cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploring the active site of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase: 3-alkyl-7-substituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline inhibitors☆

Abstract A series of 3-alkyl-7-substituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines was synthesized and these compounds were evaluated for their PNMT inhibitory potency and affinity for the α 2 -adrenoceptor. 7-Nitro-, 7-bromo-, 7-aminosulfonyl-, or 7- N -2,2,2-trifluoroethylaminosulfonyl-THIQs that possess a 3-alkyl substituent that is longer than a methyl group showed decreased PNMT inhibitory potency, except for 3-propyl-7-aminosulfonyl-THIQ, which displayed excellent PNMT inhibitory potency. The rank order for selectivity (PNMT vs the α 2 -adrenoceptor) is 3-alkyl-7-aminosulfonyl-THIQs ≅ 3-alkyl-7- N -2,2,2-trifluoroethylaminosulfonyl-THIQs > 3-alkyl-7-nitro-THIQs > 3-alkyl-7-bromo-THIQs.
Surface receptors: are they involved in transformation of spermatozoa of Ascaris?

Exposure of the spheroidal spermatozoa of Ascaris suum to an extract of the male accessory gland causes their transformation into ameboid cells. We have investigated the mechanism of this transformation, also termed activation, by labeling the proteins of accessory gland extracts with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) or [125I], followed by qualitative localization of the sperm activating substances (SAS) and quantitative measurements of [125I] SAS binding. Fluorescent patches of FITC-conjugated SAS were localized at the spermatozoan surface and were concentrated primarily at the posterior region. Few fluorescent patches were detectable in the region of the newly formed pseudopodia following transformation. Although spermatozoan transformation occurs within 2–5 min after exposure to SAS, the fluorescent patches became more distinct after a mininum of 8 min and reached maximum density at 15–30 min. Spermatozoa activated with [125I]-SAS became radioactively labeled in direct proportion to the amount of available [125I]-SAS until a saturation level was reached. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis combined with autoradiography indicated that the cells bind two SAS components, of small (9,000 MW) and large (56,000 MW) sizes. These same two components were also detectable in a membrane fraction, obtained by differential centrifugation, of the spermatozoa after incubation with [125I]-SAS. Binding of the two SAS components was not inhibited by preincubation of the spermatozoa with trypsin or Concanavalin A; however, the 56,000 MW component of SAS was not detectable in autoradiograms of spermatozoa incubated with periodic acid (1.6–10 mM) treated SAS. Such cells also failed to transform into ameboid spermatozoa. These results indicate that the two components of SAS that bind to the spermatozoan surface are possibly responsible for inducing the cell transformations associated with activation.
Discovery of a Bovine Enterovirus in Alpaca

A cytopathic virus was isolated using Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells from lung tissue of alpaca that died of a severe respiratory infection. To identify the virus, the infected cell culture supernatant was enriched for virus particles and a generic, PCR-based method was used to amplify potential viral sequences. Genomic sequence data of the alpaca isolate was obtained and compared with sequences of known viruses. The new alpaca virus sequence was most similar to recently designated Enterovirus species F, previously bovine enterovirus (BEVs), viruses that are globally prevalent in cattle, although they appear not to cause significant disease. Because bovine enteroviruses have not been previously reported in U.S. alpaca, we suspect that this type of infection is fairly rare, and in this case appeared not to spread beyond the original outbreak. The capsid sequence of the detected virus had greatest homology to Enterovirus F type 1 (indicating that the virus should be considered a member of serotype 1), but the virus had greater homology in 2A protease sequence to type 3, suggesting that it may have been a recombinant. Identifying pathogens that infect a new host species for the first time can be challenging. As the disease in a new host species may be quite different from that in the original or natural host, the pathogen may not be suspected based on the clinical presentation, delaying diagnosis. Although this virus replicated in MDBK cells, existing standard culture and molecular methods could not identify it. In this case, a highly sensitive generic PCR-based pathogen-detection method was used to identify this pathogen.
PRE-EQUILIBRIUM NEUTRON EMISSION IN THE NUCLEON EXCHANGE TRANSPORT MODEL

Abstract We extend the nucleon exchange transport model to include the emission of pre-equilibrium neutrons as a result of nucleon transfer to unbound states. The treatment takes account of the heating of the two nuclei caused by the energy dissipation and the cooling due to the pre-equilibrium emission. Furthermore, the transferred nucleons may induce cascading in the receptor nucleus by means of direct two-body scattering with the resident nucleons, based on a reduced, Pauli-blocked, energy-dependent free NN cross section. Qualitative agreement with experimental data is achieved, but the absolute multiplicities are systematically underestimated by about a factor of two. The dependence of multiplicity on bombarding energy is reproduced. The energy spectra and their variation with angle are generally reproduced, although the yield of the highest energy particles is sometimes underestimated.
I'm not a feminist, but ... : Factors contributing to the discrepancy between pro-feminist orientation and feminist social identity

