cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biochemical and genetic characterization of the lowell variant. A new phenotype of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase

A new electrophoretic variant of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) has been detected in the Caucasian population in North Carolina, and family studies have shown this variant to be transmissible. This variant has been given the trivial name “Lowell” and the allele controlling its synthesis in conjunction with 6PGD A has been named 6PGD L . The banding pattern produced by the Lowell variant after electrophoresis is not affected by either NADP or 2-mercaptoethanol. Inhibition studies with urea and iodoacetate have shown that this variant is inhibited to approximately the same degree as the Richmond and Friendship variants. Thermostability studies have shown that the isozyme bands encoded by 6PGD A , 6PGD Elcho , 6PGD C , and 6PGD L have a relative thermal stability in the order 6PGD A >6PGD Elcho >6PGD C >6PGD L .
Mathematical models of the spatial distribution of retinal oxygen tension and consumption, including changes upon illumination.

To better understand oxygen utilization by the retina, a mathematical model of oxygen diffusion and consumption in the cat outer, avascular retina was developed by analyzing previously recorded profiles of oxygen tension (PO2) as a function of retinal depth. Simple diffusion modelling of the oxygen distribution through the outer retina is possible because the PO2 depends only on diffusion from the choroidal and retinal circulations and on consumption within the tissue. Several different models were evaluated in order to determine the best one from the standpoints of their ability to represent the data and to agree with physiological reality. For the steady state one-dimensional diffusion model adopted (the special three-layer diffusion model), oxygen consumption was constant through the middle layer and zero in the layers near the choroid and near the inner retina. On the average, the oxygen consuming layer, as found by nonlinear regression for each profile, extended from about 75% to 85% of the retinal depth from the vitreous. This is a narrow band through the mid-region of the photoreceptors. Oxygen consumption of the entire avascular retina, determined from fitting eight PO2 profiles measured in light-adapted retinas, averaged 2.7 ml O2(STP)/(100 g tissue · min), while the value determined from fitting thirty-two PO2 profiles measured in dark-adapted retinas averaged 4.4 ml O2(STP)/(100 g tissue · min). Consumption in the light was thus only 60% of that in the dark. This suggests that the outer retina is at greater risk of hypoxic injury in the dark than in the light, a fuinding of considerable clinical significance.
Synthesis of PMMA star polymers with siloxane cores via group-transfer polymerization using silyl ketene acetal functionalized cyclic siloxanes

Four-arm, poly(methyl methacrylate) star polymers having cyclic siloxane cores were prepared by group-transfer polymerization (GTP). In this core-first approach, a cyclic hydromethylsiloxane tetramer was hydrosilated with a terminal olefin bearing a silyl ketene acetal, and methyl methacrylate polymerization was initiated in THF using acetate ion as a catalyst. Star polymers having between 20 and 150 methyl methacrylate repeat units per arm were prepared, and had polydispersities of ca. 1.2-1.3. The polymerizations were quantitative
A General Introduction to the Special Issue: Mediterranean Political Processes in Comparative Historical Perspective

For millennia, the Mediterranean Sea has connected Eurasia's western fifth—Europe—with Asia and Africa. These articles on Mediterranean political processes from 1400 to 2006 unfold against the background of regional distinctness. The Mediterranean gains special properties from its service as an intercontinental bridge, the diversity of its populations, the age-old but never successful competition for control of its perimeter, and the intensity of trading connections within its limits. All of these features have long shaped Mediterranean political processes and continue to do so today. The articles in these two special issues stand out not only for the light they shed on the region but also for their adoption of a relational perspective on Mediterranean political processes.
Children's difficulties in deliberate memory for spatial relationships: Misapplication of verbal mnemonic strategies?

To examine the importance of children's learning to fit mnemonic strategies to specific tasks, this study investigated the role of deliberate remembering in 5-, 7-, and 10-year-old children's memory for spatial relationships. The children explored a laboratory funhouse under three conditions: being told to remember, not being told to remember but being involved with the information through a spatial activity, and being told to remember as well as being involved with the information through a spatial activity. Previous research suggests that, by roughly age 7, children attempt to remember lists through linear strategies such as rehearsal. In learning to master such linear strategies, children may attempt to apply them to tasks in which they are less relevant, such as remembering spatial relations in complex nonlinear spaces. Hence, it was expected that 7-year-olds would perform more poorly on a spatial-memory test when told to remember than when simply involved with the spatial information in an incidental activity. These differences were not expected for 5-year-olds, who are not expected to apply linear strategies such as rehearsal, or for 10-year-olds, who may be more skilled in tailoring their memory strategies to the spatial memory task. The findings supported the predictions. Seven-year-old children who were told to remember (with or without the incidental spatial activity) performed more poorly than 7-year-olds who were not told to remember but were only involved with the information in the spatial activity. The 7-year-olds who were told to remember appeared to apply an inappropriate list-memory strategy, consistent with rehearsal. There were no differences between conditions for the 5- or 10-year-old children, and performance improved with age. The difference between conditions for the 7-year-olds suggests that children who are learning to use linear strategies may overapply them, with resulting decrements in recall of nonlinear spatial information.
Acqusition and extinction as a function of controlled interval (discrete-trial) or controlled session (free-response) programming

