cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Targeting of cytotoxic cells with cross-linked antibody heteroaggregates.

Most forms of cellular cytotoxicity are mediated by leukocytes which express specific receptors on their surfaces for target cell surface components. By forming multiple receptor-ligand interactions, target cells are specifically bound to the leukocyte effector cells in effector-target conjugates. Subsequently the target cells are Iysed and released from the effector cells, which are then free to lyse other target cells. The best understood interactions between effector and target cells occur in antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)t (Lovchik and Hong, 1977) and in lysis mediated by cytotoxic T cells (T,) (Mar&, 1977; Green and Henney, 1981; Bonavida et al., 1983). In ADCC, the cytotoxic cells bear receptors on their surfaces specific for the Fc portion of IgG (Dickler, 1976; Zuckerman and Douglas 1979; Unkeless et al., 1981). When these cells encounter target cells which are coated with IgG antibodies, lytic conjugates are produced by multiple interactions between FcR on the cytotoxic cells and the Fc portions of the targetbound antibodies (Segal and Stephany, 1984). Tc, by contrast, express a different type of receptor (“T-celi receptor”) by which they recognize MHC molecules (class I or class II) on target cells, either alone or in conjunction with a cell surface target cell antigen, such as a virus (Meuer et al., 1984; Haskins et al., 1984; Reinherz et al.. 1983). The T-cell receptor consists of at least two subcomponents, an antigen specific component, Ti. and a second invariant molecule. T3. In both ADCC and Tc-mediated cytotoxicity, the normal mode of effector-target interaction can be replaced by using appropriate hetero-cross-linked antibody preparations. as shown schematically in
Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Predicts Mortality and Cardiovascular Events in the General Community: Comparison to Other BNP Biomarkers

Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Predicts Mortality and Cardiovascular Events in the General Community: Comparison to Other BNP Biomarkers Fima Macheret, Paul McKie, Guido Boerrigter, Lisa Costello-Boerrigter, Lahr Brian, Denise Heublein, Sandberg Sharon, Alessandro Cataliotti, Richard Rodeheffer, John C. Burnett Jr.; Cardiorenal Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Division of Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Volumetric expiratory high-resolution CT of the lung

We developed a volumetric expiratory high-resolution CT (HRCT) protocol that provides combined inspiratory and expiratory volumetric imaging of the lung without increasing radiation exposure, and conducted a preliminary feasibility assessment of this protocol to evaluate diffuse lung disease with small airway abnormalities. The volumetric expiratory high-resolution CT increased the detectability of the conducting airway to the areas of air trapping (P<0.0001), and added significant information about extent and distribution of air trapping (P<0.0001).
Effect of detailed cell structure on light scattering distribution: FDTD study of a B-cell with 3D structure constructed from confocal images

Human B-cells play an important role in the immune system, and because of their relatively simple structures with a nearly spherically shaped cell membrane and a large nucleus, they provide a good case to study on how the details of cell structure affect light scattering properties. A finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) method is used to calculate angle-resolved light scattering distributions from a B-cell. Published FDTD simulations to date have used a smooth shape with a certain degree of symmetry to approximate the actual cell shape. In contrast, for this work, the shapes of the cell and its nucleus were determined from confocal microscopy measurements. An automated procedure was developed to construct a realistic three-dimensional structure of a B-cell from a stack of two-dimensional confocal images. The angle-resolved Mueller matrix elements of the B-cell were calculated and averaged for 30 different angles of incidence using a parallel FDTD code. These results were compared with those from a homogeneous and a coated sphere. Scattering from the two sphere models and the B-cell were very similar for scattering angles less than 5°, and the coated sphere and B-cell agreed well for scattering angles up to 20°. However, at larger angles, the scattering from the B-cell was a much smoother function of angle than scattering from either sphere model. Additionally, the homogeneous sphere results were the most similar to the B-cell results for most angles between 120° and 150°, and at angles greater than 150°, the B-cell scattered more light than either of the spheres. These results yield strong evidence that accurate modeling of light scattering by biological cells requires not only the high accuracy of the employed numerical method but the realistic cellular structure as input information as well.
Millimeter-wave MMIC cameras and the QUIET experiment

A breakthrough in the packaging of cryogenic millimeterwave circuits enables mass production of radiometer or polarimeter array elements, leading to low cost, high performance, and straightforward scaling to arbitrarily large arrays. The Q/U Imaging ExperimenT (QUIET) will measure the polarization of the cosmic microvave background from the ground using such large arrays of coherent polarimeters. With two different optical systems, angular scales from ten degrees to 4' can be covered.
A study of color centers produced in quartz by x-radiation.

