cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chromatographic analyses of the effects of glutathione, cysteine and ascorbic acid on the monophenol and diphenol oxidase activities of tyrosinase

Abstract The effects of glutathione, cysteine, and ascorbic acid on the monophenol and diphenol oxidase functions of tyrosinase were assessed by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ED) at both oxidative and reductive potentials. The enzyme-catalyzed hydroxylations of tyrosine to dopa and tyramine to dopamine were inhibited completely by glutathione and cysteine, but not by ascorbic acid. However, the rates of oxidation of dopa and dopamine were enhanced approximately 5 % by cysteine and 75 % by glutathione. There was no chromatographic evidence to indicate that either thiol reduced o-quinones back to their respective o-diphenols, a reaction that was documented for ascorbic acid. Glutathione and cysteine each formed sulfnydryl conjugates with the oxidation products of both dopa and dopamine. The thiol-mediated alterations in tyrosinase activity are likely due to the direct interactions of these sulfhydryl compounds with the enzyme, suggesting that the availability an...
SHRUB SEEDLING RECRUITMENT IN UNBURNED CALIFORNIAN COASTAL SAGE SCRUB AND ADJACENT GRASSLAND

Shrub species of southern Californian coastal sage scrub recruit seedlings immediately after fire but also recruit in unburned coastal sage scrub stands and annual grasslands. We examined the influence of natural disturbances other than fire on shrub seedling establishment, especially the role of small-scale disturbance. Our goals were to determine: (1) whether seedling recruitment is associated with gaps in grassland, scrub, and grassland-scrub ecotones; (2) the identity of gap-creating agents; (3) the influences of biotic (vertebrates and ants) and abiotic (late spring moisture) disturbances on seedling establishment; and (4) whether disturbance effects vary spatially, both among and within (gap vs. nongap microsites) the three zones. We censused natural seedlings and vegetation gaps monthly in belt transects for two growing seasons and also measured seed banks at three 16-yr-old sites of adjacent grassland and coastal sage scrub. We initiated factorial experiments at one site to determine effects of animals, gaps, and late spring moisture on seed and seedling numbers. Gap-creating agents varied among the three zones, but seedlings were associated with gaps in each. Animals, especially small mammals, were important in creation and maintenance of gaps. Animal effects varied among but not within zones. Small mammals positively affected seedling recruitment in the grassland (germination on pocket gopher mounds) and negatively affected seed numbers of species with larger and multiple-seeded propagules in the ecotone and scrub; they created and/or maintained gaps in all three zones. Late spring moisture did not play an important role in shrub seedling recruitment in any zone. Because coastal sage shrub seedlings lose transpiring surfaces during drought, they may be less vulnerable than evergreen mediterranean shrubland species to the variability in both annual and seasonal extent of rainfall that is typical of mediterranean climates.
A New Role for Mammalian Angiotensin; Adapting the Kidney to Extrauterine Life • 1826

Multiple physiological adaptations must occur in placental mammals at birth when the fetus switches from dependence on a maternal life support system to a free living existence. The renal system, in particular, faces the dual challenges of achieving a rapid some 50-fold increase in urine production to eliminate nitrogenous wastes now entirely through the kidney, and at the same time, of establishing a mechanism by which the high urine production is matched by efficient removal of urine from the kidney. The latter is accomplished by development of the pelvis, an organ unique to mammals, which, under the control of its pacemaker cells, initiates the peristaltic movement to rapidly transfer urine from the kidney to the ureter.
Picrotoxin induced epileptiform activity in amygdaloid neurons

The effects of the epileptogenic agent, picrotoxin, on inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) were studied in the amygdala in vitro slice preparation. Picrotoxin was superfused onto the tissue and intracellular recordings were obtained from basolateral amygdaloid neurons (BLANs). Stimulation of the stria terminalis pathway evoked an excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP)--IPSP sequence. Depolarization of the membrane potential increased the amplitude of the IPSP, whereas hyperpolarization of the membrane potential decreased the amplitude of the IPSP. The IPSP reversed polarity at -74 mV. Application of picrotoxin reduced the IPSP and resulted in the development of paroxysmal depolarizing shifts. Picrotoxin itself had no apparent effect on the resting membrane potential or input resistance. These results indicate that epileptiform activity induced by picrotoxin in the basolateral amygdaloid neuron is of synaptic origin.
Kidney development: regulatory molecules crucial to both mice and men.

