cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implications of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase on 5-fluorouracil pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics

A prominent example of the potential application of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics to oncology is the study of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) metabolism. 5-FU is currently one of the most widely administered chemotherapeutic agents used for the treatment of epithelial cancers. DPD is the rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism and clearance of 5-FU. The observation of a familial linkage of DPD deficiency from a patient exhibiting 5-FU toxicity suggested a possible molecular basis for variations in 5-FU metabolism. Molecular studies have suggested there is a relationship between allelic variants in the DPYD gene (the gene that encodes DPD) and a deficiency in DPD activity, providing a potential pharmacogenetic basis for 5-FU toxicity. In the last decade, studies have correlated tumoral DPD activity with 5-FU response, suggesting it may be a useful pharmacogenomic marker of patient response to 5-FU-based chemotherapy. This article reviews the basis and discusses the challenges of pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic testing of DPD for the determination of 5-FU efficacy and toxicity.
Characteristics of a microwave plasma disk ion source

This letter describes an ion source using a cylindrical microwave cavity operating in a hybrid mode associated with the TE(211) empty cavity mode. The design principles and associated electrical systems are also discussed. Extracted beam current versus accelerating voltage, and specific energy versus extracted beam current are displayed over the range of flow rates 20-80 sccm and absorbed powers 80-150 W. The results show the feasibility of this concept. The ion source has many potential uses such as space propulsion, material processing, and neutral beam ion sources.
Analysis of order timing tradeoffs in multi-retailer supply systems

We analyse the implications of order timing decisions in multi-retailer supply systems in a single period, newsvendor setting. Specifically, we investigate a supply chain with multiple retailers and a single supplier where one of the retailers is considered a preferred or primary customer of the supplier. In the base model (delayed commitment), customers order after observing demand and the supplier rations its production quantity to retailers according to a generalised uniform allocation rule. In the early-commitment model, the primary retailer commits to an order quantity prior to the selling season and receives her order in full. We compare the expected supplier and retailer profits under each of these strategies and specify conditions under which a particular commitment scheme benefits the supplier, the primary retailer, and the entire system. Our findings indicate that the supplier prefers early commitment under mild conditions, whereas the primary retailer's preference depends on the tradeoff betwee...
Changes in clinical presentation of postterm choriocarcinoma at the New England Trophoblastic Disease Center in recent years

Abstract Objective To review the last 15year experience of choriocarcinoma following a term gestation at the New England Trophoblastic Disease Center (NETDC) and compare these results to earlier data to determine any changes in the clinical presentation and outcome of this disease. Methods Women with postterm choriocarcinoma from 1996 through 2011 followed by the NETDC were identified by diagnosis codes. Twenty charts were identified and reviewed. These data were then compared to published results from the NETDC of 44 women from 1964 to 1996. Results Time from antecedent pregnancy to diagnosis of choriocarcinoma was significantly longer in the current series, 46.1 vs. 19.7weeks ( p =0.03). Despite this change, patient outcomes remained comparable, with similar overall mortality rates (13% vs. 10%, p =NS). However, patient presentation was notably different. In the early series, five (11%) infants suffered hydrops or stillbirth, while in the recent series there were no adverse infant outcomes ( p =0.08). Six women in the current series presented in the absence of symptoms suspicious for choriocarcinoma (either by an incidental positive pregnancy test without other symptoms or by placental pathology), compared to one woman in the prior series (30% vs. 2%, p =0.001). Conclusions In recent years postterm choriocarcinoma is being diagnosed or referred later after the antecedent pregnancy at our regional referral center. Recent patients more commonly have no other symptoms than a question of pregnancy and are less likely diagnosed due to the presence of fetal hydrops or stillbirth. Despite later diagnoses, survival with postterm choriocarcinoma continues to be high.
Topological analysis of local-area internetworks

It has become common to connect local-area networks together to form high-bandwidth internetworks. The topology of such an internetwork — how the component networks and gateways are interconnected — is an important factor in determining the reliability of the internet. We present several techniques for analyzing an internetwork's topology. These techniques are based on a novel mapping of network components onto a bipartite graph.We use these techniques to analyze the topology of the Stanford University Network and the impact of topological changes as it has grown to its current size of 60 networks.
Essential reflections versus minimal embeddings

Abstract This note addresses the following question. In a category C , with a full subcategory X which is reflective with each reflection morphism an embedding, and a C -object A: when does each X -object containing A contain the X -reflection of A? We prove, under mild hypotheses on C , the equivalence of (1) The reflection morphism for A is an essential embedding, (2) Any ‘minimal’ embedding of A in an X -object is the X -reflection of A, (3) ‘Always’ is the answer to the question above, (4) The reflection functor C → X carries embeddings of A to embeddings. We note that these conditions hold for every A, for every X , if, in C , every epic embedding is essential, or if C has the Amalgamation Property. Various examples are discussed.
OBSERVATIONS ON GYMNOASCACEAE. IX. A NEW SPECIES OF PSEUDOARACHNIOTUS FROM SOIL-BURIAL BEDS.

