and normal growth and development are expected.
Flame structure changes resulting from hydrogen-enrichment and pressurization for low-swirl premixed methane–air flames

Abstract With the current focus on alternate and renewable fuels, fuel flexibility has become a driving factor in the design of new turbines. Flame stability is heavily impacted by the presence of hydrogen in the fuel stream (as is common in many alternative fuels). This study examines how the flame dynamics change in response to the systematic addition of hydrogen in a low-swirl lean premixed methane–air burner. Stability maps for these test cases show that adding hydrogen broadens the blow-off limits, with 20% hydrogen resulting in a 7% change while 40% hydrogen results in a 35% larger stable region. The most dramatic manifestation of hydrogen addition is the greatly decreased radius of curvature of the local flame surface, which is visible from the increased wrinkling of the flame front. Increases in both pressure and hydrogen enrichment result in higher means and variances of flame front curvatures. The flame surface density is in agreement with the aforementioned flame front curvature PDFs in that increasing the pressure and hydrogen concentration leads to an increase in the maximum flame surface density.
Monokine-induced gene expression of a human endothelial cell-derived neutrophil chemotactic factor.

Monokines have been increasingly recognized as communication signals that interact with both immune and non-immune cells during inflammation. Specifically, interleukin-1alpha (IL-lalpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) possess potent effector activities on various cell types. We present novel data demonstrating that human endothelial cells are a major source of a neutrophil chemotactic factor (NCF) synthesized upon stimulation with either IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, or TNF-alpha; but not with interleukin-6 (IL-6). Northern blot analysis demonstrated that 20 ng/ml of either IL-1 or TNF-alpha could induce endothelial cells to express significant levels of NCF mRNA, while IL-6 was not active in this system. These data demonstrate that monokines play an important role in mediating acute inflammation via induction of an endothelial cell-derived NCF.
Effects of strain and light intensity on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broilers grown to heavy weights

Effects of genetic strain and light intensity on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broilers grown to heavy weights were investigated. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design. Treatment structure was a 2 × 5 factorial arrangement with the main factors being strain (Ross × Ross 308, Ross × Ross 708) and light intensity (25, 10, 5, 2.5, and 0.2 lx) with trial as replicates. In each of the 5 trials, chicks of 2 different strains of the same commercial hatchery were equally and randomly distributed into 10 environmentally controlled rooms (5 rooms/strain) at 1 d of age at 50% RH. Each room was randomly assigned 1 of 5 light intensities from 22 to 56 d of age. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Birds and feed were weighed on 0, 14, 28, 42, and 56 d of age for growth performance. Humoral immune response was determined on d 28, whereas ocular and blood samples were performed on d 42 and 55, respectively. On d 56, 20 (10 males and 10 females) birds/strain from each room were processed to determine weights and yields. Genetic strain was significant (P ≤ 0.05) for most of the examined variables, where Ross × Ross 308 had better growth performance and meat yield in comparison with Ross × Ross 708. Although, there was no main effect of light intensity on growth performance and meat yield, results indicated that birds under 10 and 5 lx intensities showed slightly better growth performance and meat yield compared with birds under 25, 2.5, and 0.2 lx in both strains. There was no effect of strain and light intensity on ocular indices, immune response, plasma corticosterone levels, and mortality. This study shows the positive influence on profits to commercial poultry facilities that are using a low lighting environment to reduce energy cost, optimize feed conversion, and maximize production without compromising the welfare of the broilers.
Nkx6.1 Is Essential for Maintaining the Functional State of Pancreatic Beta Cells