Z-cut sections of natural quartz crystals were colored to saturation by x-irradiation from a beryllium window x-ray tube. The crystal sections were decolored by heating and recolored by further x-radiation. The same optical transmissions, at saturation, were obtained when the energy distribution of the x-ray beam was the same but were different when different voltages were applied to the x-ray tube. The heat treatment used in removing the color from quartz does not affect the value of the optical transmission when recolored by x-radiation to saturation. It was observed that in every case the rate of coloration was greater after the section had been cleared and re-irradiated than when the color was being produced for the first time. If the heat treatment is restricted to an amount barely sufficient to remove the coloration, then the rate follows the same curve on successive irradiation cycles. If the crystal section is baked for a longer period of time than that stated above, the rate decreases and approaches that of fresh quartz. The change in rate of coloration of quartz is governed by the immediately preceding heat treatment employed in removing the color centers. No “memory” of previous heat treatments appears to be present.
Employee Empowerment and Job Satisfaction in the U.S. Federal Bureaucracy: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Employee empowerment practices have been widely adopted in public organizations in Europe, the Pacific Rim, and North America. In this study, employee empowerment is conceptualized as a multifaceted approach composed of various practices aimed at sharing information, resources, rewards, and authority with lower level employees. Self-Determination Theory is used to theorize about the effects of these different empowerment practices on job satisfaction. The results of the empirical analysis, based on 2010 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) data, indicate that empowerment practices aimed at promoting self-determination (i.e., sharing information about goals and performance, providing access to job-related knowledge and skills, and granting discretion to change work processes) have positive and sizable effects on job satisfaction. Conversely, empowerment practices that undermine autonomy (i.e., offering contingent-based rewards) have no meaningful effect on job satisfaction.
EMBROILED IN OIL

ABSTRACT The fate of used automotive crankcase oils are analyzed. It appears that current methods for handling waste oils dispose of about 0.5 billion gallons per year directly to the environment. Burning tests using the waste oils for fuel oil produced mixed results. Some tests indicated a 3:1 dillution ratio could provide adequate results; other tests indicated coking of fire tubes and clogging of burner nozzels. A novel rerefining flow sheet which uses vacuum distillation without clay treatment or chemicals to produce a No. 2 and No. 4 fuel oil is presented. Additional research and development is required, but the process has a potential for about an 85–90% yield without producing any solid or liquid pollution.
Nanofluidics: enabling processes for biotech

The advance of micro and nanodevice manufacturing technology enables us to carry out biological and chemical processes in a more efficient manner. In fact, fluidic processes connect the macro and the micro/nano worlds. For devices approaching the size of the fluid molecules, many physical phenomena occur that are not observed in macro flows. In this brief review, we discuss a few selected topics which of are interest for basic research and are important for applications in biotechnology.
Vaginal brachytherapy for early stage uterine papillary serous and clear cell endometrial cancer.

Objective To report clinical outcomes following adjuvant high-dose-rate (HDR) vaginal brachytherapy (VB) for early-stage uterine papillary serous (UPSC) and clear cell (CC) endometrial cancer. Methods A retrospective study of Stage I and II papillary serous and clear cell endometrial cancer treated with post-operative HDR VB between October 2005 and May 2012 was performed. A total of 37 patients were identified, 26 with UPSC, 9 with CC and 2 with mixed UPSC/CC. After total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, VB was administered without external-beam radiation with a dose of 24 Gy in 6 fractions prescribed to the vaginal surface. Chemotherapy was given to 30 patients (75%). Results The median follow up time was 24.8 months (range, 2.0 to 71.5 months). Four patients relapsed, 2 with UPSC and 2 with CC. The initial site of relapse was concurrent vagina, pelvic/para-aortic nodes and abdominal wall (1), pelvic/para-aortic nodes (1) and para-aortic nodes alone (2). The 2-year vaginal-control rate was 96.8%. The pelvic-control rate including vaginal and nodal relapse was 93.5%. The 2-year disease-free and overall survival rates were 89.3% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion HDR VB as the sole adjuvant treatment modality for early-stage UPSC/CC is associated with a low rate of vaginal relapse and excellent survival outcomes. This novel low-dose regimen for VB is safe and effective.
Soft tissue calcifications in the lower extremities of severely diabetic patients simulating venous stasis or collagen vascular disease

The purpose of this work is to report soft tissue calcifications in severely diabetic patients that simulate venous stasis or scleroderma, without other stigmata of these diseases. Findings from lower extremity radiographs were reviewed on two patients with severe diabetes mellitus and abnormal soft tissue calcifications. Findings were correlated with clinical history, physical exam findings, and laboratory values. Both patients in this study demonstrate radiographic findings of lower extremity soft tissue calcifications similar to those seen in venous stasis or scleroderma. Clinical history, physical examination, and laboratory values support severe diabetes mellitus, with no evidence of these other disease entities. Patients with severe diabetes mellitus may exhibit soft tissue calcifications of their lower extremities that may simulate the changes of venous stasis or scleroderma. This association has not been previously described.
Novel synthesis and magnetocaloric assessment of functional oxide perovskites

