cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kwashiorkor in Upper Middle Class Suburbia in the United States (FS17-02-19)

Malnutrition continues to be a major cause of death worldwide among children aged 5 years and under. We describe two patients who developed kwashiorkor while being predominantly fed rice milk. An 11-month old Caucasian male presented with a 3-day history of worsening edema, decreased oral intake, diffuse maculopapular rash, and poor weight gain. He was diagnosed with dairy, soy, and sesame allergies by two allergists and was placed on rice milk. Labs revealed hypoalbuminemia, anemia, transaminitis, zinc and copper deficiency. He was started on Elecare Jr and vitamin supplementation with clinical improvement. A 2-year-old Caucasian male presented with a 7-day history of abdominal distension, abdominal pain, edema, and rash. He had multiple food allergies. His diet consisted of diluted almond and rice milk, chips, apples, and corn. He had hypoalbuminemia and anemia with multiple vitamin deficiencies. Kwashiorkor is characterized by severe malnutrition, hypoalbuminemia, edema, irritability, and rash. It is rare in the US but is being reported in patients receiving rice milk as their major source of nutrition. Previously described cases were due to dietary manipulations by the parents. Both our patients were under the guidance of physicians. Rice milk has been suggested as an alternative for patients with milk protein allergy however; not all products on the market have the same nutritional value, with significantly varied fortification. A recent study examined patients diagnosed with CMPA fed an extensively hydrolyzed rice protein-based formula called Novarice. This formula contains 21.9 calories and 0.6 grams of protein per ounce. Both our patients were ingesting Rice Dream which contains only 15 calories and 0.13 g of protein per ounce. Infants who ingest rice milk are at high risk of developing severe malnutrition with hypoalbuminemia, edema, and nutritional deficiencies. It is important to educate not only consumers but health care providers on nutritional composition of these products. Translating an evidence-based study on the benefits of fortified rice milk into clinical practice needs to be performed cautiously since not all rice milk products are nutritionally alike. None.
An Enemy Within: The London Underground and Doctor Who's “The Web of Fear”

ABSTRACT:While many London-bound alien invasion narratives in 1960s film and television are commonly believed to express a cultural preoccupation with the atomic age, this serial shapes an alternat...
Innate Errors of Quantitative Streaking Methodologies

The objective of this study was to assess the variability of quantitative streaking between and within groups of laboratory professionals, students, and an automated spiral plater. In today9s clinical laboratories, advances in technology present an ever-changing landscape that mandates adaptations and the microbiology lab is no exception. Despite these advancements, one of the most quintessential manual techniques employed by laboratory professionals and taught to clinical laboratory science and technician students is quantitative streaking of bacterial cultures. Although few, there are studies detailing the accuracy of a 0.001 mL calibrated loop, perhaps the most common tool for quantitative streaking; however, there has been a lack of work addressing the variability associated with laboratory personnel9s individual techniques and inherent variability. Our study analyzed the number of bacterial colony forming units (CFU)/mL that resulted from sequential plating by our control groups and automatic spiral plater from a common sample. The sample was a dilution of bacteria in saline from an initial 0.5 McFarland standard (approximation of 1.5x108 CFU/mL). Preliminary data indicates that in most instances there were significant differences seen (via ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests; p
JA:2021-9. Pesticide Label Safety Information in Spanish and English: In Your Hand, Anytime & Anywhere

Purpose: The Etiquetas bilingues de pesticidas, or Bilingual Pesticide Safety project, aims to put pesticide label health, safety, and environmental protection information directly into the hands o...
A 2✖ Time-Interleaved 28-GS/s 8-Bit 0.03-mm 2 Switched-Capacitor DAC in 16-nm FinFET CMOS

This article presents a compact $2\times $ time-interleaved switched-capacitor (SC) digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for digital-intensive transmitter architectures. To minimize area and to leverage the strengths of FinFET technology, the implementation departs from the traditional current steering approach and consists mainly of inverters and sub-femtofarad SCs. The DAC’s architecture is based on parallel charge redistribution and separates level generation, pulse timing, and output power generation. The described 28-GS/s 8-bit prototype design occupies 0.03 mm2 in 16-nm CMOS and supports up to 0.32- $\textrm {V}_{\textrm {pp}}$ signal swing across its differential 100- ${\Omega }$ load. It achieves an SFDR $\geq 37$ dB and an IM $3\leq -45.6$ dBc across the first Nyquist zone while consuming 88 mW from a single 0.8-V supply.
Mathematically modeling the effect of touch frequency on the environmental transmission of Clostridioides difficile in healthcare settings.

