cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rhodopsin/transducin interactions. II. Influence of the transducin-beta gamma subunit complex on the coupling of the transducin-alpha subunit to rhodopsin.

In these studies we have investigated the role of the beta gamma T subunit complex in promoting the rhodopsin-stimulated guanine nucleotide exchange reaction (i.e. the activation event) of the alpha T subunit. The results of these studies demonstrate that although the beta gamma T subunit complex increases the association of the alpha T subunit with lipid vesicles that lack the photoreceptor, the beta gamma T complex is not necessary for the binding of alpha T to lipid vesicles containing rhodopsin, provided sufficient amounts of rhodopsin are present. The rhodopsin-promoted GDP/guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) exchange reaction, within the rhodopsin-alpha T complex, then results in the dissociation of the alpha TGTP gamma S species from the rhodopsin-containing phospholipid vesicles. A second line of evidence for the occurrence of rhodopsin/alpha T interactions, in the absence of beta gamma T, comes from phosphorylation studies using the beta 1 isoform of protein kinase C. The phosphorylation of the alpha T subunit by protein kinase C is inhibited by beta gamma T, both in the absence and in the presence of rhodopsin, but is enhanced by rhodopsin in the absence of beta gamma T. These rhodopsin-alpha T complexes also appear to be capable of undergoing a rhodopsin-stimulated guanine nucleotide exchange event. When the guanine nucleotide exchange is allowed to occur prior to the addition of protein kinase C, the phosphorylation of the alpha T subunit is inhibited. Although beta gamma T is not absolutely required for the rhodopsin/alpha T interaction, it appears to increase the apparent affinity of the alpha T subunit for rhodopsin, both when rhodopsin was inserted into phosphatidylcholine vesicles and when soluble lipid-free preparations of rhodopsin were used. This results in a significant kinetic advantage for the rhodopsin-stimulated guanine nucleotide exchange event, such that the addition of beta gamma T causes a 10-fold promotion of the rhodopsin-stimulation [35S]GTP gamma S binding to alpha T after 1 min but provides less than a 20% promotion of the rhodopsin-stimulated binding after 1 h. The ability of beta gamma T to increase the association of alpha T with the lipid vesicle surface does not appear to contribute significantly to the ability of rhodopsin to couple functionally to alpha T subunits, and there appears to be no requirement for beta gamma T in the alpha T activation event, once the rhodopsin-alpha T complex has formed.
Web services for the Virtual Observatory

Web Services form a new, emerging paradigm to handle distributed access to resources over the Internet. There are platform independent standards (SOAP, WSDL), which make the developers' task considerably easier. This article discusses how web services could be used in the context of the Virtual Observatory. We envisage a multi-layer architecture, with interoperating services. A well-designed lower layer consisting of simple, standard services implemented by most data providers will go a long way towards establishing a modular architecture. More complex applications can be built upon this core layer. We present two prototype applications, the SdssCutout and the SkyQuery as examples of this layered architecture.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Metabolism and tissue distribution of label from [9,10-methylene-14C]sterculic acid in the rat.

The metabolism of14C-sterculic acid, labeled in the methylene carbon of the cyclopropene ring, was investigated in Wistar rats. Comparison of the distribution of radioactivity in tissue and excreta as a function of time showed that the free sterculic acid was metabolized faster than the methyl ester and that the sterculic acid administered by intragastric intubation was absorbed and metabolized at a faster rate than that administered by intraperitoneal injection. The concentration of label in blood serum reached a maximum 2 hr after intubation and then rapidly declined. Incorporation of radioactivity into most organs peaked at 4 hr with liver peaking at a maximum of 11% of the administered dose and other organs at less than 1%. Label in depot fat steadily increased to 8% at 26 hr. Less than 1% of the administered dose was expired in CO2 in the same time period. Excretion of label reached a maximum of 48% in urine and 11% in feces by 16 hr. The majority of the label in liver was in the fatty acid portion of the lipid fraction. The relative amount of label in microsomal and mitochondrial subcellular fractions of liver changed with time suggesting that these organelles may be involved in the metabolism of sterculic acid. Rats fed control diets appeared to metabolize sterculic acid in the same manner, but at a slower rate than rats acclimated to dietary cyclopropene fatty acids. Low recovery of label in expired air showed that the methylene carbon of the cyclopropene ring was not oxidized to CO2. These data suggest that rats readily absorb sterculic acid and excrete labeled compounds primarily in the urine.
The mitogenic activity of pp60v-src, the oncogenic protein product of the src gene of avian sarcoma virus, is independent of external serum growth factors.

