cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Double Bind Of Race And Religion: The Conversion Of The Dönme To Turkish Secular Nationalism

For over two centuries the Donme lived an open secret in Ottoman Salonika following their conversion from Judaism to Islam in the wake of the conversion of the messianic rabbi Shabbatai Tzevi in 1666. Neither the category “Jewish” nor “Muslim” expresses their religious identity. Unlike Jews, the Donme ostensibly followed the requirements of Islam, including fasting at Ramadan and praying in mosques, one of which they built. Unlike Muslims, the Donme maintained a belief that Shabbatai Tzevi was the messiah, practiced kabbalistic rituals, and recited prayers in Hebrew and Judeo-Spanish. According to the descendants of Donme in Istanbul, the Donme in Salonika saw themselves as a community apart; fulfilling the commandments of Shabbatai Tzevi caused Donme to only marry among themselves, avoid relations with Jews, maintain their separate identity guided by detailed genealogies, and bury their dead in distinct cemeteries. (Donmeler 1919:15; Galante 1935:67; and Stavroulakis 1993).
Topography of the surface of the Escherichia coli phosphotransferase system protein enzyme IIAglc that interacts with lactose permease.

The unphosphorylated form of enzyme IIAglc of the Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system inhibits transport catalyzed by lactose permease. We (Seok et al. (1997) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 94, 13515-13519) previously characterized the area on the cytoplasmic face of lactose permease that interacts with enzyme IIAglc, using radioactive enzyme IIAglc. Subsequent studies (Sondej et al. (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 96, 3525-3530) suggested consensus binding sequences on proteins that interact with enzyme IIAglc. The present study characterizes a region on the surface of enzyme IIAglc that interfaces with lactose permease. Acetylation of lysine residues by sulfosuccinimidyl acetate treatment of enzyme IIAglc, but not lactose permease, reduced the degree of interaction between the two proteins. To localize the lysine residue(s) on enzyme IIAglc that is(are) involved in the regulatory interaction, selected lysine residues were mutagenized. Conversion of nine separate lysines to glutamic acid resulted in proteins that were still capable of phosphoryl acceptance from HPr. Except for Lys69, all the modified proteins were as effective as the wild-type enzyme IIAglc in a test for binding to lactose permease. The Lys69 mutant was also defective in phosphoryl transfer to glucose permease. To derive further information concerning the contact surface, additional selected residues in the vicinity of Lys69 were mutagenized and tested for binding to lactose permease. On the basis of these studies, a model for the region of the surface of enzyme IIAglc that interacts with lactose permease is proposed.
Does methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus have a significant role in the peri-operative course of patients undergoing rhinological surgery?

Objectives: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections are becoming an increasing problem, but the link with symptomatic sino-nasal infection has not previously been quantified. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in patients undergoing sino-nasal surgery. Design: A retrospective study of case notes. Setting: A district general hospital. Patients: One hundred and fifty-one adult patients undergoing in-patient endonasal surgery over a 12-month period were considered for the study. Main outcome measures: Swab results from pre-operative screening and from any intra- and post-operative samples of infective mucopus. Results: One hundred and fifty-one patients undergoing endonasal surgery were included. All patients had pre-operative nasal swabs taken. Twenty-five patients had peri-operative microbiology samples taken. Only one middle meatal swab was found to contain methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. No patients had methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus detected on pre-operative screening. Haemophilus influenzae was the most common organism detected. Conclusion: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection does not represent a significant source of morbidity in our practice.
An Overview of CMIP5 and the Experiment Design

The fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) will produce a state-of-the- art multimodel dataset designed to advance our knowledge of climate variability and climate change. Researchers worldwide are analyzing the model output and will produce results likely to underlie the forthcoming Fifth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Unprecedented in scale and attracting interest from all major climate modeling groups, CMIP5 includes “long term” simulations of twentieth-century climate and projections for the twenty-first century and beyond. Conventional atmosphere–ocean global climate models and Earth system models of intermediate complexity are for the first time being joined by more recently developed Earth system models under an experiment design that allows both types of models to be compared to observations on an equal footing. Besides the longterm experiments, CMIP5 calls for an entirely new suite of “near term” simulations focusing on recent decades...
Sequential filter design for precision orbit determination and physical constant refinement

Earth-based spacecraft tracking data have historically been processed with classical least squares filtering techniques both for navigation purposes and for physical constant determination. The small, stochastic nongravitational forces acting on the spacecraft are described to motivate the use of sequential estimation as an alternative to the least squares fitting procedures. The stochastic forces are investigated both in terms of their effect on the tracking data and their influence on estimation accuracy. A flexible sequential filter design which leaves the existing trajectory, variational equations, data observable and partial computations undisturbed is described. A detailed filter design is presented that meets the precision demands and flexibility requirements of deep space navigation and of scientific problems.
Scaling of cursoriality in mammals