A new species ofPseudoarachniotus P. marginosporus, is described and illustrated. The developmental morphology of this new ascomycete is discussed. On a standard medium such as YpSs,P. marginosporus can be distinguished from other species of the genus by colonial coloration which varies from ochre-rust to very pale yellow at different stages of maturation. The colony ofP. roseus is red, red-orange or orange-yellow;P. citrinus is lemon yellow to brownish yellow in age;P. reticulatus is red orange andP. hyalinosporus is yellowish and usually with a great deal of green pigmentation in the mycelium and in the medium. Furthermore ascospores ofP. marginosporus are oblate, small and thin-walled, measuring 2.2−3.0×4.0−4.4 µ, with a minute elevated rim around the long axis, while ascospores ofP. reticulatus are globose and reticulate, and those ofP. roseus andP. citrinus are large and thick-walled, measuring about 4.4×7.7 µ. Ascospores ofP. hyalinosporus are similar in size and shape to those ofP. marginosporus, but lack a rim or other markings.
Polarization Studies of Brass-Steel Galvanic Couples

Abstract Electrochemical polarization methods were utilized to study the galvanic corrosion of steel coupled to brass. Polarization of a 70Cu-30Zn brass cathode controlled galvanic corrosion rate (...
Fixed Points and Periodic Points of Orientation Reversing Planar Homeomorphisms

Two results concerning orientation-reversing homeomorphisms of the plane are proved. Let be an orientation-reversing planar homeomorphism with a continuum invariant (i.e. ). First, suppose there are at least bounded components of that are invariant under . Then there are at least components of the fixed point set of in . This provides an affirmative answer to a question posed by K. Kuperberg. Second, suppose there is a -periodic orbit in with . Then there is a 2-periodic orbit in , or there is a 2-periodic component of . The second result is based on a recent result of M. Bonino concerning linked periodic orbits of orientation-reversing homeomorphisms of the 2-sphere . These results generalize to orientation-reversing homeomorphisms of .
Red urine in children

Red Urine (RU) is an uncommon finding in an unselected population of children; its prevalence was reported as 0.13 % based on a retrospective USA review of children. However, RU may signify disorders ranging from benign conditions such as medications and food coloring to more serious conditions such as urinary tract infection, hereditary cystic renal diseases and glomerulonephritis. In the clinical approach and management of these children, it is important to firstly differentiate true gross hematuria from non-gross hematuria, and subsequently dissecting out the different causes of gross hematuria (GH). To determine the prevalence and the etiology of GH in an italian general pediatric setting we undertook a prospective study of all patients with GH in pediatric emergency walk-in clinic for consecutive 15 months. Study protocol: all patients who complained of RU were referred to the pediatric nephrologist for complete evaluation until diagnosis was made. Over the 15-month period 82,934 children visited the Emergency Clinic at our Children’s Hospital; 85 patients made visit in which they complained of RU (1.1/ 1,000 visits). Sex ratio showed a male preponderance (M 50/F 35); mean age was 7.06 ± 4.6 (range 0.5-16.1 years). Among diagnosis, glomerulopathies accounted for 59.5% : Post infectious acute glomerulonephritis (37), primary (7) and secondary to Schonlein-Henoch purpura (3) IgA nephropathy (10), SLE (1), Alport Syndrome (3). 14/85 patients with GH had UTI ( 12 documented bacterial UTI and 2 with a presuntive adenovirus cystitis); 16.5% had Idiopathic Hypercalciuria (6 out showed microcalculi at ultrasonography); 2 patients suffered from hyperuricosuria; 1 child was affected by haemolytic uremic syndrome, 2 myoglobinuria from rabdomyolisis and in 1 case no diagnosis was made. Our prospective study indicates that in our country, according to the previous report, the prevalence of GH is relatively uncommon, but the most common causes are represented by hematuric glomerulonephritis (mainly PIAGN and IGAN) in boys, and not by proven (26%) and unproven (23%) UTI mainly in girls; just one child was categorized as “unknown etiology” vs 9% of USA children. Two main reasons may explain such a difference: 1) the health social assurance systems, namely the availability in Italy of the family pediatrician which avoid that children with GH from trivial causes such as hemorragic cystitis, will turn to ER and 2) the systematic evaluation of all cases of GH, in our experience, directly by the paediatric nephrologist who could assure a definite diagnosis.
Anthropometric estimation of thigh muscle cross-sectional area

The purpose of this investigation was to derive and validate circumference and skinfold equations for estimating the anatomical cross-sectional area (CSA) of the quadriceps, hamstrings, and total thigh muscles. Forty-three adult male (mean age +/- SD = 25 +/- 5 yr) volunteers underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the CSA of the thigh muscles at the midfemur level as well as midthigh circumference and anterior thigh skinfold assessment. Multiple regression analyses were used to derive equations for predicting quadriceps, hamstrings, and total thigh muscle CSA of the dominant limb from the anthropometric dimensions on a random sample of 30 of the subjects. Cross-validation (CV) analyses were performed for each equation on: (a) the nondominant thigh of the derivation group (N = 30); (b) the dominant thigh of the CV group (N = 13); and (c) the nondominant thigh of the CV group (N = 13). The CV total error values for the quadriceps, hamstrings, and total thigh muscle CSA ranged from 5.4 to 14.4, 3.3 to 5.5, and 10.0 to 25.4 cm2, respectively. The anthropometric equations are recommended for one-time estimates of muscle CSA values in healthy, well-nourished young adult males when more sophisticated procedures are not available.
Structural Effects on ss- and dsDNA Recognition by a β-Hairpin Peptide

