cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Catalytic Domain of Acanthamoeba Myosin I Heavy Chain Kinase II. EXPRESSION OF ACTIVE CATALYTIC DOMAIN AND SEQUENCE HOMOLOGY TO p21-ACTIVATED KINASE (PAK)

Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain (MIHC) kinase is a monomeric 97-kDa protein that is activated by binding to acidic phospholipids or by autophosphorylation. Activation by phospholipids is inhibited by Ca2+-calmodulin. In the accompanying paper (Brzeska, H., Martin, B., and Korn, E. D. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 27049-27055), we identified the catalytic domain as the COOH-terminal 35 kDa produced by trypsin digestion of phosphorylated MIHC kinase. In this paper, we report the cloning and sequencing of the corresponding cDNA and expression of fully active catalytic domain. The expressed catalytic domain has substrate specificity similar to that of native kinase and resistance to trypsin similar to that of fully phosphorylated MIHC kinase. MIHC kinase catalytic domain has only 25% sequence identity to the catalytic domain of protein kinase A and similarly low sequence identity to the catalytic domains of protein kinase C- and calmodulin-dependent kinases, but 50% sequence identity and 70% similarity to the p21-activated kinase (PAK) and STE20 family of kinases. This suggests that MIHC kinase is (at least) evolutionarily related to the PAK family, whose activities are regulated by small GTP-binding proteins. The homology includes the presence of a potential MIHC kinase autophosphorylation site as well as conserved Tyr and Ser/Thr residues in the region corresponding to the P+1 loop of protein kinase A. A synthetic peptide corresponding to this region of MIHC kinase is phosphorylated by both the expressed catalytic domain and native MIHC kinase.
Synthesis of mesostructured titania with controlled crystalline framework

A simple synthetic approach to generate thermally stable mesostructured titania with controlled crystalline framework is reported. Large-pore mesoporous titania with pure anatase, rutile, bicrystalline (anatase and rutile), and tricrystalline (anatase, rutile, and brookite) frameworks are successfully synthesized by block copolymer templating method through simply varying the solvent and cosolvent (methanol, ethanol, 1-butanol, or 1-octanol, with or without water). Acidity is believed to determine the crystal structure formation. The crystalline mesoporous titania are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV−vis absorption spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption/desorption measurements.
Modelling the performance of an SSD-Aware storage system using least squares regression

Flash memory has lately been used as a cache located between the system main memory and the magnetic hard drives in order to create robust and cost effective hybrid storage systems. The reason comes from the growing density of Solid State Devices (SSDs) at lower prices with main advantage of high random read efficiency compared to magnetic hard drives. When predicting the performance of such hybrid storage systems, it is inevitable to study the trade-off in selecting the different storage elements such as the main memory and the SSD cache relative to the capacity of the magnetic hard drive. The parameters of such prediction model are determined based on the application that the storage system would serve. In this paper, a prediction model that uses experimental evaluation of a hybrid storage system and real applications/benchmarks is used. The model utilizes parameters of both the storage system and applications in order to predict system performance based on metrics that are commonly used in storage system evaluation. The model allows the designer to select the best hybrid storage system parameters that satisfy certain application performance requirements. The model is highly accurate with a minimal error and a high prediction confidence level (95%) in reference to the experimental data collected from real applications using the proposed SSD-aware hybrid storage system.
Chemistry at and near the Surface of Liquid Sulfuric Acid: A Kinetic, Thermodynamic, and Mechanistic Analysis of Heterogeneous Reactions of Acetone

The interactions of gas-phase acetone with liquid sulfuric acid solutions are described. The solutions were prepared as 0.05−0.10 μm thick films deposited on single-crystal metal substrates. Experiments were carried out over broad ranges of acid composition (70 − >96 wt % H2SO4), temperature (180−220 K), and acetone pressure (10-7−10-3 Pa). Two types of measurements are reported: the time-dependent acetone uptake probability, and the infrared spectra of absorbed acetone and its reaction products. From the infrared measurements, a reaction scheme is identified in which gas-phase acetone is taken up by sulfuric acid to form protonated acetone. In solutions containing more than 70 wt % H2SO4, protonated acetone undergoes a self-condensation/dehydration reaction to form mesityl oxide. In films that contain 85 wt % or more H2SO4, a second reaction sequence occurs, ultimately resulting in the formation of trimethylbenzene. The uptake probability measurements are consistent with the infrared data. In 70 wt % H2...
Picture iteration and picture ambiguity

Abstract Picture iteration theorems for regular, linear, and context-free languages are presented. These theorems serve as picture-counterparts of the well-known string iteration theorems and suggest that regular, linear, and context-free languages describe large pictures by iterating small picture primitives. It is also shown that the picture ambiguity problem is undecidable for regular languages and for linear languages which describe three-way stripe picture languages.
Communication Pitfalls with Cancer Patients: “Hit-and-Run” Deliveries of Bad News

