cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A paradigm for decentralized process modeling and its realization in the Oz environment

We present a model for decentralized Process Centered Environments (PCEs), which support concerted efforts among geographically-dispersed teams - each local team with its own autonomous process - and emphasize flexibility in the tradeoff between collaboration vs. autonomy. We consider both decentralized process modeling and decentralized process enaction. We describe a realization in the OZ decentralized PCE, which employs a rule-based formalism, and also investigate the application to PCEs based on Petri-nets. >
Morphometrics Show Sam Francis’s Painted Forms Are Statistically Similar to Cells in Biological Tissues

Abstract The paintings of the abstract expressionist artist Sam Francis contain vivid biomorphic forms. One influence for Francis may have been microscopic images of biological tissues he observed in premedical courses prior to becoming an artist. Using two morphometric measurements common in cell biology, the authors show that forms in Francis’s paintings are statistically similar to cells in biological tissues that resemble his paintings. This study highlights specific similarities between forms in Francis’s paintings and biology. It also presents a novel application of biological morphometrics that could help clarify the creative process and psychological appeal of Francis and other “organic” artists.
Concentrations of 13, 14-dihyro-15-keto prostaglandin F2α after pulsatile progesterone administration at the time of luteolysis of heifers

Progesterone was administered in pulses to 12 dairy heifers from days 17.5 to 22.5 post-estrus in order to determine its ability to modify secretion of PGF2 alpha around the time of luteolysis. Control heifers exhibited pulses of PGFM concomitant with a sharp decline in progesterone concentrations and thus these pulses were temporally associated with luteolysis. Additional pulses of PGFM were observed in heifers receiving exogenous progesterone, but these were not statistically predictable by either dose of progesterone (50 or 100 micrograms) or time of administration (3 or 6 hour intervals). However, all heifers (4/4) treated with progesterone at 3 hour intervals had additional pulses of PGFM as compared to only one heifer (1/4) treated at 6 hour intervals. When pulses of PGFM were induced by exogenous progesterone there was a substantial lag time between the initiation of progesterone treatment and their occurrence. The limited response to progesterone administration and the lack of synchrony is not consistent with an ability of exogenous progesterone to directly stimulate secretion of PGF2 alpha at the time of luteolysis.
Health economics: the start of clinical freedom

Since Professor Hampton announced the death of clinical freedom in 1983, the increasing influence of Evidence-based Medicine and Health Technology Assessment has contributed to augment the feeling that clinicians have a secondary role in the therapeutic decision-making process. This article constitutes a reflection on how clinicians may use the results of economic evaluations in their daily clinical practice, making decisions about cost-effectiveness on a case by case basis, and addressing both the patient's and society's needs. To that end, some illustrating examples are taken from the literature to show there are factors with great impact on cost-effectiveness results that can be easily identified and modified by clinicians. The evolution of the discipline and the trend towards a tailored therapy suggest that health economics is not the end of clinical freedom but the start of it.
Cultural influences on childhood participation in adult activities

Ethnographic reports on a world sample of societies were used for rating frequency of participation by children in adult activities and degree of permissive treatment of children. Although the correlation between the two measures of childhood is close to zero, frequent participation by children in adult activities has different meanings depending on whether children are treated permissively or puni tively. In societies where permissiveness is low, frequent participation by children is correlated with several measures of low cultural complexity, indicating greater need for child labor. In societies where permissiveness is high, frequent participation by children is correlated with absence of an initiation ceremony for adolescent girls and with a compact rather than dispersed settlement, indicat ing more opportunities for children to be granted adult privileges. Frequent participation by children in adult activities also has different meanings depending on whether the community is independent or subordinate...
AGRICULTURAL DROUGHT ON SOUTH‐CENTRAL PACIFIC ISLANDS *

A pilot study of spatial patterns of agricultural drought hazard in the south-central Pacific is presented. The durations of crop stress periods are estimated using a water balance approach. A rainfall approach is used to identify dry periods corresponding to different durations. Strong correlation between the results of the two methods indicates that monthly rainfall data are sufficient for estimating the patterns of agricultural drought hazard in the region. The simpler rainfall method is particularly useful for high islands where data required for the water balance approach are not sufficient to characterize the complex climatic patterns. Drought hazard is greatest in the eastern and southwestern parts of the study area. Great spatial variation in drought hazard is observed in a small area on the high islands of Western Samoa, where the range of values found within a few tens of kilometers is about the same as the range found across thousands of kilometers for low islands.
Comparison of different data set screening methods for use in QSAR/QSPR generation studies

