cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cytochrome c: A Multifunctional Protein Combining Conformational Rigidity with Flexibility

Cytochrome has served as a model system for studying redox reactions, protein folding, and more recently peroxidase activity induced by partial unfolding on membranes. This review illuminates some important aspects of the research on this biomolecule. The first part summarizes the results of structural analyses of its active site. Owing to heme-protein interactions the heme group is subject to both in-plane and out-of-plane deformations. The unfolding of the protein as discussed in detail in the second part of this review can be induced by changes of pH and temperature and most prominently by the addition of denaturing agents. Both the kinetic and thermodynamic folding and unfolding involve intermediate states with regard to all unfolding conditions. If allowed to sit at alkaline pH (11.5) for a week, the protein does not return to its folding state when the solvent is switched back to neutral pH. It rather adopts a misfolded state that is prone to aggregation via domain swapping. On the surface of cardiolipin containing liposomes, the protein can adopt a variety of partially unfolded states. Apparently, ferricytochrome c can perform biological functions even if it is only partially folded.
Improvements in the qualitative and quantitative study of erythromycins using laser-based polarimetric detection

Abstract A technique in which liquid chromatographic separation is combined with laser-based polarimetric detection is described for the study of erythromycin and its analogs. The polarimetric system, owing to the inherent selectivity of the technique, can provide unique advantages, particularly when the measurement must be made in a complicated matrix. Individual specific rotations have been measured for the three erythromycin analogs A, B and C and for the derivative erythromycin ethylsuccinate (EES). The results suggest that specific rotation may be used to identify closely related erythromycin species in studies of their fate and location in physiological pathways. The detection limit for the technique is 12 ng for erythromycin and 10 ng for EES. The distinct advantages of this technique, in terms of both sensitivity and selectivity, are demonstrated by the determination of erythromycin in milk and EES in a pharmaceutical preparation.
Pharmacological management of preschool ADHD.

A 41⁄2-year-old girl with ADHD, combined subtype, and oppositional defiant disorder presents for evaluation and initiation of treatment. She has severe symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, leading to significant impairment in multiple domains. Peer relationships are strained, and she was admitted to the emergency department twice last year (once after darting in front of a car and once when she tipped her chair over backward in class). The child was recently expelled from her second preschool this year because of disruptive and out-of-control behavior. The parents received training in behavior modification (parent training), but despite their close adherence, little improvement in the child’s behavior was noted.
Secured MPEG-21 Digital Item Adaptation for H.264 Video

Seamless adaptation and transcoding techniques to adapt the digital content have achieved significant focus to serve the consumers with the desired content in a feasible way. With the succession of time we sense that secured adaptation should also be taken care of for not only serving sensitive digital contents but also to offer security as an embedded feature of the adaptation practice to ensure digital right management and confidentiality. In this paper, we propose an encryption framework for a transcoder while adapting H. 264 video conforming to MPEG-21 DIA. Encryption mechanism is applied on the adapted video content thus reducing computational overhead compared to that on the original content.
“I Honestly Believe God Keeps me Healthy so I Can Take Care of My Child”: Parental Use of Faith Related to Treatment Adherence

A limited number of studies address parental faith and its relationship to their children's health. Using cystic fibrosis as a disease exemplar in which religion/spirituality have been shown to play a role and parental health behaviors (adherence to their child's daily recommended home treatments) are important, this study explored whether parents with different levels of adherence would describe use of faith differently. Twenty-five interviews were completed and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Some parents described no relationship between faith and treatment adherence. However, of those who did, higher-adherence parents believed God empowered them to care for their child and they used prayer to change themselves, while lower-adherence parents described trusting God to care for their child and used prayer to change God. Clinical implications for chaplains' differential engagement with parents are presented.
Architectural studios online: the "internet studio network"

The "Internet Studio Network" is an initiative designed to create academic relationships among architectural schools to work on semester-studio projects collaborating via the Internet. Past participants included a maximum of 300 architectural students from Miami, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela, who collaborated in semester-long design studios via the Internet and videoconference technology during the Fall, 2001.
Binaural interaction of impaired listeners. A review of past research.

This paper reviews past studies of binaural interaction in impaired listeners. The topics covered include localization and lateralization; equal loudness, centering and lateralization adaptation; detection of signals in noise; and discrimination of interaural time delay and interaural amplitude ratio. Comments concerning experimental design and procedures, as well as interpretation of results, are often included with descriptions of the studies.Une bonne comprehension des interactions binaurales chez les sujets malentendants nous paraiˇt importante pour la recherche de base sur l'audition, le diagnostic clinique des surdites, ainsi que pour la conception et l'adaptation des appareils de correction auditive.Aussi, avons-nous revu un grand nombre de travaux publies par divers auteurs a ce sujet. Nous avons aborde ces travaux sous quatre angles differents: etude sur la localisation et la lateralisation auditives; recherche de l'egalisation de l'amplitude du stimulus (adaptation de l'isosonie, du centrage et ...
Active edge sites in MoSe2 and WSe2 catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction: a density functional study

