cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Federalism and the Market: Federalism and the Decentralized Politics of Macroeconomic Policy and Performance

The politics of market reform has been at the heart of political economy research on developing nations since the debt crisis of the early 1980s. In large part this interest has been a response to the increases in international trade and capital flows, collectively known as globalization, which have increased the incentives for developing nations to discard statist models of development in favor of free market policies. With globalized markets, the capacity of developing nations to maintain macroeconomic stability increasingly determines their success in the search for international investment, competitiveness, and economic growth. International motives, however, often run headlong into the survival instincts of politicians who are averse to the budget cuts, tax increases, and the like associated with macroeconomic reforms. As a result, questions about the ability of nations to adjust their economies to this reality have assumed tremendous importance. We must ask: Under what conditions do governments carry through politically difficult macroeconomic reforms? What are the key political and economic institutions that mediate a nation's insertion into, and relationship with, the global economy? What are the political preconditions for successful free market reforms? Consistent with the theoretical expectations outlined in Chapter 2, this research takes as its central point of theoretical departure the potentially negative consequences of federalism for economic adjustment to the challenges of globalization in the developing world. At the broadest level, this manuscript theorizes that the capacity for market reforms decreases with the divergence of political interests across levels of government within nations.
Human Cytomegalovirus I. Purification and Characterization of Viral DNA

Two human strains (AD-169 and C87) and one simian strain (GR2757) of cytomegalovirus (CMV) have been purified from the extracellular fluids of virus-infected cultures by sedimentation through a sucrose gradient followed by brief centrifugation in a preformed gradient of CsCl. Enveloped virus particles were located in the density region, 1.219 g/cm(3), and nucleocapsids at 1.263 g/cm(3). Purified viral DNA, both human and simian, sedimented in the region of 55S in neutral sucrose gradients with herpes simplex type I DNA as a marker; the molecular weight of the CMV DNA was estimated as approximately 10(8). The density of the viral DNA determined by analytical ultracentrifugation was 1.716 g/cm(3) for the human strains and 1.710 g/cm(3) for the simian strain. Tritiated viral complementary RNA synthesized in vitro with Escherichia coli transcriptase has been used for detection and localization of viral genome in membrane hybridization and in situ cytohybridization. Newly synthesized viral DNA appeared 24 h after infection and localized at two acrocentric areas; later the viral DNA distributed in a band resembling intranuclear inclusions 48 to 70 h after infection. Total DNA synthesis began to increase 24 h after infection and reached its peak at 70 h; RNA synthesis increased at 13 h, and reached its peak at 24 to 33 h. The viral DNA was also labeled with (3)H-TTP by repair-synthesis in vitro with Kornberg's enzyme in order to analyze the purity of the DNA and for detection of viral DNA by DNA-DNA reassociation kinetics.
Cancer mortality in U.S. counties with shipyard industries during World War II.

Abstract Respiratory cancer mortality, 1950–1969, was consistently high in U.S. counties where shipyards were engaged in the construction and repair of large naval and cargo vessels during World War II. Over three-fourths of the shipyard counties had elevated rates (in comparison to rates in counties of similar population size in the same region of the country) for lung and laryngeal cancer among white males, with the excess particularly evident in the South. Mortality from lung cancer was high also among white females, and the rate of increase in both sexes was greater than recorded nationally. In addition, rates for oropharyngeal, esophageal, and gastric cancers tended to be elevated in the shipyard counties, but mortality from other tumors was roughly comparable to national levels. A causal relation to asbestos exposures in shipyards cannot be inferred from this correlational analysis, but the unusual mortality patterns underscore the need for broadly based analytic studies to evaluate the risk of cancer in persons with wartime shipyard employment.
Water at Biological Interfaces - Structural and Functional Aspects

Abstract The structure of water near interfaces is reviewed in this paper and evidence presented for the existence of notable changes in the properties of such vicinal water. The depth of the changed surface zone is discussed; it appears that this depth may approach a tenth ofa micron. Possible types of vicinal water structures include the high-pressure ice polymorphs and clathrate. cage-like entities. Some examples of thermal anomalies in the properties of vicinal water are reviewed: at least four different thermal anomalies occur between the freezing and boiling point. It is concluded that thex anomalies likely reflect higher order phase transitions in the structured units of the vicinal water. These transitions appear not to be notably affected by the detailed chemical nature of thc solid substrates with which thc ater is in contact. This is referred to as the “paradoxical effect” and is tentatively interpreted in terms of an energy delocalization phenomenon. The vicinal water structures near solid int...
Sensitivity of polysilicon and polycide antenna MOS capacitor to ion implantation charging effects