Abstract The magnetic entropy change associated with the ferromagnetic Curie transition has been studied in La 0.85 Sr 0.15 MnO 3 (LSM) perovskites obtained by both the citrate–nitrate gel autoignition and combustion thermal spray techniques. A modest magnetic entropy change can be observed in La 0.85 Sr 0.15 MnO 3 by sintering the precursor-derived powder at 1200 °C for 16 h or by combustion spraying the solution precursor onto an Al substrate and annealing at 800 °C for 6 h. The combustion thermal spray process with rapid deposition rates and relatively low deposition temperature directly produces a microcrystalline perovskite phase. This microcrystalline powder can be processed more rapidly and at lower temperatures than that derived from the sol–gel syntheses process to produce material with fine crystallinity and an obvious magnetocaloric effect.
HIF-2α regulates glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase expression in endothelial cells

Abstract Endothelial cells (EC) express both hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and -2α (HIF-2α), yet their roles in the EC hypoxic response are unclear. Hypoxia upregulates the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in EC through a 5′ hypoxic regulatory element (HRE). We compared the upregulation of GAPDH in human lung microvascular EC to that in hep3B cells, another cell type known to express both HIF-1α and HIF-2α. GAPDH mRNA increased to a lesser extent in hypoxic hep3B cells than in EC, yet upregulation occurred through the same HRE that was active in EC. HIF-1α protein induction in response to hypoxia was similar in both cell types. In contrast, HIF-2α protein levels were upregulated to a greater extent and for a longer period of time by hypoxia in EC than in hep3B cells. Correspondingly, electrophoretic mobility supershift assays showed that, in EC, there was preferential binding of HIF-2α to the GAPDH HRE while, in hep3B cells, there was binding of both HIF-1α and HIF-2α. The preferential binding of HIF-2α to the GAPDH HRE in EC may account for their higher level of induction of GAPDH. These findings suggest that cell-specific patterns of HIF-1α and HIF-2α expression lead to cell-specific gene upregulation during hypoxia.
Solutions of convolution integral and Fredholm integral equations via double Fourier series

Double Fourier series are developed to approximate the solutions of the convolution integral and Fredholm integral equations. Properties of Fourier series are first briefly presented, and the operational matrix of integration together with the product operational matrix is utilized to reduce the computation of integral equations to a set of simultaneous linear algebraic equations. The method is computationally very attractive, and applications are demonstrated through illustrative examples.
Statistical saturation of buoyant flow induced by a fluctuating acceleration

We study buoyancy-driven convection in a laterally heated, two-dimensional cavity under a fluctuating acceleration field, to model flow conditions in a microgravity environment. In the limit of a large aspect ratio cavity (the length in the direction perpendicular to the temperature gradient is much larger than in the parallel direction), an analytic solution can be found in which the flow reaches a statistical steady state of zero average vorticity and mean squared vorticity that scales as the stochastic Rayleigh number squared. We also present the results of a full numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equation for a fluid driven by a fluctuating acceleration field in a square cavity and confirm the scaling of the flow obtained in the asymptotic analysis. d G2 R Ra Nomenclature = length in direction of the gradient = intensity of fluctuations = stochastic Rayleigh number = Rayleigh number ot = coefficient of thermal expansion of the fluid AT = temperature gradient across the cavity K = thermal diffusivity v = kinematic viscosity r = correlation time
Holography in dentistry

Holograms, three-dimensional images of an object, were used to record an entire study cast. The process seems to offer applications in many fields of dentistry. An entire study cast was recorded on holograms. Holography can be a useful tool as it contains relationships in all three dimensions. Storage of dental casts for many years could be eliminated if the information could be put on a single holographic film. Holograms were made that recorded on a single piece of film an entire study case in three dimensions. Other applications of holography in dentistry are discussed. On a qualitative basis, it appears that holography has potential application in many fields of dentistry. However, a number of problems must be resolved before holography will find its way into the dental practice.
Comparison of arsenic-induced cell transformation, cytotoxicity, mutation and cytogenetic effects in Syrian hamster embryo cells in culture

Sodium arsenite and sodium arsenate were observed to induce morphological transformation of Syrian hamster embryo cells in a dose-dependent manner. A linear dose-dependence with a slope of approximately 1 was observed with both compounds when the data were plotted on a log-log graph. The trivalent sodium arsenite was greater than 10-fold more potent than the pentavalent sodium arsenate. The compounds also exhibited toxicity; however, transformation was observed at non-toxic as well as toxic doses. At low doses, enhanced colony-forming efficiency of the cells was observed. To understand the mechanism of arsenic-induced transformation, the genetic effects of the two arsenicals were examined over the same doses that induced transformation. No arsenic-induced gene mutations were detected at two genetic loci. However, cell transformation and cytogenetic effects, including endoreduplication, chromosome aberrations, and sister chromatid exchanges were induced by the arsenicals with similar dose-responses. These results support a possible role for chromosomal changes in arsenic-induced transformation.
Emergency-oriented expert systems: a fuzzy approach