Laboratory rats were trained on either a discrete-trial or a free-responding program of bar presentation, with number of barpresses controlled. Half of the Ss received 16% sucrose in water as reinforcement, half 64%. The most important result was that Ss which had the discrete-trial type of training produced reliably more responses in extinction, regardless of the extinction program.
The structure of G.P. I zones in Al-1.7 at.% Cu

Abstract The diffuse X-ray scattering has been measured from a single crystal of Al-1.7 at.% Cu, aged to contain G.P. I zones. A new method has been employed to separate the contributions from clustering from those due to atomic displacements. Computer simulations with 108,000 atoms were employed to examine the local atomic arrangements. The zones are a mixture of single (001) planes ≈ 100% copper and multilayer regions and with the nearest-neighbor spacing near that of the matrix. There is no significant copper concentration in the matrix. The Al (100) planes near the zone collapse toward it, the displacement decreasing more rapidly (with increasing distance from the zone) than in Gerold's model. A model recently derived from EXAFS data is shown to be inconsistent with the X-ray data.
Progress in Gas-Side Fouling of Heat-Transfer Surfaces

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of recent developments in gas-side fouling, which may be defined as the deposition of an insulating layer of material onto a heat-transfer surface in the presence of a dirty gas stream. Four major topics are covered in the review: (a) Recent reviews involving various aspects of gas-side fouling, (b) Gas-side fouling mechanisms with special emphasis on transport to the surface, (c) Analytical studies including deposition, heat transfer, and pressure drop models, and (d) Experimental studies including gas-side fouling measuring devices and experimental results. Although the review focuses on work carried out during the past 10-15 years, a number of earlier contributions to the gas-side fouling literature are also included. Gas-side fouling is an extremely complex, multifaceted phenomenon and although considerable progress in this area has been made through the years, it is clear that much work remains to be done.
Impairments in generation of early-stage transient visual evoked potentials to magno- and parvocellular-selective stimuli in schizophrenia.

Objective Patients with schizophrenia demonstrate significant impairments of early visual processing, potentially implicating dysfunction of the magnocellular visual pathway. The present study evaluates transient visual evoked potential (tVEP) responses to stimuli biased toward the magnocellular (M) or parvocellular (P) systems in patients with schizophrenia vs. normal volunteers first to evaluate relative contributions of M and P systems to specific tVEP components in schizophrenia and, second, to evaluate integrity of early M and P processing in schizophrenia.
Equivalent outcomes in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia after early transplantation of phenotypically matched bone marrow from related or unrelated donors.

Abstract PURPOSE: To determine if the favorable outcomes after transplantation of matched sibling donor bone marrow in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia can be achieved using bone marrow from an HLA-A,B/DRB1–matched unrelated donor. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between April 1983 and December 1997, 141 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in its first chronic phase received a bone marrow transplant from a matched sibling donor (n = 96) or an HLA-A,B/DRB1–matched unrelated donor (n = 45). The median age of matched sibling donor recipients was 38 years (range, 8 to 56 years) and of unrelated donor recipients was 35 years (range, 3 to 53 years; P = 0.03). The median follow-up was 6 years (range, 1 to 15 years) in matched sibling donor recipients and 5 years (range, 2 to 10 years) in unrelated donor recipients. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the 5-year survival rates of matched sibling donor recipients [58%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 48% to 68%] and unrelated donor recipients (53%; 95% CI, 39% to 67%; P = 0.4). Among patients who underwent transplantation within 1 year after diagnosis, the 5-year survival rate of matched sibling donor recipients (76%; 95% CI, 65% to 87%) was not significantly different ( P = 0.5) from that of unrelated donor recipients (70%; 95% CI, 52% to 88%). In multiple regression analysis, longer time from diagnosis to transplantation, T-cell depletion, and grades III or IV graft versus host disease were independently associated with poorer survival. Transplantation of unrelated donor bone marrow was not associated with mortality (relative risk, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.6 to 2.1; P = 0.7). CONCLUSIONS: Transplantation of bone marrow from a matched sibling donor or an HLA-A,B/DRB1–matched unrelated donor produces equivalent outcomes in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, particularly if the transplant takes place within 1 year after diagnosis.
Dynamics of Fat Absorption and Effect of Sham Feeding on Postprandial Lipema