MoSe2 and WSe2 nanofilms and nanosheets have recently been shown to be active for electrochemical H2 evolution (HER). In this work, we used periodic density functional theory to investigate the origin of the catalytic activity on these materials. We determined the relevant structures of the Mo/W-edges and the Se-edges under HER conditions and their differential hydrogen adsorption free energies. The Mo-edge on MoSe2 and the Se-edge on both MoSe2 and WSe2 are found to be the predominantly active facets for these catalysts, with activity predicted to be comparable to or better than MoS2. On the other hand, the (0001) basal planes are found to be inert. We further explain the enhanced activity at the edges in terms of localized edge states, which provide insight into the trends in HER activity seen between the two catalysts. Our results thus suggest that an optimal catalyst design should maximize the exposure of edge sites. Comparisons are also made between the transition metal selenide catalysts and their sulfide counterparts in order to understand the consequences of having either Mo/W or Se/S atoms. It is found that linear scaling relations describe the S/Se binding onto the edge and the H binding onto the S/Se.
Mainstream bronchial sleeve resection with pulmonary preservation

Background. Resection of a mainstem bronchus with pulmonary preservation is a therapeutic option when disease is limited to the mainstem bronchus. We reviewed our experience with this procedure to determine the operative morbidity, mortality, and long-term outcome. Methods. From January 1965 through January 1995, 22 patients (13 male, 9 female) underwent circumferential mainstem bronchial sleeve resection without removal of pulmonary parenchyma. Median age was 37 years (range, 12 to 70 years). The right mainstem bronchus was involved in 12 patients and left, in 10. Nineteen patients (86%) were symptomatic; symptoms included cough in 5, dyspnea in 5, wheeze in 3, hemoptysis in 3, and a combination of these in 3. Conventional tomography was done in 8 patients and identified every lesion. Bronchoscopy was diagnostic in all patients. Resection was for cancer in 15 patients (68%), benign stricture in 5 (23%), and an impacted broncholith in 2 (9%). The cancer was a carcinoid in 9 patients, a mucoepidermoid carcinoma in 3, squamous cell carcinoma in 2, and adenoid cystic carcinoma in 1. Fourteen patients were postsurgically classified as stage IIIA (T3 N0 M0) and 1 patient as stage IIIB (T4 N2 M0). The median length of the resected bronchus was 2.0 cm (range, 1.0 to 4.0 cm). Two patients required hilar release maneuvers. The bronchial anastomosis was reinforced with pleura in pleura in 10 patients, pericardium in 2, and serratus anterior muscle in 1. Results. There were no operative deaths. Three patient (14%) had postoperative complications. Follow-up was complete and ranged from 6 months to 25.7 years (median follow-up, 10.2 years). Twenty-one patients are currently alive. All patients are asymptomatic except 1 patient, who required a stent for an anastomotic stricture. No patient has had recurrence of cancer. Conclusions. In properly selected patients, mainstem bronchial sleeve resection with lung preservation can be performed safely and provides excellent relief of symptoms with good long-term survival.
The influence of physical and psychosocial factors on accuracy of memory for pain in chronic pain patients

Pain patients' retrospective reports of pain are important to physicians and other health professionals in helping to decide on future treatment plans. Unfortunately patients' memory of pain can be inaccurate and subject to overestimation. This study examined variables which influenced accuracy of remembering pain in 93 chronic pain patients. The patients were initially evaluated by a physician and completed a comprehensive pain questionnaire and an SCL-90. All patients were asked to monitor their pain intensity every hour for 1 week. At the end of this period each patient was asked to estimate their average pain intensity ratings for 4 times during the day for the previous week. These estimations were compared with the actual mean pain ratings. Results showed that most patients tended to overestimate their pain intensity levels. Cervical and low back pain patients were found to be more accurate than headache and abdominal pain patients in remembering their pain. Patients who reported more emotional distress, who had conflicts at home, who were less active and who relied on medication tended to be the most inaccurate in remembering their pain.
Quaternary Structure of the NBD Subunit Wzt of a Bacterial ABC Transporter in the Absence and Presence of TMD Subunit Wzm using Pixel-Level FRET

The pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium coexpressing two unique forms of lipopolysaccharides on its surface, the A and B bands. The A-band polysaccharides are thought to be translocated into the periplasm through an ATP-binding-cassette (ABC) transporter consisting of two subunits: a transmembranar protein, Wzm, and a nucleotide-binding protein, Wzt. Since Wzm and Wzt proteins possess no domains or motifs that are targeted for modifications by eukaryotic cellular machineries or exhibit any signal for organelles localization, we used Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as a model system to study the protein complex structure and stoichiometry of Wzt protein in the absence or the presence of Wzm. We transfected the CHO cells with Wzt proteins fused to the green fluorescent protein (GFP2) or its variant yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) to study the protein complex structure of Wzt. A spectrally resolved two-photon microscope was used to obtain fluorescent images from transfected cells, and a novel spectral Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) provided apparent FRET efficiency (Eapp) for each image pixel (Raicu et al., Nature Photonics, 2009). Distributions of FRET efficiencies were obtained from several cells, and the peak positions for the cells whose Eapp histograms showed single peak were binned to obtain a “meta-histogram”. The meta-histograms were fitted to simulated distributions obtained from various theoretical models (Raicu et. al., Nature Photonics, 2009), to determine the stoichiometry and geometry of Wzt oligomers. Wzt formed rhombus-shaped homo-tertamers, which became square shaped upon co-expression of untagged Wzm.
Privacy preserving data obfuscation for inherently clustered data

