cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urea-disc-electrophoresis of actin, tropomyosin, troponin, α-actinin, β-actinin and the extra protein fraction from striated muscle

Abstract Purified actin, prepared from both beef and rabbit myofibrils, on being subjected to electrophoresis on gels containing 7 m urea produced a diffuse, heterogeneous and lightly-staining band over a range of R m = 0·26 to 0·33. After protecting against oxidation by the addition of DTT (dithiothreitol), the actin band concentrated sharply at R m = 0·26 and exhibited little contamination. Tropomyosin prepared from both rabbit and beef muscle and chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose produced heterogeneous electrophoretic patterns with bands always being present at R m = 0·24 and 0·43. Treatment with DTT or sulphite prior to electrophoresis always produced a single band of R m = 0·43, which was concluded to be SH-reduced tropomyosin. Rabbit muscle troponin sulphydryl groups were not protected by DTT or sulphite, but evidence suggested that troponin was localised at R m = 0·88 upon electrophoresis. Both α-actinin and β-actinin were prepared from rabbit muscle. Each sedimented as a single symmetrical peak on ultracentrifugation. Upon urea-disc-gel-electrophoresis, α-actinin produced two bands at R m = 0·02 and 0·07 while β-actinin exhibited an inconsistent heterogeneous pattern. Extra protein prepared from rabbit myofibrils by washing 8–10 times and chromatographing on DEAE cellulose was eluted from the column into five fractions (I, I-A, II, III and IV) by increasing salt concentrations. Fractions I and IV were shown to be sarcoplasmic- and nucleo-proteins, respectively. Although fractions II and III were not identified, evidence suggests that they were not of myofibrillar origin. Fraction I-A appeared to be identical to troponin. Thus, results suggest that extra protein is an artifact of preparation.
Experimental validation of a microcontroller-based wireless device to quantify head impacts

A microcontroller-based wireless medical device was designed and developed to measure acceleration during head impacts in contact sports. This device is capable of measuring linear acceleration, time of occurrence, and duration of any form of impact or collision. In order to validate the acceleration values from the device, an experimental set-up was built to mimic head collisions. The focus of this paper is to elaborate the design and various techniques involved in experimental validation of the device.
The treatment of relapsing primary nephrotic syndrome in children.

Objective: To explore better therapy and reduce the rate of re-relapse of primary nephritic syndrome in children who had been treated with corticosteroids but relapsed. Methods: Eighty relapsers were enrolled from Jan. 1994 to Apr. 2000, who were randomly divided into two groups. The treatment group (n=39) had been treated with tripterysium glucosides for three months, with the control group (n=41) members were treated with cyclophosphmide (CTX) by intermission intravenous pulse, with total dose of CTX not being more than 150 mg/kg. Prednisone, meanwhile, was both groups. The total treatment period of prednisone was prolonged by 12–18 months. Results: After following up for 3–7 years, the re-relapse rates of both groups were observed. The re-relapse rate of the treatment group was 28.2% to 29.3% in the CTX-controlled group. The re-relapse rates between two groups were almost similar, and with no observed significant difference (P>0.05). The side effect of tripterysium glucosides was less than that of CTX. Conclusion: For the treatment of relapsing nephritic syndrome in children, the combination of tripterysium glucosides and prolonged corticosteroid therapy is as effective as the regimen of CTX plus prolonged use of prednisone.
Quantum Monte-Carlo Study of Magnetic Ordering in ZnV2O4

Abstract We study the magnetic ordering of Vanadium spinels by Quantum Monte Carlo simulations of a three-band Hubbard model. Vanadium spinels, AV2O4, exhibit a unique “up-up-down-down” spin ordering at low temperatures. While this magnetic ordering was originally measured in 1973, its origin has remained unclear for many years due to the lack of unbiased approaches for solving the relevant model. A three-band Hubbard model on the spinel lattice (corner sharing tetrahedra) is a minimal Hamiltonian for describing the t2 g electrons of the V2+ ions. One of the main diffculties is that this family of compounds belongs to the elusive intermediate-coupling regime (U & t) for which there is no small parameter that can justify a perturbative expansion. We present a controlled Quantum Monte-Carlo approach to the three-band Hubbard model relevant for this materials that reproduces the up-up-down-down spin ordering. The method is free of the sign problem that is usually the main limiting factor for simulating fermionic systems in dimension higher than one.
9 EFFECT OF TIMING OF INSEMINATION WITH SORTED SEMEN ON SUBSEQUENT PREGNANCY RATE IN POSTPARTUM BEEF COWS SYNCHRONIZED WITH A MODIFIED 14-DAY PROGESTERONE PROTOCOL