Abstract The oncogenic pp60 v-src product of ASV (avian sarcoma virus) is shown to be a potent endogenous mitogen, which, unlike mitogens such as PDGF (platelet derived growth factor), is able to stimulate host cell proliferation without the help of other growth factors. Thus, NRK rat cells, infected with a temperature-sensitive ASV mutant which produces an abnormally thermolabile pp60 v-src became proliferatively quiescent at a pp60 v-src -inactivating 40°C in medium containing either 0.2% calf serum or no serum at all. Adding PDGF stimulated the quiescent ts ASV-NRK cells at 40°C to initiate DNA replication in medium containing 0.2% serum, but not in serum-free medium. By contrast, activating internal pp60 v-src by dropping the temperature to a permissive 36°C stimulated these quiescent cells to transit G 1 , initiate DNA replication and to enter mitosis even in serum-free medium. Thus, relative to PDGF, endogenous pp60 v-src behaves as a complete mitogen.
Empirically Based Probabilistic Tornado Hazard Analysis of the United States Using 1973-2011 Data

AbstractTornadoes are one of the most devastating natural hazards that occur in the United States. Although the average number of tornadoes per year across the country is approximately 1,200, the annual likelihood of experiencing a tornado at a particular location is quite small due to their relatively small size. However, the high consequence of a tornado strike necessitates the determination of geographic tornado hazard. This paper presents a methodology to estimate the annualized probabilistic tornado hazard over the contiguous United States based upon the most recent 38 years of climatological tornado data. Furthermore, with the use of detailed damage surveys after the April 3–4, 1974 and April–May 2011 tornado outbreaks, an empirical method was developed and applied to account for the gradient of wind speed along a tornado’s path length and path width. From this, a probabilistic tornado hazard index can be developed across the United States and can eventually be extended to tornado hazard for any loc...
Minority faculty development programs at US medical schools.

A national study conducted by Dr Guevara and colleagues1 did not find an association between targeted faculty development programs and greater representation, recruitment, or promotion of underrepresented minority faculty at US allopathic medical schools over a 10-year period. However, this finding should be placed in context. Comparing schools of medicine is difficult, considering the complexity of factors that influence such organizations. The composition of the local community and mission of the institution may influence faculty demographics, which are dimensions not considered in the authors’ model. Two important additional factors that should be incorporated are institutional structure and program quality. Faculty composition may differ in a medical school that is part of an integrated health system, in which the entire organization is administered under 1 umbrella, from in an institution that is only affiliated with a teaching hospital. A faculty development program in an affiliated model may have less effect on faculty demographics than a program in an integrated model.
Forkhead Transcription Factors and Cardiovascular Biology

The Forkhead family of transcription factors modulates a wide variety of cellular functions in cardiovascular tissues. In this review article, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of regulation provided by the forkhead factors in cardiac myocytes and vascular cells.
Diabetes and disability among Mexican Americans: Effect of different measures of diabetes on its association with disability

The association of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and disability was evaluated in a population of Mexican Americans from the southwest U.S. using data from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Among the total sample of persons who completed a clinical examination, 14.6% reported a limitation of job performance, the inability to complete housework, or the inability to perform activities of daily living. Among the subsample who completed the clinical examination and reported having diabetes, 31.6% claimed similar disability. In those respondents who also completed an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) or who were currently receiving insulin, the prevalence of disability was 25% in persons with an abnormal OGTT and 40.2% in those who were receiving insulin compared with 14.9% in those with a normal OGTT. Self-reported diabetes was positively associated with functional impairment in the examined population after adjusting for demographic variables and comorbidity; however, diabetes confirmed by OGTT was not significantly associated with disability after adjustment for other factors. Differences in pre-existing health status between persons who completed the OGTT and those who did not are discussed in relation to these results.
Superfluid-insulator transition in 4He films adsorbed in vycor glass.

We have measured the heat capacity of ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}$ films adsorbed in Vycor glass for temperatures down to 10 mK and coverages close to the critical coverage for the onset of superfluidity at $T\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0$. The data show that the critical coverage corresponds to a mobility edge in the chemical potential, below which the ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}$ film is an insulator with a gap. We find no evidence for the existence of a gapless Bose glass phase.
An improved root-finding procedure for use in calculating transient heat flow through multilayered slabs

Abstract So-called ‘response factors’ are the flux at the inside and outside surfaces of a one-dimensional multilayered slab caused by unit triangular temperature pulses alternately applied to the inside and outside surfaces while holding the opposite surface at constant temperature. Most recent techniques for finding response factors involve a numerical search for the roots of the characteristic equation of the Laplace transformed solution to the heat conduction equation. Once these poles are known, residue-calculus is used to find the inverse transform which yields response factors. This paper examines the behavior of the characteristic equation and related equations and presents an improved root-finding procedure which allows response factors to be calculated efficiently.
Effects of prolactin and somatotropin on growth and metamorphosis of amphibians