Abstract In investigations aimed at generating accurate Quantitative Structure/Activity Relationships (QSAR) or Quantitative Structure/Property Relationships (QSPR), data sets are used that potentially contain a large number of descriptors for each compound. For example, one of the data sets generated by Breneman and Rhem [J. Comput. Chem. 18 (1997) 182–197] contain 118 descriptors and the HPLC capacity factors [log(k′)] in an ODS column for 22 compounds. One method of improving the search for good relationships is to prescreen the data set and, hopefully, remove redundant descriptors. This paper examines six different methods of prescreening a data set. Each method is used to generate multiple subsets of the data, either using different screening thresholds or producing sets with a given number of descriptors. Each set is then examined in two different ways. The first uses an Evolutionary Programming method described earlier to generate multiple relationships, and the second determines which relationships could be obtained from this reduced set of descriptors and ranks them relative to the top 250 relationships obtained from an All Possible Sets search of the full data set.
The reaction of CH3 + O2: experimental determination of the rate coefficients for the product channels at high temperatures

Abstract The reaction of methyl radicals (CH 3 ) with molecular oxygen (O 2 ) has been investigated in high-temperature shock tube experiments. The overall rate coefficient, k 1 = k 1a + k 1b , and individual rate coefficients for the two high-temperature product channels, (1a) producing CH 3 O + O and (1b) producing CH 2 O + OH, were determined using ultra-lean mixtures of CH 3 I and O 2 in Ar/He. Narrow-linewidth UV laser absorption at 306.7 nm was used to measure OH concentrations, for which the normalized rise time is sensitive to the overall rate coefficient k 1 but relatively insensitive to the branching ratio of the individual channels and to secondary reactions. Atomic resonance absorption spectroscopy measurements of O-atoms were used for a direct measurement of channel (1a) . Through the combination of measurements using the two different diagnostics, rate coefficient expressions for both channels were determined. Over the temperature range 1590–2430 K, k 1a = 6.08 × 10 7 T 1.54 exp (−14005/ T ) cm 3 mol −1 s −1 and k 1b = 68.6 T 2.86 exp (−4916/ T ) cm 3 mol −1 s −1 . The overall rate coefficient is in close agreement with a recent ab initio calculation and one other shock tube study, while comparison of k 1a and k 1b to these and other experimental studies yields mixed results. In contrast to one recent experimental study, reaction (1b) is found to be the dominant channel over the entire experimental temperature range.
EPR Study of the Low-Spin [d3; S =1/2], Jahn-Teller-Active, Dinitrogen Complex of a Molybdenum Trisamidoamine

The first EPR study of the trisamidoamine complex, [Mo]N2, where [Mo] = Mo(III)[HIPTN3N] and HIPT = [3,5-(2,4,6-i-Pr3-C6H2)2C6H3NCH2CH2]3N3-, reveals that this low-spin (S = 1/2) [d3] complex exhibits a 2E state that undergoes a pseudo Jahn−Teller distortion in the adiabatic limit, modified by interactions with the solvent, and analysis gives approximate values of interaction energies. The experiments establish that [Mo]N2 exhibits the low-spin [e3] electronic configuration, not [a2e1], with the a(z2) antibonding orbital substantially higher in energy than the e[xz, yz] orbitals.
Evidence that heart connexin43 is a phosphoprotein

Cardiac gap junctions permit the conduction and propagation of the electrical impulses that are responsible for the synchronous contraction of the myocardium (Page and Manjunath, 1986). Cardiac gap junctions are formed by the association of connexin molecules within the plasma membrane of heart cells. They create aqueous channels that permit exchange of ions and other small molecules between adjacent cells. Intercellular communication via these channels may be regulated by phosphorylation. cAMP was shown to increase junctional conductance and stimulate phosphorylation of connexin32 in cultures of dissociated liver hepatocytes (Saez et al., 1986). Furthermore, a 47 kDa protein purified from dog heart gap junctions was phosphorylated in vitro by the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (Pressler and Hathaway, 1987). Other studies have demonstrated that cAMP enhanced junctional conductance in intact heart and isolated heart cells (De Mello, 1986; De Mello and van Loon, 1987; Burt and Spray, 1988). This report provides direct evidence that the heart gap junction protein, connexin43, from unstimulated heart tissues and cultured myocytes is phosphorylated stoichiometrically in vivo. Phosphorylation of 45 and 47 kDa connexin43-related proteins occurred predominantly on serine. In addition, the 47 kDa protein contained a low-level of phosphothreonine.
Decrease in total fluorescence from human arteries with increasing β-carotene content

The influence of (Beta) -carotene content upon the laser induced total fluorescence was evaluated in human arteries in vitro using 30 mw argon laser beam at 488 nm. Experiments showed that the (Beta) -carotene content in normal arteries increases with longer period of incubation in (Beta) -carotene solution. This is consistently associated with a drop in total fluorescence. The arterial absorption at 488 nm resulting from (Beta) -carotene deposition is twice as great as that before incubation causing a decrease of total fluorescence by 48%. These experimental data were highly correlated with theoretical analysis derived using a multi- layer model by introducing a parameter describing the quantity of (Beta) -carotene bound to the arterial tissue (R=0.94). Total fluorescence from 138 samples of various types of atherosclerotic plaques was compared with that from normal arteries which were used as controls. The total fluorescence gradually decreases with longer incubation period in (Beta) - carotene solution. Seventy-nine plaques with surface fissures exhibited obvious reduction in total fluorescence. This study shows that the pretreatment with (Beta) -carotene may enhance the ability of the diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaque from normal artery using total fluorescence intensity.
Approach–avoidance motivation and metacognitive self-regulation: The role of need for achievement and fear of failure

