cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tyrosinase related protein 1 (TRP1) functions as a DHICA oxidase in melanin biosynthesis.

Abstract Several genes critical to the enzymatic regulation of melanin production in mammals have recently been cloned and mapped to the albino, brown and slaty loci in mice. All three genes encode proteins with similar structures and features, but with distinct catalytic capacities; the functions of two of those gene products have previously been identified. The albino locus encodes tyrosinase, an enzyme with three distinct melanogenic functions, while the slaty locus encodes tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP2), an enzyme with a single specific, but distinct, function as DOPAchrome tautomerase. Although the brown locus, encoding TRP1, was actually the first member of the tyrosinase gene family to be cloned, its catalytic function (which results in the production of black rather than brown melanin) has been in general dispute. In this study we have used two different techniques (expression of TRP1 in transfected fibroblasts and immunoaffinity purification of TRP1 from melanocytes) to examine the enzymatic function(s) of TRP1. The data demonstrate that the specific melanogenic function of TRP1 is the oxidation of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA) to a carboxylated indole-quinone at a down-stream point in the melanin biosynthetic pathway. This enzyme activity appears to be essential to the further metabolism of DHICA to a high molecular weight pigmented biopolymer.
Brachial plexus paralysis in the newborn

Abstract One hundred and sixty-nine cases of brachial palsy in newborn infants among 66,149 deliveries during a 10 year period have been analyzed. The incidence of this injury was 1:391 deliveries or 0.25 per cent. Sixty-four cases of brachial palsy were reported in a total of 54,629 spontaneous deliveries or 0.11 per cent; 34 occurred among the 2,857 breech presentations or 1.19 per cent; 67 were observed in a total of 5,184 forceps deliveries or 1.29 per cent; and finally 4 cases were included among the 1,710 vacuum extractions or 0.23 per cent.
Forever beyond our grasp

Does science successfully uncover the deep structure of the natural world? Or are the depths forever beyond our epistemic grasp? Since the decline of logical positivism and logical empiricism, scientific realism has become the consensus view: of course our scientific theories apprehend the deep structure of the world. What else could explain the remarkable success of science? This is the explanationist defense of scientific realism, the “ultimate argument.” Kyle Stanford starts here and, using the history of theorizing about biological inheritance as his case study, constructs a convincing argument against the realist consensus in his thought provoking book, Exceeding Our Grasp. Here I will review the core of Stanford’s new argument for instrumentalism (§ 1) and discuss his considered view of theoretical science (§ 2).
Effects on blood pressure of a decrease in sodium use in institutional food preparation: the Exeter-Andover Project.

Abstract To judge the effect on blood pressure, sodium intake of students at two boarding high schools was reduced by 15–20% o through changes in food purchasing and in preparation practices in the schools' kitchens. Students were not asked to change their usual eating habits. Each school served alternately as the control or intervention school for one school year. Blood pressure was monitored among 341 subjects during control years and 309 subjects during intervention years. Analysis of blood pressure differences between early in the school year and near the end of the school year, with adjustment for sex and initial blood pressure, showed the effect of the dietary intervention to be −1.7 mmHg for systolic (95% CI = −0.6, −2.9, p = 0.003) and −1.5 mmHg for diastolic pressure (95% CI= −0.6, −2.5, p=0.002). Such modest and easily attainable changes in sodium intake, if maintained, could have a significant effect on the future risk of essential hypertension among young people.
Building up Ω

In what follows, we’ll have to assume familiarity with a few basic notions concerning algebraic extensions of fields. It would take us too far afield to review all the proofs; for a complete and readable treatment, see Lang’s Algebra or Herstein’s Topics in Algebra.
The Discovery of the Spiral Arms of the Milky Way

Attempts in the 1930s and 1940s to determine the spiral structure of the Milky Way by star counting methods, essentially the continuation of the work of the Kapteyn Astronomical Laboratory, failed to reach this goal. A new foundation for the search was laid by Walter Baade in his studies of stellar populations. With the recognition that highly luminous objects, especially H II regions, would outline the spiral structure, W.W. Morgan and his young associates Sharpless and Osterbrock carried out the observational program that first delineated, in 1951, the nearby arms of the Milky Way. The full paper was never published, so the historical details have remained somewhat vague, primarily because the 21-cm discoveries so quickly overtook the optical researches.
A mobile interface for navigating hierarchical information space

This paper presents ERELT (Enhanced Radial Edgeless Tree), a tree visualization approach on modern mobile devices. ERELT is designed to offer a clear visualization of any tree structure with intuitive interaction. Such visualization can assist users in interacting with a hierarchical structure such as a media collection, file system, etc.In the ERELT visualization, a subset of the tree is displayed at a time. The displayed tree size depends on the maximum number of tree elements that can be put on the screen while maintaining clarity. Users can quickly navigate to the hidden parts of the tree through touch-based gestures. We have conducted a user study to evaluate this visualization for a music collection. The study results show that this approach reduces the time and effort in navigating tree structures for exploration and search tasks. We implemented a tree visualization as a UI for hierarchical structures for phones.We compared our UI against traditional list layout found in modern smartphones.We displayed media library in a music app as tree and list UI for user tests.The tree UI requires lesser number of touches than list UI for most of the tasks.The tree UI takes lesser time for exploration and search in hierarchical structure.
Regulation of effector and memory T-cell functions by type I interferon.

