cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Partial molar volume and gel electrophoretic studies of sperm whale myoglobin and apomyoglobin: native and urea denatured.

Abstract The reaction of urea with sperm whale myoglobin and apomyoglobin generates changes in their volumes which are unique and characteristic for these proteins. The partial molar volume of myoglobin exhibited a positive concave functional dependence on urea concentration reaching a maximum at 6.5 M urea. In contrast, the corresponding parameter for apomyoglobin obeyed a negative curvilinear relationship with increasing urea concentration. Gel electrophoretic analysis revealed a similar dichotomy in the kinetics, products, and reaction mechanism(s). Even though the mechanisms for urea denaturation of myoglobin and apomyoglobin differ, both systems were characterized by the operation of a series of reactions which produce several forms of denatured proteins. The singular partial molar volume relationship observed for myoglobin as a function of urea concentration indicates the occurrence of not only a helix to coil transition, but also additional structural transformations. The negative asymptotic relationship found for the apomyoglobin-urea systems is in accord with a helix to coil conversion. The volume decrease resulting from the transformation of myoglobin from a water-free crystalline state to the completely hydrated state is — 0.039 ml/g protein. The dependence of this parameter on the water content of the crystalline protein indicates that electrostriction is the dominant factor involved.
The directed reverse path join (DRPJ) protocol: an efficient multicast routing protocol

The new Directed Reverse Path Join (DRPJ) protocol efficiently implements a Greedy routing algorithm for generating a multicast tree. The DRPJ protocol minimizes the messaging overhead from probe messages and allows a joining node to find multiple paths that are not constrained to be only the shortest paths. This enables a controllable tradeoff between path length and bandwidth consumption. Using simulation, the DRPJ protocol is compared to the existing Flooding with TTL (Time-To-Live) and Directed Spanning Join (DSJ) protocols. Using a topology model of the current Internet, it is found that the DRPJ protocol reduces probe messages by nearly 90 and 75% when compared to the Flooding with TTL and DSJ protocols, respectively.
Rheological behavior of multiwalled carbon nanotube/polycarbonate composites

Abstract The rheological behavior of compression molded mixtures of polycarbonate containing between 0.5 and 15 wt% carbon nanotubes was investigated using oscillatory rheometry at 260 °C. The nanotubes have diameters between 10 and 15 nm and lengths ranging from 1 to 10 μm. The composites were obtained by diluting a masterbatch containing 15 wt% nanotubes using a twin-screw extruder. The increase in viscosity associated with the addition of nanotubes is much higher than viscosity changes reported for carbon nanofibers having larger diameters and for carbon black composites; this can be explained by the higher aspect ratio of the nanotubes. The viscosity increase is accompanied by an increase in the elastic melt properties, represented by the storage modulus G ′, which is much higher than the increase in the loss modulus G ″. The viscosity curves above 2 wt% nanotubes exhibit a larger decrease with frequency than samples containing lower nanotube loadings. Composites containing more than 2 wt% nanotubes exhibit non-Newtonian behavior at lower frequencies. A step increase at approximately 2 wt% nanotubes was observed in the viscosity–composition curves at low frequencies. This step change may be regarded as a rheological threshold. Ultimately, the rheological threshold coincides with the electrical conductivity percolation threshold which was found to be between 1 and 2 wt% nanotubes.
Retroactive interference effects of surprising reward omission on serial spatial memory.

Reward omission was used to produce retroactive interference in a serial delayed-alternation task. Rats were given forced choices in 3 T mazes presented in succession followed by free choices in which the alternate arm in each maze was rewarded. Nonreward during the delay between forced- and free-choice runs produced a decrement in performance (i.e., retroactive interference) in comparison to reward during the delay. Interference in retention of the first maze in a list occurred when the second maze contained surprising reward or omission (i.e., an outcome contrary to previous training in that maze) in comparison to expected reward or omission. In addition to producing retroactive interference, omission sometimes increased alternation in the maze in which it occurred. These results support a differential rehearsal hypothesis of spatial memory.
Ground state anion formation and picosecond excitation dynamics of 3-hydroxyflavone in formamide

Abstract The spectroscopic characteristics of 3-hydroxyflavone (3-HF) in formamide are shown to differ from those in other polar and nonpolar solvents. This is attributed to ground state inter molecular solvent-mediated proton transfer that leads to formation of the ground state anion of 3-HF. A study is presented of the picosecond dynamics of the excited state intramolecular proton transfer and the dynamics of the excitation transients of the anionic species of 3-HF. It is shown that in the excited state, intra molecular proton transfer is the dominant process without any apparent intervention of the anionic potential, in contrast to the dominance of anion formation in the ground state for 3-HF in formamide.
The structure of films formed by γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane adsorbed onto copper

