cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Filtration Markers as Predictors of ESRD and Mortality in Southwestern American Indians With Type 2 Diabetes

Background A growing number of serum filtration markers are associated with mortality and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in adults. Whether β-trace protein (BTP) and β 2 -microglobulin (B2M) are associated with these outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes is not known. Study Design Longitudinal cohort study. Setting & Participants 250 Pima Indians with type 2 diabetes (69% women; mean age, 42 years; mean diabetes duration, 11 years). Predictors Serum BTP, B2M, and glomerular filtration rate measured by iothalamate clearance (mGFR) or estimated using creatinine (eGFR cr ) or cystatin C level (eGFR cys ). Outcomes & Measurements Incident ESRD and all-cause mortality through December 2013. HRs were reported per interquartile range decrease of the inverse of BTP and B2M (1/BTP and 1/B2M) using Cox regression. Improvement in risk prediction with the addition of BTP or B2M level to established markers (eGFR cys with mGFR or eGFR cr ) was evaluated using C statistics, continuous net reclassification improvement, and relative integrated discrimination improvement (RIDI). Results During a median follow-up of 14 years, 69 participants developed ESRD and 95 died. Both novel markers were associated with ESRD in multivariable models. BTP level remained statistically significant after further adjustment for mGFR (1/BTP, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.01-2.30]; 1/B2M, 1.54 [95% CI, 0.98-2.42]). B2M level was associated with mortality in multivariable models and after further adjustment for mGFR (HR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.38-3.26). The addition of B2M level to established markers increased the C statistic for mortality but only weakly when assessed by either continuous net reclassification improvement or RIDI; none was improved for ESRD by the addition of these markers. Limitations Small sample size, single measurements of markers. Conclusions In Pima Indians with type 2 diabetes, BTP and, to a lesser extent, B2M levels were associated with ESRD. B2M level was associated with mortality after adjustment for traditional risk factors and established filtration markers. Further studies are warranted to confirm whether inclusion of B2M level in a multimarker approach leads to improved risk prediction for mortality in this population.
Immunosuppressive agents prevent guanethidine-induced destruction of rat sympathetic neurons

Chronic administration of guanethidine to rats causes destruction of peripheral sympathetic neurons. Neuronal destruction, characterized morphologically by small cell infiltration and the reduction in the number of neurons within sympathetic ganglia, and biochemically by a marked reduction in tyrosine hydroxylase activity, occurred reproducibly by day 7 of treatment following 5 daily injections of 50 mg/kg guanethidine sulfate. Several observations in the literature suggested that guanethidine-induced destruction may occur by an immunologically mediated mechanism. Experiments were therefore designed to test the effects of immunosuppressive agents on guanethidine sympathectomy. A single exposure to either gamma-irradiation or cyclophosphamide, administered 8 h prior to the initiation of guanethidine treatment, protected against guanethidine-induced destruction in a dose-related manner and was virtually complete with either 900 rads of irradiation or with 100 or 150 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide. Cyclophosphamide afforded complete protection only if administered immediately prior to guanethidine treatment suggesting that it was acting during the proliferative phase of an immune response rather than non-specifically. Pretreatment with either irradiation or cyclophosphamide had no effect on the sympathectomy produced by treatment with either 6-hydroxydopamine or antibodies to nerve growth factor, nor did it prevent the accumulation of guanethidine within the sympathetic ganglia. Concurrent treatment with either azathioprine or dexamethazone also provided partial protection against guanethidine sympathectomy. These results strongly suggest that the destruction of sympathetic neurons induced by guanethidine occurs by an immunologically mediated mechanism.
Rohling's Interpretive Method and Inherent Limitations on the Flexibility of "Flexible Batteries"

Miller and Rohling (2001) proposed a 24-step algorithm, the Rohling Interpretive Method (RIM), for quantitative interpretation of results from flexible neuropsychological test batteries. We believe that the RIM as presented in that paper has several conceptual problems, including (a) a failure to distinguish “statistically significant” from pathological differences, (b) an assumption that declines in specific abilities can be inferred when a particular test score deviates from an estimate of general premorbid ability, and (c) confusion between the standard deviation associated with individual test scores versus that of a composite of those scores. As an alternative, we suggest the value of developing and using co-normed comprehensive neuropsychological test batteries from which test users might select subsets of tests.
Efficient Spectroscopic Calibration Using Net Analyte Signal and Pure Component Projection Methods

In the wake of FDA’s fi nalisation of the process analytical technology guidance to industry, the application of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for quality analysis in pharmaceutical manufacturing has continued to grow. The required level of variation needed to develop a NIR method often exceeds that observed in a well-controlled pharmaceutical production process. This insuffi ciency can be addressed by developing non-production samples to introduce range, but at high cost in labour and complexity. The recentlyintroduced pure-component projection (PCP) method utilises the information in the spectral characteristics of pure sample constituents to reduce NIR spectra to a univariate signal, thereby mitigating the need for non-production samples. The PCP method is compared to net analyte signal (NAS) processing and PLS regression calibration when relatively little calibration data are available. The predictive performance of all algorithms was observed to be similar, although NAS and PCP have advantages in selecting the optimal number of latent variables for calibration. PCP holds a defi nite advantage as the only algorithm capable of producing a sensitive, linear regression coeffi cient vector without chemical reference data or non-production samples.
Quality of speech produced by analysis-synthesis