Abstract Previous research has indicated that approach–avoidance motivation at the achievement goal level influences the quality of self-regulated learning. Additionally, research indicates that approach–avoidance motivation at the dispositional level is associated with cognitive self-regulated learning strategy use. The present investigation sought to extend this research by examining the relationship between approach–avoidance motivation at the dispositional level and metacognitive self-regulation, as well as the mediational potential of approach–avoidance achievement goals among a sample of undergraduate students ( N = 145). Results indicated that need for achievement was significantly related to metacognitive self-regulation and mastery-approach goals partially mediated this relationship. Fear of failure was negatively associated with metacognitive self-regulation; however, performance-avoidance goals did not mediate this relationship. The significance of such individual differences in metacognitive self-regulation is discussed.
Self-Employment and Poverty Alleviation: Women's Work in Artisanal Gold Mines

Development policy makers increasingly focus on the informal sector as an area to alleviate poverty and promote gender equity. Female self-employment is especially encouraged because higher incomes for women empower them, improve the health of their families, and alleviate poverty in society at large. In this context, development institutions have been urged to increase female participation in artisanal mining. However, knowledge about the gains and costs to women who earn a living in informal, artisanal mines is sparse. This study analyzes women's self-employment in artisanal gold mines in Suriname, South America. The results suggest that if long-term social and health conditions are considered, work in the informal mining sector is not likely to improve the quality of life in the interior of Suriname. The analysis contributes to informal-sector research by focusing on women and on rural regions, two areas of investigation that have received relatively little attention. The author cautions against develo...
Subspeciation of nickel disulfide by carbon paste electrode voltammetry catalyzed by Ni2

In subspeciation of sulfidic nickel, carbon paste electrode voltammetry was developed for the specific determination of Ni3S2 or NiS, but NiS2 was found to be unreactive. Ni2+ in pH 7.2 acetate solution was able to catalyze NiS2 to undergo redox reactions. The cyclic voltammogram showed two anodic peaks at –0.3 and +0.7 V and a cathodic peak at –0.6 V. The first anodic peak at –0.3 V and the cathodic peak were common among the three nickel sulfides, but the second anodic peak at +0.7 V was unique to NiS2. This peak current gave a linear dose response to NiS2 from 40 to 610 μg, with a correlation coefficient of 0.994, and a detection limit of 40 μg.
A bidomain model for ring stimulation of a cardiac strand

A bidomain model is developed to represent a cardiac muscle strand undergoing stimulation from a ring electrode. Expressions are derived for the distribution of the potentials in the strand as well as in the bath perfusing the tissue, under the condition of equal anisotropy ratios in the intracellular and interstitial spaces. The present derivation provides an example of an analytical solution technique that might also prove useful for other problems in theoretical electrophysiology. >
Smart sensor networks and information management for the future combat systems (FCS)

The vanguard US Army Science and Technology program for the transformation to a medium weight force is the Future Combat Systems (FCS). Critical to the effectiveness of this force is overarching knowledge of the distribution and intent of all the forces on the battlefield. Smart sensor networks and information management are key enablers for the FCS system of systems strategic goals. The role of sensors and information management is enabling FCS victory is described as well as the network centric warfare that will be the cornerstone of the battlefield in the near future. The US Army Communication-Electronics Command's development of sensors and information management assets is also reviewed as they influence the envisioned FCS.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Melittin induces fusion of unilamellar phospholipid vesicles.

Abstract Melittin, the soluble lipophilic peptide of bee venom, causes fusion of phospholipid vesicles when vesicle suspensions are heated or cooled through their thermal phase transition. Fusion was detected using a new photochemical method (Morgan, C.G., Hudson, B. and Wolber, P. (1980) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 26–30) which monitors lipid mixing. Electron microscopy and gel filtration confirmed that most of the lipid formed large vesicular structures. Fluorescence experiments with a water-soluble, membrane-impermeable complex of terbium (Wilschut, J. and Papahadjopoulos, D. (1979) Nature 281, 690–692) demonstrate that these ionic contents are released during fusion. The large structures formed by melittin-induced fusion are impermeable to these ions and are resistant to further fusion. This is in contrast to the behavior observed for the cationic detergent cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CETAB). The large size of the vesicles formed, the extreme speed of the fusion event and the appearance of electron microscope images of the vesicles prior to fusion suggest that the mechanism of the fusion process includes a preaggregation step.
Ladies Against Women: Mobilization Dilemmas of Antifeminist Movements