P L t a t d r urgeons deliver bad news frequently in the course of their areers. Much has been written about the difficulties inerent in delivering bad news, particularly in the context of ancer patients. Back and colleagues argue that, alhough physicians often learn interviewing skills, their raining does not include a focus on second-order commuication skills, such as conveying empathy and understandng, which are critical to successful communication in caner care and other domains in which communication of ad news is common. Complicating this lack of training in econd-order communication is that doctors can experince high levels of emotions when caring for cancer paients. Discussing bad or difficult news is potentially stressul for both physicians and patients. From research, we now that there is a relationship between the communicaor’s emotions and the way communicative interactions nfold. The comfort level of a physician can lead to less roductive patterns of communication, which are chalenging for both the physician and the patient. Many sureons are, through intuition, study, or practice, highly killed at delivering bad news and at negotiating patients’ eactions to bad news empathically. Some find that their ack of training or discomfort with emotionally charged, egative information at times leads to unpleasant commuication interactions. There have been many attempts to craft communication raining for health professionals, specifically among medial oncologists, because of the nature of their practice and he frequency with which they must deliver bad news. As or communication training among surgeons, Davidson sserts that communication skills should be integrated
In Search of Earth-Like Planets [Point of View]

The question “are we alone in the Universe?” has more of a philosophical flavor than pure science. First, its underlying concept may be too complex to approach scientifically. In this article the author concern himself with the scientific aspect of the question and examine recent science-based findings.
Effects of parasitism by the braconid wasp Cotesia congregata on host hemolymph proteins of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta

Abstract Parasitism by the braconid wasp Cotesia congregata causes major alterations in the hemolymph proteins of host tobacco hornworm larvae. Earlier studies showed that the total amount of hemolymph protein is reduced during parasitism, beginning almost immediately after the host is parasitized. Simultaneously, parasitism induces synthesis of large amounts of novel proteins that appear in the blood as early as 1–2 h post-parasitization. The present report confirms earlier studies describing the presence of novel proteins in last instar hosts, and also characterizes the effects of parasitism in altering the titers of several endogenous host hemolymph proteins normally produced by the fat body and other tissues. Analysis of hemolymph plasma using SDS-PAGE and densitometry, as well as immunodiffusion assays, showed that in terminal stage fifth instar host larvae, the titers of serpins and arylphorin were dramatically reduced relative to the levels of these proteins detected in nonparasitized gate II fifth instar larvae of the same age. The relative differences between parasitized and nonparasitized larvae increased with time following ecdysis to the fifth instar, so that the day 4 nonparasitized larvae had arylphorin titers of c . 30 mg/ml, whereas parasitized day 4 larvae with newly emerged wasps had only one sixth that amount of storage protein circulating in the hemolymph. Similarly, in nonparasitized larvae the hemolymph serpin concentration increased from c . 200 μg/ml (on day 0) to > 600 μg/ml (on day 4) in prewandering gate II larvae, but in parasitized larvae the hemolymph serpin concentration was maintained in the range of 100–200 μg per ml hemolymph until the pharate third instar parasites emerged from the host larva on day 4. In contrast, the level of hemolymph lipophorin was unaffected by parasitism, and lipophorin increased from c . 1.3 to > 3 mg/ml during the time interval between days 0 and 4 in both nonparasitized and parasitized larvae. Hemolymph titers of insecticyanin also were not significantly different in parasitized vs nonparasitized larvae, and in both types of larvae the concentration of this pigment decreased by c . 50% during the same time interval when lipophorin was increased significantly. Instead of causing a generalized inhibition of host hemolymph protein synthesis, parasitism causes a complex array of changes in the hemolymph protein profile of Manduca sexta , possibly via the mediation of hormonal modulators of host protein synthesis, or transcriptional or translational regulation of host gene expression by factors associated with the polydnavirus or molecules secreted by the parasites. Another explanation might be that the turnover rates for serpins and arylphorins differ in parasitized vs unparasitized larvae. These two interpretations could not be distinguished on the basis of the data reported here.
Repetitive Microstimulation Alters the Cortical Representation of Movements in Adult Rats

In order to examine the effects of repetitive stimulation on functional cortical organization, standard intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) techniques were used to generate maps of movement representations in motor cortex of rat. After identification of caudal and rostral forelimb fields and adjacent vibrissae and neck fields, one or more representational borders were defined in greater detail. Then a microelectrode was introduced into one of these representational fields, and ICMS current pulses were delivered at a rate of 1/sec for 1 to 3 hr. Following repetitive ICMS, significant changes in movement representations were observed using current levels that were either suprathreshold or subthreshold for evoking the site-specific movement. Electromyographic activity could be evoked at suprathreshold and near-threshold current levels, but not at the subthreshold current levels used here. Significant border shifts ranged from 210 to 670 microns. In each case in which shifts occurred, there appeared to be expansion of the movement represented at the repetitively stimulated site. The effects were progressive and reversible. These results suggest that at least under these unusual experimental circumstances, large representational changes can be generated very rapidly within motor cortex in the absence of any evident peripheral feedback.
Two-laser infrared and ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) was performed using two-pulsed lasers with wavelengths in the infrared and ultraviolet regions. A 2.94m pulsed optical parametric oscillator laser system and a 337 nm pulsed nitrogen laser irradiated the same spot on the sample target. Sinapinic acid (SA), 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), -cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CCA), and 4-nitroaniline (NA) were used as matrices, and bovine insulin and cytochrome C were used as analytes. The laser energy was adjusted so that one-laser MALDI and LDI was at a minimum and the matrix and analyte ion signal was enhanced when the two lasers were fired together. Two-laser LDI was observed with SA, DHB, and NA matrices and two-laser MALDI was observed with SA and DHB. Plots of ion signal as a function of delay between the IR and UV lasers show two-laser signal from 0 ns up to a delay of 500 ns when the IR laser is fired before the UV laser. The results are interpreted in terms of IR laser heating of the target that leads to an enhancement in UV LDI and MALDI.
Totalizing identities: The ambiguous legacy of Aristotle and Hegel after Auschwitz