Using constructs from theories of social identity and collective action, hypotheses were developed concerning variables that predict pro-feminist orientation among those who resist the feminist label, as compared to variables that predict willingness to identify as a feminist. Predictors that were expected to be important to the latter, but not the former group, included (1) positive evaluation of feminists, (2) belief in collective action, (3) recognition of discrimination, and (4) previous exposure to feminist thought. The sample consisted of 47 male and 94 female college students (60% Anglo, 16% Asian-American, 7% African-American, 9% Hispanic, and 7% “Other”), aged 17–50 years. Using separate multiple regressions, support for the differential inclusion of all but the third variable was found. Also as predicted, the genders did not differ in pro-feminist orientation, although college women were more willing than college men to identify as feminist. Results are discussed as potentially important to understanding willingness to engage in collective advocacy.
Lymphatic Mapping Techniques and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Breast Cancer

The axillary nodal status is accepted universally as the most powerful prognostic tool available for early stage breast cancer. The removal of level I and level II lymph nodes at axillary node dissection (ALND) is the most accurate method to assess nodal status, and it is the universal standard; however, it is associated with several adverse long-term sequelae. Lymphatic mapping with sentinel lymph node biopsy has emerged as an effective and safe alternative to the ALND for detecting axillary metastases. This article discusses some lymphatic mapping methodology.
Myocardial contrast echocardiography in coronary artery disease

Abstract Background Contrast echocardiography has evolved over the past two decades from a technique utilized primarily for left ventricular opacification to a sophisticated assessment of the physiologic properties of the coronary circulation. Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) is a powerful tool that can provide both a qualitative and a quantitative analysis of regional myocardial blood flow. It has proven to be effective in the diagnosis and prognosis of chest pain and acute coronary syndromes. In addition, MCE can be utilized for the assessment of physiologic significant coronary artery disease and the detection of myocardial viability. Conclusions This paper will review the origins of contrast echocardiography, the physiologic principles and techniques of contrast detection and assessment of myocardial blood flow, and the utilization of these techniques in the clinical assessment of acute coronary syndromes and chronic coronary artery disease.
Convolution Algorithms for Arbitrary Projection Angles

The point response function ? of a convolution algorithm for reconstructing a function from a finite set of its projections is the sum of the back-projections of the filters used. An effective method is given for choosing the filters so that ? is as close as possible to a specified point response ?. The weighted mean square error in approximating ? by ? goes to 0 as the number of projection angles goes to infinity, independent of their placement. Compensation for additive noise in the projections is discussed and numerical results are presented.
Accident Proneness in the Industrial Setting

The central notion of the accident proneness concept is that people exposed to equivalent hazards do not have an equal number of accidents. If people were equally accident prone, one would expect accidents to be distributed according to chance. Using accident data collected at Shell Oil Company's Manufacturing Complex in Deer Park, Texas, the present study explored the proneness concept for major (OSHA recordable) and minor accidents by comparing the observed distribution of accidents to a chance distribution. The database contains information on 7131 accidents which occurred between 1981 and 1986. The methodology used to create expected values employed a Poisson distribution and assumed that accidents are distributed randomly among the population at risk. The minor accident data was also analyzed by job family. Chi-square analyses of the differences between the expected and observed distributions were found to be statistically significant, including within each job family. The data for minor accidents in...
Seasonal trends in precipitation chemistry

Abstract Using precipitation chemistry data from several North American sites, significant seasonal fluctuations in the concentrations of certain precipitation ions were found. These fluctuations are mathematically described using the sine function.
Mean-field theory for the three-dimensional Coulomb glass

We study the low temperature phase of the three-dimensional Coulomb glass within a mean-field approach which reduces the full problem to an effective single site model with a nontrivial replica structure. We predict a finite glass transition temperature ${T}_{c}$, and a glassy low temperature phase characterized by permanent criticality. The latter is shown to assure the saturation of the Efros-Shklovskii Coulomb gap in the density of states. We find this pseudogap to be universal due to a fixed point in Parisi's flow equations. The latter is given a physical interpretation in terms of a dynamical self-similarity of the system in the long time limit, shedding light on the concept of effective temperature. From the low temperature solution we infer properties of the hierarchical energy landscape, which we use to make predictions about the master function governing the aging in relaxation experiments.
Size dependency of strain in arbitrary shaped anisotropic embedded quantum dots due to nonlocal dispersive effects