This study compares the resource mobilization dilemmas of the antisuffrage movement which was most active between 1912 and 1918 and the anti-Equal Rights Amendment movement of 1972–82. I argue that the problems confronted by both countermovements were caused in part by their predominantly female constituencies and their opposition to feminism. Using historical documents, I identify common rhetorical, tactical, and organizational solutions to these dilemmas. I also identify differences between them which help to explain their divergent outcomes. These findings suggest that both countermovements adopted rhetorical strategies sharply differentiating opponents from proponents of women's rights, but their exaggeration of traditional feminine traits created additional mobilization dilemmas which were more effectively resolved by Phyllis Schlafly's leadership of the national campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment.
A Prototype Expert System For Log Bucking/Allocation Operations

This paper illustrates the development of a prototype expert system to simulate the current practice of log bucking/allocation operations at a wood product manufacturing facility with three different mills. Limitations with the prototype and technical needs to develop a full scale expert system for log bucking/allocation operations are discussed.© (1989) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Stimulation of Expression of the Intestinal Glutamine Transporter ATB0 in Tumor-Bearing Rats

Background Glutamine supplementation ameliorates host catabolic response in tumor bearing states. The purpose of this in vivo study was to investigate intestinal glutamine transport and expression of glutamine transporter ATB0 in methyl-cholanthrene (MCA)-sarcoma bearing rats.
Psychodynamics, symbolism, and socialization: “object relations” perspectives on personality, ideology, and political perception

Psychodynamic aspects of the perceptual process by which individuals relate to the distal symbolism of the political environment are explored through a conjunction of object relations theory and intensive analysis methodology. Drawing upon the joint theoretical perspective that object relations theory and the “transference” postulate bring to bear on personality and perception, a psychodynamic account of the “attributional interface” that exists between political symbols aspublic objects, on the one hand, andprivate symbolic meanings, on the other, is advanced and the dynamics at play demonstrated through detailed consideration of selected specimen cases. The individual dynamics demonstrated in each of the cases were found to obtain as well in the cases of others holding similar political views; moreover, certain of these group-wide “personality” patterns were discovered to have “predictive” significance in distinguishing “radical” ideologues from individuals subscribing to more “moderate” political views. Finally, the implications for a psychodynamic theory of political perception and socialization are considered.
The role of adjuvant therapy in melanoma management

Adequate wide excision of a primary cutaneous melanoma is associated with a 10-year cure rate of 85% when the tumor's depth is less than 1.5 mm (American joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] Stage 1). However, 50% of patients with deep (> 4 mm) primary melanomas, 60-85% of those with regional lymph node metastases (AJCC Stage III), and 95% of those with metastases to distant sites (AJCC Stage IV) will experience recurrence, which is associated with a dismal prognosis. Adjuvant therapy of melanoma assumes that treatment will be more effective when the tumor burden is small. In the 1970s and 1980s, randomized trials tested the efficacy of chemotherapy, nonspecific immunotherapy, levamisole, and regional perfusion therapy in patients with AJCC Stage II and III melanoma. Dacarbazine (DTIC) alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs or with nonspecific immunotherapy did not significantly improve disease free or overall survival. Of the four levamisole trials, only the study conducted by the National Cancer Institute of Canada revealed a reduction in recurrence and mortality; however, this reduction was not significant by multivariate analysis. The value of regional perfusion therapy following resection of high risk extremity melanomas is currently being determined by multiinstitutional studies conducted by the World Health Organization and the North American Perfusion Group. Multiinstitutional trials also are examining the adjuvant role of interferon-alpha in patients with deep (>3 mm) primary melanomas or positive regional lymph nodes; results should reveal its optimum dose and duration of treatment (3×10 6 U for ≥2 years versus 10×10 6 U/m 2 for 1 year, subcutaneously 3 times a week) and its impact on survival. A randomized trial of interferon-gamma undertaken by the Southwest Oncology Group was discontinued after interim analysis indicated an adverse effect. Phase II trials indicate that active specific immunotherapy can alter the natural course of AJCC Stage III and IV melanoma following surgical resection of nodal or distant metastases. Upcoming results of Phase III trials will establish the role of active specific immunotherapy for adjuvant treatment of patients with resected AJCC Stage III and IV melanoma
Angioscopic Monitoring of In Vivo Laser Angioplasty

Atherosclerotic vascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Surgical and pharmacologic agents have been used in the treatment of this disease with varying degrees of success. Recently, angiographically guided balloon dilatation of atherosclerotic vascular lesions has gained widespread use and acceptance because of efficacy, decreased cost, and reduced patient morbidity and mortality. There are, however, some lesions which cannot successfully be treated by this method because of their location, size, or configuration.
Surface-enhanced magnetism in nickel clusters.