The Holocaust throws the study of the history of philosophy into crisis. Critiques of Western thinking leveled by such thinkers as Adorno, Levinas and, more recently, postmodern theorists have suggested that Western philosophy is inherently totalizing and that it must be read differently or altogether abandoned after Auschwitz. This article intentionally rereads Aristotle and Hegel through the shattered lens of the Holocaust. Its refracted focus is the question of ontological identity. By investigating the manner in which the totalizing dimensions of Aristotle's thinking are both eclipsed and implicitly endorsed by Hegel's appropriation of Aristotle's conception of God, and further by following the surplus of Hegel's (mis)interpretation back into the heart of Aristotle's ontology where we find a more open conception of ontological identity, we come to recognize not only the dangers endemic to certain strands of traditional philosophical thinking, but also the resources this tradition itself brings to bear on the attempt to think ontological identity after Auschwitz.
Interactive segmentation of image volumes with Live Surface

Live Surface allows users to segment and render complex surfaces from 3D image volumes at interactive (sub-second) rates using a novel, cascading graph cut (CGC). Live Surface consists of two phases: (1) preprocessing for generation of a complete 3D hierarchy of tobogganed regions followed by tracking of all region surfaces; (2) user interaction in which, with each mouse movement, the volume is segmented and the 3D object is rendered at interactive rates. Interactive segmentation is accomplished by cascading through the 3D hierarchy from the top, applying graph cut successively, at each level, only to regions bordering the segmented surface from the previous level. CGC allows the entire image volume to be segmented an order of magnitude faster than existing techniques that make use of graph cut. OpenGL rendering provides for display and update of the segmented surface at interactive rates. The user selects objects by tagging voxels with either foreground (object) or background seeds. Seeds can be placed on image cross-sections or directly on the 3D rendered surface. Interaction with the rendered surface improves the user's ability to steer the segmentation, augmenting or subtracting from the current selection. Segmentation and rendering, combined, is accomplished in about 0.35s, allowing 3D surfaces to be displayed and updated dynamically as each additional seed is deposited. The immediate feedback of Live Surface allows the segmentation of 3D image volumes using an interaction paradigm similar to the Live Wire (Intelligent Scissors) tool used in 2D images.
Comparison of dementia with Lewy bodies to Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease with dementia

We compared the clinical and neuropsychological pattern of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease with dementia (PD-d). Sixteen patients clinically diagnosed with DLB were compared with two groups of patients with PD-d (n = 15) and AD (n = 16) matched for level of dementia. Isolated cognitive impairment was the most common form of presentation in AD (93.8%) and DLB (31.3%) groups, while parkinsonism was in 100% of PD-d subjects. Psychoses associated with cognitive impairment at the beginning of the disease were more frequent in DLB patients (31.3%) than in AD (6.3%) and PD-d (0%) groups. There were no significant differences in Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor-subscale scores between DLB and PD-d patients. DLB and PD-d patients performed significantly worse on attentional functions and better on memory tests than AD. DLB patients also showed lower scores than AD subjects on visual memory, visuoperceptive, and visuoconstructive tests. No significant differences were found between PD-d group and DLB subjects on any neuropsychological test. We were unable to find any differences in cognitive tasks between PD-d and DLB subjects. Clinical features and neuropsychological deficiencies of DLB (attentional, visuoperceptive, and visuoconstructive deficits) and PD (attentional deficits) compared to AD (amnesic syndrome) can contribute to accurate identification of these entities and to the understanding of the neuropathological and neurochemical substrate underlying these diseases.
Aeolian Dunes as Evidence for Explosive Volcanism in the Tharsis Region of Mars