Abstract Clostridioides difficile, formerly Clostridium difficile, is the leading cause of infectious diarrhea and one of the most common healthcare acquired infections in United States hospitals. C. difficile persists well in healthcare environments because it forms spores that can survive for long periods of time and can be transmitted to susceptible patients through contact with contaminated hands and fomites, objects or surfaces that can harbor infectious agents. Fomites can be classified as high-touch or low-touch based on the frequency they are contacted. The mathematical model in this study investigates the relative contribution of high-touch and low-touch fomites on new cases of C. difficile colonization among patients of a hospital ward. The dynamics of transmission are described by a system of ordinary differential equations representing four patient population classes and two pathogen environmental reservoirs. Parameters that have a significant effect on incidence, as determined by a global sensitivity analysis, are varied in stochastic simulations of the system to identify feasible strategies to prevent disease transmission. Results indicate that on average, under one-quarter of asymptomatically colonized patients are exposed to C. difficile via low-touch fomites. In comparison, over three-quarters of colonized patients are colonized through high-touch fomites, despite additional cleaning of high-touch fomites. Increased contacts with high-touch fomites increases the contribution of these fomites to the incidence of colonized individuals and decreasing the duration of a hospital visit reduces the amount of pathogen in the environment. Thus, enhanced efficacy of disinfection upon discharge and extra cleaning of high-touch fomites, reduced contact with high-touch fomites, and higher discharge rates, among other control measures, could lead to a decrease in the incidence of colonized individuals.
Institutional Repository Engagement Framework: Harnessing Resources, Structure, and Process for Strategic Plan Support in Higher Education.

Institutional repositories have become widely used technologies to curate research data, scholarly publications, organizational records, and cultural heritage materials, but they need an engagement...
A closer look at the MWD‐viscosity transform

While there is abundant evidence that the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of a linear polymer has an influence on the shape of the viscosity function, the ability to convert the viscosity function to an MWD has been questioned. Using strictly numerical techniques, we have shown that the viscosity function can be transformed to the MWD, but always with some distortion. However, distinct bimodality can be qualitatively preserved through both the MWD-viscosity and viscocity-MWD transforms.
The Altruism Puzzle: The Obligation to Sacrifice One's Life

The obligation to sacrifice oneself in the scenario described by the puzzle is stringent. Because this seems so obvious to me, it is hard to discern what arguments will move the unconvinced. I offer an argument I find persuasive, and consider some objections. Let’s start with a variant of the altruism puzzle in which many people will have the intuition that killing someone else is required. Imagine I am in a different city from the one under threat. John, an innocent man beside me, has unknowingly undergone a procedure that makes him the trigger of the bomb. The bomb in the city under threat is set to detonate when John takes his 1,000th breath after 11 a.m. He is currently taking his 980th breath. I have a gun, and can kill him instantaneously with it. John is not at all implicated in the plot. He is a good person, gives joy to others, and has a flourishing enjoyable life. The bombers subjected John to the procedure while he was asleep. It left no traces. He is innocent of the plot and has no reason to suspect anything. But I have an obligation to sacrifice John’s life. Killing him, by stipulation, is the only way of saving thousands of equally valuable lives. To deny the obligation just seems to me not take seriously the scale of the destruction the bomb will cause. Killing him will certainly be very bad. It is bad that he loses his life, and bad that I act in a way that contradicts my sense of who I really am (a pacific person who does not take the lives of others)—undermines my integrity. Maybe I will suffer severe emotional costs in the future as a result of my sense of responsibility for having taken John’s life, despite understanding it was my duty. But these quite real bads, and all others generated by the act, are massively outweighed by the good of saving the thousands of other people. So I am obliged to kill John. But what is the difference between killing him and sacrificing myself? Just that, in general, we are obliged to be more cautious about imposing costs on innocent others, especially serious costs like killing, than on our innocent selves. We must be more parsimonious with the lives of others than with our own. If I must kill John when that is the only way of preventing detonation, then I must sacrifice myself when that is the only effective way. Consider three objections. First, is it overdemanding for morality to require such self-sacrifice? It is, certainly, demanding—sacrificing oneself is a considerable demand. But it is not something we cannot do: people do sacrifice themselves bs_bs_banner
A Poly(A) Polymerase from Calf Thymus: PURIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF THE ENZYME

Abstract A purification procedure for a poly(A) polymerase has been developed for calf thymus tissue which gives a protein without detectable ribonuclease activity. During the purification, a manganese stimulated poly(A) synthesis is removed and poly(A) synthesis becomes dependent on exogenous polyribonucleotides. This same purification procedure applied to calf thymus nuclei gives a poly(A) polymerase activity indistinguishable from that of homogenates of the whole tissue. The most purified polymerase shows one major band after electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel. A molecular weight of 140,000 to 160,000 has been estimated by gel filtration analysis. The polymerase is highly specific for ATP and is inhibited by other ribonucleoside triphosphates. It is more active in the presence of Mg++ than Mn++ and is inhibited at 0.1 ionic strength. Polymerization of ATP can proceed at linear rates for several hours. Some basic kinetic properties of the reaction have been studied. The reaction is insensitive to high levels of cordycepin, α-amanitin, and actinomycin D.
Chemotherapy of advanced and recurrent endometrial carcinoma with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and megestrol acetate.

