cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Randomized trials of sodium reduction: an overview.

We updated a previously published overview of randomized clinical trials testing the effects of reducing sodium intake. We excluded trials that had confounded designs, enrolled preadolescent study populations, tested intakes outside the usual range for the US population, or reported neither systolic nor diastolic blood pressure. Thirty-two trials with outcome data for 2635 subjects were included. Two reviewers abstracted information independently and differences were reconciled. Pooled blood pressure differences between treated and control groups were highly significant for all trials combined and for trials in hypertensive and normotensive subjects pooled separately. The effects on blood pressure of lowering sodium in hypertensive and normotensive subjects, respectively (each trial weighted according to sample size), were -4.8/-2.5 and -1.9/-1.1 mm Hg (systolic/ diastolic). Median differences in sodium excretion between sodium-reduction and control groups in these subgroups were -77 and -76 mmol/24 h, respectively. Weighted linear-regression analyses across the trials showed dose responses, which were more consistent for trials in normotensive subjects. These associations were, per 100 mmol Na/24 h, -5.8/-2.5 and -2.3/-1.4 mm Hg in hypertensive and normotensive subjects, respectively. There is no evidence that sodium reduction as achieved in these trials presents any safety hazards. The blood pressure reduction that would result from a substantial lowering of dietary sodium in the US population could reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
TRAFFIC JAM: AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY OF AUTOMOBILE TRAVEL DEMAND

This study analyses the demand for automobile travel in the United States, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. The influence of the transportation infrastructure and land use patterns on automobile travel is estimated by including an index of rail kilometers per capita, road kilometers per capita, urbanization, and population density. A pooled double-log model with the assumption of full cross-sectional correlation and timewise autoregression is tested with a new international data set. While the assumption of constant elasticities across countries is rejected, automobile travel demand is found to be price and income inelastic in all of the countries in the study.
An Informed Look at Doctoral Vivas (Oral Examinations) in the Preparation of Counselor Educators

Viva voce is the Latin expression traditionally used to refer to doctoral oral examinations. Viva voce, or simply viva, examinations are a standard requirement for doctoral candidacy and degree completion in many counselor education programs. Despite the prevalent use of vivas as an assessment and learning tool, the counselor education literature is scant on information about their rationale, method, and impact. Current trends toward transparency and accountability in higher education now require that counselor educators and researchers take steps to ensure that the use of vivas is justified beyond tradition alone.
Transactions section: Preprint of corresponding pages from the current annual AIEE transactions volume

THE mechanical and electrical advantages stemming from the use of linear conductors of structural shape∗ are so marked that, at present, most busses for heavy current duty are constructed of such conductors. Thus, standard designs of single and polyphase busses utilize strap conductors of full rectangular cross section, tubular conductors of hollow rectangular cross section, or ventilated conductors of open hollow rectangular cross section — these last built up of two slightly separated channels or four slightly separated angles placed flange to flange, or of multiples of four thin strap conductors. Again, limited construction of a somewhat more specialized type of bus has resulted from Arnold's1 discovery that minimum eddy-current losses are attained in a single-phase circuit if, of the conductors commercially available, the bus is constructed of two properly chosen channels placed back to back. Finally, the use, in shielded busses, of conductors of T and I cross section is not unknown.
An Interactive Environment For Tool Selection, Specification and Composition

This paper describes a high-level, screen oriented programming environment that supports problem solving by tool selection and tool composition. Each tool is a powerful parameterized program that performs a single high-level operation (e.g., sort a file). To solve a given problem, the user first interacts with the system to compose a task overview consisting of a sequence of generic operations. Such sequences are called compositions. Once an overview is established, a second part of the environment interacts with the user to help expand the generic operations into a corresponding sequence of parameterized tool calls. When a composition is expanded to include details such as parameterization and punctuation it is called a script. This script, when executed by the underlying runtime system, computes a solution to the specified user task. The current environment runs under the Unix operating system on a VAX 11/785, and uses a Bitgraph terminal with a 640x720 bitmap display and standard keyboard as the principal interface device.
Collision-assisted spectroscopy of HCN above the isomerization barrier

Double-resonance spectroscopy, using collisional energy transfer to populate high-lying vibrational states, reveals the location of 27 previously undetected levels in the ground electronic state of HCN. Three laser-pumped overtones, (0,00,4), (0,00,5), and (1,00,5) provide the doorway through which to collisionally populate vibrational levels lying between 10330 and 17650 cm-1. This greatly increases the energy range over previous studies using collision-assisted spectroscopy and provides access to states which have internal energy above the predicted isomerization barrier. Levels populated by collisions from (0,00,4) and (0,00,5) are detected directly via A state fluorescence, while those from (1,00,5) are detected through resonant multiphoton dissociation resulting in CN (B→X) fluorescence. Although potentially, collision-assisted spectroscopy above the isomerization barrier could access HNC localized states, such states have not been identified in the present experiments.
Medical Activism and Environmental Health