Privacy is defined as the freedom from unauthorised intrusion. The availability of public records along with intelligent search engines and data mining tools allow easy access to useful information. They also serve as a haven for individuals with malicious intent. This paper proposes an approach that protects the privacy of individual records while retaining the information content. The techniques that have been proposed for privacy protection so far either provide insufficient privacy or too much useful information on account of privacy protection. This paper proposes an attack model to analyse the different types of privacy breaches, proposes a set of properties for good privacy protection, proposes a robust data protection technique, and compares the privacy and usability properties of the new technique with some of the existing techniques.
Screening for Gastrointestinal, Hepatic/Biliary, and Renal/Urologic Disease

Abstract Narrative Review Many organ systems in the body can demonstrate signs and symptoms of impairment that mimic integumentary, musculoskeletal, and/or neuromuscular conditions commonly evaluated and treated by the hand therapist. In this review, diseases and disorders affecting the gastrointestinal (GI), hepatic/biliary, and renal/urologic systems capable of referring pain and other symptoms to the upper quadrant are presented. Specifically, these organ systems can refer pain to the sternum, neck, shoulder, scapulae, and subscapular and interscapular regions. Symptom referral from the viscera to the elbow and hand is extremely rare. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome/paresthesias can occur in renal disorders and with hepatic/biliary problems. Following the screening model proposed by Goodman and Snyder, potential origins from the GI, hepatic/biliary, and renal/urologic systems are discussed. The goal is to identify patients with referred pain patterns and associated signs and symptoms of conditions that require referral to a physician or other appropriate health care professional. The alert hand therapist will recognize red flag histories, clinical presentation, and risk factors suggesting the need for a more thorough examination to ensure that the patient/client has a condition requiring intervention that is within the scope of the therapist's practice. Screening principles and tips for physician referral are offered. Level of Evidence 5.
Intrinsic dynamic behavior of fascin in filopodia.

Recent studies showed that the actin cross-linking protein, fascin, undergoes rapid cycling between filopodial filaments. Here, we used an experimental and computational approach to dissect features of fascin exchange and incorporation in filopodia. Using expression of phosphomimetic fascin mutants, we determined that fascin in the phosphorylated state is primarily freely diffusing, whereas actin bundling in filopodia is accomplished by fascin dephosphorylated at serine 39. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis revealed that fascin rapidly dissociates from filopodial filaments with a kinetic off-rate of 0.12 s−1 and that it undergoes diffusion at moderate rates with a coefficient of 6 μm2s−1. This kinetic off-rate was recapitulated in vitro, indicating that dynamic behavior is intrinsic to the fascin cross-linker. A computational reaction–diffusion model showed that reversible cross-linking is required for the delivery of fascin to growing filopodial tips at sufficient rates. Analysis of fascin bundling indicated that filopodia are semiordered bundles with one bound fascin per 25–60 actin monomers.
MEKK3 Initiates Transforming Growth Factor β2–Dependent Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition During Endocardial Cushion Morphogenesis

Congenital heart defects occur at a rate of 5% and are the most prevalent birth defects. A better understanding of the complex signaling networks regulating heart development is necessary to improve repair strategies for congenital heart defects. The mitogen-activated protein 3 kinase (MEKK3) is important to early embryogenesis, but developmental processes affected by MEKK3 during heart morphogenesis have not been fully examined. We identify MEKK3 as a critical signaling molecule during endocardial cushion development. We report the detection of MEKK3 transcripts to embryonic hearts before, during, and after cardiac cushion cells have executed epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). MEKK3 is observed to endocardial cells of the cardiac cushions with a diminishing gradient of expression into the cushions. These observations suggest that MEKK3 may function during production of cushion mesenchyme as required for valvular development and septation of the heart. We used a kinase inactive form of MEKK3 (MEKK3 KI ) in an in vitro assay that recapitulates in vivo EMT and show that MEKK3 KI attenuates mesenchyme formation. Conversely, constitutively active MEKK3 (ca-MEKK3) triggers mesenchyme production in ventricular endocardium, a tissue that does not normally undergo EMT. MEKK3-driven mesenchyme production is further substantiated by increased expression of EMT-relevant genes, including TGFβ 2 , Has2, and periostin. Furthermore, we show that MEKK3 stimulates EMT via a TGFβ 2 -dependent mechanism. Thus, the activity of MEKK3 is sufficient for developmental EMT in the heart. This knowledge provides a basis to understand how MEKK3 integrates signaling cascades activating endocardial cushion EMT.
The Tyranny of Geography