FORM DEFINES FUNCTION: The effects of beta-hairpin structure on the binding affinity and selectivity for ssDNA versus dsDNA were investigated; this provided insights into the factors that contribute to the selective recognition of both ss- and dsDNA and suggested new approaches for designing biomimetic receptors. Binding studies showed that 1) folding is crucial for binding to both ss- and dsDNA, and 2) chirality affects binding for duplex but not for ssDNA.The interactions involved in the binding of a designed beta-hairpin dimer to single-stranded and duplex DNA have been explored. Previously the peptide dimer had been found to bind ssDNA with a dissociation constant of 3 micromicro through a combination of aromatic and electrostatic interactions, whereas binding to duplex DNA was primarily driven by electrostatic interactions. In this report, the effects of folding and chirality were studied to determine the factors that contribute to affinity and selectivity for ssDNA versus dsDNA. Binding studies showed that 1) folding is crucial for binding to both ss- and dsDNA, and 2) chirality affects binding for duplex DNA but not for ssDNA. Taken together, these studies reveal different modes of binding for ss- and duplex DNA, with different driving forces, but in each case peptide structure contributes significantly to binding.
Neutron elastic diffraction and its potential use in structural studies of amorphous solids

Abstract At present neutron elastic diffraction experiments can only be carried out on a triple axis spectrometer, which limits measurements to a restricted range of momentum transfer, ħQ. The use of a correlation chopper on a pulsed source allows the separation of elastically and inelastically scattered neutrons, and permits the simultaneous measurement of both the elastic and total diffraction patterns. This information can be used to study anharmonicity and directionally averaged r.m.s. thermal atomic displacements. A separation of the inelastically scattered component is also valuable in structural work on amorphous magnetic materials above the Curie temperature. In addition, elastic diffraction experiments provide a check on the corrections for static approximation distortions used in total diffraction measurements.
Fibronectin controls capillary endothelial cell growth by modulating cell shape.

An in vitro system has been developed to study the mechanism by which fibronectin (FN) regulates capillary endothelial cell growth in the presence of soluble angiogenic mitogens. Endothelial cells were cultured in chemically defined medium containing a constant, saturating amount of basic fibroblast growth factor. Formation of cell-FN contacts was then varied in a controlled fashion by three different techniques: (i) nonadhesive, bacteriological dishes were precoated with increasing densities of FN; (ii) soluble RGD peptides were used to progressively inhibit binding of cell-surface integrin receptors to adsorbed FN; and (iii) FN-coated surfaces were covered with increasingly thick layers of polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate (a nonadhesive polymer) to physically restrict cell access to FN binding sites. Endothelial cells became more extended and proliferated more rapidly as FN coating concentrations were raised from approximately 250 to approximately 10,000 FN molecules per micron 2. Computerized morphometric analysis confirmed that cell shape (projected cell areas) was determined by the density of FN contacts and that DNA synthetic levels were tightly coupled to the extent of cell spreading, regardless of the method used to perturb cell adhesion. In contrast, neither soluble FN nor cell-surface binding of FN-coated microbeads (diameter, 4.5 microns) had any effect on growth when cells were grown in suspension and cell spreading was prohibited. These results suggest that FN controls capillary endothelial cell proliferation based on its ability to support tension-dependent alterations of cell shape--i.e., both by binding to cell-surface integrins and by resisting mechanical loads that are applied to these receptors.
Investigation of the structure and 13C NMR spectrum of 5-phenylbarbituric acid

Crystals of 5-phenylbarbituric acid, 2, are monoclinic, space group C2/c. There are 8 molecules in the unit cell of dimensions a = 20.218(3), b = 7.477(1), c, = 12.443(2), β = 111.54° and V = 1749.6(4) A3. Full-matrix least-squares refinement has reached R = 0.039. This is the first barbiturate reported to exist in the enol form in the solid state. There is extensive hydrogen bonding between adjacent molecules which gives rise to very dense crystals. The 13C-nmr spectroscopy shows that 2 exists in both enol and keto forms in DMSO solution.
Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen (EBNA)-1 Carboxy-Terminal and EBNA-4 Sequence Polymorphisms in Nasal Natural Killer/T-Cell Lymphoma in the United States