Two transverse dune fields occur among Late Amazonian volcanic and aeolian landforms in southwestern Tharsis, Mars. The first is located ∼70 km northwest of Biblis Patera, around 5°N, 125°W. The second is located about 500 km northwest of Arsia Mons, at 2°S, 130°W. The latter is the largest dune field thus far documented to occur in the equatorial latitudes of Mars. Unlike other dunes on the planet, both dune fields in Tharsis have low thermal inertias (<2.7 × 10−3cal cm−2sec−0.5K−1) and high albedos (∼0.26) that are indistinct from their surrounding terrain. Both dune fields have superposed features, such as impact craters, lava flows, smooth-surfaced units, and bright wind streaks. The dune fields therefore appear to be inactive and mantled by fine-grained material (i.e., particles <60 μm). To form, aeolian dunes require a supply of sand. On Earth, most dune sands are supplied by fluvial and littoral processes, but this is not the case in Tharsis on Mars. Because they are superposed on a Late Amazonian surface, the climate is assumed to have been hyper-arid throughout the time that the dunes have existed. Under these conditions, the only plausible source for quantities of sediment sufficient to form transverse dune fields is explosive volcanism. Therefore, the two dune fields in Tharsis are evidence that explosive volcanism has occurred in this region in the Late Amazonian Epoch.
A perfect (geochemical) storm yielded exceptional fossils in the early ocean.

The geologic record treats us to rare examples of dazzling preservation of fossil animal remains. None is more spectacular than the faithful traces of even the most delicate soft tissues that are best and most commonly expressed during the early and middle parts of the Cambrian Period approximately 540 to 500 Mya and epitomized by the famous Burgess Shale in British Columbia (Fig. 1). Models for the mechanisms behind such extraordinary soft-tissue fossilization abound. The problem, though, is that most invoke conditions, such as rapid deposition beneath oxygen-poor seawater, that are far more common through time than the special fossils themselves. Now, Gaines et al. (1) tackle this conundrum by taking a decidedly nonuniformitarian view of the global Cambrian ocean—asserting that chemical conditions came together to yield an unusual if not unique preservational window.
The Politics of Style in Miklóós Jancsóó's The Red and The White and The Lord's Lantern in Budapest

Abstract By comparing the design of Jancsoo9s mobile shots in a 1967 and a 1998 film, this essay analyzes the director9s political commentary via the two films9 visual style. The author argues that the filmmaker9s construction of cinematic spaces is anchored to the critical depiction of dominant national ideologies.
Generation of Predictive Pharmacophore Models for CCR5 Antagonists: Study with Piperidine- and Piperazine-Based Compounds as a New Class of HIV-1 Entry Inhibitors

Predictive pharmacophore models were developed for a large series of piperidine- and piperazine-based CCR5 antagonists as anti-HIV-1 agents reported by Schering-Plough Research Institute in recent years. The pharmacophore models were generated using a training set consisting of 25 carefully selected antagonists based on well documented criteria. The activity spread, expressed in Ki, of training set molecules was from 0.1 to 1300 nM. The most predictive pharmacophore model (hypothesis 1), consisting of five features, namely, two hydrogen bond acceptors and three hydrophobic, had a correlation (r) of 0.920 and a root mean square of 0.879, and the cost difference between null cost and fixed cost was 44.46 bits. The model was cross-validated by randomizing the data using the CatScramble technique. The results confirmed that the pharmacophore models generated from the test set were not due to chance correlation. The best model (hypothesis 1) was validated using test set molecules (total of 78) and performed we...
Polymer persistence length characterized as a critical length for instability caused by a fluctuating twist.

We establish the identity of the persistence length of an easily bendable polymer with the critical length for the onset of elastic instability toward bending induced by the root-mean-square twist. For a polymer of arbitrary bending stiffness the identity remains approximately valid; the ratio of persistence length to critical length is always within 20% of unity.
On the terminological confusion between behavior therapy and behavior modification

The authors argue the need for clarification and consistent usage between the terms “behavior therapy” and “behavior modification.” It is suggested that the distinction should be made primarily according to the target population and the presence or absence of individualization of the behavioral change efforts. Behavior therapy is to refer to the direct individually tailored treatment of a single individual or groups with common difficulties. Behavior modification is to refer to the direct efforts to change social institutions and the behavior of those composing them with little regard to the unique behavioral repertoire of individuals.
Histomorphology of the mandibular condylar cartilage in greater galagos (Otolemur spp.)

The functional morphology of the primate craniomandibular complex and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) components is frequently discussed in terms of gross skeletal structure. At the histomorphologic level, however, the TMJ has only been studied in Old World anthropoids. The present study is designed to describe the microanatomy of the condylar cartilage of the TMJ in two closely related species of greater galago: the exudativorous Otolemur crassicaudatus and the frugivorous O. garnettii. TMJs with intact joint capsules were harvested from adult, cadaveric specimens of these species (four O. crassicaudatus and five O. garnettii). The samples were decalcified, processed for paraffin sectioning, and sectioned at 10-18 microm in the coronal plane. The samples were then stained with hematoxylin/eosin, Gomori trichrome, and Alcian blue, and examined with a photomicroscope. Generally, condylar cartilage in O. crassicaudatus was thickest both laterally and centrally, while O. garnettii had the relatively thickest cartilage laterally. Both species displayed a superficial articular zone, a middle proliferative zone, and a deeply located hypertrophic zone in the condylar cartilage. O. crassicaudatus typically had the greatest cell density in each of these zones. In addition, O. crassicaudatus had focal concentrations of Alcian blue laterally and centrally, while O. garnettii had the greatest reactivity in the central portion only. These results suggest that O. crassicaudatus may be specialized to resist greater compressive force at the TMJ condylar cartilage in specific regions of the mandibular condyle.
In-flight evaluation of pure time delays in pitch and roll