Abstract Twenty-nine patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial adenocarcinoma were treated with a combination of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, 5-flucrouracil, and megestrol acetate. Thirteen patients had objective responses. The median duration of survival for responders has been 11 months. Myelosuppression was the main side effect. There were no instances of cardiotoxicity.
Applications of X-Rays from Laser Produced Plasmas

Progress in the development of high power lasers during the past decade has opened the door to many new areas of applications. The best known, of course, is the possibility of achieving controlled thermonuclear fusion by means of laser heated plasma. However, several applications of laser plasma x-rays have more attractive current prospects. There are many points of similarity between the x-ray and fusion problem. Both, for example, require laser heating of plasmas to the kilovolt regime. But there are significant differences. The x-ray work usually involves heating of high Z materials, while the fusionable materials are low Z. Most of the x-ray applications do not require target compressions, and can use simple planar targets. Additionally, neither the plasma temperature nor the laser efficiency requirements are as severe. The main effect of these differences is that the lasers for x-ray production can be much smaller and less expensive than lasers for fusion. We have recently demonstrated that x-rays can be efficiently generated with mode locked laser pulses of several hundred mj1. The characteristics that differentiate a laser plasma x-ray source from conventional sources are: (1) The x-ray spectrum comes from highly stripped species and is predominantly L line radiation or continuum in the kilovolt regime. Heliumlike K lines are also obtainable. (2) The pulse width is very short in the ~0.1 to 10 ns range. (3) The source size is very small, ~10–200 µm diameter.
A stochastic learning algorithm for generalization problems

A discussion is presented of the requirements of learning for generalization, which is NP-complete and cannot be addressed by traditional methods based on gradient descent. The authors present a stochastic learning algorithm based on simulated annealing in weight space and discuss stopping criteria for the algorithm, to avoid overfitting of learning examples. >
P-glycoprotein expression in primary and metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

Summary Background To determine the expression of P-glycoprotein in pre- and post-chemotherapy tumor tissue samples from patients with transitional cell carcinomas treated with M-VAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplatin). Patients and methods Fresh frozen tissue sections of primary and metastatic urothelial tumors were stained with mouse monoclonal antibody HYB-241 which recognized an external epitope of P-glycoprotein, using an avidin-biotin im-munohistochemical technique. Immunoreactivity was scored separately in tumor cells and endothelial cells. Results Untreated primary lesions showed immunostain-ing in 6 of 46 cases (13%), while 6 of 16 (38%) post-therapy primary tumors were immunoreactive. None of the untreated metastases (0 of 17) were positive, however, 6 of 11 (55%) post-therapy specimens showed varied percentages of posi-tivity for p-glycoprotein (p ─ 0.002). The highest percentage, 50%–70% of tumor cells stained, was observed in metastatic lesions from patients who had received 6 or more chemotherapy cycles. No difference in the proportion of endothelial cells stained was observed in pre- and post-therapy specimens. However, 3 of 6 post-therapy samples obtained from 5 individual patients showed MDR1 up-regulation on endothelial cells. Conclusions The data show that an increase in the proportion of cells expressing P-glycoprotein occurs after exposure to a combination chemotherapy program containing drugs known to select for P-glycoprotein expression in vitro. The observation of increased immunoreactive endothelial cells suggests transactivation of the MDR1 in these cells. While data are preliminary, P-glycoprotein expression in capillary endothelial cells may contribute to drug resistance. Taken together, these mechanisms may contribute to therapeutic failure in patients with bladder tumors treated with chemotherapy
Arterial Gaussian curvature and the shapes of atherosclerotic plaques

Atherosclerotic plaques may form preferentially in parts of arteries that have positive Gaussian curvature, and this may help explain why so many plaques have sharp margins and an elliptic shape when examined en face.
Rubber/Plastic Blends Based on Devulcanized Ground Tire Rubber

Tire and waste rubber recycling is a very important issue facing the rubber industry and science community. Compounding the ground rubber tire (GRT) with commercial polyolefins is a possible and effective way of used tire recycling which can provide new rubber/plastic blends at a much lower cost. In the present study, GRT and ultrasonically devulcanized GRT (DGRT) are incorporated into a polypropylene. In addition, DGRT is compounded and dynamically revulcanized (RGRT) in polypropylene. Compounding and dynamic revulcanization is carried out by means of a twin screw extruder and Brabender internal mixer. Sulfur and phenolic resin curing systems as well as various compatibilizers are used. Mechanical properties, rheology and morphology as well as thermal stability and melting behavior of the resulting rubber/plastic blends are studied. The obtained blends show an excellent processability along with impact strength higher than that of pure polypropylene. Among various compatibilizers and cure systems utilize...
Costs and Benefits of Electronic Fetal Monitoring

Thank you for the discussion of the role electronic fetal monitoring (EFM). Murray et al. took exception to Lowe (2011) and with the assertion of Grimes and Piepert (2010) that universal intrapartum EFM has failed to result in improved perinatal outcomes. They asserted that prior studies failing to demonstrate improved outcomes (Alfrevic, Devane, & Gyte, 2006) are “dated and limited” and pointed to more recent data demonstrating that “The benefits of intrapartal EFM clearly outweigh the benefits of intermittent auscultation (IA)” (Murray, Malmeister, Daniels, & Huelsmann, 2011, p. 391).
The Effect of Time of Death on Extravascular Tissue/Blood Secobarbital Concentration Ratios in the Rat