Although the study of embryonic kidney development began in the 1950s, three decades passed until scientists began identifying the molecular controls of renal organogenesis. Most of these advances have come from mouse gene targeting and rodent kidney explant manipulation. Translation of the rodent data to human congenital kidney disease has only just begun. The activities of those regulatory molecules proven to be used in common appear remarkably similar in mouse and human renal development. Examples of these genes include glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), RET, PAX2, Wilms tumor suppressor (WT1), and components in the renin-angiotensin pathway. Other factors that participate in mouse renal organogenesis, such as N-Myc, may later be proven important in human kidney development.
Sexual Harassment of Women in Urban China

Using data from the Chinese Health and Family Life survey, this study analyzed the prevalence of and risk factors for sexual harassment in China in the year 2000. It was the first study to use a general population sample to examine all types of harassment in an Asian country. The dataset was a stratified probability sample with 3,821 participants, and was nationally representative (apart from Hong Kong and Tibet) of China's adult population aged 20-64. In total, 12.5% of all women and 15.1% of urban women reported some form of harassment in the past year. Among urban women age 20-45, most cross-sex harassment was not from supervisors or superiors (1.4%) but from coworkers and other peers (7.0%), strangers (4.6%), dates and boyfriends (3.6%), and others (2.6%). Multivariate analysis of risk factors for cross-sex harassment suggested that, despite its predominance in the Western literature on sexual harassment, the power differentials approach, focusing on male-female power differentials in patriarchal societies, was of modest utility. The results were more consistent with a more comprehensive routine activities approach borrowed from criminology, which emphasizes situational opportunity, perceived benefit to the harasser, and reduced costs for the harasser. The most striking result from the data represents the area receiving the least attention in the West, namely, the perpetrator's perception of "benefit," deriving from the victim's inadvertent "signaling."
Ultrasound enhanced thrombolysis in acute arterial ischemia

In vitro and animal studies have shown that thrombolysis with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can be enhanced with ultrasound. Ultrasound delivers mechanical pressure waves to the clot, thus exposing more thrombus surface to circulating drug. Moreover, intravenous gaseous microspheres with ultrasound have been shown to be a potential alternative to fibrinolytic agents to recanalize discrete peripheral thrombotic arterial occlusions or acute arteriovenous graft thromboses. Small phase I-II randomized and non-randomized clinical trials have shown promising results concerning the potential applications of ultrasound-enhanced thrombolysis in the setting of acute cerebral ischemia. CLOTBUST was an international four-center phase II trial, which demonstrated that, in patients with acute ischemic stroke, transcranial Doppler (TCD) monitoring augments tPA-induced arterial recanalization (sustained complete recanalization rates: 38% vs. 13%) with a non-significant trend toward an increased rate of clinical recovery from stroke, as compared with placebo. The rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) were similar in the active and placebo group (4.8% vs. 4.8%). Smaller single-center clinical trials using transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCD) reported recanalization rates ranging from 27% to 64% and sICH rates of 0-18%. A separate clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of therapeutic low-frequency ultrasound was discontinued because of a concerning sICH rate of 36% in the active group. To further enhance the ability of tPA to break up thrombi, current ongoing clinical trials include phase II studies of a single beam 2 MHz TCD with perflutren-lipid microspheres. Moreover, potential enhancement of intra-arterial tPA delivery is being clinically tested with 1.7-2.1 MHz pulsed wave ultrasound (EKOS catheter) in ongoing phase II-III clinical trials. Intravenous platelet-targeted microbubbles with low-frequency ultrasound are currently investigated as a rapid noninvasive technique to identify thrombosed intracranial and peripheral vessels. Multi-national dose escalation studies of microspheres and the development of an operator independent ultrasound device are underway.
Localization of fatty acid reesterification in the brush border region of intestinal absorptive cells.

Abstract 1. 1. To determine whether fatty acid esterification occurs at the apical surface of intestinal absorptive cells during fat absorption, we isolated and fractionated intestinal brush borders from hamsters fed pure oleic acid and from everted intestinal sacs briefly incubated with 14C-labeled oleic acid. 2. 2. The amounts of fatty acid and triglyceride in isolated brush borders increased 3 to 5-fold after oleic acid was fed. Similarly, increased amounts of fatty acid and triglyceride were observed in the C-band fraction of disrupted brush borders. Although the C-band fraction from fasting hamsters constitutes a virtually pure preparation of microvillous membranes, this fraction was found to be contaminated with other subcellular elements when isolated from fat-fed animals. 3. 3. When everted intestinal sacs were exposed for 30 sec to trace quantities of 14C-labeled oleic acid, almost half of the radioactivity in subsequently isolated brush borders was present as triglyceride. When these brush borders were further fractionated, glyceride specific activity was found to be low in morphologically pure C-band preparations of microvillous membranes. In contrast the AB fraction, which consists of various subcellular elements including abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum, contained glycerides with higher specific activities than those of whole brush borders or microsomes simultaneously isolated from the remainder of the cell. 4. 4. These findings suggest that isolated whole brush borders owe their activity for glyceride synthesis, not to any component of the microvillus itself, but to the smooth endoplasmic reticulum within the rim of attached apical cytoplasm ordinarily adherent to isolated brush borders.
Novel biological recycling water purification system for use in fish toxicology studies