Type I interferon (IFN-α/β) is comprised of a family of highly related molecules that exert potent antiviral activity by interfering with virus replication and spread. IFN-α/β secretion is tightly regulated through pathogen sensing pathways that are operative in most somatic cells. However, specialized antigen-presenting plasmacytoid dendritic cells are uniquely equipped with the capacity to secrete extremely high levels of IFN-α/β, suggesting a key role for this cytokine in priming adaptive T-cell responses. Recent studies in both mice and humans have demonstrated a role for IFN-α/β in directly influencing the fate of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells during the initial phases of antigen recognition. As such, IFN-α/β, among other innate cytokines, is considered an important ‘third signal’ that shapes the effector and memory T-cell pool. Moreover, IFN-α/β also serves as a counter-regulator of T helper type 2 and type 17 responses, which may be important in the treatment of atopy and autoimmunity, and in the development of novel vaccine adjuvants.
Estimating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by the Friedewald equation is adequate for classifying patients on the basis of nationally recommended cutpoints.

We compared low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) values obtained by the Friedewald formula--i.e., total cholesterol minus high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol minus very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol (estimated as triglyceride divided by 5)--with those obtained by lipoprotein fractionation, using 4736 specimens. When triglycerides were less than 2.0 g/L, greater than 90% of estimated LDL cholesterol values were acceptable, within +/- 10% of measured values. At triglyceride concentrations of 2.0-4.0 g/L and 4.0-6.0 g/L, only 72% and 39%, respectively, of the estimates were acceptable. LDL values derived from an alternative formula, estimating VLDL as triglycerides divided by 6, were even less accurate. Nevertheless, the use of estimated LDL for risk classification based on the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel cutpoints of 1.30 and 1.60 g/L was considered acceptable. At triglyceride concentrations less than or equal to 5.0 g/L, 88% of classifications based on estimated LDL (using triglycerides divided by 5) were concordant with those by measured LDL. Eleven percent of classifications were shifted across one cutpoint, evenly distributed between high and low. Fewer than 1% of classifications, all with Type III hyperlipoproteinemia, were misclassified two cutpoints high. Refinements in the estimation model did not substantially improve LDL estimation or concordance of risk classification.
Upper and lower bounds via penalty functions for control problems

A close relationship between penalty functions and duality is shown to exist for a certain class of convex optimal control problems with state and control variable constraints. This relationship can be used to generate upper and lower bounds on the value of the solution to a control problem of the prescribed class.
Ratio and Proportion: Connecting Content and Children's Thinking.

Twenty-four sixth-grade children participated in clinical interviews on ratio and proportion before they had received any instruction in the domain. A framework involving problems of four semantic types was used to develop the interview questions, and student thinking was analyzed within the semantic types in terms of mathematical components critical to proportional reasoning. Two components, relative thinking and unitizing, were consistently related to higher levels of sophistication in a student's overall problem-solving ability within a semantic type. Part-part-whole problems failed to elicit any proportional reasoning because they could be solved using less sophisticated methods. Stretcher/shrinker problems were the most difficult because students failed to recognize the multiplicative nature of the problem situations. Student thinking was most sophisticated in the case of associated sets when problems were presented in a concrete pictorial mode.
Exogenous and Endogenous Variables in Decision Making and the Implications for HRD Research and Practice

The problem and the solution. The tendency for decision makers to treat all decision-making variables as external to the decision system-that is, as exogenous variables-overlooks important inputs to the system from sources internal to the decision, endogenous variables. This article distinguishes between these two types of decision-making variables and discusses the need for decision makers to consider both exogenous and endogenous variables in decision making.
Fortran Iv Program to Determine the Proper Sequence of Records in a Datafile

This FORTRAN IV program executes an essential editing procedure which determines whether a datafile contains an equal number of records (cards) per case which are also in the intended sequential order. The program which requires very little background in computer programming is designed primarily for the user of packaged statistical procedures.
Kinetics of jobs in multi-link cities with migration-driven aggregation process