Abstract Mammalian prolactin stimulates growth and inhibits metamorphosis of larvae of several species of amphibians. Mammalian somatotropin has little or no effect upon larval growth or metamorphosis unless used in high concentrations. The evidence behind these statements and some of the implications are critically evaluated. Growth of postmetamorphic amphibians is stimulated by somatotropin but not by prolactin. The possible biological significance of this apparent transition from prolactin to somatotropin regulation of growth in the pre- and postmetamorphic stages of development is discussed in terms of possible mechanisms involved in the transition, and in terms of the adaptive significance of the change.
Cardiac Imaging with a High Pressure Low Dead Time Multiwire Proportional Chamber

A sealed, 10 atmosphere MWPC has been constructed for cardiac imaging applications in nuclear medicine. Spatial resolution is < 3.5mm and count rate characteristics are a factor of 2 better than current cameras, resulting in improved statistical quality of information. Major applications are first pass radionuclide angiocardiograms with 9.3 m. Ta-178 and 4.9s Ir-191m. Animal and patient studies have been performed and the advantages of this system have been demonstrated.
Optimizing quality improvement in obstetrics: an application of the diffusion of innovations theory

Abstract Purpose: To enhance understanding of why continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts in obstetrics often fail and why well-researched practice guidelines do not achieve widespread adoption, to review a recent CQI project to reduce cesarean delivery rates, and to gain a better understanding of the factors that lead some ideas to be adopted more quickly than others. Results: At the start of the project, the overall cesarean delivery rate was 19.4%, with wide variation among individual providers. At the conclusion, cesarean delivery rates were virtually unchanged. After considerable efforts by the obstetrics department and hospital quality management, there was minimal utilization of the practice guidelines. A retrospective analysis using Everett Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory showed an apparent correlation between the project’s successes and failures and the concepts of Rogers’ theory, successes correlated with actions that had inadvertently followed Rogers’ theory, and frustrations correlated with failure to adhere to these concepts. Methods: A multidisciplinary team designed three guidelines that were presented at departmental meetings. A feedback reporting system was designed, consisting of quarterly reports with overall cesarean delivery rates and detailed individual and aggregate data about utilization of the guidelines. A retrospective analysis of the 4-year effort compared the actions taken with the four elements of Rogers’ theory. Conclusion: CQI efforts can be more effective with a better understanding of factors that lead some ideas to be adopted more quickly than others. Rogers’ theory holds great promise to streamline CQI efforts, increase their efficacy, and improve patient outcomes.
Composition Determination of Multicomponent Organic Aerosols by On-Line FT-IR Spectroscopy

A new approach is reported for determining the composition of multicomponent organic aerosols using FT-IR spectroscopy. In this study, laboratory-generated aerosol particles are thermally evaporated and the resulting vapor is immediately analyzed using FT-IR spectroscopy. The composition of the aerosol is determined by fitting the vapor spectrum to a linear combination of reference spectra of the individual components. Application of the method to the detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, changes in aerosol composition, and analysis of diesel fuel is demonstrated.
Evaluation of methods for calculating liquid-liquid phase-splitting

Abstract The reliability and computational efficiency of various methods for calculating liquid-liquid phase-splitting were evaluated for use in three-phase distillation models. Each method was tested using several binary, ternary, and multicomponent systems that exhibit liquid-liquid immiscibility.
Understanding the fuel savings potential from deploying hybrid cars in China

Abstract The majority of transportation-related CO 2 growth will come from the developing world with projections suggesting that global CO 2 emissions from transportation will at least double by 2050. Given that China will be a leading contributor to this growth in transportation-related CO 2 , this paper examines the impact of deploying different types of hybrid cars in China to offset some of the growth in CO 2 emissions arising from rapidly growing vehicle sales. To represent typical Chinese driving conditions, drive cycles are selected from 11 Chinese cities of different size, with the drive cycles capturing on peak and off peak driving times, and road types including freeways, major arterials, sub-arterials, and residential roads. The characteristics of the different drive cycles are compared against US drive cycles and it is found that Chinese driving often involves lower speed driving, a moderate stop frequency and more sudden acceleration and deceleration. The drive cycles are then used as inputs for powertrain models for a conventional engine-only vehicle, a mild parallel hybrid with integrated starter/generator, a power–split hybrid, and a conventional gasoline vehicle with start–stop functionality. The fuel savings potential from each vehicle architecture is compared against the conventional vehicle in US and Chinese driving conditions. The results show that the driving conditions in China enable hybrid vehicles to achieve significantly greater fuel savings as compared with hybrids in the US, with parallel hybrids producing 25.5% fuel savings in China versus 13.2% fuel savings in the US and power–split hybrids producing 53.6% fuel savings in China versus 32.6% fuel savings in the US. The fuel savings benefits from parallel and power–split hybrids significantly exceed the fuel savings from conventional gasoline vehicles with start–stop functionality for both the US and China. These results suggest that the increased cost of deploying hybrids will have significantly greater impact in Chinese driving conditions, and hybrid vehicles in China should be seriously considered for incentive programs (perhaps as part of the recently announced 2012–2020 China automotive industry development plan) to accelerate their deployment.
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the industrialized world. In the United States, these tumors rank third in incidence as well as in mortality. In 1996, a total of 133,500 new cases are expected to be diagnosed, while approximately 55,300 patients are expected to die because of colorectal cancer (1). The age-adjusted US incidence rate of colon carcinoma for all races combined during the period 1988-1991 was 39.9/100,000 for males and 29.9/ 100,000 for females (2). Currently, the lifetime probability of developing colorectal cancer in North America is 6.4 percent in males and 6.3 percent in females (3). These data indicate that colorectal cancer remains a major public health problem. The etiology of colorectal cancer has been the subject of many epidemiologic investigations. Several reviews of colorectal cancer epidemiology have been published (4-6). The existing extensive body of epidemiologic literature highlights the importance of lifestyle and environmental factors in colorectal cancer carcinogenesis. Suggested risk indicators for these tumors include diet, family history, inflammatory bowel disease, and polyposis coli. Most of the known risk indicators do not truly allow for preventive interventions at present, although in theory dietary habits are modifiable. In recent years, attention has been drawn to the potentially preventive effect of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). An effective prevention strategy could potentially be found in the results of recent studies of the relation between calcium and colorectal cancer, as well as the reported inverse relation between the use of NSAIDs and colo-
The Cultural Politics of Horror Film Criticism