Both quantitative and qualitative knowledge of strain and strain distributions in quantum dots are essential for the determination and tailoring of their optoelectronic properties. Typically strain is estimated using classical elasticity and then coupled to a suitable band structure calculation approach. However, classical elasticity is intrinsically size independent. This is in contradiction to the physical fact that at the size scale of a few nanometers, the elastic relaxation is size dependent and a departure from classical mechanics is expected. First, in the isotropic case, based on the physical mechanisms of nonlocal interactions, we herein derive (closed-form) scaling formulas for strain in embedded lattice-mismatched spherical quantum dots. In addition to a size dependency, we find marked differences in both spatial distribution of strain as well as in quantitative estimates especially in cases of extremely small quantum dots. Fully recognizing that typical quantum dots are neither of idealized spherical shape nor isotropic, we finally extend our results to cubic anisotropy and arbitrary shape. In particular, an exceptionally simple expression is derived for the dilation in an arbitrary shaped quantum dot. For the more general case (incorporating anisotropy), closed-form results are derived in the Fourier space while numerical results are provided to illustrate the various physical insights. Apart from qualitative and quantitative differences in strain states due to nonlocal effects, an aesthetic by-product for the technologically important polyhedral shaped quantum dots is that strain singularities at corners and vertices (which plague the classical elasticity formulation) are absent. Choosing GaAs as an example material, our results indicate that errors as large as hundreds of meV may be incurred upon neglect of nonlocal effects in sub-10-nm quantum dots.
Development Of A Multidetector Deflection Measurement System

This report on the Laser Optical Line of Sight (LOLOS) project developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory presents the technical portion of the development of a multidetector alignment system, including the final design, key calculations, and a summary noting critical technical issues.
Divided attention and indirect memory tests.

Attentional state during acquisition is an important determinant of performance on direct memory tests. In two experiments we investigated the effects of dividing attention during acquisition on conceptually driven and data-driven indirect memory tests. Subjects read a list of words with or without distraction. Memory for the words was later tested with an indirect memory test or a direct memory test that differed only in task instructions. In Experiment 1, the indirect test was categoryexemplar production (a conceptually driven task) and the direct test was category-cued recall. In Experiment 2, the indirect test was word-fragment completion (a data-driven task) and the direct test was word-fragment cued recall. Dividing attention at encoding decreased performance on both direct memory tests. Of the indirect tests, category-exemplar production but not word-fragment completion was affected. The results indicate that conceptually driven indirect memory tests, like direct memory tests, are affected by divided attention, whereas data-driven indirect tests are not. These results are interpreted within the transfer-appropriate processing framework.
Analysis of the two-phase region halite-sylvite in the system NaClKCl

Abstract The crystalline solutions in the system NaCl-KCl provide a useful model for comparison with more complex Na-K solutions such as the alkali feldspars and micas. Analytic expressions for the solvus or binodal curve bounding a binary two-phase region may be obtained by two distinct methods using observed pairs of coexisting phases. One method is to plot appropriate functions of composition against reciprocal temperature and to obtain Margules parameters by linear least-squares fits to the values plotted. The other method makes use of the near-linear relationships in the critical region between the square of the composition difference between the two phases, the mean composition, and either temperature or reciprocal temperature. The latter method is independent of any specific equation of state such as a Margules formulation—though thoroughly consistent with it. Analysis of the data of Nacken (1918), Bunk and Tichellar (1953), and Barrett and Wallace (1954a) shows that the two methods are in good quantitative agreement in the range 300–500°C.
Histology of prophylactically removed ovaries from BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with noncarriers in hereditary breast ovarian cancer syndrome kindreds

Abstract Objective. The literature reports conflicting studies claiming premalignant histological features in benign ovaries from women who may have hereditary predilections for ovarian carcinoma. To test the veracity of these claims, this investigation studied ovaries prophylactically removed from members of hereditary breast ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome families who carry BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations and compared these with the ovaries of mutation-negative women from the same HBOC syndrome kindred. Methods. Sixty cases of women from HBOC syndrome families who had undergone prophylactic oophorectomies and whose BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation status had been tested were selected from our database. Thirty had tested positive for BRCA1 mutations, 3 carried BRCA2 mutations, and 27 were negative for both BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutations. Histologic material from each case was examined by light microscopy blinded to the mutation status. Histologic features, previously reported to be possible precursor lesions for ovarian cancer, were quantified. Data from BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers were compared with those from mutation-negative cases in the direct line of genetic inheritance from the same HBOC syndrome families. Results. Statistical analysis found that a more frequent occurrence of ovarian surface micropapillae in 87% of mutation carriers compared with just 55% of mutation-negative cases was the only histologic feature which was significantly different between the two groups ( P = 0.39). Cortical clefts tended to be deeper in the ovaries of mutation carriers, but this did not reach significance ( P = 0.051). There were no other significant histologic differences between the ovaries removed from mutation carriers and those from noncarriers. Conclusions. The results of our large and prospectively controlled, blinded study contrast with those reported from smaller, unblinded investigations. Except for the possible biological significance of surface micropapillae on ovaries from BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, we found no histologic evidence for a genetically determined ovarian carcinoma precursor lesion.
Online inventory analysis models and system