Abstract We review factors that have affected the synthesis of high-quality speech by analysis-synthesis. The influence of a selected subset of these factors on the quality of synthesized speech was evaluated through listener preference judgements by comparing natural speech to the synthetic speech of two synthesizers: linear prediction coding (LPC) and formant. Several synthesizer excitation waveforms were considered. These waveforms included critical parameters that replicated selected glottal timing events, e.g., the instants of glottal closure and glottal opening. In addition, identifying voiced/unvoiced/mixed excitation and silent intervals in the speech waveform and measuring the fundamental frequency of voicing contributed to the synthesis of high-quality speech. A two-channel approach to speech analysis is recommended to aid the automatic processing of speech, where one channel is the conventional acoustic signal, while the other channel is the electroglottogram (EGG).
Effects of Sevin on the Reproductive Biology of the Coturnix

Abstract Adult Coturnix quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were subjected to three levels of carbaryl pesticide treatment (Sevin—20 p.p.m., 40 p.p.m., and 400 p.p.m) and monitored to observe any modifications in either their reproductive biology or behavior. There was an increase in the amount of pesticide excreted with increasing treatment levels during the first 48 hours following intubation, after which pesticide levels in the fecal material for all groups approached zero. Additionally, significant amounts of the pesticide were detected in the egg yolks after pesticide ingestion (treatment levels 20, 40, and 400 p.p.m. resulted in pesticide residues of 1.58, 2.03, and 3.15 p.p.m., respectively). Egg production was significantly reduced (p ≤ 0.05), although egg viability was not affected by the pesticide stress. Agonistic behavior decreased in males while it increased in the females following pesticide ingestion.
Joint EM Channel and Covariance Estimation with Sufficient-Statistic Chip Combining for a SIMO MC-CDMA Antijam System

Joint iterative channel and covariance estimation with sufficient-statistics (SS)-based chip combining is studied for a multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) system operating under partial-band noise jamming (PBNJ). The expectation maximization (EM) algorithm, which exploits the log- likelihood ratio (LLR) from the decoder, is employed to estimate the channel impulse response and interference-plus-noise covariance matrix. The proposed chip combiner guarantees no loss of information in the soft output generated by the demapper. In our approach, the channel estimator or the chip combiner needs only the AWGN-plus-PBNJ power of each subcarrier to suppress jamming. Therefore, significant complexity reduction is achieved because the receiver does not need to estimate the jammer state information (JSI) and individual variances of AWGN and PBNJ on each subcarrier for chip combining. Simulation results demonstrate that the sufficient-statistic chip combiner (SSCC) always provides a smaller bit error rate (BER) than the minimum mean square error (MMSE) chip combiner.
An Ecology Metaphor for Educational Policy Analysis: A Call to Complexity

Educational policy might productively be conceptualized with an ecology metaphor. Each policy, thus considered, exists within a complex system that reflects varied international, national, regional, and local dynamics. Using this metaphor provides policy analysts with a view of the regularities and irregularities of any policy, its process, its texts, its reception, and its degree of implementation. The characteristics of policy ecologies alert analysts to the possibilities of great transformation, for good or ill, and give them a way to conceptualize how such transformations occur. Perhaps most important, using an ecology metaphor suggests specific ways that progressive researchers might positively intervene in the policy process.
The Roots of Decline: Business-Government Relations in the American Steel Industry, 1945–1960

Recent problems in the performance of the American steel industry have prompted a number of calls for an “industrial policy” for this sector. Before any such programs of public intervention can be considered, however, it would behoove public policymakers to examine why the industry fell into its present state of decline. This paper, an abstract of a longer study, analyzes the relations of business and government in American steel from 1945 to 1960, and concludes that public policies had as much to do with subsequent industry decline as did other factors previously delineated by scholars.
Multigate transistors: Pushing Moore's law to the limit

Improvements in electrostatic channel control allow FinFETs and trigate FETs to extend Moore's law down to gate lengths of 15–20nm. Further scaling may require the better control that is provided by multigate devices. Using multigate FET architectures, gate length scaling down to 5 and 3 nm has been demonstrated experimentally and theoretically, respectively. At these dimensions, quantum confinement begins to appear and new effects such as drain current oscillations and tunneling through soft barriers can be observed. FET to SET and metal-semiconductor transitions resulting from quantum confinement present opportunities for new types of devices.
The Glut of Academic Publishing: A Call for a New Culture