This article examines film criticism as a social practice. Specifically, it explores the institutional politics of horror film criticism and the various ways critics of the genre justify their own readings and interpretive discourse. It does so by way of positing a horror film “reading formation,” which serves a critical-institutional function within the film academy, namely, securing academic legitimacy for the genre while shoring up cultural and political distinctions specific to elite modes of analysis. Accordingly, the article argues that three intertextual mechanisms (canonical recycling, political auteurism, and symptomatic interpretation) both condition the appropriation of horror film texts as legitimate objects-to-be-read and work to sustain discursive power relations between scholastically credentialed and “nonexpert” reading subjects.
The effect of acetyl-beta-methylcholine on the frog's heart

Abstract Acetyl-beta-methylcholine shortens the duration of electrical systole and the refractory period in the frog's heart. In consequence, it may induce aberrant rhythms. These effects are abolished by atropine. Its failure to produce heart block is strange but this can be explained on the basis of anatomic peculiarities of the frog's heart. It is probable that similar effects produced by frequent stimulation and the digitalis glucosides are not mediated by acetylcholine. Like the digitalis drugs, and probably by a similar mechanism, mecholyl causes inversion of the T-wave of the human electrocardiogram.
Characterization of human L type Bence-Jones proteins containing carbohydrate.

Abstract Carbohydrate moieties were found to be linked to two human L type Bence-Jones proteins (Hul and Nev) but not to the corresponding light chain from the Nev myeloma protein. The major emphasis was placed upon the characterization of the Hul protein, which consisted of two electrophoretic components. The principal component, accounting for 80% of the total, was identical with the minor component in amino acid composition, but the carbohydrate moieties of the two components differed by at least three residues of glucosamine. The contributions of the oligosaccharide in the principal component were strongly reflected in the analyses of the mixture, which contained an average of four residues of mannose, one residue of galactose, and two residues each of glucosamine, galactosamine, glycolyl neuraminic acid, and fucose. In both the Hul and Nev proteins the oligosaccharides were bound to sites in the variable halves of the molecules. These sites were represented by the following four glycopeptides, derived from homologous segments of the two proteins: Hul Gln-Gln-Glu-Asp-Glu(Ala.Thr)Tyr Hul Gln-Glu-Asp-Glu(Ala, Thr)Tyr-Tyr Nev Ser-Glu-Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp-Tyr Nev Ser-Glu-Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp-Tyr-Tyr The nature of the glycoprotein linkages remains to be elucidated. Peptides accounting for most of the remaining segments of the Hul protein were also isolated and compared with those from the nev and other L type proteins. in the relatively “invariant” carboxyl halves of the proteins, the Hul and Nev proteins differed by the interchange of arginine and lysine residues at position 194, which is associated with the antigenic character Oz. As expected, the substitutions were much more extensive in the amino halves. Finally, the compositions and sequences of segments of both K and L type light chains were examined in an attempt to identify regions with properties similar to those that might be found in the antibody-combining sites of functional γ-globulins.
Ultrastructural Evidence of Cell-Mediated Endothelial Cell Injury in Cardiac Transplant-Related Accelerated Arteriosclerosis