A study investigated the effect of AI timing on pregnancy rate when using X sorted semen, and whether prostaglandin F2α (PGF2) injection on Day 7 of a modified 14-day progesterone (P4) protocol improved oestrous response in beef cows. Angus-based cows were allotted across treatment groups by cyclicity, parity, weight, body condition, and days postpartum. Treatment 1 (n = 132) cows received a CIDR P4 insert (Eazi-Breed CIDR, Pfizer Animal Health, Groton, CT, USA) on Day 0, with CIDR removal on Day 14, followed by 100 μg of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH; Factrel, Pfizer) on Day 16, and 25 mg of PGF2 (Lutalyse, Pfizer) on Day 23. Treatment 2 (n = 132) cows received the same synchronization treatment, except for an additional 25 mg dose of PGF2 given on Day 7 of CIDR treatment. Cows were observed for oestrus over an 84-h period and inseminated with X-sorted semen at 9 to 14, 15 to 17, 18 to 21 or 22 to 24 h after detected oestrus, followed 10 days later by exposure to fertile bulls for 45 days. Ultrasonography was used to determine pregnancy status ~45 days after AI and again 45 to 55 days after bull removal. Chi-squared analysis was used to determine the effects of treatment on oestrus response, AI pregnancy, and seasonal pregnancy rates, and the effect of AI timing on pregnancy rate. Analysis of variance was used to determine the effects of treatment on the interval from PGF2 dosing to detected oestrus. Oestrus response to synchronization treatment was similar (P = 0.33) at 76.5 and 71.2% for cows in Treatments 1 and 2, respectively. The mean interval from PGF2 to the onset of oestrus was extended (P = 0.03) ~3 h for cows in Treatment 2 (57.4 v. 54.3 h, respectively). About two-thirds of the cows in each treatment were cyclic at the start of synchronization. The extended interval from PGF2 to observed oestrus was due to an effect on cyclic, but not acyclic, cows in Treatment 2. Of the cows expressing oestrus, 69 and 89% expressed oestrus 48 to 72 h post-PGF2 in Treatments 1 and 2, respectively. Pregnancy rates after AI with sorted semen were similar (P = 0.64) at 63.3 and 66.7% for Treatments 1 and 2, respectively. No differences (P = 0.98) were detected in AI pregnancy rates for insemination intervals ranging from 9 to 24 h after detected oestrus. At the end of the breeding season, seasonal pregnancy rates were also similar (P = 0.74), at 83.3 and 84.9% for cows in Treatments 1 and 2, respectively. The addition of a PGF2 treatment on Day 7 of our 14-day CIDR-based protocol was expected to ensure all cows has sub-luteal P4 concentrations and would develop a persistent follicle capable of ovulation in response to GnRH given on Day 16. Whereas the Day 7 PGF2 treatment had no effect on oestrus response or pregnancy rate, it did result in a more synchronous oestrus within a 24-h period. Results indicate that acceptable pregnancy rates can be achieved in lactating beef cows when using sorted semen over a range of insemination times.
A rectangular plate bending element the use of which is equivalent to the use of the finite difference method

A presentation is made of a rectangular plate bending element, the use of which corresponds to the finite difference method. The element stiffness matrix is arrived at by approximation of the strain energy of the element by suitably selected finite difference expressions which contain not only values in respect of the deflection, but also values of its first derivatives. On the basis of the connection found between the two methods, some changes are suggested in the finite difference method, which involve a more realistic way of considering the detailed distribution of the loading. The effect of these modifications is illustrated in two applications.
Justice as restoration, justice as respect

The causes of the “new retributivism” sweeping America may not be entirely clear but the consequences are becoming so: they include the creation of a massive “corrections‐industrial complex” with a built‐in incentive to expand. Yet this emphasis on punishment often teaches the wrong lesson, fails to hold offenders accountable and ignores victim needs. A variety of “new” responses to crime are addressing the problem of crime in more positive ways; these include Sentencing Circles, Family Group Conferences and Victim Offender Reconciliation. They suggest that the failures of justice lies in the concept itself, the “retributive” paradigm. A “restorative” approach is more in keeping with the needs of victims and offenders and with most cultural traditions. Ultimately, justice must be reframed as making peace, not a war on crime. Crime is essentially about disrespect; justice must be rooted in respect.
Electrophile-mediated cyclizations in carbohydrate chemistry: synthesis of highly functionalized ribofuranose and ribopyranose compounds

Iodine-mediated cyclization of (Z)- and (E)-{=D}-ribohept-2-enonates 1 and 2 gave exclusively the β-ribofuranose and α-ribofuranose derivatives 3 and 4, respectively. Cyclization of the (Z)- and (E)-2-heptene-1-ol derivatives 5 and 6 gave ribofuranose products (7 and 8) and a ribopyranose (9), respectively.
Energy constraints and organizational change in US production