Abstract The structure of thin films formed by γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (γ-APS) adsorbed onto copper mirrors from aqueous solutions was determined using reflection-absorption infrared (RAIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Films formed at pH 10.4 were composed of siloxane polymers containing absorbed carbon dioxide and Cu(I) ions that formed coordination complexes with the amino groups. These films were stable in a dry atmosphere but a transition was observed during exposure to a humid atmosphere. During such exposure the extent of polymerization in the siloxane polymers increased, some carbon dioxide was desorbed, and the Cu(I) ions were oxidized to form Cu(II)/amine complexes with γ-APS. Films formed by adsorption of γ-APS onto copper from aqueous solutions acidified by addition of HCl were also composed of siloxane polymers. Most of the amino groups in these films were coordinated to copper ions but the films formed at low pH values contained little absorbed carbon dioxide.
Cost savings of using a marketable permit system for regulating light-duty vehicle emissions☆

Abstract In the USA, each individual vehicle is required to meet uniform per-mile emission standards. The uniform standard system does not allow vehicle manufacturers flexibility in achieving overall emission reduction goals for motor vehicles. The system provides manufacturers with little or no incentive to control vehicle emissions beyond what is required. In this paper, an incentive-based marketable permit system is proposed to replace the uniform standard system. Under the marketable permit system, vehicle manufacturers are required to meet corporate average emission standards; they are allowed to buy or sell vehicle emission reduction credits among themselves to meet corporate average standards; and they are allowed to bank vehicle emission reduction credits that are accumulated in earlier years and to use the credits for meeting average standards in later years. It is estimated in this study that relative to the current uniform standard system, the marketable permit system can reduce vehicle emission control costs by $150 to $400 million per year in California, or 13–30% of the costs currently spent on vehicle emission control.
Nontoxigenic Vibrio cholerae 01 Intestinal Pathology in Adult Mice

Summary The intestinal pathology caused by nontoxigenic Vibrio cholerae 01 was examined in the sealed adult mouse (SAM) model. Histologic examination demonstrated that a nontoxigenic V. cholerae 01 strain that elicited maximum fluid accumulation (FA) in the small intestine of adult mice caused damages to the villi and necrosis of lymphoid elements within solitary submucosal lymphoid nodules in the Peyer's patches. Challenge of mice with a strain that did not elicit intestinal FA produced none of the above tissue responses. Increased FA activity, intestinal alterations, and tissue pathology caused by the nontoxigenic V. cholerae 01 indicate it's pathogenic potential.
The Vanishing Viscosity Limit of Statistical Solutions of The Navier-Stokes Equations. I. 2-D Periodic Case

In this paper we present a result on the vanishing viscosity limit of the statistical solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations in the 2-D periodic domain. In this case the enstrophy type estimate combined with the strengthened energy estimate lead to the strong compactness for the family of statistical solutions. Thus by choosing a subsequence we can have a statistical solution of the Euler equation as the vanishing viscosity limit of the sequence. This provides us the global existence in time of statistical solution of the 2-D Euler equation in the periodic domain with the initial data of finite mean enstrophy. The uniqueness remains open.
Three-Dimensional Bioluminescence Tomography Assisted By Diffuse Optical Tomography

We present experimental evidence that the quantitative accuracy of bioluminescence tomography (BLT) can be significantly improved by incorporating prior spatial distribution of optical properties of heterogeneous media obtained from diffuse optical tomography (DOT).
A national-scale geochemical and mineralogical survey of soils of the conterminous United States

In 2007, the US Geological Survey initiated a low-density (1 site per 1600 km 2 , c. 4800 sites) geochemical and mineralogical survey of soils of the conterminous USA. The ideal sampling protocol at each site includes a sample from 0–5 cm depth, a composite of the soil A horizon, and a sample from the soil C horizon. The <2-mm fraction of each sample is analyzed for Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, S, Ti, Ag, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Ga, In, La, Li, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sn, Sr, Te, Th, Tl, U, V, W, Y and Zn by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry following a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4 and HF. Separate methods are used for As, Hg, Se and total C on this same size fraction. The major mineralogical components are determined by a quantitative X-ray diffraction method. Sampling was completed in 2010 with chemical and mineralogical analysis currently underway. Preliminary results for a swath from the central USA to Florida clearly show the effects of soil parent material and climate on the chemical and mineralogical composition of soils. A sample archive will be established and made available for future investigations. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Wireless technologies for the orthopaedics: Diagnostics and surgical applications

Wireless technologies can be used as diagnostic tools, which are of prime interest in medical applications. For example, in orthopedics an array of inertial measurement units (IMUs) combined with ultrasound sensing provides a radiation free method to monitor in-vivo motion (e.g. bones in the knee); or a network of sensors to detect abnormal motions or vibrations for remote patient monitoring (e.g. unattended monitoring of elderly patients or epileptic patients). Miniaturization of low-powered medical sensors, such as oximeter, EEG, ECG, and EMG, combined with high bandwidth wireless communication (e.g. ultra wideband) enable WSNs to be used for patient monitoring over extended periods of time. These data can be transmitted wirelessly and stored on the patient's medical record to provide in-depth record tracking for further diagnosis. There are also intraoperative applications for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Surgical instruments embedded with Micro-Electromechanical System (MEMS) sensors provide immediate feedback about a patient's condition to doctors during surgery including temperature, pressure, strain, or biochemical reactions. Finally, ultra-wideband combined with WSNs provides a robust platform for developing WSNs which includes accurate 3-D positioning and high data rate or low data rate digital communication with optimized performance for indoor environments which contain high amounts of multipath (e.g. metallic) interference.
A cannula for infusion and withdrawal of fluids in unrestrained animals.