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to report an approach to the development of an online inventory analysis and control system. Attention has been focused on the model aspects of the development process. Inventory Analysis and Control System 1 (IACS 1) is a series of inventory analysis models which is designed to provide management and functional personnel with the analytical tools for inventory decisions on purchasing, production and material control. IACS 1 contains self-explanatory procedures from the selection of a model and definition of the data input to execution of the program and the interpretation of the output result.
Urologic Tissue Engineering in Pediatrics: From Nanostructures to Bladders

The use of tissue engineering to develop new urinary bladder could have direct impact on children suffering from congenital bladder dysfunction. Current bladder tissue engineering protocols rely on scaffolds to support the ingrowth of new cells and the subsequent development of new tissues. The interaction between cells and scaffolds is mediated on the molecular level and nanotechnology is being investigated as a means to improve the biocompatibility of these scaffolds. In this review, we will discuss the current applications of nanotechnology for bladder tissue engineering; specifically, the use of selective degradation techniques and self-assembly molecules to create nanofeatures on existing scaffolds, the use of electrospinning to create de novo scaffolds, and the use of nanoparticles as a drug delivery system will be discussed. The use of nanotechnology has resulted in novel tissue engineering protocols and is likely to be an important factor in the eventual clinical application of tissue engineering for the urinary bladder.
Conceptualization of Conscience in Normal Children and Adolescents, Ages 5 to 17

Abstract In order to determine how normal children and adolescents conceptualize their conscience, the Stilwell Conscience Interview was given to 125 normal subjects between the ages of 5 and 17. Responses to questions 1, 2 and 11 (including the drawing of conscience) were empirically analyzed, resulting in a five-stage developmental model. The responses were then randomly presented to two blinded raters to assign them to one of the five stages. Highly acceptable interrater reliability was found, Kappa=0.90. The relationship of age to stage demonstrated a highly significant positive correlation, indicating that the conceptualization of conscience in normal development follows an invariant, hierarchical pattern of organization. A commentary regarding each stage is presented. The value of this conceptualization model as a comparative standard of normality in the clinical assessment of youngsters suffering from psychopathology is discussed relative to assessment, psychotherapy, and future research. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry , 1991, 30, 1:16–21.
Comparison of transmission FTIR, ATR, and DRIFT spectra: implications for assessment of bone bioapatite diagenesis

Evaluation of diagenesis in bioapatite samples is an important step for screening bone and tooth samples for stable isotope analysis to ensure in vivo signatures are obtained. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is one tool used to evaluate diagenesis by anthropological geochemists and commonly employs calculating the infrared splitting factor (IR-SF) and carbonate-to-phosphate ratio (C/P). There are three commonly used sample preparation techniques for vibrational spectroscopy: transmission FTIR, attenuated total reflection (ATR), and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT). Each technique characterizes the internal vibrations of particular molecular groups, such as carbonate (CO3) and phosphate (PO4), using different optical properties to detect absorbance bands. Spectra are correlated between techniques using correction equations that account for differences in optical properties. Traditionally, anthropologists have used spectra produced by transmission FTIR to assess diagenesis, most commonly using two indices (IR-SF and C/P); however, recently the ATR and DRIFT techniques have been used as an alternative to transmission FTIR. The spectra produced by the three techniques are thought to be interchangeable in calculating the indices used to assess diagenesis. In this study, we evaluated the interchangeability of the three FTIR techniques by analyzing 452 prehistoric and modern bioapatite samples. Results indicate that IR-SF and C/P values are not equivalent between the three techniques. However, ATR produced more reliable results and was comparable to transmission FTIR. The DRIFT method showed much lower resolution, and did not distinguish between modern and prehistoric bioapatite samples as clearly.
Development of three-dimensional polymeric artificial muscles

All commercially available (as-received) perfluorinated ion- exchange membranes are in the form of hydrolyzed polymers and are semi-crystalline containing ionic clusters. Their typical thickness is in the range of approximately 100-300 micrometer. Such a thin thickness of commercially available membrane permits fast mass transfer for use in various chemical processes. Although ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) artificial muscles made with these ion-exchange membranes have shown a great potential to produce large displacements and high force densities (maximum force greater than 40 times of its own weight), achieving large forces to be utilized in many practical devices requires manufacturing and fabrication of three dimensional electroactive materials. Knowing that such as-received semi-crystalline membranes are not melt-processable, they are not suitable for the fabrication of 3D electroactive materials or other composite forms. In this work, the authors report a newly developed fabrication method that can scale-up the IPMC artificial muscles in a strip size of milli-to-centi-meter thickness. We have adopted a recently developed technique by Moor et al. For dissolving as- received ion-exchange membranes in appropriate solvents. By carefully evaporating solvents out of the solution, recasted ion-exchange membranes were obtained. The test results showed that a successfully fabricated IPMC strip in a size of 2 mm thickness, 5-mm width, and 15-mm length, produces generative forces (tip forces) more than 20 g-force up to approximately a half centimeter-displacement under a small voltage.
Dorsal horn cells in the cat responding to stimulation of the plantar cushion