Data on limb bone lengths from 64 mammalian species were combined with data on 114 bovid species (Scott, '79) to assess the scaling of limb lengths and proportions in mammals ranging from 0.002 to 364 kg. We analyzed log-transformed data using both reduced major axis and least-squares regression to focus on the distribution across mammals of two key traits—limb length and metatarsal/femur ratio—associated with cursorial adaptation. The total lengths of both fore and hindlimbs scale in a manner very close to the M0.33 predicted by geometric similarity. Thus the relative limb lengths of large mammals, including bovids, generally regarded among the most cursorial of mammals, are very similar to those of the rodents and insectivores in this sample. Metatarsal/femur ratio also shows little change with changing mass, although bovids tend to have relatively longer metapodials than do other families in the sample. We argue that many of the remaining morphological traits associated with cursoriality (e.g., reduction in joint mobility and number of distal limb bone elements) promote cursoriality only at large body sizes. These results lead us to question the general perception that cursoriality is most widespread among large mammals. We also suggest that discussions of cursoriality should focus explicitly on the two partially independent aspects of performance that are otherwise confounded under this general term—speed and the ability to cover substantial distance. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Bringing the Group Back Into Political Psychology: Erik H. Erikson Early Career Award Address

Erik H. Erikson, after whom the Early Career Award is named, was a distinguished psychologist who made many contributions to the study of the individual. His fame comes in part from his contribution to the idea that the individual develops in context. The course of human development is shaped by historical, social, and cultural forces. Human beings are capable of tremendous growth because they are able to integrate multiple influences from a variety of sources, internal and external. I wish to elaborate on some research ideas that are linked to Erikson’s insight that individuals must be understood in their context. Context is a huge word with rich meanings, and I have something more specific in mind. What I care about here is a particular facet of context—social groups. The study of individuals in groups is old and well established. Think of Allport’s classic study of prejudice, which launched the study of group prejudice; Sherif’s Robber’s Cave experiment, a founding study of group identity and conflict; Sherif’s autokinetic effect, which established the notion of self-perpetuating group norms; Haney, Banks, and Zimbardo’s prison simulation, which showed the power of a group’s role expectations; Asch’s study of perceptual distortion, which established the power of groups to shape perception; or Milgram’s studies of conformity, which implied that group leaders derive considerable power from the authority imbued in their roles. All of these have remained well known for
Human immunodeficiency virus-1 coat protein gp120 impairs contextual fear conditioning: a potential role in AIDS related learning and memory impairments

Abstract Many AIDS patients suffer from cognitive impairments including deficits in learning and memory. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein gp120 is one possible mediator of these impairments. This is because gp120 activates brain microglial cells and astrocytes, and in vivo activation of glia leads to the release of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β). gp120 induced IL-1β release could be involved in producing memory impairments associated with AIDS because central IL-1β activity adversely affects cognitive function. The reported experiments evaluated the effects of i.c.v. gp120 administration and subsequent IL-1β activity on learning and memory processes in the rat. Intracerebroventricular gp120 produced memory impairments on hippocampally dependent contextual fear conditioning, but not hippocampally independent auditory-cue fear conditioning following post-conditioning gp120 administration. Central gp120 administration also caused increases in IL-1β protein levels in the hippocampus and frontal cortex but not in the hypothalamus. gp120 induced memory impairments were blocked by 2 different IL-1 antagonists, alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (αMSH) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). Finally, heat denaturation of the tertiary structure of gp120 abolished its effects on fear conditioning, suggesting that gp120 impairs contextual fear conditioning by binding to its receptors on glia.
Resonance-Enhanced Transient Reflectivity via Exciton Polaritons

The reflection of a light pulse from a spatially dispersive medium is investigated theoretically. For laser frequency at exciton resonance, spatial dispersion enhances the reflected transients associated with the light pulse. For the case of CdS and GaAs crystals, the transient intensities are about 10% of the incident intensity at a time 0.1 ps after the trailing edge of the reflected signal. The theory predicts a crossover from exponential to slow power-law decay rate of transient reflectivity; this occurs at a characteristic time ${\ensuremath{\zeta}}_{c}\ensuremath{\sim}1$ ps after the trailing edge of the pulse for CdS and GaAs.
Predictors of exercise behavior among university student women: Utility of a goal-systems/self-regulation theory framework

Abstract Recent research on goal processes has identified three important factors associated with successful goal pursuit: appraisal, regulation, and affective motivation. In the present study, we examined whether these processes of goal pursuit predicted exercise behavior for women over time. One hundred and six US undergraduate university student women completed measures of exercise behavior and goal processes twice over the course of a semester. It was hypothesized that more positive exercise goal appraisals, stronger regulatory functions, and higher goal-related affect would predict more exercise behavior four weeks later, controlling for baseline exercise. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that planning and negative affect were most predictive of higher levels of exercise at follow-up. Implications for understanding exercise behavior are discussed. Overall, the findings support the basic theoretical supposition that goal-systems/self-regulatory theory is a valuable framework through which behavior can be understood.
A data base sublanguage founded on the relational calculus