A major problem with fish toxicity testing has been maintaining an adequate supply of healthy, acclimated fish in the laboratory setting from which test populations can be obtained. The build-up of metabolic waste (ammonia) in holding tank environments leads to a stressful situation for the fish, resulting in mortality or erroneous toxicity data. Ammonia is the principal nitrogenous waste product of catfish and is excreted primarily as the toxic unionized ammonia from the gills. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel biological filter system which facilitates the nitrification process, thereby removing or controlling the build-up of toxic metabolic waste products in holding tanks in the laboratory. This system would provide a healthy, non-stressful environment for blue channel catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) fingerlings prior to their use in LC50 determinations of various insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides currently employed in the vicinity of catfish ponds or farms.
Optimization of grammatical evolution decision trees

The detection of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in genetic association studies presents a difficult computational and statistical challenge, especially as advances in genotyping technology have rapidly expanded the number of potential genetic predictors in such studies. The scale of these studies makes exhaustive search approaches infeasible, inspiring the application of evolutionary computation algorithms to perform variable selection and build classification models. Recently, an application of grammatical evolution to evolve decision trees (GEDT) has been introduced for detecting interaction models. Initial results were promising, but relied on arbitrary parameter choices for the evolutionary process. In the current study, we present the results of a parameter sweep evaluating the power of GEDT and show that improved parameter choices improves the performance of the method. The results of these experiments are important for the continued optimization, evaluation, and comparison of this and related methods, and for proper application in real data.
Survival Traits of Naturalized, Hatchery, and Hybrid Strains of Anadromous Rainbow Trout during Egg and Fry Stages

Abstract Two strains of anadromous rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, naturalized steelhead and “kamloops” (not the pure Kamloops strain from British Columbia, hence not capitalized) currently inhabit the Minnesota waters of Lake Superior and may have the potential to hybridize. This could compromise the genetic integrity of the naturalized steelhead population. Both strains are supplemented by annual stocking, despite the fact that the steelhead population reproduces naturally. Egg viability and fry behavior experiments were undertaken to evaluate the potential for hybridization and to provide information for future management of the two strains. The kamloops eggs were slightly smaller, but sizes overlapped substantially with steelhead egg sizes. Mortalilty of kamloops eggs from spawning to hatching was greater than steelhead eggs. Steelhead fry exhibited a greater fright response (wariness) than kamloops fry when startled by movement over their tanks. Hybrid egg survival and wariness traits were interme...
Real next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD corrections to J/ψ and ϒ hadroproduction in association with a photon

We update the study of the QCD corrections to direct J/{psi} and {Upsilon} hadroproduction in association with a photon in the QCD-based approach of the Colour-Singlet (CS) Model. After comparison with the recent full next-to-leading-order (NLO) computation for this process, we provide an independent confirmation to the inclusive case that NLO QCD corrections to quarkonium-production processes whose LO exhibits a non-leading P{sub T} behavior can be reliably computed at mid and large P{sub T} by considering only the real emission contributions accompanied with a kinematical cut. In turn, we evaluate the leading part of the {alpha}{sub S}{sup 4}{alpha} contributions, namely those coming from (J/{psi}, {Upsilon}) + {gamma} associated with two light partons. We find that they are dominant at mid and large P{sub T}. This confirms our expectations from the leading P{sub T} scaling of the new topologies appearing at NNLO. We obtain that the yield from the CS becomes one order of magnitude larger than the upper value of the potential Colour-Octet yield. The polarization of the {sup 3}S{sub 1} quarkonia produced in association with a photon is confirmed to be longitudinal at mid and large P{sub T}.
Polygonal approximation of planar curves in the L 1 norm

Abstract An algorithm for obtaining a polygonal approximation in the L 1, norm of a plane curve of arbitrary shape is presented. The L 1 error norm in any segment is not to exceed a pre-assigned value. The given curve is first digitized and the algorithm is then applied to the discrete points. The algorithm uses linear programming techniques which makes it efficient and fast. Numerical results and comments are given.
Intelligent social network analysis using granular computing

An introduction to some basic ideas of graph (relational network) theory is first provided. We then discuss some concepts from granular computing in particular the fuzzy set paradigm of computing with words. The natural connection between graph theory and granular computing, particularly fuzzy set theory, is pointed out. This connection is grounded in the fact that these are both set-based technologies. Our objective here is to take a step toward the development of intelligent social network analysis using granular computing. In particular one can start by expressing in a human-focused manner concepts associated with social networks then formalize these concepts using fuzzy sets and then evaluate these concepts with respect to social networks that have been represented using set-based relational network theory. We capture this approach in what we call the paradigm for intelligent social network analysis, PISNA. Using this paradigm, we provide definitions of a number of concepts related to social networks. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Towards a methodology for evaluating expert systems