Abstract There is still considerable uncertainty about the way in which energy supply constraints affect industrial thinking and activity. Yet this is an important issue in determining the effectiveness of conservation programmes and in formulating energy policy. In 1978 S. Mehra and A.G. Kefalas conducted a survey of US business attitudes and responses to energy constraints. Some of their findings were published in the September 1979 Energy Policy . In the article below they present the results of further analysis of their survey. In particular they examine correlations between perceived causes and preferred solutions of energy problems, organizational adjustments to energy constraints in energy intensive industries and the ways in which production operations have changed in response to supply problems.
Protection of Bartlett pear against fire blight with deoxyribonucleic acid from virulent and avirulent Erwinia amylovora

Abstract Sonicates of virulent and avirulent Erwinia amylovora protect “Bartlett” pear shoot and etiolated seedlings against fire blight. Activity of sonicates is lost after precipitating nucleic acids with protamine sulfate, whereas nucleic acids purified from sonicates protect. Deoxyribonuclease, but not ribonuclease, destroys activity of nucleic acids isolated from sonicates. Activity is associated with the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fraction from linear log sucrose gradients. DNA prepared by the Marmur technique protects more effectively than DNA prepared from sonicates. The former was calculated to have a GC content of c . 55% by centrifugation to equilibrium in cesium chloride and from DNA melting curves. Specificity of the DNA preparations is suggested since DNA from Pseudomonas tabaci , a bacterium which protects against fire blight, did not protect, whereas DNA from virulent E, amylovora protects. Nucleic acid components, polyanions and polycations did not protect. Host response appears necessary for protection since a lag period is required between injection of DNA and virulent E. amylovora , and DNA added to a nutrient medium does not inhibit the growth of E. amylovora or affects its virulence.
PLANS FOR A SCANNING TRANSMISSION X‐RAY MICROSCOPE*

Ultrasoft x-ray photons in the 24044 A range have significant advantages over electrons in the imaging of relatively thick, wet, unstained biological specimens. Considerations of specimen damage alone have indicated a resolution limit on the order of 100 A for specimens up to several micrometers thick. Although this resolution has been approached in contact microscopy of thin specimens, the technique is cumbersome and may be inappropriate for high resolution study of thicker specimens. Among the alternatives, the scanning technique has serveral advantages over the use of post-specimen optics in the formation of high resolution images. The radiation exposure can be lowered by the elimination of the large losses often encountered in magnifying optics and detectors. In addition, alignment and registration procedures can be more easily implemented. Finally, the specimen can be maintained in an open environment, since the path length between the vacuum window and the detector can be made short enough to allow appreciable transmission of the radiation. Researchers have embarked on a program to build a high resolution scanning transmission microscope. Our microscope will focus ultrasoft synchrotron radiation down to a small spot whose size is, essentially, the resolution of the microscope. The sample will be scanned throughmore » the spot in air and the transmitted radiation will be detected by a flow proportional counter and used to modulate the intensity of the displayed image. Information about the elemental composition of the sample can be obtained either by comparing two images taken at wavelengths stradding an absorption edge or by fluorescence microscopy using harder radiation and energy-dispersive detectors.« less
Computing with polynomials given by black boxes for their evaluations: greatest common divisors, factorization, separation of numerators and denominators

Algorithms are developed that adopt a novel implicit representation for multivariate polynomials and rational functions with rational coefficients, that of black boxes for their evaluation. It is shown that within this evaluation-box representation, the polynomial greatest common divisor and factorization problems as well as the problem of extracting the numerator and denominator of a rational function can be solved in random polynomial time in the usual parameters. Since the resulting evaluation programs for the goal polynomials can be converted efficiently to sparse format, solutions to sparse problems such as the sparse ration interpolation problem follow as a consequence. >
Acceptability of chorionic villi sampling for prenatal diagnosis.

Abstract The factors that influence women in choosing between first-trimester chorionic villi sampling and second-trimester amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis were investigated. Five hundred twenty women of advanced maternal age who had previously undergone prenatal diagnosis by amniocentesis and were delivered of a normal infant were requested to complete a questionnaire concerning their attitudes toward amniocentesis and chorionic villi sampling. The majority of respondents indicated that the time at which chorionic villi sampling is performed (76%), the rapid availability of diagnostic results (72%), and the type of abortion procedure available (68%) would make them choose this method. In contrast, the factors that influenced women to choose amniocentesis included the known low risk of spontaneous abortion (76%) and confidence in the skill of the obstetrician who would perform the procedure (56%). When all factors were considered together, 68% of the respondents chose amniocentesis based on the known low risk of spontaneous abortion, whereas for those who chose chorionic villi sampling (32%), the major criterion was the fact that the procedure is performed in the first trimester. However, 87% of women who preferred amniocentesis indicated that if the risk of spontaneous abortion associated with chorionic villi sampling were equal to or less than that of amniocentesis, they would choose chorionic villi sampling. These results indicate that for many women of advanced maternal age, the acceptability and the use of chorionic villi sampling will be dependent on the demonstration that the risk of fetal loss is low, approaching that of amniocentesis.
VISUOSPATIAL AND NUMERICAL COGNITIVE DEFICITS IN CHILDREN WITH CHROMOSOME 22Q11.2 DELETION SYNDROME