Abstract Immigration has long been a hotly debated issue. The core of this debate is immigrants' impact on local job markets. Some people insist that instead of creating more jobs, immigrants actually take away more jobs thus decrease the living standard of natives. Others argue that the presence of immigrants benefits the society as a whole since they enlarge the labor force and lower the production cost. In this paper, we propose a model describing the migration-driven aggregation behaviors in job markets with foreign immigration, and introduce the method of network and aggregation to look at this issue from a new perspective. We divide the job market in each city into two groups: native and immigrant. And we view each city as a node with l links; each link represents a way of transportation to other cities. Then it is not hard to see that cities with more links tend to be more job concentrated with larger flows of jobs. We assume that both native and immigrant job markets have a migration of jobs within themselves and the native ones have birth rate and death rate of jobs as well. Through analyzing different rates: K 1 and K 2 , initial conditions, and the combined effect of birth rate and death rate, we are able to predict the changes of some variables in the long run. These changes indicate the impact of immigrants on native job markets. Thus provide some helpful information to this issue.
Determination of methylmalonic acid after diazonium derivatization by high-performance liquid chromatography

Abstract The use of a single prederivatization step in conjunction with high-performance liquid chromatography (h.p.l.c.) is described for the determination of methylmalonic acid (MMA). The method is based on the reaction of MMA and 4-diazobenzenesulfonic acid, which produces a derivative that has a molar absorptivity of about 9 × 103 l mol−1 cm−1 at 353 nm. The derivatization reaction is optimized for various parameters. A reagent concentration of 3.3 mM at a reaction pH of 4.6 and a temperature of 100°C are optimal. The reaction product is separated from the excess of reagent and other interfering components by using a polystyrene-divinylbenzene column and a highly aqueous mobile phase. After a simple clean-up step, it is possible to quantify MMA in urine at about 0.8 mg l−1 with linear response up to 32 mg l−1.
A Seven-Step Instructional Plan for Teaching English-Language Learners to Comprehend and Use Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs

For English-language learners, comprehension can be hindered by a lack of understanding of homonyms, homophones, and homographs, but the right instructional strategies can alleviate this problem. Following a discussion of issues such as the importance of being aware of a student's literacy skills in his or her home language and the need to preteach key vocabulary words, the authors provide examples of a structured approach to teaching homonyms, homophones, and homographs. This seven-step instructional process, which incorporates reading, illustrating, comparing and contrasting words, and categorizing vocabulary by using symbols to represent grammatical structures, can be used to teach all students, but it accommodates particularly the challenges encountered by English-language learners. The seven steps are 1Reading and/or listening to a story 2Defining and visualizing words 3Identifying parts of speech 4Categorizing words 5Completing cloze activities 6Producing a skit or creating a visual 7Playing a word game with new words The authors offer explicit examples of instruction at each step and conclude with a discussion of how to assess students' proficiencies as they discern word meanings and begin to use words efficiently.
Comparative Analysis of Blood Loss in Suction-Assisted Lipoplasty and Third-Generation Internal Ultrasound-Assisted Lipoplasty

Background: Lipoplasty remains the most common cosmetic surgical procedure performed in the United States. In spite of its well documented clinical advantages, ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL) accounts for less than 20% of all lipoplasty procedures currently performed. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the blood content of third-generation internal UAL aspirate and compare it to traditional lipoplasty aspirate. Methods: The lipoplasty aspirate of 27 consecutive patients who underwent traditional suction-assisted lipoplasty (SAL) of their back and posterior flanks was compared to the aspirate of 30 consecutive patients who underwent third-generation internal UAL of their backs and posterior flanks using the VASER Internal Ultrasound Device (Sound Surgical Technologies; Louisville, CO). The volume and composition of the wetting solution used was the same for both groups. The aspirate analysis was performed by an independent laboratory on a Beckman Coulter LH 750 blood analyzer (Fullerton, CA) and consisted of complete blood counts after separation of the fat. Results: The hemoglobin content of SAL aspirate was 7.5 times greater than in the aspirate. The hematocrit value of SAL aspirate was 6.5 times greater than in the VASER-assisted lipoplasty aspirate. Statistical analysis using an independent t test confirmed that the data was statistically significant with P values of < .0001 for both hemoglobin content and hematocrit values. Conclusions: We conclude that third-generation internal UAL should be considered for patients undergoing large-volume lipoplasty procedures or lipoplasty of tight, fibrous areas, such as the back and posterior flanks, where increased blood loss is expected.
Divestiture Capability and Firm Performance

In order to sustainably and profitably grow, firms must, at times, shrink. Although much scholarly attention has been directed towards scope expansion, and the role that scope expansion capabilities may play in firm performance, less is known about the process of scope reduction. My research explores whether some firms are more successful than others at the scope reduction process of divestiture, and, if so, whether divestiture capability may be the basis of any such performance heterogeneity. In addressing these questions, the issue of how divestiture performance should be evaluated is considered, as well as the impact of several key factors on the firm’s divestiture learning process. Additional sources of divestiture capability, beyond the firm’s own, that may be leveraged to advance firm divestiture performance are also investigated. Further, the potential interplay between the firm’s divestiture capability and its scope expansion capabilities is explored. These questions are studied using a large samp...
Binding of prednisolone to α1-acid glycoprotein