Background & Aims Given the importance of postprandial hyperlipidemia to increase risk for atherosclerosis, in the present study, stable isotope-labeled meals were fed to healthy subjects (7 males and 3 females) to investigate the kinetics chylomicron synthesis and the effect of sensory exposure to lipid on metabolism. Methods Subjects performed two, 24-hour inpatient studies that entailed consumption of a liquid formula evening meal containing 30 g of oil (+ 13 C 2 triolein) on day 1. Breakfast (day 2) consisted of triacylglycerols (TAGs) fed as capsules (30 g oil + 13 C 7 triolein) to avoid activation of mouth taste receptors. Next, modified sham feeding of cream cheese occurred over 2 hours. In the 2 trials, the stimulus was either higher fat (HF) or lower fat (LF) cream cheese. A liquid meal was consumed at lunch. Blood sampling occurred intermittently, and chylomicron particles S f >400 TAGs were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results 13 C 2 -Label was found in fasting-state lipoproteins, and persons with higher body fat percentages showed greater dilution of meal TAGs from endogenous sources. For both trials, 13% ± 4% of lipoprotein TAGs oleic acid was derived from the previous evening meal. Incremental area under the curve for TAGs during HF was ∼2.5 times higher than after LF exposure (46 ± 15 vs 17 ± 5 μmol/L/h; P = .04). The greater HF morning lipemia occurred with elevated glucose, insulin, and nonesterified fatty acids peak after lunch. Conclusions These data support a connection between enteral lipid metabolism and oral fat exposure, resulting in elevated postprandial lipemia. The results suggest that the intestine may participate in a mechanism coordinating oral fat signaling with control of subsequent macronutrient disposal in the body.
The Translator's Role as Agent for Publishers

(1992). The Translator's Role as Agent for Publishers. Translation Review: Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 1-2.
Regional differences of hemodynamics and oxygenation in the human calf muscle detected with near-infrared spectrophotometry.

Purpose Measurements in muscle tissue are often performed at a selected single location over the muscle of interest. The hypothesis is that the values obtained reflect the status within the entire muscle or muscle group. This, however, may not be the case. The study was performed to investigate whether this hypothesis is true for hemodynamics and oxygenation in the healthy human calf muscle at rest. Materials and Methods Hemoglobin flow, blood flow, oxygen consumption, and venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation were mapped at 22 locations in 30 legs of 15 healthy subjects (nine women, six men aged 26–37 years) simultaneously by using frequency-domain near-infrared spectrophotometry with a specially designed probe during venous occlusion. Results For all parameters, spatial heterogeneity was found between subjects and within individual legs. All parameters were highly significantly different when comparing proximal and distal regions. Differences were also found between medial and lateral regions. The global mean values (±standard deviation) over all measurements were as follows: hemoglobin flow, 1.27 μmol per 100 mL/min ± 0.88; blood flow, 0.56 mL per 100 g/min ± 0.38; oxygen consumption, 0.016 mL per 100 g/min ± 0.011; and venous oxygen saturation, 77.6% ± 5.9. The thickness of the overlying adipose tissue had an influence on the measurements and must be considered. Conclusion Highly significant spatial heterogeneity of hemodynamics and oxygenation was found in the healthy human calf muscle.
Self-Rated Depression Scales and Screening for Major Depression in the Older Hospitalized Patient with Medical Illness

Until now, no self-rated depression scale had been validated as a screening measure for major depression in the older patient hospitalized with medical illness. The present report establishes the validity of two brief, easily administered depression screening tests, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Brief Carroll Depression Rating Scale (BCDRS), in this population. Structured psychiatric interviews were performed and self-rated depression measures administered to 128 men, aged 70 and over, consecutively admitted to medical and neurological services of a VA hospital. The GDS and BCDRS were both shown to have high sensitivity and specificity for detecting major depression in this setting. Optimal cut-off scores determined by the receiver operating curve characteristics of these tests were 11 for the GDS and 6 for the BCDRS. At a cutoff score of 11, the GDS had a sensitivity of 92%, a specificity of 89%, and a negative predictive value of 99%; lowering the break point to 8 did not increase sensitivity. At a cutoff score of 6, the BCDRS achieved a 100% sensitivity, 93% specificity, and 100% negative predictive value. Whether clinicians decide to implement either of these depression screens in their practice will depend to a large degree on the importance ascribed to the detection of these disorders and on attitudes toward the benefits of treatment.
Indirect somatic embryogenesis and plant recovery from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

We describe a tissue culture procedure for somatic embryogenesis and plantlet regeneration in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Coker 312). Callused explants or individual globular embryos were transferred to basal media to induce somatic embryogenesis. To determine characteristic early indicators of successful germination and conversion, we identified six types of embryos that developed on basal media. Two of the six embryo types, designated as tulip-shaped and trumpet-shaped, could undergo conversion in preliminary tests, whereas the others had little or no developmental potential. Several media treatments designed to enhance the maturation of globular somatic embryos failed to increase the fraction of embryos which matured to form recoverable types. In efforts to improve plantlet recovery, tulip-shaped embryos were used in limited trials to contrast the effects of chemical and physical desiccation treatments on germination and conversion. The selective use of tulip-shaped somatic embryos, coupled with partial desiccation, seems to have augmented plant recovery. Growth habit, flowering, seed set, and lint production of most of the regenerated plants were comparable to seed-derived plants grown under the same conditions.
Diffusion, Reinforcement, Geopolitics, and the Spread of War

