cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Obesity as a Risk Factor for Osteoarthritis of the Hand and Wrist: A Prospective Study

The Tecumseh Community Health Study provides an opportunity to investigate the role of obesity in the etiology of osteoarthritis. This longitudinal study, conducted in Tecumseh, Michigan, began in 1962 with baseline examinations of clinical, biochemical, and radiologic characteristics. A 1985 reexamination of the cohort characterized osteoarthritis status in 1,276 participants, 588 males and 688 females, who were aged 50-74 years at this follow-up. Baseline obesity, as measured by an index of relative weight, was found to be significantly associated with the 23-year incidence of osteoarthritis of the hands among subjects disease free at baseline. Greater baseline relative weight was also associated with greater subsequent severity of osteoarthritis of the hands. The difference between baseline and follow-up weight values was not significantly associated with the incidence of osteoarthritis of the hands. Furthermore, there was no evidence that development of osteoarthritis subsequently led to increased incidence of obesity.
La crisis de las bibliotecas universitarias argentinas.

El presente trabajo intenta brindar un panorama de la situacion de las bibliotecas universitarias argentinas, tanto nacionales como privadas, en el periodo comprendido entre los anos 2001-2003. Se ha tratado de identificar y evaluar si la crisis acontecida en Argentina en diciembre de 2001 afecto puntualmente el desenvolvimiento de estas instituciones o tan solo acrecento problemas de vieja data. Mediante una encuesta enviada a todas las bibliotecas universitarias del pais, se cubrieron ciertas areas de su planteamiento (desarrollo de colecciones, personal, etc.) y se presentan los resultados de la misma.
Single-channel evidence for glycine and NMDA requirement in NMDA receptor activation

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor dose-response relationships that are based on macroscopic currents suggest that NMDA and a different agonist molecule, glycine, must together activate the channel. Since single-channel recordings have a much higher resolution than whole-cell currents, they provide a highly sensitive test for the absolute requirement of NMDA channel opening for glycine. Rapid application of 10-300 microM NMDA to outside-out patches from cultured cortical neurons evoked substantial single-channel activity in the absence of added glycine. However, in the presence of a high affinity and highly selective glycine-site antagonist, 5,7-dichlorokynurenate (DCK), NMDA failed to evoke any openings on its own. Channel openings could not be produced by saturating concentrations of NMDA (up to 1 mM) but were evoked when glycine was added to the test solution. Glycine alone (up to 100 microM) was similarly ineffective in the continuous presence of D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (D-APV), an NMDA-site antagonist. Reversal of antagonist blockade by the appropriate ligand (glycine or NMDA) and the normal appearance and duration of channel openings evoked in the presence of either antagonist ruled out open channel block. These single-channel data confirm the hypothesis that both NMDA and glycine are coagonists of the NMDA receptor. Furthermore, the coagonist requirement increases the potential targets for therapeutic drugs aimed at blocking the pathologies resulting from overactivation of NMDA receptors.
Real-Time Operating System Timing Jitter and its Impact on Motor Control

General-purpose microprocessors are increasingly being used for control applications due to their widespread availability and software support for non-control functions like networking and operator interfaces. Two classes of real-time operating systems (RTOS) exist for these systems. The traditional RTOS serves as the sole operating system, and provides all OS services. Examples include ETS, LynxOS, QNX, Windows CE and VxWorks. RTOS extensions add real-time scheduling capabilities to non-real-time OSes, and provide minimal services needed for the time-critical portions of an application. Examples include RTAI and RTL for Linux, and HyperKernel, OnTime and RTX for Windows NT. Timing jitter is an issue in these systems, due to hardware effects such as bus locking, caches and pipelines, and software effects from mutual exclusion resource locks, non-preemtible critical sections, disabled interrupts, and multiple code paths in the scheduler. Jitter is typically on the order of a microsecond to a few tens of microseconds for hard real-time operating systems, and ranges from milliseconds to seconds in the worst case for soft real-time operating systems. The question of its significance on the performance of a controller arises. Naturally, the smaller the scheduling period required for a control task, the more significant is the impact of timing jitter. Aside from this intuitive relationship is the greater significance of timing on open-loop control, such as for stepper motors, than for closed-loop control, such as for servo motors. Techniques for measuring timing jitter are discussed, and comparisons between various platforms are presented. Techniques to reduce jitter or mitigate its effects are presented. The impact of jitter on stepper motor control is analyzed.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
That's a Boy's Toy: Gender-Typed Knowledge in Toddlers as a Function of Mother's Marital Status