In the past decade, an environmental health movement has developed, and a number of medical social movement organizations (MSMOs) participate in efforts to promote sustainability and protect the environment. Physicians have organized as part of the larger peace and social justice movements since the mid-1800s. While these larger movements are the subjects of substantial historical and sociological research, there is no scholarship about contemporary MSMOs. In particular, contributions from such scholarship are noticeably absent in discussions of the current crisis of medical professionalism. Physicians and their medical organizations have limited understandings of social movements, activist roles, and medicine, as the profession has not found solidarity with other classes and groups in pursuit of environmental health, human rights, or universal access to health care. Physicians for Social Responsibility, Physicians for Human Rights, and Physicians for a National Health Program are important exceptions.
Dependence of structure of amorphous germanium films on the angle of evaporation

Abstract For the sake of comparison, amorphous Ge films have been prepared by evaporation at normal incidence and at an angle of 45°. The resistivity of the “45°” films was found to be much more sensitive to charges in the ambient atmosphere; e.g., cycling between atmospheric pressure and 10 −8 Torr, than were the films formed by evaporation at normal incidence. It is suggested that this is due to a larger porosity associated with microvoids in films formed by evaporations away from the normal. Several things suggest that bulk as well as surface effects are important in the 45° films and we would like to suggest that a principal effect of the 45° evaporation is to form a micro-void network which enables atmospheric gas to move into the interior of the film. This might be expected since the “shadowing” produced by evaporation at 45° could tend to produce a more porous film. In examining the conditions necessary for obtaining a film with a sharp optical absorption edge, Spicer, Donovan, and Fischer have pointed out that a rather long evaporation distance is necessary. Such a condition can insure normal incidence evaporation.
Effects of Phenobarbital on Seizure Activity in the Gerbil

Summary: This study was concerned with the effect of chronic phenobarbital treatment of seizure behavior in a strain of Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) that is predisposed to spontaneous seizures. Subcutaneous injections of 60 mg/kg phenobarbital were given daily to the experimental animals from 1–5 months of age. Control animals received equivalent doses of vehicle. At the termination of treatment (5 months), animals were tested regularly for seizure susceptibility until 1 year of age. Phenobarbital-treated animals exhibited an intensification of seizure activity both during and after the period of drug treatment. All animals receiving phenobarbital had one or more spontaneous seizures during the treatment period; 67% of the controls exhibited seizures. During this time phenobarbital-treated animals had an average of 10.5 seizures with a mean seizure degree of +3.2 (scale of 1–5), whereas the controls had an average of 3.5 seizures with a mean seizure degree of +2.4. During the entire 7-month post-treatment period, the phenobarbital-treated animals displayed a mean seizure degree of +3.4 as opposed to +2.3 for the controls; drug-treated gerbils exhibited more frequent unstimulated seizures (66%) than did controls (37%). The latency to seize was shorter for the phenobarbital-treated animals (142 sec) than for controls (233 sec), and experimental animals had seizures of greater duration (231 sec) than did controls (107 sec). (All comparisons are significant at the 0.001 level.) These studies reveal that chronic phenobarbital administration enhances seizure activity in the gerbil. This enhancement persists long after termination of phenobarbital treatment. The explanation for this paradoxical effect may lie in the effects of phenobarbital upon the development of brain inhibitory mechanisms. Speculation: Phenobarbital has been shown to function as both a convulsant and an anticonvulsant agent when administered under differing conditions to seizure-sensitive Mongolian gerbils. It would seem that the timing and/or duration of administration of the drug may determine the ultimate effect of phenobarbital on the central nervous system. It may be that this paradoxical effect is also obtained in other species.
Quasi-exponential decay of neutron fields

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the phenomenon of quasi-exponential behavior. The neutron field often behaves in an exponential manner. In a pulsed neutron experiment, the behavior may be exponential in time. In a diffusion length experiment or its generalization, the wave experiment, the field may be exponential in space. The decay constants that characterize these exponentials are natural data for the description of the system. The decay constants are eigenvalues. They depend upon the nature of the material in which the neutron field is established and upon the shape of the assembly. Sometimes, the effects can be separated, though never completely. More precisely, the observed decay constants are discrete eigenvalues. The operators associated with these eigenvalues have a continuous and a discrete spectrum. The number of eigenvalues in the point spectrum is often quite small; in some systems, the point spectrum is empty.
CEREBRAL VENOUS THROMBOSIS : A CASE REPORT

The incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is three to four cases per one million in adults and seven cases per one million among children. We discuss a case of CVT in a 19-year-old woman with a history of migraine headaches. A CVT most commonly presents acutely, with a wide variety of signs and symptoms in young adults and children. The most common presenting complaint in adults is severe headache. The most frequently thrombosed sinuses are the lateral, cavernous, and superior sagittal sinuses. Risk factors include any genetic or acquired prothrombotic conditions, including pregnancy and the peripartum period. Computed tomography may show the classic "delta sign," although magnetic resonance imaging with magnetic resonance venography is more sensitive. Treatment is controversial at this time. Options include fibrinolysis, anticoagulation, mechanical thrombectomy, or surgery. Despite the lack of agreement on management of CVT, the prognosis of CVT has improved, due to an increasing frequency of diagnosis.
Reliability of Pt ohmic contact on an undoped 3C-SiC micro-electrothermal device