Extravascular liver/blood and brain/blood ratios were found to be an average of 6% and 1% higher, respectively, in all experiments than total liver/blood and brain/blood ratios. This difference may be informative in establishing true tissue levels. There was a significant time effect (P less than 0.05) with the extravascular liver/blood ratios but not with the extravscular brain/blood ratios. Extravascular liver/blood ratios were slightly higher in phenobarbital-pretreated animals than in non-pretreated animals. Tissue secobarbital levels in pretreated and non-pretreated animals are not different at 1/4 or 1 h, even though pretreated animals received higher doses than non-pretreated animals. Tissue levels are significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in pretreated animals than in non-pretreated animals at 4 h. It is possible that, at this time period, the barbiturate-metabolizing enzymes have become saturated or exhausted.
Effects of fat-supplemented diets on plasma lipoproteins and the apoprotein/lipid ratios in rabbits.

Male white New Zealand rabbits were maintained for 4 weeks on one of the following diets: (1) normal chow diet, (2) chow plus 1% cholesterol and 3% coconut oil, (3) diet 2 plus 100 IUα-tocopherol, and (4) diet 2 plus 100 ml 10% alcohol daily. Total serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were significantly increased with diets 2, 3, 4. These diets resulted in a shift in distribution of the lipid transported so that a much greater percentage was transported in LDL and VLDL and a much smaller fraction in HDL. The ratio of protein to lipid decreased drastically in LDL in groups 2, 3, and 4 as compared to normals; it also decreased markedly in VLDL of groups 3 and 4. The ratio of protein to lipid decreased in the HDL of group 2, but not in 3 and 4. Neither vitamin E nor alcohol supplementation changed the hyperlipemic response to the high fat diet. These data indicate that in the hyperlipidemic rabbits, the composition of VLDL and LDL were altered, and that a change in the relative distribution of lipids among the lipoprotein classes occurred.
Recombinant Mouse Sperm ZP3-binding Protein (ZP3R/sp56) Forms a High Order Oligomer That Binds Eggs and Inhibits Mouse Fertilization in Vitro

Many candidates have been proposed as zona pellucida-binding proteins. Without precluding a role for any of those candidates, we focused on mouse sperm protein ZP3R/sp56, which is localized in the acrosomal matrix. The objective of this study was to analyze the role of ZP3R/sp56 in mouse fertilization. We expressed recombinant ZP3R/sp56 as a secreted protein in HEK293 cells and purified it from serum-free, conditioned medium. In the presence of reducing agents, the recombinant ZP3R/sp56 exhibited a molecular weight similar to that observed for the native ZP3R/sp56. Reminiscent of the native protein, recombinant ZP3R/sp56 formed a high molecular weight, disulfide cross-linked oligomer consisting of six or more monomers under non-reducing conditions. Recombinant ZP3R/sp56 bound to the zona pellucida of unfertilized eggs but not to 2-cell embryos, indicating that the changes that take place in the zona pellucida at fertilization affected the interaction of this protein with the zona pellucida. The extent of in vitro fertilization was reduced in a dose-dependent manner when unfertilized eggs were preincubated with recombinant ZP3R/sp56 (74% drop at the maximum concentrations assayed). Eggs incubated with the recombinant protein showed an absence of or very few sperm in the perivitelline space, suggesting that the reduction in the fertilization rate is caused by the inhibition of sperm binding and/or penetration through the zona pellucida. These results indicate that sperm ZP3R/sp56 is important for sperm-zona interactions during fertilization and support the concept that the acrosomal matrix plays an essential role in mediating the binding of sperm to the zona pellucida.
Cohomology of gauge groups: Cocycles and Schwinger terms

Abstract The relation between anomalies in space-time, anomalous Schwinger terms in equal-time commutators, and the cohomology of the relevant gauge groups is discussed. The consistency condition for the Schwinger terms is derived. Integral formulas are given for the phases occurring in the ray representations of the space gauge group at fixed time as well as for the higher cocycles.
Multimodal optical imaging of mouse Ischemic cortex

Real time investigation of cerebral blood flow (CBF), and oxy/deoxy hemoglobin volume (HbO,HbR) dynamics has been difficult until recently due to limited spatial and temporal resolution of techniques like laser Doppler flowmetry and MRI. This is especially true for studies of disease models in small animals, owing to the fine structure of the cerebral vasculature. The combination of laser speckle flowmetry (LSF) and multi-spectral reflectance imaging (MSRI) yields high resolution spatio-temporal maps of hemodynamic changes in response to events such as sensory stimuli or arterial occlusion. Ischemia was induced by distal occlusion of the medial cerebral artery (dMCAO). Rapid changes in CBF, HbO, and HbR during the acute phase were captured with high temporal and spatial resolution through the intact skull. Hemodynamic changes that were correlated with vasoconstrictive events, peri-infarct spreading depressions (PISD), were observed. These experiments demonstrate the utility of LSF and Multi-spectral reflectance imaging (MSRI) in mouse disease models.
Parallel strategies for crash and impact simulations