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) polymorphisms were examined in 12 cases of nasal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma diagnosed in the United States (U.S.-NL) with respect to the EBV-associated nuclear antigen (EBNA)-1 carboxy (C)-terminal region and the EBNA-4 region. A single dominant EBV strain was found in all cases. EBNA-1 sequences were remarkably homogeneous, showing either a P-ala (2/12) or P-ala variant (9/12) sequence. Other EBNA-1 subtypes known to be common in U.S.-reactive samples, such as P-thr or V-leu, were not identified. The final case had a base deletion with frame shift and premature stop codon. EBNA-1 C-terminal amino acid substitutions were common at codons 499 (10/12 cases), 502 (7/12), 524 (9/12), and 528 (6/12), all previously reported “hot spots.” However, unlike previous reports of other EBV-associated neoplastic and reactive tissues, mutations were absent at residues 487 and 492. Mutations within HLA-A11–restricted immunogenic EBNA-4 epitopes 399–408 and 416–424 occurred in 3 of 12 cases but were not associated with HLA-A11 status. In summary, the exclusive finding of P-ala variant or P-ala EBNA-1 sequences in U.S.-NL cases differs from that reported in U.S.-reactive and non-U.S.-NL cases. Although the significance of this difference is not known for certain, it may be related to geographic and/or site-specific variations, rather than oncogenicity per se.
Distribution of mercury in vegetation at Almadén, Spain

An ecological survey of the distribution of mercury in vegetation was initiated in 1975 in the vicinity of the mercury mine at Almaden, Spain. Samples were collected in autumn 1975, spring 1976, autumn 1976, and spring 1977, and chemical analyses for total mercury (Σ Hg) were completed in 1979. Mean Σ Hg concentration in terrestrial plants ranged from >100 μg g−1 within 0·5 km of the mine, to 0·20 μg g−1 20 km distant from the mine. Different plant species had different concentrations of Σ Hg, but moss species usually had higher Σ Hg concentration than vascular plants. Woody plants were lower in Σ Hg concentration than forbs. Woody plants apparently accumulated Σ Hg primarily from atmospheric particulates. Traces of methylated mercury were detected in some plants. The Σ Hg concentrations in the 2483 vegetation samples reported here are much greater, even at distances of 25 km up-wind from the mine, than other reported Σ Hg values in comparable vegetation.
Effects of time dependence of multiplication process on avalanche noise

Abstract Theoretical and experimental studies of noise generated due to the randomness of the multiplication process in the avalanche region of a uniform diode are presented. The theory extends the results of McIntyre to include the time dependence of the multiplication process. It also shows the correspondence between the results of McIntyre, Gummel and Blue, Hines and Tager. The space-charge feedback and transit-time effects have been neglected in this analysis. The theoretical and the experimental results described have shown that even at frequencies well below transit-time frequency, the importance of the factor resulting from consideration of the time dependence of the multiplication process cannot be ignored. The measurements of the avalanche noise on uniform p+-n-n+ silicon diodes are found to be in good agreement with the theory presented here.
Infection of mammalian hosts by milk-borne nematode larvae: A review

Abstract Milk-borne or transmammary infection has been observed to occur in several host-parasite systems. In the order of their observation, these are Uncinaria lucasi -fur seal; Strongyloides ransomi -swine; Ancylostoma caninum -dog; Toxocara canis -dog; Strongyloides westeri -horse; Neoascaris vitulorum -cow; Strongyloides papillosus -cow and -sheep; and Toxocara cati -cst. Some of these parasites are largely dependent on milk-borne infection of neonatal animals. All have a tissue migratory phase in their life cycle. Most of these parasites also utilize other modes or combinations of modes in infecting new hosts. The potential importance of milk-borne infection as a factor in human hookworm disease is pointed out as is the need for complete assessment of this avenue of infection.
Age-related increase in phorbol myristate acetate-induced lymphocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium.

Abstract Lymphocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium is an important part of immune function. This investigation sought to detect differences between the adhesion of lymphocytes from young and aged human donors to vascular endothelium with and without treatment of the lymphocytes with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), an activator of protein kinase C (PKC) that stimulates this adhesive process. T-lymphocytes were isolated from young and aged donors and adhesion assays were conducted with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). In some cases the HUVEC were activated by pre-incubation with tumor necrosis factor, a cytokine that increases their adhesiveness, before the addition of lymphocytes in the presence or absence of PMA. The results show that, in the basal state, lymphocytes from young and aged donors had similar levels of adherence, while with PMA activation, lymphocytes from aged donors had a significantly higher level of adherence to both activated and non-activate HUVEC. No cytotoxic effect on the HUVEC was detected. These results suggest a role for lymphocytes in diseases that predominantly affect the elderly and that are thought to involve interaction between lymphocytes and endothelium. In addition, these results indicate that there may be a change in PKC function in lymphocytes with aging.
Scalable hybrid stream and hadoop network analysis system