Accelerated arteriosclerosis secondary to chronic allograft rejection is a major long-term complication of heart transplantation. Accelerated arteriosclerosis has been associated with an endothelialitis, and the majority of the involved inflammatory cells are T lymphocytes and macrophages. Coronary arteries from six heart allograft recipients with transplantrelated arteriosclerosis were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Four hearts were explants from heart transplant recipients with severe accelerated arteriosclerosis who were undergoing retransplantation, and two were obtained from autopsied recipients. The patients ranged in age from 6 to 60 years (mean, 44 years). The graft survival for these six hearts ranged from 1.4 to 5.6 years (mean, 4.3 years). Lymphocytes, macrophages, and smooth muscle cells were identified by TEM in the intimas of all the vessels examined. The lymphocytes were often in contact with macrophages or in close proximity to in...
Reduction of inflammatory brain edema by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs

Abstract Copper wires were implanted into the right cerebral hemispheres of rats. The resulting inflammation and necrosis were accompanied by severe edema with water content increased from about 79% to 81 to 82%. Treatment with dexamethasone after the implantation and on the next 3 days caused marked reduction in the edema. Alleviation of edema, albeit of lesser degree, was obtained with the common analgesic-antipyretic drug, acetaminophen. This result was not due to adrenal stimulation. The drug was demonstrated to penetrate the brain and to reach slightly higher concentrations in the edematous right hemisphere than in the relatively normal left hemisphere. Encouraging results were also obtained with acetophenetidin (the parent drug of acetaminophen) and with benoxaprofen, but not (in limited trials) with a number of other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. The mechanism for the beneficial effects of acetaminophen is unknown but it probably does not involve inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis.
Constitutive modeling of cyclic plasticity and creep, using an internal time concept

Using the concept of an internal time as related to plastic strains, a differential stress-strain relation for elastoplasticity is rederived, such that (1) the concept of a yield-surface is retained; (2) the definitions of elastic and plastic processes are analogous to those in classical plasticity theory; and (3) its computational implementation, via a 'tangent-stiffness' finite element method and a 'generalized-midpoint-radial-return' stress-integration algorithm, is simple and efficient. Also, using the concept of an internal time, as related to both the inelastic strains as well as the Newtonian time, a constitutive model for creep-plasticity interaction, is discussed. The problem of modeling experimental data for plasticity and creep, by the present analytical relations, as accurately as desired, is discussed. Numerical examples which illustrate the validity of the present relations are presented for the cases of cyclic plasticity and creep.
Dasatinib, a Novel Abl-Src Kinase Inhibitor, in the Management of Patients with Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive Leukemias

Abstract Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is associated with a reciprocal chromosomal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22, t(9;22)(q34;q11), resulting in the Philadelphia chromosome (22q–), which is associated with the formation of a bcr-abl fusion gene. This gene encodes a Bcr-Abl oncoprotein with greatly increased tyrosine kinase activity, which is now considered to be the initiating event in CML. Oral administration of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib to inhibit the dysregulated kinase activity has proved remarkably successful, with > 80% of patients in the chronic phase of CML exhibiting a complete cytogenetic response and an improved progression- free survival. Approximately 15% of all patients in the chronic phase and most patients with more advanced phases of CML experience relapse, with the emergence of mutations in the Abl kinase domain of Bcr-Abl. Efforts to improve on the treatment of CML led to the development of a novel Abl-Src kinase inhibitor, dasatinib (BMS-354825), which was recently granted regulatory approval.
Landscape response to the intentional use of the Birds Point New Madrid Floodway on May 3, 2011

During the spring of 2011 massive, coalescing storm fronts in the upper Mississippi, and Ohio River basins caused extreme weather conditions that flooded the bottleneck section of the Mississippi River in the vicinity of Cairo, IL. In order to alleviate the volume of floodwaters acting on downstream levees and to stop flooding near Cairo, IL, the US Army Corps. of Engineers activated the Birds Point New Madrid Floodway by intentionally breaching the Birds Point Levee, releasing floodwaters onto active agricultural fields. The impacts of floodwater on the landscape were regionally significant. Concentrated erosion generated deep scour holes, rills, and gullies in localized areas of the floodway. Inflow and outflow of waters formed large deposits of sands and gravels. Sand sheets of a few centimeters to a meter thick blanketed the vicinity of the impacted areas, and in some cases sand accumulations exhibited current ripples indicating multiple flow directions. This study directly addresses geomorphic changes in the New Madrid Floodway resulting from activation and the diversion of floodwaters from the Mississippi River. Results from this study can be used along with other field data to conduct a thorough flood damage assessment that includes the costs associated with geomorphic alteration within the floodway.
Timely Surgical Follow-up for Melanoma Among Medicare Beneficiaries