Three principal types of language for data base manipulation are identified: the low-level, procedure-oriented (typified by the CODASYL-proposed DML), the intermediate level, algebraic (typified by the Project MAC MacAIMS language), and the high level, relational calculus-based data sublanguage, an example of which is described in this paper. The language description is informal and stresses concepts and principles. Following this, arguments are presented for the superiority of the calculus-based type of data base sub-language over the algebraic, and for the algebraic over the low-level procedural. These arguments are particularly relevant to the questions of inter-system compatibility and standardization.
Hippocampal protection in mice with an attenuated inflammatory monocyte response to acute CNS picornavirus infection

Neuronal injury during acute viral infection of the brain is associated with the development of persistent cognitive deficits and seizures in humans. In C57BL/6 mice acutely infected with the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus, hippocampal CA1 neurons are injured by a rapid innate immune response, resulting in profound memory deficits. In contrast, infected SJL and B6xSJL F1 hybrid mice exhibit essentially complete hippocampal and memory preservation. Analysis of brain-infiltrating leukocytes revealed that SJL mice mount a sharply attenuated inflammatory monocyte response as compared to B6 mice. Bone marrow transplantation experiments isolated the attenuation to the SJL immune system. Adoptive transfer of B6 inflammatory monocytes into acutely infected B6xSJL hosts converted these mice to a hippocampal damage phenotype and induced a cognitive deficit marked by failure to recognize a novel object. These findings show that inflammatory monocytes are the critical cellular mediator of hippocampal injury during acute picornavirus infection of the brain.
Prophylactic calcium and vitamin D treatments in steroid-treated children with nephrotic syndrome

Steroid treatment has several side effects, including the deterioration of the bone and mineral metabolism in children with nephrotic syndrome. This randomized prospective study was conducted to determine the effects and prophylactic role of calcium plus vitamin D treatment on bone and mineral metabolism in children receiving prednisolone treatment. 40 children (27 boys and 13 girls) with NS (18 new onset and 22 relapsing) were included in the study. Their mean age was 4.6+/-1.8 years. All patients received prednisolone treatment (2 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks followed by alternate days at the same dose for 4 weeks). The patients were randomized into treatment (vitamin D 400 IU plus calcium 1 g daily) and non-treatment groups. Bone mineral density, serum Ca, P, alkaline phosphatase and urinary Ca and P excretions were analyzed at the beginning and 2 months after the treatment. The XR36 Norland device was used for bone mineral density analysis. Bone mineral density was significantly decreased in both the treatment (0.54+/-0.15 to 0.51+/-0.1 g/cm(2), P =0.001) and non-treatment (0.52+/-0.18 to 0.45+/-0.16 g/cm(2), P <0.001) group. But the percentage of bone mineral density decrease was found to be significantly lower in the treatment group than in the non-treatment group (4.6+/-2.1% vs. 13.0+/-4.0%, respectively; P <0.001). Serum calcium and urinary calcium excretion increased in the treatment group (8.0+/-1.0 to 10.0+/-0.5 mg/dl and 1.1+/-0.5 to 3.2+/-1.0 mg/kg/day) and non-treatment group (8.1+/-0.8 to 10.0+/-0.6 mg/dl and 1.4+/-0.9 to 3.8+/-3.3 mg/kg/day) after prednisolone treatment (P <0.001). Steroid treatment decreases bone mineral density in children with nephrotic syndrome. Vitamin D plus calcium therapy at the current doses reduces but does not completely prevent bone loss, with no additional adverse effects.
A comparison of decoding techniques for Interference Alignment

Interference Alignment (IA) is a general principle for signaling over an interference Gaussian channel, such that at each receiver the superposition of the interfering signals spans a small-dimensional subspace, linearly independent of the desired signal subspace. While signal subspace IA is known to achieve the degrees of freedom of certain classes of interference channels, in this paper we focus on its performance at finite SNR. We consider scenarios where IA is achieved without symbol extension (i.e., without precoding across time and frequency, but only across multiple antennas) and investigate the performance of the standard linear zero-forcing receiver, of linear integer forcing receivers, and of (non-linear) joint decoding implemented by lattice decoding with MMSE generalized decision feedback preprocessing. We show that the latter provides a significant improvement in terms of uncoded symbol error rate, averaged over the fading channel statistics.
Some aspects of pteridine biosynthesis in amphibians