A child who is highly gender schematic readily uses gender when processing new information. In the current study, we examined whether and how family structure predicts a child's level of gender-typed knowledge (as assessed by a gender-stereotype sorting task) once the category of gender is in place (as assessed by a gender-labeling task). It was predicted that children from more "traditional" family structures (married mothers) would have more gender-typed knowledge compared to children from less traditional families (unmarried mothers). Moreover, we explored if this relationship would be related to, at least in part, the greater frequency of androgynous behaviors (i.e., both masculine and feminine household activities) an unmarried mother performs. Twenty-eight children (age 2 to 3) were tested at local childcare centers. The mother of each child reported her marital status as well as how often she engaged in stereotypically masculine and feminine behaviors. As expected, mothers' marital status was associated with children's level of gender-typed knowledge, such that children with unmarried mothers had less gender-typed knowledge, in part due to the unmarried mother's greater frequency of androgynous behaviors. Implications for children's acquisition of gender-related stereotypes and the possible benefit of having mothers model both masculine and feminine behaviors are discussed.
Regulation of body dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) content by the copepod Temora longicornis : a test of four mechanisms

Copepods contain dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in their tissues in addition to the DMSP in their gut contents and therefore constitute an additional pool of DMSP in the ocean. In the estuarine copepod Temora longicornis Muller, this dynamic pool of DMSP is reduced when external salinity decreases. In the present study the mechanism(s) used by T. longicornis to adjust its DMSP content were examined. Four possible mechanisms were tested in experiments conducted between July 1997 and May 1999: (1) DMSP cleavage, (2) demethylation, (3) conversion to methionine, and (4) release from the body. Tissue extracts of T. longicornis did not exhibit the ability to cleave or demethylate DMSP. In incubation experiments, when external salinity decreased, T. longicornis individuals reduced their DMSP content without increasing their methionine content. The total amount of DMSP in the incubation vials was conserved regardless of salinity. The copepods retained most of the DMSP in their tissues in 30‰ water, but when salinity was reduced to 20‰, the copepods released 41 to 55% of their body DMSP to the surrounding medium; 89 to 91% of the total DMSP was recovered. This suggests that estuarine copepods represent a reservoir of DMSP, which is released as dissolved DMSP upon salinity decline. Therefore, while osmoregulation by these copepods may have little impact on the chemical properties of DMSP, it will affect the partitioning of DMSP between particulate and dissolved phases in the water column.
Binding of G-Quadruplex-interactive Agents to Distinct G-Quadruplexes Induces Different Biological Effects in MiaPaCa Cells

Our previous studies have demonstrated the preference of telomestatin for intramolecular, rather than the intermolecular, G-quadruplex structures, while TiMPyP4 has selectivity for intermolecular over intramolecular G-quadruplex structures. However, it was not clear whether the difference in the selectivity between two different G-quadruplex-interactive agents could determine the corresponding biological effects in cultured human tumor cells. Here we evaluated the biological effects of both TMPyP4 and telomestatin in the human pancreatic carcinoma cell line (MiaPaCa) using subtoxic and cytotoxic concentrations. The cytotoxicity of these agents against MiaPaCa cells is quite different, and the IC50 of telomestatin (0.5 microM) is about 100 times less than that of TMPyP4 (50 microM). At IC50 concentrations, TMPyP4 induced anaphase bridge formation in MiaPaCa cells, while telomestatin failed to induce anaphase bridge formation. At subtoxic concentrations, TMPyP4 induced MiaPaCa cell growth arrest, senescence, apoptosis, and telomere length shortening within 5 weeks, while similar biological effects were evident after 12 weeks following treatment with telomestatin. Our data suggest that binding of G-quadruplex-interactive agents to distinct G-quadruplexes could induce different biological effects in human cancer cells.
Field Experience, Career and Life-Long Learning.

The affinity between Field Experience Education and Career Education is obvious, as demonstrated by the way they have been combined in many college and university settings. The implications of this merger for the workplace are perhaps more significant than for the campus, as it challenges the presupposition that education and work should be separated, and challenges the way drudge work is currently being done. Finally it poses new questions for the advocates of life-long learning. The integration of education and work into single programs may well be the next major issue in the development of education.
Ideological conviction and persuasion in the rent-seeking society

Abstract The paper develops a model of rent-seeking in a democratic political context where voting, as well as rent-seeking, matters. In this context, the paper demonstrates that voter ideology is a constraint on the rent-seeking game as well as a possible avenue of rent-seeking. In a setting where there are both rent-seeking and ideological interest groups, rent-seekers can free ride on the efforts of ideologues, which tends to reduce rent-seeking effort. In a setting where complementary economic and ideological interest groups coordinate their efforts, both rent- seeking and ideological conflict tend to increase.
Temporary central venous catheter utilization patterns in a large tertiary care center: tracking the "idle central venous catheter".

Objectives. Although central venous catheter (CVC) dwell time is a major risk factor for catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSIs), few studies reveal how often CVCs are retained when not needed (“idle”). We describe use patterns for temporary CVCs, including peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), on non-ICU wards.Design. A retrospective observational study.Setting. A 579-bed acute care, academic tertiary care facility.Methods. A retrospective observational study of a random sample of patients on hospital wards who have a temporary, nonimplanted CVC, with a focus on on daily ward CVC justification. A uniform definition of idle CVC-days was used.Results. We analyzed 89 patients with 146 CVCs (56% of which were PICCs); of 1,433 ward CVC-days, 361 (25.2%) were idle. At least 1 idle day was observed for 63% of patients. Patients had a mean of 4.1 idle days and a mean of 3.4 days with both a CVC and a peripheral intravenous catheter (PIV). After adjusting for ward length of stay, mean CVC dwe...
Light and electron microscopy of motoneurons and neuropile in the amphibian spinal cord.