Collections of network traces have long been used in network traffic analysis. Flow analysis can be used in network anomaly discovery, intrusion detection and more generally, discovery of actionable events on the network. The data collected during processing may be also used for prediction and avoidance of traffic congestion, network capacity planning, and the development of software-defined networking rules. As network flow rates increase and new network technologies are introduced on existing hardware platforms, many organizations find themselves either technically or financially unable to generate, collect, and/or analyze network flow data. The continued rapid growth of network trace data, requires new methods of scalable data collection and analysis. We report on our deployment of a system designed and implemented at the University of Kentucky that supports analysis of network traffic across the enterprise. Our system addresses problems of scale in existing systems, by using distributed computing methodologies, and is based on a combination of stream and batch processing techniques. In addition to collection, stream processing using Storm is utilized to enrich the data stream with ephemeral environment data. Enriched stream-data is then used for event detection and near real-time flow analysis by an in-line complex event processor. Batch processing is performed by the Hadoop MapReduce framework, from data stored in HBase BigTable storage.In benchmarks on our 10 node cluster, using actual network data, we were able to stream process over 315k flows/sec. In batch analysis were we able to process over 2.6M flows/sec with a storage compression ratio of 6.7:1.
Lead networks utilizing a saturable core memory

AUTOMATIC feedback control systems have been deeply explored and widely discussed throughout the literature. This paper will discuss special circuits which are peculiarly adaptable to such systems. In particular, if the system is of the type employing a modulated carrier signal, it is possible to nullify completely the effect of a simple time lag by inserting nonlinear circuit configurations which are presented here. The circuits are uniformly effective over a wide range of magnitudes of modulation. They are particularly useful since very little power is lost in the network and low impedance loads will not disturb their operation.
Dionisio Ridruejo's anabasis: politics and the double movement of the sea in “Elegía ante la mar”

This article focuses on the ideological trajectory of the writer and intellectual, Dionisio Ridruejo (1913–1976), often seen as an emblematic example in Spanish context of a “fascist turned liberal.” In contrast to the existing interpretations which reduce the complexity of Ridruejo's political trajectory to a debatable ideological “conversion” or to a natural and self-explanatory personal evolution, this essay argues that the inner dynamic of Ridruejo's political disillusion, the failure of his totalitarian ideals and a search for an existential and political alternative, cannot be satisfactorily explained by positing a binary opposition between liberalism and totalitarianism or a linear conception of the movement between them. The essay's argument centers on the notion of anabasis which designates the experience of being adrift and tracing a path of return through wandering. The essay elucidates the central role of elegiac poetry in working through Ridruejo's ideological impasse, following his rupture w...
Seismicity of Circum-Pacific Belt: ABSTRACT

The large features of Pacific seismicity, including association of shallow and deep earthquakes with arc structures, almost exclusively shallow earthquakes with block structures, and earthquakes at intermediate depth with volcanic belts, together with distribution in a complicated and branching pattern of narrow zones, are well known. Broad generalizations about this seismicity and its relation to geologic structures, involving specific interpretations of critical areas, have sometimes been supported by appeals to mapping on an extremely small scale, which allows confounding structures and epicenter perhaps hundreds of miles apart. The briefness of our adequate seismic history on the geologic time scale is often insufficiently considered, and conclusions drawn from present relative lack of seismicity in areas where field evidence, or even historical records, indicate greater activity in the immediate past. Distribution in depth, even within the crust, is sometimes not considered, and earthquakes are discussed with respect to surface structure as if the latter could be expected to continue vertically down without appreciable dip or other complication in three dimensions. End_of_Article - Last_Page 276------------
Epidemiologic and Clinical Features of Bell’s Palsy among Children in Northern California

Background: Bell’s palsy (BP) is an acute, idiopathic, and usually unilateral paralysis of the facial nerve. Large population-based studies of BP among children are lacking. We determined epidemiologic and clinical features of BP among children enrolled in a large integrated health care delivery system. Methods: From 2001 through 2006, all children ≤18 years of age diagnosed with BP within the population of Kaiser Permanente Northern California were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, code 351.0. All cases were adjudicated by an otolaryngologist and categorized as definite, probable, or rejected. Using chart abstraction forms, epidemiologic and clinical features of BP were determined. Results: Of a total of 977 cases initially identified, 822 (84.1%) were adjudicated as a definite or probable case. The overall incidence rate of BP during the study period was 18.8 (95% CI 17.6–20.2) per 100,000 person-years. The incidence rate increased by age and was higher in females than males across all age strata. There was no evidence for a seasonal pattern in the occurrence of BP (p for trend = 0.81). Conclusions: BP among children may be more common than previously recognized.
Statins and C‐Reactive Protein: Considering a Novel Marker of Cardiovascular Risk

Landmark intervention trials have validated the importance of lipid control in reducing the incidence of coronary ischemic events, over a range of baseline lipid levels. With the release of the third iteration of the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel guidelines, there is renewed debate about the appropriate use of pharmacologic therapies in individual patients, especially in primary prevention. Markers of low-grade inflammation may capture the inflammatory aspect of atherosclerosis and may prove to be useful clinical predictors of excess coronary risk. C-reactive protein, an acute-phase reactant protein, appears to be one such promising measurement and may have important implications for the optimal targeting of statin therapy.
Revealing the Topography of Cellular Membrane Domains by Combined Atomic Force Microscopy/Fluorescence Imaging