Abstract Assembly and insertion of an economical and simple cannula for venous infusions is described. The cannula can also be adapted for gastrointestinal infusions and allows painless administrations or sampling to be performed in unrestrained animals.
JOB SATISFACTION, BEHAVIORAL INTENTION, AND ABSENTEEISM AS PREDICTORS OF TURNOVER

Measures of overall job satisfaction, intention about remaining with the company, and frequency of absences were correlated with termination over two one-year periods for a sample of female clerical employees. A step-wise multiple regression indicated that both intent to remain with the company and frequency of absences added to the prediction of turnover during both one-year periods. Job satisfaction did not add to the prediction for either year.
Effects of Signal 3 during CD8 T cell priming: Bystander production of IL-12 enhances effector T cell expansion but promotes terminal differentiation.

Adjuvants are commonly used in vaccines to augment immune response, but how the inflammatory cytokines elicited by adjuvants directly influence effector and memory CD8 T cell differentiation remains poorly characterized. Here, we used a peptide-pulsed dendritic cell (DC) vaccination model to examine the role of primary cytokines, IL-12 and IFNgamma, elicited by CpG-B adjuvant on CD8 T cell priming and memory CD8 T cell development. During DC vaccination, simultaneous exposure to antigen and a heterologous Listeria infection, CpG-B or IL-12 enhanced a portion of the effector CD8 T cells to expand and differentiate to a larger extent. Simultaneously, this also decreased their ability to become long-lived memory CD8 T cells. However, development of memory CD8 T cells and their precursors was largely unaffected by the additional inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, IL-12 production by the antigen-presenting cell (APC) was not required during DC+CpG vaccination or Listeria infection, but rather 'bystander' macrophages and DCs appeared to be the physiologically relevant cellular sources of this cytokine. Furthermore, IFNgamma induced by CpG was required in vivo for optimal production of IL-12, which in turn, influenced effector CD8 T cell longevity. Together, these findings demonstrate the importance of an interconnected multicellular network between APCs, naive T cells and bystander cells of the innate immune system that regulate effector and memory CD8 T cell development during vaccination.
Multi-Rate Access Schemes for MC-CDMA

In order to accommodate different types of traffic in future wireless communications, it is necessary to consider a system, which can operate satisfactorily at multiple transmission rates. Due to its capability to cope with the hostile frequency selective fading, that limits transmission rate, and its suitability to handle multi-rate data, multi-carrier CDMA (MC-CDMA) has recently drawn considerable attention as a suitable candidate for supporting multimedia services in wireless communications. Multi-rate access schemes where users are able to transmit at different data rates on MC-CDMA systems are presented in this paper. Four multi-rate access schemes: uncoded fixed spreading length (UFSL), coded fixed spreading length (CFSL), multi-code fixed spreading length (MFSL) and variable spreading length (VSL) schemes are proposed. With these schemes, different traffic such as voice, video and high rate data can be transmitted seamlessly through one MC-CDMA infrastructure. A chip-level minimum mean square error combining (MMSEC) technique is employed for joint energy combining and interference cancellation purpose. The performance of these schemes with MMSEC is compared by both theoretical derivations and simulation results under frequency selective Rayleigh fading channels.
Recurrence rate of atrial flutter after initial presentation in patients on drug treatment

Atrial flutter (AFl) recurrence after initial in-patient presentation, cardioversion, and drug treatment is almost universal, often leading to rehospitalization and risk of serious clinical consequences. Radiofrequency ablation of AFl, which has an excellent safety record, should be evaluated as a first-line approach for most patients with AFl.
Placental arsenic concentrations in relation to both maternal and infant biomarkers of exposure in a US cohort

Arsenic crosses the placenta and may have adverse consequences in utero and later in life. At present, little is known about arsenic concentrations in placenta and their relation to maternal and infant exposures particularly at common levels of exposure. We measured placenta arsenic in a US cohort potentially exposed via drinking water from private wells, and evaluated the relationships between placenta and maternal and infant biomarker arsenic concentrations. We measured total arsenic concentrations in placental samples from women enrolled in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (N=766). We compared these data to maternal urinary arsenic (total arsenic and individual species) collected at approximately 24-28 week gestation, along with maternal post-partum toenails and infant toenails using non-parametric multivariate analysis of log10-transformed data. We also examined the association between placental arsenic and household drinking water arsenic. Placenta arsenic concentrations were related to arsenic concentrations in maternal urine (β 0.55, P value <0.0001), maternal (β 0.30, P value 0.0196) and infant toenails (β 0.40, P value 0.0293) and household drinking water (β 0.09, P value <0.0001). Thus, our data suggest that placenta arsenic concentrations reflect both maternal and infant exposures.
A new approach to c-glycoside congeners: Metal carbene mediated methylenation of aldonolactones.