Abstract An expert system used to respond to inquiries concerning emergency-like states in a system is presented. As is usually the case, many soft, imprecise, and subjective aspects are involved. A soft data base is therefore required to make it possible, first, to formally represent the information, and second, to manipulate (e.g., infer, summarize, etc.) such information. Fuzzy set and possibility theory offers promising tools and techniques. The emergency orientation of the expert system considered has the following two basic implications: speed of operation (handling the soft information involved) and a safety-first attitude to be reflected. Such expert systems are particularly important in such fields as medicine, nuclear technology, and aviation. A fuzzy set-based calculus of evidence measures and of linguistically quantified statements employed is an appropriate apparatus from both points of view mentioned above.
Patients' perceptions and treatment effectiveness: a reassessment using generalized maximum entropy

Recent research using Prospect Theory (PT) suggests that treatment history contributes to a frame of reference that introduces heterogeneity in patients' perceptions of how further treatment will improve their health status and carries over into an assessment of how effective the recent treatment was. Analysis using the Monotone Rank Estimator (MRE), a semi-parametric classical statistical technique that allows for heterogeneity across individual responses, supported this idea. This article checks whether the MRE results are accurate using an alternative technique, Generalized Maximum Entropy (GME), which more effectively incorporates heterogeneity through the assignment of support points (based on prior information) for the error term. The results are compared to those obtained previously with the MRE. In the new results, prior treatment outcomes do not appear to significantly affect patients' perceived outcomes for subsequent treatments, which contradicts the earlier findings.
P = f (Conscientiousness × Ability): Examining the Facets of Conscientiousness

We posited that the form of the joint effects of motivation and ability in traditional performance models are interactive because motivation triggers the use of energy resources required to deploy ability at work. Moreover, we posited that achievement might best represent motivation compared to five other facets of Conscientiousness or global Conscientiousness. In two samples of customer service representatives, achievement interacted with general mental ability (GMA) in predicting task performance, whereas global Conscientiousness and the other five facets did not. This suggests that researchers examining the motivational aspects of Conscientiousness might uncover a more consistent pattern of results for task performance if they focus on the achievement facet. Furthermore, managers might see the highest levels of task performance in certain contexts when hiring individuals based on both achievement and GMA.
Colloidal macromolecular phenomena. Part II. Novel microcrystals of polymers

Colloidal microcrystalline cellulose, introduced in 1961, now is a successful commercial product with growing world-wide markets. This paper describes some major findings of our continuing research to convert fibrous or fiber-forming polymer systems into new colloidal microcrystalline physical states without going through a homogeneous molecular solution phase. Several novel microcrystalline colloidal products from the following natural and/or synthetic polymeric raw materials are described and compared for the first time: cellulose, amylose, collagen, nylon, and chrysotile mineral silicates. Many previously unpublished electron micrographs are presented. These products demonstrate a new and growing field of colloidal microcrystalline polymer science. They open up increasing opportunities for new polymer products based on the original concept, namely, the unhinging of polymer microcrystals from their natural or synthetic network and then by appropriate mechanical energy, releasing them as discrete, submicron colloidal polymer microcrystals dispersed in various liquid media to form unique gel systems, or reaggregated in the dry state to form porous colloidal particles.
The Riddle of Frontal Lobe Function in Man

This paper records a recurrent perplexity and a recent attempt at its resolution. Let me begin with the perplexity. Man_s frontal lobes have always presented problems that seemed to exceed those encountered in studying other regions of his brain. In striving to give a functional interpretation of anatomic pattern, we have therefore tended, in our laboratory, to begin by considering the occipital lobes and their processing of visual information (Teuber and Bender 1949; Teuber et al. 1960), and to progress from there to analysis of parietal and temporal lobe syndromes involving touch and hearing and higher processes (Teuber et al. 1951; Semmes et al. 1960). In this way, one can spend one’s life as an investigator without ever crossing the central fissure. And well one might—because it appears that by starting at the posterior end of the brain, it may become impossible in principle to reach the frontal lobes. I now believe that analysis of frontal lobe functions requires that we begin from that end, considering how these anterior parts act upon posterior, and predominantly sensory structures. What is needed is a 180° turn (Teuber 1961b). It is hardly an accident that the frontal lobes have continued to pose such insuperable difficulties to interpretations in traditional stimulus-response terms. Such conventional attacks on the problem go from sensory to motor functions; if the opposite approach is required—going from motor to sensory, as we shall suggest—then it may become understandable why frontal symptoms have been so perplexing.
Size of age-0 crappies (Pomoxis spp.) relative to reservoir habitats and water levels