Summary Neuropile of the amphibian spinal cord was studied by light and electron microscopy to determine whether there are intercellular relations involving dendrites which would provide support for electrical interaction between montoneuron dendrites. Golgi studies show dendrites of monotoneurons to extend for long distances in a rostro-caudal direction, and electron micrographs reveal dendrodendritic contacts to be common in the vicinity of motoneuron somata. However, no membrane specializations were seen, and the percentage of the dendrite surface apposed to other dendrites is quite small except in small, circumscribed areas referred to as dendrodendritic ‘thickets’ where approximately 15% of the surface of large dendrites involves such contacts. Measurements were also made showing appositional relations of axons, astrocytes, and other elements to neuron somata and dendrites.
Effect of heat treatment and irradiation temperature on impact properties of Cr–W–V ferritic steels

Abstract Charpy impact tests were conducted on eight normalized-and-tempered ferritic and martensitic steels irradiated in two different normalized conditions. Irradiation was conducted in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) at 393°C to ≈14 dpa on eight steels with 2.25%, 5%, 9%, and 12% Cr (0.1% C) with varying amounts of W, V, and Ta. The different normalization treatments involved changing the cooling rate after austenitization. The faster cooling rate produced 100% bainite in the 2.25Cr steels, compared to duplex structures of bainite and polygonal ferrite for the slower cooling rate. For both cooling rates, martensite formed in the 5% and 9% Cr steels, and martensite with ≈25% δ-ferrite formed in the 12% Cr steel. Irradiation caused an increase in the ductile–brittle transition temperature (DBTT) and a decrease in the upper-shelf energy (USE). The difference in microstructure in the low-chromium steels due to the different heat treatments had little effect on properties. For the high-chromium martensitic steels, only the 5Cr steel was affected by heat treatment. When the results at 393°C were compared with previous results at 365°C, all but a 5Cr and a 9Cr steel showed the expected decrease in the shift in DBTT with increasing temperature.
Prostate Specific Antigen Kinetics in the Management of Prostate Cancer

Purpose: We review the usefulness of prostate specific antigen kinetics (ie prostate specific antigen velocity and doubling time) in the treatment of patients with prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: The MEDLINE database was searched to identify studies investigating prostate specific antigen kinetics in patients with prostate cancer.Results: Various techniques are available for estimating prostate specific antigen kinetics, but to minimize the impact of prostate specific antigen variability on such calculations at least a 90-day period and preferably more than 2 measurements should be used. There is little to suggest which measure of prostate specific antigen kinetics may be superior since both appear to provide useful prognostic information. Prostate specific antigen velocity is easier to calculate but prostate specific antigen doubling time may have greater biological justification. Retrospective studies show that before treatment prostate specific antigen kinetics provide prognostic information reg...
Oxygen transport in the microcirculation and its regulation.

Cells require energy to carry out their functions and they typically use oxidative phosphorylation to generate the needed ATP. Thus, cells have a continuous need for oxygen which they receive by diffusion from the blood through the interstitial fluid. The circulatory system pumps oxygen-rich blood through a network of increasingly minute vessels, the microcirculation. The structure of the microcirculation is such that all cells have at least one nearby capillary for diffusive exchange of oxygen and red blood cells release the oxygen bound to hemoglobin as they traverse capillaries. This review focuses first on the historical development of techniques to measure oxygen at various sites in the microcirculation, including the blood, interstitium and cells. Next, approaches are described as to how these techniques have been employed to make discoveries about different aspects of oxygen transport. Finally, ways in which oxygen might participate in the regulation of blood flow toward matching oxygen supply to oxygen demand is discussed. Overall, the transport of oxygen to the cells of the body is one of the most critical functions of the cardiovascular system and it is in the microcirculation where the final local determinants of oxygen supply, oxygen demand and their regulation are decided.
Mössbauer Studies of the Membrane-Associated Methane Monooxygenase from Methylococcus capsulatus Bath: Evidence for a Diiron Center

Two methane monooxygenase (MMO) systems have been identified in methanotrophic bacteria, namely, a soluble or cytoplasmic MMO and a membrane-associated or particulate MMO. The active site of the well-characterized soluble MMO contains a bis-mu-hydroxo-bridged diiron cluster. X-ray crystallographic studies of the particulate enzyme, pMMO, have identified two copper centers on the alpha subunit (pmoB) of the alphabetagamma trimer and a site at the interface of the betagamma subunits filled by a Zn, apparently from the crystallization buffer. In our hands, pMMO preparations containing 1-2 iron atoms per alphabetagamma show the highest catalytic activity. We have employed Mossbauer spectroscopy to characterize the iron in our preparations. Interestingly, we find in pMMO a component with the same spectral properties as the antiferromagnetically coupled diiron(III) cluster in the soluble enzyme. In whole cells, we find nearly 1 diiron center per alphabetagamma of pMMO; in purified enzyme preparations, only 10% of the sites appear to be occupied. These occupancies correlate well with the measured specific activities of purified pMMO and pMMO in whole cells. We suggest that it is the "Zn site" that accommodates the diiron center in active pMMO.
Source Selection and Content Dissemination for Preference-Aware Traffic Offloading