Wafer-charging monitors based on MOS capacitor antennas are a popular tool to assess the ion-implantation induced charging in IC manufacturing. We have found that silicidation of polysilicon antennas prior to ion implantation exposure simplifies the test tasks and shortens the cycle time for tool monitoring. The paper presents comparison of ion-implantation charging obtained on polysilicon as well as polycide gate capacitors. For polysilicon antennas a rapid thermal treatment was applied to reinstate polysilicon conductivity and enable electrical testing. The silicided gate electrode offers better protection of the thin oxide against direct ion bombardment and displacement damage in the oxide. The data shows that silicided capacitors suffer less charging under the same implantation process. This makes polycide MOS sensors less sensitive and requires additional calibration with respect to real charging levels occurring during implantation of bare polysilicon gates. The effect is further studied with respect to real charging levels occurring during implantation of bare polysilicon gates. The effect is further studied with respect to charge generation through the emission of secondary electrons from the surface of polysilicon and polycide under ion beam bombardment.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Freelisting on Costs and Value in Health Care by Pediatric Attending Physicians

Abstract Objective In preparation for the development of a curriculum on health care costs and value for pediatricians, the goal of this study was to assess pediatricians' baseline perceptions about the concepts of "cost" and "value" in health care, and topics that should be included in a curriculum that teaches about costs and value in pediatrics. Methods Physicians in the Department of Pediatrics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia received an online freelisting survey asking them to generate lists of words that come to mind when thinking about "costs" in health care, "value" in health care, and topics to include in a curriculum on costs and value in pediatrics. AnthroPac software generated salience scores, indicating the relative importance of each term. Results A total of 207 surveys were completed for a 40% response rate. For the "cost" prompt, the most salient responses were "excessive," "waste," and "insurance." For the "value" prompt, the most salient responses were "outcomes" and "quality." For elements to include in a curriculum, the most salient responses were "insurance" and "costs." Analyzing responses based on years in practice, percentage clinical time, and division resulted in slightly different lists and salience scores. Conclusions In this freelisting exercise, there was general agreement that health care costs are "excessive," that "outcomes" and "quality" are integral to value, and that there is a need for education in these areas, especially around "insurance." Differences based on years in practice, percentage clinical time, or division can inform the development of targeted curricula that consider the needs, knowledge, and interests of these groups.
Commentary On “The Highest Form of the Geographer's Art”

(1982). Commentary On “The Highest Form of the Geographer's Art”. Annals of the Association of American Geographers: Vol. 72, No. 4, pp. 557-558.
Underwater Dynamic Actuation of Macro-Fiber Composite Flaps With Different Aspect Ratios: Electrohydroelastic Modeling, Testing, and Characterization

Macro-fiber composite (MFC) actuators offer simple and scalable design, robustness, noiseless performance, strong electromechanical coupling, and particularly a balance between the actuation force and deformation capabilities, which is essential to effective and agile biomimetic locomotion. Recent efforts in our lab have shown that MFC bimorphs with polyester electrode sheets can successfully be employed for fish-like aquatic locomotion in both tethered and untethered operation. MFC swimmers can outperform other smart material-based counterparts, such as the compliant ionic polymer-metal composite based swimmers, in terms of swimming speed per body length. Cantilevered flaps made of MFC bimorphs with different aspect ratios can be employed for underwater actuation, sensing, and power generation, among other aquatic applications of direct and converse piezoelectric effects. In an effort to develop linearized electrohydroelastic models for such cantilevers, the present work investigates MFC bimorphs with three different aspect ratios. The MFCs used in this study use the 33-mode of piezoelectricity with interdigitated electrodes. Underwater dynamic actuation frequency response functions (FRFs) of the MFCs are defined as the tip velocity per actuation voltage (tip velocity FRF) and current consumption per actuation voltage (admittance FRF). The tip velocity and admittance FRFs are modeled analytically for in-air actuation and validated experimentally for all aspect ratios. Underwater tip velocity and admittance FRFs are then derived by combining their in-air counterparts with corrected hydrodynamic functions. The corrected hydrodynamic functions are also identified from aluminum cantilevers of similar aspect ratios. Both tip vibration and current consumption per voltage input are explored. The failure of Sader’s hydrodynamic function for low length-to-width aspect ratios is shown. Very good correlation is observed between model simulations and experimental measurements using aspect ratio-dependent, corrected hydrodynamic function.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Enhanced DNA accessibility and increased DNA damage induced by the absence of poly(ADP-ribose) hydrolysis.

Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is a therapeutic target primarily identified through inhibiting its synthesis by PAR polymerase-1 (PARP-1). However, inhibiting its hydrolysis by PAR glycohydrolase (PARG) has therapeutic potential in cancer. Unknown is the effect of elevated PAR levels on cellular processes and if this effect can enhance the therapeutic value of PARG. Here, we demonstrate in PARG null embryonic trophoblast stem (TS) cells that the absence of PAR hydrolysis led to PAR-modified histones H1, H2A, and H2B. To determine if this led to the differential vulnerability of DNA to modification, TS cells were treated with DNA-modifying agents. The results demonstrate increased DNA laddering by micrococcal nuclease and an increased amount of DNA intercalation by acridine orange in PARG null-TS cells. This increased access to PARG null-TS cell DNA was further verified by the detection of increased DNA damage following treatment with UV radiation and a minimal dose of the DNA-alkylating agent N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-...
Opposition graphs are strict quasi-parity graphs

An opposition graph is a graph whose edges can be acyclically oriented in such a way that every chordless path on four vertices has its extreme edges both pointing in or pointing out. A strict quasi-parity graph is a graphG such that every induced subgraphH ofG either is a clique or else contains a pair of vertices which are not endpoints of an odd (number of edges) chordless path ofH. The perfection of opposition graphs and strict quasi-parity graphs was established respectively by Olariu and Meyniel. We show here that opposition graphs are strict quasi-parity graphs.
Results of a National Survey of Biochemistry Instructors To Determine the Prevalence and Types of Representations Used during Instruction and Assessment

Chemists and chemistry educators have long sought meaningful ways to visualize fundamentally abstract components, such as atoms and molecules, of their trade. As technology has improved, computer-based visualization methods have infused both research and education in chemistry. Biochemistry, in particular, has become highly dependent on ways that large molecular systems can be represented, and how to best focus attention on the most critical aspects of the molecular system. To better understand the current state of educational efforts related to visual literacy, a needs assessment was developed and administered to a national sample of biochemistry instructors at four-year institutions (N = 536) to determine the types of representations used during biochemistry course instruction and assessment. Cluster analysis was conducted on the responses to determine similar usage of representations in both instruction and assessment. A significant difference was determined between the types of representations used by...
Dilatometric Studies on Columnar Mesogens: Benzene Hexa-n-Alkanoates

Abstract Molar volume-temperature studies are reported for two disc-shaped molecules exhibiting columnar mesophases: benzene hexa-n-heptanoate and hexa-n-octanoate. The fractional volume changes observed at the columnar mesophase/isotropic transition are the same order of magnitude as those observed for typical nematic mesophases in disagreement with theoretical model predictions.
Solution to Constraints in {Wess-Zumino} Supergravity Formalism

Abstract We explicitly solve the constraints of the superfield supergravity formalism of Wess and Zumino, for an arbitrary gauge, in terms of superfields. Wess and Zumino's action turns out to be identical to one of a class of actions found earlier by the author: the one with the minimal set of auxiliary fields. We also show how to write chiral Lagrangians, including the cosmological term and the Lagrangian for conformal supergravity.
The Role of Perivascular Melanophage Infiltrates in the Conjunctiva in Sympathetic Ophthalmia

Purpose: To report pathologic changes in the conjunctiva from the exciting eye in a case of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO).Methods: Report of clinical findings and conjunctival histopathology in a patient with SO.Results: A 50-year-old male developed SO, with unusual peribulbar conjunctival pigmentation in the inciting eye. Histological examination of the conjunctival biopsy revealed perivascular distribution of CD68+ melanophages that also expressed HLA-DR, suggesting that these macrophages may act as antigen-presenting cells. In addition, increased CD4+ and CD3+ lymphocytes were noted in the subconjunctival space when compared to specimens of normal conjunctiva and traumatic uveal prolapse without SO, suggesting T-cell recruitment.Conclusions: These pathologic findings suggest a possible mechanism by which local antigen processing by subconjunctival melanophages may play a role in the initiation of the complex cell-mediated response seen in SO.
Miraculous Rhetoric: The Relationship between Rhetoric and Miracles in the York ‘Entry into Jerusalem’

This article examines the varying levels of certainty associated with verbal rhetoric and miracles, for both are means through which the York 'Entry into Jerusalem' transmits and affirms the Christian faith. Emphasizing the importance of the characters' rhetorical interactions and investment, the play depicts the relationship between rhetoric and miracles in a manner different from other biblical plays, which appear to subordinate the role of human speech in exploring or conveying religious truths. In contrast, the York 'Entry' privileges rhetoric as the primary catalyst for the characters' encounter with Jesus, and affirms humanity's efforts to engage rhetorically with the tenets of its faith. Rhetorical interaction eventually leads the faithful, like the fictional townspeople of Jerusalem, to a literal and figurative encounter with the divine.
Effects of Aging and Dietary Ascorbic Acid on Tissue Ascorbic Acid in the Domestic Hen

Abstract INTRODUCTION HOLMES et al. (1939) noted little correlation between the ascorbic acid content of plasma and egg production, body weight, food intake or age of the hen. Satterfield et al. (1945) injected hens subcutaneously with ascorbic acid and measured changes in plasma ascorbic acid with time. Plasma levels were highest 25 minutes after injection and returned to basal values in 24 hours. Satterfield et al. (1947) reported on the effect of subcutaneous injections of ascorbic acid on the concentration of reduced ascorbic acid in liver, lung, kidney, spleen, adrenal and heart of mature hens. Liver and kidney of the injected birds had lower concentrations of reduced ascorbic acid than control hens, while spleen and heart muscle did not appear to be influenced by exogenous ascorbic acid. Dietary supplementation of ascorbic acid to laying hens has produced variable and inconsistent results on hen performance. Thornton and Moreng (1958, 1959) reported a…
Transcription interruption may be a common mechanism of c-myc regulation during HL-60 differentiation