The software industry is more regional than one would think; most jobs in the field are centered in nine US cities. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/zlG75-adjcA is an audio recording of author David Alan Grier expanding on his Errant Hashtag column, in which he discusses how location plays an important role in software development and how nine cities hold 40 percent of the US software market, with particular specialties clustered in specific areas.
Terpene ester synthesis by lipase-catalyzed transesterification

Five lipases were screened for their ability to synthesize terpene esters by transesterification. The nature of terpene alcohol and enzyme, as well as the chain length of the acyl donor used affected the product yields. Lipase AY from Candida rugosa gave the best overall yield (96.2%). Geraniol and tributyrin were also found to be the best reactants.
Radicals of presentation: visibility, relation, and co-presence in persistent conversation:

When members of an online, distributed learning community revealed that understanding local patterns of communication purpose and form was key to learning how to operate in this environment, we turned to writers on genre and persistent conversation for help in understanding the basis of this community. We derive from genre literature the idea that radicals, that is root characteristics, of presentation exist in computer-mediated environments and define important aspects of conversation via such media. We propose three radicals of presentation that revolve around speaker-audience relations and identify areas of concern for communicators engaging in persistent, online conversations: visibility, addressing primarily speakers’ concerns with the means, methods and opportunites for self-presentation; relation, addressing the speaker’s concerns with the range and identity of the audience, and audience members’ concerns about relations with each other; and co-presence, addressing concerns relating to the temporal...
Sol-gel processing of Nb-doped Pb(Zr, Ti)O 3 thin films for ferroelectric memory applications

The ferroelectric properties of Nb-doped PZT thin films prepared by a sol-gel method were evaluated relative to memory device application requirements. Within the range of 0 to 4 mol %, Nb-doping of PZT compositions near the morphotropic phase boundary region (i.e. PZT 53/47) enhanced overall ferroelectric properties by reducing the te-tragonal distortion of the unit cell. A 4 mol % Nb-doped PZT 53/47 thin film (0.26 μm) had a coercivity of 8 V/ μm, a remanence ratio of 0.54, a switchable polarization of 45 μC/cm2, and a specific resistivity of 3 x 109 Ω-cm. Nb-doping levels in excess of 5 mol had a detrimental effect on the resulting thin film ferroelectric properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of highly doped films showed development of a significant PbO phase accompanied by diffraction line broadening of the perovskite phase. As such, it was postulated that the creation of excessive lead vacancies in the PNZT lattice resulted in PbO accumulation at the grain boundaries which impeded grain growth, and hence, adversely affected ferroelectric switching performance. The fatigue performance of the sol-gel derived thin film capacitor system was a function of switching voltage. At switching fields sufficient to saturate the polarization, the endurance of the thin film capacitor was greater than 109 cycles. Cycling with lower fields reduced endurance values, but in all cases, the switchable polarization decreased linearly with the logarithm of cycles. Nb-doping did not have a significant effect on the fatigue performance.
Content Across Communities: Validating Measures of Elementary Mathematics Instruction

In recent years, scholars have problematized terms used to describe instruction on teacher survey instruments. When scholars, observers, and teachers employ terms like discuss and investigate, they often mean to describe quite different events. This article problematizes another set of terms often found on survey instruments, those describing mathematical content. To do so, it examines terms such as geometry, number patterns, and ordering fractions for rates of agreement and disagreement between teachers and observers participating in a field pilot of an elementary mathematics daily log. Using interviews, written observations, and reflections on disagreements, this article also asks why disagreements occurred. Sources of disagreement included problems with instrument design, memory/perception, and, notably, differences in the way subject matter terms are used in different communities—university mathematicians, elementary teachers, and mathematics educators. Finally, implications of these sources of disagr...
The design of service systems with queueing time cost, workload capacities and backup service

Abstract This paper studies a reliable service system design problem that involves locating service facilities, determining their number and capacities and assigning user nodes to those facilities. The goal is to minimize total costs made of the costs of accessing facilities by users and waiting for service at these facilities as well as the cost of setting up and operating the facilities. The service system is designed in such a way that backup service is provided to user nodes while controlling facility workload. This problem arises mainly in the area of telecommunication network design. But is quite general and can be encountered in several planning contexts such as transportation planning, siting of emergency service facilities and refuse collection and disposal in the public sector. The paper represents a significant improvement over previous research by presenting a unified model of the problem that includes the number, locations, and capacities of service facilities as variables to be determined, incorporates in the total cost to be minimized the user waiting time (queueing) cost, and provides backup service to user nodes. An integer programming formulation of the problem with a nonlinear objective function is presented. Two heuristic solution procedures based on a Lagrangean relaxation of the problem are developed. Extensive computational results across a variety of problem structures are reported. These results indicate that the second solution procedure is very effective for a wide range of problem structures and traffic loads.
SU‐E‐J‐80: Small Beam Dosimetry Using MAGIC Gel with a 7T Micro‐MRI Scanner