: Expert system evaluation comprises verification, validation and user acceptance testing. The nature of expert systems requires that they be evaluated carefully, and that detailed methodologies for their development be devised. This paper attempts to give practical guidance for the evaluation phase of expert system development. Empirical and logical evaluation methods are surveyed, and both types of method are applied in an evaluation case study. This case study provides insights as to the relative effectiveness of the methods, and demonstrates that empirical and logical testing are complementary to each other. The paper concludes that any evaluation methodology should incorporate both types of method, and presents prescriptions and an outline for such a methodology, which combines the methods for maximum effectiveness.
Fertility Following an Unintended First Birth

Research on unintended fertility tends to focus on births as isolated events. This article expands previous research by examining the relationship between early unintended childbearing and subsequent fertility dynamics in the United States. Data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth show that 27.5% of mothers report an unintended first birth. We use event history methods to show that these women are significantly more likely than women with an intended first birth to have an unintended second birth than to have either no second birth or an intended second birth, net of sociodemographic characteristics. An unintended first birth also increases the risk of having an unintended third birth relative to no birth or an intended birth, independent of the intendedness of the second birth. We conclude that early unintended fertility is a strong signal of high risk for subsequent unintended fertility.
Factors affecting penetration of retrograde coronary venous injections into normal and ischemic canine myocardium: assessment by contrast echocardiography and digital angiography.

This experimental study described myocardial echo contrast enhancement through coronary venous injections. Retrograde administration of renografin was performed in 15 closed-chest dogs. Two-dimensional echocardiography was used to study myocardial echo contrast enhancement before and after coronary artery occlusion. Digital subtraction venography was used to assess delivery, drainage and shunting of the retrograde injectate. Systolic/diastolic blood pressure in the great cardiac vein measured 7±3/1±0.6 mm Hg and increased to 29±11/5±3 after coronary sinus occlusion and to 55±2.3/15±12 mm Hg during coronary sinus contrast injection. Myocardial contrast echo appearance in a midpapillary left ventricular short axis cross-section was limited to the anteroseptal region, extending to 28.4±11.3% of the section circumference after great cardiac vein injections and 35.3±17% after coronary sinus injections (difference NS). After occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery, great cardiac vein contrast injections resulted in opacification of 36.6±9.7% of the section circumference (N.S. vs preocclusion control) and opacified most, but not all asynergic segments. After occlusion of the circumflex coronary artery, myocardial echo contrast uptake was restricted to the septum and the anterior wall. The ischemic and asynergic posterolateral myocardial segments were not opacified. Digital subtraction coronary venography revealed rapid drainage of retrogradely injected contrast to the right atrium, in spite of coronary sinus balloon occlusion via venovenous anastomoses.
Adenine and guanine nucleotide content of Triton-extracted cytoskeletal fractions of nonmuscle cells.

Abstract Determination of the adenine and guanine nucleotides in Triton X-100-extracted cytoskeletal fractions was utilized to estimate the actin and tubulin content of the assembled cytoskeletons in nonmuscle cells. Results with stable cell lines (i.e., rat pheochromocytoma PC12 and neuroblastoma NB41A3) and with primary cultures (i.e., human foreskin fibroblasts and chick embryonic dorsal root ganglion neurons) exhibited levels of cytoskeletal fraction ADP and GDP consistent with their assembly-induced nucleoside-5′-triphosphatase activities only previously analyzed in vitro . Likewise, estimates of actin and tubulin content fall in the range of values obtained by other experimental approaches. In contrast, analysis of whole cell nucleotides showed high [ATP]/[ADP] and [GTP]/[GDP] ratios, suggesting there is little, if any, contamination of the cytoskeletal nucleotide pool by other cellular nucleotides.
Measurement of in situ fiber/matrix interface strength in graphite/epoxy composites

Abstract A new experimental strategy for in situ measurement of the fiber/matrix interface strength is presented. As-fabricated graphite/epoxy laminates with specially designed grooved islands on their front surfaces were loaded on their rear sides by a 16 to 20 ns long laser-generated pressure pulse. This compressive stress pulse, generated in-line on the rear of one of the surface islands, propagates normal to the plane of the laminate and very quickly attains a steady-state profile of approximately 130 μm after undergoing multiple scattering from individual fibers and laminates. The returning tensile wave from the sample's free surface prises the composite island off by nucleating a subsurface crack. This crack on the local scale comprises several fiber/matrix interface debonds connected by the intervening matrix. The free-surface velocity causing this damage is recorded by interferometry and related to the far-field composite-scale tensile stress by using a one-dimensional elasto-dynamic analysis. The local fiber/matrix interface stress concentration corresponding to this overall tensile stress was determined next by using a finite-element simulation that idealized the fiber distribution within the epoxy matrix to be periodic. The interface tensile strength was taken as the sum of this stress and the compressive residual stress at the same location, which in turn, was estimated by yet another analysis based on the finite-element procedure. For a graphite/epoxy laminate fabricated from a unidirectional Hercules AS4 graphite fiber tapes pre-impregnated with 450 k cure Hercules 3502 thermosetting epoxy resin, an average fiber/matrix interface strength of 210 MPa was estimated.
Transcription of the early region of bacteriophage T7: Specificity and selectivity in the in vitro initiation of RNA synthesis