Dorsal horn cells (DHC) in the spinal cord of cats responding to low threshold mechanical stimulation of the plantar cushion (PC), labelled with intracellular horseradish peroxidase, displayed a wide variety of anatomical and physiological characteristics, some of which were quite consistent within a given lamina. These DHC had cell bodies located medially in spinal segment L7, in laminae III, IV and VI. Dendritic fields varied greatly, for the most part conforming to patterns corresponding to their locations in the dorsal horn. Axon collaterals of most DHC ramified near their cell bodies, chiefly projecting ventral ward within the same lamina as the cell body or into more ventral laminae. Cells with the shortest central delays had cell bodies in laminae III and IV. Response latencies of DHC to PC stimulation were only slightly greater than the latencies of primary afferent fibers. Lamina IV cells had mechanical thresholds comparable to those of the primary afferents, significantly lower than the thresholds of cells of laminae III or VI. The receptive fields (RF) of the lamina IV cells were significantly larger than those of the primary afferent fibers or of the lamina VI cells. Relationships among RF area, mediolateral locations of cell bodies and dendritic spread were investigated.
Estrogen treatment induces a novel population of regulatory cells, which suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neurological disease characterized by a progressive loss of motor and sensory function, eventually leading to paralysis and death. The primary cause of neurological impairment is demyelination of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by an inflammatory autoimmune response. Previous studies have shown that the severity of MS is reduced during pregnancy, suggesting that the increased level of sex hormones may reduce the autoimmune response. Recently, we have shown that estrogen treatment confers protection from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which is an animal model for MS. However, the cellular basis of estrogen's action remains unknown. In the current study, we demonstrate that estrogen treatment led to the induction of a novel subpopulation of regulatory cells in spleen and CNS, which also occurs naturally in pregnant mice. These previously uncharacterized cells display a low level expression of CD45 (GD45 d i m ) and no detectable expression of many cell surface markers related to TCR signaling, including CD3 and TCR. However, these cells retained expression of VLA-4, an extracellular protein involved in cellular migration. Several lines of evidence suggest that these novel cells, defined as GD45 d i m VLA-4 + cells, may play a role in the protective effects of estrogen in EAE. Injection of purified GD45 d i m VLA-4 + cells conferred protection from spontaneous EAE (Sp-EAE). In contrast, injection of GD45 h i g h VLA-4 + cells exacerbated the disease course. GD45 d i m VLA-4 + cells also suppressed antigen-specific proliferation of primed lymphocytes in coculture. A better understanding of how GD45 d i m VLA-4 + cells suppress the harmful immune response of EAE may help in explaining the induction of immune tolerance during pregnancy and lead to novel therapeutic approaches to combat MS and other autoimmune diseases.
Early castration reduces prostatic carcinogenesis in transgenic mice.

Abstract Objectives. To test the hypothesis that transgenic mouse models of prostate cancer could be useful for testing chemoprevention strategies by evaluating the effects of early castration on prostate carcinogenesis in TRAMP mice. Human prostate cancer, unlike other cancers, requires androgens for oncogenesis yet acquires partial androgen independence in the castrated milieu. This paradigm is the basis for an ongoing clinical trial using selective androgen deprivation for prostate cancer chemoprevention. However, preclinical correlates for hormonal prevention or other chemoprevention strategies of prostate cancer have not previously been demonstrated in autochthonous models of prostate carcinogenesis. Methods. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to longitudinally measure prostate growth in castrated and noncastrated TRAMP mice, and mice were prospectively examined for the onset of advanced, palpable prostate cancer. Modulation of androgen-responsive oncogene expression, as well as oncogene expression in refractory cancers, was evaluated by Western blot. Results. Early castration significantly reduced prostate tumor growth as measured by magnetic resonance imaging and improved cancer-free survival. Prevention of prostate cancer development in these mice was associated with durable suppression of androgen-responsive oncogene expression (T-antigen expression not detectable by Western blot); prostate cancers refractory to the hormonal prevention strategy demonstrated androgen-independent oncogene expression. Conclusions. These findings suggest that carcinogenesis related to androgen-responsive oncogene expression can be prevented in some cases by hormonal manipulation and that transgenic TRAMP mice are useful for the preclinical evaluation of hormonal and possibly other strategies of prostate cancer chemoprevention.
Can Medicaid managed care provide continuity of care to new Medicaid enrollees? An analysis of tenure on Medicaid.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze duration of coverage among new Medicaid enrollees. METHODS: The 1991 Survey of Income and Program Participation was used to examined the duration of coverage for individuals who did not have Medicaid in January 1991 and obtained coverage by May 1993. RESULTS: Of new Medicaid enrollees, 38% (90% confidence interval [CI] = 34%, 42%) remained covered 1 year later; 26% (90% CI = 21%, 31%) remained covered at 28 months. Of those older than 65 years, 54% (90% CI = 31%, 77%) retained Medicaid for 28 months, vs 20% (90% CI = 14%, 26%) of children. Of people who lost Medicaid, 54% (90% CI = 31%, 77%) had no insurance the following month. CONCLUSIONS: Almost two thirds of new Medicaid recipients lose coverage within 12 months. It is unlikely that Medicaid managed care will enhance continuity of care for new recipients.
Determination of the Relative Orientation of the Two Halves of the Domain-Swapped Dimer of Cyanovirin-N in Solution Using Dipolar Couplings and Rigid Body Minimization