Abstract Versatile intermediates for the synthesis of C-glycosides and oxygen heterocycles are readily available through titanium mediated methylenation of aldonolactones. Aldonolactones may be alkylated using the titanium carbene complex 2. The resulting enol ethers are of value as potential substrates for glycosidase enzymes. A high yield two step process for alkylation of these enol ethers was described. The products and procedures are relevant to the synthesis of mycotoxins, including citreoviridin and aurovertin B.
Testing Bell’s Inequality with Cosmic Photons: Closing the Setting-Independence Loophole

We propose a practical scheme to use photons from causally disconnected cosmic sources to set the detectors in an experimental test of Bell's inequality. In current experiments, with settings determined by quantum random number generators, only a small amount of correlation between detector settings and local hidden variables, established less than a millisecond before each experiment, would suffice to mimic the predictions of quantum mechanics. By setting the detectors using pairs of quasars or patches of the cosmic microwave background, observed violations of Bell's inequality would require any such coordination to have existed for billions of years-an improvement of 20 orders of magnitude.
An LMI-based robust fault detection and isolation scheme

This paper presents a linear matrix inequality (LMI)-based robust fault detection and isolation scheme that can precisely detect/isolate simultaneously occurring actuator and sensor faults within uncertain linear stochastic systems. This robust fault detection scheme would be able to distinguish between model uncertainties and actuator failures, therefore eliminating the problem of false alarms even in the presence of matched uncertainties. The proposed approach can also be used for sensor fault identification and the reconstruction of true outputs from faulty sensor outputs. Simulation results presented here validate the effectiveness of the proposed robust fault detection and isolation system.
Association of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ root infection, but not phloem plugging with root loss on huanglongbing-affected trees prior to appearance of foliar symptoms

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a systemic disease of citrus caused by phloem-limited bacteria ‘Candidatus Liberibacter’ spp. with ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las) the most widespread. Phloem-limited bacteria such as liberibacters and phytoplasmas are emerging as major pathogens of woody and herbaceous plants. Little is known about their systemic movement within a plant and the disease process in these tissues. Las movement after initial infection was monitored in leaves and roots of greenhouse trees. Root density, storage starch content, and vascular system anatomy in relation to Las presence in field and greenhouse trees, both with and without symptoms, showed the importance of root infection in disease development. Las preferentially colonized roots before leaves, where it multiplied and quickly invaded leaves when new foliar flush became a sink tissue for phloem flow. This led to the discovery that roots were damaged by root infection prior to development of visible foliar symptoms and was not associated with carbohydrate starvation caused by phloem-plugging as previously hypothesized. The role of root infection in systemic insect-vectored bacterial pathogens has been underestimated. These findings demonstrate the significance of early root infection to tree health and suggest a model for phloem-limited bacterial movement from the initial insect feeding site to the roots where it replicates, damages the host root system, and then spreads to the rest of the canopy during subsequent leaf flushes. This model provides a framework for testing movement of phloem-limited bacteria to gain greater understanding of how these pathogens cause disease and spread.
Conformational Flexibility and Structural Dynamics in GPCR-Mediated G Protein Activation: A Perspective

Structure and dynamics of G proteins and their cognate receptors, both alone and in complex, are becoming increasingly accessible to experimental techniques. Understanding the conformational changes and timelines that govern these changes can lead to new insights into the processes of ligand binding and associated G protein activation. Experimental systems may involve the use of, or otherwise stabilize, non-native environments. This can complicate our understanding of structural and dynamic features of processes such as the ionic lock, tryptophan toggle, and G protein flexibility. While elements in the receptor's transmembrane helices and the C-terminal α5 helix of Gα undergo well-defined structural changes, regions subject to conformational flexibility may be important in fine-tuning the interactions between activated receptors and G proteins. The pairing of computational and experimental approaches will continue to provide powerful tools to probe the conformation and dynamics of receptor-mediated G protein activation.
Protein stability regulates the expression of cytochrome c during the developmental cycle of Trypanosoma brucei