Purpose: Dose distribution characteristics for small radiation fields can be very difficult to determine. In this work a MAGIC (Methacrylic and Ascorbic acid in Gelatin Initiated by Copper) 3D polymergel is combined with 7T micro‐MR imaging for high resolution measurements of the small field (<1cm) 3D dose distributions. Methods: MAGIC(Gelatin 9%; Methacrylic acid 4%; CuSO4 0.1 mM; Ascorbic ascid 2mM; Glucose 22%) 3D gel phantoms were irradiated with very small 6MV x‐ray beams (5x5 mm2 and 10 × 10 mm2 square fields; 2mm diameter round field). Gel dose measurements were performed in Bruker 7T mirco‐MRI and GE Signa 3T scanners and with simultaneously‐obtained radiochromic films. T2 maps were acquired using a 10‐echo‐Multi‐Spin Multi‐Echo (MSME) pulse sequence on both MR scanners. Normalized 3D dose maps were calculated in Matlab. Results: Dose distributions determined from 30 minute scans for the 5×5 mm2 and 10×10 mm2 square fields on the 7T MR unit were superior to 3T MR unit in spatial resolution (7T: 0.156mm × 0.156mm × 1mm voxel ; 3T: 0.254mm × 0.254mm × 2mm voxel). For the very small field size (2mm diameter), the MAGIC gel with 7T MRI provided even better quality dose distribution images (1.5hour scan; spatial resolution 79um ×79um × 1mm and ; 12 hour scan: spatial resolution 38um × 38um × 1mm), 3T MRI was not able to read accurate dose profile due to a low SNR in the same 1.5hour scan time. Conclusions: This study indicates that the MAGIC polymergel with 7T micro‐MRI for 3D dose readout can potentially be used for dosimetric characterization of very small radiation beams, including measurements for micro‐beams (field size ∼ 100um). Techniques and limitations for MAGIC geldosimetry via high field MR imaging for dosimetric assessment are detailed in this work.
Diterpene acids as larval growth inhibitors

Kaurenoic and trachylobanoic acids from sunflower inhibited larval development in several Lepidoptera species. The tricyclic resin acids were also effective in curtailing growth ofPectinophora gossypiella and either reduction to carbinol or esterification of the carboxyl group lowered activity. Partial reversal of growth inhibition in the presence of relatively large amounts of cholesterol suggests an interaction with the insects' hormonal system.
Introducing glycophage arrays: facile production, purification and patterning of glycophages.

Glycosylation is a widespread post-translational modification that plays important roles in health and disease. As glycan sequence and structure are not directly coded into the genome, our understanding of glycans and their functions in biological systems is much more primitive than that of DNA and proteins.Recently, printed glycan microarrays (glycoarrays) have emerged as powerful, high-throughput tools for screening glycan-protein interactions[1,2], and have been applied in disease detection [3], drug discovery [4], the study of immunity [5], and host-pathogen interactions [1, 2], among others.Unfortunately, glycoarray applications are currently limited by the expensive and complex methods available to synthesize glycans or alternatively, by the challenges in identifying and tagging glycans from natural sources [6, 7]. In this issue of Biotechnology Journal, Celik et al. [8] introduce a potentially powerful new method for facile, scalable production, and purification of glycans compatible with microarray patterning. Celik et al.’s [8] approach is based on innovative deployment of filamentous phage display so that the displayed proteins can be tagged with specific glycans of interest (glycophages) and subsequently patterned in array format.
Intracellular responses of dorsal horn cells to cutaneous and sural nerve A and C fiber stimuli

Abstract Intracellular recordings were made in 69 L-7 dorsal horn cells in spinal cats. Cells in Rexed's layers IV–VI responding to single shocks to the sural nerve were studied. Three types of short latency (5–10 msec) PSP and spike responses were evoked by low-intensity nerve stimulation: Initial EPSP followed by a long IPSP (31 cells); EPSP only (21 cells); and spikes from baseline only (17 cells). Increasing stimulus intensity to excite both A and C nerve fibers elicited both short-latency and long-latency (> 200 msec) PSP sequences and spikes in 31 cells. Long-latency PSP and spike responses were similar to the shorterlatency responses, but were more frequently followed by spike discharges lasting for several hundred milliseconds. Recruitment of additional spikes per response was sometimes produced by stimulation of C fibers at rates greater than 0.3/sec (“windup”). This phenomenon was related in most cases to a recruitment of additional EPSP per stimulus and was often related to a progressive membrane depolarization. Responses to constant intensity heat were positively accelerating functions of time. These data point to the existence of long-term postsynaptic facilitatory responses activated by small-fiber inputs.
Evaluation of a takeoff performance monitoring system