Recently, loss of beta-cell-specific traits has been proposed as an early cause of beta cell failure in diabetes. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the loss of beta cell features remain unclear. Here, we identify an Nkx6.1-controlled gene regulatory network as essential for maintaining the functional and molecular traits of mature beta cells. Conditional Nkx6.1 inactivation in adult mice caused rapid-onset diabetes and hypoinsulinemia. Genome-wide analysis of Nkx6.1-regulated genes and functional assays further revealed a critical role for Nkx6.1 in the control of insulin biosynthesis, insulin secretion, and beta cell proliferation. Over time, Nkx6.1-deficient beta cells acquired molecular characteristics of delta cells, revealing a molecular link between impaired beta cell functional properties and loss of cell identity. Given that Nkx6.1 levels are reduced in human type 2 diabetic beta cells, our study lends support to the concept that loss of beta cell features could contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetes.
Choosing the right path: enhancement of biologically relevant sets of genes or proteins using pathway structure

A method is proposed that finds enriched pathways relevant to a studied condition using the measured molecular data and also the structural information of the pathway viewed as a network of nodes and edges. Tests are performed using simulated data and genomic data sets and the method is compared to two existing approaches. The analysis provided demonstrates the method proposed is very competitive with the current approaches and also provides biologically relevant results.
VALUE OF SOYBRAN FLAKES FOR MILK PRODUCTION.

Abstract Milk yields, fat percentages, and body weight gains were equally as good on a concentrate mixture containing 30% of soybran flakes as on mixtures having equal amounts of citrus pulp, or oats. When fed as the only source of feed to three cows in late lactation, soybran flakes prevented depression of fat tests, but did not maintain milk yields. Soybran flakes had a TDN value of 71.7% and a crude fiber digestibility of 83.8% when fed to steers in a ration containing two parts soybran flakes to one part hay. When fed alone to dairy cows, these values were 64.8 and 70.9%, respectively. It is concluded that soybran flakes can satisfactorily be used in dairy cattle rations and are about equal in feeding value to citrus pulp and oats.
Efficient joint transform processor

An efficient joint transform processor, called the phase- encoded fringe-adjusted joint transfer correlator (PFJTC) is proposed which employs phase encoding and nonlinear Fourier plane apodization for optimizing the correlation performance. For input scenes involving multiple identical targets, existing JTCs require multi-step on-line processing to eliminate the false alarms and other artifacts. The proposed PFJTC eliminates the possibility of false target detection by eradicating the false correlation peaks, and alleviates the effects of noise and other artifacts, in just one step thus ensuring higher processing speed. The phase encoding operation and the Fourier plane apodization does not have any detrimental effect on the processing speed. This technique ensures better utilization of space- bandwidth-product by using separate input and reference planes and by yielding only one peak per target instead of a pair of peaks produced by alternate JTCs. An all-optical implementation for the PFJTC technique is proposed and computer simulation results are presented.
Effects of Hafnium, Heat Treatment and Cycling under an- Applied Stress on The Transformations of Cold Worked Niti-Based Shape Memory Alloys

The effect of thermal cycling under a constant tensile load on the transformation temperatures (TTs) of NiTi-based shape memory alloys (SMAs) is investigated. Three SMAs are examined in this study: a near equiatomic binary Ni{sub 49}Ti{sub 51} alloy and two ternary Ni{sub 49}Ti{sub 51{minus}x}Hf{sub x} alloys with 1 at% and 3 at% Hf. The SMAs are in the form of wires with 40% cold work (reduction in area) and heat treated between 300 C and 600 C. These SMA wires are thermally cycled between their martensite (M) and austenite (A) phases for 100 cycles under an axial tensile stress of 206.8 MPa (30K{sub is}) in air. Results show that the effect of thermal cycling on the M and A TTs depends on heat treatment (HT) temperature and composition in a complex manner. For example, the M TT, of the binary NiTi SMA heat treated between 300 C and 450 C, increases during thermal cycling. However, with HT temperatures between 500 C and 600 C, the M TT decreases slightly during thermal cycling for HT temperatures up to 500 C, and the M TT decreases during thermal cycling when heat treated at 600 C. These results are due to changes inmore » internal stress and structure, such as dislocation density and arrangement, which are affected by HT temperature and thermal cycling. The influence of Hf content on the changes in the M and A TTs during thermal cycling is also shown.« less
Flow dynamics of an accumulation basin: a case study of upper Kahiltna Glacier, Mount McKinley, Alaska