The discussion reports the results of an examination of the possible diffusion of new war participations during the 1946–65 era. A theoretical argument is developed to yield more precise expectations about when, where, why, and how diffusion processs might operate. Four diffusion-related processes (positive spatial diffusion, positive reinforcement, negative spatial diffusion, and negative reinforcement) are discussed and analyzed. A series of simple turnover tables and a focus on nations' borders are used to go beyond the authors' previous stochastic modeling efforts. The results provide strong evidence that is consistent with both the authors' theoretical argument and the general war diffusion hypothesis. The analyses seem to indicate that certain types of wars may indeed have tended to diffuse across space from one nation to another between 1946 and 1965.
Interaction of the adenovirus 14.7-kDa protein with FLICE inhibits Fas ligand-induced apoptosis.

Adenovirus type 5 encodes a 14.7-kDa protein that protects infected cells from tumor necrosis factor-induced cytolysis by an unknown mechanism. In this report, we demonstrate that infection of cells with an adenovirus vector expressing Fas ligand induced rapid apoptosis that was blocked by coinfection with a virus expressing 14.7K. Moreover, AdFasL/G infection resulted in the rapid activation of DEVD-specific caspases, and caspase activation was blocked by coinfection with Ad14.7/G. Cell death induced by the overexpression of Fas ligand, Fas-associated death domain-containing protein (FADD)/MORT1, or FADD-like interleukin-1β-converting enzyme (FLICE)/caspase-8 in a virus-free system was efficiently blocked by 14.7K expression. Moreover, we demonstrate that 14.7K interacts with FLICE. These results support the idea that FLICE is a cellular target for the 14.7-kDa protein.
Is love a flimsy foundation? Soulmate versus institutional models of marriage

Abstract Steven Nock argued that love—understood narrowly in terms of emotional and sexual intimacy—was a flimsy foundation for relationships and that the institution of marriage provided a firmer footing for stable, high-quality relationships than love alone. Relying on data from the Marriage Matters Survey of 1414 married men and women in Louisiana (1998–2004), we extended Nock’s insights to consider whether contemporary marriages organized along institutional lines enjoyed more stability, satisfaction, and less conflict than marriages organized around a soulmate model. Largely consistent with Nock’s perspective, we found that individuals who embraced norms of marital permanency and gender specialization and were embedded in social networks and religious institutions enjoyed high-quality stable marriages, so long as they also focused on the expressive dimension of married life. By contrast, spouses who embraced a soulmate model of marriage experienced high levels of satisfaction but also experienced high levels of conflict and divorce. Finally, spouses who embraced traditional norms about marriage without the benefit of social support for those norms reported low levels of marital quality.
Two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite element modelling of mantle processes beneath central South Island, New Zealand

SUMMARY Numerical models that include pre-existing faults, elasto‐visco‐plastic rheology, thermal structure, realistic plate boundary conditions, and surface erosion are built to investigate alternative hypotheses of mantle flow geometry beneath central South Island, New Zealand. Bouguer gravity anomalies, teleseismic traveltime delays and seismic velocity structures are used to constrain models. Model predictions are compared with topography, uplift, magnetotelluric resistivity structure, isostatic gravity anomalies (IGAs), and seismicity. We find that the wedge model, in which the mantle lithosphere of the Australia plate is wedged between crust and mantle lithosphere of the Pacific plate, gives reasonable predictions of topography, uplift rate, IGAs, and stress and strain state in the lithosphere. Coupled erosional-tectonic models suggest that tectonic compression primarily determines the asymmetric surface relief, with erosion influencing its detail and having small effects on shallow stresses. Both 2-D and 3-D models suggest that the neotectonics of central South Island is dominated by weak faults. 3-D model results show that the Alpine fault and mantle shear zone accommodate most convergent and strike-slip plate motion, confirming non-partitioned plate motion in this region. Adding the regional strike-slip component has little effect on the convergent velocity field, and only changes the stress field by rotating the horizontal principal stresses out of the plane of the cross-section.
60. Investigation of osmotic tolerance limits for rational design of vitrification procedures