This article presents some of the earliest evidence of visuospatial and numerical cognitive deficits in children with the chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome; a common but ill-understood genetic disorder resulting in medical complications, cognitive impairment, and brain morphologic changes. Relative to a group of typically developing controls, deleted children performed more poorly on tests of visual attentional orienting, visual enumeration and relative numerical magnitude judgment. Results showed that performance deficits in children with the deletion could not be explained by a global deficit in psychomotor speed. Instead, our findings are supportive of the hypothesis that visuospatial and numerical deficits in children with the chromosome 22q11.2 deletion are due, at least in part, to posterior parietal dysfunction.
USING THE WHITE FATHERS ARCHIVE: AN UPDATE

Nearly a decade has passed since Carol Dickerman wrote about the high points and practical considerations of working in this most important archival collection. With some recent changes at the Archives and the mere passage of time, an update is warranted.In August 1991 the longtime archivist, Father Rene Lamey, stepped down after decades of dedicated stewardship over a vast and growing collection of materials generated by the White Fathers since their founding in 1868. His encyclopedic knowledge and willing assistance to scholars will be missed by those who know him. Yet he has been replaced by Father Francois Renault, a scholar and archivist who knows the collection extremely well. Father Renault is more than familiar with the methods of African social scientists. He took a Doctorat d'Etat in history from the Sorbonne in 1971 and has spent some 12 years teaching at the Universite d'Abidjan. He has published five books with foci on the Arab slave trade and is working on a sixth, which is to be a biography of the Order's founder, Cardinal Lavigerie. The fact that Father Renault is himself a productive scholar makes the task of explaining research strategies that much easier.
Indirect Dissolution of Sapphire into Calcia-Magnesia-Alumina-Silica Melts: Electron Microprobe Analysis of the Dissolution Process

Spinel, MgAl2O4, has been observed to form on sapphire during sapphire dissolution into CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 (CMAS) melts at 1450°. and 1550°C. Electron microprobe analysis was used to characterize the sapphire/melt interface for cases in which spinel did (indirect dissolution) or did not (direct dissolution) form on the sapphire during dissolution into CMAS melts. The concentrations of Al2O3, MgO, CaO, and SiO2 were determined as a function of position within the spinel reaction product and in the adjacent melt. The rate-limiting steps for direct and indirect sapphire dissolution into CMAS melts are discussed.
An effective computerized reminder for contact isolation of patients colonized or infected with resistant organisms.

Purpose To improve contact isolation rates among patients admitted to the hospital with a known history of infection with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE).
Selective potentiations in opioid analgesia following scopolamine pretreatment.

The effects of the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine upon analgesia induced by d-ala-d-leu-enkephalin (DADL), beta-endorphin (BEND) and morphine were examined. While scopolamine (10 mg/kg, IP) significantly potentiated the analgesic responses following DADL (40 μg, ICV) and morphine (5 mg/kg, SC) on the jump test, it failed to alter significantly BEND (1 μg, ICV) analgesia.
Theoretical study of the bonding in FeM dimers

Abstract The electronic structures of Fe 2 , FeMn, FeCo, FeCu and FeNi have been calculated using Gaussian-76 SCF techniques. Gaussian basis sets contracted to [4 s , 2 p , 1 d ] functions are used on each atom resulting in sets of near double zeta accuracy in the valence region. The calculated UHF electronic ground state configurations for these FeM dimers are comparable with those experimentally determined. By examining the Mulliken atomic overlap population analysis, a correlation is found between the Mossbauer spectrum and calculated binding strengths in these dimers. Our calculations, fixed at r e of 2.3 A, show that the binding strengths decrease from FeCu, FeMn, Fe 2 , FeCo, FeNi.
Fault correction profiles

In general, software reliability models have focused on modeling and predicting the failure detection process and have not given equal priority to modeling the fault correction process. However, it is important to address the fault correction process in order to identify the need for process improvements. Process improvements, in turn, will contribute to achieving software reliability goals. We introduce the concept of a fault correction profile " a set of functions that predict fault correction events as a function of failure detection events. The fault correction profile identifies the need for process improvements and provides information for developing fault correction strategies. Related to the fault correction profile is the goal fault correction profile. This profile represents the fault correction goal against which the achieved fault correction profile can be compared. This comparison motivates the concept of fault correction process instability, and the attributes of instability. Applying these concepts to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center fault correction process and its data, we demonstrate that the need for process improvement can be identified, and that improvements in process would contribute to meeting product reliability goals.
LÉVY PROCESSES IN ANIMAL MOVEMENT: AN EVOLUTIONARY HYPOTHESIS