Simultaneous atomic force microscopy (AFM) and confocal fluorescence imaging were used to observe in aqueous buffer the three-dimensional landscape of the inner surface of membrane sheets stripped from fixed tumor mast cells. The AFM images reveal prominent, irregularly shaped raised domains that label with fluorescent markers for both resting and activated immunoglobin E receptors (FcɛRI), as well as with cholera toxin-aggregated GM1 and clathrin. The latter suggests that coated pits bud from these regions. These features are interspersed with flatter regions of membrane and are frequently surrounded and interconnected by cytoskeletal assemblies. The raised domains shrink in height by ∼50% when cholesterol is extracted with methyl-β-cyclodextrin. Based on composition, the raised domains seen by AFM correspond to the cholesterol-enriched dark patches observed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These patches were previously identified as sites of signaling and endocytosis based on their localization of activated FcɛRI, at least 10 associated signaling molecules, and the presence of clathrin-coated pits. Overall the data suggest that signaling and endocytosis occur in mast cells from raised membrane regions that depend on cholesterol for their integrity and may be organized in specific relationship with the cortical cytoskeleton.
Direct measurement of the rate of internal rotation in a formamide

0 0II / RI I N + / RI (1) R-C-N .-. (2) R-C= R2 R2 Because of the contribution of (2), the amide is a better electron donor and extractant than it might be otherwise. This formulation also implies that there is double bond character in the carbonyl to nitrogen bond. This double bond character was recognized a number of years ago when it was shown by proton magnetic resonance (PMR) spectroscopy that rotation is sufficiently slow around the carbonyl to nitrogen bond in certain disubstltuted amides to permit the observation of cls-trans isomers (~) . The kinetic quantities for this rotation were calculated from analysis of PMR signal shapes (a) . Since that time there have been a number of additional studies of this phenomenon (s) .
Pollination genetics of hybridization in sympatric populations of asclepias exaltata and a. syriaca (asclepiadaceae)

Enzyme electrophoresis of pollinia and seeds was used to identify pollinia on pollinators, interspecific pollinations, and hybrid seed production in sympatric populations of Asclepias exaltata and A. syriaca. The frequency of mixed pollinia loads on pollinators was low. Only 4.1% (N= 169 pollinia) and 8% (N= 244 pollinia) of the pollinia collected from pollinators of A. syriaca and A. exaltata, respectively, were identified as pollinia from the other species. Natural levels of interspecific pollination, 3.6% (N = 166 pollinia) on A. syriaca and 3.1% (N = 228 pollinia) on A. exaltata, were typically lower than the number of foreign pollinia carried by pollinators. Hybrid seeds were identified in only two of 208 A. syriaca fruits and one of 178 A. exaltata fruits. Hybrid seeds were largely underdeveloped in the single A. exaltata fruit. High fruit set (34.7%) and near normal seed set following hand-pollination of A. syriaca with A. exaltata pollinia suggest that hybridization is more likely between these taxa when A. syriaca is the maternal parent. Our findings indicate that the likelihood of hybridization between A. exaltata and A. syriaca is remote. Nevertheless, introgressive hybridization has been documented in these species, which suggests that hybridization remains a strong evolutionary force even for species that infrequently interbreed.
Effect of pH, ionic strength, and cupric ions on the rehardening rate of buffer-softened human enamel.

Abstract The rate of enamel rehardening was studied in mineralizing solutions adjusted to various conditions of pH and two levels of ionic strength. With solutions containing the equivalent of 3 and 6 mM calcium ( Ca P 1.67), rehardening of buffer-softened enamel was observed from pH 5.0 to 7.4. Higher pH levels gave higher rates of rehardening, but the absolute hardness recovery was greater with solutions adjusted to intermediate pH levels applied over longer periods of time. Addition of 0.15 M NaCl prevented the spontaneous precipitation of the mineralizing solutions except at high pH range, but it did not affect the rehardening rate. Treatments of softened enamel with cupric chloride solutions inhibited subsequent rehardening. This inhibition was reversed by treatment with calcium chloride solutions. Apparently enamel rehardening involves mineral deposition on an active surface of microspaces which develop inside the enamel structure during the softening procedure.
Effective moduli of high volume fraction particulate composites

Abstract Predictions using current micromechanics theories for the effective moduli of particulate-reinforced composites tend to break down at high volume fractions of the reinforcing phase. The predictions are usually well below experimentally measured values of the Young's modulus for volume fractions exceeding about 0.6. In this paper, the concept of contiguity, which is a measure of phase continuity, is applied to Mori—Tanaka micromechanics theory. It is shown that contiguity of the second phase increases with volume fraction, leading eventually to a reversal in the roles of the inclusion and matrix. In powder metallurgy practice, it is well known that at high volume fractions, sintering and consolidation of the reinforcement make it increasingly continuous and more like the matrix phase, while the former matrix tends to become more like the inclusion phase. The concept of contiguity applied to micromechanics theory results in very good agreement between the predicted Young's modulus and experimental data on tungsten carbide particulate-reinforced cobalt.
Treatment Options and Allograft Use in Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty : The Acetabulum