Variable year-class strength is common in crappie Pomoxis spp. populations in many reservoirs, yet the mechanisms behind this variability are poorly understood. Size-dependent mortality of age-0 fishes has long been recognized in the population ecology literature; however, investigations about the effects of environmental factors on age-0 crappie size are lacking. The objective of this study was to determine if differences existed in total length of age-0 crappies between embayment and floodplain habitats in reservoirs, while accounting for potential confounding effects of water level and crappie species. To this end, we examined size of age-0 crappies in four flood-control reservoirs in northwest Mississippi over 4 years. Age-0 crappies inhabiting uplake floodplain habitats grew to a larger size than fish in downlake embayments, but this trend depended on species, length of time a reservoir was dewatered in the months preceding spawning, and reservoir water level in the months following spawning. The res...
Ethics and Stochastic Processes

There is some irony, and perhaps a bit of gallows humor, in opening a paper in this volume with the claim that “applied ethics” is a misnomer. Yet that claim is true in the following sense. What we need for most of the issues that have sparked the contemporary resurgence of moral and political theory is not the application of ethics as we know it, but the revamping of ethics to make it relevant to the issues we face. It is in our concern with major policy programs that ethics and political philosophy are most commonly rejoined to become a unified enquiry after a nearly complete separation through most of this century. Yet, ethical theories may be shaken to their foundations by our effort to apply them to policy problems. I do not propose to revamp ethics here, but only to show that much ethical theory cannot readily be applied to major policy problems.There are at least three important characteristics of major policy issues in general that may give traditional moral theories difficulties. First, such issues can generally be handled only by institutional intervention; they commonly cannot be resolved through uncoordinated individual action. Theories formulated at the individual level must therefore be recast to handle institutional actions and possibilities. Second, major policy issues typically have complicating strategic interactions between individuals at their bases. Third, they are inherently stochastic in the important sense that they affect large numbers with more or less determinable (or merely guessable) probabilities. C. H. Waddington calls such issues instances of “the problem of the ethics of stochastic processes.”
Cerebral and spinal somatosensory evoked potentials in children with CNS degenerative disease

Abstract Spinal and cerebral somatosensory evoked potentials to peroneal nerve and median nerve stimulation were recorded in 17 children with CNS degenerative disease and compared with similar potentials obtained in a group of age-matched normal control subjects. Spinal potentials were increased in duration over caudal cord segments and were poorly defined or absent over the rostral cord in some patients. In 12 patients the conduction velocity of the spinal response was slow over spinal cord segments. However, conduction velocity over peripheral nerve and cauda equina was normal in all patients. The scalp recorded evoked potentials to both median and peroneal nerve stimulation which arise in neural structures rostral to the brain stem were absent in 14 patients. Cerebral responses and certain spinal potentials were greatly increased in amplitude in one patient with myoclonus. This study demonstrates that these methods permit an evaluation of the entire neuraxis from peripheral nerve to cerebral cortex and that they may be helpful in the evaluation of patients with diffuse or multifocal disease of the nervous system.
Unraveling the mechanism of cell death induced by chemical fibrils

We previously discovered a small-molecule inducer of cell death, named 1541, that noncovalently self-assembles into chemical fibrils ('chemi-fibrils') and activates procaspase-3 in vitro. We report here that 1541-induced cell death is caused by the fibrillar rather than the soluble form of the drug. A short hairpin RNA screen reveals that knockdown of genes involved in endocytosis, vesicle trafficking and lysosomal acidification causes partial 1541 resistance. We confirm the role of these pathways using pharmacological inhibitors. Microscopy shows that the fluorescent chemi-fibrils accumulate in punctae inside cells that partially colocalize with lysosomes. Notably, the chemi-fibrils bind and induce liposome leakage in vitro, suggesting they may do the same in cells. The chemi-fibrils induce extensive proteolysis including caspase substrates, yet modulatory profiling reveals that chemi-fibrils form a distinct class from existing inducers of cell death. The chemi-fibrils share similarities with proteinaceous fibrils and may provide insight into their mechanism of cellular toxicity.
Effect of multiplexed sub-ATM rate inter-LAN traffic on input queueing ATM switches

The effects of mixed sub-ATM rate inter-LAN traffic on the performance of input queueing ATM switches are studied. Although ATM technology is recommended for B-ISDN, immediate applications of ATM switches are believed to be in inter-LAN switching. Thus a method of analyzing input queueing ATM switches loaded with such traffic is developed. The switch is represented as a Markov chain where the size of the state space is proportional to buffer depth, independent of switch size, making the approach feasible for large switches. The queue distribution is solved iteratively by choosing an arbitrary queue service distribution initially and solving the queue and service distributions alternately until their convergence. The procedure is also applicable to shared input queueing switches, requiring only the added translation of the bursty characteristics of the arriving cells. Our study shows that the burst length can be substantially reduced by using the queue sharing discipline. Extensive simulation results for both dedicated and shared input queues verify the accuracy of the analysis. >
Three potential mediators of the effects of child abuse and neglect on adulthood substance use among women.