Abstract Recently, the model has emerged that transcription of early bacteriophage T7 RNA originates from a series of contiguous but independent transcription units, with the amount of each RNA synthesized reflecting the frequency with which initiation takes place at each of the initiation sites. This conclusion has been based on the relative molar ratios of stable in vivo transcripts and the stimulation of initiation of in vitro transcription by RNA polymerase with dinucleotides. Here the existence of at least three ATP initiation sites, one GTP initiation site and four termination sites within the early region of T7 DNA has been confirmed by labeling RNA molecules at their 5′ termini with gamma-labeled purine triphosphates. In addition, the existence of an extremely short GTP-initiated transcript from the “incorrect” l -strand of the DNA has been inferred. By reference to this well-defined pattern of T7 transcription, it was found that highly specific initiation of in vitro RNA synthesis occurs at low molar ratios of enzyme to template, but that RNA polymerase is also capable of initiating synthesis at random, non-specific sites at high molar ratios of enzyme to template. These sites are different from those used by core enzyme RNA polymerase which lacks the initiation specificity factor sigma. The efficiency with which specific initiation sites are selected by RNA polymerase is also a function of the amount of enzyme, with some sites used frequently only at higher molar ratios.
"Heavy electron" photoelectron spectroscopy: rotationally resolved ion pair imaging of CH3+.

We applied the velocity map imaging technique under high-resolution conditions to study ion pair products of the vacuum ultraviolet photodissociation of methyl chloride. We obtained rotationally resolved kinetic energy release spectra that directly provide vibrational frequencies and rotational constants of the fundamental carbocation, CH3 +. The technique is analogous to photoelectron spectroscopy, with the chloride anion playing the role of a “heavy electron.” The approach shows promise as a general probe of ionic species not amenable to study by traditional methods.
The impact of inspection reports on consumer behavior: A pilot study

This pilot study evaluated the impact of inspection score information on consumer behavior. Protection motivation theory was used to investigate consumer’s behavioral intentions resulting from food safety information provided in the questionnaire. The questionnaire was created to measure consumers’ perceived likelihood of changing behavior based on protection motivation theory after reading restaurant food safety information in the form of inspection reports. The pilot showed that the methodology used to collect the data was sound. While the number of respondents was too small to show significance, several important trends were noted. One of the more important finding was that the affordable cost of selecting an alternative restaurant rose with the number of violations.
Rosiglitazone attenuates age- and diet-associated nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in male low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice

NASH is the most common liver disease in the Western world, affecting more than 18% of obese individuals (1). NASH is strongly associated with insulin resistance, and nearly five out of six NASH patients have the metabolic syndrome (MS) (2). NASH can progress to cirrhosis, but despite its severity and prevalence, there are no approved treatments for NASH. However, the recent PIVENS trial demonstrated improvement in NASH histology with either vitamin E or the insulin-sensitizing PPARγ ligand, pioglitazone (PIO) (3). The vitamin E effect underscored the critical role of oxidative stress in NASH but occurred in the absence of an improvement in insulin sensitivity, demonstrating an unexpected dissociation between NASH and insulin resistance and raising questions about the mechanism of action of PIO. PPARγ ligand effects, independent of insulin sensitization, thus warrant further examination in the context of NASH. A major barrier to better understanding PPARγ mechanisms in NASH is the lack of a suitable animal model that mimics the pathophysiology of human NASH. We recently identified and phenotyped a ‘MS mouse’, middle-aged (12-month-old) male LDLR−/− mice fed 3 months of HFD, that developed 4 of 5 criteria of human MS (4). These mice not only developed worse MS and diabetes than HFD-fed young (3-month-old) LDLR−/− mice, but also developed worse atherosclerosis, which correlated with a profound failure of vascular antioxidant defense systems (4). Since a ‘two-hit’ theory has been proposed for the progression of NAFLD to NASH: hepatic steatosis associated with MS being the first hit, followed by a second insult from increased oxidative stress (5), we hypothesized that the MS mouse represents a useful model of the progression of NAFLD to NASH. We report herein that MS mice developed NASH with all the histologic characteristics of human disease, including age-dependency and attenuation in response to treatment with the PPARγ ligand rosiglitazone (RSG). Newly identified actions of RSG included reduction of liver oxidative stress by up-regulation of expression of nuclear factor-(erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), a “master” regulator of the anti-oxidant response, stimulation of liver mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation, and inhibition of inflammation and fibrosis, all of which appear independent of its systemic insulin-sensitizing effects. These observations have implications for development of new strategies to prevent and treat this increasingly common cause of end stage liver disease.
Comparison of screening proposals for somatization disorder empirical analyses

We report a comparison of three sets of screening criteria, plus a post hoc modification of one, for the diagnosis of somatization disorder. Included in the comparison are the DSM-III-R seven-symptom screen, 11 symptoms identified by Swartz et al., and the hierarchical screen using symptom clusters that has been proposed for DSM-IV, along with a modification to the latter. Data sets used in this test were from the St Louis Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study and a family study of alcoholism. Findings of sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value indicate advantages and disadvantages of each screening set. No one set was clearly superior; selection of screening criteria should be dependent on the intended application.
RETHINKING ROUSE AND DAELLENBACH'S RETHINKING: ISOLATING VS. TESTING FOR SOURCES OF SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

This is the author's final draft. The publisher's official version is available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smj.255
Maintenance dosage as a critical factor in methadone maintenance treatment.