Stanley W. Trimble is professor of geography at the University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1524; trimble@geog.ucla.edu. He is the co-author with Andy D. Ward of Environmental Hydrology, 2nd ed. (CRC Press, 2004) and editor of The Dekker Encyclopedia of Water Science (CRC Press, 2008). From 1996 to 2006 he was joint editor-in-chief of the Elsevier journal Catena. He is presently writing an environmental history of the upper Midwest. Wayne W. Grody, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Pediatrics, and Human Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7035; wgrody@mednet.ucla.edu. He is the director of the Diagnostic Molecular Pathology Laboratory within the UCLA Medical Center, one of the country’s first facilities to offer DNA-based tests for diagnosis of a variety of genetic, infectious, and neoplastic diseases. He is an attending physician in the Department of Pediatrics specializing in the care of patients with or at risk for genetic disorders. He has been one of the primary developers of quality assurance and ethical guidelines for DNA-based genetic testing for a number of governmental and professional agencies. Bill McKelvey is Professor of Strategic Organizing and Complexity Science at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481; mckelvey@anderson.ucla.edu. His Organizational Systematics (University of California Press, 1982) remains the definitive treatment of organizational taxonomy and evolution. He is co-editor, with Peter Allan and Steve Maguire, of the Sage Handbook of Complexity and Management (Sage, 2010). Mohamed Gad-el-Hak has taught and conducted research at the University of Southern California, the University of Virginia, the University of Notre Dame, the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, the Universite de Poitiers, the Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg, the Technische Universitat Munchen, and the Technische Universitat Berlin. He has lectured extensively here and overseas. He is currently the Inez Caudill Eminent Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284; gadelhak@vcu.edu. He was named the Fourteenth ASME Freeman Scholar in 1998. In 1999 he was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Prize and in 2002 was named ASME Distinguished Lecturer and inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars.
The high road to an exponential formula

A conjectured exponential formula is proved using a recent result of Klyachko [Linear Algebra Appl. 319 (2000) 37]. Then the exponential formula is applied to confirm the equality of two types of spectral triples used to describe all homogeneous eigenvalue inequalities for sum of Hermitian matrices and product of positive definite matrices.
A gait analyzer/trainer instrumentation system.

Abstract A device is described which permits the collection of numerous temporal and distance factors of gait. The device, which utilizes a microprocessor and instrumented walkway, was designed to make practical the routine clinical evaluation of the gait parameters. The self-contained clinical device, which can be made portable, does not require the attachment of any apparatus to the patient.
A natural coordinate system for nonlinear systems

A natural coordinate system for nonlinear systems of the form x = f(x) + g(x)u is discussed where x is a element of R(N), u is an element of R, and f and g are analytic, vector-valued functions on R(N). It is shown that in these coordinates the equation becomes a system with only feedback paths (no feedforwards), if feedback linearizability conditions are satisfied.
Parallel upregulation of catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes in rat brain and adrenal gland: effects of reserpine and correlation with immediate early gene expression.

Abstract Changes in the mRNA levels of all catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes were examined 24 h after a single injection of reserpine by in situ hybridization. The responses of the midbrain dopaminergic cells in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra compacta, locus ceruleus and adrenal gland were studied in three groups of animals receiving either no injection, vehicle injection or reserpine 10 mg/kg subcutaneously. Increases in enzyme message signal observed by in situ hybridization were corroborated by Northern blot analysis for all four enzyme mRNAs isolated from the adrenal gland in these same three treatment groups. Differential increases of those enzyme mRNAs species expressed in the locus ceruleus and adrenal gland were found while no change of enzyme message was detected the midbrain. Two distinct subpopulations of adrenomedullary cells could be distinguished by their baseline levels of enzyme mRNA expression: the majority of medullary cells have moderate levels of all four enzyme mRNAs but a minority of cells show very high signal for the first three enzymes of the catecholamine synthesis pathway. To test whether reserpine elicits a selective transcriptional response of the catecholamine enzyme genes or induces other neuronal genes, cDNA probes for the growth-associated protein GAP-43 which is highly expressed and neurofilament L which is weakly expressed in monoaminergic neurons were used as independent cellular markers and showed no change in message levels. Changes in mRNA levels of the proto-oncogenes c-fos and c-jun were examined 1 h after injection of reserpine by in situ hybridization and compared to the pattern observed for the Fos protein immunohistochemically. C-fos and c-jun proto-oncogene activation was observed 1 h after reserpine in the locus ceruleus and adrenal medulla, specifically in those catecholaminergic structures that respond with increased enzyme gene transcription; in contrast, the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra did not exhibit detectable proto-oncogene activation, only a small group of neurons in the ventral tegmental area showed c-fos without concomitant c-jun expression after reserpine.
Complex functions of mutant p53 alleles from human prostate cancer