The objective of this paper is to investigate the reliability of platinum (Pt) ohmic metallization on an undoped 3C-SiC. The Pt layer is deposited on a SiC fabricated microcantilever using focused ion beam technique. The purpose of the Pt layers is to act as electrodes to generate electrothermal actuation from joule effect. The results showed an excellent ohmic contact formation. Over a period of storage at room temperature, deterioration of the ohmic contact had occurred. The effect of Schottky contact on the required power was also investigated by observing the decrease in the magnitude of the electrothermally vibrating device. An increase of resistance from 1 KΩ to few hundred KΩs was also reported.
Mineral Composition and Removal of Six Perennial Grasses Grown for Bioenergy

Published in Agron. J. 107:466–474 (2015) doi:10.2134/agronj14.0339 Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Agronomy, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ABSTRACT
Fiberwalk: a random walk approach to fiber representative volume element creation

Attaining accurate representative geometry for a finite element analysis at various scales can be a challenging research task. Added complications arise when the geometry is representing a manufactured or biological composite. In this study, a representative geometry of linear fibrous composites was created at the microscale and is employed to reproduce crystalline microfibril stacking of Kevlar to form a single fibril joined by a non-ordered crystal structure. The structure can have ellipsoidal or rectangular microfibrils stacked in ellipsoidal or rectangular fibrils and may have any desired packing ratio within the 1–100% range. In order to build a fibrous structure along a path, a Random Walk methodology was used. Since the directionality of the fibers is random, but always stepping from one side of the path toward the other, the fibers can wind around each other and tangle or terminate if needed. Another key concept of this method is the addition of a rotation matrix operation for the path of the fibers. This allows the path around the three local coordinates to be in a linear or sinusoidal direction. The resultant geometry produced can represent the tortuous path nanofibrils undergo. Moreover, rotation about the path axis allows for the twisted geometry of ring spun yarn, and metal cable to be reproduced. Inclusion of spherical objects to the path of the fibers has been accommodated to reproduce fiber projection around, or end at, an obstruction in their path. This approach allows representing impurities at the fibril, fiber, or yarn level of composite fabric manufacturing.
Challenges of the Cassini Test Bed Simulating the Saturnian Environment

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a joint NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) mission to collect scientific data of the Saturnian system and is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). After having arrived in Saturn orbit and releasing the ESA's Huygens probe for a highly successful descent and landing mission on Saturn's moon Titan, the Cassini orbiter continues on its tour of Saturn, its satellites, and the Saturnian environment. JPL's Cassini Integrated Test laboratory (ITL) is a dedicated high fidelity test bed that verifies and validates command sequences and flight software before upload to the Cassini spacecraft. The ITL provides artificial stimuli that allow a highly accurate hardware-in-the-loop test bed model that tests the operation of the Cassini spacecraft on the ground. This enables accurate prediction and recreation of mission events and flight software and hardware behavior. As we discovered more about the Saturnian environment, a combination of creative test methods and simulation changes were necessary to simulate the harmful effect that the optical and physical environment has on the pointing performance of Cassini. This paper presents the challenges experienced and overcome in that endeavor to simulate and test the post Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) and Probe Relay tour phase of the Cassini mission.
Effect of pore size on adsorption of a polyelectrolyte to porous glass

The adsorption of quaternized poly(vinylpyridine) (QPVP) on controlled pore glass (CPG) size, over the ionic strength range 0.001−0.5 M was found to display nonmonotonic behavior as a function of pore size. Both adsorption kinetics and ionic strength effects deviated dramatically from behavior typical of adsorption on flat surfaces when the ratio of the pore radius Rp to the polymer hydrodynamic radius Rh became smaller than ca. 2. Ionic strength enhancement of adsorption for small pore sizes was observed at much higher salt concentrations than is typical for polycation adsorption on flat surfaces. The amount of polymer adsorbed per unit surface area of glass ΓA, in 0.5 M NaCl, exhibited a shallow maximum at Rp/Rh ≈ 5. Since the value of ΓA for small pore size CPG is strongly depressed by the large surface area, an alternative and more interesting observation is that the amount of polymer adsorbed per gram of CPG, Γw, displays a strong maximum when Rp is equal to or slightly smaller than Rh. The efficienc...
The extracellular matrix in multiple sclerosis lesions

Receptor-mediated recognition of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules transduces intracellular signals that determine many cellular behaviors under normal and pathological conditions. This review briefly describes the major central nervous system (CNS) white matter ECM molecules and their receptors, the mechanisms by which the ECM may be altered in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, and potential roles for inflammatory and CNS resident cell interactions with specific ECM molecules in these lesions. In acute lesions, ECM recognition and cell signaling contribute to leukocyte migration through blood vessel walls, and within the CNS, through leukocyte and CNS resident cell immune activation and demyelination. An abnormal ECM in chronic MS lesions may preclude ECM-dependent developmental processes that lead to remyelination and axon regeneration. Thus, the composition of the ECM and the cellular recognition of its individual components may be critical to the pathogenesis of all stages of MS. An understanding of these complex interactions may lead to additional strategies for intervention and the promotion of reparative processes in MS patients.
Urban Growth on the Periphery of the Antebellum Cotton Belt: Atlanta, 1847-1860