The expression of cytochrome c is developmentally regulated during the life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei. The level of regulation appears to be post-transcriptional since cytochrome c mRNA is present in all life stages of the parasite. We have used RNA from each life stage to prime in vitro translation systems and found that the cytochrome c mRNAs are equally translatable. Continuous labeling experiments conducted in vivo indicate that cytochrome c is synthesized at similar rates in both bloodstream and procyclic trypanosomes. Western blots, however, confirm that steady-state levels of cytochrome c are severely depressed in bloodstream forms. In a series of pulse/chase experiments we demonstrate that the half-life of cytochrome c is approximately 1 h in the bloodstream form and no detectable turnover occurred in the procyclic form. We conclude that a major step in the developmental regulation of cytochrome c expression in T. brucei occurs post-translationally due to rapid turnover of the protein in the bloodstream trypanosomes.
EFFECT OF FREEZING AND FROZEN STORAGE ON SALT PENETRATION INTO FISH MUSCLE IMMERSED IN BRINE

Salting is a processing treatment used either to provide a salty flavor or to impart storage stability by decreasing water activity. Optimum salt content can enhance overall flavor acceptability and is a major factor in safe preservation of smoked fish. In this study, rate of salt penetration into fresh or frozen and then thawed fish muscle was studied by dipping mullet fillets in brine. Salt penetration curves resemble a first order change [X = C(l - e−kt)]. Initial salt penetration rate (g salt/g sample/ min) and rate constant (min−1) increased respectively from 0.006 and 0.018 for fresh fish to 0.014 and 0.029 after freezing (frozen for 1 wk), then decreased to 0.011 and 0.025 after 3 wk of frozen storage, and leveled off at 0.009 and 0.018 from 5–9 wk of storage. The change in salt penetration rates closely followed changes in extractable actomyosin in muscle, indicating a dependence of the change on the degree of denaturation of fish muscle proteins. The effects of brine concentration and frozen storage on water transfer were also studied. Water migrated from the brine into the flesh if fresh mullet fillets were dipped in brine at concentrations up to 15%. When the brine concentration was 20% or higher, the water migated from fish muscle to the brine. However, after 2 months frozen storage, fish muscle gained water if dipped in brine of 20% or below and lost water when the brine was 25% or higher.
Risk and hazard of spruce beetle attack in unmanaged stands on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, under epidemic conditions

Abstract Forest community type was the most important variable determining risk of a spruce beetle ( Dendroctonus rufipennis Kby) outbreak. Black spruce ( Picea mariana B.S.P.) communities exhibited low to moderate risk overall, but stands in these communities with deep accumulations of fibrous organic matter on the soil surface (more than 7.5 cm) were at significantly greater risk than stands with shallower accumulation of fibrous organic matter. Differences in risk between black spruce communities with shallow and deep fibrous organic layers were not paralleled by differences in hazard as measured by either affected stems or basal area. Low-elevation mixed spruce-paper bitch ( Picea-Betula papyrifera Marsh.) communities, in which the principal spruce species were white ( Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and/or Lutz spruce ( Picea X lutzii Little), exhibited the greatest overall risk of spruce beetle outbreak, and the greatest hazard was associated with these commuinities. Within this group, stands with open canopies had a significantly greater incidence of outbreaks than stands with closed canopies, but open-and closed-canopy stands did not differ with respect to hazard. The group of forest communities with the lowest overall risk of spruce beetle outbreak consisted of a diverse mixture of communities. Communities in which white and/or Lutz spruce were the principal overstory species also occurred in this group. Within the group, increasing elevation was associated with increasing risk and hazard. In low-elevation stands (less than 150 m), a further division between low- and high-risk stands could be made on the basis of forest community. In stands of intermediate elevation (150–300 m), depth of the fibrous organic layer exceeding 5 cm was associated with increased risk.
Lead Retention and Complexation in a Magnesium Smectite (Hectorite)

Abstract The retention and complexation of Pb 2+ in the interlayer of a smectite clay (hectorite) was investigated. Based on XRD results, the Ca-Pb exchanged clays most likely exhibit random interstratification. A random alternation of one-water-layer (∼ 12.5 A) and two-water-layer (∼ 15.5 A) hydrates as well as an irrational set of basal reflections are observed. At a specified humidity, the basal spacings and IR intensity of the water-bending mode decrease as the lead content in the clays increases. The Ca-Pb exchange isotherm clearly shows increasing selectivity of the clay for Pb 2+ over Ca 2+ with increasing Ca 2+ concentrations in the clay. The thermodynamic equilibrium constant is 5.18 and the standard free energy change is -4.08 kJ/mol at 298 K. The higher adsorption specificity for Pb 2+ over Ca 2+ could be partly due to the difference in ionic potentials and hydration energies between Pb 2+ and Ca 2+ . However, in the solid retrieved from the exchange solution, an infrared spectroscopy study has shown the formation of a lead hydroxycarbonate complex. The role eventually played by this complex in enhancing the selectivity is unknown.
Botulinum toxin D ADP-ribosylates a 22-24 KDa membrane protein in platelets and HL-60 cells that is distinct from p21N-ras.