A takeoff performance monitoring system (TOPMS) has been developed to provide the pilot with graphic/numeric information pertinent to his decision to continue or abort a takeoff. The TOPMS instrument display consists primarily of a runway graphic overlaid with symbolic status, predictive, and advisory information including: (1) current position and airspeed, (2) predicted locations for reaching decision speed and rotation speed, (3) groundroll limit for reaching the rotation speed, (4) predicted stop point for an aborted takeoff from current conditions, (5) engine-failure flags, and (6) an overall situation advisory flag which recommends continuation or rejection of the takeoff. In this study, over 30 experienced multiengine pilots evaluated the TOPMS display on the Langley B-737 real-time research simulator. The display was judged to be easy to monitor and comprehend.
A New Type of Free Boundary Problem with Volume Constraint

We consider a free boundary problem arising from a polymer dispersed Liquid Crystal model. This variational problem can be viewed as a coupling between harmonic mappings into manifold and area minimization with given volume. In this paper, the existence of the solution together with some regularity and partial regularity results are presented.
One man and his lab

Lawrence and His Laboratory. A History of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Vol. 1. By John L. Heilbron and Robert W. Seidel. University of California Press: 1989. Pp.586. $29.95.
A Single 13-Kilobase Divergent Locus in the Kaposi Sarcoma- Associated Herpesvirus (Human Herpesvirus 8) Genome Contains Nine Open Reading Frames That Are Homologous to or Related to Cellular Proteins

Two small fragments of a novel human gammaherpesvirus genome known as Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus or human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) have been shown to be present in virtually all AIDS and non-AIDS KS lesions, as well as in body cavity-based lymphomas (BCBL) and in multicentric Castleman's disease. We have extended those studies by identifying and sequencing a third fragment of HHV-8 DNA encoding a viral thymidylate synthetase (TS) gene. Use of this viral TS fragment as a probe led to the identification and mapping of a cluster of overlapping phage lambda clones from a BCBL tumor DNA genomic library that spanned 48 kb on the left-hand side of the HHV-8 genome between the equivalents of open reading frame 6 (ORF6) and ORF31 of herpesvirus saimiri (HVS). DNA sequencing of a 17-kb segment encompassing a gammaherpesvirus divergent locus (DL-B) between ORF11 and ORF17 revealed the presence of nine viral ORFs with predicted gene products related to cellular proteins. These include the complete TS gene and a dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene, four novel cytokine genes (encoding viral interleukin-6, viral MIP-1A, viral MIP-1B, and BCK) that have not previously been found to be encoded by a virus, and a bcl-2 homolog. This region in HHV-8 also contains the T1.1 abundant lytic cycle nuclear RNA gene and encompasses two genes (or exons) encoding proteins with C4HC3 zinc finger domains of the PHD/leukemia-associated protein subtype. The latter are related to the spliced immediate-early IE1 protein of the gamma-2 class herpesvirus bovine herpesvirus type 4 and a similar motif found in HVS ORF12. Although genes for TS and DHFR enzymes are also encoded by HVS (ORF70 and ORF2), both occur at different genomic loci than in HHV-8, and the HHV-8 DHFR protein is much farther diverged from human DHFR than is the HVS version, implying that they were probably acquired as host cell cDNAs by independent evolutionary events. Transcripts from the IE1-A, IE1-B, DHFR, and MIP-1B genes were all detected by Northern blot hybridization analysis in a BCBL cell line at 12 h after induction with butyrate but were not present before induction, indicating that these are all primarily lytic cycle genes. We conclude that the DL-B locus of gammaherpesviruses displays considerably more variability that previously appreciated and that expression of many of these genes is likely to have important implications for HHV-8 biology and therapy.
Modulation of the mesospheric semiannual oscillation by the quasibiennial oscillation

Recent satellite and radar observations suggest that the semiannual oscillation (SAO) in the mesosphere is modulated by the stratospheric quasibiennial oscillation (QBO). The modulation is only apparent during the SAO easterly phase, which is considerably stronger when QBO winds are westerly than when they are easterly. We use an equatorial beta-plane model to demonstrate how such a modulation could come about through selective damping of the equatorial wave spectrum excited by deep convection. The waves affected most strongly are easterly inertia-gravity waves of phase speeds slower than ∼ −40 m s−1. This is close to the zonal wind speed during the easterly phase of the QBO (−30 to −35 m s−1), so the waves suffer strong thermal damping or even absorption as they propagate through the stratosphere. Because these waves are important for driving the easterly phase of the mesopause SAO in the model, that phase is weaker when the stratospheric QBO winds are easterly. A similar modulation of the westerly phase of the SAO does not occur for two reasons: (1) QBO westerlies are only half as strong as QBO easterlies, and (2) much of the driving of the westerly phase of the SAO is accomplished by Kelvin waves of phase speed ∼40–60 m s−1. As a consequence, the QBO winds have negligible influence on the vertical propagation of waves with westerly phase velocity and hence on the westerly phase of the modeled SAO.
Utility of Renal Imaging in the Diagnostic Evaluation of Obese Childhood Primary Hypertension