This study concentrates on methadone dosage as a critical factor influencing abuse of other psychoactive drugs (including alcohol) by patients maintained on methadone. The study population were patients who remained on methadone for at least two years. The effects of dosage level on a group of 46 patients (low dosage n=27, ×= 48.32; high dosage n = 19, ×= 86.43) is reported. Significant increases (p < 0.01) were found in the abuse of barbiturates, ataractics, and alcohol for the low dosage group. Dosage level had no significant relationship with heroin and amphetamine abuse. These results suggest that higher doses of methadone may provide the patients with a generalized central nervous system depressive effect.
Understanding the US Medical School Requirements and Medical Students’ Attitudes about Radiology Rotations

Rationale and Objectives To learn what percentage of US medical schools require their students to complete rotations in radiology during the clinical years. A secondary goal was to survey students’ opinions about radiology rotations. Materials and Methods Data were collected from 159 US medical schools from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for allopathic medical schools, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) for osteopathic medical schools, and by e-mailing curriculum directors at US medical schools with a survey. The secondary goal was achieved by e-mailing curriculum directors for voluntary medical student participation with an institutional review board–approved online survey. Results Data from the 2009–2010 academic year from AAMC and AACOM showed that 25% of US medical schools required radiology as a clinical rotation. Our survey of curriculum directors corroborated the AAMC and AACOM data. Data from our medical student survey showed that 87% of students from institutions requiring radiology thought radiology should be required. From institutions not requiring radiology, 45% of students thought that radiology should be required as a standalone course. Of students not required to take radiology, 63% planned to take radiology as an elective. Conclusions Students, regardless of requirements, think there is value in having radiology as a regular aspect of a medical school curriculum. Medical schools should consider ways of incorporating radiology into their clinical curriculum.
The Use of Online Technology to Facilitate Pre-Service Teachers' Engagement and Cultural Competency Development during an International Field Placement: Reflections from Austria

Student teaching abroad is becoming increasingly popular in many colleges and universities in the United States. This experience can be highly rewarding in terms of developing pre-service teachers' culture competency, yet can pose challenges for faculty monitoring such placements. Stewart and Kagan 2005 suggest a framework for teacher preparation programs that have recognized the value of international experiences gained when students participate in host countries' classrooms. This qualitative research collective case study examined the use of a wiki discussion forum as a technology supported communication tool rooted in engagement theory for pre-service teachers to better communicate reflections, questions, or concerns they may have in working with their students during international pre-service teacher experiences. This paper reports the results of an analysis of data collected from an instructor-prompted wiki discussion board used by three student cohorts that participated in international field placements. Results indicated that online technology facilitated student engagement in the experience and that the international placement fostered the development of their cultural competency.
The effects of time constraints on phonatory stability in normally speaking adult women

Forty normally speaking women sustained /a/ five times in two conditions, untimed and timed. In the untimed condition, phonation began whenever the subject felt ready. The timed task required subjects to begin phonation as quickly as possible after the examiner's signal. Conditions were counterbalanced across subjects. Jitter and shimmer values were obtained on a Kay Elemetrics Computerized Speech Lab (Pine Brook, NJ). Three distinct patterns of change emerged for jitter and shimmer from the untimed to the timed condition, reflecting either decreases, increases, or no change in values. These changes in jitter and shimmer values across conditions are related to a reaction time model of "bias toward accuracy."
Smallest maximal matchings in the graph of the d-dimensional cube

Abstract The ratio of the number of edges in a smallest maximal matching to the number of vertices in the graph of the d-dimensional cube has limit 1 3 as d approaches infinity.
An optimum approach in target tracking with bearing measurements

We consider a two-state tracking problem with bearing measurements on a stationary target. The observer's speed is assumed constant and an optimum course is sought. An integral representing a lower bound for the Fisher information matrix is derived, and optimality of the observer's course is defined as maximizing the lower bound. The problem is solved within the framework of optimal control theory. A sufficiency theorem involving the Hamilton-Jacobi equation is invoked to determine the optimal course. It is shown that the optimal course is such that the observer proceeds at a fixed deviated angle and the optimal trajectory is a deviated pursuit curve.
Foreign aid and private investment in developing economies