As mobile devices become more ubiquitous, the amount of cellular traffic for multimedia content grows explosively. Therefore, data dissemination through proximity-based opportunistic communications attracts the attention of service providers who are eager for solutions of traffic offloading. In this paper, we propose PrefCast , a preference-aware opportunistic content dissemination protocol that uses as few cellular bandwidth as possible to maximally satisfy user preferences for content objects. The efficiency of PrefCast depends on 1) how does the base-station select initial sources, and 2) how does each user forward objects within a limited contact duration. Since mobile users typically form communities and have heterogeneous preferences, PrefCast ’s base-station selects sources that efficiently produce the maximal utility to their communities. We then derive a model to predict how much utility a forwarder can contribute to future contacts. PrefCast ’s users can hence use such prediction to find their optimal forwarding schedule, which maximizes the utility contribution, in a distributed way. Our trace-based evaluation shows that, without explicit source selection, PrefCast produces a 15.7 and 22.6 percent higher average utility than the protocols that only consider contact frequency or preference of local contacts, respectively. Enabling source selection in PrefCast further improves the utility by 49.3 percent.
Phenotypic characterization of mononuclear inflammatory cells in salivary glands of bio-breeding rats.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether mononuclear cell abnormalities exist in salivary glands from autoimmune Bio-Breeding (BB) rats. Frozen sections of gland tissues were prepared from five diabetes-resistant BB rats (BB-DR), from five BB rats with diabetes (BB-DP) and from five Wistar rats. A panel of six monoclonal antibodies was used to identify membrane antigens associated primarily with monocytes (ED1), mature tissue macrophages (ED2), lymphoid macrophages (ED3), MHC class II (Ia) antigen (0X6), CD5+ T lymphocytes (0X19), and rat B lymphocytes (0X33). Normal submandibular, sublingual and parotid glands contained few EDI-positive cells, usually two or fewer per field. Tissue macrophages identified by clone ED2 comprised a major mononuclear cell subset in both Wistar and BB rats. However, the number of ED2-positive mononuclear cells was significantly depressed in the submandibular and parotid glands from BB-DR and BB-DP animals, being present in quantities 25–50% of those observed in glands from normal Wistar rats (p < 0.001). In contrast, 25- to 30-fold greater numbers of ED3-positive macrophages were observed in submandibular glands from BB rats (p < 0.001). MHC class II (Ia) antigen expression also was 4− to 6-fold greater in BB rat submandibular glands, compared to Wistar rats (p < 0.001). CD5+ T-lymphocytes were rare or entirely absent in BB sublingual glands (0 to 1 cell per 0.87 mm2 field), compared to 47 cells per field from Wistar sublingual glands. No B lymphocytes were identified with antibody OX33 in any of the rat strains. These findings indicate that BB rat salivary glands differ significantly from Wistar salivary glands. In BB rats there is a rich population of ED3-positive macrophages and T lymphocytes in submandibular gland, low quantities of T lymphocytes in sublingual gland, and fewer ED2-positive macrophages in all three major salivary glands. These differences in mononuclear cell subpopulations may also influence salivary gland function in mucosal immunity.
A Nearly Linear Single Hydroxo Bridge. Synthesis, Structure, and Magnetic Susceptibility of (m-Hydroxo)bis((tetraphenylporphinato)manganese(III)) Perchlorate.