Previously, we reported a new strategy for mathematical optimization of CPA addition and removal procedures which involves minimization of a toxicity cost function while constraining cell volumes within osmotic tolerance limits. The purpose of this study was to clearly define cellular osmotic tolerance limits of bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells for inclusion in our optimization routine. Our general experimental approach consisted of exposure to anisotonic solutions for a prescribed time period, return to isotonic solution, and measurement of cell viability. The variables investigated include the buffering system, the type of non-permeating solute, the duration of exposure to anisotonic solutions, and the temperature. Primary bovine endothelial cells cultured in 96 well plates were exposed to solutions with concentrations ranging from pure water to 4000 mOsm/kg. Viability was assessed directly before and 24 h after treating with test solutions using the resazurin-based PrestoBlue assay. The resulting hypotonic and hypertonic viability trends were fit with 3-parameter logistic models to facilitate identification of osmotic tolerance limits. The best-fit logistic models were used to determine the hypo- and hypertonic concentrations that resulted in 90% cell yield relative to untreated cells. We first investigated the effect of the buffering system on sensitivity to osmotic damage. Cells retained greater viability after 15 min exposure to anisotonic solutions that were buffered with HEPES rather than phosphate. Thus, subsequent experiments were performed using HEPES buffered test solutions. We next investigated the effects of the type of non-permeating solute and the temperature on sensitivity to osmotic damage. Hypertonic solutions composed of NaCl were less damaging than sucrose solutions at 4 °C and 21 °C, however, sucrose solutions were less damaging than NaCl at 37 °C. Hypertonic solutions composed of either non-permeating solute resulted in significant death at 37 °C, even at relatively low concentrations. We investigated this effect further by varying exposure times from 1 to 20 min. For each solution concentration and temperature, an exponential decay model described the time-dependent loss of viability. Viability declined more rapidly with higher temperatures and greater solution concentrations. These findings indicate that it may be beneficial to use concentration- and time-dependent osmotic tolerance limits for optimization of CPA addition and removal procedures.
NetEye: a user-centered wireless sensor network testbed for high-fidelity, robust experimentation

Experimentation infrastructures for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been widely adopted over the past decade for high-fidelity validation and rapid prototyping of applications and for discovering and modeling phenomena that have led to improvements in analysis and simulation capabilities. Nonetheless, the community is still looking for more heterogeneous WSN testbeds for purposes such as federation, experiment regression analysis, and improved testbed availability. In addition, most existing WSN testbeds lack robustness and predictability in the presence of failures, and they do not provide user-friendly support for scientific experimentation (e.g., quick repetition of experiments). We develop the NetEye testbed as a high-fidelity, robust WSN experimentation infrastructure that provides the ease of scientific experimentation. Consisting of 130 TelosB motes with IEEE 802.15.4 radios and 15 Linux laptops with IEEE 802.11a/b/g radios, NetEye provides a WSN deployment that enables high-fidelity experimentation with single-hop as well as multihop WSN networking, and the lab-scale deployment mimics network properties of building-scale and outdoor WSN deployments. Building upon the authors’ experience in developing and using WSN testbeds in the past years, NetEye also has enhanced features that enables easy, robust scientific experimentation. In particular, NetEye provides users with a simple, powerful web portal, which streamlines users’ experience in the whole lifecycle of scientific experimentation (e.g., experiment scheduling, status monitoring, and data exfiltration). NetEye employs a stable, fault-tolerant state machine to improve the robustness of the testbed in the presence of failures. NetEye also develops a health monitoring service NetEye Doctor that monitors hardware and software status; the real-time health monitoring information about the testbed is seamlessly integrated with the lifecycle of experiment scheduling, experiment status monitoring, and experiment data analysis for both robust experimentation and for informed experiment analysis. To address the log-data congestion problem in long-running, large scale experiments, NetEye employs a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) mechanism to ensure reliability in exfiltrating experiment data to users. To facilitate quick, repetitive scientific experimentation, NetEye also speeds up the mote programming cycle through fast job status transition and multi-thread-based mote programming. NetEye has been successfully running for over 3.5 years, and it has been integrated with the federated WSN experimental infrastructure KanseiGenie. NetEye is widely used by researchers from USA and Asia, and more than 10 experiments are executed through NetEye per day on average. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mathematical programming and the control of Markov chains

Linear programming versions of some control problems on Markov chains are derived, and are studied under conditions which occur in typical problems which arise by discretizing continuous time and state systems or in discrete state systems. Control interpretations of the dual variables and simplex multipliers are given. The formulations allows the treatment of ‘state space’ like constraints which cannot be handled conveniently with dynamic programming. The relation between dynamic programming on Markov chains and the deterministic discrete maximum principle is explored, and some insight is obtained into the problem of singular stochastic controls (with respect to a stochastic maximum principle).
Is Network News Coverage of the President Biased

In recent years presidential charges of maltreatment by the press have become commonplace Various scholarly research into political communication appears to confirm the validity of these charges. However, a number of issues prevent one from inferring bias from the high levels of unfavorable presidential news these studies report. The research reported here is designed to overcome these problems and allow us to test the bias hypothesis more conclusively. Applying this design to the three networks' evening news programs during the years 1990 through 1995, we find qualified support for the bias hypothesis but even more compelling evidence that changes in presidential approval, whether favorable or unfavorable, drive news coverage of the president's public support. We also find surprising differences in the networks' routines and patterns of coverage that call into question the common assumption of homogenous network behavior.
The effect of x-ray dosage upon the frequency of induced structural changes in the chromosomes ofDrosophila melanogaster