Human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) differentiate along a monocytoid pathway in response to recombinant human tumor necrosis factor or recombinant human interferon gamma. Together, these agents act synergistically to induce phenotypic differentiation. Since reduced expression of mRNA for the proto-oncogene c-myc correlates with differentiation of HL-60 cells induced by other agents, we tested the abilities of tumor necrosis factor and interferon gamma to regulate expression of c-myc mRNA. Tumor necrosis factor rapidly and effectively reduced c-myc mRNA levels. In contrast, interferon gamma did not affect c-myc mRNA levels, nor did it show synergy with tumor necrosis factor in reducing c-myc. Transcription run-on studies confirmed that tumor necrosis factor caused interruption of c-myc transcription after exon 1. Phorbol diesters also caused interruption of transcription of c-myc. Thus, interruption of transcription may be a common mode of regulation of c-myc during induced differentiation of HL-60 cells.
Fluoride ion capture from water with a cationic borane.

The reaction of the [Li(THF)4]+ salt of dimesityl-1,8-naphthalenediylborate with [Me2NCH2]I affords a borane (1-(Mes2B)-8-(Me2NCH2)-C10H6) which can be converted into a cationic borane [3]+ ([1-(Mes2B)-8-(Me3NCH2)-C10H6]+) by methylation with MeOTf. This cationic borane promptly complexes fluoride to afford the corresponding zwitterionic ammonium/fluoroborate 3-F (1-(Mes2FB)-8-(Me3NCH2)-C10H6). Cation [3]+ fails to react with chloride, bromide, and iodide indicating that fluoride complexation is selective. Structural, spectroscopic, and computational studies carried out on 3-F show the existence of an unusual C−H···F−B hydrogen bond. Remarkably, [3]+ captures fluoride from water under biphasic conditions (H2O/CHCl3) to form 3-F. The high fluoride affinity of [3]+ can be correlated to the Coulombic forces which stabilize the B−F bond against heterolysis.
Criminally prosecuted cases of child starvation.

Objective. Here we describe the clinical findings and legal outcomes in 12 prosecuted cases of infant and child starvation. Methods. Medical records, investigation records, and transcripts of court testimony were reviewed in the cases of 12 infants and children from locations throughout Texas who had been starved deliberately. The children’s ages ranged from 2 months to 13 years. The caretakers of all children received both civil and criminal charges; cases were tried over an 11-year time span. Clinical presentations, examination findings, laboratory findings, symptoms of refeeding syndrome, and legal outcomes were examined. Two illustrative cases are presented in detail here. Results. Of the 12 cases reviewed, the median age was 2.7 years, with a range of 2.25 months to 13 years 7 months. Half of the children died shortly before or soon after presentation for medical care or to law enforcement. Survival was more common in older children than in infants. Most of the children were secluded from others, and all had access to food denied or severely restricted. Caretakers claimed few, benign, or no past medical illnesses in the children. Based on weight and height measurements, 10 of the children had severe wasting and stunting, and 2 had mild or moderate wasting. There was a tendency toward more severe wasting in the fatal cases. All children manifested multiorgan effects of starvation. All survivors manifested complications with refeeding. Approximately half of the children had past or present injuries or history suggestive of physical or sexual abuse. Parental rights were terminated in all cases. A total of 25 individuals were charged criminally; 23 were found guilty or pled guilty, and trials for 2 individuals were pending at the time of this writing. The types of criminal charges and punishment varied from deferred adjudication to a life sentence. Conclusions. Life-threatening criminal starvation of infants and children is a rare and severe form of child maltreatment. In our series, infants were more wasted at the time of presentation and less likely to survive prolonged starvation than were older children. As with other forms of child abuse, caretakers’ histories regarding the children’s illnesses were inconsistent with the severity and chronicity of the children’s degree of wasting. All victims in our series showed multiorgan effects of chronic malnutrition and deprivation, and all survivors developed refeeding complications and required prolonged periods of recovery.
A center-of-mass principle for the multiparticle Schrödinger equation

The center-of-mass principle is the key to the rapid computation of the interaction of a large number of classical particles. Electrons governed by the multiparticle Schrodinger equation have a much more complicated interaction mainly due to their spatial extent and the antisymmetry constraint on the total wave function of the combined electron system. We present a center-of-mass principle for quantum particles that accounts for this spatial extent, the antisymmetry constraint, and the potential operators. We use it to construct an algorithm for computing a size-consistent approximate wave function for large systems with simple geometries.
Studies on the mechanism of acetaldehyde-mediated inhibition of aspartate aminotransferase (GOT) in human erythrocytes.