Abstract 1. 1. Five pteridines (sepiapterin, biopterin, hynobius-blue, isoxanthopterin and 2-amino-4-hydroxypteridine) and three purines (adenine, hypoxanthine and guanine) were extracted from homogenized Rana sylvatica larvae and identified. 2. 2. Glycine-(u.l.)-C14, when injected into Rana sylvatica larvae, was incorporated into the five pteridines and the three purines. 3. 3. Hypophysioprivic Rana sylvatica larvae showed a twofold concentration increase of all five pterdines after intermedin treatments and, at the same time, adenine and hypoxanthine concentrations decreased, while guanine remained at essentially the same concentration. 4. 4. A scheme for the biosynthetic interconversion of pteridines in hypophysioprivic Rana sylvatica larvae has been proposed. These pathways appear to be altered after intermedin treatments, and the alternateve pathways have been indicated. 5. 5. Hynobius-blue is proposed to have the same structure as tetrahydrobiopterin or tetrahydrosepiapterin. 6. 6. The free purines do not appear to be converted to integumental pteridines in hypophysioprivic Rana sylvatica larvae.
Discrete Interactions between Bacteriophage T7 Primase-Helicase and DNA Polymerase Drive the Formation of a Priming Complex Containing Two Copies of DNA Polymerase

Replisomes are multiprotein complexes that coordinate the synthesis of leading and lagging DNA strands to increase the replication efficiency and reduce DNA strand breaks caused by stalling of replication forks. The bacteriophage T7 replisome is an economical machine that requires only four proteins for processive, coupled synthesis of two DNA strands. Here we characterize a complex between T7 primase-helicase and DNA polymerase on DNA that was trapped during the initiation of Okazaki fragment synthesis from an RNA primer. This priming complex consists of two DNA polymerases and a primase-helicase hexamer that assemble on the DNA template in an RNA-dependent manner. The zinc binding domain of the primase-helicase is essential for trapping the RNA primer in complex with the polymerase, and a unique loop located on the thumb of the polymerase also stabilizes this primer extension complex. Whereas one of the polymerases engages the primase-helicase and RNA primer on the lagging strand of a model replication ...
Age and the balance of emotions

With age, the quality of emotions may shift from negative in tone to positive, but also from active to passive. The shift from negative to positive is consistent with the age as maturity perspective. The shift from active to passive supports the age as decline perspective. If these generalities are correct, then they should apply to positive emotions as well as negative emotions. We should see a shift in positive emotions from active (excitement) to passive (serenity), as well as in the negative emotions (from the agitation of anxiety and anger to the lethargy of depression). In order to accurately portray the shifts in emotional tone, age may best be considered as simultaneously indicating maturity and decline. This paper examines results from the emotions module of the 1996 U.S. General Social Survey and finds support for the idea that age is associated with a shift from negative to positive and from active to passive emotions.
A neural network model of the baroreceptor reflex

The baroreceptor reflex was modelled using a neural network for the brain stem neural connections. The brain stem model was used in conjunction with a standard cardiovascular mechanics model. The dynamics of this model in blood pressure control were studied and compared to data from normal subjects.
Effect of Sampling Geometry on Elemental Emissions in Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

In laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), a focused laser pulse is used to ablate material from a surface and form a laser plasma that excites the vaporized material. Geometric factors, such as the distance between the sample and the focusing lens and the method of collecting the plasma light, can greatly influence the analytical results. To obtain the best quantitative results, one must consider this geometry. Here we report the results of an investigation of the effect of sampling geometry on LIBS measurements. Diagnostics include time-resolved spectroscopy and temporally and spectrally resolved imaging using an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF). Parameters investigated include the type of lens (cylindrical or spherical) used to focus the laser pulse onto the sample, the focal length of the lens (75 or 150 mm), the lens-to-sample distance (LTSD), the angle-of-incidence of the laser pulse onto the sample, and the method used to collect the plasma light (lens or fiber-optic bundle). From these studies, it was found that atomic emission intensities, plasma temperature, and mass of ablated material depend strongly on the LTSD for both types of lenses. For laser pulse energies above the breakdown threshold for air, these quantities exhibit symmetric behavior about an LTSD approximately equal to the back focal length for cylindrical lenses and asymmetric behavior for spherical lenses. For pulse energies below the air breakdown threshold, results obtained for both lenses display symmetric behavior. Detection limits and measurement precision for the elements Be, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Sr, determined with the use of 14 certified reference soils and stream sediments, were found to be independent of the lens used. Time-resolved images of the laser plasma show that at times >5 μs after plasma formation a cloud of emitting atoms extends significantly beyond the centrally located, visibly white, intense plasma core present at early times (<0.3 μs). It was determined that, by collecting light from the edges of the emitting cloud, one can record spectra using an ungated detector (no time resolution) that resemble closely the spectra obtained from a gated detector providing time-resolved detection. This result has implications in the development of less expensive LIBS detection systems.
The response of rat testis to interstitial cell-stimulating hormone in vitro

Abstract 1. 1. Rat testis teased and incubated in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer converted cholesterol-7α-H 3 to testosterone-H 3 and androstenedione-H 3 . This conversion was increased by addition of interstitial cell-stimulating hormone (ICSH) to the medium. 2. 2. Rat testis converted acetate-C 14 to cholesterol-C 14 and less C 14 was found in cholesterol isolated from testis incubated with ICSH than in that from testis incubated without ICSH. 3. 3. Neither in the presence nor in the absence of ICSH was acetate-C 14 converted to testosterone-C 14 or to androstenedione-C 14 . 4. 4. These findings are regarded as compatible with the hypothesis that in stimulating steroidogenesis in rat testis ICSH acts only beyond cholesterol.
Resilience Measures of Manufacturing Systems Under Disruptions