The effect of aid on private-sector investment has long been a matter of debate. Many economists have taken the position that aid stimulates private investment in LDCs by filling macroeconomic savings or foreign-exchange gaps. Others have countered that aid has a negative effect on private investment because it is often wasted or counterproductive, generates dutch-disease effects, and enables the central government to compete resources away from the private sector. This paper empirically evaluates the association between aid and private investment using annual panel data from 36 developing countries over the period 1977 to 1991. The results clearly show that countries which receive larger aid allocations experience lower subsequent levels of private investment.
Experimental evaluation of the distribution of the pellets in shotgun pellet patterns

Abstract The distribution of No. 2 birdshot and 00 buckshot in pellet patterns fired with a 12-gauge cylinder-bored shotgun at five different ranges were compared with a proposed Gaussian model of pellet distribution. The test-fired patterns were found not to follow Gaussian distributions.
A strong law of large numbers for nonparametric regression

Abstract Suppose ( i 1, n , …, i n , n ) is permutation of (1, …, n ) for each positive integer n such that the order of the indices {1, h ., n − 1} in the permutation corresponding to n − 1 is preserved. If { Z n } is a sequence of mean-zero random variables and { k n } is a sequence of positive integers with k n → ∞ and k n n → 0 , we prove max 1 ≤ j ≤ k n |Σ v = 1 j Z i v,n | k n → 0 a.s. under a first moment-type assumption on { Z n } and appropriate conditions on the permutations and the growth rate of { k n }. The result is applied to prove strong consistency of nonparametric estimators of regression functions with heavy-tailed error distributions using the k -nearest neighbor and the unikform kernel methods under similar moment assumptions on the conditional distributions of the regressed variable.
Effects of pressure pulsation on oxygen transfer rate measured by sulfite method.

Pressure pulsation (PP) was investigated for its effects on oxygen transfer rate (OTR) measured by sulfite oxidation. By manipulating airflow rate, 0.41–1.2 vvm, and a control valve in a 4-L bioreactor, the frequency of PP was varied at different gas pressures3–15 psig. A mathematical model of OTR was built and compared to experimental data. OTR was also examined at constant gas pressure, 4.5–15.0 psig. The results indicate a good agreement between measurement and model prediction. OTR above 9 psig during PP showed significant enhancement at 25°C. This proves that PP not only affects the elevation of DO level, but also increases the interfacial area and mass transfer coefficient.
Vertebrate and invertebrate TRPV-like mechanoreceptors.

Abstract Our senses of touch, hearing, and balance are mediated by mechanosensitive ion channels. In vertebrates, little is known about the molecular composition of these mechanoreceptors, an example of which is the transduction channel of the inner ear’s receptor cells, hair cells. Members of the TRP family of ion channels are considered candidates for the vertebrate hair cell’s mechanosensitive transduction channel and here we review the evidence for this candidacy. We start by examining the results of genetic screens in invertebrates that identified members of the TRP gene family as core components of mechanoreceptors. In particular, we discuss the Caenorhabditis elegans OSM-9 channel, an invertebrate TRPV channel, and the Drosophila melanogaster TRP channel NOMPC. We then evaluate basic features of TRPV4, a vertebrate member of the TRPV subfamily, which is gated by a variety of physical and chemical stimuli including temperature, osmotic pressure, and ligands. Finally, we compare the characteristics of all discussed mechanoreceptive TRP channels with the biophysical characteristics of hair cell mechanotransduction, speculating about the possible make-up of the elusive inner ear mechanoreceptor.
Towards a rechargeable alcohol biobattery

Abstract This research focused on the transition of biofuel cell technology to rechargeable biobatteries. The bioanode compartment of the biobattery consisted of NAD-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) immobilized into a carbon composite paste with butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl) ionic liquid serving as the electrolyte. Ferrocene was added to shuttle electrons to/from the electrode surface/current collector. The bioanode catalyzed the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde in discharge mode. This bioanode was coupled to a cathode that consisted of Prussian Blue in a carbon composite paste with Nafion 212 acting as the separator between the two compartments. The biobattery can be fabricated in a charged mode with ethanol and have an open circuit potential of 0.8 V in the original state prior to charging or in the discharged mode with acetaldehyde and have an open circuit potential of 0.05 V. After charging it has an open circuit potential of 1.2 V and a maximum power density of 13.0 μW cm −3 and a maximum current density of 35.0 μA cm −3 , respectively. The stability and efficiency of the biobattery were studied by cycling continuously at a discharging current of 0.4 mA and the results obtained showed reasonable stability over 50 cycles. This is a new type of secondary battery inspired by the metabolic processes of the living cell, which is an effective energy conversion system.
Antisperm antibodies in cryptorchid boys

To explore whether the development of antisperm antibodies might play a role in inhibiting the future fertility of cryptorchid boys, 32 boys who underwent orchiopexy and 21 boys who underwent other inguinal surgeries were examined for the presence of antibodies to donor sperm. This group was compared to 23 boys who underwent noninguinal surgery or who had unrelated medical conditions. Using the indirect immunobead assay, 28% of the boys in the study group were found to have antisperm antibodies. These were predominantly of the IgG isotype. In the comparison group, only 1 boy (4%) had antisperm antibodies (P < 0.05).
ID3 contributes to the acquisition of molecular stem cell-like signature in microvascular endothelial cells: Its implication for understanding microvascular diseases