Abstract The mechanism of acetaldehyde-mediated GOT inhibition was studied in human red cells. In the GOT assay mix, acetaldehyde competitively inhibits activation of apoGOT by pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate. However, K i values are 100–1000 times greater than K m values for these B6 vitamers. Moreover, incubation of undiluted lysates with acetaldehyde at 37° inhibits GOT activity without increasing apoGOT levels and without altering affinity of apoGOT for either B6 coenzyme. In undiluted lysates, inhibition is not prevented by disulfiram. However, incubation at 4° prevents both acetaldehyde metabolism and GOT inhibition while preincubation with NaF prevents GOT inhibition without affecting acetaldehyde disappearance. The effect of NaF is completely reversed by pyruvate but only partially reversed by NADH. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, the only glycolytic intermediate which directly inhibits GOT, does not reverse the NaF effect. Thus, inhibition of GOT by acetaldehyde (a) requires nonoxidative metabolism of acetaldehyde and (b) is not mediated either by glycolytic substrates or by impaired binding of B6 vitamers to the GOT apoenzyme. Since NaF had no effect on a lysate deficient in glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, the hexose monophosphate shunt may play a role in acetaldehyde-mediated GOT inhibition.
Nitrosothiol Reactivity Profiling Identifies S-Nitrosylated Proteins with Unexpected Stability

Summary Nitric oxide (NO) regulates protein function by S -nitrosylation of cysteine to form nitrosothiols. Nitrosothiols are highly susceptible to nonenzymatic degradation by cytosolic reducing agents. Here we show that although most protein nitrosothiols are rapidly degraded by cytosolic reductants, a small subset form unusually stable S -nitrosylated proteins. Our findings suggest that stable S -nitrosylation reflects a protein conformation change that shields the nitrosothiol. To identify stable protein nitrosothiols, we developed a proteomic method for profiling S -nitrosylation. We examined the stability of over 100 S -nitrosylated proteins, and identified 10 stable nitrosothiols. These proteins remained S -nitrosylated in cells after NO synthesis was inhibited, unlike most S -nitrosylated proteins. Taken together, our data identify a class of NO targets that form stable nitrosothiols in the cell and are likely to mediate the persistent cellular effects of NO.
Thermal and photolytic degradation of plates of poly(methyl methacrylate) containing monomer

Abstract Specimens of 1.5 mm thick absorber-free poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) containing ∼0.6% monomer but no absorber have been photolytically degraded in air at 50°, 85° and 115°C and thermally degraded in air at 115° and 125°C. Specimens were exposed to a simulated solar spectral range. Degradation was followed by gel permeation chromatographic determinations of molecular weight as a function of depth in the specimens. The results show increased photodegradation at the plate faces (back and front) over that occurring in the centres, and a rapidly attained constant amount of degradation for thermal degradation. Degradation mechanisms are proposed. The thermal degradation is ascribed to weak links and unspent initiator. Photolytic initiation is ascribed, at least in part, to degradation of the ester group by wavelengths in the range 300 to 330 nm. The effect of oxygen is to convert alkyl radicals into peroxyl radicals, some of which form alkoxyl radicals which tne undergo β-scission to give in-chain ruptures. Where the oxygen concentration is low, monomer changes non-tertiary alkyl radical sinto tertiary radicals by addition to the monomer double bond. After their peroxidation by molecular oxygen, tertiary radicals react with one another to give alkoxyl radicals and subsequent chain scission rather than undergoing the Russell termination reaction with no chain scission characteristic of non-tertiary peroxyl radicals. The effect of temperature is mostly to decrease the importance of the cage effect and to allow the initial radicals formed to diffuse away from one another. The products of photo-oxidation absorb the shorter (300 to 330 nm) radiation significantly and progressively shield the remainder of the plate as degradation proceeds.
Profilin-1 is a negative regulator of mammary carcinoma aggressiveness.

Expression of profilin-1 (Pfn1) is downregulated in breast cancer cells, the functional significance of which is yet to be understood. To address this question, in this study we evaluated how perturbing Pfn1 affects motility and invasion of breast cancer cells. We show that loss of Pfn1 expression leads to enhanced motility and matrigel invasiveness of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Interestingly, silencing Pfn1 expression is associated with downregulation of both cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesions with concomitant increase in motility and dramatic scattering of normal human mammary epithelial cells. Thus, these data for the first time suggest that loss of Pfn1 expression may have significance in breast cancer progression. Consistent with these findings, even a moderate overexpression of Pfn1 induces actin stress-fibres, upregulates focal adhesion, and dramatically inhibits motility and matrigel invasiveness of MDA-MB-231 cells. Using mutants of Pfn1 that are defective in binding to either actin or proline-rich ligands, we further show that overexpressed Pfn1 must have a functional actin-binding site to suppress cell motility. Finally, animal experiments reveal that overexpression of Pfn1 suppresses orthotopic tumorigenicity and micro-metastasis of MDA-MB-231 cells in nude mice. These data imply that perturbing Pfn1 could be a good molecular strategy to limit the aggressiveness of breast cancer cells.
A Time Course of Contusion-Induced Oxidative Stress and Synaptic Proteins in Cortex in a Rat Model of TBI

ABSTRACT An imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants has been postulated to lead to oxidative damage in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Oxidative neurodegeneration is a key mediator of exacerbated...
Ancestral major histocompatibility complex DRB genes beget conserved patterns of localized polymorphisms.