The origin of fractal patterns is a fundamental problem in many areas of science. In ecological systems, fractal patterns show up in many subtle ways and have been interpreted as emer- gent phenomena related to some universal principles of complex systems. Recently, Levy-type processes have been pointed out as relevant in large-scale animal movements. The existence of Levy probability distributions in the behavior of relevant variables of movement, introduces new potential diffusive properties and optimization mechanisms in animal foraging processes. In particular, it has been shown that Levy processes can optimize the success of random encounters in a wide range of search scenarios, representing robust solutions to the general search problem. These results set the scene for an evolutionary explanation for the widespread observed scale-invariant properties of animal movements. Here, it is suggested that scale-free reorientations of the movement could be the basis for a stochastic organization of the search whenever strongly reduced perceptual capacities come into play. Such a proposal represents two new evolutionary insights. First, adaptive mechanisms are explicitly proposed to work on the basis of stochastic laws. And second, though acting at the individual-level, these adaptive mechanisms could have straightforward effects at higher levels of ecosystem organization and dynamics (e.g. macroscopic diffusive properties of motion, population-level encounter rates). Thus, I suggest that for the case of animal movement, fractality may not be representing an emergent property but instead adaptive random search strategies. So far, in the context of
A unified approach to the design of linear constraints in minimum variance adaptive beamformers

A simple, systematic procedure for designing linear constraints in minimum-variance beamformers which allows an arbitrary specification of the quiescent response (the beamformer response when only white noise is present) is described. In this approach, the first constraint is dedicated to the imposition of a desired quiescent response, and additional constraints are included to assure proper reception of the desired signal. These additional constraints make the overall beamformer response equal to the quiescent response in the desired signal region so that the signal is not cancelled when it is present. Optionally, the response can be fixed in other regions of interest by adding more constraints. This design procedure demonstrates that the key to designing efficient constraints is finding the weighting coefficients which specify the desired quiescent response, a problem identical to the synthesis of desired beam patterns for nonadaptive arrays. The effectiveness of the procedure is illustrated by examples in both narrowband and broadband arrays. >
The Importance of Optimism in Maintaining Healthy Aging in Rural Alaska

Many Alaska Native Elders attended government-run boarding schools as children, were forbidden to speak their native language, and were forced to abandon their traditional subsistence lifestyle, yet they maintained an optimistic outlook on life and continued to age well. The Explanatory Model Interview Protocol was adapted to interview a purposive sample of Alaska Native Elders (n = 26) and grounded theory was used to develop a model of successful aging for Alaska Native Elders in Bristol Bay, Alaska. The theme of optimism was significant in the findings and was also found in each of the elements of successful aging, which were spirituality, emotional well-being, community engagement, and physical health. These four elements served as the foundation of the Model of Successful Aging. The Elders believed they were able to age successfully because they continued to be optimistic despite the challenges they faced (and are currently facing) in their communities.
Novel posttranslational activation of the LYS2-encoded alpha-aminoadipate reductase for biosynthesis of lysine and site-directed mutational analysis of conserved amino acid residues in the activation domain of Candida albicans.

The -aminoadipate pathway for lysine biosynthesis is present only in fungi. The -aminoadipate reductase (AAR) of this pathway catalyzes the conversion of -aminoadipic acid to -aminoadipic--semialdehyde by a complex mechanism involving two gene products, Lys2p and Lys5p. The LYS2 and LYS5 genes encode, respectively, a 155-kDa inactive AAR and a 30-kDa phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase) which transfers a phosphopantetheinyl group from coenzyme A (CoA) to Lys2p for the activation of Lys2p and AAR activity. In the present investigation, we have confirmed the posttranslational activation of the 150-kDa Lys2p of Candida albicans, a pathogenic yeast, in the presence of CoA and C. albicans lys2 mutant (CLD2) extract as a source of PPTase (Lys5p). The recombinant Lys2p or CLD2 mutant extract exhibited no AAR activity with or without CoA. However, the recombinant 150-kDa Lys2p, when incubated with CLD2 extract and CoA, exhibited significant AAR activity compared to that of wild-type C. albicans CAI4 extract. The PPTase in the CLD2 extract was required only for the activation of Lys2p and not for AAR reaction. Site-directed mutational analysis of G882 and S884 of the Lys2p activation domain (LGGHSI) revealed no AAR activity, indicating that these two amino acids are essential for the activation. Replacement of other amino acid residues in the domain resulted in partial or full AAR activity. These results demonstrate the posttranslational activation and the requirement of specific amino acid residues in the activation domain of the AAR of C. albicans.
Excretion of urinary epinephrines in psychiatric disorders.