The synthesis, X-ray structure, and magnetic susceptibility characterization of a hydroxo-bridged complex, (m-hydroxo)bis((tetraphenylporphinato)manganese(III)) perchlorate, {[Mn-(TPP)](2)(OH)}ClO(4), are described. The complex is readily prepared by a controlled hydrolysis of monomeric diaquo(tetraphenylporphinato)manganese(III) perchlorate. Interestingly, the bridging hydroxo complex appears to be more stable than the putative m-oxo complex in halocarbon solvents. The X-ray structure determination shows a complex in which two five-coordinate manganese(III) ions are bridged by a single hydroxo ligand with an average Mn-O distance of 2.026(1) A and a Mn-O(H)-Mn bridge angle of 160.4(8) degrees. The two porphyrin planes are nearly coplanar, and the two metal ions are separated by 3.993 A. The average Mn-N(P) distance is 2.008(7) A. The two manganese ions are displaced by 0.19 and 0.20 A from their respective 24-atom mean planes. Both of the two porphyrin rings are moderately S(4) ruffled and have a near-staggered orientation (the N-Mn-Mn'-N' dihedral angle is 29.9 degrees ). The four inter-ring pairs of meso-phenyl groups of the binuclear cation are extremely crowded, with a nearly perpendicular orientation for each pair. The solid-state magnetic susceptibility was measured over the temperature range 2-300 K. The observed behavior is typical of an exchange-coupled binuclear complex. The data were fit to the total spin Hamiltonian (H(tot) = H(1) + H(2) - 2JS(1).S(2)) of a zero-field-split, high-spin d(4)-d(4) dimer in its actual crystallographic geometry, using numerical techniques. The hydroxide bridge supports a relatively strong antiferromagnetic coupling (2J = -74.0 cm(-1)) between two zero-field-split (D = -10.8 cm(-1)) manganese(III) ions. Crystal data: a = 16.807(7) A, b = 17.061(6) A, c = 17.191(5) A, alpha = 85.64(3) degrees, beta = 79.75(3) degrees, gamma = 61.95(2) degrees, triclinic, space group Po, V = 4281(3) A(3), Z = 2, R(1) = 0.0707 for 14 802 observed data based on F(o) >/= 4.0sigma(F(o)), R(2w) = 0.2007 for 21 696 total unique data, least-squares refinement on F(2) using all data.
Tensile deformation of a round bar

An approximate mathematical description of the tensile test is given for a material that is strain hardening and strain rate sensitive. Three phases of the deformation are distinguished: (I) nearly homogeneous deformation up to maximum load, (II) gradual localization of the deformation at nearly constant load, and (III) necking. The analysis realistically approximates: load, extension curves; post-uniform elongation; incipient neck size; and neck profiles.
Parental Alienation Syndrome vs. Parental Alienation: Which Diagnosis Should Evaluators Use in Child-Custody Disputes?

Children who have been programmed by one parent to be alienated from the other parent are commonly seen in the context of child-custody disputes. Such programming is designed to strengthen the position of the programming parent in a court of law. Many evaluators use the term parental alienation syndrome (PAS) to refer to the disorder engendered in such children. In contrast, there are evaluators who recognize the disorder, but prefer to use the term parental alienation (PA). The purpose of this article is to elucidate the sources of this controversy and to delineate the advantages and disadvantages of using either term in the context of child-custody disputes, especially in evaluators' reports and testimony in courts of law. The author concludes that families are best served when the more specific term parental alienation syndrome is used rather than the more general term parental alienation .
Oceanic Whitecaps and Sea State

Abstract Results of white-cap coverages of the ocean surface obtained by previous investigators in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean are reanalyzed. The variation of coverage with wind velocity appears to be related to the rate of energy supplied by the wind. The coverage is also found to vary with stability conditions of the atmospheric surface layer. Empirical formulas are deduced for various sea states and stability conditions, and application of these formulas to remote sensing of marine wind velocity is discussed.
Expandable limit order markets

Abstract In expandable limit order markets, quotes represent a firm-price commitment to trade but also serve as an invitation for one-on-one quantity negotiation. Analyzing interdealer Treasury data, we find evidence that expandable limit orders offer benefits by reducing costs associated with information leakage and stale limit orders. They also create queues for other traders who must wait to transact, however. We conclude that viable electronic communication network designs which incorporate expandable limit orders to encourage block-trading must also provide escape valves, such as the periodic enforcement of strict price-time priority, to limit the negative externality imposed on those waiting to trade.
Using J as expository language in the teaching of computer science to liberal arts students

APL and J are seldom, if ever, used in the teaching of college or university courses. Recently, the author has developed a new laboratory based computer science course for liberal arts students in which students are introduced to 13 core computer science topics. Programming language is used in an expository fashion to describe each topic by building simple working models of each topic. These models are then used as the basis of laboratory experiments in a co-requisite laboratory course. Students are not taught programming in this course, but rather, are taught just enough of the syntax and semantics of the language to be able to read and understand the exposition and models. Initially, Scheme was used in the lecture notes and laboratory materials developed for this course. Recently, however, an experiment is under way to replace the use of Scheme in this course by J. The development of this course and laboratory was funded by the Meadows Foundation and NSF grant DUE 9452050.
New Considerations in Predicting Mitigation of Alkali-Silica Reaction Based on Fly Ash Chemistry

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the ability of high CaO and/or high-alkali (Na2Oeq) fly ashes to control alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in mortar bars. The research focused on using an industry standard test method to validate if the chemical index characterization technique common in the literature could be used to accurately predict the replacement levels of investigated fly ashes to mitigate ASR. Results confirmed that low and moderate CaO content fly ashes (with both low and high Na2Oeq contents) were more effective in mitigating ASR compared to higher CaO and higher Na2Oeq ashes. A chemical index characterization technique was applied to calculate the required fly ash replacement based on the raw fly ash chemistries and 14-day industry standard results without fly ash (e.g., control). The index was shown to work well for low-CaO and low-alkali ashes; however, adjustments are necessary to use this methodology to predict replacement levels of moderate and high-alkali fly ashes. The ind...
Focal adhesion kinase overexpression induces enhanced pathological retinal angiogenesis.