Summary Botulinum toxin D ADP-ribosylates a 22–24 KDa protein in platelets, GH3 and HL-60 cells, and a mouse T-cell line CTLL. In platelet homogenates the protein is localized to the membrane fraction, and ADP-ribosylation can also be produced in saponin-permeabilized and intact cells. In the latter, the toxin also potentiates secretion caused by a variety of agonists. In platelets and HL-60 cells the toxin substrate is shown, by use of anti- ras monoclonal antibody, to be distinct from the ras family of proteins. This toxin substrate may represent an additional class of proteins involved in stimulus-response coupling.
Pulmonary Blastoma: An Ultrastructural and Histochemical Study

We present a unique case of pulmonary blastoma and describe its histology and ultrastructure. The stromal component exhibited bizarre multinucleated giant cells containing previously undescribed granules. These membrane-limited granules were eosinophilic, periodic acid-Schiff positive, diastase resistant, acid phospha-tase and nonspecific esterase negative, immunohisto-logically negative for lysozyme, albumin, and gamma globulin, and often homogeneously electron dense. A similar electron-dense material accumulated in the rough endoplasmic reticulum of these stromal giant cells, suggesting that the material in the granules is synthetic. The material appeared to be a glycoprotein but was not alphaI -antitrypsin, alpha-fetoprotein, or human chorionic gonadotropin by immunohistologic techniques. These stromal cell granules differ from granules described in epithelial cells of other pulmonary blastomas but resemble granules found in some sarcomas.
Proteomic View of Interactions of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli with the Intestinal Environment in Gnotobiotic Piglets

Background Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli cause severe intestinal infections involving colonization of epithelial Peyer’s patches and formation of attachment/effacement (A/E) lesions. These lesions trigger leukocyte infiltration followed by inflammation and intestinal hemorrhage. Systems biology, which explores the crosstalk of Stx-producing Escherichia coli with the in vivo host environment, may elucidate novel molecular pathogenesis aspects.
Versatile inducible activation system of Akt/PKB signaling pathway in mice.

Summary: We report a transgenic mouse line in which Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) pathway can be activated in an inducible manner in defined cell types. In this transgenic mouse line, Cre expression allows the expression of a tamoxifen-activatable form of Akt/PKB in a defined cell type. Subsequent injection of tamoxifen triggers the transient activation of Akt/PKB in mice. Thus, this transgenic line allows the transient activation of Akt/PKB pathway in a predefined cell type. We expect that this transgenic system will provide a unique tool to study the roles of Akt/PKB pathway in mice. genesis 35:160–163, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Damage mechanics of composite laminates with transverse matrix cracks in multiple orientations

This paper presents a synergistic methodology to analyze damage behavior in composite laminates with transverse matrix cracks in plies of multiple orientations. The approach combines the strengths of micromechanics and continuum damage mechanics (CDM) to evaluate constraint of undamaged plies over cracked plies and this information is suitably carried through the constraint parameter in the formulation to predict stiffness reduction. The damage state in laminate with cracks in off-axis plies is characterized through CDM formulation by defining a separate damage mode for each type of crack. The methodology is validated for [0/± �4/0 1/2 ]s laminate with experimental results obtained in a previous work by Varna et al. 1 The results show remarkable agreement with experiments. Parametric studies are performed to evaluate the constraint effects of neighboring 0-deg plies over cracked ± � plies. Stiff outer plies are found to reduce the opening of cracks in inner off-axis plies resulting in less severe degradation in stiffness properties of the composite laminate.
Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) as a root cause of distress in a concrete made from Alkali Carbonate Reaction (ACR) potentially susceptible aggregates

Abstract The mechanism of Alkali Carbonate Reaction (ACR) in concrete made from fine-grained, argillaceous dolomitic limestone coarse aggregates remains controversial. ACR distress is described as an increase in volume caused by the crystallization of brucite during the dedolomitization process. However, recent studies by Katayama suggest that ACR is a combination of the “deleteriously expansive Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) of cryptocrystalline quartz in the matrix of the reactive aggregates and a harmless dedolomitization that produces brucite and a carbonate halo.” We investigated ACR susceptible concrete extracted from a wharf structure in Quebec, Canada, and determined that ASR was the cause of damage. Optical and SEM-EDS analyses identified ASR gel extending from reactive aggregates to the paste, and X-ray elemental mapping confirmed the gel composition. Silica (Si) was found in the matrix of the aggregate and is the source of reactive silica. These results support ASR as the mechanism in ACR susceptible concrete.
Enhanced external counterpulsation improves systolic blood pressure in patients with refractory angina.