Abstract The binding of prednisolone to α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) was determined in vitro by equilibrium dialysis. The effects of temperature, protein concentration, and drug concentration were evaluated. The binding ratio (bound/free) correlated well with protein concentration (r = 0.958) and percent bound ranged from 2 to 12% over high to low prednisolone concentrations at physiologic AGP concentrations (100 mg/dl). Temperature changes did not perturb binding. The non-linear regression estimate of the binding constant (nk) was 4.4 × 103 M−1 indicative of both low affinity and low capacity of AGP for prednisolone. Overall, contribution of AGP to the total plasma binding of prednisolone is less than 3% when considered in the competitive protein binding system with transcortin and albumin. Disease induced alterations of AGP concentrations are relatively unimportant regarding plasma protein binding of prednisolone.
Employee-Centered Management, Participation in Decision-Making and Satisfaction with Work Itself

Measures of satisfaction with work itself and work environment, and of employee-centered management and participation in decision-making were given to 128 managers. Work satisfaction was correlated with employee-centered management and participation, but these correlations were less than those for satisfaction with working environment.
Analysis of Transport Experiments using Pseudo-absorbance Data

The measurement of the concentration distribution of a macromolecule across a solution column by absorption optics usually requires optical transmission profiles of both the sample solution and the buffer, measured under identical conditions, to calculate the absorbance as the logarithm of the ratio of reference to sample intensity. For transport experiments, however, where the changes in the local macromolecule concentration with time are measured, a reference buffer intensity is not necessarily required. We demonstrate that the logarithm of the light transmitted through the sample solution, referred to as pseudo-absorbance, can suffice to determine macromolecular transport parameters of interest, with little loss of precision. Local changes in illumination of the sample column or in the detection efficiency of the transmitted light, as well as temporal fluctuations of the light source intensity can be well-described by consideration of time-invariant and radial-invariant signal components in the pseudo-absorbance data, using the systematic noise decomposition techniques developed recently (Schuck, P., and Demeler, B. (1999) Biophys. J. 76, 2288–2296). The practical use of the method is demonstrated with double-sector and single-sector sedimentation velocity experiments, and with analytical electrophoresis experiments. It is shown that pseudo-absorbance analysis can increase the capacity of a sedimentation velocity experiment in ultracentrifugation, and, in general, can considerably simplify the requirements of optical design.
Estimation of Plasma Beta-2-Glycoprotein Levels by Competitive ELISA

Abstract Beta-2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI), a 50-kDA serum glycoprotein that binds negatively charged phospholipids plays a role in coagulation, thrombosis, and the clearance of phosphatidylserine expressing cells. Because of its recently recognized role in several autoimmune responses, we have developed a method that quantifies plasma β2GPI levels by using a competitive ELISA assay. When combined with data from a standard ELISA, this method determines the concentration of free β2GPI and the fraction of antibody-bound β2GPI thereby facilitating quantification of total antigen in individuals with autoimmune antibodies. Standard competitive inhibition ELISA was compared with this method, which uses known amounts of standard β2GPI added to the plasma as an internal standard. Identical results were obtained with both methods for plasma samples from normal individuals that did not contain blocking antibodies. Analysis of plasma from antiphospholipid syndrome patients (patients with autoantibodies to β2GPI) by the internal standard method, however, resulted in significantly lower apparent β2GPI levels indicating that a substantial fraction of the plasma β2GPI was bound by antibody.
Numerical procedures to model ductile crack extension

Abstract Experimental studies demonstrate a significant increase in the cleavage fracture toughness ( J c ) for shallow notched bend and tensile specimens. Dodds and Anderson have proposed a micromechanics model for cleavage that predicts the specimen size dependence of fracture toughness. This effort extends the micromechanics model to include the influence of ductile crack extension prior to cleavage. The present discussion focuses on the numerical techniques required to include finite-strain plasticity and crack growth. Key results are presented for the small-scale yielding problem to demonstrate the usefulness of these numerical procedures to model ductile crack growth.
A Rare Dimer of Dimers Having Four Hydride Linkers Joining Two Quadruply Bonded Dimolybdenum Units

Hydride anions, H-, have been found to cause the assembly of dimolybdenum units [Mo2(cis-DAniF)2]2+, DAniF = N,N‘-di(p-anisyl)formamidinate, forming a tetranuclear complex [Mo2(cis-DAniF)2]2(μ-H)4 (1) with an Mo4H4 core that may be described as an elongated tetrahedron in which the H atoms are along the four long edges of such tetrahedron and the Mo2 units are along the short edges. The two quadruply bonded dimolybdenum units, separated by only 2.718 A, are essentially orthogonal. This gives the shortest [Mo2]···[Mo2] distance known for complexes with multiple dimolybdenum units. DFT calculations indicate that the energy of a cuboidal isomer is only 3.8 kcal/mol above that of 1, but such an isomer has not been observed.
Elevation of taurine in human congestive heart failure.