We have used the Stern-Gerlach deflection technique to study magnetism in nickel clusters containing 5 to 740 atoms. These superparamagnetic particles are highly magnetic, with magnetic moments per atom that decrease toward the bulk value as their size increases. This approach toward the bulk is not monotonic; we observe magnetization minima for clusters with closed geometrical shells and maxima for relatively open clusters. This result is consistent with enhanced magnetization of the cluster surface. We also observe a decrease in magnetization with increasing cluster vibrational temperature. The implications of various cluster geometries are discussed in conjunction with existing chemical probe studies and theoretical calculations.
Internal Migration Patterns for US Foreign‐Born, 1985–1990

Using 1990 census data this paper calculates the flow [of the foreign-born population in the United States] between states and from abroad; also a multinomial logistic regression model of destination choice is estimated for resettlers and for migrants from abroad. There are three major findings. Firstly Florida and California are the largest recipients of foreign-born resettlers; New York is the biggest loser of secondary migrants. Secondly the presence of large communities of Mexicans in California and Cubans in Florida are very attractive to both resettlers and migrants from abroad. Thirdly immigrants that are most in need of ethnic support networks (i.e. new arrivals or immigrants with low human capital resources) are most likely to choose one of the traditional immigration states as a destination. (EXCERPT)
An adjunctive Management of Depression Program for difficult‐to‐treat depressed patients and their families

Background: The goal of this open-label feasibility trial was to test a short-term, adjunctive intervention, the Management of Depression (MoD) Program, to determine if patients with difficult-to-treat forms of depression and their family members could learn to cope more effectively with their illness. Methods: Nineteen patients meeting The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV criteria for major depressive disorder, dysthymia, or chronic/recurrent depression and their family members participated in an open-label study testing the efficacy of the MoD Program. The intervention consisted of nine sessions over 16 weeks, followed by an 8-month maintenance phase. Outcome measures focused on quality of life, psychological and family functioning, and level of depression. Results: Fourteen patients and their family members improved significantly in psychosocial and family functioning, and depression severity (all P-values <.05) by the end of the 16-week intervention. There was also significant improvement in quality of life, psychosocial and family functioning, and depression scores (all P-values<.05) for the 10 patients who completed the maintenance phase. Conclusion: The MoD Program is a useful adjunctive intervention that helped patients and their family members deal more effectively with their persisting depression. The disease management approach improved the patient's perceived quality of life and functioning, reduced depressive symptoms, and improved perception of their family's functioning. Depression and Anxiety, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Approximations and fast algorithms

The key element in the design of fast algorithms in numerical analysis and signal processing is the selection of an efficient approximation for the functions and operators involved. In this talk we will consider approximations using wavelet and multiwavelet bases as well as a new type of approximation for bandlimited functions using exponentials obtained via Generalized Gaussian quadratures. Analytically, the latter approximation corresponds to using the basis of the Prolate Spheroidal Wave functions. We will briefly comment on the future development of approximation techniques and the corresponding fast algorithms.
Cognitive consequences of affirming the self: The relationship between self-affirmation and object construal.

Previous research suggests that affirming one’s important values is a powerful way of protecting one’s general self integrity, allowing non-defensive processing of self-relevant information. In a series of four studies linking self-affirmation with construal level, we find that in addition to any self buffering effect, thinking about one’s values and why they are important more generally shifts cognitive processing towards superordinate and structured thinking. Self-affirmation leads participants to perceive a greater degree of structure within their selves (Study 1), to increasingly identify actions in terms of their endstates (Study 2), to more strongly distinguish between primary and secondary object features (Study 3) and to perform better on tasks requiring abstract, structured thinking than those requiring detail-oriented, concrete thinking. Together, these findings suggest that thinking about important values helps individuals to structure information and focus on the big picture.
Dynamics of protein phosphorylation during meiotic maturation

Purpose To ask whether distinct kinase signaling pathways mediate cytoplasmic or nuclear maturation of mouse oocytes and if in vitro maturation influences the distribution and timing of these phosphorylation events.
Self-Concept and Perceived Social Support among College Students with and without Learning Disabilities:

This study examined the self-perceptions of college students with and without LD. Fifty college students with LD and 50 college students without LD were individually administered the Self-Perception Profile for College Students and People in My Life. Students with LD had lower grades, test scores, and perceptions of their scholastic and intellectual abilities than students without disabilities. However, students did not differ in their perceptions of global self-worth, the importance they placed on academic competence, or their ratings of domain-specific competencies. Students with LD reported more social acceptance and support, and more support from campus organizations, than did students without LD. Support from campus organizations was related to self-esteem for students with LD, while support from instructors was associated with self-esteem for students without LD. Other factors related to self-esteem are discussed.
Directed Mutations in the Poorly Defined Region of Porcine Liver Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase Significantly Affect Catalysis and the Mechanism of AMP Inhibition