Background Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive treatment of patients with refractory angina. The immediate hemodynamic effects of EECP are similar to intra-aortic balloon pump counterpulsation, but EECP's effects on standard blood pressure measurements during and after treatment are unknown. Methods We evaluated systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) for 108 consecutive patients undergoing EECP. Baseline SBP, DBP, and heart rate were compared for each patient before and after each EECP session, at the end of the course of EECP, and 6 weeks after the final EECP session. Results One hundred eight patients (mean age 66.4 ± 11.2 years, 81% male) completed 36.5 ± 5.1 EECP sessions per patient. Overall, based on 3,586 individual readings, EECP resulted in a decrease in mean SBP of 1.1 ± 15.3 mm Hg at the end of each EECP session (P Conclusions Enhanced external counterpulsation improved SBP in patients with refractory angina. On average, EECP decreased SBP during treatment and follow-up; but for patients with low baseline SBP (
A role-based metamodeling approach to specifying design patterns

Design patterns describe solutions to recurring design problems in the development of software designs. To encourage the use of design patterns, we are investigating tool support for incorporating patterns into UML models. The development of such tools requires patterns to be specified at the metamodel level. Patterns may be specified using roles, where a role is played by model elements. However, the notion of role in the object-oriented community is strictly based on objects, and does not allow the use of the word "role" in any other place where the context is not object-based. In this paper, we propose a notion of role that can be used to specify design patterns at the metamodel level. We survey the characteristics of object-based roles and generalize them. Based on the generalized notion of a role define a new notion of a model role which is played by a model element. We illustrate the use of model roles with a specification of a variant of the Observer design pattern.
Spatial variable selection methods for investigating acute health effects of fine particulate matter components

Summary Multi-site time series studies have reported evidence of an association between short term exposure to particulate matter (PM) and adverse health effects, but the effect size varies across the United States. Variability in the effect may partially be due to differing community level exposure and health characteristics, but also due to the chemical composition of PM which is known to vary greatly by location and time. The objective of this article is to identify particularly harmful components of this chemical mixture. Because of the large number of highly-correlated components, we must incorporate some regularization into a statistical model. We assume that, at each spatial location, the regression coefficients come from a mixture model with the flavor of stochastic search variable selection, but utilize a copula to share information about variable inclusion and effect magnitude across locations. The model differs from current spatial variable selection techniques by accommodating both local and global variable selection. The model is used to study the association between fine PM (PM 2.5m) components, measured at 115 counties nationally over the period 2000–2008, and cardiovascular emergency room admissions among Medicare patients.
Fuzzy Modelling of African Ecoregions and Ecotones Using AVHRR NDVI Temporal Imagery

Abstract Conventional methods of deriving global or continental vegetation maps from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) time series data are based on two‐value Boolean logic, which cannot properly model the so‐called ecotone, the transition zone between adjacent ecosystems. New methods and data models that have been developed on the basis of fuzzy logic to address the “mixed pixel” issue in multi‐spectral imagery can also be used with multi‐temporal imagery to handle the mixture of vegetation types within an ecotone. This study introduces the concept of semantic space and its transformation from spectral feature space, which utilizes a fuzzy logic approach to characterize the continuum of vegetation communities in the African continent from AVHRR multi‐temporal (12 months for three years from 1986 to 1988) NDVI data. The fuzzy procedure was based on the Fuzzy c‐Means (FCM) algorithm with significant modifications to improve process...
Nitric oxide stimulates COX-2 expression in cultured collecting duct cells through MAP kinases and superoxide but not cGMP

Collecting ducts are a major site of renal production and action of both prostaglandins and nitric oxide. Experiments were undertaken to examine whether nitric oxide regulates cyclooxygenase (COX)-...
Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Do Any Programs Work?

▪ Abstract This paper begins with a review of the problem of teen pregnancy in the United States. Domestic trends are compared with those of other developed countries. Antecedents of the problem ar...
Comparison of different anesthesia techniques during esophagogastroduedenoscopy in children: a randomized trial.

Summary Background Esophagogastroduedenoscopy (EGD) in children is usually performed under general anesthesia. Anesthetic goals include minimization of airway complications while maximizing operating room (OR) efficiency. Currently, there is no consensus on which anesthetic technique best meets these goals. We performed a prospective randomized study comparing three different anesthetic techniques. Aims To evaluate the incidence of respiratory complications (primary aim) and institutional efficiency (secondary aim) among three different anesthetic techniques in children undergoing EGD. Methods Subjects received a standardized inhalation induction of anesthesia followed by randomization to one of the three groups: Group intubated, sevoflurane (IS), Group intubated, propofol (IP), and Group native airway, nonintubated, propofol (NA). Respiratory complications included minor desaturation (SpO2 between 94% and 85%), severe desaturation (SpO2 < 85%), apnea, airway obstruction/laryngospasm, aspiration, and/or inadequate anesthesia during the endoscopy. Evaluation of institutional efficiency was determined by examining the time spent during the different phases of care (anesthesia preparation, procedure, OR stay, recovery, and total perioperative care). Results One hundred and seventy-nine children aged 1–12 years (median 7 years; 4.0, 10.0) were enrolled (Group IS N = 60, Group IP N = 59, Group NA N = 61). The incidence of respiratory complications was higher in the Group NA (0.459) vs Group IS (0.033) or Group IP (0.086) (P < 0.0001). The most commonly observed complications were desaturation, inadequate anesthesia, and apnea. There were no differences in institutional efficiency among the three groups. Conclusion Respiratory complications were more common in Group NA. The use of native airway with propofol maintenance during EGD does not offer advantages with respect to respiratory complications or institutional efficiency.
Impact of Retropharyngeal Adenopathy on Distant Control and Survival in HPV-related Oropharyngeal Cancer Treated with Chemoradiotherapy