Based on the mercantile model of urban growth, I analyze the formative development of Atlanta during the antebellum period. Located at the intersection of three railroads, Atlanta's early growth and economic structure reflected its nodal position in the transport system. Subsequent railroad construction, however, eroded its initial locational advantage, while creating the opportunity for its emergence as a regional metropolis. This transformation was delayed until after the Civil War because of the marginal political and economic position of Atlanta and the Upcountry region, as a whole, within the state. Atlanta's meteoric growth during the second half of the nineteenth century reveals a new pattern of urbanization in the Lower South. In contrast to antebellum port cities, Atlanta developed into a regional metropolis that integrated cities and towns in its hinterland into a local system of cities.' Atlanta was further distinguished from the cotton ports by its spatial characteristics. It was located in the Upcountry, a yeoman farming region on the periphery of the Cotton Belt, and was directly tied to the national market through an interregional rail network. Atlanta's growth during the antebellum period demonstrates the importance of these spatial characteristics in determining the location and timing of metropolitan development in the Lower South. By 1860, little more than a decade after its founding, Atlanta had become a wholesale distribution center that competed with river and even coastal port cities for the expanding trade of interior agricultural regions. Its formation and early expansion, I argue, derived from its nodal position
Effects of gonadal steroids on the secretion of LH and FSH in neonatal rats.

Castrated neonatal male rats (6–9 days old) were treated with testosterone propionate and estradiol benzoate. Both steroids were capable of suppressing the increases in serum LH and FSH concentrations which normally follow castration. Serum levels of both gonadotropins were decreased by 8–9 hr after the injection of either 3 μg testosterone propionate or 0.2 μg estradiol benzoate. A study was also made of the effects of exogenous steroids in intact female neonates (5–10 days old). FSH levels could be decreased by either androgen or estrogen; however, the large degree of variability in serum LH concentrations observed in control females made it difficult to draw any firm conclusion regarding the effect of steroids on LH secretion in females. (Endocrinology 89:112,1971)
Evaluating the effects of systemic low frequency oscillations measured in the periphery on the independent component analysis results of resting state networks

Independent component analysis (ICA) is widely used in resting state functional connectivity studies. ICA is a data-driven method, which uses no a priori anatomical or functional assumptions. However, as a result, it still relies on the user to distinguish the independent components (ICs) corresponding to neuronal activation, peripherally originating signals (without directly attributable neuronal origin, such as respiration, cardiac pulsation and Mayer wave), and acquisition artifacts. In this concurrent near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)/functional MRI (fMRI) resting state study, we developed a method to systematically and quantitatively identify the ICs that show strong contributions from signals originating in the periphery. We applied group ICA (MELODIC from FSL) to the resting state data of 10 healthy participants. The systemic low frequency oscillation (LFO) detected simultaneously at each participant's fingertip by NIRS was used as a regressor to correlate with every subject-specific IC time course. The ICs that had high correlation with the systemic LFO were those closely associated with previously described sensorimotor, visual, and auditory networks. The ICs associated with the default mode and frontoparietal networks were less affected by the peripheral signals. The consistency and reproducibility of the results were evaluated using bootstrapping. This result demonstrates that systemic, low frequency oscillations in hemodynamic properties overlay the time courses of many spatial patterns identified in ICA analyses, which complicates the detection and interpretation of connectivity in these regions of the brain.
Tantalum Borollide Trichloride: A Versatile Entry into Tantalum Borollide Complexes

The reaction of Li2[C4H4B-N(CHMe2)2]·THF with 2 equiv of AlCl3 and 1 equiv of TaCl5 gives mononuclear [C4H4B-N(CHMe2)2]TaCl3 (1) in 47% yield. Alkylation of 1 with 3 equiv of MeMgCl gives methylated species in conjunction with the triple decker complex [C4H4B-N(CHMe2)2]Me2Ta[μ-C4H4B-N(CHMe2)2]TaMe4 (2). Monoalkylation is possible with LiCH(SiMe3)2 to give [C4H4B-N(CHMe2)2]TaCl2[CH(SiMe3)2] (3) which contains a Ta−Cα−H agostic interaction. Addition of H2NAr (Ar = 2,6-iPr2-C6H3) and triethylamine to 1 affords [C4H4B-NH(CHMe2)2]Ta(NAr)Cl2 (4). When 2 equiv of acetone are added to 1, the result is [C4H4B-NH(CHMe2)2]TaCl3[Me2C(O)CH2C(O)Me] (5). Reaction with LiCp* (Cp* = C5Me5) gives Cp*[C4H4B-N(CHMe2)2]TaCl2 (6). Reduction of 6 with Mg under an atmosphere of CO produces Cp*[C4H4B-N(CHMe2)2]Ta(CO)2 (7) which can be protonated with [H(OEt2)2][B(C6H3(CF3)2)4] to form {Cp*[C4H4B-NH(CHMe2)2]Ta(CO)2}{[B(C6H3(CF3)2)4]} (8). Reaction of 1 with excess LiCp‘ (Cp‘ = C5H4Me) affords Cp‘2[η2-C4H4B-N(CHMe2)2]TaCl (10) in w...
Attitudes of Children from a Deprived Environment toward Achievement-Related Concepts