Purpose Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is involved in processes integral to angiogenesis, such as cell growth, survival, and migration. FAK is activated by angiogenic growth factors, such as insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The study was conducted to determine whether overexpression of FAK or FAK-related nonkinase (FRNK), an inhibitor of FAK, could influence human retinal endothelial cell (HREC) migration and in vivo angiogenesis. Methods Migration in response to a combination of growth factors was examined in transfected HRECs overexpressing FAK or FRNK. The effect of FAK or FRNK overexpression on preretinal neovascularization was examined in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy. Results Overexpression of FAK in HRECs resulted in a 102% +/- 13% increase (P = 1.4 x 10(-4)) in cell migration, whereas overexpression of FRNK resulted in a 20% +/- 8% decrease (P = 0.01). Overexpression of FAK in mouse eyes led to formation of numerous large vascular tufts resembling glomeruli and a 57% +/- 7% increase in preretinal neovascularization (P = 3 x 10(-9)), whereas FRNK resulted in a 55% +/- 15% reduction (P = 5 x 10(-5)). Conclusions Modulating the FAK/FRNK system may provide a novel approach to inhibiting pathologic retinal angiogenesis.
A time-dependent statistical model which relates current clinical status to prognosis: Application to advanced prostatic cancer

A time-dependent statistical model is employed to represent changes in 88 advanced prostate cancer patients' prognosis. Prognosis is based on whether serum alkaline and acid phosphatase are above or below respective cutoffs of 120 units and 2 units. It is estimated that a patient is over eight times as likely to die within 3 months if both his phosphatase measurements are high than if both are low (p ⪡ 0.001). This finding takes on added importance since the patients spent over two-thirds of their time in these two states. The model lends itself to investigation of questions regarding the dynamics of the disease, including changes in the probability of death and changes in prognosis. Three-month mortality rates, standardized according to prognostic state, are 0.13 for the first 90 days, 0.24 for days 91–270 and 0.13 for days beyond 270 (p < 0.05 for each comparison; missing data excluded). This initial increase, followed by a decrease in the state-standardized death rate, is consistent with either a treatment effect or individual differences between patients on the basis of relevant variables not included in the analysis.
Alaskan fishing community revenues and the stabilizing role of fishing portfolios

Abstract Fishing communities are subject to economic risk as the commercial fisheries they rely on are intrinsically volatile. The degree to which a community is exposed to economic risk depends on a community׳s ability to confront and/or alter its exposure to volatile fishery conditions through risk-reduction mechanisms. In this article, economic risk – as measured by community-level fishing gross revenues variability – is characterized across Alaskan fishing communities over the past two decades, and exploratory analyses are conducted to identify associations between community attributes and revenues variability. Results show that communities’ fishing portfolio size and diversification are strongly related to fishing revenues variability. Communities with larger and/or more diverse fishing portfolios experience lower fishing revenues variability. Portfolio size and diversification appear to be related to the number of local fisheries, indicating that communities’ portfolios may be constrained to the set of local fisheries. Hotspots of relatively higher fishing revenues variability for communities in north and west Alaska were identified, mirroring the spatial distribution of fishery-specific ex-vessel revenues variability. This overall pattern suggests that a community׳s fishing portfolio – and hence its exposure to risk – may be “predetermined” by its location, thereby limiting the policy options available to promote economic stability through larger and/or more diverse fishing portfolios. For such communities, diversifying income across non-fishing sectors may be an important risk reduction strategy, provided any potential negative cross-sector externalities are addressed.
Controlling nanoscale morphology in switchable PDLC gratings

Gratings formed by anisotropic phase separation of liquid crystals how tremendous promise for switchable optical elements. Formation of useful gratings is linked to the control of the resulting nano-scale morphologies. In an attempt to decrease scatter and improve the electro-optic properties of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal volume transmission gratings were have evaluated the result of altering the relative concentrations of the components in the pre-polymer mixture. Discussion is made concerning the expected effects on polymerization and phase separation and how these changes are reflected in the film morphologies and electro-optical properties. Initial results indicate that changes in the concentration of co-initiator, chain extender, and effective monomer functionality have a significant effect on the size and shape of the LC domains at constant LC loading.
Mixed aromatic-alkyne system on a Pd surface: a first-principles study.