Unexpected disruptive events always interrupt normal production condition and cause production losses in the manufacturing system. A resilient system is capable of settling itself to the steady-state quickly after the disruption, and compensating for the lost production by using a relatively little overtime. In this paper, we define throughput settling time (TST) and overtime to recover (OTTR) as two resilience measures to analyze multi-stage serial-parallel systems with unreliable machines and finite intermediate buffers. We perform an exact analysis for a two-stage system and develop an approximation method for general multi-stage systems. Numerical case studies are conducted to investigate the system resilience under different configurations.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
User-friendly surface wave method for integrity evaluation

The use of the spectral-analysis-of-surface wave (SASW) method is becoming more common as a tool for integrity testing of lifeline and infrastructure components. The method, which is based upon a fundamentally correct theoretical background, can be utilized at several scales. So far, the method has been used in numerous projects dealing with diverse topics from the integrity of dam foundations, to the soundness of concrete slabs, to the suitability of structural members. In this paper, the efforts by the authors towards developing automated procedures at three different scales are described. First, an automated procedure for reducing data for large scale tests (depth of penetration up to 100 m) is presented. In the second section, a new trailer- mounted device, that in less than 40 sec automatically collects and interprets SASW data, is described. Finally, a new hand-held device, that in less than fifteen seconds, collects, reduces, and archives the results over a distance of 15 cm, is presented.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Correlation of the α-Lactalbumin (+15) Polymorphism to Milk Production and Milk Composition of Holsteins

The alpha-lactalbumin (+15) polymorphism (a single base variation 15 basepairs 3' of the alpha-lactalbumin transcription start point) was examined for its usefulness as a genetic marker for Holsteins. The +15 polymorphism is located in a region of the gene that is potentially involved in the regulation of alpha-lactalbumin gene expression. Animals from two dairy herds and young sires from progeny-testing programs of four AI organizations were used in the analysis. A group of sons from a heterozygous sire were also evaluated. Each individual animal was genotyped at the alpha-lactalbumin (+15) locus, and differences of genotypes were investigated. Estimated differences among alleles were calculated for PTA for milk, kilograms of protein, protein percentage, protein dollars, kilograms of fat, fat percentage, and fat dollars. Animals having the alpha-lactalbumin (+15) AA (an adenine on both alleles at position +15) genotype had statistically higher PTA for milk, kilograms of protein, protein dollars, kilograms of fat, and fat dollars than did the alpha-lactalbumin (+15) BB (a cytosine, guanine, or thymine on both alleles at position +15) animals. The alpha-lactalbumin (+15) BB animals had higher protein and fat percentages than the alpha-lactalbumin (+15) AA animals. Animals that were heterozygous at this locus, alpha-lactalbumin (+15) AB, had intermediate values for all traits analyzed. These results indicate a potential marker or actual locus effect of the alpha-lactalbumin (+15) polymorphism in Holstein cattle.
A Non-Coherent PSK Receiver with Interference-Canceling for Transcutaneous Neural Implants

A PSK receiver uses bandpass sampling and thus avoids PLLs. It demonstrates that 2Mb/s data can be recovered with 20MHz carrier frequency in transcutaneous neural prostheses. The analog realization is able to cancel interference at 9dB larger than the signal without a filter. The demodulator is fabricated in 0.35 mum CMOS, has an active die area of 2.6 times 1.7mm2, and dissipates 6.2mW
Changes in semen quality in the stallion following experimental infection with equine arteritis virus

Abstract Two groups of eight stallions each, comprising separate experiments, were inoculated intranasally with equine arteritis virus (EAV) to investigate its effects on semen quality. Semen from each stallion was evaluated two to four times per week on the basis of semen volume, and on sperm concentration, motility and morphology. Significant decreases in motility, concentration and the percentage of normal spermatozoa were detected in the stallions in Experiment 2. A decrease in the percentage of normal spermatozoa was the only significant finding in the stallions in Experiment 1. The changes in semen quality observed in these stallions were considered to have resulted from the combined thermal effects of elevated body temperature and scrotal edema following infection with EAV and were not regarded as virus-specific in nature.
Up-regulation of expression of translation factors--a novel molecular mechanism for cadmium carcinogenesis.