(1965). Attitudes of Children from a Deprived Environment toward Achievement-Related Concepts. The Journal of Educational Research: Vol. 59, No. 2, pp. 57-62.
Dental caries in relation to PTC taste sensitivity, secretor status, and salivary thiocyanate level

Abstract A previous study showed that tasters of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) had significantly reduced risk of dental caries of the primary teeth. The present study is a further attempt to elucidate the association with 137 white children of ages from 4 to 17 yr divided into def and DMF groups. In addition, the secretor status of the ABO substances and the content of the whole saliva thiocyanate were studied relative to caries experience and PTC sensitivity. The net effects of these factors were estimated by the least squares method. There was an appreciable decrease of caries experience of the primary teeth (def) in tasters being not inconsistent with the previous finding There was no apparent relationship detected between the caries experience of the permanent teeth (DMF) and the PTC response. The secretor status was found to be unrelated to the caries scores. The level of the total salivary thiocyanate appears to be independent of PTC sensitivity and caries experience.
Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 (CDK1)-mediated Phosphorylation of Enhancer of Zeste 2 (Ezh2) Regulates Its Stability

The H3K27 histone methyltransferase, Ezh2 (enhancer of zeste 2), is a Polycomb group protein that plays important roles in many biological processes including cellular differentiation, stem cell biology, and cancer development. Up-regulation of Ezh2 is observed in various human cancers consistent with its role in cell proliferation. Thus, understanding the regulation of Ezh2 may reveal how it contributes to the cellular proliferation process. Here, we demonstrate that Ezh2 can be regulated by the cyclin-dependent kinase, CDK1, which phosphorylates Ezh2 at threonines 345 and 487. Consistent with the cell cycle phase during which CDK1 exhibits peak activity, Ezh2 phosphorylation is enriched in cells arrested in mitosis when compared with S-phase. Phosphorylation of Thr-345 and Thr-487 promotes Ezh2 ubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the proteasome. Furthermore, expression of T345A/T487A confers a proliferative disadvantage when compared with cells expressing wild-type Ezh2, which suggests that phosphorylation of Ezh2 is important for cell proliferation. Collectively, these results establish a novel function for CDK1-mediated Ezh2 phosphorylation and provide a mechanism by which Ezh2 protein levels can be regulated in cells.
Atomic emission spectrometry employing a pulsed radio-frequency-powered glow discharge

A radio-frequency (rf)-powered glow discharge pulsed at 50 Hz with a 25% duty cycle is used as an atomization/excitation source for analytical atomic emission spectrometry. Compromise working conditions are established at 0.8 Torr argon pressure and 80 to 90 W peak applied power. Analyte emission intensities are found to increase with increases in discharge pressure and peak applied rf power to an upper limit corresponding with the onset of discharge instability. The observed emission signal intensity is influenced strongly by changes in the cathode-to-anode separation distance. Long-term analytical signal stability is exhibited by this source at rf powers up to 90 W in the absence of external cooling because of operation in the pulsed mode. The maximum attainable stable emission signal with pulsed operation is approximately four times greater than that attainable with steady-state operation. The analytical utility of this source is demonstrated through determinations of trace elements in coal fly ash and graphite samples with limits of detection in the tens of parts-per-million range.
A Qualitative Evaluation of Geographical Localization of Hospitalists: How Unintended Consequences May Impact Quality

BACKGROUND Geographical localization of hospitalist teams to nursing units may have an impact on the quality of inpatient care. The perceptions of individuals who provide patient care in a localized model of care have not been adequately studied.
Spectrin: current understanding of its physical, biochemical, and functional properties.

Abstract Spectrin consists of a complex of two peptides (bands 1 and 2) which have molecular weights of about 240,000 and 220,000 daltons (±10% or more). Aggregation states of dimer, tetramer, and high polymer appear to be favored. Each of the two bands contains multiple isoelectric, antigenic, and N-terminal components; it is not known if this phenomenon is due to natural multiplicity, to proteolysis, or to the presence of non-SDS-dissociable subunits. Compared to myosin, the spectrin dimer is probably somewhat less α-helical and somewhat more globular. Spectrin has a weak ATPase activity which shows distinguishable Mg-ATPase and Ca-ATPase components, and band 2 of spectrin is phosphorylated by ATP-γ- 32 P under physiologic conditions. Spectrin is present in vivo as a complex with erythrocytic actin, and after isolation will form complexes with muscle actin. The nature of these complexes is still uncertain. Spectrin interacts both with lipid bilayers (devoid of “intrinsic” proteins), and with the intrinsic proteins of the erythrocyte and binds calcium and ATP under appropriate conditions. These properties make it likely that spectrin controls the membrane deformability of erythrocyte (via unknown regulatory mechanisms) and is an essential component of the erythrocyte membrane in terms of its stability as an extended, flat and elastic surface. There is fragmentary evidence suggesting spectrin like proteins exist in membranes from other cell types and possibly in cytoplasm.
Beat wave generation experiment for study of VLF whistler wave interactions with ionospheric plasmas and radiation belts