SummaryIncreased 24 hr excretion of urinary epinephrines was found in 14 of 17 patients with various psychiatric disorders. These increased outputs varied from about 200 to 500 μg/day; the largest was 1184. Such values are within the range of those found cases of pheochromocytoma and emphasize the fact that increased epinephrine excretion is not pathognomonic of adrenal medullary and chromaffin chain tumors.
A simple beamforming-SIMO merger in spatially correlated channel via virtual channel representation

In this paper, we introduce a simple merger of beamforming (BF) and maximal ratio combining (MRC) in single-input-multi-output (SIMO) wireless communication systems. It is well known that either BF or MRC in SIMO systems does not perform properly in spatially correlated channels, because the former assumes completely coherent fades over the entire antenna elements while the latter assumes independent fades. Here, we study a merger of BF and SIMO via virtual channel representation (VCR). VCR is used as a consistent description of coherent, correlated and independent channels to derive the proposed algorithm. Specifically, this study is performed for a simple SIMO system which leads to high performance gains in spatially correlated channels. The study can be easily generalized to Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) systems. This approach replaces the traditional channel codes by complex codes generated via signal-to-noise (SNR) optimization at the receiver
Enrolling subjects by exception from consent versus proxy consent in trauma care research.

Study objective For clinical research, the consent process plays a critical role in protecting human subjects. In emergency research, proxy consent can impose substantial delays or even render a study infeasible if the intervention involves a highly time-sensitive treatment. The objective of this study is to compare the time required to enroll brain-injured trauma patients in a study with proxy consent versus exception from consent. Methods We analyzed data from a clinical trial (Progesterone for Traumatic brain injury–Experimental Clinical Treatment–ProTECT) of a promising treatment for acute brain injury that used proxy consent for subject enrollment. Performance metrics using proxy consent (actual study) were compared to assumptions of what would have happened if the study had been conducted with exception from consent (hypothetical study). The total number and monthly rate of enrollees, mean time from injury to initiation of the study treatment, and number of subjects receiving unwanted treatment for any span of time were compared. Results During the 30-month enrollment period, the actual study accrued 100 consenting subjects (3.3 per month) compared with 122 subjects (4.1 per month) for the hypothetical study. Mean time from injury to initiation of experimental treatment in the actual study was 379.2 standard deviation 118.0 minutes, approximately 6.3 hours, compared with 122 minutes in the hypothetical study. Conclusion Exception from consent can reduce mean time from injury to initiation of study treatment of trauma patients by 4 hours or more. For a time-critical trauma care intervention, this difference may justify elaborate efforts to comply with the Final Rule.
Hedging multiple price and quantity exposures

We examined the general hedging problem faced by a global portfolio manager or a pure exporting multinational firm. Most hedging models assume that these economic agents hold only a single asset in the spot market and are exposed only to a single source of price–quantity uncertainty. Such models are less relevant to many financial and exporting firms that face multiple sources of risk. In this study, we developed a general hedging model that explicitly recognizes that these hedgers are faced with multiple price and quantity uncertainties. Our model takes advantage of the full correlation structure of changes in spot prices, quantities, and forward prices. We performed simulations of the hedging model for a firm with two pairs of price and quantity exposures to demonstrate potential gains in hedging efficiency and effectiveness. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 21:145–172, 2001
Attitudes about Racism, Medical Mistrust, and Satisfaction with Care among African American and White Cardiac Patients

The authors examine determinants of satisfaction with medical care among 1,784 (781 African American and 1,003 white) cardiac patients. Patient satisfaction was modeled as a function of predisposing factors (gender, age, medical mistrust, and perception of racism) and enabling factors (medical insurance). African Americans reported less satisfaction with care. Although both black and white patients tended not to endorse the existence of racism in the medical care system, African American patients were more likely to perceive racism. African American patients were significantly more likely to report mistrust. Multivariate analysis found that the perception of racism and mistrust of the medical care system led to less satisfaction with care. When perceived racism and medical mistrust were controlled, race was no longer a significant predictor of satisfaction.
Test generation for sequential circuits

An approach to test-pattern generation for synchronous sequential circuits is presented. The deterministic sequential test-generation algorithm, based on extensions to the PODEM justification algorithm, is effective for midsized sequential circuits and can be used in conjunction with an incomplete scan design approach to generate tests for very large sequential circuits. Tests for finite-state machines with a large number of states have been successfully generated using reasonable amounts of CPU time and close-to-maximum possible fault coverages have been obtained. For very large sequential circuits, an incomplete scan-design approach to test generation has been developed. The deterministic test generation algorithm is again used to generate test for faults in the modified circuit. All irredundant faults can be detected as in the complete scan design case, but at significantly less area and performance cost. The length of the test sequences for the faults can be bounded by a prescribed value-in general, a tradeoff exists between the number of memory elements required to be made scannable and the maximum allowed length of the test sequence. >
Gravure Printing of Conductive Inks on Glass Substrates for Applications in Printed Electronics