An in-flight investigation of the effect of pure time delays in pitch and roll was undertaken. The evaluation tasks consisted of low lift-to-drag-ratio landings of various levels of difficulty and formation flying. The results indicate that the effect of time delay is strongly dependent on the task. In the pitch axis, in calm air, spot landings from a lateral offset were most strongly influenced by time delay. In the roll axis, in calm air, formation flying was most strongly influenced by time delay. However, when landings were made in turbulence, flying qualities in pitch were only slightly degraded, whereas in roll they were severely degraded.
Cosmos — die molekulare Welt zum Anfassen und Analysieren

Cosmos (Pro) — ein PC-Programmpaket zum Zeichnen, Modellieren und Prasentieren von 3D-Molekulstrukturen und Kristallen, mit Molekulmechanik und Molekuldynamik, mit Moglichkeiten zur Berechnung von NMR-spektroskopischen Eigenschaften fur Modelling-Einsteiger, Chemiker und Experten.
Erythrocyte water permeability. The effects of anesthetic alcohols and alterations in the level of membrane cholesterol.

Abstract 1. 1. Treatment of human erythrocytes with anesthetic n- alkanols (pentanol, hexanol and heptanol) results in a decrease in the osmotic water permeability of the red cell membrane. 2. 2. The alcohol-induced changes in osmotic water permeability are proportional to the alcohol concentration and roughly parallel the changes in the rotational mobility of the lipid-soluble membrane probe diphenylhexatriene that are induced by the alcohols. 3. 3. Enrichment of the red cell membrane in cholesterol also results in a decrease in the osmotic water permeability. 4. 4. Moderate depletion (9% or 40%) of membrane cholesterol is without effect on the osmotic water permeability, even though this treatment results in a significant increase in the rotational mobility of diphenylhexatriene in the membrane lipids.
Endogenous opiates: 1982

This article is the fifth installment in an annual series of reviews of successive year's research dealing with the endogenous opiate peptides. Due to the continuing massive increase in the number of studies in this field, it has become impossible to continue comprehensive reviews of all aspects of this work. As a result we have decided that beginning this year the coverage will be abbreviated to emphasize non-analgesic and behavioral work. The specific areas discussed include stress, tolerance and dependence, consummatory responses, alcohol consumption, schizophrenia and emotional disorders, learning and memory, cardiovascular responses, respiratory effects, thermoregulatory effects, neurological deficits and other disorders, activity, and other, miscellaneous behaviors. As in previous years, we have attempted a relatively comprehensive review of the subjects covered only for the previous year and have not made an attempt to evaluate their contributions relative to those of past years.
Cost of routine screening for carotid and lower extremity occlusive disease in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms

Objective: The burden of clinically relevant noncoronary atherosclerotic occlusive disease in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) is poorly defined. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness of routine versus selective preoperative noninvasive examination of the carotid and lower extremity arterial beds has not been established in patients who undergo elective AAA repair. Methods: Diagnostic vascular laboratory study results were reviewed in 206 patients who underwent evaluation before AAA repair from 1994 to 1998. The patients underwent routine preoperative carotid duplex scan examinations and lower extremity Doppler scan arterial studies with ankle-brachial index (ABI) determinations. The medical records were reviewed for the identification of clinical evidence consistent with cerebrovascular or lower extremity arterial occlusive disease. The costs of routine screening and selective screening were determined with Medicare reimbursement schedules. Results: The prevalence rate of advanced (80% to 100%) carotid artery stenosis (CAS) was 3.4%, and 18% of the patients had CAS between 60% and 100%. Advanced peripheral vascular occlusive disease (PVOD; ABI, <0.3) was found in 3% of the patients, and 12% of the patients had an ABI of less than 0.6. Most patients with advanced CAS (71%) or advanced PVOD (83%) had clinical indications of their disease. The absence of clinical evidence of disease had a negative predictive value of 99% for both advanced CAS and PVOD. The cost of routine screening for all patients for advanced CAS was $5445 per case. Routine screening for severe PVOD costs were $3732 per case discovered. In contrast, the costs for selective screening for advanced CAS or PVOD in patients with appropriate history or symptoms were $1258 and $785 per case found, respectively. Conclusion: Routine noninvasive diagnostic testing for the identification of asymptomatic CAS and PVOD in patients with AAA may not be justified. Preoperative screening is more clearly indicated for patients with AAAs who have clinical evidence suggestive of CAS or PVOD. (J Vasc Surg 2002;35:754-8.)
Exit examinations, peer academic climate, and adolescents' developmental outcomes.

