cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cold cardioplegic arrest enhances heat shock protein 70 in the heat-shocked rat heart

Abstract Background: Myocardial content of the 70-kd heat shock protein has been found to correlate with improved cardiac recovery after ischemia, but the mechanisms and conditions that regulate its level, particularly under clinical conditions, are unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of hypothermic cardioplegic arrest and reperfusion on the expression of 70-kd heat shock protein in a protocol mimicking conditions of preservation for cardiac transplantation. Methods: Heat-shocked and control hearts were subjected to 4 hours of cardioplegic arrest and global ischemia at 4°C and then to 20 minutes of reperfusion. Hearts were freeze clamped at different time points—after 15 minutes of Langendorff perfusion, at the end of ischemia, and after 20 minutes of reperfusion, and analyzed for heat shock protein 70 content by Western blotting. Another set of hearts was subjected to 10 minutes of normothermic ischemia and 20 minutes of reperfusion followed by freeze clamping and analysis of heat shock protein 70 content as in cardioplegic arrest protocol. Cardiac function was measured by means of a left ventricular balloon at the end of reperfusion. Results: Preischemic concentration of 70-kd heat shock protein was increased in heat-shocked hearts compared with control hearts. The content of 70-kd heat shock protein in heat-shocked hearts was further increased from 5.0 ± 2.4 ng/μg at the end of ischemia to 11.0 ± 4.9 ng/μg (n = 8, mean ± SD; P P =.037) after cardioplegic arrest. By contrast, after normothermic ischemia, maximum developed pressure was 111.2 ± 10.9 mm Hg in control hearts compared with 139.2 ± 11.0 mm Hg in heat-shocked hearts (n = 4, mean ± SD; P =.031). Conclusion: Hypothermic cardioplegic arrest but not short normothermic ischemia triggered a further increase in the level of 70-kd heat shock protein in heat-shocked rat hearts, which may enhance endogenous cardiac protection. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;121:1130-6)
LONG-TERM CARE OF THE LIVER TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT

GENERAL PREVENTIVE MEDICINE Liver transplant recipients are generally highly motivated individuals, compliant with medical follow-up and prescribed therapeutic drugs. Visits to the physician’s office every 2 to 3 months provide a good opportunity to implement preventive medicine measures, including monitoring of arterial blood pressure, body weight, and early evaluation of new complaints. Regular determination of complete blood count, electrolytes, creatinine, glucose, liver blood biochemical tests, and immunosuppressive drug levels should be arranged so that results are forwarded to the transplant center. Liver recipients require immunization updates, management of obesity, screening for malignancies, evaluation and management of risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and counseling on risky behaviors and on appropriate use of prophylactic antibiotics. The existence of a liver allograft and immunosuppressive therapy require special considerations during the implementation of these general preventive health measures.
Asymptotic granulometric mixing theorem : Morphological estimation of sizing parameters and mixture proportions

Abstract If a random set (binary image) is composed of randomly sized, disjoint translates arising as homothetics of a finite number of compact primitives and a granulometry is generated by a convex, compact set, then the granulometric moments of the random set can be expressed in terms of the granulometric moments of the generating primitives, their areas, and the radii of the homethetics. Moreover, if there is only a single generating primitive, then the granulometric moments of the random set are asymptotically normal relative to an increasing number of grains (translates) and methods exist to express their asymptotic moments. The present paper extends the asymptotic theory to multiple-primitive images. The extension is significant in two regards. First, the single-primitive asymptotic theory was based on the classical moment theory of Cramer; the new theory uses an approach based on analytic decomposition on the granulometric moments. Second, not only does the new theory demonstrate asymptotic normality, but it also permits method-of-moment estimation of the parameters of the distributions governing grain sizes and mixture proportions among grain types. In the present setting, granulometric method-of-moment estimation is based on asymptotic representation of expectations of granulometric moments in terms of grain-sizing model parameters, mixture proportions, and geometric constants. Method-of-moment estimation for sizing parameters and mixture proportions is achieved by replacing granulometric-moment expectations with moment estimations from image realizations and then solving the resulting system of equations for the model parameters. The theory is applied to both normal and gamma sizing distributions.
The Role of Nonlinear Alfvén Waves in Shear Formation during Solar Magnetic Flux Emergence