Abstract The concentration of taurine in the left ventricle of the heart was doubled in patients who had died of chronic congestive heart failure compared to patients who had died of other causes and had no cardiac pathology. In the absence of congestive heart failure, a similar elevation in taurine level was seen in patients with high blood pressure compared to patients with lower blood pressures. The levels of taurine in heart failure were not affected by digitalis treatment. The concentration of taurine in the aorta was almost the same in patients who had died of congestive heart failure and patients who had died of other causes, suggesting that the increase in concentration of taurine might be specific to the heart.
Antecedents to purchase intentions for Hispanic consumers: a ‘local’ perspective

The current study explores consumer attributes such as attitudes, subjective norms, connectedness, and price consciousness and their relationship with purchase intentions of Hispanic shoppers within the locally produced food category. Four hypothesized direct-path relationships and one moderation effect across the four proposed paths were tested via a two-step process in structural equations modeling. Results of measurement model testing suggested that a five-factor model fits well for the Hispanic group. Within the structural model process, a significant positive relationship was found between two proposed paths: consumer attitudes with intention to purchase and price consciousness with intention to purchase. A moderation effect of perceived product availability was found only for the path of price consciousness with intention to purchase. These results suggest that factors such as subject norms and connectedness, often associated with the local food category, may not be important drivers for purchase in...
The radiation exposure of black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus) in the ravenglass estuary, Cumbria, U.K.: A preliminary assessment

Abstract A variety of fission-product and transuranic radionuclides originating from the marine discharges from the fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield, Cumbria are detectable in the bodies of black-headed gulls and their environment in the Ravenglass Estuary approximately 10 km to the southwest of the plant. The maximum concentrations of 95 Nb, 137 Cs and 239/240 Pu detected in body tissues lie in the range 2 × 10 −3 to 1.5 × 10 −2 Bq g −1 wet weight. Many more radionuclides are detected in the regurgitated pellets and faeces produced by the gulls and have higher concentrations in the range 7 × 10 −3 to 1.7 Bq g −1 wet weight. The radionuclide contamination of the sediment produces a source of enhanced external γ-ray exposure which can be measured directly. The available data on distributions and concentrations of radionuclides have been combined with simple dosimetry models to provide estimates of the radiation exposure of the birds. The total whole body dose rate to the adult birds from the contaminant radionuclides is approximately ten times that from the natural radiation background, while that to the developing eggs is approximately four times the natural background. The potential radiation exposure of the cells lining the alimentary tract could be much higher when contaminated food is in transit, but the long-term average exposure in this case is subject to uncertainty. The limited data on the effects of radiation exposure on birds do not indicate any response at dose rates below one hundred times that from the natural radiation background. Thus it appears that the estimated increments of radiation exposure experienced by the gulls in the Ravenglass Estuary could not have any observable effects on either the individual birds or the population as a whole.
There and back again: Epiphany, disillusionment, and rediscovery in political ecology

Abstract This paper reviews the experience of discovering, abandoning, and rediscovering elements of the work of political ecologist Piers Blaikie from the period spanning 1992–2006. In the process, we analyze the cyclic fate of critical ideas in the field of political ecology, including especially the “chain of explanation,” during a tumultuous period where materialist and constructivist theorists encountered one another. The paper concludes with a specific discussion of the power of traditional tools in political ecology for addressing current socio-ecological crises, specifically HIV/AIDS in southern Africa.
EMR-3: a potential mediator of invasive phenotypic variation in glioblastoma and novel therapeutic target.

EGF module containing, mucin-like hormone receptor-3 (EMR-3) is a G-protein coupled receptor with unknown ligand and cellular function. Upregulation of EMR-3 in glioblastoma multiforme is associated with poor survival. We investigated expression patterns and functional significance of EMR3 in GBM using immunohistochemistry, western blot, RT-PCR, and siRNA knockdown in proliferation and invasion assays. EMR-3 is variably expressed in primary human GBM tissues and cell lines. Knocking down EMR-3 has no impact on cellular proliferation, but decreases cellular invasion by greater than 3-fold. EMR-3 is a potential mediator of cellular invasion in GBM. Given the poor survival associated with high levels of EMR-3 expression in glioma patients our results provide impetus to explore EMR-3 as a potential therapeutic target.
Alteration of Sporulation in Aspergillus niger by Heat and Deuterium Oxide

ZAMENHOF1 reported that unstable phenotypic variants sometimes result when bacterial cells or spores are heated. We wish to report the results of a similar investigation of the effects of heating spores of the mould Aspergillus niger. Our work has been extended to include the effect of heating the spores in a 99.5 per cent deuterium oxide medium, as well as heating in a water medium and in the dry state.
Identification of receptor contact site involved in receptor-G protein coupling.