Purpose Retropharyngeal adenopathy (RPA) is poor prognostic factor in head and neck (HN) cancer. However, the prognostic significance of RPA in Human Papillomavirus-related (HPV+) oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is unknown.
Stephen A. Douglas and Popular Sovereignty

(1995). Stephen A. Douglas and Popular Sovereignty. The Historian: Vol. 57, No. 4, pp. 733-748.
Energy-efficient target tracking with a sensorless robot and a network of unreliable one-bit proximity sensors

Existing target tracking algorithms require the tracker to have access to information-rich sensors, and may have difficulty recovering when the target is out of the tracker's sensing range. In this paper, we present a target tracking algorithm that combines an extremely simple mobile robot with a networked collection of wireless sensor nodes, each of which is equipped with an unreliable, limited-range, boolean sensor for detecting the target. The tracker maintains close proximity to the target using only information sensed by the network, and can effectively recover from temporarily losing track of the target. Our approach combines a protocol for the sensor network that conserves energy by dynamically adjusting the time-to-live for packets it transmits with a reactive strategy for the tracker based on its information state. We present an implementation along with experimental results. Our experimental results show that our system achieves both good tracking precision and low energy consumption.
The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae); generic revision and relationship to other formicids.

Three genera are recognized in the ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae: Myrcidris new genus (monotypic; type species M. epicharis, new species, from Amazonas, Brazil); Pseudomyrmex Lund (c. 150 nominal taxa; southern Nearctic and Neotropical regions); and Tetraponera F. Smith (c. 110 nominal taxa; Palaeotropical region). New generic synonymies are: Pseudomyrmex Lund =Ornatinoda Enzmann =Clavanoda Enzmann =Triangulinoda Enzmann =Apendunculata Enzmann =Latinoda Enzmann; and Tetraponera F. Smith =Pachysima Emery =Viticicola Wheeler =Sima Emery (nee Roger) =Parasima Donisthorpe. Autapomorphies are identified for the subfamily and for its constituent genera, indicating the monophyly of all four taxa. Based on available character-state information, Myrcidris is most parsimoniously interpreted as a sister-group to all other Pseudomyrmecinae {Pseudomyrmex+Tetraponera), although there is almost equally strong support for an alternative grouping: Tetraponera + (Myrcidris + Pseudomyrmex). Phylogenetic relationships of the Pseudomyrmecinae and other ant subfamilies within the ‘poneroid complex’ (sensu Taylor, 1978) were assessed by a cladistic analysis of eleven representative ant genera. At the level of subfamily relationships the results suggest that: (1) The Myrmicinae and the Pseudomyrmecinae are sister groups. (2) Within the ‘poneroid complex’ is an unresolved trichotomy composed of: (i) Pseudomyrmecinae + Myrmicinae, (ii) Myrmeciinae, and (iii) Ponerinae + Leptanillinae + (Cerapachyinae + Dorylinae (s.l.)). (3) The Nothomyrmeciinae are a basal lineage within the ‘poneroid complex’, rather than being allied with the ‘formicoid complex’ (Formicinae, Dolichoderinae and Aneuretinae).
Opiates, cocaine and alcohol combinations in accidental drug overdose deaths in New York City, 1990-98.

Aims Accidental drug overdose contributes substantially to mortality among drug users. Multi-drug use has been documented as a key risk factor in overdose and overdose mortality in several studies. This study investigated the contribution of multiple drug combinations to overdose mortality trends. Design We collected data on all overdose deaths in New York City between 1990 and 1998 using records from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). We standardized yearly overdose death rates by age, sex and race to the 1990 census population for NYC to enable comparability between years relevant to this analysis. Findings Opiates, cocaine and alcohol were the three drugs most commonly attributed as the cause of accidental overdose death by the OCME, accounting for 97.6% of all deaths; 57.8% of those deaths were attributed to two or more of these three drugs in combination. Accidental overdose deaths increased in 1990‐93 and subsequently declined slightly in 1993‐98. Changes in the rate of multi-drug combination deaths accounted for most of the change in overdose death rates, whereas single drug overdose death rates remained relatively stable. Trends in accidental overdose death rates within gender and racial/ethnic strata varied by drug combination suggesting different patterns of multi-drug use among different subpopulations. Conclusions These data suggest that interventions to prevent accidental overdose mortality should address the use of drugs such as heroin, cocaine and alcohol in combination.