Observations show that magnetic flux is constantly emerging at the solar photosphere to expand into the corona. Magnetic buoyancy is essential in bringing the magnetic field from the solar interior to the surface and beyond. In the simulations of buoyancy instabilities reported here, it has been discovered that nonlinear Alfven waves may play an important and dramatic role in the rise of magnetic flux. For initial states, our two-and-a-half-dimensional (2.5D), time-dependent simulations capitalize on the availability of a family of two-dimensional (2D) analytical solutions of isothermal magnetostatic atmospheres threaded by a layer of sheared undulating magnetic field. The magnetic field supports the weight of the atmosphere in an unstable configuration that sets the stage for the demonstration of magnetic flux emergence in a stratified atmosphere. When the system is perturbed, magnetic loops buoyantly rise from the flux layer and shearing motions are found to naturally arise in conjunction with mixed-mode (interchange and undulating) instabilities. The shearing motions take the form of large-amplitude shear Alfven waves that are driven by a component of the magnetic tension force pointing in the invariant direction. The waves are significant in that they transport magnetic flux from the shear layer into the ascending magnetic loops, causing them to become greatly inflated. The presence of such shear Alfven waves in magnetic loops rising through the photosphere provides an explanation for the impulsive shearing motions observed in newly emerged bipolar active regions.
Distribution and partial characterization of CREB-like immunoreactivity in the medicinal leech Hirudo.

The presence and distribution of immunoreactivity to the cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) were determined in the central nervous system (CNS) and in peripheral tissues of the medicinal leech Hirudo. Western blots revealed several CREB-immunoreactive (CREB-IR) bands including one whose molecular weight (43–44 kDa) was similar to mammalian CREB. The 43–44 kDa CREB-like protein was detected in nuclear extracts of the ventral nerve cord and was not observed following preincubation of the primary antiserum with the epitope sequence. CREB-like immunoreactivity was detected in extracts from each of six regions of the leech CNS, and in extracts from leech body wall musculature, crop, intestine, jaw musculature, pharynx, and salivary tissues. Whole mounts of leech ganglia revealed specific CREB-IR in a restricted population of neurons distributed throughout the leech CNS. Apparent homologues to a pair of CREB-IR dorsolateral neurons were observed in most ganglia along the ventral nerve cord. Several CREB-IR neurons exhibited segmental specificity. A number of neurons stained with an antiserum to the cyclic AMP response element modulator (CREM). These neurons showed no overlap in location with CREB-IR neurons, and this staining was not eliminated with a preabsorption control. Possible roles for a CREB-like protein in the leech are discussed.
Machine tool positioning error compensation using artificial neural networks

This paper is a study of the application of artificial neural networks to the problem of calculating error compensation values for axis positioning on a machine tool. The primary focus is on the development of a neural network-based system that could be implemented and integrated into the open architecture control system of an actual machine. A number of neural network architectures were examined for applicability to the problem and one was selected and implemented on the actual machine. Positioning error compensation capabilities were evaluated using industry standard equipment and procedures, and the results obtained were compared with the capabilities of standard error compensation routines in machine tool controls.
Cytogenetic findings in a case of pediatric glioblastoma.