The mammalian G proteins transduce information from extracellular signals, including neurotransmitters, hormones and sensory stimuli, into regulation of effector enzymes or ion channels within cells. Triggered by appropriate extracellular signals, receptor proteins specifically activate members of the G protein family by catalysing replacement of GDP by GTP at the guanine nucleotide binding site. Like the receptor proteins1, the heterotrimeric G proteins exhibit impressive structural similarities2,3, suggesting that all receptor–G protein interactions use homologous structural elements and a single molecular mechanism. Topologically equivalent portions of each G protein may therefore interact with the appropriate receptor. We recently predicted the secondary structure of a composite G protein α-chain and proposed that a predicted amphipathic α-helix at the extreme carboxy-terminus of the polypeptide directly contacts receptors4. This proposal has now been confirmed by sequencing complementary DNAs of the gene that encodes the α-chain (αs) of the stimulatory regulator (Gs) of adenylyl cyclase in wild-type cells and in a mutant mouse S49 lymphoma cell line, unc, in which Gs cannot be activated by hormone receptors5. The sequences reveal a point mutation in the unc gene that substitutes a proline residue for an arginine near the carboxy-terminus of the αs-polypeptide. Expression of recombinant αs-unc in genetically αs-deficient S49 cells reproduces the unc phenotype.
Distributed-memory concepts in the wave model WAVEWATCH III ☆

Abstract Parallel concepts for spectral wind-wave models are discussed, with a focus on the WAVEWATCH III model which runs in a routine operational mode at NOAA/NCEP. After a brief description of relevant aspects of wave models, basic parallelization concepts are discussed. It is argued that a method including data transposes is more suitable for this model than conventional domain decomposition techniques. Details of the implementation, including specific buffering techniques for the data to be communicated between processors, are discussed. Extensive timing results are presented for up to 450 processors on an IBM RS6000 SP. The resulting model is shown to exhibit excellent parallel behavior for a large range of numbers of processors.
Reality Engineering: Blurring the Boundaries between Commercial Signification and Popular Culture

Abstract In this paper we consider the hybridization of commercial communications and mass media vehicles of popular culture, and the potential effects of such hybrids on consumers. This hybridization results in a media environment in which the audience is confronted with a blurring of boundaries between the two domains—commercial signification and popular culture. We consider the utility for advertisers of hybridizing these domains in generating more effective promotional messages. And, we also discuss the ramifications of the resulting hybridized persuasive communications for audience response. Finally, we identify several areas in need of further research and present some pertinent policy and regulatory issues.
Training Considerations for MFTs in Couple and Financial Counseling

Evidence suggests that many couples attending marital therapy report that financial concerns have a significant impact on their distress. Despite the complaint, many Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) training programs do not offer courses that teach therapists how to properly address financial concerns as a part of their training or curriculum, leaving many practitioners unaware of the processes associated with remediating the distress. The authors address the concepts of financial literacy and financial problems, and suggest a training curriculum to guide therapists in decisions about treating financial concerns for couples. Suggestions of future research and core competencies are discussed.
Synthesis of a series of boronated unnatural cyclic amino acids as potential boron neutron capture therapy agents

New boronated unnatural cyclic amino acids, 1–6, were synthesized for potential use in neutron capture therapy. In order to understand the effect of molecular lipophilicity on the biological activity, different linkers were introduced between the boronic acid and 1-aminocycloalkanecarboxylic acid moieties. The key step in the syntheses was the preparation of a series of alkenyl-substituted cycloalkanones, which were subsequently converted to amino acids via the Bucherer–Strecker reaction. The introduction of the boronic acid function into hydrantoins 19–24 was realized by hydroboration reactions using diisopinocampheylborane (Ipc2BH). The target boronated amino acids were modeled after 1-aminocyclobutanecarboxylic acid and 1-amino-3-boronocyclopentanecarboxylic acid, which have previously demonstrated high uptake in tumors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Latent structures of vertical control in intergovernmental relations

Abstract Much of the work on interorganizational (IO) relations focuses on intracommunity bases of resource exchange, or what a number of writers have referred to as the “horizontal axes” of community organization and resource control. Building on earlier work in the field, the present paper extends this conceptual framework to include “vertical” dimensions of resource control as they pertain to the work relations of governmental units at the local and extralocal level. In this context, vertical control is viewed as a power-dependence relation between county-based public service agencies and their “parent” units at the state and federal level. Variations in these control relations are used to identify alaternate structures of vertical control within a set of public service programs spanning several units of government. The analysis reveals three basic types of vertical control structure each of which is shown to foster a distinct pattern of exchange relations among these units.
Heuristic stability theory for finite-difference equations☆