The HIV-inactivating protein cyanovirin-N (CVN) exists in two forms that are pH- and solvent-dependent: a monomer which predominates at neutral pH (≥90%) and a symmetric domain-swapped dimer. We have investigated the orientation of the two halves of the domain-swapped dimer of CVN at neutral pH in solution using dipolar couplings measured in a neutral liquid crystalline bicelle medium. 1DNH dipolar couplings for the dimer were readily measured for 18 out of 101 residues, and are shown to be inconsistent with the orientation of the two halves of the dimer observed in the X-ray structure obtained from crystals grown at low pH in the presence of organic solvent. The orientation of the two halves of the domain-swapped dimer was determined by rigid body minimization, subject to the requirements of C2 symmetry. The starting coordinates for the calculations consisted of the X-ray coordinates for the two halves (with the linker residues deleted), separated by ∼45 A and placed in three different relative orientat...
limitation of Alternative Respiratory Pathway Activity in Grapefruit Flavedo Tissue by Oxygen Availability

The capacity of the alternative respiratory pathway increased in the flavedo tissue of `Marsh9 grapefruit ( Citrus paradisi Macf.) stored at 5°C for 2 weeks or longer. Elevated O 2 levels during respiratory assays enhanced respiration by the tissue at 20°C but not at 5°C. At 20°C, salicylhydroxamic acid alone was inhibitory to O 2 uptake only in elevated O 2 . In conventional Warburg studies, alternative pathway respiration may be limited by the low solubility and/or slow rate of O 2 diffusion into plant tissues, such as grapefruit flavedo, and may be responsible for the apparent low utilization of the alternative pathway potential observed in other studies.
Electrocardiography in the 21st century: The Pierre Rijlant Lecture, 2006

Short-term and longitudinal applications of electrocardiography have led to a convergence of technologies that blur distinctions among standard 12-lead recording, exercise testing, ambulatory monitoring, and bedside monitoring. Although there are bgold standardQ applications of the resting 12-lead ECG, challenges to this standard include imperfect criteria, diagnostic advances in other areas of cardiac imaging, and increasing use of activity-compatible recording. Longer term ECG recording with activity-compatible electrode placement has become
A note on the Lagrange multiplier and F-statistics for two stage least squares regressions

Abstract The asymptotic properties of a regression-based Lagrange multiplier test for omitted variables in the context of two stage least squares is discussed, and an F-statistic for 2SLS regressions is proposed. The choice of instruments under the null and alternative models is explicitly considered, thereby clearing up some unresolved issues in the literature.
BS10 THE PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OVEREXPRESSION OF THE GROWTH FACTOR CRIPTO IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER

Purpose To determine the prognostic significance and long term survival of breast cancer patients with overexpression of the epidermal growth factor Cripto. Methodology 120 formalin fixed paraffin embedded breast cancer specimens were constructed on a tissue microarray and detection of Cripto carried out by immunohistochemical staining. Patients were treated between 1989 and 1995 and the median follow up was 125 months. We examined the association of Cripto positivity with age, menopausal status, grade and size of tumour, lymph node status, tumour type, ER/PR/HER2 status, Ki67 and Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI). Results 48% of patients were Cripto positive. We demonstrated a significant association between overexpression of Cripto and NPI (p < 0.01), grade of tumour (p < 0.01), progesterone receptor (p = 0.02), Ki 67 (p = 0.02), tumour type (p = 0.04) and most importantly overall survival (p = 0.0003). Cox regression analysis revealed Cripto to be an independent prognostic variable for survival – HR 2.79 (95% CI 1.20–6.50). Conclusion Overexpression of Cripto is associated with high grade poor prognostic breast cancer and a significantly decreased patient survival. Future research is required to confirm these findings and to develop an anti-Cripto humanised antibody for clinical use.
Domain switching effect on fracture of piezoelectric solids

Abstract Rational design of smart sensors and actuators that consist of piezoelectric solids requires a thorough understanding of the constitutive behavior of this material under mechanical and electrical loading. Domain switching is the cause of significant nonlinearity in the constitutive behavior of piezoelectric solids, which may be enhanced in the presence of cracks. In this paper, the response of piezoelectric solids is formulated by coupling thermal, electrical, and mechanical effects. The corresponding finite element equations are derived and applied in the solution of the piezoelectric center crack problems. The effects of domain switching are evaluated on the near tip stress intensity factors.
A photoelectric astrometric telescope using a Ronchi ruling