We interpreted flow dynamics of the Kahiltna Pass Basin accumulation zone on Mount McKinley, Alaska, USA, using 40, 100 and 900MHz ground-penetrating radar profiles and GPS surface velocity measurements. We found dipping, englacial surface-conformable strata that experienced vertical thickening as the glacier flowed westward from a steep, higher-velocity (60ma -1 ) region into flat terrain associated with a 908bend in the glacier and lower velocities (15ma -1 ) to the south. Stratigraphy near the western side of the basin was surface-conformable to!170m depth and thinned as flow diverged southward, down-glacier. We found complex strata beneath the conformable stratigraphy and interpret these features as buried crevasses, avalanche debris and deformed ice caused by up-glacier events. We also suggest that basin dimensions, bed topography and the sharp bend each cause flow extension and compression, significantly contributing to conformable and complex strata thickness variations. Our findings show that surface-conformable stratigraphy continuous with depth and consistent strata thicknesses cannot be assumed in accumulation basins, because local and up- glacier terrain and flow dynamics can cause structural complexities to occur under and within surface- conformable layers.
Nesting ecology in the freshwater turtle Podocnemis unifilis: spatiotemporal patterns and inferred explanations

Summary 1. Habitat selection has profound ecological and evolutionary consequences. For example, there may be strong selection for nest-site choice such that oviparous females, lacking parental care, may adaptively manipulate their offspring survival or phenotype. Alternatively, nesting decisions may be a passive by-product of other processes leading to similar nonrandom nesting patterns. 2. Here we examined the nesting ecology of the turtle Podocnemis unifilis at multiple spatiotemporal scales to determine whether randomness, adaptive nest-site selection or social facilitation best explained the observed population-level patterns. We addressed these alternative strategies by exploring how environmental and geographic variation in nest sites influences embryonic survival within and across four nesting beaches in three years. 3. We found nonrandom spatial and environmental patterns of nesting within beaches and years, consistent with both the adaptive nest-site selection and social facilitation hypotheses. However, nesting patterns were unpredictable among beaches and among years. Furthermore, environmental conditions at nest sites and offspring survival were not associated, and nests from the most gregarious nesting night clustered more tightly geographically and suffered lower predation than nests laid on other nights. 4. Together, our findings provide more extensive support for social facilitation as compared to the adaptive nest-site selection hypothesis. Our results suggest that selection for female nest-site choice in reptiles may be acting more strongly via offspring survival through nest clustering derived from conspecific cueing and less strongly via environmental cueing than previously anticipated. 5. Our findings underscore the importance of examining multiple sites during multiple seasons. This approach permits testing critical predictions about the consistency of population-level patterns across space and time that enable the distinction between models. 6. Our results support a shift with regards to the trait that is usually considered the target of selection for female nest-site choice in a way that exemplifies the classic dichotomy between selection for (survival of nests and perhaps of females) and selection of (offspring phenotype, such as sex).
A REEXAMINATION OF THE ETIOLOGY OF URBAN CRIME

Ecological analysis of crime rates has been a traditionally important approach to analyzing the causes of crime. Over the years, this approach has profited from the use of increasingly sophisticated data analysis techniques. A recent article in this journal on intracity crime rates offered such an analytic refinement—with the discovery of similar curvilinear relationships between both personal and property crime and customary socioeconomic predictors Such a finding for both types of crime is quite different from the results indicated in previous research. The present article reexamines comparable data on urban crime, adding further statistical and theory-based refinements to the analysis The results here show distinctive relationships for property and personal crime. This paper serves, then, to integrate careful empirical analysis into available criminogenic theory and into the conventional wisdom of ecological research.