Abstract A simple method is proposed for investigating the computational stability of finite-difference equations. The technique is especially powerful because of its applicability to nonlinear equations with variable coefficients. The method, which is based on an examination of certain kinds of truncation errors, is illustrated by applying it to a simple linear difference equation. Then it is used to explain the origin of instabilities observed in calculations of one- and two-dimensional fluid flows.
Two‐dimensional electrostatic turbulence with variable density and pressure

Large‐scale turbulence transverse to a uniform dc magnetic field is considered from the point of view of a two‐fluid model of an electrostatic plasma of variable density. An approximation motivated by ’’geostrophic’’ techniques of dynamic meteorology is introduced. It is argued that the inverse cascade phenomenon should persist in the presence of variable pressure and density.
Relationship of Health Literacy to Intentional and Unintentional Non-Adherence of Hospital Discharge Medications

BACKGROUND Inadequate health literacy is prevalent among seniors and is associated with poor health outcomes. At hospital discharge, medications are frequently changed and patients are informed of these changes via their discharge instructions.
International documentation in the library of congress

Over the years the Library of Congress (LC) has sought to acquire international organization materials comprehensively, and its collections today are exceedingly rich, with acquisition from exchange, gift, purchase, transfer from other institutions, and the depository programs established by some international agencies. The library aims first for full coverage of materials of the United Nations and the Specialized Agencies, and beyond this it strives to acquire the publications of all the intergovernmental agencies in which the United States participates. In addition, the Library’s policy is to acquire the documentation of other intergovernmental bodies of which the U.S. is not a member, such as the European Communities and the Organization of African Unity. Since the early 1950’s in particular LC has also tried for extensive coverage of the publications of international nongovernmental organizations. In the international organizations field, as in all others, the Library has developed its collections in accordance with the ever-increasing and rapidly changing needs of Congress, the Federal establishment, the libraries of the nation, and the scholarly community. LC’s problems in servicing the international collections are proportionate to their size. International documents by reason of their quantity, format, diversity, and multiple language editions, present many difficulties for libraries and also for researchers. Because of the nature of the publications and the frequent lack of adequate bibliographic tools, particularly subject indexes, there is near universal agreement that international documents wherever located are underutilized. As different as the users may be, they are baffled at the complexity of international materials and at the difficulty of extracting useful information.
Effects of triethyltin bromide on protein phosphorylation in subcellular fractions from rat and rabbit brain.

Abstract Phosphorylation of specific proteins in subcellular fractions of rat brain is affected by the presence of low concentrations (1–50 μM) of triethyltin bromide (Et 3 SnBr), in vitro. SDS-PAGE and autoradiography showed that Et 3 SnBr increased phosphorylation of an M r = 42,000 protein and an M r = 76,000–80,000 doublet band, but decreased phosphorylation of an M r = 52,000 component. The M r = 42,000 and 76,000–80,000 phosphoproteins have been identified as the α-subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and synapsin, respectively. Et 3 SnBr-induced phosphorylation of rabbit brain PDH results in partial inactivation of the PDH complex.
An MPI-CUDA Implementation and Optimization for Parallel Sparse Equations and Least Squares (LSQR)

LSQR (Sparse Equations and Least Squares) is a widely used Krylov subspace method to solve large-scale linear systems in seismic tomography. This paper presents a parallel MPI-CUDA implementation for LSQR solver. On CUDA level, our contributions include: (1) utilize CUBLAS and CUSPARSE to compute major steps in LSQR; (2) optimize memory copy between host memory and device memory; (3) develop a CUDA kernel to perform transpose SpMV without transposing the matrix in memory or preserving additional copy. On MPI level, our contributions include: (1) decompose both matrix and vector to increase parallelism; (2) design a static load balancing strategy. In our experiment, the single GPU code achieves up to 17.6x speedup with 15.7 GFlops in single precision and 15.2x speedup with 12.0 GFlops in double precision compared with the original serial CPU code. The MPI-GPU code achieves up to 3.7x speedup with 268 GFlops in single precision and 3.8x speedup with 223 GFlops in double precision on 135 MPI tasks compared with the corresponding MPI-CPU code. The MPI-GPU code scales on both strong and weak scaling tests. In addition, our parallel implementations have better performance than the LSQR subroutine in PETSc library.
The demise of the Piedmont cotton region

ABSTRACT The cotton-producing complex which dominated the Piedmont region from the early nineteenth century to mid-twentieth century began to disintegrate during the 1950s. By 1967 only a few small production “islands,'’vestiges of the traditional region, remained. Rapid disintegration of the region was occasioned by the interplay of a complex set of forces, most of which operated negatively. Most of the region's farmers perceived small cotton acreage allotments as noneconomic. They turned to alternative activities rather than the pursuit of cotton culture under new land operating systems and a new cotton growing technology. Most of the growers and ginners of the region failed to make the technologic transformations necessary to continuation of a viable cotton production complex. Those few who did are responsible for the persistence of the vestigial production islands.
Inhibition of gastric motility induced by intestinal glucose in awake rats: role of Na+-glucose co-transporter