A new generation of photoelectric astrometric telescopes promises significant advances for both semiglobal and differential astrometry. Some of these new telescopes have a Ronchi ruling at the prime focal plane. The images move relative to the ruling, behind which photomultipliers or similar detectors view the modulated transmitted light. When several stars are viewed simultaneously, this technique exploits correlations in the atmospheric seeing to significantly improve differential astrometric precision. This article presents some general design and analysis criteria for this type of telescope and describes the particular reflector telescope. This has a 29-cm aperture and has met a 4-milli-arc-second differential precision per 5-minute observation. The system is designed for a program of improved annual parallax and solar-system object measurements.
NOx formation in monodisperse fuel spray combustion

Experimental results are presented for the monodisperse fuel spray combustion of isopropanol in air. A vibrating orifice monodisperse aerosol generator supplied fuel to an aerodynamically stabilized atmospheric pressure flame in a combustion tube. Measurements were made over the full range of monodisperse operating conditions encompassing droplet diameters from 14–80 μ and equivalence ratios from 0.7 to 1.4. The data include exit plane measurements of NO and NO x , temperature profiles, and supporting emissions measurements of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. The experimental results indicate that the NO x formation in the spray combustion of isopropanol is affected by the droplet diameter, equivalence ratio, fuel feed rate and the distribution of dispersion and dilution air. The most significant effect is an observed change in NO and NO x with droplet diameter; both decrease with decreasing droplet diameter, reach a minimum around 50 microns, and then increase again to a fairly constant value. At an equivalence ratio of 1.39, a 61% reduction in NO x and 87.5% reduction in NO are observed from the maximum values recorded in the two respective modes. Possible mechanism explaining these NO x results are examined and discussed. It appears that the anomalous NO x behavior is associated with droplet interactions and the transition from a diffusive type of droplet/spray burning to that of a prevaporized and premixed case. Decreasing the droplet size results in a trend of increasing droplet interactions, which suppresses temperatures and reduces NO x . This trend continues until prevaporization and mixing effects begin to dominate and the system tends towards the premixed limit.
Overview of Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming

Evidence proves that the climate is changing due to both natural cycles and anthropogenic influences. The increase in global carbon dioxide concentration, along with that of other greenhouse gases, is a major cause of global warming. Studies indicate that total emissions released from fossil fuels are related to the economy, are still on the rise, and can be stabilized through conscious efforts. Improving land management practices, incorporating carbon sequestration techniques, increasing energy efficiency, and using alternative energy sources are current ways that we can decrease our use of fossil fuels. Some alternative energy sources include waste biomass and cellulosic ethanol, along with others. Current research aims to identify ways to provide affordable fuel sources with little environmental impacts.
Pseudorandom encoding of complex-valued functions onto amplitude-coupled phase modulators

Pseudorandom encoding is a method of statistically approximating desired complex values with those values that are achievable with a given spatial light modulator. Originally developed for phase-only modulators, pseudorandom encoding is extended to modulators for which amplitude is a function of phase. This is accomplished by transforming the phase statistics to compensate for the amplitude coupling. Example encoding formulas are derived, evaluated, and compared with a noncompensating pseudorandom-encoding algorithm. Compensating algorithms encode a smaller area of the complex plane and can produce more noise than is possible for arbitrary pseudorandom algorithms. However, the encoding formulas have greatly simplified numerical implementations.
A Feasibility Study of PZT Thin-Film Microactuators for Hybrid Cochlear Implants

Hybrid cochlear implants would integrate electric and acoustic auditory stimulation into a single unit to rehabilitate patients with sensori-neural hearing loss. Conceptually, hybrid cochlear implants consist of an electrode array, as in traditional cochlear implants, and an acoustic microactuator to generate pressure waves inside the cochlea. To enable hybrid cochlear implants, one must develop acoustic actuators small enough to be placed directly into the cochlea. In this study, the microactuators consist of a silicon diaphragm and a lead-zirconate-titanate oxide (PZT) thin film. Two actuators are tested. For the first actuator, the diaphragm size is 1.1 mm by 1.1 mm, the diaphragm thickness is about 12 mum, and the PZT film thickness is 1 mum. The microactuator is tested in an unloaded condition (in air) and a loaded condition (with water and glass sheets) equivalent to a loading of 17 Pa. The microactuator presents a constant displacement of 16 nm, when the driving voltage is sinusoidal with amplitude of 5 V and frequency ranging from 500 Hz to 10 kHz. For the second actuator, the diaphragm size is 800 mum by 800 mum, the diaphragm thickness is 1 mum, and the PZT film thickness remains 1 mum. The second actuator presents a displacement of 6 nm, when the sinusoidal driving voltage is 7.5 V in amplitude. Given that the motion of the stapes in normal hearing is 10-30 nm when the incoming sound pressure is 1 Pa (i.e., 94 dBA), the PZT thin-film microactuators are a feasible design for hybrid cochlear implants
Coherent combination of fiber laser beams