The molecular mechanisms potentially responsible for cadmium carcinogenesis were investigated by differential gene expression analysis of Balb/c-3T3 cells morphologically transformed with cadmium chloride. Differential display analysis of gene expression revealed overexpression of mouse Translation Initiation Factor 3 (TIF3; GenBank Accession Number AF 271072) and Translation Elongation Factor-1δ (TEF-1δ; GenBank Accession Number AF 304351) in the transformed cells compared with the control cells. The full length cDNAs for TIF3 and TEF-1δ were cloned and sequenced. Transfection of mammalian cells with an expression vector containing either TIF3 or TEF-1δ cDNA resulted in overexpression of the encoded protein. Overexpression of the cDNA-encoded TIF3 and TEF-1δ proteins in NIH3T3 cells was oncogenic as evidenced by the appearance of transformed foci capable of anchorage-independent growth on soft agar and tumorigenesis in nude mouse. Blocking the translation of TIF3 and TEF-1δ proteins using the corresponding antisense mRNA resulted in a significant reversal of the oncogenic potential of cadmium transformed Balb/c-3T3 cells as evidenced from the suppression of anchorage-independent growth on soft agar and diminished tumorigenesis in nude mouse. These findings demonstrate that the up-regulation of expression of TIF3 and TEF-1δ is a novel molecular mechanism responsible, at least in part, for cadmium carcinogenesis.
Physical and biophysical effects of polysorbate 20 and 80 on darbepoetin alfa

We studied the physical and biophysical affects of the nonionic surfactants polysorbate 20 and 80 and their mechanism of interaction using darbepoetin alfa, a 4-helix bundle protein, as the exemplary protein. Differences were observed between the abilities of the polysorbates to prevent surface loss/aggregation and correlated with each polysorbates initiation of micelle formation prior to the critical micelle concentration (CMC). The biophysical properties monitored by far-UV circular dichroism (CD) and tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence showed effects due to polysorbates, but were not correlated with their CMC. At a constant protein concentration PS-80 induced α-helix in the protein with a maximal effect at 15:1 molar ratio of PS-80/protein. PS-20 initially induced α-helix with a maximal effect at 1.5:1 ratio followed by a decrease in the α-helix content. PS-80 had no effect on near-UV CD but increased Trp fluorescence only at the 150:1 polysorbate/protein ratio. PS-20 decreased the near-UV CD and Trp fluorescence. Thermodynamic studies by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) demonstrated that the protein interacts with monomeric polysorbate, but not with polysorbate micelles. The data suggest that the polysorbates differentially interact with the protein and that the biophysical effects are dependent on the structure of the polysorbate and the polysorbate to protein ratio. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 98:3200–3217, 2009
Recolonization of intertidal Zostera marina L. (eelgrass) following experimental shoot removal

Abstract The recovery of eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) from physical disturbances is understudied and no attention has been given to the likely differences in damage recovery rates between the continuous lower intertidal perennial meadows and higher intertidal eelgrass patches. In the present study, 4 m 2 plots were treated by removing all eelgrass shoots and followed over a 3 year period until they attained control (untreated) plot shoot densities. The number and types of shoots (vegetative, reproductive, and seedling) were counted semi-monthly with comparisons made between experimental and control plots. In the second year of the study additional plots were denuded and sown with Z. marina seeds to evaluate the importance of seedlings in the recovery process. Our results suggest that recovery in both low and high intertidal plots was due exclusively to rhizome growth from adjacent perennial eelgrass. This recovery began immediately within the permanent eelgrass meadow and was complete within 24 months. Denuded transition zone patches took almost twice as long to recover to control densities. Natural seedling production appeared to play no part in recovery. When larger numbers of seeds were planted into denuded plots in the winter, only a small portion of them produced seedlings in the spring and none appear to survive through the summer. These experimental eelgrass recovery rates were similar to recovery rates determined from aerial photographs of an eelgrass meadow damaged by a boat grounding near the study site. We suggest that transition zone perennial patches are more vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic disturbance events than lower intertidal eelgrass meadows.
Reproductive Function in Patients With Renal Insufficiency

Hypogonadism is prevalent in patients with renal insufficiency and is manifested as sexual dysfunction and infertility in males and as anovulation and amenorrhea in females. Although many investigators believe that the defect represents primary gonadal damage by uremic toxins, we propose the coexistence of central neuroendocrine disorders in the regulation of gonadotropin secretion. Evidence supporting such a hypothesis is discussed.
Robust parallel resource management in shared memory multiprocessor systems

Parallel machines are being increasingly used for applications that require both quick response time and high reliability. This poses a challenge in programming these systems since it must be ensured that there is sufficient redundancy to cope with failures and that, at the same time, redundant components are used effectively during failure free periods to enhance the performance. Among the issues, resource management in such systems is highly critical to the robustness and efficiency of the system. A good resource management algorithm should allow the system to continue its operation even in the presence of a significant number of processor failures. Also, the incorporation of fault tolerance should not incur too much overhead. In this paper, we develop two robust resource management algorithms which simultaneously achieve the twin objectives of low overhead and high reliability. >
Design for Verification with Dynamic Assertions