The incidenceofmelanoma is increasingworldwideand is rising faster than that of any other cancer in white individuals. Early detection of and treatment aids in identifying less advanced tumors plus prompt surgical treatment could alleviate stress and anxiety. The study by Lott et al1 in this issue of JAMA Dermatology provides the first populationbased look at delay of surgery formelanoma amongMedicare beneficiaries.Theauthorsdemonstrate that 1 in5patientswith anewdiagnosis ofmelanomaexperiencedelays in reexcision/ definitive excision of longer than 1.5 months, and 8.1% experience delays of longer than 3 months. This delay is minimized when dermatologists perform the biopsy and surgical procedure, suggesting increased efficiency when coordinating care within the same specialty. Thus, a potential practice gap of effective coordination of care with other medical specialties, including plastic surgery and primary caremedicine, exists. The article also considers a potential cause for the existence of this practice gap. At present, US population-based studies analyzing the morbidity of delay of surgery for melanoma are lacking. Consequently, no guidelines exist regarding the appropriate timing of melanoma excision after biopsy. Closureof thegapcouldbeachieved through increased interdisciplinary communication and more substantial efforts regarding broad-reaching education aboutmelanoma. These education efforts could influence general expectations of the timelinessof treatmentwhenanondermatologistperformsthe melanoma biopsy. Improved effective communication during the hand-off of a patient with a recent diagnosis of melanoma to a physician of another medical specialty could also decrease delays in definitive surgical excision. Further research aimed at substantiating the consequences of surgical delay in the setting of melanoma may also improve a movement towarda standardof care andpossible guidelines among allmedical subspecialties. Inaddition,medical training should emphasize heightened communication skills and the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork as an essential element to establishing solid surgical follow-up. Another interesting, technologically savvy option could include a “Time to Treat” program integrated into the electronic medical records system to aid in prompt intervention.2 Barriers to change may include the lack of evidence that this practice gap poses a risk to survival, disparities in access to care, and a shortage of manpower to accommodate timely surgical follow-up.3 In addition, patient indifference and lack of awareness of the severity of the disease can contribute to this practice gap.
Incorporating quantitative information into a linear ordering.

Ss were required to learn linear orderings of four terms (A > B > C > D). Each pair of terms was described as being either “just barely,” “moderately,” or “very much” different on some meaningful dimension. Two distinct strategies for coding this information were observed. Some Ss varied the spacing of the terms along some continuum (e.g., A_B___C_____D), while others spaced the terms evenly along a continuum and inserted verbal tags to represent the quantitative information (e.g., A just barely B moderately C very much D). The former strategy was consistently found to be superior. Performance did not vary as a function of the quantitative difference between the terms
The rise of BASIC in UN climate change negotiations

This paper assesses the role of the BASIC countries — Brazil, South Africa, India, and China — in UN climate change negotiations. The paper explores the formation and evolution of the group, and focuses on how the four major developing countries of China, India, Brazil, and South Africa have coordinated their positions and acted jointly to achieve an agreed outcome with other players in the recent UN Climate Change Conferences in Copenhagen and Cancun, based on an analysis of their country profiles and negotiation positions on a wide range of climate issues. The paper argues that the emergence of the BASIC Group is a reflection of the ongoing power shift from EU–US agreement to BASIC–US compromise in UN climate negotiations since the early 1990s. The rise of BASIC also has its roots in recent global market dynamics and further reflects the power transformation in the economic dimension of the international system.
Bone wax template for the correction of enophthalmos with porous polyethylene implants.

Purpose We used a technique that facilitates the custom contouring of porous polyethylene implants. Methods Bone wax was molded in the subperiosteal space of the orbit. The wax then served as a model for free-hand sculpting of the rigid implant. Results Bone wax templates have been used successfully in seven patients with enophthalmos or superior sulcus depression. Conclusions This technique has increased the precision of custom contouring subperiosteal alloplastic implants.
Adsorption of beta blockers to environmental surfaces.

Beta-adrenergic blocking agents (beta blockers) are widely used pharmaceuticals which have been detected in the environment. Predicting the transport and ultimate fate of beta blockers in the environment requires understanding their adsorption to soils and sediments, something for which little information is currently available. The objective of this work was to examine the adsorption of three beta blockers, propranolol, metoprolol and nadolol, to a natural alluvial material, as well as to six minerals present as components of the alluvial material. Batch adsorption experiments indicate that, for most of the minerals studied, compound hydrophobicity is an important predictor of adsorption, with propranolol, the most hydrophobic compound studied, adsorbing to the greatest extent. Results further suggest that, for the minerals studied, electrostatic effects are not a good predictor of adsorption; adsorption extent was not well-predicted by either surface zeta potential or by the difference between experimen...
Design considerations for long-term remote photovoltaic-based power supply using non-planar photovoltaic surfaces

This paper presents fundamental design issues for a photovoltaic (PV) based, maintenance-free, highly available power supply for remote unattended loads using non-planar (curved) PV modules. An important application is for powering the sensors, detectors, and communications devices used for long-term remote monitoring for homeland security. Non-planar PV collection surfaces offer advantages over flat plate PV modules including orientation insensitivity and increased energy harvest; both are significant advantageous in reducing the deployment cost and size of the power supply for sensor systems. The system-oriented design described in this paper uses a combination of energy storage, non-planar PV surfaces, power electronics circuits, and control algorithms. The results show that non-flat PV modules increases energy availability compare to flat modules while minimizing the storage system size and sensor footprint. The proposed procedure can be used to design systems for a wide range of power requirements and installation locations.
Fuzzy Transnationals? American Settlement, Identity, and Belonging in Canada