We have been conducting controlled studies of VLF whistler wave interactions with “inner” radiation belts at Arecibo, Puerto Rico and with “outer radiation belts” at Gakona, Alaska. Whistler waves at 40.75 kHz can be launched from a Naval transmitter code-named NAU at Arecibo, while HF amplitude-modulated electrojet current can radiate at selected VLF wave frequencies at Gakona, Alaska. A new technique has been recently developed in our Gakona experiments, which does not require a VLF transmitter or the presence of electrojet current. It relies on the operation of two HF heaters to generate two X-mode waves at a difference frequency in the VLF range. For example, the beat wave at 6.5 kHz can be generated by a heater wave at 4.2 MHz with the other at 4.2065 MHz. A series of whistler waves generated by the aforementioned beat wave technique at 6.5, 7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 11.5, 15.5, 22.5, 28.5, and 40.50 kHz, respectively, were successfully detected by our VLF receiving system, deployed a few miles away from the HF heater. It is interesting to notice that the intensity of VLF waves does not monotonically decrease with the frequency. We are currently working on this subject theoretically, after analyzing some data, to examine optimum conditions for generating VLF whistler waves by beat waves. Whistler wave interactions with ionospheric plasmas can result in energization of ionospheric electrons via a four-wave interactions process and a direct acceleration process additively. Monitored by an incoherent scatter radar, the energized electrons streaming along the geomagnetic field lead to enhanced plasma lines. It is expected that, only beat wave-generated whistler waves with frequencies exceeding lower hybrid resonance frequency can produce enhanced plasma lines in the ionospheric F region via a four wave interaction process. Contrastingly, whistler wave interactions with energetic charged particles in radiation belts result in enhanced plasma lines in the ionospheric E region. The development and demonstration of beat wave technique to generate VLF whistler waves has further extended our capability to investigate whistler wave interactions with ionospheric plasmas and radiation belts.
An empirical correlation between glass transition temperatures and structural parameters for polymers with linear and branched alkyl substituents

A new quantitative model is proposed to correlate glass transition temperatures with bond radii-based structural parameters for poly(p-alkyl styrenes), poly-olefins, poly(alkyl methacrylates), and poly(alkyl acrylates). The model provides a consistent prediction of the glass transition temperatures for both the linear and highly branched polymers up to the entanglement offset points for long side groups. Polymers with highly branched side chains, such as t-butyl and t-pentyl groups that contain quaternary C groups, are predicted to have much higher glass transition temperatures, followed by the methylated, the unsubstituted, and the linearly alkylated polymers. The predictions are confirmed by the experimental results from the authors' research and literature. The current model also allows the extraction of the contribution of hydrogen bonding to glass transition temperatures in polymethacrylates and polyacrylates by comparing differences between the modeled hydrogen-bonding free values with the experimental data. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 64: 507–517, 1997
Severe Hereditary Haemolytic Anaemia in Dogs Treated by Marrow Transplantation

Severe hereditary haemolytic anaemia related to pyruvate kinase deficiency occurs in Basenji dogs homozygous for this autosomal recessive defect. In the current study, three anaemic dogs were treated by total body irradiation and marrow transplantation from non-anaemic histocompatible littermates with resultant complete correction of their haemolytic anaemia. The possible use of marrow transplantation for life-threatening haemolytic anaemias in man is discussed.
Pancreatic endocrine tumors.

In 1902, Nicholls described a tumor originating from a pancreatic islet cell lineage [1]. This was the first report of a pancreatic endocrine tumor (PET). These uncommon tumors occur in approximately 1 out of 100,000 people [2–4]. The incidence in autopsy studies is as high as 1.5% [5]. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is much more common than its endocrine counterpart with a ratio of pancreatic adenocarcinomas to PETs of approximately 125 to 1 [6]. PETs are commonly associated with a clinical syndrome directly related to a hormone secreted by the tumor. Included among these hormone-secreting tumors are insulinomas, gastrinomas, glucagonomas, and somatostatinomas. Not every pancreatic tumor secretes a hormone resulting in a pathologic syndrome of clinical symptoms. These nonsyndromic tumors are referred to as nonfunctioning PETs and comprise 30 to 40% all patient with PETs [7–10]. Although these tumors typically behave in a less aggressive manner than their pancreatic adenocarcinoma counterpart, PETs metastasize to the liver more commonly than any other neoplasm with the exception of colon cancer [11]. If insulinomas are excluded from the analysis, 50–60% of PETs have metastasized at the time of diagnosis (Table 1). [7, 12, 13] The most common cause of death from PETs is hepatic failure [2].
Interferon, double-stranded RNA and RNA degradation. Fractionation of the endonucleaseINT system into two macromolecular components; role of a small molecule in nuclease activation.