Completed design and implementation are often regarded as prerequisites of any verification. While recent development methods establish testability as a design criterion, there is no corresponding design support for other verification methods like model checking and static analysis. Since these methods have inherent scalability problems, their application becomes more difficult where it is most needed - for complex systems. Our design-for-verification (D4V) approach attempts to close this gap using a variety of techniques, such as design patterns, APIs and source annotations. This paper presents a overview of D4V, and introduces dynamic assertions as one of the proposed D4V techniques. Dynamic assertions are dedicated, non-intrusive check objects that are dynamically activated, evaluated and deactivated via assertions of their target objects. Since these check objects can have their own state, they can be used to verify a broad range of properties. Properties can be expressed in the target programming language, and checked in a testing environment. In addition, dynamic assertions can be configured via call contexts, making them suitable for connector-specific verification of component based systems
Evaluation of a sex education workshop

Thirty-two first year medical students who attended a 1 day sex education workshop and seven of their classmates who did not attend the workshop were given the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test (SKAT) both 1 month before and 3 months after the workshop. The workshop group on retest had scores significantly higher than their pretest scores in the areas of sexual knowledge, autoeroticism and sexual myths. The scores of the no-workshop group did not change significantly on any of the parameters.Evidently, knowledge can be increased and attitudes liberalized by means of an intensive day-long workshop and such changes may persist beyong the immediate period of the workshop.
Method for improved CMP pad conditioning performance

A new pad conditioning arm design enables the use of closed-loop control (CLC) to improve conditioning performance throughout the life of a pad and disk pair. Measured pad conditioner torque is used to monitor and control the conditioning and polish processes in situ and in real time. The CLC system maintains process performance throughout pad life by adjusting the conditioner down force to compensate for process drift, such as the loss of diamond aggressiveness as the disk ages.
Simultaneous detection of cerebral metabolism of different substrates by in vivo 13C isotopomer MRS

Abstract In this report a new method is introduced for simultaneous detection of the metabolism of two 13 C-labeled subtracts in brain in vivo. We recognized and experimentally demonstrated that when a 13 C-labeled substrate generates [1,2- 13 C 2 ]acetylCoA ([1- 13 C]acetylCoA) only, glutamate C5, glutamine C5 and apsartate C4 doublets (singlets) are formed exclusively, regardless of the number of turns of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. We utilized the large one-bond 13 C– 13 C homonuclear J coupling between a carboxylic/amide carbon and an aliphatic carbon (∼50 Hz) and demonstrated that it is feasible to simultaneously detect the labeling of brain metabolites by two different substrates using different isotopomer signals of the same carbon atom. Uniformly labeled glucose was used to generate the doublets and a second substrate ([2- 13 C] lactate or [1,3- 13 C 2 ]β-hydroxybutyrate or [1- 13 C] acetate) was used to generate the singlets. It was shown that contribution to cerebral metabolism from different substrates can be simultaneously measured in vivo .
Glycine Betaine Catabolism Contributes to Pseudomonas syringae Tolerance to Hyperosmotic Stress by Relieving Betaine-Mediated Suppression of Compatible Solute Synthesis

Many bacteria can accumulate glycine betaine for osmoprotection and catabolize it as a growth substrate, but how they regulate these opposing roles is poorly understood. In Pseudomonas syringae B728a, expression of the betaine catabolism genes was reduced by an osmotic upshift to an intermediate stress level, consistent with betaine accumulation, but was increased by an upshift to a high stress level, as confirmed by an accompanying increase in degradation of radiolabeled betaine. Deletion of the gbcAB betaine catabolism genes reduced osmotolerance at a high osmolarity, and this reduction was due to the relief of betaine-mediated suppression of compatible solute synthesis. This conclusion was supported by the findings that, at high osmolarity, the ΔgbcAB mutant accumulated high betaine levels and low endogenous solutes and exhibited reduced expression of the solute synthesis genes. Moreover, the ΔgbcAB mutant and a mutant deficient in the synthesis of the compatible solutes NAGGN and trehalose exhibited similar reductions in osmotolerance and also in fitness on bean leaves. Activation of betaine catabolism at high osmotic stress resulted, in part, from induction of gbdR, which encodes the transcriptional activator GbdR. Betaine catabolism was subject to partial repression by succinate under hyperosmotic stress conditions, in contrast to strong repression in the absence of stress, suggesting that betaine functions both in nutrition and as an intracellular signal modulating solute synthesis under hyperosmotic stress conditions. Collectively, these results begin to provide a detailed mechanistic understanding of how P. syringae transitions from reliance on exogenously derived betaine to the use of endogenous solutes during adaptation to hyperosmotic conditions.
Note On a Comparative Evaluation of Nine Well-Known Algorithms for Solving the Cell Formation Problem in Group Technology