Although childhood primary hypertension (CP-HTN) associated with obesity is considered an earlier manifestation of typical adult-onset primary hypertension (adult-HTN), the recommendations for diagnostic evaluation are not identical in the two conditions. In particular, renal imaging is not recommended in adult-HTN, but is still currently recommended in CP-HTN. In this study, the clinical value of renal imaging in the initial diagnostic evaluation of CP-HTN was determined. A retrospective chart review was conducted of older and overweight children (> 7 years of age) evaluated in the pediatric nephrology clinic at the University of Florida from 1999 to 2004 for hypertension. The final highly selected study group was composed of obese or overweight children (body mass index > 85th percentile for age and gender) with otherwise unremarkable history, physical examination, and urinalysis. Renal imaging was performed (ultrasound in 49, computed tomography in one) in 50 patients (M:F = 28:22; age range, 7-20 years) with clinical features compatible with CP-HTN, and was normal in all patients. In this study, renal imaging did not add any clinical value to the initial evaluation of CP-HTN associated with obesity. Larger studies may confirm that the evaluation of CP-HTN in older obese children could be similar to guidelines for evaluation of adult-HTN.
Causation of false ring formation in Pinus banksiana: A comparison of age, canopy class, climate and growth rate

False rings may provide a new source of proxy data for historical environmental conditions once the causes of their formation are understood. The objective of this research was to compare tree age, canopy class, temperature, precipitation, and growth rate as potential causal factors in false ring formation in Pinus banksiana Lambert. Our data consisted of 180 P. banksiana tree cores from three stands in northern lower Michigan. All cores were cross-dated and measured and false rings were identified by anatomical features within the wood. Frequency of false rings varied, with 48%, 78%, and 80% of the cores having at least one false ring in the three stands. Although there was within-stand synchrony in the timing of false ring formation no significant correlations existed between temperature and precipitation records and frequency of false ring production. Event years (periods of high false ring formation) were identified and superposed epoch analysis detected significantly higher growth rates preceded periods of false ring formation at one of the study sites. Canopy class had a significant influence on a tree's likelihood of producing false rings: suppressed trees were not likely to produce false rings while codominant and intermediate trees were more likely to produce false rings. Tree age also influences propensity of false ring production with rings formed during the early years of a tree's life being more likely to contain false rings than rings formed later in life. Based on the results of this study, we recommend that dendroecologists include false ring analysis in their historical stand reconstructions to improve their ability to distinguish between releases in growth triggered by canopy gaps (associated with formation of false rings) versus releases in growth triggered by climate (no association with false rings).
Epistasis in Polygenic Traits and the Evolution of Genetic Architecture under Stabilizing Selection

We consider the effects of epistasis in a polygenic trait in the balance of mutation and stabilizing selection. The main issues are the genetic variation maintained in equilibrium and the evolution of the mutational effect distribution. The model assumes symmetric mutation and a continuum of alleles at all loci. Epistasis is modeled proportional to pairwise products of the single-locus effects. A general analytical formalism is developed. Assuming linkage equilibrium, we derive results for the equilibrium mutation load and the genetic and mutational variance in the house of cards and the Gaussian approximation. The additive genetic variation maintained in mutation-selection balance is reduced by any pattern of the epistatic interactions. The mutational variance, in contrast, is often increased. Large differences in mutational effects among loci emerge, and a negative correlation among (standard mean) locus mutation effects and mutation rates is predicted. Contrary to the common view since Waddington, we find that stabilizing selection in general does not lead to canalization of the trait. We propose that canalization as a target of selection instead occurs at the genic level. Here, primarily genes with a high mutation rate are buffered, often at the cost of decanalization of other genes. An intuitive interpretation of this view is given in the discussion.
Bacterial Histamine Production as a Function of Temperature and Time of Incubation

Optimal temperature, lower temperature limit, extent, and rate of histamine production in a tuna fish infusion broth (TFIB) varied for the strains of Proteus morganii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Hafnia alvei, Citrobacter freundii, and Escherichia coli studied. P. morganii and K. pneumoniae produced large quantities of histamine in a relatively short incubation period ( 2500 nmoles/ml) only at 30°C and 37°C on prolonged incubation (≥48 hr). At 72 hr of incubation, optimal temperature for histamine production was 37°C for E. coli and C freundii; 30°C for P. morganii strain 110SC2, K. pneumoniae, and H. alvei; and 15°C for P. morganii strain JM. The lower temperature limits for production of toxicologically significant levels of histamine in TFIB were 7°C for K. pneumoniae; 15°C for both P. morganii strains; and 30°C for H. alvei, C. freundii, and E. coli.
Giant omphaloceles: surgical management and perinatal outcomes.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to describe the current management and outcomes of infants with omphalocele. Methods The medical records of all patients treated for omphalocele at a large children's hospital from January, 2003–February, 2014 were reviewed. Patients were classified as having an isolated omphalocele or omphalocele with minor or major associated anomalies. Prenatal data collected included fetal magnetic resonance imaging-based observed-to-expected total fetal lung volumes. Giant omphalocele (GO) was defined as >50% of liver in the omphalocele sac. Results Of 95 patients, 59 presented prenatally and had comprehensive fetal center evaluation. Of 82 live-born infants, 21 had chromosomal and 25 had major associated anomalies. No live-born baby with an isolated defect ( n = 19) died, whereas mortality was 41% and 17% for those with major and minor anomalies, respectively ( P = 0.006). Infants with major anomalies had significantly longer median length of intubation (36 versus 0 versus 0 d; P = 0.04) and hospital stay (157 versus 28.5 versus 18 d; P Conclusions The presence of associated anomalies is the strongest predictor of morbidity and mortality in fetuses or neonates with omphalocele. In patients with GO, delayed closure is associated with good outcomes, but larger, prospective studies comparing delayed to early closure are needed to determine the optimal timing of repair.
Contemporary use of initial active surveillance among men in Michigan with low-risk prostate cancer