Abstract Asn64, Asp68, Lys71, Lys72, and Asp74 of porcine liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) are conserved residues and part of a loop for which no electron density has been observed in crystal structures. Yet mutations of the above dramatically affect catalytic rates and/or AMP inhibition. The Asp74 → Ala and Asp74 → Asn mutant enzymes exhibited 50,000- and 2,000-fold reductions, respectively, in k catrelative to wild-type FBPase. The pH optimum for the catalytic activity of the Asp74 → Glu, Asp68 → Glu, Asn64 → Gln, and Asn64 → Ala mutant enzymes shifted from pH 7.0 (wild-type enzyme) to pH 8.5, whereas the Lys71 → Ala mutant and Lys71,72 → Met double mutant had optimum activity at pH 7.5. Mg2+cooperativity, K m for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, and K i for fructose 2,6-bisphosphate were comparable for the mutant and wild-type enzymes. Nevertheless, for the Asp74 → Glu, Asp68 → Glu, Asn64→ Gln, and Asn64 → Ala mutants, the binding affinity for Mg2+ decreased by 40–125-fold relative to the wild-type enzyme. In addition, the Asp74 → Glu and Asn64 → Ala mutants exhibited no AMP cooperativity, and the kinetic mechanism of AMP inhibition with respect to Mg2+ was changed from competitive to noncompetitive. The double mutation Lys71,72 → Met increasedK i for AMP by 175-fold and increased Mg2+ affinity by 2-fold relative to wild-type FBPase. The results reported here strongly suggest that loop 51–72 is important for catalytic activity and the mechanism of allosteric inhibition of FBPase by AMP.
Inflammation alters regional mitochondrial Ca2+ in human airway smooth muscle cells

Regulation of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) in airway smooth muscle (ASM) is a key aspect of airway contractility and can be modulated by inflammation. Mitochondria have tremendous potential for buffering [Ca2+]cyt, helping prevent Ca2+ overload, and modulating other intracellular events. Here, compartmentalization of mitochondria to different cellular regions may subserve different roles. In the present study, we examined the role of Ca2+ buffering by mitochondria and mitochondrial Ca2+ transport mechanisms in the regulation of [Ca2+]cyt in enzymatically dissociated human ASM cells upon exposure to the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-13. Cells were loaded simultaneously with fluo-3 AM and rhod-2 AM, and [Ca2+]cyt and mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]mito) were measured, respectively, using real-time two-color fluorescence microscopy in both the perinuclear and distal, perimembranous regions of cells. Histamine induced a rapid increase in both [Ca2+]cyt and [Ca2+]mito, with a significant delay in the mitochondrial response. Inhibition of the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (1 μM CGP-37157) increased [Ca2+]mito responses in perinuclear mitochondria but not distal mitochondria. Inhibition of the mitochondrial uniporter (1 μM Ru360) decreased [Ca2+]mito responses in perinuclear and distal mitochondria. CGP-37157 and Ru360 significantly enhanced histamine-induced [Ca2+]cyt. TNF-α and IL-13 both increased [Ca2+]cyt, which was associated with decreased [Ca2+]mito in the case of TNF-α but not IL-13. The effects of TNF-α on both [Ca2+]cyt and [Ca2+]mito were affected by CGP-37157 but not by Ru360. Overall, these data demonstrate that in human ASM cells, mitochondria buffer [Ca2+]cyt after agonist stimulation and its enhancement by inflammation. The differential regulation of [Ca2+]mito in different parts of ASM cells may serve to locally regulate Ca2+ fluxes from intracellular sources versus the plasma membrane as well as respond to differential energy demands at these sites. We propose that such differential mitochondrial regulation, and its disruption, may play a role in airway hyperreactivity in diseases such as asthma, where [Ca2+]cyt is increased.
On the Course of Answering Questions

Abstract People responding to questions are sometimes uncertain, slow, or unable to answer. They handle these problems of self-presentation, we propose, by the way they respond. Twenty-five respondents were each asked 40 factual questions in a conversational setting. Later, they rated for each question their feeling that they would recognize the correct answer, then took a recognition test on all 40 questions. As found previously, the weaker their feeling of knowing, the slower their answers, the faster their nonanswers ("I don′t know"), and the worse their recognition. But further, as proposed, the weaker their feeling of knowing, the more often they answered with rising intonation, used hedges such as "I guess," responded "I don′t know" instead of "I can′t remember," and added "uh" or "um," self-talk, and other face-saving comments. They reliably used "uh" to signal brief delays and "um" longer ones.
Increasing incidence of focal-segmental glomerulosclerosis among adult nephropathies: A 20-year renal biopsy study