Background Few studies have used multiple assays to examine the functionality of mutant p53 in prostate cancer (CaP). We employed seven functional assays to study 16 representative mutant p53 alleles, six from localized and ten from metastatic CaP. Methods Yeast assays were employed to determine loss of function (LOF), partial function (PF), and dominant-negative status. Assays using p53-null Saos2 cells were used to determine whether mammalian cells transfected with mutant p53 could up-regulate the MDR-1 or PCNA promoters, alter IL-6 expression or confer the ability to grow in soft agar. As a further test of gain of function (GOF), p53-null PC3 cells stably transfected with these mutant p53 alleles were examined for cell cycle distributions. Results All 16 mutant p53 alleles demonstrated either total or partial LOF. All but one allele also had at least one gain of function; however, the pattern of GOF was different for each mutant allele. Alleles derived from both localized and metastatic CaP had similar GOF characteristics; however, only alleles from metastatic disease had significantly increased S-phase fractions. Conclusions Different mutant p53 alleles from CaP had different, complex functional profiles. The lack of predictable patterns for these alleles suggest that each mutation may uniquely affect p53 function. Prostate 51:59–72, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
“You’re Just Saying That.” Contingencies of self-worth, suspicion, and authenticity in the interpersonal affirmation process ☆

A model of the role and costs of contingent self-worth in the partner-affirmation process was tested. Actors whose self-worth was contingent on appearance or intelligence claimed to have expressed their particular heightened sensitivity to their romantic partners. Suggesting a cost to these reactions, actors' beliefs about having expressed heightened sensitivity, in turn, predicted their doubts about the authenticity of partners' positive feedback in the domain of contingency, independently of whether partners claimed to deliver inauthentic feedback. Suggesting a cost for partners, partners of contingent actors appeared to detect actors' expressions of sensitivity in the domain of contingency and respond by delivering inauthentic feedback to actors in the domain, which in turn predicted partners' increased relationship anxiety and decreased satisfaction. Results suggest that contingent self-worth may undermine the functioning of the partner-affirmation process through actors discrediting partners' positive feedback and partners behaving in an inauthentic and controlled manner.
Optical Absorption and Fluorescence Spectral Imaging Using Fiber Bundle Image Compression

Optical absorption and fluorescence spectral imaging is performed by using the recently developed fiber-bundle image compression (FIC) technique in which an entire spectral image is collected in a single scan of a charged-coupled device (CCD) detector. Absorption imaging is demonstrated by mapping the optical absorbance of a stained microscopic lily plant stem section. Fluorescence imaging is demonstrated by mapping shifts in the ruby R1 fluorescence line to determine the pressure distribution in a microcrystalline ruby powder squeezed between two diamond surfaces. The advantages and limitations of the FIC method, relative to tunable filter and line imaging techniques, are discussed.
Investing in the future of GERD

Despite being principally a motor disorder characterized by transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations and impaired esophageal clearance mechanisms, the therapy of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been directed at neutralizing or inhibiting acid secretion. Antacids comprised the medical treatment of GERD for centuries, with later additions consisting principally of antisecretory agents, the H 2 -receptor antagonists and, more recently, proton pump inhibitors. Although both classes of drugs, and in particular the latter, have proven invaluable in treating GERD, each possesses its own drawbacks, and neither addresses the inherent underlying pathologic abnormality. Unfortunately, presently available prokinetic agents are either largely ineffective, are associated with significant adverse effects, or both. In addition to medication, mechanical barriers aimed at preventing reflux have been employed for decades, and improvements in surgical fundoplication, including minimally invasive approaches, continue to evolve. Despite improvements in quality of life for most individuals treated surgically, many report adverse effects, and the durability of these procedures is being scrutinized. More recently, various endoscopic modalities have been employed as therapeutic alternatives, which have met with variable rates of success and are not without risk. The future of GERD therapy will likely include improvements in surgical and endoscopic approaches and the development of more specific, and thus safer and more effective, prokinetic agents. In addition, it is likely that new H + ,K + -ATPase inhibitors will be formulated to affect more consistent, reliable, and prolonged gastric acid suppression, which will thereby provide even greater benefit to the tens of millions of patients with GERD.
Structural Coupling of Troponin C and Actomyosin in Muscle Fibers

EPR of spin labeled TnC at Cys98 was used to explore the possible structural coupling between TnC in the thin filament and myosin trapped in the intermediate states of ATPase cycle. Weakly attached myosin heads (trapped by low ionic strength, low temperature and ATP) did not induce structural changes in TnC as compared to relaxed muscle, as spin labeled TnC displayed the same narrow orientational distribution (Li, H.-C., and Fajer, P. G. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 14324). Ca 2+ -binding alone resulted in disordering of the labeled domain of TnC. Additional conformational changes of TnC occurred upon the attachment of strongly bound, prepower stroke myosin heads (trapped by AlF4 - ). These changes were not present in ghost fibers which myosin had been removed, excluding direct effects of AlF4 - on the orientation of TnC in muscle fibers. The postpower stroke heads (rigor‚ADP/Ca 2+ and rigor/Ca 2+ ) induced further changes in the orientational distribution of labeled domain of TnC irrespective of the degree of cooperativity in thin filaments. We thus conclude that troponin C in thin filaments detects structural changes in myosin during force generation, implying that there is a structural coupling between actomyosin and TnC. Muscle contracts when the thick and thin filaments slide past each other to relieve the strain generated by the interaction of the globular head of myosin with actin. In vertebrate skeletal muscle, the thin filament proteins sactin, tropomyosin (Tm), 1 and troponin (Tn)sregulate contraction.
Optical molecular imaging in PDT