Abstract Implications of high school exit examination performance were examined with a sample of 672 racial/ethnic minority students. Exit examination failure in the 10th grade was negatively linked to subsequent grade point average, school engagement, and school belonging one year later, controlling for outcomes prior to taking the examination. Academically incongruent students–those who failed the exit examination but were in schools where their same-race/ethnicity peers were performing well academically–seemed to be at particular risk for struggling grades and poorer socioemotional well-being (e.g., experiencing greater depressive symptoms and loneliness). Findings contribute to the limited research base on exit examinations and highlight the links between exit examination performance and developmental outcomes beyond the oft-studied academic domain.
Progress and conservation under Rawls's maximin principle

I argue the compatibility of progress with Rawls's maximin principle when applied to individual utility functions which are “nonaltruistic” in the sense that any transfer of consumption goods from old to young (resp. from young to old) lowers (resp. increases) old people's utility. The paper shows that necessary conditions for that compatibility are: (A) a bound on the feasible transfers from young to old, and (B) a positive intergenerational stock externality. The analysis implies that the maximin principle has the drawback of making, under mild assumptions, conservation incompatible with progress.
Computerized EEG in Schizophrenia

Despite advances in the processing and display of electroencephalographic (EEG) data, the utility of this inexpensive and noninvasive technique in the investigation of schizophrenia has not been well established. We studied the resting EEG in 19 medication-free patients with chronic schizophrenia and 21 normal controls. Patients with schizophrenia had increased delta activity which was not specific to the frontal regions. Schizophrenic patients also had increased fast activity, and this increase was left sided for the fast beta frequency. Alpha frequency was reduced (less than 10.2 Hz) in 7 of 16 schizophrenic patients. Moreover, those patients with an alpha frequency reduction had a significantly larger mean cerebral ventricular size. These results indicate that the EEG does detect neurophysiological changes in schizophrenia. Our understanding of these changes may be enhanced by other neuroimaging techniques such as computed tomography.
Laetoli toes andAustralopithecus afarensis

The probable misfit between feet, particularly toes II–V, of 3.0-million-year-oldAustralopithecus afarensis from Hadar, Ethiopia, and the 3.5-million-year-old hominid footprints at Site G, Laetoli, Tanzania, casts doubt thatA. Afarensis made the Laetoli trails. We suggest that another species ofAustralopithecus or an anonymous genus of the Hominidae, with remarkably humanoid feet, walked at Laetoli. It would be imprudent to declare thatHomo was present at Laetoli 3.5 million years ago (my) because there is no evidence of brain expansion, advanced tool manufacture, or other non-locomotor hallmarks of the human condition at Site G.
Comparison of aerosol sampling with shrouded and unshrouded probes

Continuous air monitoring is a requirement for many of the stacks and ducts in the nuclear industry. Aerosol sampling systems for these applications should have minimal errors, even though there are variations in operating conditions. In this context a shrouded probe with a nominal sampling rate of 57 L/min (2 fr3/min) was designed and its performance compared with unshrouded sharp-edged probes over a range of particle sizes (5–15 µm aerodynamic diameter [AD]), free stream velocities (9–21 m/sec) and yaw angles (0°–22.5°). Transmission of aerosol through unshrouded probes was typically 60% or less because of internal wall losses, whereas the intrinsic characteristics of the shrouded probe provided a near-unity transmission ratio for the diverse range of operating conditions. When 10-µm AD particles were sampled with a shrouded probe over the previously noted range of free stream velocities and yaw angles, the transmission ratios varied from 0.82 to 1.08. Wall losses in the shrouded probe were generally ab...
Temperature dependent quaternary state relaxation in sol-gel encapsulated hemoglobin.

Samples of human adult hemoglobin (HbA) encapsulated in a wet porous sol–gel are prepared under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Resonance Raman spectroscopy is used to compare equilibrium deoxyHbA to the nonequilibrium deoxy species generated by deoxygenating an encapsulated oxyHbA sample. The spectra of the deoxygenated samples as a function of delay subsequent to deoxygenation reveal a marked slow down by the gel of the two phases of relaxation: the tertiary relaxation associated with the transition from the liganded R to deoxy R conformations and the quaternary relaxation associated with the deoxy R to deoxy T transition. The temperature dependence (4–80°C) of the relaxation indicates that the internal viscosity of the gel is greatly enhanced at the lower temperatures. At 80°C the tertiary and quaternary relaxations occur over minutes to hours, respectively, whereas at 4°C both relaxations are essentially frozen. These results demonstrate the impressive potential of using sol–gel encapsulation as a means of studying substrate binding induced conformational changes in proteins. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biospectroscopy 5: S64–S70, 1999
The Challenge: The Domestic Determinants of International Rivalry Between the United States and China