Studies and textbooks from the 1970s and early 1980s list focal-segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) as accounting for 10% to 15% of cases of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in adults, although a recent review by D'Agati (Kidney Int 46:1223-1241, 1994) reported an approximately sevenfold increase in the incidence of FSGS from 1974 to 1993 in an active renal biopsy practice. To investigate possible changes in the incidence of FSGS in our renal biopsy practice, we reviewed reports from all nontransplant, adult (> or = 18 years) renal biopsies received in our laboratory from 1974 to 1993, which comprised 7,420 cases. All diagnoses of membranous nephropathy (MN), minimal change nephropathy (MCN), and FSGS made in each year were compiled; cases clearly or suspicious of being secondary to an underlying systemic disease, glomerulonephritis, or drug reaction were excluded. Relative frequencies of MN, MCN, and FSGS among these three diseases and among all biopsies were calculated for each year of the study. Regression analysis showed a significant (P < 0.001) increase in the odds of a diagnosis of FSGS over the study period: 7.6% per year among all biopsies and 6.8% per year among cases of MN, MCN, and FSGS only. Among all biopsies, the yearly incidence of FSGS increased from 4.0% +/- 0.6% (mean +/- SD) during the period between 1974 and 1979 to 12.2% +/- 2.0% during the period from 1987 to 1993. The odds of a diagnosis of MN (mean yearly incidence, 9.5% +/- 1.9%) did not vary significantly over the study period while the odds of a diagnosis of MCN (mean yearly incidence, 4.0% +/- 1.2%) declined at a rate of 2.2% per year (P < 0.03). Frequencies of diagnosis of MN, MCN, and FSGS by two pathologists were almost identical. Review of available slides from cases of FSGS revealed 21 (none before 1980) with characteristic histologic features of the collapsing glomerulopathy (CG) variant of FSGS. No more than four cases of CG were observed in any year of the study, and CG accounted for 4.7% of total FSGS cases for which diagnostic slides were available. Compared with 42 patients with non-CG FSGS, the CG cohort showed a greater percentage of black patients (86% v 38%), significantly higher mean levels of serum creatinine (3.8 +/- 2.7 mg/dL v 1.9 +/- 1.5 mg/dL) and urinary protein (14.3 +/- 9.6 g/24 hr v 7.7 +/- 5.8 g/24 hr) at the time of renal biopsy, and a greater likelihood of and more rapid progression to end-stage renal failure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Characterization of longitudinal tensile force of millimeter thick IPMCs

Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are an emerging class of electroactive polymers that display both actuating and sensing capabilities. In this study, a longitudinal tensile force performance of millimeter thick IPMCs was investigated. Both, 0.5 mm and 1 mm thick IPMCs with Pt electrodes were tested in tensile mode, by monitoring the change of tensile load in response to applied electric fields. The measurements were performed either under static pre-strain conditions or by dynamically increasing the tensile strain with constant rate, while switching the voltage on and off periodically. The measurements under pre-load and constant voltage were performed in order to evaluate the maximum tensile force of the samples. Our results demonstrate that Pt-IPMCs which show the blocking force in bending direction in range of 50 mN, are capable of generating tensile forces in longitudinal direction more than 1.5 N at an applied voltage of 3 V DC.
Robot challenges: Toward development of verification and synthesis techniques [from the Guest Editors]

This special issue describes the work being done toward creating formal methods for robotics and automation. Inherent to the approaches presented in this special issue is the idea that a robot, or team of robots, can be modeled as a hybrid system - a system that is defined by both discrete (states/modes) and continuous variables. Each mode can be viewed as a node in a state machine that has a dynamics associated with it, typically a set of differential equations. The continuous variables evolve based on the dynamics of the mode in which the system is in. The first three articles of the special issue rely on the notion of reachability analysis. Given a set of initial conditions, there are several approaches for calculating, exactly or approximately, the set of states that the system might reach. The remaining four articles focus on the problem of generating correct-by-construction control for a robot or team of robots such that the robot is guaranteed to achieve a high-level, abstract behavior. These articles focus on the use of linear temporal logic (LTL) as the specification formalism although other formalisms are used in the field as well.
Mechanism of Controlled/``Living'' Radical Polymerization of Styrene in the Presence of Nitroxyl Radicals. Kinetics and Simulations

The polymerization of styrene in the presence of a stable radical, TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy), has been simulated using a Predici simulations package. On the basis of the experime...
Comments on: ‘Thick-plate flexure re-examined’ by Detlef Wolf

Discussion sur l'article de Wolf D. paru dans Geophys. J.R. astr. Soc., GBR, 1985, 80, 265-270
The effects of estradiol on the occurrence of mast cells in the rat uterus.

Summary The number of mast cells found per transverse section of uteri taken from intact rats was lower in estrus (5.8 cells) than in diestrus (11.7 cells); cell counts in ovariectomized rats more closely approximated those in estrus animals. Treatment of ovariectomized rats with a single dose of estradiol (0.5 μg/100 g body weight) or cortisol did not significantly change the number of mast cells in uterus, mesometrium or skin within 24 hr. Unlike metachromatic material in mast cells elsewhere in the body, that in uterine and mesometrial cells occurs in a diffuse, hyalin form and rarely as discrete granules. These observations are discussed in relation to previously reported findings that estrogen stimulates release of histamine from the rat uterus. If it can be assumed that mast cells are the estrogen-sensitive repositories of histamine, failure to detect cytological changes in the present experiments after treatment with exogenous hormones suggests that release of the amine from mast cells of the rat uterus or mesometrium is merocrine or holocrine in nature depending on dosage and duration of hormone treatment. Alternatively, estrogen may activate uterine sites of histamine synthesis and storage other than mast cells.
Size Spectra of Snow Particles Measured in Wintertime Precipitation in the Pacific Northwest