Abstract We reported earlier that a) the incubation of an extract from interferon-treated Ehrlich ascites tumor cells with double-straded RNA and ATP results in the activation of an endonuclease and b) after the activation the double-stranded RNA and ATP can be degraded without impairing the activity of the endonuclease. We report now the separation and partial purification of two macromolecular components (DE1INT and DE2INT) involved in the process. Upon incubation with double-stranded RNA and ATP component DE1INT generates a heat-stable product of low molecular weight (designated as nuclease activator). On incubation with the nuclease activator a latent nuclease in component DE2INT is activated.
RECENT RESULTS ON CHARM PHYSICS FROM CDF

Preliminary results are reported for measurements of the masses and widths of the L = 1 charm mesons and , using data from Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron. Final results are presented for CP asymmetry and relative branching fraction for the decays D0 → K+K- and π+π-.
Biotechnology training at California State University, Hayward: a model program

The Biotechnology Certificate Program (BCP) at California State University, Hayward was initiated in 1986 in response to industry demands for qualified employees in the molecular life sciences. This 9-month post-baccalaureate program includes laboratory courses in recombinant DNA techniques, protein chemistry, PCR, DNA sequencing, animal cell culture as well as two lecture courses in molecular biology. Rigorous selection at both entry and exit stages of the program ensures knowledgeable graduates with a greater than 90% employment placement. Corporate participation has been a cornerstone of the BCP and we anticipate continued cooperation in the future as the program evolves to meet the expanding needs of the biotechnology industry. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2000) 24, 364–366.
Physics-based formula representations of high-latitude ionospheric outflows: H+ and O+ densities, flow velocities, and temperatures versus soft electron precipitation, wave-driven transverse heating, and solar zenith angle effects

[1] Extensive systematic dynamic fluid kinetic (DyFK) model simulations are conducted to obtain advanced simulation-based formula representations of ionospheric outflow parameters, for possible use by global magnetospheric modelers. Under F 10.7 levels of 142, corresponding to solar medium conditions, we obtain the H + and O + outflow densities, flow velocities, and perpendicular and parallel temperatures versus energy fluxes and characteristic energies of soft electron precipitation, wave spectral densities of ion transverse wave heating, and F region level solar zenith angle in the high-latitude auroral region. From the results of hundreds of DyFK simulations of auroral outflows for ranges of each of these driving agents, we depict the H + and O + outflow density and flow velocity parameters at 3 R E altitude at the ends of these 2-h simulation runs in spectrogram form versus various pairs of these influencing parameters. We further approximate these results by various distilled formula representations for the O + and H + outflow velocities, densities, and temperatures at 3 R E altitude, as functions of the above indicated four "driver" parameters. These formula representations provide insight into the physics of these driven outflows, and may provide a convenient set of tools to set the boundary conditions for ionospheric plasma sources in global magnetospheric simulations.
Anesthetic implications of the addition of an operative robot for endoscopic surgery: a case reportm

Laparoscopic surgery has become increasingly popular over the last decade. However, this surgical technique has a number of limitations. It is difficult to work in a three-dimensional space while viewing a two-dimensional monitor, long instruments amplify natural tremor, and traditional instruments have limited mobility due to few degrees of freedom. Robot-assisted surgery has been developed in response to these limitations. A three-dimensional viewer allows the surgeon to operate in a realistic environment, natural tremor is eliminated by translating the surgeon's hand motions to robotic movements, and the robotic surgical instruments are designed to have the same dexterity as a human wrist. We describe a case of robot-assisted laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and discuss the anesthetic issues associated with this new surgical technique. In addition to the anesthetic issues associated with traditional laparoscopic surgery, robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery presents some unique challenges.
SAG/ROC2/Rbx2/Hrt2, a Component of SCF E3 Ubiquitin Ligase: Genomic Structure, a Splicing Variant, and Two Family Pseudogenes

We have recently cloned and characterized an evolutionarily conserved gene, Sensitive to Apoptosis Gene (SAG), which encodes a redox-sensitive antioxidant protein that protects cells from apoptosis induced by redox agents. The SAG protein was later found to be the second family member of ROC/Rbx/Hrt, a component of the Skp1-cullin-F box protein (SCF) E3 ubiquitin ligase, being required for yeast growth and capable of promoting cell growth during serum starvation. Here, we report the genomic structure of the SAG gene that consists of four exons and three introns. We also report the characterization of a SAG splicing variant (SAG-v), that contains an additional exon (exon 2; 264 bp) not present in wildtype SAG. The inclusion of exon 2 disrupts the SAG ORF and gives rise to a protein of 108 amino acids that contains the first 59 amino acids identical to SAG and a 49-amino acid novel sequence at the C terminus. The entire RING-finger domain of SAG was not translated because of several inframe stop codons within the exon 2. The SAG-v protein was expressed in multiple human tissues as well as cell lines, but at a much lower level than wildtype SAG. Unlike SAG, SAG-v was not able to rescue yeast cells from lethality in a ySAG knockout, nor did it bind to cullin-1 or have ligase activity, probably because of the lack of the RING-finger domain. Finally, we report the identification of two SAG family pseudogenes, SAGP1 and SAGP2, that share 36% or 47% sequence identity with ROC1/Rbx1/Hrt1 and 30% or 88% with SAG, respectively. Both genes are intronless with two inframe stop codons.
The value of recognizing our differences and promoting healthy competition: The cognitive behavioral debate*