Economic and political power within the international system is becoming more diffuse. Nonetheless, China is today the principal challenger to the United States (Mansfield, this issue). The European Union (EU) remains an economic powerhouse, but is currently plagued by problems centering on the euro and the austerity Germany and the fixed exchange rate regime have imposed on the continent. Europe has also shown little interest in challenging the United States in past decades and, in fact, has been a stalwart supporter of American hegemony for nearly 70 years. Japan remains the world's third largest economy and fourth largest trader, and after decades of stagnation may finally be on the road to economic recovery. Yet, it too remains a supporter of continued American leadership. Brazil, Russia, and India have garnered much attention recently but still rank low on the scale of economic power, whether measured by GDP or trade (Mukherji, this issue). China is the world's second largest economy and largest trader. By any measure, it is the only country likely to overtake the United States in the near future, although its ability to do so is not a foregone conclusion. The distribution of international power may soon return to bipolarity. The challenge posed by China to the United States, however, arises not just from its emergence as a twenty-first-century superpower. In the past, hegemons have managed transitions by challengers without significant conflict, as when Britain ceded leadership over first the Western hemisphere and then all of the world economy to the United States (Lake 1988). Rather, the challenge—if it occurs—will emerge from fundamental differences in the domestic political economies of the United States and China. The United States is a liberal market economy in which prices are the primary determinant of the allocation of resources. China is a state market …
Comparison of fixed versus variable samplmg interval shewhart control charts in the presence of positively autocorrelated data

Shewhart control charts are designed to be used with independent observations. Actualdataare, however, often positively autocorrelated. This simulation study compares the performance of the traditional fixed interval Shewhart control chart with the variable interval technique when the data are autocorrelated. Samples of size 1 are ernployedintheinvestigationwhichisconductedbyvarying the interval length, autocorrelation parameter, and shift in the process mean. Adjustments for false alarms caused by the presence of autocorrelation are implemented. The results suggest that the average time to signal depends on the shift magnitude and the amount of autocorrelation in the process. We show that, in general, when monitoring an autocorrelated process it is advantageous to use the variable interval technique over the fixed interval approach and that this advantage increases in proportion to the shifi in the process mean.
Allosteric AKT inhibitors as a targeted cancer therapy.

Commentary to:An allosteric Akt inhibitor effectively blocks Akt signaling and tumor growth with only transient effects on glucose and insulin levels in vivoCraig Cherrin, Kathleen Haskell, Bonnie Howell, Raymond Jones, Karen Leander, Ronald Robinson, Aubrey Watkins, Mark Bilodeau, Jacob Hoffman, Philip Sanderson, George Hartman, Elizabeth Mahan, Thomayant Prueksaritanont, Guoqiang Jiang, Qing-Bai She, Neal Rosen, Laura Sepp-Lorenzino, Deborah Defeo-Jones and Hans E. Huber
Consequences of axonal transport blockade by batrachotoxin on mammalian neuromuscular junction. III. An ultrastructural study.

Abstract Ultrastructural alterations were analyzed following a single subperineural injection of batrachotoxin (BTX) into the rat peroneal nerve 10–12 mm proximal to its entrance into the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. At the injection site, most axons underwent reversible changes. Internodal segments of myelin degenerated and were phagocytized without apparent damage to the axon cylinders. Newly forming myelin sheaths were observed by 10 days after injection. Similarly, motor endplates were reversibly altered. By 18 h following injection, most nerve terminals were withdrawn from the postsynaptic elements but reinnervated original endplate regions between 7 and 10 days after injection. These observations explain earlier findings in which muscle membrane potential decreased immediately and spontaneous miniature endplate potentials (MEPPs) and evoked transmitter release were absent from 18 h to 7 days following injection. We suggest that these reversible changes were the result of an insufficient supply of neuronal materials due to BTX-induced blockade of fast axonal transport. Normal physiological function and morphology were restored after fast axonal transport recovered and sufficient quantities of appropriate materials necessary for the maintenance of the nerve terminals and muscle membrane potential were again transported distally from the nerve cell body.
Application of gyrotrons to high power millimeter wave Doppler radars

Gyrotrons are currently the highest power millimeter wave source. The power level currently available is more than sufficient for almost any radar application. However the fact that gyrotrons exist as free running oscillators is thought to restrict their application to Doppler radars. This paper shows that with enhanced data processing at the receiver, many Doppler radar functions become possible.
Nanoscale high-intensity light focusing with pure dielectric nonspherical scatterer.

Light scattering from nonspherically symmetric pure dielectric structures is examined. From the finite element full-wave analysis, it is found that teardrop-shaped scatterers can focus visible light to a ∼10 nm spot with an intensity enhancement ∼105 when the incident light is radially polarized.
Properties and natural occurrence of maternal-effect selfish genes ('Medea' factors) in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum

Maternally acting selfish genes, termed ‘Medea’ factors, were found to be widespread in wild populations of Tribolium castaneum collected in Europe, North and South America, Africa and south-east Asia, but were rare or absent in populations from Australia and the Indian subcontinent. We detected at least four distinct genetic loci in at least two different linkage groups that exhibit the Medea pattern of differential mortality of genotypes within maternal families. Although each M factor tested had similar properties of maternal lethality to larvae and zygotic self-rescue, M factors representing distinct loci did not show cross-rescue. Alleles at two of these loci, M1 and M4, were by far the most prevalent, M4 being the predominant type. M2 and M3 were each found only once, in Pakistan and Japan, respectively. Although M1 could be genetically segregated from M4 and maintained as a purified stock, the M1 factor invariably co-occurred with M4 in field populations, whereas M4 usually occurred in the absence of other Medea factors. The dominant maternal lethal action of M1 could be selectively inactivated (reverted) by gene-knockout gamma irradiation with retention of zygotic rescue activity.
Camouflage patterns in Nautilus, and their implications for cephalopod paleobiology

Cowen, R., Gertman, R. & Wiggett, Gail: Camouflage patterns in Nautilus, and their implications for cephalopod paleobiology. Formal analysis of the pigment patterns of adult Nautilus shows that they are perfectly camouflaged for life in open water. But because of their accretionary growth pattern, juveniles are not fully camouflaged for open water: this supports previous suggestions that young Nautilus are benthonic. The principles of camouflage are used to re-assess some facets of cephalopod paleobiology. The life orientation of some early cyrtocones is re-interpreted. ‘Ornament’ on ammonoids is seen as camouflage structure, and we infer photic-nektonic, photic-benthonic, and aphotic habitats for three major morphological groups of ammonites. Sexual dimorphism in ammonites was probably accompanied by sexual separation in habitat, except for a short (annual) mating season. This is not inconsistent with modern cephalopod biology.
Extended retiming: optimal scheduling via a graph-theoretical approach

Many iterative or recursive applications commonly found in DSP and image processing applications can be represented by data-flow graphs (DFGs). This graph is then used to perform DFG scheduling, where the starting times for executing the application's individual tasks are determined. The minimum length of time required to execute all tasks once is called the schedule length of the DFG. A great deal of research has been done attempting to optimize such applications by applying various graph transformation techniques to the DFG in order to minimize this schedule length. One of the most effective of these techniques is retiming. We demonstrate that the traditional retiming technique does not always achieve optimal schedules and propose a new graph transformation technique, extended retiming, which will. We also present an algorithm for finding an extended retiming which transforms a DFG into one with minimal schedule length. Finally, we demonstrate a constant-time algorithm which verifies the existence of a retimed DFG with the minimum schedule length.
Effects of methylphenidate hydrochloride on the subjective reporting of mood in children with attention deficit disorder.

(1988). Effects of Methylphenidate Hydrochloride on the Subjective Reporting of Mood in Children with Attention Deficit Disorder. Issues in Mental Health Nursing: Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 373-385.
Using atomic await commands to develop concurrent programs in Java

Systematic techniques for dealing with concurrency can be very helpful in concurrent programming. In his concurrent programming text, Andrews [2] describes a technique for developing concurrent programs based on first developing solutions using course-grained atomic commands and atomic await primitives (which are usually not available in real programming environments), then systematically transforming the solution to an implementation that uses available synchronization primitives. Transformations are known for semaphores, conditional critical regions, and monitors. In this paper, transformations are given for the synchronization constructs provided by the Java programming language [1]. Familiarity with the basic facilities to support concurrency provided by Java is assumed.
Mechanism of Action of Isoniazid on Mycobacterium bovis Strain BCG

The mechanism of action of isoniazid (INH) on Mycobacterium bovis strain BCG was studied. The rates of synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), and protein after the addition of INH to growing cultures were followed by measuring the incorporation of 3H-thymidine, 3H-uridine, and 14C-l-valine, respectively. After the addition of INH, the rate of DNA synthesis began to decrease and was abolished within 4 hr. RNA synthesis ceased after 6 hr, and protein synthesis was inhibited after 7 hr. Thus, it appears that inhibition of the synthesis of DNA is one of the earliest events after INH addition. The inhibition of the synthesis of DNA was further found to correspond to losses in viability of treated cultures. Degradation of preexisting DNA in INH-treated strain BCG was not detected.
Abducens nerve palsy associated with a clival epidural hematoma

A clival epidural hematoma is a rare lesion that usually develops after a hyperflexion or hyperextension injury of the neck, often in a child. A 5-year-old girl presented after a motor vehicle accident with multiple cranial neuropathies, including bilateral abducens nerve pareses and right facial, glossopharyngeal, and hypoglossal cranial nerve palsies. Neuroimaging identified a clival epidural hematoma. The child was observed and the hematoma resolved. The abducens nerve palsies resolved during the ensuing 14 months.
Dissociative recombination of electrons with NO+ ions

Abstract Resonant scattering theory is applied to the calculation of the rate of dissociative recombination in e -NO + collisions. For ground state ions at 300 K, the recombination rate is 4.3 × 10 −7 cm 3 s −1 , in good agreement with the afterglow data. At higher electron temperatures, the calculated rate lies between the values measured in afterglow and trapped-ion experiments. A possible explanation of this discrepancy is offered. For vibrationally excited ions, the recombination coefficient is significantly lower than that of the ground state.