Carbohydrates are a component of chyme that initiate feedback control of gastric emptying. The aim of the study was to investigate the mechanism by which sensors in the intestine are activated by carbohydrate to initiate intestinal feedback of gastric motor function. Intestinal perfusion with D-glucose inhibited gastric motility in awake rats. This response was reproduced by 3-O-methyl glucose, a non-metabolizable analogue of glucose that is absorbed by the Na(+)-glucose co-transporter, but not by 2-deoxy-D-glucose, and was attenuated by perfusion of the intestine with phloridzin, a competitive blocker of the Na(+)-glucose co-transporter. Feeding a high carbohydrate diet to increase the number of co-transporters reduced the response to intestinal glucose. It was concluded that activation of sensors to initiate feedback inhibition of gastric motility may be dependent either on rapid accumulation of glucose within epithelial cells or on activation of the Na(+)-glucose co-transporter.
Estimation of aortic distensibility and instantaneous left ventricular volume in living man.

A method is presented in this paper for the estimation of aortic distensibility and instantaneous systolic left ventricular volume in living man in the absence of valvular regurgitation. The method is based on a simple, elastic-reservoir-theory, model of the circulatory system and requires no assumption concerning the geometry of the left ventricle. The input data required for this mathematical model consists of stroke volume, an aortic pressure record over an entire cardiac cycle and end diastolic ventricular volume. The procedure developed here for the estimation of aortic distensibility and instantaneous left ventricular volume is very practical from a computational point of view. It is believed that it will yield useful information concerning two clinically important quantities which cannot be measured directly in living man and will facilitate the study of correlations between these quantities and various physiological and pathological states. Results are presented in the paper for six cardiac patients. The requisite data in each case was obtained in the Cardiac Research Laboratory at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
Stabilization of liposome bilayers to freezing and thawing: Effects of cryoprotective agents and membrane proteins

Abstract Lipid bilayer vesicles (liposomes) with and without glycoprotein incorporated into the membranes were tested for stability during freezing and thawing, in presence and absence of the cryoprotective agents (CPA) glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide. Changes in turbidity and loss of energy transfer between fluorescent probes present in the bilayers were used to estimate membrane integrity. Freezing caused a 30 to 40% destruction of protein-free liposomes, in absence of CPA. CPA at 10 to 20% concentration prevented such losses, but at higher concentrations destabilized liposomes even without freezing. Protein-containing liposomes suffered no loss on freezing in absence or presence of CPA at moderate concentrations. Lowering of the storage temperature of frozen samples within the range of −5 to −27 °C increased the freeze damage. Slower rates of cooling and warming caused a slightly greater loss. The results are interpreted in terms of the liquid mosaic model for lipid bilayers. CPA at higher concentrations destabilize bilayers by dissolving phospholipids. At moderate concentrations, however, they prevent the damaging effect of dehydration of the lipid on freezing. Proteins appear to stabilize bilayers by providing increased hydration at the membrane surface, and by additional hydrophobic binding in the membrane interior.
Widely-Tunable and Vertical-Cavity Lasers: DBRs on Different Planes

Tunable Distributed-Bragg-Reflector (DBR) lasers are forming the basis of the most widely studied semiconductor Photonic-Integrated-Circuits (PICs). With the development of Wavelength-Division-Multiplexed (WDM) systems, they will become the most widely used semiconductor PIC, and as the technology costs are reduced, they may well lead the way to the widespread use of WDM in local area networks for a wide variety of datacom and telecom applications. PICs being studied today range from simple two-section DBR lasers [1] through tunable-DBR lasers monolithically integrated with external modulators [2] to complex multiple-section coherent receivers [3]. Lasers with extremely wide tuning range have recently become an area of concentrated effort [4,5]. The design of the partially transmissive DBR mirror section and the technology to incorporate it within complex PICs continues to be a key enabler in the development of these PICs as well as an active area of research.
CaM kinase II-dependent phosphorylation of myogenin contributes to activity-dependent suppression of nAChR gene expression in developing rat myotubes

Abstract During development of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), extrajunctional expression of genes, whose products are destined for the synapse, is suppressed by muscle activity. One of the best-studied examples of activity-dependent gene regulation in muscle are those encoding nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits. We recently showed that nAChR gene expression is inhibited by calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and CaMKII inhibitors block activity-dependent suppression of these genes. Here we report results investigating the mechanism by which CaMKII suppresses nAChR gene expression. We show that the muscle helix–loop–helix transcription factor, myogenin, is necessary for activity-dependent control of nAChR gene expression in cultured rat myotubes and is a substrate for CaMKII both in vitro and in vivo. CaMKII phosphorylation of myogenin is induced by muscle activity and this phosphorylation influences DNA binding and transactivation. Thus we have identified a signaling mechanism by which muscle activity controls nAChR gene expression in developing muscle.