We report a patient with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) which showed stable and unstable telomeric associations involving the short arms of chromosomes 4 and 7. The karyotype was hyperdiploid, with chromosome numbers ranging from 84 to 87 in all cells, and showed a single stemline with variations in the number of marker chromosomes, teleomeric associations, and double minutes (dmin). The karyotype designation is 83-86,XX,-X,rea(X),-4,tas(4;7)(p16;?p22),der(6)t(6;?)(p21;?), -8, -9, der(9)t(9;?)(?p11;?), dup(9)(p12p23), -10 x 2, del(10)(p11), -11,del(11)(p11), -12, der(12)t(12;?) (p13;?),-13, -14 x 2,der(14)t(14;?) (p11;?), -16 x 2, -19, -21 x 2, -22 x 2, + 9-13mar, + dmin. Loss of the short arm of chromosome 10, structural aberrations of the short arm of chromosome 9, and dmin are consistent findings in GBM, whereas the high chromosome number is less common. Chromosome instability associated with the phenomenon of telomeric association/fusion has not been reported in GBM.
Absolute visual sensitivity of the goldfish

Abstract Absolute visual threshold was measured in dark-adapted goldfish, using classical conditioning of heart and respiration rates. For threshold detection of a 132° diameter stimulus near the peak of the rod pigment's sensitivity, only 1 quantum was incident for every 2000–4000 rods, and 400–830 photoisomerizations were needed for vision. Spectral sensitivity was also determined at absolute threshold, sing respiration rate conditioning. The shape of the function matches the electrophysiologically determined spectral sensitivity of goldfish retinal ganglion cells, but both curves are relatively more sensitive in the long wavelengths than would be predicted on the basis of the rod pigment alone. A dim 703 nm background depressed sensitivity to a 636 nm test light more than to a 532 nm test, proving that another class of photoreceptors is active at absolute threshold. If the other receptors were the red cones, as seems most likely, then only 1 quantum was incident per 220 red cones at their absolute threshold, and photoisomerizations occurred in each of 164 red cones at threshold.
Relative potencies of purified mammalian gonadotropins on the uptake of radiophosphorus by chick testes.

Abstract Tests with highly purified ovine FSH and LH confirm that the assay based on the uptake of 32P by the testes of day-old chicks does not discriminate between these two hormones. The two gonadotropins are approximately equipotent, and little, if any, synergism is evident between them. The relative potency of highly purified LH(2.7 × NIH-LH-S16) in the chick is in excellent agreement with potency estimates for the same preparation in mammalian bioassay. However, the relative potency of purified FSH in the chick (11 × NIH-FSH-S9) is only about 20% that observed in mammalian bioassay.
The Fundamental Group of the Complement of a Union of Complex Hyperplanes

Let M be the complement of the union of n linear subspaces Vii of ~ , and let N be the quotient space of M by the t topf action of C * = C t -{0} on M. In this paper we determine nl(M ) and hi(N). If q~t,...,~p, are linear forms determining V 1 .. . . , V,, then N is just the complement of the projective variety W = { f = c p i . . .~p ,=0}=IW -1. Furthermore, the Milnor fiber F = { f = I } = C g is a cyclic n-fold cover of N, and we also determine nt(F ). Such spaces and groups are of interest in several areas of mathematics, including algebraic geometry, Lie algebras, combinatorics, and topology. In 1929 Zariski showed [-9] that if the V~ were planes in ~3 in general position, then ~I(N) is abelian. (We note that H~(M) or H I ( N ) is easily computed by duality, so that this determines ~(N). ) This was then used to show that if C c I P 2 is a curve which degenerates to such a configuration, then ~1(IP2-C) is abelian as well. Much more recently Arnold [1], Brieskorn [2], and Deligne [5] considered the situation in which G is a finite group acting by reflections on IR ~ (e.g. the Weyl group acting on a Lie algebra.) By complexification one gets the above situation, with the V~ just the reflecting hyperplanes. In this case it was shown that M is a K(n, I) where ~=~zl(M) is a "generalized colored braid group". In the case that the Lie group is At_I so that the Weyl group is the symmetric group S(l), one has an exact sequence
A hybrid silicon carbide differential amplifier for 350 degrees C operation