The frequency of induced structural changes of chromosomes observed inF 1 female larvae ofDrosophila melanogaster raised from X-rayed males shows a direct linear proportionality with the X-ray dosage between 1000 and 4000 r.u. The relation of this fact to the “breakage” and “contact” hypotheses of their induction is discussed. Both hypotheses theoretically require sigmoid curves (with different characteristics) connecting dosage and effect. At intermediate doses the relation would be approximately linear on both hypotheses. The observations therefore do not provide any basis for discrimination. The high frequency (11%) of rearrangements, which on the contact hypothesis would require three or more threads in contact at one point, makes it unlikely that the chromosomes are ever in contact before, during or after irradiation unless they completely fill the treated nucleus. The high frequency of inversions in one chromosome arm, relative to interchanges between different arms, demonstrates a spatial preference either in the refusion of breakage ends or in a grouping of original breaks through a contact or analogous mechanism.
Development of technical asset lives for, HV transmission equipment in England and Wales

The management and operation of a transmission system requires that failure of assets in service is minimised. An,operate until it fails' approach is unacceptable for the majority of transmission assets due to the widespread impact of failure, the potential safety and environmental consequences and the long repair times. The national grid transco (NGT) policy is to use condition assessment and diagnostic techniques, to identify and replace assets in a timely manner, before failure in service occurs. Understanding technical asset lives forms the cornerstone of the asset replacement programme through which this policy is delivered.
Crystallization of membrane proteins

Abstract The process of crystallizing membrane proteins is hampered by several factors. Isolating significant quantities of membrane proteins is difficult because they are unstable and their biochemistry is not well understood. Even when the membrane proteins have been solubilized, several variables must be taken into account in order to achieve crystallization. The most important of these are the choice of detergent, and amphiphillic additives, as well as the type of lipid. Despite these difficulties, progress in being made, as the recent resolution of the plant light-harvesting complex structure has shown.
P-Complete Approximation Problems

For P-complete problems such as traveling salesperson, cycle covers, 0-1 integer programming, multicommodity network flows, quadratic assignment, etc., it is shown that the approximation problem is also P-complete. In contrast with these results, a linear time approximation algorithm for the clustering problem is presented.
Clustering of Lynch syndrome malignancies with no evidence for a role of DNA mismatch repair

Objectives We ascertained a large kindred with an excess of Lynch syndrome-associated cancers. Our objective was to determine if a defect in one of the DNA mismatch repair (DMMR) genes was the probable cause of cancer susceptibility as microsatellite instability (MSI) and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of the probands' tumors did not provide a clear indication.
Spatial distribution of O(1D) from Comet Halley

Images of comet Halley in forbidden OI 6300-A emission obtained using a 150 mm Fabry-Perot spectrometer in the imaging mode were combined with spectra taken in the scanning mode to deduce the distribution of cometary O(1D) within a 10-arcmin field of view centered on the comet head. The 10-km/sec bandpass of the system allows the distribution to be measured with little contamination from airglow O(1D) and cometary NH2 lines in the nearby spectrum. The results are modeled to provide photodestruction scale lengths for cometary H2O and OH, the predominant parents of O(1D). Results are compared with other experimental and theoretical results.
Bromate retention in NaBrO3NaClO3 solid solutions. A model for recombination reactions

Abstract The retention of 82g Br as bromate was measured for a series of NaBrO 3 NaClO 3 solid solutions irradiated at −78°C with thermal neutrons under conditions such that the only source of radiation damage to the samples was self-radiolysis due to neutron capture gamma rays, decay radiations and recoil produced in the sample itself. The retentions depended on the thermal treatment of the samples before and after irradiation, but for all thermal treatments,the results fit an equation of the form R = A + BX + CX 2 + DX 3 where X is the chlorate mole fraction. The results are interpreted in terms of a model requiring reaction of the recoil atom with radiolytic fragments trapped at host anion sites.
Metal ion stabilities correlate with electron affinity rather than hardness or softness

Abstract Quantitative metal ion hardness values allow a test of their correlation with aqueous metal ion stability constants of four hard ligands: hydroxide, fluoride, acetate and ammonia. For all four ligands the correlation is weak and dependent on the metal ion charge. For all but fluoride the correlation is in the wrong direction. Metal ion electron affinity correlates much better than hardness or softness with metal ion stability constants of all four ligands across metal ions of differing charges. Positive deviations of stability constants from the general trend with electron affinity are often due to a decrease in coordination number from that of the aqueous ion. For metal ion stabilities the hard and soft precept needs to be modified along the following lines. With the proviso that the intrinsic strength of binding (including any change in coordination number) is first accommodated, then hard acids may prefer to coordinate with hard bases and soft acids with soft bases, however, in most cases metal ion stabilities are accounted for mainly by the intrinsic strength. In application to stability constants the hard and soft acids and bases concept is of limited utility and often misleading.
Development and Validation of Chromatographic Methods for the Identification and Quantitation of Organic Compounds Leached from a Laminated Polyolefin Material