Motivated by recent successes in fluorescence imaging of whole mount tissue preparations and by rapid progress in the fields of molecular imaging and molecular biology, we are exploring a number of applications of optical fluorescence imaging in superficial murine tumor models in vivo. Imaging the PDT-induced expression of the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in cells and in vivo is accomplished using stably transfected EMT6 cells in which the gene for GFP is under the control of the HSP70 promoter. These cells readily form solid tumors in BALB/c mice, enabling the direct imaging of the extent and time course of the activation of this promoter, with each mouse serving as its own control. Imaging of similarly transfected EMT6 cells with a HIF-1a/GFP fusion protein vector enables visualization of HIF-1a translocation to the nucleus. Recently, we have accomplished fluorescent labeling of surface antigens in vivo using intratumor and intravenous injection of fluorophore-conjugated antibodies. Injection of deep-red fluorophore-conjugated-anti-CD31 enables confocal fluorescence imaging of the tumor vasculature to depths of at least 100 microns. With the vessels rendered fluorescent in this way, a number of interesting studies become possible in the living mouse, including the direct visualization of photosensitizer distribution from perfused vessels. Using the appropriate fluorophore-conjugated antibodies, we have also been able to image infiltrating granulocytes in EMT6 tumors in response to PDT in vivo.
Calcium dependence of acetylcholine induced conductance changes

Abstract The influence of external calcium variation (0.7–28 mM) on acetylcholine (ACh) induced conductance changes was examined under voltage clamp conditions in snail neurons in which ACh elicitis hyperpolarizing responses and in which the main current-carrying ion species is Cl − . Raising external calcium to 28 mM as well as lowering external calcium to 1.75 mM decreased the ACh-induced condutance change without altering the reversal potential for ACh-induced currents. Lowering external calcium to 0.7 mM increased the ACh-induced conductance change and shifted the reversal potential to less negative values. The results at 28 mM calcium can be best explained on the assumption that excess calcium interferes with the interaction between ACh and the receptor. The results at 1.75 mM calcium can be satisfactorily explained in terms of the concept that fixed membrane charges play a role in regulating Cl − permeation through transmitter sensitive membranes. Evidence was also obtained that in snail neurons receptor inactivation increases when external calcium is reduced.
Safety of Intraaortic balloon pumping. I. Biochemic and hematologic values influenced by use of balloon

Abstract Safety of mechanical circulatory assistance by intraaortic balloon pumping (IABP) for 3 days in 37 healthy calves was investigated using 3 balloon designs. A single-chambered device A in 10 animals and a triple-chambered device B in 12 animals were pumped without clinical complications. Eight of 15 animals with device C (dual-chamber) did not survive 3 days of IABP. Observations of a series of blood biochemical and hematological parameters during the prolonged IABP indicate significant changes common to all the experimental animals as follows: (1) the peripheral blood was invariably flooded with leukocytes, (2) changes in the serum albumin/globulin fraction ratios were due to increases in the beta and gamma globulin fractions, and (3) there was an appreciable increase in the total blood fibrinogen. These changes were presumably due to intravascular trauma produced by the prolonged pumping of the mechanical circulatory assists. The precise source of the intravascular damage was uncertain, however.
Reproductive dysfunction in female offspring after prenatal exposure to phenobarbital: critical period of action.

Summary: Phenobartital (PB) (40 mg/kg/day) was administered to pregnant rats at 12 to 20, 14 to 20, and 17 to 20 days of gestation and female offspring were tested for the onset of puberty, estrous cycle pattern, and fertility. Another group of rats received PB (20 mg/kg/day) during the neonatal period (1 to 8 days). PB administration during both the pre- and postnatal periods resulted in a significant delay in the onset of puberty (control: 34.6 ± 1.2 days, PB: 37.5 ±1.2 days), disorders of estrous cycle (control: normal cycles 91%, PB: normal cycles 40%), and infertility (control: 100% fertile PB: 50% fertile). Associated with these effects, we observed high levels of estrogen in plasma (control: 58.5 ± 12.2 pg/ml, PB: 155.2 ± 25.1 pg/ml) and increased estrogen receptors in the uterus (control: 0.136 ± 0.026 pmole/mg protein, PB: 0.242 ± 0.031 pmole/mg protein. This study shows that PB administration only during the period of neuroendocrine differentiation (17 to 20 days of pregnancy and 1 to 8 postnatal days) is capable of producing all of the adverse effects of PB, indicating that its action is upon neuroendocrine development. Speculation: Since phenobarbital (PB) administration during 17 to 20 days of pregnancy is capable of producing reproductive disorders in the offspring, the results suggest that PB interferes with neuroendocrine differentiation. The mechanism of action of PB, however, has not been delineated. Neuroendocrine differentiation is mediated by gonadotropin, present during the neonatal period. PB may act at this site by interfering with gonadotrophin release or action. Support for this hypothesis is derived from the observation that PB can inhibit gonadotrophin secretion in the adult rat.
Scheduling Heuristics in a Multiprogramming Environment