Few issues within behavior therapy have aroused as much debate as the causal status of cognitions. We briefly trace the history of the debate, provide recent exemplars of misunderstanding, and seek to clarify important epistemological distinctions between radical and cognitive behaviorism. It is suggested that cognitive and radical behavioral therapists share a pragmatic interest in effecting and demonstrating behavior change, but differ significantly with respect to how change is explained. Less certain is the extent to which the practices of radical behavioral and cognitive therapists differ. It is concluded that radical (contextual) and cognitive (mechanistic) views, though distinct, are both scientifically respected approaches to studying human behavior with important roles to play in the future of behavior therapy. The multigenerational enterprise called behavior therapy stands to be enriched by promoting shared values, acceptance of our differences, and encouraging healthy competition.
Effective Thermal Conductivity of Fully-Saturated High Porosity Metal Foam

Geometric models are used to simplify the complex, three-dimensional geometry of metal foams for calculations of effective thermal conductivity. The first is based on a conventional three-dimensional cubic lattice and the second is a tetrakaidecahedronal model. The models consist of interconnecting ligaments with a spherical node at their intersections. The geometry of the foam is determined based on two dimensionless parameters: 1) the porosity and 2) the product of the specific surface area of the foam and the length of the interconnecting ligaments. A free parameter represents the size of the lumps at the ligament interconnections. It is shown that the remaining unknown geometric parameters of the models can be obtained as a solution of a cubic equation that has only one acceptable solution. From the cubic lattice model, a one-dimensional heat conduction analytical model is used to find the effective thermal conductivity of fully saturated metal foam. A three-dimensional finite element calculation of the effective thermal conductivity for the cubic lattice is then compared to the one-dimensional model. In the case of the tetrakaidecahedronal model, a similar three-dimensional finite element calculation is performed to find the effective thermal conductivity. Anisotropy of the models is explored. The results of the models are compared with experimental results from this study and the literature to substantiate their accuracy. The experimental results are reported for fully saturated aluminum metal foam in air, water, and oil. Results show that both the cubic lattice model, which is less complex, and the tetrakaidecahedronal model can both be used to represent one-dimensional effective thermal conductivity. Finally, the dimensionless surface areas for each geometric model are compared. The models produce significantly different surface areas, and therefore do not both represent the density and specific surface area of foam accurately.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Intercalation theorems for stack languages

This paper develops necessary conditions for languages to be stack generable, stack decidable, and non-erasing stack generable. The result for stack generable languages shows that the languages {an3¦n≥ 0} and {an bn2 cn ¦n≥0) are not stack generable. It also shows that the language {am bm2 cn ¦m, ng{am bn2 cn ¦m, n≥1} is inherently ambiguous as a stack language. In addition, it shows that the infiniteness problem for stack generable languages is solvable. The necessary conditions for stack decidable and non-erasing stack generable languages show that {an bn2 ¦n≥1} u{an b2n2 c¦n≥1} is not stack decidable and that {an bn2 ¦n≥0}is not non-erasing stack generable. These examples show that these two families of languages are not closed under reversal. Two unsolvability results are also obtained. The question of whether a stack generable language is inherently ambiguous as a stack language is undecidable. The question of whether the reversal of a non-erasing stack generable language is also non-erasing stack generable is undecidable.
Convection-enhanced delivery of nanodiamond drug delivery platforms for intracranial tumor treatment

Abstract This study examined a novel drug delivery system for treatment of malignant brain gliomas: DOX complexed with nanodiamonds (ND-Dox), and administered via convection-enhanced delivery (CED). Drug retention and toxicity were examined in glioma cell lines, and distribution, retention and toxicity were examined in normal rat parenchyma. Efficacy was assessed in a bioluminescence rodent tumor model. NDs markedly enhanced DOX uptake and retention in glioma cells. ND-Dox delivered via CED extended DOX retention and localized DOX toxicity in normal rodent parenchyma, and was significantly more efficient at killing tumor cells than uncomplexed DOX. Outcomes from this work suggest that CED of ND-Dox is a promising approach for brain tumor treatment. From the Clinical Editor In this paper, nanodiamonds were utilized to enhance delivery of DOX in a preclinical glioma model using a convection-enhanced delivery method, demonstrating remarkably enhanced efficacy.