Chromatographic methods for the identification of organic compounds leached from a plastic material used in solution containers in the pharmaceutical industry are described. Based on a set of compounds identified in extracts of a multilayered polyolefin film, targeted leachables are delineated for accumulation assessments, and methods to perform target quantitation are developed and validated.
Niacin-induced enhancement of lysosomal cholesterol efflux in macrophages through CD38 - NAADP signaling pathway: implication in reduced foam cell formation (671.6)

Niacin (Nicotinic acid), a hyperlipidemia-lowering agent, acts as a substrate in the enzymatic synthesis of lysosomal Ca2+ messenger, NAADP by CD38. Our recent studies have demonstrated that the deficiency of CD38 led to lysosomal lipid accumulation in macrophages, foam cell formation and atherosclerosis, as observed in CD38-/- mice. The present study was designed to examine the effects of niacin on the foam cell formation and explore the underlying mechanisms. Using fluorescent microplate reader and confocal microscope, we found that niacin dose-dependently (in mM: 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 1 and 2) decreased lysosomal lipid accumulation in bone marrow-derived wild type macrophages treated with oxLDL (40 µg/ml) as stained by lysosomal lipid specific dye of Bodipy 493/503, but it had no effects in CD38-/- macrophages. This niacin-induced lysosomal lipid lowering effects were almost completely abolished by NAADP antagonist of PPADS (100 µM). In the niacin-treated macrophages, the cholesterol level in the purified...
Are combined oral contraceptives appropriate therapy for primary dysmenorrhea

Primary dysmenorrhea is a widespread problem in women's health care and has a societal impact in loss of work and school days, and a personal impact on women experiencing monthly pain. Oral contraceptives have frequently been used to prevent dysmenorrhea in recent years. This article reviews current theories regarding the etiology of dysmenorrhea and evaluates use of the combined pill solely for dysmenorrhea in light of the recent approval of antiprostaglandin agents for therapeutic use in relieving menstrual pain.
Vulcan: Hardware Support for Detecting Sequential Consistency Violations Dynamically

Past work has focused on detecting data races as proxies for Sequential Consistency (SC) violations. However, most data races do not violate SC. In addition, lock-free data structures and synchronization libraries sometimes explicitly employ data races but rely on SC semantics for correctness. Consequently, to uncover SC violations, we need to develop a more precise technique. This paper presents Vulcan, the first hardware scheme to precisely detect SC violations at runtime, in programs running on a relaxed-consistency machine. The scheme leverages cache coherence protocol transactions to dynamically detect cycles in memory access orders across threads. When one such cycle is about to occur, an exception is triggered. For the conditions considered in this paper and with enough hardware, Vulcan suffers neither false positives nor false negatives. In addition, Vulcan induces negligible execution overhead, requires no help from the software, and only takes as input the program executable. Experimental results show that Vulcan detects three new SC violation bugs in the Pthread and Crypt libraries, and in the fmm code from SPLASH-2. Moreover, Vulcan's negligible execution overhead makes it suitable for on-the-fly use.
High-dose folic acid supplementation effects on endothelial function and blood pressure in hypertensive patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials.

Objective Folic acid supplementation has been shown to be an effective agent for improving endothelial function, a prognostic factor for cardiovascular disease; but its effects on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive individuals has been met with mixed results. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to investigate the effect of high-dose folic acid supplementation on blood pressure and endothelial function in hypertensive patients.
Herpes simplex virus oncolytic vaccine therapy in melanoma

Importance of the field: Advanced melanoma is a devastating disease with a five year survival for Stage IV disease of 10 – 20% and a median survival of 6 – 18 months depending on sub-stage. Current FDA approved therapies demonstrate limited response rates, few complete remissions and no proven survival benefit. New therapies are clearly needed. JSI/34.5-/47-/GM-CSF is a herpes simplex virus-1 (OncoVEXGM-CSF) oncolytic vaccine therapy designed to induce local and systemic anti-tumor immune responses.Areas covered in this review: Evolution of current herpes simplex virus oncolytic vaccines from preclinical to clinical studies from 1994 to 2010.What the reader will gain: Preclinical studies have shown that herpes simplex virus-1 oncolytic vaccines generate local tumor destruction through the lytic action of the virus and local and systemic immune responses. Phase I studies demonstrated limited toxicities with no neurotoxicty. Phase II studies demonstrated durable regressions in patients with metastatic melan...
Age Matters, and so May Raters: Rater Differences in the Assessment of Foreign Accents.