Objective: This study examined mechanisms that might account for the association between early childhood abuse and neglect, and substance use and related problems in adulthood for women. Method: Women with documented cases of early childhood abuse and/or neglect and matched controls were interviewed in young adulthood (mean age = 29 years) and again in middle adulthood (mean age = 40) (n = 582). We examined the mediating effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, stressful life events, and delinquent and criminal behavior measured in young adulthood on substance use-related problems and illicit drug use measured in middle adulthood. Results: We found that all three potential mediators mediated the effects of abuse and neglect on substance-use problems and illicit drug use. When all three mediators were considered simultaneously, only stressful life events mediated the effects of child abuse and neglect for substance use-related problems and PTSD mediated for illicit drug use. These relationships were not moderated by race/ethnicity, although the effects of abuse and neglect on the mediators differed for white and non-white women. Conclusions: These findings suggest that interventions are needed with maltreated girls to recognize and attend to their PTSD symptoms and to assist them in developing coping strategies to deal with stressful life events in an attempt to reduce risk of subsequent substance use and related problems. Language: en
Structural Determinants of Protein Evolution are Context-Sensitive at the Residue Level

Structural properties of a protein residue's microenvironment have long been implicated as agents of selective constraint. Although these properties are inherently quantitative, structure-based studies of protein evolution tend to rely upon coarse distinctions between "surface" and "buried" residues and between "interfacial" and "noninterfacial" residues. Using homology-mapped yeast protein structures, we explore the relationships between residue evolution and continuous structural properties of the residue microenvironment, including solvent accessibility, density and distribution of residue-residue contacts, and burial depth. We confirm the role of solvent exposure as a major structural determinant of residue evolution and also identify a weak secondary effect arising from packing density. The relationship between solvent exposure and evolutionary rate (d N /d s ) is found to be strong, positive, and linear. This reinforces the notion that residue burial is a continuous property with quantitative fitness implications. Next, we demonstrate systematic variation in residue-level structure-evolution relationships resulting from changes in global physical and biological contexts. We find that increasing protein-core size yields a more rapid relaxation of selective constraint as solvent exposure increases, although solvent-excluded residues remain similarly constrained. Finally, we analyze the selective constraint in protein-protein interfaces, revealing two fundamentally different yet separable components: continuous structural constraint that scales with total residue burial and a more surprising fixed functional constraint that accompanies any degree of interface involvement. These discoveries serve to elucidate and unite structure-evolution relationships at the residue and whole-protein levels.
Reactive Infiltration of Aluminum into Molybdenum Disilicide Preform

Aluminum has been reactively infiltrated into a molybdenum disilicide preform with relative densities of 40% and 85%. The resultant compact is found to contain Mo(Al,Si) 2 particles surrounded by aluminum metal; 14 to 18 at.% of aluminum reacted with MoSi 2 irrespective of the infiltration temperature and time.
Downtown Malls as Engines of Economic Development, Community Spirit, and Political Capital

This article reframes the inquiry into downtown economic redevelopment by raising the question of whether downtown malls affect how citizens feel about their community. Unlike other studies that focus almost exclusively on objective economic indicators, the authors employ perceptual data to measure how a new mall in downtown Providence, Rhode Island affected residents' shopping behavior, views on community spirit, and evaluation of the mayor. Drawing on data from a public opinion poll of Providence residents, they conclude that Providence's downtown mall has had positive economic spillover and has heightened civic pride, but it has had no significant effect on residents' views of the mayor's job performance. These and other of their results demonstrate that city boosters who justify such projects based on economic revitalization and improved community spirit are likely to have arguments that resonate with residents.
Serotonin-3 receptors in the actions of alcohol, alcohol reinforcement, and alcoholism.

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2003 annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The organizers and chairs were William J. McBride and David M. Lovinger. The presentations were (1) Mechanisms of alcohol potentiation of 5-HT3 receptor function, by David M. Lovinger and Tina Machu; (2) Chronic alcohol drinking alters 5-HT3 receptors regulating the mesolimbic dopamine system, by Richard J. Thielen; (3) 5-HT3 receptors in the VTA regulate alcohol drinking and the reinforcing effects of alcohol, by Zachary A. Rodd and James M. Murphy; and (4) Ondansetron as a treatment for "biological" alcoholism, by John D. Roache and Bankole A. Johnson. Language: en
Where to locate wearable displays?: reaction time performance of visual alerts from tip to toe