Abstract Genes within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are characterized by extensive polymorphism within species and also by a remarkable conservation of contemporary human allelic sequences in evolutionarily distant primates. Mechanisms proposed to account for strict nucleotide conservation in the context of highly variable genes include the suggestion that intergenic exchange generates repeated sets of MHC DRB polymorphisms [Gyllensten, U. B., Sundvall, M. & Erlich, H. A. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 3686-3690; Lundberg, A. S. & McDevitt, H. 0. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 6545-6549]. We analyzed over 50 primate MHC DRB sequences, and identified nucleotide elements within macaque and baboon DRB6-like sequences with deletions corresponding to specific exon 2 hypervariable regions, which encode a discrete alpha helical segment of the MHC antigen combining site. This precisely localized deletion provides direct evidence implicating segmental exchange of MHC-encoded DRB gene fragments as one of the evolutionary mechanisms both generating and maintaining MHC diversity. Intergenic exchange at this site may be fundamental to the diversification of immune protection in populations by permitting alteration in the specificity of the MHC that determines the repertoire of antigens bound.
A Method for the Estimation of Right Ventricular Volume by Equilibrium Radionuclide Angiography

To develop a method for estimating right ventricular volume and to assess right ventricular volume at rest, we studied 45 persons with equilibrium radionuclide angiography. The study group comprised 15 normal control subjects (5 with atypical chest pain and normal coronary angiograms) and 30 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Each coronary patient and 5/15 control subjects had both right and left heart catheterization studies with intracardiac pressure measurements within 24 hours of the radionuclide study. Using a previously described method for generating right ventricular volume curves, we used the counts at end-diastole, corrected for frame time, the total number of processed heart beats, and blood radioactivity to derive right ventricular end-diastolic volume units. All normal controls (group 1) had a right ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 0.40, with a right ventricular volume index ≤ 5.8. The CHD patients consisted of two subgroups: group 2 (N = 20) and group 3 (N = 10), with right ventricular end-diastolic pressures
Clinical Utility of Echocardiography in the Management of Implantable Ventricular Assist Devices

Abstract Background: The high mortality rate of congestive cardiac failure, the cost and complications of cardiac transplantation, and the waiting list mortality rate resulting from donor organ scarcity have encouraged the development of surgical techniques as bridges to transplantation or as long-term palliative therapy. Implantable left ventricular assist devices are now routinely used as such a bridge, and within the REMATCH Trial, as permanent palliative devices in nontransplant candidates. These are mechanical managements with myriad mechanical complications and pitfalls. Echocardiography has been extensively used in our institution to detect and diagnose previously documented and hitherto unencountered complications of these procedures. Methods and Results: The role of echocardiography in these procedures, including preoperative patient selection, intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography, and postoperative troubleshooting and late follow-up, is discussed. We describe our clinical echocardiographic approach, which has developed over 91 assist-device procedures. The relative frequency and clinical impact of specific anatomic, physiologic, hemodynamic, and mechanical features are described. New techniques such as the Doppler quantification of assist device inflow obstruction are illustrated, as are the device cannula position, the detection of device valve failure, and the parameters related to the remodeling procedure. Conclusions: Echocardiography in heart failure surgery has proved to be an invaluable tool in the diagnosis and management of mechanical complications. The experience gained in our institution may serve as an aid to new surgical programs treating these critically ill patients. (J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2000;13:754-63.)
Carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes in nine troops of Kenya baboons, Papio cynocephalus (Linnaeus 1766).

The distributions of alleles at the carbonic anhydrase I (CA I = CA B) and carbonic anhydrase II (CA II = CA C) loci in nine troops of Papio cynocephalus were determined. Two alleles were found at the CA I locus, and three at the CA II locus; the frequencies were: CA Ia = 0.856; CA Ib = 0.144; CA IIa = 0.784; CA IIb = 0.209; CA IIc = 0.007. Results of tests for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, homogeneity tests, and calculations of migration rates were used in support of the interpretation that migration and genetic drift may affect the distribution of alleles at the CA I locus and that selection is the process responsible for the distribution of alleles at the CA II locus.
Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Breast Cancer: Controversies in Pathologic Evaluation Relevant to Clinical Management