Utilization of a uniprocessor system in a multiprogramming environment can be optimized by maximizing the overlap of processor and input-output operations. A computational process can be modeled by a directed graph each node of which represents a task comprising processor and input-output segments. Any optimal schedulng algorithm for the model cannot be polynomially bounded, but the optimal criteria can be used to develop a hierarchy of dispatching heuristics based upon selecting an optimal partial task schedule. These heuristics are analyzed and evaluated by a simulation study and are shown to be more effective than those previously proposed. The dispatching heuristics developed have a wide range of potential applications to systems requiring dynamic task scheduling.
A prospective analysis of free flap monitoring techniques: physical examination, external Doppler, implantable Doppler, and tissue oximetry

No universally accepted method of flap monitoring exists, and several techniques are in use. Repeated physical examination is most popular and is often supplemented with a handheld, external Doppler, and/or implantable Doppler probes; near-infrared spectroscopy is less commonly used. We investigated the nursing and resident house staff's experience and confidence with physical exam for flap monitoring. Also, a consecutive series of 38 patients with free flaps were monitored using physical examination, external Doppler, implantable arterial and venous Doppler probes, and near-infrared spectroscopy. Five patients developed signs of microvascular complications within 3 days of surgery; all were explored and salvaged. Neither the residents nor the nursing staff were universally trained or experienced in flap monitoring by physical exam. In all patients, changes in the appearance of the flap suggestive of a microvascular complication lagged 30 to 60 minutes after the adjunctive monitoring methods indicated that a problem had occurred. Near-infrared spectroscopy was the first warning sign in four of the five patients. Two patients were explored before thrombosis of the anastomoses occurred. Near-infrared spectroscopy may identify early microvascular complications more reliably than physical examination, external Doppler, or implantable Doppler.
Geometric spaces and efficient codes

In this paper the theory of geometric spaces is used to construct new efficient error control codes with parallel coding procedures.
Von Kossa Staining Alone Is Not Sufficient to Confirm that Mineralization In Vitro Represents Bone Formation

Numerous techniques are currently used to characterize biological mineralization in intact tissues and cell cultures; the von Kossa staining method, electron microscopic analysis (EM), X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) are among the most common. In this study, we utilized three of these methods to compare the mineralization of cultured fetal rat calvarial cells (FRC) and the osteoblast cell lines 2T3 and MC3T3-E1 with the in vivo mineral of rat calvarial bone. The cells were cultured with or without ascorbic acid (100 µg/ml) and β-glycerophosphate (2.5, 5, or 10 mM βGP), and harvested between 16 and 21 days (FRC cells and 2T3 cells) or at 30 days of culture (MC3T3-E1 cells). In the FRC cultures, maximal von Kossa staining was observed with 2.5 and 5 mM βGP in the presence of 100 µg/ml ascorbate. FRC cells also showed some von Kossa staining when cultured with βGP alone. In contrast, maximal von Kossa staining for MC3T3-E1 cells was observed with 10 mM βGP. Only the cultures of MC3T3-E1 cells that received both ascorbate and βGP produced von Kossa positive structures. The 2T3 cultures produced von Kossa positive staining only upon treatment with ascorbic acid and βGP, which was greatly accelerated by bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2). FTIR was performed on the mineral and matrix generated in FRC, MC3T3, and 2T3 cultures, and the results were compared with spectra derived from 16-day-old rat calvaria. The mineral-to-matrix ratios calculated from FTIR spectra for rat calvaria ranged from 2.97 to 7.44. FRC cells made a bonelike, poorly crystalline apatite, and, with increasing βGP, there was a statistically significant (P ≤ 0.02) dose-dependent increase in the mineral-to-matrix ratio (0.56 ± 0.16, 1.00 ± 0.32, and 2.46 ± 0.76, for 2.5, 5, and 10 mM βGP, respectively). The mean carbonate-to-phosphate ratios of the FRC cultures were 0.015, 0.012, and 0.008, in order of increasing βGP concentration, compared with rat calvaria values of 0.009–0.017. The 2T3 cells treated with BMP-2 also made bonelike crystals, similar to those observed in FRC cultures. In contrast, the cultures of von Kossa positive MC3T3-E1 cells did not display a significant amount of mineral (maximum mineral-to-matrix ratio was 0.4). Thus, although the von Kossa stainings of FRC, 2T3, and MC3T3-E1 were very similar, FTIR analysis indicated that calcium phosphate mineral was not present in the MC3T3 cultures. By EM, the mineral in FRC cell cultures and 2T3 cultures was generally associated with collagen, whereas rare or sparse dystrophic mineralization of unknown chemical origin was evident in the MC3T3-E1 cultures. These studies demonstrate that von Kossa staining alone is not appropriate for the identification and quantitation of bonelike mineral and, hence, other techniques such as X-ray diffraction, EM, or FTIR should be utilized to verify the presence and quality of calcium phosphate phases.
Racial gaps in the transition to first-time homeownership: The role of residential location