More Americans now reside in Canada than at any time since the Vietnam War. This article documents and analyzes the migration, settlement, and identity of US-born residents in three Canadian cities. My work helps fill the gap in the scholarly literature on issues related to international migration at the Canadian–US borderlands. The article's overarching goal is to illustrate that transnationality, as exhibited by US immigrants in Canada, is far more complex than prior studies of transnational identity have indicated. Findings from this study indicate that transnational linkages and identities are geographically and temporally contingent and are, as such, a reflection of both time and place. My comparison of the shifting identities of American migrants who reside in three different metropolitan areas in Canada allows a more critical analysis of the ever-shifting terrain of transnational identities as they are expressed in different contexts. Data analyzed for this study were compiled from the Canadian cen...
Stabilization of plasma-filled microwave tubes: a computer simulation

ABSTRACT In our present work, a computer simulation using the AFOSR. code "MAGIC" has verified the analytical simulations previously presented. The object is to eliminate the low-frequency oscillations that degrade the high-frequency operation of plasma-filled microwave tubes by adding a transverse ion flow or "flush" to the plasma included. The computer simulation shows a rapidly growing low-frequency oscillation that is strongly damped and even terminated for increasing values of flush rate. Keywords : Plasma-filled microwave tubes, Buneman-Budker instability, convective stabilization, instabilities, computer simulation. 1 . Introduction The use of .a plasma filling of radio tubes has been both a blessing and a curse from the earliest gas-loaded triode, the "OOA" to the present. The plasma filling neutralizes space charge and allowsenormous currents to flow, as in Ignitrons. . However, the plasma also is • unstable, and creates oscillations and noise, as in
Death penalty in China: The law and the practice

China is a nation that carries out the death penalty with a broad scope in its transition to a market economy. The present study described and analyzed the legal concept and practice of the death penalty in China in a comparative context. It presented an overview of the Chinese legal tradition of the death penalty, the legal development of the death penalty since the Chinese Communists took power, and the current practice of the death penalty in China. It represented an attempt to offer a research-based understanding of the capital punishment in a nation that was experiencing significant change and transformation since the early 1980s.
Connecting tools using message passing in the Field environment

An overview is given of the Field environment, which was developed to show that highly integrated, interactive environments like those on PCs can be implemented on workstations and can be used for classical-language and large-scale programming. Field connects tools with selective broadcasting, which follows the Unix philosophy of letting independent tools cooperate through simple conventions, demonstrating that this simple approach is feasible and desirable. Field achieves its goals by providing a consistent graphical front end and a simple integration framework that lets existing and new Unix tools cooperate. The front end is based on a tool set called the Brown workstation environment. The framework combines selective broadcasting with an annotation editor that provides consistent access to the source code in multiple contexts and with a set of specialized interactive analysis tools. Field's integration framework and message facility are described. >
Integral Scales for the Nocturnal Boundary Layer. Part 1: Empirical Depth Relationships

Abstract The stable-layer thickness h and near-surface potential temperature strength Δθs, of the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) are shown to have a “background” square-root of time dependence. Superimposed upon this background are other time variations caused by changes in bulk turbulence parameter B and average surface heat flux QH: h = 5(−QHtB)&frac12 and &minusΔθs = (−QHtB−1)&frac12). As an intentionally different approach to the NBL problem B is modeled in terms of forcings external to the NBL rather than in terms of internal variables such as friction velocity or Obukhov length. Nocturnal boundary layer observations from the Wangara and Koorin field experiments in Australia are used to guide some dimensional arguments to yield B − (ŪGUG−1)(|fUG|Zs)3/2/(−QHg), where UG is the geostrophic wind vector, f the Coriolis parameter, g the acceleration due to gravity, Zs is a site and wind-direction-dependent empirical parameter and the overbear indicates time-average since transition (near sunset). Appar...
Depression by isoflurane of the action potential and underlying voltage-gated ion currents in isolated rat neurohypophysial nerve terminals