Chemistry of mixed aromatic-alkyne systems on a metal surface is of general interest in many industrial processes. We use Density Functional Theory (DFT) to investigate the chemistry of one such system, i.e., 1,4-diphenyl-butadiyne, or DPB, in contact with Pd (110) and (111) surfaces. Reaction pathways and energetics of important processes are explored, including H{sub 2} adsorption, dissociation and migration on the metal surface, DPB-metal interaction, the energetics of H uptake, and the effects of impurities like CO and CO{sub 2} on H chemistry. We find that: (1) strong aromatic-metal interaction leads to significant binding strength of DPB molecule to both Pd surfaces, especially the (110); (2) H{sub 2} molecule readily dissociates on the Pd surface into H-radicals, which get taken up by alkyne triple bonds; (3) CO has strong binding to the metal surface, but interacts weakly with H radicals; (4) CO{sub 2} binds weakly to the metal surface, but could potentially lead to interesting chemical reactions with H.
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Investigation of a Chirally Pure Molecule at the Liquid−Solid Interface: Unambiguous Topographic Markers

The self-assembly of mixtures of hexadecanoic acid with (R)-2-Br-hexadecanoic acid and hexadecanoic acid with (S)-2-Br-hexadecanoic acid have been investigated on graphite at the liquid−solid interface using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The STM study of a chirally pure species provides an unambiguous assignment of geometric configurations for various functional groups in these molecules. Specifically, the absolute conformation of the bromine atom in 2-Br-hexadecanoic acid has been determined to be pointing “up” away from the graphite surface. This assignment confirms an earlier conjecture that Br atoms appearing with high tunneling probability in STM images are conformationally in the up position. Furthermore, this geometric designation reinforces an explanation for the spontaneous separation of racemic 2-Br-hexadecanoic acid into enantiomerically pure domains as a process induced by energetically favorable conformations of 2-Br-hexadecanoic acid on a surface.
Two-dimensional double metal cyanide complexes: highly active catalysts for the homopolymerization of propylene oxide and copolymerization of propylene oxide and carbon dioxide

The synthesis of two-dimensional double metal cyanide complexes of the formula Co(H2O)2[M(CN)4]·4H2O (M = Ni, Pd or Pt) and the X-ray crystal structure of Co(H2O)2[Pd(CN)4]·4H2O are presented. The anhydrous forms of these complexes were found to be effective catalyst precursors for the homopolymerization of propylene oxide as well as the random copolymerization of propylene oxide and carbon dioxide to produce poly(propylene oxide-co-propylene carbonate) with no propylene carbonate byproduct. A detailed copolymer microstructure is proposed.
Non-rigid registration of multiphoton microscopy images using B-splines

Optical microscopy poses many challenges for digital image analysis. One particular challenge includes correction of image artifacts due to respiratory motion from specimens imaged in vivo. We describe a non-rigid registration method using B-splines to correct these motion artifacts. Current attempts at non-rigid medical image registration have typically involved only a single pair of images. Extending these techniques to an entire series of images, possibly comprising hundreds of images, is presented in this paper. Our method involves creating a uniform grid of control points across each image in a stack. Each control point is manipulated by optimizing a cost function consisting of two parts: a term to determine image similarity, and a term to evaluate deformation grid smoothness. This process is repeated for all images in the stack. Analysis is evaluated using block motion estimation and other visualization techniques.
Exploring the Contribution of Host Susceptibility to Epidemiological Patterns of Schistosoma japonicum Infection Using an Individual-Based Model

We recently reported the analysis of epidemiological data suggesting variability in individual susceptibility to infection by Schistosoma japonicum among rural villagers who reside in Sichuan Province of southwestern China. By supplementing the data used in the earlier analysis from other studies we have reported from this region, we presented improved estimates of cercarial exposure, which in turn, result in stronger evidence of susceptibility. This analysis was conducted using an individual-based mathematical model (IBM) whose use was motivated by the nature and extent of field data from the low-transmission environments exemplified by one of our datasets and typical of the current situation in most endemic areas of China. In addition to individual susceptibility and water contact, the model includes stochastic aspects of cercarial exposure as well as of diagnostic procedures, the latter being particularly relevant to the low-transmission environment. The simulation studies show that, to produce key aspects of the epidemiological findings, the distribution of susceptibility ranges over several orders of magnitude and is highly right skewed. We found no compelling evidence that the distribution of susceptibility differed between the two populations that underlie both the epidemiological and simulation results.
Exposure to Spousal Violence in the Family, Attitudes and Dating Violence Perpetration Among High School Students in Port-au-Prince

This study examined the associations of exposure to spousal violence in the family and personal and peer attitudes with dating violence (DV) perpetration among high school students in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Participants were 342 high school students in Grades 10 to 12 who stated that they had ever been on a date. Multiple linear regression methods were used to examine correlates of the scale of DV perpetration. Findings showed that personal acceptance of DV mediated the association between exposure to wife-perpetrated and husband-perpetrated spousal violence in the family and DV perpetration for girls. Boys who were exposed to husband-perpetrated spousal violence in the family had significantly higher levels of psychological DV perpetration than those who were not. Contrary to expectations, exposure to wife-perpetrated spousal violence in the family was negatively associated with psychological and physical/sexual DV perpetration by boys, after controlling for other factors. Overall, perceived peer tolerance of DV was more strongly associated with DV perpetration than personal tolerance of DV, and was the only significant correlate of psychological DV perpetration for girls. Perceived peer attitudes also moderated the association between boys' exposure to spousal violence in the family and DV perpetration. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.
Directional Secretory Response of Double Stranded RNA-Induced Thymic Stromal Lymphopoetin (TSLP) and CCL11/Eotaxin-1 in Human Asthmatic Airways