Advances in electronics have brought the promise of wearable computers to near reality. Such systems can offer a highly personal and mobile information and communication infrastructure. Previous research has investigated where wearable computers can be located on the human body - critical for successful development and acceptance. However, for a location to be truly useful, it needs to not only be accessible for interaction, socially acceptable, comfortable and sufficiently stable for electronics, but also effective at conveying information. In this paper, we describe the results from a study that evaluated reaction time performance to visual stimuli at seven different body locations. Results indicate that there are numerous and statistically significant differences in the reaction time performance characteristics of these locations. We believe our findings can be used to inform the design and placement of future wearable computing applications and systems.
Active and passive factors in urethral continence function

The function of the urethra can be evaluated with respect to involuntary continence function, volitional contractility — which has no relationship to passive continence — and conduit function. Precise evaluation of continence function usually requires fluoroscopy. The classification of incontinence based on fluoroscopic and manometric findings has a bearing on the selection of an effective operation. Direct urethral pressure measurements are of little value in the diagnosis of urethral dysfunction.
Activated Neutrophils Induce Erythrocyte Immunoglobulin Binding and Membrane Protein Degradation

Neutrophil-induced alterations in feline erythrocytes were investigated to elucidate the pathogenesis of the erythrocyte destruction associated with inflammatory disease. Incubation of erythrocytes with zymosan-activated neutrophils, at target:effector concentrations of 50:1, resulted in immunoglobulin binding to the erythrocyte membrane and degradation of membrane proteins. Vitamin E and superoxide dismutase/catalase attenuated the immunoglobulin binding. Proteolysis was not prevented by addition of antioxidants or protease inhibitors to the erythrocyte:neutrophil coculture and was not reproduced with chemical oxidation or calcium loading of erythrocytes.
A non-mitotic role for Aurora kinase A as a direct activator of cell migration upon interaction with PLD, FAK and Src

Timely activation of Aurora kinase A (AURA, also known as AURKA) is vital for centrosome formation and the progression of mitosis. Nonetheless, it is still unclear if and when other cellular functions are activated by AURA. We report here that Src phosphorylates and activates AURA at T288, and AURA also activates focal adhesion kinase (FAK, also known as PTK2), leading to initiation of cell movement. An additional and new way by which AURA is regulated, is by phospholipase D2 (PLD2), which causes AURA activation. In addition, AURA phosphorylates PLD, so both proteins engage in a positive reinforcement loop. AURA and PLD2 form a protein–protein complex and colocalize to cytoplasmic regions in cells. The reason why PLD activates AURA is because of the production of phosphatidic acid by the lipase, which binds directly to AURA, with the region E171–E211 projected to be a phosphatidic-acid-binding pocket. Furthermore, this direct interaction with phosphatidic acid enhances tubulin polymerization and cooperates synergistically with AURA, FAK and Src in yielding a fully effectual cellular migration. Thus, Src and FAK, and PLD and phosphatidic acid are new upstream regulators of AURA that mediate its role in the non-mitotic cellular function of cell migration.
I Know This To Be True…: Perceptions of Teachers in One Rural Elementary School Regarding Writing Scores

This study is set in an elementary school located in a rural, Appalachian area and considers the reasons that teachers attribute to student success on state writing assessments as well as to what reasons they attribute their students’ lack of success in moving beyond an average ranking. In considering these reasons, patterns emerge in the data that prove intriguing. For example, one pattern indicates that teachers link the lack of student success to aspects beyond their control. These aspects include student home life, socioeconomic levels, and parental attitudes toward school. The second emerging pattern shows that teachers couple their own teaching practices with student achievement. Such indications have great implications for future studies in that the perceptions of teachers may be key in utilizing the results of standardized assessments. At three o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, teachers in a small, rural, elementary school, located in the Appalachian region of Tennessee, gather in the library for the outcome of the latest standardized test scores. Although the results have yet to be announced, some teachers frown, others glare, a few look at their feet, and one nationally recognized teacher dabs at her eyes. The new principal addresses her faculty and commends them for all of their hard work. While recognizing their dedication she is confused as to the hostility mounting in the room: Some direct their anger toward her and others toward each other. A fourth grade teacher huffs that third grade teachers need to cover more in their curriculum, and on down the line the accusations run. During the weeks that follow, teachers have grade level meetings, but are reluctant as a group to address any of the targeted areas for improvement by the state department of testing. In individual conferences with the principal, teachers whose students consistently do well on standardized tests explain that they keep their teaching strategies to themselves for fear others will assume they are bragging. Some even contribute their success to luck while insisting that they are “not really that good.” On the other hand, teachers whose students have consistently scored low on standardized tests for five or more years find fault with the test, the test procedures, the students, and even the school schedule. In fact, several teachers, who have consistently low test scores over a period of years, use this information as evidence to show that the “low” students are always assigned to their classrooms. I know this to be true
A perspective on communications and computing