One of the most challenging aspects of revision total hip arthroplasty is management of bone loss. The acetabulum is particularly difficult, with its complex morphology and proximity to major neurovascular structures. We present a reliable classification system of pelvic and acetabular bone loss based on preoperative radiographs, and this classification system directs treatment of bone loss. The type and application of allograft bone required for the reconstruction will be reviewed for each level of bone loss. Good ability to prognosticate each level of treatment is available from follow-up studies based on survival. We know of no other scientifically developed and validated classification of pelvic bone loss that predicts the likely success of the applied treatment.
Excess spontaneous emission in variable-reflectivity-mirror lasers

The so-called excess spontaneous emission factors, or excess noise factors, for the lowest and highest order transverse modes in geometrically stable and unstable laser cavities having Gaussian variable-reflectivity mirrors are calculated. These factors determine both the Schawlow-Townes linewidths or quantum noise fluctuations in laser oscillators and the initial noise levels from which oscillation buildup starts in regenerative laser cavities. The excess emission factor for the lowest order Gaussian mode is found to be near unity for geometrically stable resonators, rises to a value very close to 2 at the stable-unstable boundary (planar-mirror case), and becomes substantially larger than unity for cavities having geometrically unstable optics. Excess emission factors as large as 10-100 times and larger are obtained in cavities having geometric magnifications of order 1.5-2 and aperture Fresnel numbers of a few times unity, increasing quadratically for higher values of the Fresnel number or the square of the magnification. Higher order modes have even larger excess noise factors. >
Cyclic Cushing's disease with misleading inferior petrosal sinus sampling results during a trough phase

Diagnosing Cushing's syndrome is challenging and is further hampered when investigations are performed in a patient with cyclic Cushing's syndrome. A subset of patients with Cushing's syndrome exhibit periods of abnormal cortisol secretion with interspersed normal secretion. Patients can have periods of clinical improvement during these quiescent phases or remain symptomatic. Initial diagnostic testing can be challenging because of the unpredictable durations of the peak and trough phases, and it is especially challenging when the diagnosis of cyclic Cushing's syndrome has not yet been determined. Here, the authors present the case of a patient with Cushing's disease with a pathology-proven adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenoma and whose initial inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) results were deemed indeterminate; further studies elucidated the diagnosis of cyclic Cushing's syndrome. Repeat IPSS was diagnostic of a central source for ACTH secretion, and the patient was treated successfully with transsphenoidal resection. Literature concerning the diagnosis and management of cyclic Cushing's syndrome is also reviewed.
Differential ontogenesis of thermal and mechanical antinociception induced by morphine and β-endorphin

Abstract The antinociceptive effects induced by β-endorphin and morphine given supraspinally have been previously demonstrated to be mediated by the activation of different neural mechanisms. The present experiments were to examine the effects of intraventricular administration of β-endorphin and morphine in mechanical paw-withdrawal and thermal tail-flick nociceptive tests in rats of 2–28 days of age. 2–4-day-old neonates were not responsive to i.c.v. injection of β-endorphin or morphine for the inhibition of the tail-flick response. The thermal antinociceptive responses induced by β-endorphin and morphine started to develop in 7–14-day-old rats and continued to increase at 21–28 days. The inhibition of the mechanical paw-withdrawal response to β-endorphin was already present in 2-day-old rats and morphine in 4-day-old rats. The mechanical antinociception progressively increased and reached a plateau at 7 days of age for β-endorphin and 28 days of age for morphine. β-Endorphin was found to be more efficacious than morphine in producing mechanical antinociception. The results demonstrate that β-endorphin- and morphine-induced antinociception to mechanical and thermal stimuli develops differently and are consistent with the hypothesis that two descending pain inhibitory systems activated by β-endorphin and morphine are differentially developed.
A model of Frame and Verb Compliance in language acquisition

Researchers studying word learning have discovered that the syntactic frame in which a word appears plays an important role in the interpretation of the word, and this importance diminishes gradually with increasing age. Interpretation of sentences based on the frame and the verb is known as Frame and Verb Compliance, respectively. Here, a connectionist model is presented that explains this shift from Frame of Verb Compliance in terms of competition between two cues-the frame and the verb-that predict causality. The model learns a miniature language by associating sentences with the corresponding ''scenes''. The most frequent cues, the frames, are learned first, resulting in frame compliance in the initial phase of learning. As the learning progresses, the less frequent but more powerful cues, the verbs, are learned and prevail over the frames resulting in verb compliance. It is argued that these phenomena can be attributed to the interaction between properties of the input and the learning mechanism, and it is not necessary to invoke specialized principles.
Functional Analysis of Combinatorial Mutants Altered in a Conserved Region in Loop E of the CP47 Protein in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Regions in the large lumenally exposed region (loop E) of CP47 affect properties of the water-splitting system in photosystem II (PS II). To investigate the role of these regions, we developed a method for functional complementation of obligate photoheterotrophic mutants carrying a deletion in one such region. Using an obligate photoheterotrophic mutant that carries a short deletion (Δ(D440-P447)) in loop E of CP47, completely degenerate sequences of eight codons in length were introduced at the site of the deletion. Transformants that were complemented to photoautotrophic growth were selected, and 20 such mutants were studied. Sequence analysis revealed that, as expected, in each of them CP47 had been restored to its wild-type length. However, none of the amino acid residues in the deleted region were found to be critical for function. A negatively charged residue at position 440 and a positively charged one at position 444 were favored but not required. Photoautotrophic growth of mutants obtained varied...
A Homogeneous Model for Reactant Conversions in a Vertical Pneumatic Transport Reactor for Catalytic Reactions