We describe a general strategy we have found effective for parallelizing solid mechanics simulations. Such simulations often have several computationally intensive parts, including finite element integration, detection of material contacts, and particle interaction if smoothed particle hydrodynamics is used to model highly deforming materials. The need to balance all of these computations simultaneously is a difficult challenge that has kept many commercial and government codes from being used effectively on parallel supercomputers with hundreds or thousands of processors. Our strategy is to load-balance each of the significant computations independently with whatever balancing technique is most appropriate. The chief benefit is that each computation can be scalably parallelized. The drawback is the data exchange between processors and extra coding that must be written to maintain multiple decompositions in a single code. We discuss these trade-offs and give performance results showing this strategy has led to a parallel implementation of a widely used solid mechanics code that can now be run efficiently on thousands of processors of the Pentium-based Sandia/Intel TFLOPS machine. We illustrate with several examples the kinds of high-resolution, million-element models that can now be simulated routinely. We also look to the future and discuss what possibilities this new capability promises, as well as the new set of challenges it poses in material models, computational techniques, and computing infrastructure.
Structurally Diverse Nitric Oxide-Releasing Poly(propylene imine) Dendrimers

Structurally diverse secondary amine-functionalized poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendrimers capable of tunable nitric oxide (NO) release were synthesized in a straightforward, one-step manner using ring-opening or conjugate-addition reactions with propylene oxide (PO), styrene oxide (SO), acrylonitrile (ACN), poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (average Mn = 480) (PEG) or 1,2-epoxy-9-decene (ED). N-Diazeniumdiolate nitric oxide donors were formed on the resulting secondary amine-functionalized G2-G5 PPI dendrimers by reaction with NO gas in basic solution. The NO storage and release kinetics for the resulting dendritic scaffolds were diverse (0.9-3.8 μmol NO/mg totals and 0.3 to 4.9 h half lives), illustrating the importance of the exterior chemical modification (e.g., steric environments, hydrophobicity, etc.) on diazeniumdiolate stability/decomposition. Tunable NO release was demonstrated by combining two donor systems on the exterior of one macromolecular scaffold. Additionally, a mathematical model was developed that allows for the simulation of dual NO release kinetics using the NO release data from the two single NO donor systems. The approaches described herein extend the range and scope of NO-releasing macromolecular scaffolds by unlocking a series of materials for use as dopants in biomedical polymers or stand-alone therapeutics depending on the exterior modification.
Influence of Cooling Rate on the Microstructure in HCCI/Steel Bimetal Composite Hammer

The HCCI/carbon steel bimetal composite hammer was prepared by bimetal liquid cast process and the effect of cooling rate, which is obtained by different mold material, on the microstructures of hypereutectic HCCI was studied. The results show that the primary carbides and eutectic carbides are refined with the increase of cooling rate. Good metallurgical combination of the HCCI/carbon steel bimetal hammer can be reached by bimetal liquid cast process with fast cooling mold.
Regulation by calcium of the proliferation of heart cells from young adult rats

Cells of primary and secondary cultures of rat heart ventricle were grown in a medium supplemented with homologous plasma to avoid the non-specific proliferogenic effects of foreign sera. Specific chelation of calcium from the medium arrested the cells' progression through their cycle at the G1 phase. A permanent or brief restoration of the extracellular calcium level (48 hr later) was followed, after a 5 to 6 hr delay, by a burst of DNA synthesis, and the resumption of mitotic activity.
Identifying family care process themes in caring for their hospitalized elders

Little is known about strategies used by family caregivers for their hospitalized elderly relatives. A total of 16 participants were recruited in this qualitative study from two hospitals in the northwest of the United States. Altogether, 25 interviews and 3 participant observations were conducted with hospitalized elders, family caregivers, and nurses. Qualitative analysis based on Lofland and Lofland's approach resulted in the identification of five family care process themes: (a) carrying on, (b) modifying, (c) starting new, (d) sharing, and (e) arranging care for. Understanding how family caregivers provide care can help nurses to work effectively with family caregivers to improve the outcomes of hospitalized elders.
NOVEL ISOLATION METHOD AND STRUCTURAL STABILITY OF A EUKARYOTIC CHAPERONIN: THE TCP-1 RING COMPLEX FROM RABBIT RETICULOCYTES