Abstract Particle size spectra collected by the University of Washington’s Convair-580 research aircraft at a variety of altitudes and temperatures in winter frontal and orographic precipitation systems during the Improvement of Microphysical Parameterization through Observational Verification Experiment (IMPROVE) are analyzed in this study. The particle size spectra generally appeared to conform to an exponential size distribution, with well-correlated linear fits between the log of the number concentration and particle diameter. When the particle size spectra were grouped according to the habit composition as determined from airborne imagery, significantly improved correlations between the size spectrum parameters and temperature were obtained. This result could potentially be exploited for specifying the size distribution in a single-moment bulk microphysical scheme, if particle habit is predicted by the scheme. Analyses of “spectral trajectories” suggest that the rime-splintering process was likely re...
Effects of Neutral, Capped Ends Versus Charged Ends on the Folding of the Trp-cage Miniprotein

Charge-charge interactions have a significant impact on the free energy landscape of proteins. The role addition or subtraction of charged groups can play in the stabilization or destabilization of meta-stable non-native states of proteins remains relatively unstudied in detail. Problematically, current experimental methods can only indirectly characterize the non-native states of a protein. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations provide a useful tool for studying the non-native states of a protein but are limited in scale to the smallest proteins. Therefore, in order to study effects of charges while ensuring adequate sampling, we choose to simulate a small, fast-folding model protein, the Trp-cage, with replica-exchange molecular dynamics. As most simulations use a neutral end, capped sequence while experiments tend to use a charged end, zwitterionic variant, we chose to simulate and compare the folding of the Trp-cage both with neutral, capped ends and in zwitterionic form with a positively charged N terminus and a negatively charged C terminus. We find that while the native state of the protein remains relatively unchanged, the equilibration time for the charged end simulation is much longer, suggesting a rougher folding landscape. Analysis suggests the formation of meta-stable states characterized by the possession of non-native charge pairs. Furthermore, we also report an increase in beta-sheet content that cannot be directly explained by the formation of a specific non-native charge pair, indicating the addition of charges plays a much more complex role than the direct creation of non-native charge pairs. We finally use string methods to determine the most probable transition path between non-native meta-stable states and the native state in order to better explain the factors resulting in the increase in equilibration time for the simulation.
The Relationship Between Field of Major Concentration and Personality Adjustment in College Males

(1963). The Relationship Between Field of Major Concentration and Personality Adjustment in College Males. The Journal of General Psychology: Vol. 69, No. 2, pp. 193-196.
Patterned muscle activity during eclosion in the hawkmothManduca sexta

Manduca sexta escapes from the pupal cuticle by coordinated movements of abdomen, wing-bases, and legs. We have examined the thoracic motor output during eclosion by recording extracellularly from the indirect flight muscles. The motor pattern produced during wing-shrugging movements (Fig. 2) is characterized by alternating activity in the flight muscles and increasing numbers of muscle potentials per burst in successive cycles of wing movements. The wing-shrugging motor pattern differs from that of flight and from the pattern produced by an adult moth with its wings restrained (Figs. 3, 6). Eclosion behavior, including the typical motor pattern, can be induced prematurely, 30–36 h before eclosion. Young adults that have already expanded their wings can be stimulated to repeat the eclosion and wing-expansion behavior, but after 20 h post-eclosion, both responses disappear (Fig. 5). Restraint and mechanical stimulation, particularly of the legs, are important stimuli in eliciting eclosion behavior. Since eclosion in saturniid moths is initiated by a hormone, the effectiveness of mechanical stimuli was unexpected.
Orbital cellulitis in a burned child

A 6-month-old was admitted to our burn center for a 15% TBSA scald burn to his lower extremities, groin, buttocks and abdomen. His past medical history was significant for hydrocephalus. The patient became febrile on hospital day 6. Blood cultures showed infection with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The patient completed a course of intravenous vancomycin and tobramycin. On hospital day 42 the patient became febrile and developed swelling of the right lower leg. Lower extremity Doppler ultrasound revealed a thrombosis of his common iliac vein. Blood cultures revealed MRSA. Three days later he was noted to have right upper eyelid edema (Plate 1). At this time the ophthalmology service was consulted. On examination, the child was intubated and mildly sedated. Visual acuity was difficult to assess secondary to his level of sedation. The pupils were brisk with no evidence of an afferent papillary defect. The child was moving his eyes and grossly there appeared to be no ocular motility deficit. The right upper lid was swollen with loss of the normal lid crease. The eyelid was mildly erythematous with no palpable fluctuance. Manual palpation of the right orbit revealed increased resistance as compared to the left orbit. The portable slit lamp exam
Nine fallacies of natural disaster: The case of the Sahel

This article presents nine statements which are generally “accepted” as true. However, when they are applied to a particular situation, in this case the recent prolonged drought in the Sahelian zone in West Africa, they are as often untrue as they are true. For example, such generalizations as “people learn from their mistakes” or “when the rains come, everything will return to normal” or “technology is the answer”, when applied uncritically to a specific situation often prove to become part of the problem as well as a hindrance to the attainment of a solution to that problem.