Abstract Background Active surveillance (AS) has been proposed as an effective strategy to reduce overtreatment among men with lower risk prostate cancers. However, historical rates of initial surveillance are low (4–20%), and little is known about its application among community-based urology practices. Objective To describe contemporary utilization of AS among a population-based sample of men with low-risk prostate cancer. Design, setting, and participants We performed a prospective cohort study of men with low-risk prostate cancer managed by urologists participating in the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC). Outcome measurements and statistical analysis The principal outcome was receipt of AS as initial management for low-risk prostate cancer including the frequency of follow-up prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, prostate biopsy, and local therapy. We examined variation in the use of surveillance according to patient characteristics and across MUSIC practices. Finally, we used claims data to validate treatment classification in the MUSIC registry. Results and limitations We identified 682 low-risk patients from 17 MUSIC practices. Overall, 49% of men underwent initial AS. Use of initial surveillance varied widely across practices (27–80%; p =0.005), even after accounting for differences in patient characteristics. Among men undergoing initial surveillance with at least 12 mo of follow-up, PSA testing was common (85%), whereas repeat biopsy was performed in only one-third of patients. There was excellent agreement between treatment assignments in the MUSIC registry and claims data (κ=0.93). Limitations include unknown treatment for 8% of men with low-risk cancer. Conclusions Half of men in Michigan with low-risk prostate cancer receive initial AS. Because this proportion is much higher than reported previously, our findings suggest growing acceptance of this strategy for reducing overtreatment. Patient summary We examined the use of initial active surveillance for the management of men with low-risk prostate cancer across the state of Michigan. We found that initial surveillance is used much more commonly than previously reported, but the likelihood of a patient being placed on surveillance depends strongly on where he is treated.
A simple assay for glutathione in whole blood

A method for detecting glutathione selectively in whole blood deposited on filter paper is described. GSH is fractionated from proteins, hemoglobin and other potentially interfering components and determined using a resorufin-acrylate fluorescent probe. The relative standard deviation is lower than 5% (n = 5). Recoveries of GSH from whole blood are between 94% and 108.6%.
Application of an automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis database for identification of cultured Antarctic fungi

We utilized an automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) method as a more rapid alternative to classical morphological/nutritional identification and a less expensive alternative to sequencing for identification and grouping of isolates in culture-based fungal abundance studies. This method is well suited for the study of culturable Antarctic soil fungal communities where both abundance and diversity are relatively low. We optimized template concentration and verified the effect of primer selection from eight commonly used fungal polymerase chain reaction primers on ARISA chromatographs for 46 fungal species commonly isolated from south Victoria Land. A database of Antarctic fungal electropherograms was produced containing each of the species and was used as the first step in a tiered system for species identification. In addition, isolates containing more than one species were identified, allowing isolates not in the database to be sequenced for further analysis. This method unambiguously identified 78% of the fungal taxa in this study and we were able to rapidly determine which isolates should be subjected to further analysis by DNA sequencing. Using this approach, the cost of analysis for abundance studies can be greatly reduced compared to DNA sequencing of each isolate. Received 6 February 2012, accepted 11 July 2012, first published online 6 November 2012
Ancillary Symptoms in the Biofeedback Treatment of Headaches

SYNOPSIS 26 consecutive headache patients treated with biofeedback completed the Hopkins Symptom Checklist before and two months following treatment. Contrary to psychoanalytic and systems theories, successfully treated patients demonstrated significant reduction in both somatic and general psychological symptomatology, compared to nonsuccessfully treated patients. Additionally, pretreatment headache diagnosis and measures of depression and anxiety predicted treatment outcome.
A novel omni-directional perturbation platform

The study of human, upright-balance is often performed by perturbing a base on which a subject is standing. Once a perturbation is initiated, data describing a subject's ability to balance is recorded and analyzed. We introduce a novel perturbation device that can translate and rotate its base in any direction within a 2D plane. This robust perturbation envelope will expand researchers' abilities in the study of upright balance and balance recovery. The heart of the design is the use of four powered casters as the platform's transmission system. The casters' offset insures that the Jacobian matrix describing the system's planar motion is non-singular. A rapid embedded programming method is used to develop the control system. By controlling the orientation and speed of each caster, translation, rotation, or combined perturbations can be easily implemented.