An operational amplifier has been designed, fabricated, and tested at 350 degrees C using silicon carbide MESFET pairs and thick-film hybrid technology. The amplifier was successfully tested over the temperature range of 25-350 degrees C. The gain of the amplifier was greater than 60 dB, the common-mode rejection ratio was greater than 55 dB, and the offset voltage varied from 139 to 159 mV over the entire temperature range. The results demonstrate the feasibility of high-temperature circuit design and assembly using this approach. >
First Images from HERO: A Hard-X-Ray Focusing Telescope

We are developing a balloon-borne hard-x-ray telescope that utilizes grazing incidence optics. Termed HERO, for High-Energy Replicated Optics, the instrument will provide unprecented sensitivity in the hard-x-ray region and will achieve milliCrab-level sensitivity in a typical 3-hour balloon-flight observation and 50 microCrab sensitivity on ultra-long-duration flights. A recent proof-of-concept flight, featuring a small number of mirror shells captured the first focused hard-x-ray images of galactic x-ray sources. Full details of the payload, its expected future performance and its recent measurements are provided.
Tax impact in corporate social responsibility decisions and reporting

Abstract Tax effects of corporate social responsibility decisions should be incorporated into the various approaches for performing social audits or accounting for social performance. This paper identifies some special U.S. tax provisions which encourage corporate participations in social responsibilities. The Linowes' socio-economic accounting model is revised to show tax costs.
Long-Range Multichain Adsorption of Polyampholytes on a Charged Surface

We develop a theory of the adsorption of many polyampholyte chains on a charged surface. The adsorption is due to the polarization of polyampholyte chains in the external electric field created by the charged surface. The equilibrium polymer density profile is determined by balancing the long-range polarization-induced attraction of polyampholytes to the charged surface and the three-body repulsion between monomers in a i-solvent for the polymer backbone (or the two-body repulsion in a good solvent). We demonstrate that the long-range nature of polyampholyte adsorption can lead to an adsorbed layer much thicker than the size of individual chains. Adsorbed polyampholytes that do not touch the surface form a multibrush of stretched chains. The chains that touch the surface form a self-similar stretched pseudobrush. Polyampholyte chains carrying the net charge of the same sign as that of the surface can also adsorb. In this case, the adsorption stops at that distance from the surface where the electrostatic repulsion between polyampholytes and a similarly charged surface becomes stronger than the polarization- induced attraction. The thickness of the adsorbed layer and the surface coverage decrease with increasing net charge on polyampholytes. The effect of added salt on polyampholyte adsorption is also discussed.
Enhanced Sand Filtration for Storm Water Phosphorus Removal

Batch studies with an initial phosphorus concentration typical of storm water were conducted at the University of Minnesota on C 33 sand, calcareous sand, limestone, three blast oxygen furnace BOF by-products, aluminum oxide, and chopped granular steel wool for the removal of dissolved phosphorus from synthetic storm water runoff. Based on the findings of these batch studies, sand filtration enhanced with steel wool, calcareous sand, or limestone has the potential to be a practical and cost-effective method of removing dissolved phosphorus from storm water runoff. Column studies are then performed on four enhancements with C 33 sand filtration: calcareous sand, limestone, chopped granular steel wool, and steel wool fabric. Synthetic storm water runoff with a variable dissolved phosphorus concentration passed through the columns while the flow rate was measured and effluent samples were taken and analyzed for total and dissolved phosphorus concentration and pH. As found in the batch studies, C 33 sand retained dissolved phosphorus but the capacity was quickly exhausted. Combinations of C 33 sand with limestone or calcareous sand clogged the columns and prevented them from draining completely. Steel wool, however, significantly increased the duration and level of phosphorus retention as compared to C 33 sand alone and did not clog the columns. Between 34 and 81% of the dissolved phosphorus was retained by the six steel-enhanced columns. Fine oxidized iron particles observed in the effluent are too small to be completely captured by typical geotextile fabric and may compromise phosphorus removal performance, but phosphorus adsorbed to iron oxide will be of limited bioavailability. Steel-enhanced sand filtration is modeled with contact time, total mass of phosphorus retained, and influent concentration as variables. Enhancing sand filtration systems with steel wool fabric would minimally increase installation costs and would increase the material cost by 3-5%. Based on these findings, steel-enhanced sand filtration is a potentially cost-effective treatment for removing dissolved phosphorus from storm water runoff.
Crystal structures of the wild type and the Glu376Gly/Thr255Glu mutant of human medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase: influence of the location of the catalytic base on substrate specificity.