In the course of removing a contaminant from preparations of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complexes, a novel purification method has been developed for the eukaryotic cytoplasmic chaperonin known as TRiC or CCT. This method uses only three steps: ammonium sulfate precipitation, pelleting into a sucrose cushion, and heparin-agarose chromatography. As judged by electrophoresis, sedimentation, and electron microscopy, the preparations are homogeneous. The particle is identified as a chaperonin from electrophoretic polypeptide pattern, electron microscopic images, direct mass measurement by sedimentation velocity analysis, amino-terminal sequencing, and ATP-dependent refolding of rhodanese and actin. Further investigation of the biochemical and physical properties of the particle demonstrates that its constituent polypeptides are not glycosylated. The particle as a whole binds strongly to polyanionic matrices. Of particular note is that negatively stained images of chaperonin adsorbed to a single carbon layer are distinctly different from those where it is sandwiched between two layers. In the former, the "characteristic" ring and four-stripe barrel predominate. In the latter, most images are round with a highly reticulated surface, the average particle diameter increases from 15 to 18 nm, and additional side, end, and substrate-containing views are observed. The particle structure is strikingly resistant to physical forces (long-term storage, repeated cycles of freezing and thawing, sedimentation), detergents (Triton, deoxycholate), salts (molar levels of KCl or LiCl), and pH changes (9-6). Only a strongly chaotropic salt (NaSCN) and extremely acidic conditions (pH 4.5) cause aggregation and dissociation of TRiC, respectively. However, treatment with KCl or deoxycholate reduces TRiC folding activity.
Anti-HIV Activity of Extracts and Compounds from Algae and Cyanobacteria

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the retrovirus that causes the acquired immune deficiency disease syndrome (AIDS). This review discusses the anti-HIV activity of extracts and compounds isolated from freshwater and marine algae, and cyanobacteria (formerly called "blue-green algae"). Compounds and extracts with anti-HIV activity are also active against other retroviruses such as herpes simplex virus (HSV), but the amount of antiviral activity varies with the compound and the virus. Most of the research has focused on sulfated homopolysaccharides and heteropolysaccharides. Sulfoglycolipids, carrageenans, fucoidan, sesquiterpene hydroquinones, and other classes of compounds with anti-HIV activity that have been isolated from algae have received less attention. Most studies have used in vitro test systems, but a few in vivo studies have been carried out using compounds isolated from algae or analogs produced synthetically or isolated from other natural sources. Sulfated homopolysaccharides are more potent than sulfated heteropolysaccharides. The presence of the sulfate group is necessary for anti-HIV activity, and potency increases with the degree of sulfation. Studies using nonsulfated and sulfated homo- and heteropolysaccharides isolated from algae or other natural sources, or synthesized, have revealed the mechanisms of binding of drugs to the virion, and the mechanisms of viral binding to host cells. However, given the few classes of compounds investigated, most of the pharmacopeia of compounds in algae and cyanobacteria with antiretroviral activity is probably not known.
Passing "Place for Games"

Passing "Place for Games" visualizes the world famous Kizhi site as high-resolution 3D environment. The goal of this project is to create a virtual prototype of the current state of Kizhi wooden architecture. Kizhi museum preserves a concentration of masterpieces of the Russian heritage and protected by World Heritage List of UNESCO. It is located on an island in Lake Onega in northern Karelia in Russia. Word "kizhi" is translated from Karelian as "a place for games". In ancient times people gathered here and performed their religious rituals. The visualization reconstructs the original architecture of Kizhi island based on the detailed photographs, architectural and geometric measurements, textural data and video surveys taken during the visit of Kizhi as well as geometric analysis of the surviving structure. The project strives to advance the development of historical restoration in an artistic direction. It is being developed using latest concepts in real-time graphics, including complex illumination with dynamic irradiance environment mapping, shadow mapping, and complex materials containing normal and gloss mapping.
The socioculturalist agenda in economics: Critical remarks of Thorstein Veblen's legacy

Abstract The article identifies a cluster of heterodox economists, especially followers of Thorstein Veblen, who are critical of the neoclassical axiom of well-defined preferences. They generally have a problem with the reductionist reasoning that preferences of agents are constituted prior to social interaction. Some of them are proposing somewhat well-defined preferences deduced instead from the tastes of the reference groups with whom the agent identifies. The article does not question the relevance, with respect to economics, of the preferences of groups. Rather, it challenges a muscular view of such preferences which is being uncritically borrowed, inter alia, from functionalist sociology and substantivist economic anthropology. Sociologists and anthropologists in general have recently become, from diverse perspectives, critical of the conception of sociocultural tastes as hegemonic. The basic thrust of the article is that the socioculturalist agenda broadly subscribes to a biological/social dichotomy which neglects that tastes also arise from psychobiological developmental processes.
Word-of-mouth reputations in auto insurance markets

Abstract A model is developed of the diffusion of information concerning stochastic quality levels of firms under assumptions of highly imperfect consumer knowledge. An equilibrium analysis finds that an increase in the rate of diffusion of information results in a decline in the elasticity of demand with respect to quality. A dynamic analysis indicates, however, that under certain conditions short-term elasticity increases with an increased rate of diffusion of information. The importance of dynamic analysis is underscored by the length of time often required for convergence to the steady state.
Simultaneous determination of arsenic and antimony in environmental samples by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