Coherent combination of free-space beams from continuous-wave, 1547 nm, narrow-band, single-mode fiber-lasers was experimentally investigated. Beams from fiber lasers (in a master oscillator/ power amplifier arrangement) were collimated. The beams were then overlapped on a video camera to form an interference pattern. The interference pattern drifted slowly under lab conditions. The drift was observed to mainly be due to: a) wavelength drift of the master oscillator combined with an optical path difference and b) small thermal fluctuations in the optical fibers that, in turn, cause wavefront phase changes. Images from the video camera were acquired by computer and analyzed in real-time. A phase control signal was fed back to a fiber stretcher to achieve a stable interference pattern. The interference pattern peak could also be steered within the beam overlap region to a desired location.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Resident research and scholarly activity in internal medicine residency training programs.

OBJECTIVES: 1) To describe how internal medicine residency programs fulfill the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) scholarly activity training requirement including the current context of resident scholarly work, and 2) to compare findings between university and nonuniversity programs.
Monte Carlo simulation of surface kinetics during plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of SiO2 using oxygen/tetraethoxysilane chemistry

Tetraethoxysilane/oxygen (TEOS/O2) chemistries are now used for low plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of SiO2 when high conformality and low temperature are required. The surface processes leading to film growth, carbon elimination, and conformality are not well characterized. We have developed a model to investigate the surface kinetics of the PECVD of SiO2 films using TEOS/O2 chemistry. The model includes precursor adsorption and desorption, densification of the film, void formation, pyrolysis, plasma surface interactions, and geometric shadowing. Results for growth rate, fraction of carbon retained in the film, film conformality, and film roughness are discussed.
WC19: A Wheelchair Transportation Safety Standard: Experience to Date and Future Directions

ANSI/RESNA WC19 (i.e., WC19) is a voluntary standard that specifies design and performance requirements for wheelchairs that are suitable for use as seats in motor vehicles. The guiding principles for the standard originate from automotive crash-protection principles that are effective in reducing occupant injuries and fatalities. In addition to frontal-impact testing of wheelchairs, the standard includes tests for securement-point accessibility, tiedown-strap clear paths, lateral stability, and accommodation of vehicle-anchored belt restraints. Results from testing wheelchairs to WC19 reveal that the most common wheelchair problems include: a lack of structural integrity during frontal-impact loading; sharp rigid edges; and wheelchair structures that interfere with achieving proper positioning of vehicle-anchored belt restraints. Data from 8 years of experience with WC19 indicate where changes are needed to further improve transportation safety for wheelchair-seated travelers. These include expanding WC19 to include wheelchairs for smaller children who require a five-point harness restraint, and requiring wheelchairs to achieve a minimal rating for the ease of achieving proper positioning of vehicle-anchored belt restraints.
Learning from Aggregate Views

In this paper, we introduce a new class of data mining problems called learning from aggregate views. In contrast to the traditional problem of learning from a single table of training examples, the new goal is to learn from multiple aggregate views of the underlying data, without access to the un-aggregated data. We motivate this new problem, present a general problem framework, develop learning methods for RFA (Restriction-Free Aggregate) views defined using COUNT, SUM, AVG and STDEV, and offer theoretical and experimental results that characterize the proposed methods.
Fuzzy logic ratio control for a CVT hydraulic module

Compared with a conventional automatic transmission, which shifts among up to five gear ratios, a continuous variable transmission (CVT) uses the entire range of ratios between low and high gears. It achieves better fuel economy and drivability by constantly changing ratios to keep the engine running in its most efficient r.p.m. range based on driver demands. In this paper, a fuzzy logic controller is designed to control the primary pressure of the CVT. The extended dynamic range of the CVT and its nonlinear character dictate a dual global-local approach to the problem. The operating envelope of the CVT is viewed in state space as consisting of a finite number of cells, where the application of a control input transitions the controlled system from one cell to the next. Invariant and switching trajectories are effected in this global sense via a fuzzy logic controller. Within a particular cell, the CVT dynamics may be approximated via linearized equations, and a linear control law may be designed to accomplish this task. The structure and parameters of the global fuzzy logic controller are designed via clustering techniques and through genetic algorithms (GA) to be optimized. Using the proposed method, the controller is robust against parameter variations, simple to implement, easy to augment, and well optimized. Also, by choosing initial values from a suitable fuzzy model, the convergence time of the genetic algorithm is improved substantially.
Theoretical Study of Aerosol Filtration by Fibrous Filters

A theoretical analysis of filtration mechanisms has been made for fibrous filters in the region of maximum penetration. The theory is based on a boundary layer approach using the Kuwabara flow field to account for the interference effects of neighboring fibers. An improved expression for the diffusion and interception filtration efficiencies has been derived that compares well with the existing theories. A comparison of the developed theory with experimental data also confirms the validity of the present work. *This paper is based on the thesis of K. W. Lee in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree at the University of Minnesota.