Sentinel node biopsy has recently been endorsed as an acceptable alternative to axillary dissection for patients with clinically node negative breast cancer. Although outcome data from prospective trials are not yet available, observational data suggest that the technique does not increase axillary recurrence rates and may decrease morbidity. More comprehensive pathologic evaluation of sentinel nodes has contributed to enhanced detection of micrometastases and minute tumor cell clusters. The real value of the sentinel node evaluation is the ability to reliably exclude virtually all macrometastases larger than 2.0 mm. However, the mismatch between the inability to exclude minimal disease in residual unexamined tissue and the ability to detect minimal disease in microscopic sections produces tremendous heterogeneity within the micrometastasis, isolated tumor cell cluster, and node negative prognostic groups. Understanding how variation in handling sentinel nodes contributes to heterogeneity is important. Standardizing pathologic evaluation and refocusing on disease exclusion rather than minimal disease detection are critical elements in our adoption of sentinel node biopsy.
Effects of the neutron spectrum on mechanical property changes in low dose irradiations

Abstract Mechanical property measurements from comparative low dose irradiations of metals and alloys are reviewed. The emphasis is on recent experiments involving miniature tensile specimens irradiated at the Rotating Target Neutron Source II (RTNS-II) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Omega West Reactor at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Pure metals, model alloys and structural alloys have been irradiated in RTNS-II from room temperature to 723 K to fluences as high as 8 × 1022 n/m2. Where temperature effects are apparent, the effect of increasing the irradiation temperature is to delay the onset of irradiation hardening to higher fluences. Companion fission reactor irradiations have been more limited in scope, but comparative information has been obtained on tensile properties at irradiation temperatures of 363 K and 563 K. For most of the materials tested the differences in the neutron energy spectrum can be accounted for by using displacements per atom (dpa) as a correlation parameter. The exceptions are all pure metals: copper, niobium and vanadium. There is also evidence for rate effects in some of the data. The rate effects obscure the spectral effects and prevent examination of dpa as a damage correlation parameter.
Evolution and dietary restriction.

Abstract Placing lifespan in the context of the life history of an organism, Alex Comfort’s work has stimulated the analysis of dietary restriction (DR) and its effects on lifespan in an evolutionary context. DR results in the curtailment of energy-intensive nonfood-gathering activities, increased efficiency of food utilization, an increase in food acquisition activity, an increase in the reproductive lifespan, and an increase in the protection of genomic integrity. These result in further refinement of the Adaptive-Longevity Related Process Theory of the effects of dietary modulation to include increased protection of the genomic integrity of cells that result from delayed reproduction, and increased ability to compete for available food. These effects are discussed in the context of the “spacecraft” metaphor for the evolution of senescence. Also, the apparent paradox that increased body weight seems to be directly correlated to survival across species and inversely correlated to survival within a species is discussed in light of the importance of the cephalization index (a modified ratio of brain weight to body weight) for longevity.
Comorbidity: What Have We Learned and Where Are We Going?

Substantial progress has been made in recent years in the recognition and treatment of comorbid mental, substance abuse, and health disorders. In this article, we summarize this progress and consider next steps by addressing the following three questions, with a focus on persons with severe mental illness and substance use disorders: (a) What have we learned about comorbidity? (b) What are the advantages of focusing on comorbidity, and what are the costs? and (c) What are the future directions for research and treatment of comorbid disorders?
Wrong-Way Behavior of Soot Combustion in a Planar Diesel Particulate Filter

Infrared imaging was used to study the impact of a sudden decrease in the exhaust temperature on the spatiotemporal temperature of a single layer planar diesel particulate filter (DPF). The experiments revealed that a sudden decrease in the feed temperature by 100 °C can lead to sudden temperature rise (wrong-way behavior) of about 50 °C above that obtained with the constant original temperature. The transient temperature rise highly depended on the position where the temperature shift was initiated, that is, the time that the moving temperature front stayed in the DPF before exiting it. The temperature excursion near the end of DPF was much higher than the temperature rise in middle or near the entrance. The experiments reveal that the DPF temperature during dynamic operation can exceed in a counterintuitive fashion that obtained under stationary (constant) operating conditions. This suggests that the reported melting of cordierite DPF may have been caused by rapid changes in the feed conditions due to a...
Examination of the Effects of Self-Modeling on Autobiographical Memory:

The intent of this preliminary study is to explore the effectiveness of self-modeling in altering maladaptive behavior in children through the mediating effect of modifying their autobiographical m...
Patient discomfort during screen-film mammography

Vigorous compression is required to minimize radiation dose and maximize image quality for screen-film mammography. Of 356 women who adequately completed a questionnaire following mammography, 171 (48%) reported mammography to be comfortable, 135 (38%) uncomfortable but tolerable, 39 (11%) very uncomfortable, and only 11 (3%) found the examination to be intolerable. Only 14 women (4%) indicated that they would not return for mammography at our facility in the future. Because of this high level of acceptance of compression by women, technologists and radiologists should not hesitate to use vigorous compression to optimize image quality and decrease radiation dose to the patient.
Detection of amino acid and peptide transmitters in physiologically identified brainstem cardiorespiratory neurons