In graphics, gravure printing is the preferred method for printing high quality, fine dimension graphics using high-speed roll-to-roll or sheet fed presses. Gravure printing typically employs flexible and compressible substrates such as various papers and polymer films. In electronics, glass substrates are a common, if not preferred, substrate in many applications, particularly displays and photovoltaics. In combining printing with glass substrates, challenges exist in adapting contact-based printing methods such as gravure to the mechanical properties of the more rigid substrates. In this work, sheet-fed gravure printing has been successfully used to print silver-based conductive inks on glass substrates. Various features were designed and printed to evaluate conductive layers in terms of their printability and electrical performance. The independent variables include gravure cell dimensions, trace orientation with respect to printing direction and ink type. Results from this work provide an insight into the science of gravure printing on glass by correlating the independent variables to printed feature quality and electrical performance.
Estimation performance and resource savings: Tradeoffs in multiple radars systems

In widely distributed multiple radar systems, employing larger numbers of transmit and receive antennas supports better target parameter estimation. Increased dimensions results in higher communication needs, synchronization overhead, and processing complexity. In our previous studies, resource-aware operational schemes have been introduced for a given localization estimation mean-square error (MSE) threshold requirement. Power allocation scheme that minimizes the total transmitted power for a given MSE goal has been derived. As most of the transmitted power was allocated to a few of the available transmit antennas, a subset selection scheme has been proposed to identifying a minimal set of transmit and receive antennas that offer the required accuracy performance. The study indicates that some transmit and receive antenna pairs contribute more than others to the localization performance. Based on this, a different approach to resource-aware operation is proposed in this paper. The objective is to identify an antenna subset that offers an optimal tradeoff between performance loss in term of localization MSE and the active subset size. By setting an acceptable loss threshold, relative to the best performances achievable with all antennas active, joint optimization of subset size and power allocation is performed to maximize the trade-off gains. A mixed optimization problem is defined, based on the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB), and fast approximation algorithm is proposed, maximizing the trace of the Fisher information matrix (FIM) while minimizing the number of active antennas. The closed-form expression of the CRB offers additional understanding of the relation between the geometric layout of the transmit and the receive antennas with respect to the target and their relative contribution to the performance.
Study of shot noise in a double barrier resonant tunneling structure

Shot noise is calculated in a double barrier resonant tunneling structure (DBRTS) by taking the space charge accumulated inside the quantum well into account. The calculation is self-consistent in nature and is obtained by simultaneously solving the Schrodinger and Poisson's equations. The calculation manifests the suppression of shot noise in the positive differential resistance (PDR) region and an enhancement in the negative differential resistance region (NDR) of the DBRTS. The behavior is explained in terms of the fluctuation of the eigen energy of the structure due to the stored charge in the quantum well. >
Comparative surface geometry of the protein kinase family.

Identifying conserved pockets on the surfaces of a family of proteins can provide insight into conserved geometric features and sites of protein–protein interaction. Here we describe mapping and comparison of the surfaces of aligned crystallographic structures, using the protein kinase family as a model. Pockets are rapidly computed using two computer programs, FADE and Crevasse. FADE uses gradients of atomic density to locate grooves and pockets on the molecular surface. Crevasse, a new piece of software, splits the FADE output into distinct pockets. The computation was run on 10 kinase catalytic cores aligned on the αF-helix, and the resulting pockets spatially clustered. The active site cleft appears as a large, contiguous site that can be subdivided into nucleotide and substrate docking sites. Substrate specificity determinants in the active site cleft between serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases are visible and distinct. The active site clefts cluster tightly, showing a conserved spatial relationship between the active site and αF-helix in the C-lobe. When the αC-helix is examined, there are multiple mechanisms for anchoring the helix using spatially conserved docking sites. A novel site at the top of the N-lobe is present in all the kinases, and there is a large conserved pocket over the hinge and the αC-β4 loop. Other pockets on the kinase core are strongly conserved but have not yet been mapped to a protein–protein interaction. Sites identified by this algorithm have revealed structural and spatially conserved features of the kinase family and potential conserved intermolecular and intramolecular binding sites.
Characterization of the self-splicing products of a mobile intron from the nuclear rDNA of Physarum polycephalum

Abstract We have characterized the splicing products formed in vitro from RNA derived from the mobile group I intron in the nuclear rDNA of Physarum polycephalum, Pp LSU 3. This intron is a close relative of the well known Tetrahymena intron Tt LSU 1, being inserted at exactly the same position in the rDNA and sharing about 90% sequence identity with Tt LSU 1 in the conserved elements characteristic of the catalytic core of all group I introns. However, Pp LSU 3 differs from Tt LSU 1 in that it encodes a site-specific endonuclease, which mediates the homing of the intron to unoccupied target sites. The endonuclease, I-Ppo, would appear to be a unique example of a protein encoded by an RNA polymerase I transcript. To gain clues to the splicing products formed in vivo, and to the nature of the messenger RNA for I-Ppo, we subjected Pp LSU 3 RNA to standard self-splicing conditions in vitro, and then analyzed the products by size, by northern blotting, and by primer extension. The results show two novel features. First, in addition to the expected 5' splice site, there is an alternative 5' splice site in the upstream exon, just preceding the first codon of the I-Ppo open reading frame. Second, at the position corresponding to the major circularization site in Tt LSU 1 there is an internal processing site, leading to the efficient separation of two halves of the excised intron, the 5' half encoding I-Ppo and 3' half containing the ribozyme. Surprisingly, this cleavage appears not to be due to circularization followed by hydrolytic opening of the circle, but rather to G addition. The formation of these products in vitro suggests how the messenger RNA for the I-Ppo endonuclease may be generated in vivo.
STABILITY OF FOAM AND EMULSION FILMS: EFFECTS OF THE DRAINAGE AND FILM SIZE ON CRITICAL THICKNESS OF RUPTURE