Abstract Evidence suggests that African Americans wait longer to transition into first-time homeownership than white households with similar endowments. This paper relies on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to examine the contribution of residential location toward the black–white gap in first-time homeownership transitions. For a sample of young renters who first left their parents' home during the period 1978 through 1987, I estimate continuous time duration models that explain racial gaps in rental tenure durations prior to first-time homeownership as a function of individual, household, and location-specific covariates. I find that while several residential location characteristics, particularly those associated with the supply of affordable owner-occupied housing, impinge upon racial gaps in first-time homeownership transitions, most of the racial gap in homeownership transitions would be eliminated if blacks and whites had similar individual and household characteristics.
Using Norm-Based Appeals to Increase Response Rates in Evaluation Research: A Field Experiment.

A field experiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of norm-based persuasive messages for increasing response rates in online survey research. Participants in an interdisciplinary conference...
Molecular modeling and design of invariant chain peptides with altered dissociation kinetics from class II MHC.

We have used molecular modeling to design substitutions in an invariant chain-derived peptide (CLIP), so as to alter the stability of its complex with class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins. We sought first to test whether CLIP binds in the same way to different class II MHC proteins. We designed destabilizing substitutions of two residues (Met 91 and Met 99) previously predicted to act as the major anchor residues for binding to all class II MHC and measured their effect on CLIP's dissociation rate from a series of three murine I-A MHC proteins. Even a conservative substitution preserving size and hydrophobicity but reducing flexibility (leucine, a branched residue) caused large accelerations in dissociation rates (up to 25-fold) at either position in all three MHC alleles, supporting the consistent role of these positions as the major anchors for MHC binding. These data also support the view that the special flexibility of the methionine side chains at these positions is essential for ...
Inculcating an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering education: Project approach

In a competitive global economy, it is important for engineering students to develop entrepreneurial skills that include effective collaboration and communication, persisting and learning from failure, management, and solving ambiguous problems. This paper summarizes a project that aims to instill these skills as part of an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering students. The project was implemented in an introductory electric circuits class with a mixed representation of students majoring in electrical, computer, civil, and mechanical engineering. Students were organized into groups of two or three to design a temperature sensor using a negative temperature coefficient thermistor. Students groups were provided with customer specifications and were given a month to research the problem and obtain a viable solution. The groups were required to provide evidence compiled into a written product proposal that included a bill of materials, cost analysis, circuit design and simulation, testing plan, layout of the printed circuit board and packaging schematic, delivery time, and the voltage-temperature relationship of the designed circuit. After submitting the written proposal, each group was given five minutes to pitch their proposal using a poster in an effort to convince the customer (in this case, the instructor) that their design was the best and most cost-effective solution.
Attenuated adipose tissue and skeletal muscle inflammation in obese mice with combined CD4+ and CD8+ T cell deficiency

Objectives High-fat diet (HFD) feeding in mice is characterized by accumulation of αβ T cells in adipose tissue. However, the contribution of αβ T cells to obesity-induced inflammation of skeletal muscle, a major organ of glucose uptake, is unknown. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of αβ T cells on insulin sensitivity and inflammatory state of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue in obesity. Furthermore, we investigated whether CD4+IFNγ+ (TH1) cells are involved in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue metabolic dysfunction that accompanies obesity.
Modulation of endothelial cell activation in sickle cell disease: a pilot study

The vessel wall endothelium undoubtedly plays a role in the vascular pathobiology of sickle cell disease. This pilot study tested the feasibility of using an inhibitor of nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B, a transcription factor, to modify the endothelial activation state of patients with this vascular disease. For a total of 7 separate drug exposure tests, 3 subjects with sickle cell disease took sulfasalazine (given orally at 1 g every 8 hours), and the activation state of their circulating endothelial cells (CECs) was assessed using immunofluorescence microscopy. Companion studies were also performed using sulfasalazine in sickle transgenic mice to verify its effect simultaneously on both CECs and vessel wall endothelium. Both CECs and tissue vessel wall endothelium in sickle mice have an activated phenotype. In these mice sulfasalazine significantly reduced CEC expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM), intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM), and E-selectin, and it correspondingly reduced expression of these molecules in some tissue vessels. In humans with sickle cell disease, sulfasalazine significantly reduced CEC expression of VCAM, ICAM, and E-selectin, but it did not reduce expression of tissue factor. Addition of a second transcription factor inhibitor, salsalate, did not change this result. This pilot study suggests that endothelial cell activation state can be modified and down-regulated in vivo by sulfasalazine. (Blood. 2001;97:1937-1941)
Electronic Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition

Background: With reports of deleterious effects of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in adults in addition to our surveys, which indicated that 1/4, and as many as 1/2, of US academic medical centers were using excess glucose in TPN, our objective was to devise a computer program to optimize nutrients in parenteral and enteral nutrition in adult and pediatric patients. Methods: From review of the literature, body composition, including total body water and body cell mass (BCM), were calculated from large published databases. A computer program, based on a previous algorithm, was developed to determine optimum parenteral and enteral nutritional support, based on calculated BCM as the reference. Flexibility to permit any nutrients, in accordance with individual patient requirements, was included. Results: With entry of simple anthropometric values and an average stress factor equivalent to 20% greater than the Harris-Benedict energy calculation, energy and nutrients were calculated for TPN as follows: amino acids, 3.4 g/kg BCM/d; carbohydrate, 12 g/kg BCM/d; and fat for remaining energy, usually 2.3 g/kg BCM/d. The program, available on any personal computer, is available using Netscape 3.0 or higher or from Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, at http: //epen.kumc.edu. It permits rapid calculation and display of body composition values, a standardized TPN formula, an alternate TPN prescription, enteral nutrition options, a section that explains the calculations, and a list of references. Conclusions: The program, http://epen.kumc.edu, provides rapid definition of the TPN or enteral prescription for adult and pediatric patients, with reduced likelihood of providing excessive glucose and energy in parenteral or enteral nutrition.
Editorial: Finance for low-income housing and community development

The extent of new ideas and substantive experiences in shelter fi nance has increased quite signifi cantly since the last issue of Environment & Urbanization focusing on this topic in 1993(1) – so much so that this issue could not accommodate all the papers accepted. Therefore the next issue (Vol 20, No 1, April 2008) will also be on fi nance for low-income housing and community development. Moreover, it is evident from the papers included here (and to be included in the next issue) that this activity is quite diverse, and that many different agencies are now engaged with extending fi nance programmes that include savings, loans and, sometimes, subsidies. Within the broad fi eld of shelter fi nance, some signifi cant trends set the backdrop to the experiences analyzed here:
Enkephalin, dynorphin and substance P in postmortem substantia nigra from normals and schizophrenic patients

Abstract Three peptide neuromodulators that are found in high concentration in the subtantia nigra: dynorphin A 1–8, met5-enkephalin-arg6-gly7-leu8 and substance P, were measured by specific radioimmunoassays in nigral tissue from normals and schizophrenics postmortem. Substance P and dynorphin were unchanged between the two groups. However, the proenkephalin-derived peptide was significantly elevated in the schizophrenic group. The immunoreactivity was identified as authentic met5-enkephalin-arg6-gly7-leu8 by high pressure liquid chromatography. The data suggest that a different set of regulatory controls exists for nigral enkephalin peptides as compared to dynorphin and substance P, and that the former system may be disordered in schizophrenia.
Determinant Behavior Characteristics of Older Consumers

The marketing and consumer-behavior literature for older consumers is analyzed not only for findings, but also in terms of methodology and scope. Based upon this analysis, determinant market behavior of the elderly is identified, an age standard for describing the older market is proposed, areas for future research are suggested, and a meta analysis of pertinent research is conducted.
The measurement of innovation performance in the firm: An overview

The managers of firms that invest in R&D should evaluate performance. They need to evaluate performance to determine whether these investments are justified [9] to find whether the maximum productivity of a technology has been reached [19] to reward and motivate performance [12], etc. Moreover, it appears that among these firms, the high performing firms approach the evaluation of performance in a formal and systematic way [45,61]. This paper proposes a performance measurement model for firms that invest in R&D. This model should help the managers of these firms evaluate performance in a systematic way. Moreover, this paper uses the model as a framework to provide an overview of formal performance measures applicable to these firms.
Dynamic traffic assignment on parallel computers in TRANSIMS

Abstract We describe part of the framework of the TRANSIMS traffic research project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. It includes parallel implementations of a route planner and of a microscopic traffic simulation, and iterative re-planning for dynamic route assignment. The parallel implementation uses domain decomposition and an adaptive load-balancing scheme. We present performance figures for street networks with up to 20 000 links, and estimates for much larger networks, as will be used for the next TRANSIMS case study.
Progesterone "receptor" in human endometrium.

A ligand-specific progesterone-binding protein which migrated in sucrose gradients, as a 4–5S complex, has been identified in endometrial cytosol. The association constant (Ka) for progesterone binding to cytosol protein was estimated at 1.2–3.4 i 109 M<1, and the estimated number of binding sites did not differ in cytosol obtained from proliferative and secretory endometrium. 5α-Pregnan-3,20-dione competed appreciably with progesterone for cytosol binding sites but not so effectively as a number of synthetic progestins tested. Cytosols prepared from 2 nonirradiated endometrial carcinoma patients failed to demonstrate specific progesterone binding. (Endocrinology 95: 1275, 1974)