A radiochemical separation procedure using an inorganic exchanger, tin dioxide (TDO), for the separation of arsenic from antimony is reported here. This separation avoids the interference of 564 keV gamma-ray of122Sb in the measurement of the 559 keV gamma-ray of76As in neutron activation analysis. Environmental samples, after neutron irradiation and digestion, are taken up in 1M HCl–0.1M HF and passed through a TDO column which selectively retains arsenic. The effluent from the TDO column, after proper conditioning, is passed through an anion exchange column for quantitative retention of antimony. The procedure has been utilized for arsenic and antimony determination in NBS Orchard Leaves and NBS Albacore Tuna.
Determination of spirogermanium (2-aza-8-germanspiro[4.5]-decane-2-propanamine-8,8-diethyl-N,N-dimethyl dichloride) by fluorometric ion-pair extraction. Application to the uniformity of content of solutions for intravenous injection

Extraction du spirogermanium d'un tampon acetate, dans le chloroforme, sous forme de paires d'ions avec soit le naphtalene sulfonate-2, soit le dimethoxy-9,10 anthracene sulfonate-2. L'extrait est analyse par spectrometrie de fluorescence
Research Note: Toward an Effective Subcounty Settlement Classification: Comparative Density Revisited

The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for use by federal agencies in collecting and publishing statistics. In order to ensure their continued usefulness, OMB reviews and revises the standards for defining MSAs at least once every 10 years, typically prior to each decennial census. The most recent review was one of the most thorough and introduced some significant changes. Whereas the review produced a revised set of standards in December, 2000, OMB has encouraged continued research on a number of issues that remain open for discussion. These issues include: (1) the geographic building blocks used in defining statistical areas, (2) the creation of a settlement classification that encompasses all of the nation's territory, and (3) the categories of settlement (e.g., urban, suburban, rural) recognized within the classification. This note documents continuing research on how these issues might be addressed by using subcounty building b...
The Mechanism of HCM-Related Mutation R21C on the Modulation of C-I Interactions and Contractile Kinetics

The R21C mutation in cTnI, associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), is the only known mutation within N-terminus of cTnI. The mechanisms by which this mutation leads to heart failure, and how this mutation affects PKA regulation of cTn function and myofibril relaxation still remain elusive. Currently, we are studying this mutation using an integrated experimental-computational approach. We generated triple-mutated cTnI (cTnI-R21C/S2324D) to mimic the phosphorylation. From steady-state fluorescence measurement, which using a fluorescent probe (IANBD) coupled to cTnCC35S, C-I binding affinity (KC-I) and calcium binding affinity (KCa) to whole cTn were monitored. cTnIR21C increased both KC-I and KCa compared to cTnIWT. Phosphorylation of cTnI reduced KCa for both complexes. However, while PKA treatment weakened KC-I for cTnIWT, this effect was not absent in cTnIR21C. To study myofibril contraction/relaxation mechanics and kinetics, endogenous cTn was exchanged with either WT or R21C recombinant cTn, and mechanics were monitored at maximum and submaximal Ca2+ conditions. The kinetics of activation (KACT) is slower at submaximal vs maximal Ca2+ conditions, and not affected by PKA treatment of myofibrils containing either cTnIWT or cTnIR21C. However, PKA treatment of cTn with cTnIWT significantly affected slow phase relaxation, increasing slow phase rate (KREL,slow) and decreasing slow phase duration (tREL, slow), and these effects are more clear at submaximal calcium levels. Interestingly, these PKA mediated effects were blunted in cTnIR21C. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of whole cTn with R21C and R21C/S23DS24D substitution are ongoing. Interactions between cNTnC-cNTnI, cNTnC-switch peptide of cTnI, and cTnC-inhibitory peptide of cTnI will be monitored, and calcium binding sites will be studied. Computational results will provide the structural basis at molecular level of how R21C influence C-I binding and relaxation of cardiac muscles. HL65497, HL11197 (MR), 8P41GM103426 (AM & AM).
Somatostatin, prostaglandin E2 and atropine inhibition of the gastric actions of bombesin in the dog

Bombesin, acetylcholine, prostaglandins and somatostatin are all thought to be involved in the regulation of gastrin release and gastric secretion. We have studied the effects of low doses of atropine, 16-16(Me)2-prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and somatostatin-14 on bombesin-stimulated gastrin release and gastric acid and pepsin secretion in conscious fistula dogs. For reference, synthetic gastrin G-17 was studied with and without somatostatin. Bombesin, in a dose-related manner, increased serum gastrin, which in turn stimulated gastric acid and pepsin secretion in a serum gastrin, concentration-dependent manner. Somatostatin inhibited gastrin release by bombesin as well as the secretory stimulation by G-17; the combination of sequential effects resulted in a marked inhibition of bombesin-stimulated gastric acid and pepsin secretion. PGE2 also strongly inhibited gastrin release and acid and pepsin secretion. Atropine had no significant effect on gastrin release, but greatly inhibited gastric secretion. Thus somatostatin and PGE2 inhibited at two sites, gastrin release and gastrin effects, while atropine affected only the latter.
The Role of Disclosing Child Sexual Abuse on Adolescent Adjustment and Revictimization