While significant progress has been made to advance our knowledge of microvascular lesion formation, yet the investigation of how stem-like cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of microvascular diseases is still in its infancy. We assessed whether the inhibitor of DNA binding and differentiation 3 (ID3) contributes to the acquisition of a molecular stem cell-like signature in microvascular endothelial cells. The effects of stable ID3 overexpression and SU5416 treatment - a chemical inducer of microvascular lesions, had on the stemness signature were determined by flow cytometry, immunoblot, and immunohistochemistry. Continuous ID3 expression produced a molecular stemness signature consisting of CD133(+) VEGFR3(+) CD34(+) cells. Cells exposed to SU5416 showed positive protein expression of ID3, VEGFR3, CD34 and increased expression of pluripotent transcription factors Oct-4 and Sox-2. ID3 overexpressing cells supported the formation of a 3-D microvascular lesion co-cultured with smooth muscle cells. In addition, in vivo microvascular lesions from SuHx rodent model showed an increased expression of ID3, VEGFR3, and Pyk2 similar to SU5416 treated human endothelial cells. Further investigations into how normal and stem-like cells utilize ID3 may open up new avenues for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms which are underlying the pathological development of microvascular diseases.
Rapid GLC determination of fusaric acid in biological fluids

Abstract A simple, sensitive GLC assay was developed for fusaric acid, the active metabolite of bupicomide, to follow the disposition of this investigational antihypertensive agent in patients undergoing therapy. Fusaric acid is efficiently extracted from biological samples, derivatized by on‐column methylation, and chromatographed using flame‐ionization detection. An internal standard is utilized to quantitate results. The procedure is rapid and specific for fusaric acid, and has a lower limit of sensitivity of 0.1 μg/ml. The method is suitable for supporting pharmacokinetic studies of bupicomide following therapeutic doses in animals and humans.
Interpolated activity in short-term motor memory.

With the mounting evidence that interference plays a large role in verbal short-term memory (STM), emphasis has switched to motor STM to examine whether forgetting in both domains follows the same basic laws (Adarns & Dijskstra, 1966; Ascoli & Schmidt, 1969; Stelmach, 1969). The latter two studies demonstrated that multiple prior responses were a factor in determining the rate of forgetting in simple motor responses. These findings suggest that proactive interference plays a role in short-term motor retention. However, both studies also showed rapid forgetting in a no-prior-response condition, giving trace decay explanatory status for the data. Evidence for retroactive interference in motor responses has never been very strong (Blick & Bilodeau, 1963; Posner & Konick, 1966); only a few studies have found interpolated activity that causes increases in motor forgetting. Boswell and Bilodeau (1964), using a lever-positioning response, found that stepping away from the apparatus and retrieving a pencil caused larger decrements in recall than remaining engaged. Additional evidence for retroactive interference has been given by Lewis ( 1947) ; his data suggest that interpolated activity needs to be antagonistic to the criterion response in order to produce decrements in recall. The present study attempted to provide another test for the interference theory by introducing interpolated responses, opposite in direction to original target, during a retention interval, to examine whether these responses would produce decrements in recall of a simple motor response.
Evidence for a photosensitive region in the caudal mesencephalon of the turtle brain.

Using an in vitro brainstem-cerebellum preparation from the turtle Chrysemys picta, burst discharge was recorded from the abducens nerve when light was directed on the brainstem. This burst discharge likely represents a neural correlate of the eye-blink reflex. Increasing the intensity of the light stimulus reduced the response latency from a duration of many seconds to approximately 1–2 s. No response was recorded when the light source was covered. The response was present when infrared light was blocked, and it could only be produced when the light spectra contained wavelengths below approximately 550 nm. Lesion experiments reveal that the photosensitive area is located caudal to the trochlear nerve and rostral to the trigeminal nerve. Single-unit microelectrode recordings demonstrate that this region is tonically active in the dark and that activity is suppressed by light. Pharmacological results show that the light response is blocked by application of compounds that act as serotonergic antagonists, and that antagonists of noradrenergic receptors (α or β) either have no effect or their actions are variable. Taken together, these data suggest that an isthmo-optic-like area in the turtle brain is photosensitive to direct light and activates neural circuits that control eye movements.
Translational reinitiation in the rIIB cistron of bacteriophage T4

Abstract During translation of the bacteriophage T4 rIIB gene messenger RNA, premature termination sometimes results in translational reinitiation. The nucleotide sequence surrounding the true initiating AUG of the rIIB message has been determined recently. We have identified potential reinitiation codons within this sequence and determined which of these codons are utilized in reinitiation events. We have used the sequence to reinterpret the x reinitiation event described by Sarabhai & Brenner (1967).