Research on the age of learning effect on second language learners’ foreign accents utilizes human judgments to determine speech production outcomes. Inferences drawn from analyses of these ratings are then used to inform theories. The present study focuses on rater differences in the age of learning effect research. Three groups of raters who differed in their native language background and language experience participated in the study: inexperienced native English speaker (NES) raters, experienced NES raters, and advanced nonnative English speaker (NNES) raters. All raters evaluated 64 speech samples taken from both NESs and NNESs who varied in their age of arrival in the second-language-speaking country. Results from the study showed that experienced NES raters were better than the other two rater groups at distinguishing NESs from NNESs. Although no rater group differences were found in scaling speakers’ foreign accents or in their interrater reliability, inexperienced NES raters were stricter in their ratings than both experienced NES raters and advanced NNES raters. Implications for research on age of learning effects are discussed.
Sorbent hemoperfusion in end-stage renal disease: an in-depth review.

The excessive mortality in dialysis patients has rekindled interest in research of adsorbent removal of nontraditional uremic toxins. Middle-molecular-weight substances, predominantly small proteins, have been correlated with specific uremic syndromes and implicated in the uremic state. New developments in polymer technology and carbon pyrrolization techniques have produced sorbents possessing mesopores of sufficient size to trap middle-molecular-weight substances. Clinical application of hemoperfusion devices containing these sorbents is early in its development. Studies related to hemoperfusion in uremia are discussed in detail.
Robust auto-calibration of a PTZ camera with non-overlapping FOV

We consider the problem of auto-calibration of cameras, which are fixed in location but are free to rotate while changing their internal parameters by zooming. Our method is based on line correspondences between two views, which may have non-overlapping field of view. Camera calibration from images having non-overlapping field of view is the basic motivation behind this research. The key observation is that the planes formed by the optic center and the line correspondences are really the same plane. We use this fact together with the orthonormality constraint of the rotation matrix to estimate the unknown camera parameters. We show experimental results on synthetic and real data, and analyze the accuracy and stability of our method.
Early validation of the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) radiometric scale

The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument consists of nine cameras, four spectral bands each, and an on-board calibrator (OBC). Experiments using the latter allow camera radiometric coefficients to be updated bimonthly. Data products are thus calibrated to a stable radiometric scale, even in the presence of instrument response changes. The camera, band, and pixel-relative calibrations are accurately determined using the OBC. Conversely, as the OBC itself is subject to response degradation, MISR also conducts annual field vicarious calibration campaigns. The first of these, conducted in June 2000 at a desert site in Nevada, has been used to establish the present absolute radiometric scale. Validation of this radiometric scale, using AirMISR, shows consistency to within 4%. Following these studies, however, it was determined that MISR radiometry is subject to scene-dependent effects due to ghosting that, for the Nevada test sites, reduces the apparent radiance by 3%. Correction for this effect is required in order to avoid radiometric errors over sites that do not exhibit the same background contrast. Additional studies are in progress, with plans to correct for scene-contrast effects in future Level 1B1 processing.
Profitable technical trading rules as a source of price instability

Abstract This model incorporates technical trading rules (TTRs) that extract information from the price, allowing the users to benefit from the information. Sustainable profits are possible as long as the price movements reflect changes in the security's intrinsic value. The choice to use the TTR rather than fundamental information is endogenous to the model. Increases in the popularity of the TTR can produce price bubbles and diminish the TTR's ability to extract a reliable signal. Large fluctuations in the TTR's popularity lead to unsustainable periods of positive profits coupled with long-term losses.
Classifying noisy protein sequence data: a case study of immunoglobulin light chains

Summary: The classification of protein sequences obtained from patients with various immunoglobulin-related conformational diseases may provide insight into structural correlates of pathogenicity. However, clinical data are very sparse and, in the case of antibody-related proteins, the collected sequences have large variability with only a small subset of variations relevant to the protein pathogenicity (function). On this basis, these sequences represent a model system for development of strategies to recognize the small subset of function-determining variations among the much larger number of primary structure diversifications introduced during evolution. Under such conditions, most protein classification algorithms have limited accuracy. To address this problem, we propose a support vector machine (SVM)-based classifier that combines sequence and 3D structural averaging information. Each amino acid in the sequence is represented by a set of six physicochemical properties: hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, volume, surface area, bulkiness and refractivity. Each position in the sequence is described by the properties of the amino acid at that position and the properties of its neighbors in 3D space or in the sequence. A structure template is selected to determine neighbors in 3D space and a window size is used to determine the neighbors in the sequence. The test data consist of 209 proteins of human antibody immunoglobulin light chains, each represented by aligned sequences of 120 amino acids. The methodology is applied to the classification of protein sequences collected from patients with and without amyloidosis, and indicates that the proposed modified classifiers are more robust to sequence variability than standard SVM classifiers, improving classification error between 5 and 25% and sensitivity between 9 and 17%. The classification results might also suggest possible mechanisms for the propensity of immunoglobulin light chains to amyloid formation. Contact: cyu@bioanalysis.org