Presented is an essay on the dynamics of the relationships between communications and computing. Movement of computer applications from the back office to the front office, from batch to on-line data processing, is illustrated and conclusions are drawn regarding communications protocols, network management, application and data base design, and system generality. The influence and requirements of several new technologies are presented, inlcuding those of microprocessors and teleconferencing.
A Monotonic Code for Sound Azimuth in Primate Inferior Colliculus

We investigated the format of the code for sound location in the inferior colliculi of three awake monkeys (Macaca mulatta). We found that roughly half of our sample of 99 neurons was sensitive to the free-field locations of broadband noise presented in the frontal hemisphere. Such neurons nearly always responded monotonically as a function of sound azimuth, with stronger responses for more contralateral sound locations. Few, if any, neurons had circumscribed receptive fields. Spatial sensitivity was broad: the proportion of the total sample of neurons responding to a sound at a given location ranged from 30% for ipsilateral locations to 80% for contralateral locations. These findings suggest that sound azimuth is represented via a population rate code of very broadly responsive neurons in primate inferior colliculi. This representation differs in format from the place code used for encoding the locations of visual and tactile stimuli and poses problems for the eventual convergence of auditory and visual or somatosensory signals. Accordingly, models for converting this representation into a place code are discussed.
Open loop residual carrier arraying with baseband combining

In deep space communications, different antenna aperture arraying techniques are used to enhance the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). A residual-carrier arraying scheme, which is able to jointly (two or more antennas) track the carrier when the signal is too weak to be tracked by a single antenna, is proposed in this paper. Starting with the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the carrier phase of a sinusoid in white Gaussian noise, an open-loop MLE for estimating the carrier phase difference between several antennas and a reference antenna is proposed. The performance of this estimator is derived and is shown to be unbiased, and asymptotically efficient (the variance of the estimate error is given by the CRLB). Next, this residual carrier technique is illustrated in conjunction with baseband combining for PCM/BPSK/PM signal. The degradation in terms of symbol SNR and symbol error rate loss is derived based on imperfect synchronization assumptions. The results are verified by simulation for a given example.
Promotion of Prescription Drugs and Its Impact on Physicians' Choice Behavior

Abstract The authors investigate whether and how pricing and promotional activities influence prescription choice behavior using a comprehensive panel of physicians and data on competitive price and promotional activities. The authors find that physicians are characterized by fairly limited price sensitivity, detailing and samples have a mostly informative effect on physicians, and physicians with a relatively large number of Medicare or health maintenance organization patients are less influenced by promotion than other physicians are.
Correlation model for spatially distributed ground‐motion intensities

Risk assessment of spatially distributed building portfolios or infrastructure systems requires quantification of the joint occurrence of ground-motion intensities at several sites, during the same earthquake. The ground-motion models that are used for site-specific hazard analysis do not provide information on the spatial correlation between ground-motion intensities, which is required for the joint prediction of intensities at multiple sites. Moreover, researchers who have previously computed these correlations using observed ground-motion recordings differ in their estimates of spatial correlation. In this paper, ground motions observed during seven past earthquakes are used to estimate correlations between spatially distributed spectral accelerations at various spectral periods. Geostatistical tools are used to quantify and express the observed correlations in a standard format. The estimated correlation model is also compared with previously published results, and apparent discrepancies among the previous results are explained. The analysis shows that the spatial correlation reduces with increasing separation between the sites of interest. The rate of decay of correlation typically decreases with increasing spectral acceleration period. At periods longer than 2 s, the correlations were similar for all the earthquake ground motions considered. At shorter periods, however, the correlations were found to be related to the local-site conditions (as indicated by site V s 30 values) at the ground-motion recording stations. The research work also investigates the assumption of isotropy used in developing the spatial correlation models. It is seen using the Northridge and Chi-Chi earthquake time histories that the isotropy assumption is reasonable at both long and short periods. Based on the factors identified as influencing the spatial correlation, a model is developed that can be used to select appropriate correlation estimates for use in practical risk assessment problems.
Experimental Taphonomy Of Callinectes Sapidus And Cuticular Controls On Preservation

Abstract Examination of remains of Callinectes sapidus deployed in several depth and environmental settings in the Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico as part of the Shelf and Slope Experimental Taphonomy Initiative project revealed that all specimens were uniformly and strongly degraded except those in brine-seep settings. Fragmentation and loss of cuticular material at all sites was correlated to the degree of calcification within the cuticle of different skeletal elements as observed in the undeployed specimens. Claws, tips of the last anterolateral spine, and mandibles were the most durable remains. In brine-seep areas, extraordinary preservation yielded articulated skeletal elements and some soft tissue. Examination of the cuticle in control specimens with cross-polarized light and computed tomographic scanning documents the correspondence of high degrees of calcification with portions of the exoskeleton remaining after deployment.