A linear stability theory is developed to examine the stability of a radially bounded foam or emulsion film with tangentially immobile interfaces. The results indicate that the drainage flow has a very significant effect on the marginally stable film thicknesses. The predicted values of critical thickness are in good agreement with those measured with the interference microscopic technique for both foam and emulsion films.
“But Amen is the Price:” James Baldwin and Ray Charles in “The Hallelujah Chorus”

Based on a recent, archival discovery of the script, “But Amen is the Price” is the first substantive writing about James Baldwin’s collaboration with Ray Charles, Cicely Tyson, and others in a performance of musical and dramatic pieces. Titled by Baldwin, “The Hallelujah Chorus” was performed in two shows at Carnegie Hall in New York City on 1 July 1973. The essay explores how the script and presentation of the material, at least in Baldwin’s mind, represented a call for people to more fully involve themselves in their own and in each other’s lives. In lyrical interludes and dramatic excerpts from his classic work, “Sonny’s Blues,” Baldwin addressed divisions between neighbors, brothers, and strangers, as well as people’s dissociations from themselves in contemporary American life. In solo and ensemble songs, both instrumental and vocal, Ray Charles’s music evinced an alternative to the tradition of Americans’ evasion of each other. Charles’s sound meant to signify the history and possibility of people’s attainment of presence in intimate, social, and political venues of experience. After situating the performance in Baldwin’s personal life and public worldview at the time and detailing the structure and content of the performance itself, “But Amen is the Price” discusses the largely negative critical response as a symptom faced by much of Baldwin’s other work during the era, responses that attempted to guard “aesthetics” generally—be they literary, dramatic, or musical—as class-blind, race-neutral, and apolitical. The essay presents “The Hallelujah Chorus” as a key moment in Baldwin’s search for a musical/literary form, a way to address, as he put it, “the person and the people,” in open contention with the social and political pressures of the time.
Create, activate, destroy, repeat: Cdk1 controls proliferation by limiting transcription factor activity

Progression through the cell cycle is controlled by a network of transcription factors that coordinate gene expression with cell-cycle events. One transcriptional activator in this network in budding yeast is the forkhead protein Hcm1, which controls the expression of genes that are transcribed during S-phase. Hcm1 activity is coordinated with the cell cycle via its regulation by cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk1), which both activates Hcm1 and targets it for degradation, through phosphorylation of distinct sites. The mechanisms controlling the differential phosphorylation timing of the activating and destabilizing phosphosites are not clear. However, a recent study shows that the phosphatase calcineurin specifically removes activating phosphates from Hcm1 when cells are exposed to environmental stress, thus extinguishing its activity and slowing proliferation under unfavorable growth conditions. This regulatory mechanism, whereby a phosphatase actively alters the distribution of phosphosites on a cell cycle-regulatory transcription factor to elicit a change in cellular proliferation, adds an additional layer of complexity to the regulatory network controlling the cell cycle. Furthermore, this regulatory paradigm is likely to be a conserved mode of phosphoregulation that controls the cell cycle in diverse systems.
Das Schweigen auf ein kaufmännisches Bestätigungsschreiben

Die Grundsatze uber die Rechtsfolgen des Schweigens auf ein kaufmannisches Bestatigungsschreiben sind in der Rechtsprechung seit langem anerkannt1. Ansatze zur Entwicklung dieser Grundsatze konnen zuruckverfolgt werden bis in die Zeiten des BOHG und des ROHG2. Uber einen lange Zeitraum hinweg wurde die Richtigkeit der Rechtsprechung nicht in Zweifel gezogen. Erst in jungerer Zeit wurde Kritik laut. Einzelne Bereiche wie etwa die Problematik der Einbeziehung von AGB durch kaufmannisches Bestatigungsschreiben oder — damit zum Teil zusammenhangend — der sich kreuzenden Bestatigungsschreiben sind heute so umstritten, das bereits von einer Wissenschaft fur sich gesprochen werden kann3. Hinzu kommt, das die Kasuistik zum Bestatigungsschreiben mittlerweile dermasen unubersehbar ist, das es schwerfallt, auch nur einigermasen den Uberblick zu behalten. Zum besseren Verstandnis soll daher die Auffassung der Rechtsprechung zunachst lediglich darstellend wiedergegeben werden; auf eine Kritik wird dabei bewust verzichtet.