Over the last three decades, numerous algorithms have been pr oposed to solve the work-cell formation problem. For practicing manufacturing managers it would be nice to know as to which algorithm would be most effective and efficient for their specific situation. While several studies have attempted to fulfill this need, most have not resulted in any definitive recommendations and a better methodology of evaluation of cell formation algorithms is urgently needed. Prima facie, the methodology underlying Miltenburg and Zhang's (M&Z) (1991) evaluation of nine well-known cell formation algorithms seems very promising. The primary performance measure proposed by M&Z effectively captures the objectives of a good solution to a cell formation problem and is worthy of use in future studies. Unfortunately, a critical review of M&Z's methodology also reveals certain important flaws in M&Z's methodology. For example, M&Z may not have duplicated each algorithm precisely as the developer(s) of that algorithm intended. Second, M&Z's misrepresent Chandrasekharan and Rajagopalan's (C&R's) (1986) grouping efficiency measure. Third, M&Z's secondary performance measures lead them to unnecessarily ambivalent results. Fourth, several of M&Z's empirical conclusions can be theoretically deduced. It is hoped that future evaluations of cell formation algorithms will benefit from both the strengths and weaknesses of M&Z's work.
Point Processes, Spatial

The general theory of point processes has usually been focused on temporal developments. The special case of events that occur in space (or, more precisely, on a plane) has developed some particular approaches, usually assuming spatial stationarity and isotropy (i.e. the distribution of the process is invariant under translations and rotations, respectively). This article focuses on this type of process. Points, or events, take place at spatial locations, and each event is identified with its location.
BoxRouter 2.0: architecture and implementation of a hybrid and robust global router

In this paper, we present BoxRouter 2.0, a hybrid and robust global router with discussion on its architecture and implementation. As high performance VLSI design becomes more interconnect-dominant, efficient congestion elimination in global routing is in greater demand. Hence, we propose BoxRouter 2.0 which has strong ability to improve routability and minimize the number of vias with blockages, while minimizing wirelength. BoxRouter 2.0 is improved over [1], but can perform multi-layer routing with 2D global routing and layer assignment. Our 2D global routing is equipped with two ideas: robust negotiation-based A* search for routing stability, and topology-aware wire ripup for flexibility. After 2D global routing, 2D-to-3D mapping is done by the layer assignment which is powered by progressive via/blockage-aware integer linear programming. Experimental results show that BoxRouter 2.0 has better routability with comparable wirelength than other routers on ISPD07 benchmark, and it can complete (no overflow) ISPD98 benchmark for the first time in the literature with the shortest wirelength.
Evaluation of Once-Weekly Therapy for Tuberculosis Using Isoniazid plus Rifamycins in the Mouse Aerosol Infection Model

Once-weekly therapy with combinations of isoniazid plus a rifamycin was tested in the mouse low-dose aerosol infection model against two strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Combinations of isoniazid and rifalizil and isoniazid and rifapentine were both highly effective. These animal model data thus support the evaluation of these regimens under clinical conditions.
Ubiquitous and tenacious methylation of the CpG site in codon 248 of the p53 gene may explain its frequent appearance as a mutational hot spot in human cancer.

Abstract Cytosine methylation at CpG dinucleotides is thought to cause more than one-third of all transition mutations responsible for human genetic diseases and cancer. We investigated the methylation status of the CpG dinucleotide at codon 248 in exon 7 of the p53 gene because this codon is a hot spot for inactivating mutations in the germ line and in most human somatic tissues examined. Codon 248 is contained within an HpaII site (CCGG), and the methylation status of this and flanking CpG sites was analyzed by using the methylation-sensitive enzymes CfoI (GCGC) and HpaII. Codon 248 and the CfoI and HpaII sites in the flanking introns were methylated in every tissue and cell line examined, indicating extensive methylation of this region in the p53 gene. Exhaustive treatment of an osteogenic sarcoma cell line, TE85, with the hypomethylating drug 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine did not demethylate codon 248 or the CfoI sites in intron 6, although considerable global demethylation of the p53 gene was induced. Constructs containing either exon 7 alone or exon 7 and the flanking introns were transfected into TE85 cells to determine whether de novo methylation would occur. The presence of exon 7 alone caused some de novo methylation to occur at codon 248. More extensive de novo methylation of the CfoI sites in intron 6, which contains an Alu sequence, occurred in cells transfected with a vector containing exon 7 and flanking introns. With longer time in culture, there was increased methylation at the CfoI sites, and de novo methylation of codon 248 and its flanking HpaII sites was observed. These de novo-methylated sites were also resistant to 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine-induced demethylation. The frequent methylation of codon 248 and adjacent Alu sequence may explain the enhanced mutability of this site as a result of the deamination of the 5-methylcytosine.
Corporate governance in South Korea: the chaebol experience

Abstract Utilizing a large sample of South Korean firms, this paper explores the impact of corporate governance in an emerging market country dominated by a few large business groups. Firms affiliated with the top five groups ( chaebol ) exhibit significantly lower performance and significantly higher sales growth relative to other firms. Furthermore, top executive turnover is unrelated to performance for top chaebol firms, indicating a breakdown of internal corporate governance for the largest business groups. Internal corporate governance appears much more effective for firms unrelated to the top chaebol as managers at poorly performing firms are significantly more likely to lose their job. These results imply that the lack of properly functioning internal corporate governance among the top chaebol, which dominate the Korean economy, may have increased the severity of the recent financial crisis.