We characterized the effects of the volatile anesthetic isoflurane on the ion currents that contribute to the action potential (AP) in isolated rat neurohypophysial (NHP) nerve terminals using patch-clamp electrophysiology. Mean resting membrane potential and AP amplitude were -62.3 ± 4.1 and 69.2 ± 2.9 mV, respectively, in NHP terminals. Two components of outward K+ current (IK) were identified in voltage-clamp recordings: a transient IK and a sustained IK with minimal inactivation. Some terminals displayed a slowly activating IK, probably the big Ca2+-activated K+ current (BK). Isoflurane reversibly inhibited AP amplitude and increased AP half-width in normal extracellular Ca2+ (2.2 mM). In high extracellular Ca2+ (10 mM), isoflurane also reduced the afterhypolarization peak amplitude. A transient tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+ current (INa) was the principal current mediating the depolarizing phase of the AP. A slowly inactivating Cd2+-sensitive current (probably a voltagegated Ca2+ current; ICa) followed the initial INa. Isoflurane reversibly inhibited both INa and ICa elicited by a voltage-stimulus based on an averaged AP waveform. The isoflurane IC50 for AP waveform-evoked INa was 0.36 mM. Isoflurane (0.84 ± 0.04 mM) inhibited AP waveform-evoked ICa by 37.5 ± 0.16% (p K+ > Ca2+) in NHP terminals, although not typical central nervous system terminals, are inhibited by the volatile general anesthetic isoflurane. The net inhibitory effects of volatile anesthetics on nerve terminal action potentials and excitability result from integrated actions on multiple voltage-gated currents.
Design-oriented analysis of aircraft fuselage structures using equivalent plate methodology

A design-oriented analysis capability for aircraft fuselage structures that utilizes equivalent plate methodology is described. This new capability is implemented as an addition to the existing wing-analysis procedure in the equivalent laminated plate solution (ELAPS) computer code. The wing and fuselage analyses are combined to model entire airframes. The paper focuses on the fuselage model definition, the associated analytical formulation, and the approach used to couple the wing and fuselage analyses. The modeling approach used to minimize the amount of preparation of input data by the user and to facilitate the making of design changes is described. The fuselage analysis is based on ring and shell equations, but the procedure is formulated to be analogous to that used for plates to take advantage of the existing code in ELAPS. Connector springs are used to couple the wing and fuselage models. Typical fuselage analysis results are presented for two analytical models. Results for a ring-stiffened cylinder model are compared with results from conventional finite element analyses to assess the accuracy of this new analysis capability. The connection of plate and ring segments is demonstrated using a second model that is representative of the wing structure for a channel-wing aircraft configuration.
Reliability of NIRS-based BCIs: a placebo-controlled replication and reanalysis of brainput

Previously, we contributed to the development of a brain-computer interface (BCI), Brainput, using functional near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Initially Brainput was found to improve performance on a human-robot team task by adapting a robot's autonomy using NIRS-based classifications of the user's multitasking states [15, 16]. However, the failure to find any performance improvements in a follow-up study prompted reinvestigation of the original system via a reanalysis of Brainput's signal processing on a larger NIRS dataset and a placebo-controlled replication using random (instead of NIRS-based) state classifications. This reinvestigation revealed confounds in the original study responsible for the initial performance improvements, thus indicating that further work in signal processing is necessary to achieve reliable NIRS-based BCIs.
Sources of environmental structuring and participant responses

Abstract This study investigated the effects of four sources of environmental structuring on employee responses. These sources are job, technology, work unit, and leader behavior. Main, joint, and interactive effects were examined. Job structure had the strongest effect. It was demonstrated that technology, job, and work unit structure were found to be substitutes for leader structure. Leader structure had little unique association with employee reactions except when the other sources of environmental structure were weak. Two alternative theoretical interpretations of the findings are offered: reactivity and “closeness.”
Isolation and characteristics of HeLa surface proteins

Abstract HeLa 71 and 65 cells grown in attached culture possess a coat of extracellular proteins that can be released from the cell by mild EDTA-detachment, with no significant effect on cellular integrity. This suggests that these surface proteins are weakly associated with the cell, possibly through divalent cations. The high affinity of surface proteins for critical divalent cations, shown by their high precipitability by Zn2+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, supports this assumption. Since surface proteins appear to be phosphoproteins, as suggested by significant incorporation of 32Pi in vitro, it is possible that binding occurs through M 2+ − PO = 4· The amount of surface protein on HeLa 65 cells grown in suspension culture is greatly reduced compared with cells grown in monolayer culture. This may be related to impaired availability of Ca2+ in suspension culture medium. In monolayer grown HeLa cells surface proteins are predominantly distributed underneath the cells. The highest amount of these proteins is found on cells prior to growth initiation and steadily decreases as cells approach confluency. As shown by radioactive leucine protein labeling, surface proteins are primarily comprised of proteins synthesized within HeLa cells and released to the outer cell surface. The presence of serum proteins in surface protein matrix is physiologically significant.
Photoelastic analysis of pressure on teeth and bone supporting removable partial dentures

Abstract The direction and pattern of forces delivered to teeth, periodontal membrane, and bone supporting a removable partial denture can be demonstrated by reproducing the dental arch in a photoelastic plastic material. Occlusal forces delivered to tooth-supported and distal-extension removable partial dentures produced repeatable patterns in the supporting structures. Physiologic adjustment of the metal contacts against the teeth on distal-extension removable partial denture castings is necessary to minimize tipping and torquing movement.