ABSTRACT The role of disclosing child sexual abuse on adolescent survivors' symptomology and the presence of additional unwanted sexual experiences was investigated in a subsample of 111 adolescents from the National Survey of Adolescents who reported child sexual abuse. Results indicated that prompt disclosure of sexual abuse to an adult moderated the influence of penetration during the abuse on the number of symptoms at assessment. Thus, prompt disclosure buffered the influence of more severe abuse. Disclosure also had a main effect on the likelihood of further victimization. Participants who told an adult promptly after the abuse were less likely to report additional unwanted sexual experiences.
Cultural Capital, Gender, and School Success: The Role of Habitus

Studies of the effects of cultural capital on the educational success of male and female students have reached coLtiadictory concusions, and few studies have considered the role that habitus plays in educational outcomes. This article analyzes the cultural participation of eighth-grade boys and girls and presents a model that includes a measure for habitus. Through a detailed analysis of cultural practices that have typically been grouped together as a single scale, the author found that female and higher-SES students are more likely to participate in cultural activities. In addition, in both standard ordinary least squares and fixed school-effects models, she found that cultural capital has a positive, significant effect on the grades of female students, both with and without controlling for Bourdieu's notion of habitus. For male students, the effect is weaker and present only in the fixed-effects models. Habitus itself has a strong effect for both male and female students in all models. The author argues that traditional gender stereotypes play a role in the lack of cultural participation by male students and that female students may be more encouraged to make use of their cultural capital to succeed in school.
CHARACTERIZING SPECTRALLY DIVERSE BIOLOGICAL CHROMOPHORES USING CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS WITH MULTIPHOTON-EXCITED FLUORESCENCE

Minute quantities of native cellular fluorophores can be quantitatively assayed using ultraviolet fluorescence detection with microcolumn separations, but spectral diversity of biological chromophores imposes serious limitations on the use of this strategy to investigate biological components. We present an approach for rapid characterization of picoliter samples containing dissimilar cellular fluorophoresincluding amino acids, monoamine neurotransmitters, flavins, and pyridine nucleotidesusing multiphoton excited fluorescence detection coupled to capillary electrophoresis separations. In this highly versatile approach, biological fluorophores are excited through the nearly simultaneous absorption of different numbers of low-energy photons. Because spectrally distinct species all can be excited with a single, long-wavelength laser source, fluorescence throughout the ultraviolet and visible regions can be detected efficiently with extremely low background. Samples containing serotonin, melatonin, FAD, and ...
Adaptation of D 2h Ab Initio computer code to higher-symmetry point groups

The imposition of symmetry in electronic structure calculations can be plagued by artifactual symmetry-breaking in orbital or configuration amplitudes. While most ab initio computer code is well-developed to impose symmetry constraints in D2h and its subgroups, the problem is not nearly as tractable in higher-symmetry point groups. This article describes the successful modification of existing D2hab initio computer code to handle symmetry constraints in higher-symmetry point groups. Prospects for the development of ab initio computer code that runs fully under any point group are also discussed.
Rate and mechanism of the NH(a1Δ) + Cl2 reaction

Abstract The reaction of NH(a1Δ) with Cl2 was studied by pulsed photolysis of HN3/Cl2/Ar mixtures with the 248 nm output of a KrF laser. The rate constant for NH(a1Δ) quenching by Cl2 was determined to be (6.8±0.4) × 10−11 cm3 s−1. A major product channel for this reaction of production of NCl(a1Δ) and vibrationally excited HCl, suggesting that the reaction proceeds by an insertion mechanism via an amine-like intermediate similar to that of the H + NCl2 reaction.
Molecular mechanisms in rheumatic diseases: Rationale for novel drug development - introduction

Abstract Novel therapies for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) will largely be developed as a consequence of our improved understanding of immune-mediated inflammatory responses that regulate the progression of the disease process. This Special Mini "Hot-Topic" Issue of Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, entitled, Molecular Mechanisms in Rheumatic Diseases: Rationale for Novel Drug Development explores several recent developments in how new drugs will be designed for the therapy of RA by employing proteomic databases and other wellvalidated computational strategies. Furthermore, recent advances in the recognition that pro-inflammatory cytokines and the interferon family of proteins activate intracellular signal transduction pathways which control immune-mediated inflammatory responses as well as the way in which newly identified regulators of inflammation such as the Toll-like receptors contribute to RA are also discussed.
Dynamic feedback linearization for electrohydraulically actuated control systems

Using the dynamic inversion principal, a globally linearizing feedback control law is developed for an electrohydraulic servo system. The proposed control law is implemented on a rotational joint driven by a linear actuator. The results from experiments indicate that better uniformity of response is achieved across a wider range of operating conditions than would otherwise be possible. Improved symmetry is obtained for the extension and retraction phases of motion for an asymmetric actuator under various loading conditions and actuator positions. As a result of the improvements in linearity, significantly better performance is achieved when using linear controllers. To incorporate the effects of parametric uncertainties on the feedback linearization, a state space linear fractional representation of the parametrically uncertain linearized system is also developed. This uncertainty model is specifically suited for the design of robust control systems using the μ-synthesis and H∞ based approach.