Background Thymic stromal lymphoproetin (TSLP) is a cytokine secreted by the airway epithelium in response to respiratory viruses and it is known to promote allergic Th2 responses in asthma. This study investigated whether virally-induced secretion of TSLP is directional in nature (apical vs. basolateral) and/or if there are TSLP-mediated effects occurring at both sides of the bronchial epithelial barrier in the asthmatic state.
Modeling, identification, and real-time control of bucket hydraulic system for a wheel type loader earth moving equipment

Abstract >The earth moving equipment industry is quickly gearing up to achieve great gains in efficiency, performance, safety, and operator comfort by the rapid deployment of recent digital control technology in its products. There are two major types of earth moving equipment operating in large numbers: excavators and wheel type loaders. Excavators have received much attention by the industry recently. The wheel type loader product studied in this paper is another example of a high volume versatile machine at the opposite end of the configuration spectrum. A state of the art electro-hydraulic open centered non-pressure compensated valve control system is studied to evaluate the potential gains by implementing digital velocity servo control. The control objectives are to (1) meet operator perceived response requirements, (2) meet operator perceived smoothness requirements, (3) create a sub-system that could accept commands from an autonomous high level planning controller. Closed loop digital velocity control is successfully implemented in the racking motion of a wheel loader using a standard proportional-integral (PI) and a dynamic valve transform algorithm. The dynamic valve transform is a function of hydraulic flow rate which is a function of engine speed and rod end cylinder pressure. Robustness of performance was verified through extensive system modeling, validation, and hardware tests on a large Caterpillar wheel loader model 990. © 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Improved visualization of flow field measurements

A capability was developed that makes it possible to apply to measured flow field data the visualization tools developed to display numerical solutions for computational fluid dynamic problems. The measurement monitor surface (MMS) procedure was applied to the analysis of flow field measurements within a low aspect ratio transonic axial flow fan rotor obtained with 2-D laser anemometry. The procedure generates input for the visualization tools developed to display numerical solutions for computational fluid dynamics problems. The relative Mach number contour plots obtained by this method resemble the conventional contour plots obtained by more traditional methods. The results show that the MMS procedure can be used to generate input for the multidimensional processing and analysis tools developed for data from numerical flow field simulations. They show that an experimenter can apply the MMS procedure to his data and then use an interactive graphics program to display scalar quantities like the Mach number by profiles, carpet plots, contour lines, and surfaces using various colors. Also, flow directionality can be shown by display of vector fields and particle traces.
Continuing investigation into possible electric fields arising from steady conduction currents

Recently a report was made of an effort to test higher-order, source-velocity terms in Maxwell's equations. Present electromagnetic theory predicts a zero electric field resulting from constant currents in closed conductors at rest, but Edwards has reported observing an ${I}^{2}$-dependent potential resulting from current $I$ in a superconducting Nb-Ti coil. We have repeated these experiments under several variations to confirm the functional nature of the effect and to test the possibility of its arising from causes consistent with Maxwell's equations. In a fitting of the function $\ensuremath{\varphi}\ensuremath{\propto}{I}^{n}$ where $\ensuremath{\varphi}$ is the observed potential, we have obtained the value $n=2.02\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$. We have also concluded that none of the following effects offers a satisfactory explanation: the self-Hall effect, configurational emf's, non-steady-current effects, thermoelectric effects, flux-flow emf's, and possible charge transfer on helium bubbles. The signal appears to be a real field effect and is as yet unexplained.
Corporate Planning: An Executive Viewpoint

The article reviews the book “Corporate Planning: An Executive Viewpoint,” by Peter Lorange.
Dock around the Clock – Current Status of Small Molecule Docking and Scoring

The early phases of commercial drug discovery programs are increasingly guided by information extracted from three-dimensional structures of the target proteins and in silico design techniques. This review addresses key issues of docking and scoring, a popular technique in structure-based drug design. The pros and cons of computational tools currently used will be outlined as well as the integration of these methods in the lead finding and lead optimization process.
Direct repeats of the F plasmid incC region express F incompatibility

Abstract The nucleotide sequence of the incompatibility region incC , located at 45.8–46.4 kb on the F plasmid map, was determined. This region consists of 543 bp and contains sufficient information to code for only two small polypeptides of 34 and 30 amino acids each. Deletion of the ATG start codons for these two polypeptides has no effect on expression of incC incompatibility. A prominent feature of this sequence is the presence of five 22 bp direct repeats. A 58 bp segment of the incC region that contains two of these direct repeats was inserted into plasmid pACYC184, which is compatible with the F plasmid. The pACYC184 plasmid containing the direct-repeat sequences now expresses incompatibility with the F'lac plasmid and replication-proficient derivatives of the mini-F plasmid.