Most of the CNS neurons that regulate circulation and respiration reside in regions of the brain characterized by extreme cellular heterogeneity (nucleus of the solitary tract, reticular formation, parabrachial nuclei, periaqueductal gray matter, hypothalamus, etc.). The chemical neuroanatomy of these regions is correspondingly complex and teasing out specific circuits in their midst remains a problem that is usually very difficult if not impossible to solve by conventional tract-tracing methods, Fos methodology or electrophysiology in slices. In addition, identifying the type of amino acid or peptide transmitter used by electrophysiologically recorded neurons has been until recently an especially difficult task either for lack of a specific marker or because such markers (many peptides for example) are exported to synaptic terminals and thus undetectable in neuronal cell bodies. In this review, we describe a general purpose method that solves many of these problems. The approach combines juxtacellular labeling in vivo with the histological identification of mRNAs that provide definitive neurochemical phenotypic identification (e.g. vesicular glutamate transporter 1 or 2, glutamic acid decarboxylase). The results obtained with this method are discussed in the general context of amino acid transmission in brainstem cardiorespiratory pathways. The presence of markers of amino acid transmission in specific aminergic pre-sympathetic neurons is especially emphasized as is the extensive co-localization of markers of GABAergic and glycinergic transmission in the brainstem reticular formation.
The value of multispectral observations in photon-limited quantitative tissue analysis

Multispectral fluorescence data can be used within sparse decomposition methods to separate key cellular structures, even when the number of photons per spectral band is very small. However, there are two key costs associated with multispectral data acquisition: (a) for a fixed data acquisition time, increasing the number of spectral bands means decreasing the number of photons (and hence SNR) per band, and (b) the optical system becomes more complex and expensive. These costs lead to important tradeoffs between the information content and the noise of the observations. This paper describes a mathematical framework for assessing this tradeoff and supporting experimental results.
Anatase titanium dioxide nanoparticles in mice: evidence for induced structural and functional sperm defects after short-, but not long-, term exposure.

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles (TNPs) are widely used commercially and exist in a variety of products. To determine if anatase TNPs (ATNPs) in doses smaller than previously used reach the scrotum after entry in the body at a distant location and induce sperm defects, 100% ATNP (2.5 or 5 mg kg −1 body weight) was administered intraperitoneally to adult males for three consecutive days, followed by sacrifice 1, 2, 3, or 5 weeks later (long-) or 24, 48 or 120 h (short-term exposure). Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of ANTP in scrotal adipose tissues collected 120 h postinjection when cytokine evaluation showed an inflammatory response in epididymal tissues and fluid. At 120 h and up to 3 weeks postinjection, testicular histology revealed enlarged interstitial spaces. Significantly increased numbers of terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling-positive (apoptotic) germ ( P = 0.002) and interstitial space cells ( P = 0.04) were detected in treated males. Caudal epididymal sperm from the short-term, but not a long-term, arm showed significantly ( P P P P < 0.00001) in treated versus control sperm. These results indicate that at 4-8 days postinjection, ANTP induce structural and functional sperm defects associated with infertility, and DNA damage via oxidative stress. Sperm defects were transient as they were not detected 10 days to 5 weeks postinjection.
Bariatric Surgery and Effects on Calcium and Bone Metabolism

With the increasing epidemic of obesity in the United States as well as abroad, bariatric surgery has emerged as the most effective and sustained treatment for reduction. This treatment modality has been well recognized to diminish the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and ameliorate diabetes mellitus. However, with time, derangement in mineral metabolism has emerged as a major complication in this population. Population-based study has shown increased prevalence of bone fractures and kidney stone formation following bariatric surgery. The risk appears to be more specific after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedures, the most common surgical approach among this population. Over the past decade, there have been advances in the understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms of both bone loss and kidney stone disease in these patients. The understanding of these underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms may lead to the development of drug therapies that ameliorate this complication. Unfortunately, at the present time, there is no hard data on any specific treatment showing decreased incidence of fragility fractures or kidney stone passage. However, some studies suggest that calcium and vitamin D supplementation may decrease bone loss and bone turnover, and as a result, increase bone mineral density in this population. However, there is concern with the development of kidney stone formation following such an approach. A novel treatment approach would be the use of effervescent potassium calcium citrate that not only prevents complications of bone loss but may diminish the risk of kidney stone formation. Despite preliminary results showing the effectiveness of this drug in the reduction in the parathyroid hormone, bone turnover, and improvement in the urinary saturation marker showing effectiveness against calcium oxalate and uric acid stones, there is no hard data available to support the effectiveness of this treatment in the reduction in fragility fractures or kidney stone incidence. Such studies to explore this effect must be considered in the future.