Abstract A homogeneous model which takes into consideration the hydrodynamic properties and catalyst deactivation is developed to account for the gas conversion in a vertical pneumatic transport reactor for catalytic reactions. The model also takes into consideration the entrance effect in the reactor. When the particle diameter is as small as 40 μm, the numerical simulation based on the model indicates that, over the wide range of particle densities considered, the increase in the particle density increases the void fraction and decreases the linear particle velocity and gas conversion. Comparisons are made between the present model and the simplified model, which assumes that the slip velocity is equal to the particle terminal velocity and that there is no entrance effect in the reactor. The results of the variation of the reactant conversion with the superficial gas velocity as a function of the solid flowrate show that the differences between these two models are significant.
Computer Music and the Post-Modern: A Case of Schizophrenia

Music has often held a privileged position in the pantheon of the arts. Indeed, in his Republic (1968), Plato included music with arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and rhetoric in the core education of the "golden character," the rulers of the ideal city. "The rearing in music is sovereign because the man properly reared on rhythm and harmony has the sharpest sense for what has been left out and what is not a fine product of craft or what is not a fine product of nature" (p. 527). At the same time, he held literature and writing in contempt because they were "twice removed from the truth" (p. 597). During the Enlightenment some 20 centuries later, Jean-Jacques Rousseau also placed music at the origin of language in his Essay on the Origin of Languages (1967), when he postulated that the voice singing a melody must have been the first human expression, which was later transformed into spoken language. "As soon as vocal signs strike your ear, they announce to you a being like yourself. They are, so to speak the organ of the soul" (pp. 63-64). Thus, in our culture, music exudes an aura of purity and sanctity. It has been heard as a "Supreme Being's" voice, rarely open to criticism or revision.
Angular momentum drain - A mechanism for despinning asteroids

The new mechanism of angular momentum drain is proposed to account for the relatively slow rotation rates of intermediate-sized asteroids. Impact ejecta on a spinning body preferentially escape in the direction of rotation, systematically draining away spin angular momentum and leading to the counterintuitive result that collisions can reduce the spin of midsized objects. The existing theory of asteroid rotation is reviewed, and the escape of ejecta from hypervelocity impacts on bodies of different sizes and physical properties is described. The effect of this mass loss on asteroidal rotation is calculated and shown to be a significant brake on the spins of intermediate-sized asteroids. Finally, this new process is incorporated in a revised theory of collisional evolution, its predictions are compared with observational data, and its applications are discussed.
Fourier transform infrared identification of the ν5(σu) fundamental of SiC5Si

The Fourier transform infrared spectrum of SiC5Si was observed by trapping the vapor from the Nd:YAG laser ablation of sintered Si/C rods in solid Ar at ∼20 K. Measurements of 13C and 29,30Si isotopic shifts have enabled the identification of the ν5(σu) vibrational fundamental of the linear isomer of SiC5Si at 1590.8 ± 0.2 cm−1. The results are in excellent agreement with the predictions of density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/cc-pVDZ level. A second fundamental, ν4(σu), can only be tentatively identified at 2021.0 cm−1, because its isotopic shifts are overlapped by absorptions from other species.
Cardiopulmonary monitoring Right ventricular function.

The importance of the cardiopulmonary monitoring, particularly the right ventricular function, in patients who are suffering from COPD, pulmonary heart disease, mitral and/or aortic valve disease and coronary artery disease with emphasis on the basic consideration of the right ventricular performance characteristics are discussed. The indications, risks and complications related to the cardiopulmonary monitoring are also presented.
The ontogeny and evolution of human collaboration

How is the human tendency and ability to collaborate acquired and how did it evolve? This paper explores the ontogeny and evolution of human collaboration using a combination of theoretical and empirical resources. We present a game theoretic model of the evolution of learning in the Stag Hunt game, which predicts the evolution of a built-in cooperative bias. We then survey recent empirical results on the ontogeny of collaboration in humans, which suggest the ability to collaborate is developmentally stable across a range of environments. Lastly, we use an account of innateness developed by Ariew (Philos Sci 63:S19–S27, 1996) and Sober (Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. Routledge, London, pp 794–797, 1998) to assess the extent that (1) the model predicts the fixation of innate collaboration and (2) the empirical studies show a human’s ability to collaborate to be innate.