Crystal structures of the wild type human medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCADH) and a double mutant in which its active center base-arrangement has been altered to that of long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCADH), Glu376Gly/Thr255Glu, have been determined by X-ray crystallography at 2.75 and 2.4 A resolution, respectively. The catalytic base responsible for the α-proton abstraction from the thioester substrate is Glu376 in MCADH, while that in LCADH is Glu255 (MCADH numbering), located over 100 residues away in its primary amino acid sequence. The structures of the mutant complexed with C8-, C12, and C14-CoA have also been determined. The human enzyme structure is essentially the same as that of the pig enzyme. The structure of the mutant is unchanged upon ligand binding except for the conformations of a few side chains in the active site cavity. The substrate with chain length longer than C12 binds to the enzyme in multiple conformations at its ω-end. Glu255 has two conformations, “active” and “re...
Stochastic perturbation of solitons for Alfven waves in plasmas

Abstract The stochastic perturbation of solitons due to Alfven waves in plasmas, is studied in this paper, in addition to the deterministic perturbation terms. The Langevin equations are derived and it is proved that the soliton travels through the plasma with a fixed mean velocity.
Alleviating Library Anxiety

As we librarians work to make our services more user-centered, to put forward our best and most approachable faces in order to meet user needs, we are still met with students who approach us hesita...
Characterization of a persistent lunar surface science network using on-orbit beamed power

A persistent distributed lunar surface sensor network will help to build greater insight into the lunar environment than ever before. The challenge facing such a network lies in providing power to its nodes for the long lunar night. Additionally, a complete lunar science network will require at least one orbiter to serve as a communication relay to farside sites. Current concepts involve either solar-electric nodes with batteries sized to last through the night or radioisotope thermal generators. The former has a problem with mass and the latter a problem with availability of fuel and cost. This paper presents a concept that utilizes solar-electric landers that have reduced battery capacity, and push the nighttime energy collection requirements up to orbiters. These orbiters transmit the energy to the nightside stations via collimated light, which is collected by the photovoltaic cells on the lander. This paper discusses the design trades associated with such a concept, and enumerates some of the tightly coupled decisions that exist between orbiter and lander.12
Unsavory choices: The high sodium density of U.S. chain restaurant foods

Abstract The restaurant industry is a major component of the food environment, but the sodium density (mg sodium per 1000 kcal) of menu offerings is not well documented. This cross-sectional study reports on the sodium density of 30,073 menu items from 237 unique U.S. chain restaurant brands in 2010. Sodium density was evaluated with descriptive statistics and stratified by restaurant characteristics and menu type (regular or children's). Sodium density varies substantially based on restaurant type, cuisine, and item type. Sodium density is very high overall, an average of 2196 mg sodium/1000 kcal across all regular menu items and 1865 across all children's menu items. A tremendous gap exists between the sodium density of most restaurant foods and what consumers must eat to stay within recommended daily limits. The restaurant industry must reduce the default amount of salt used in order to help our taste buds readjust to healthier sodium levels.
Antiinflammatory β-benzeneethanamines. III

Abstract A limited series of β-benzeneethanamines (I) was synthesized and evaluated to determine their antiinflammatory activity, and their ability to inhibit rat polymorphonuclear cell phospholipase-A2, ovine seminal vesicle prostaglandin synthetase, and rat basophilic leukemia cell 5-lipoxygenase.
Evaluation of rural volunteer driver transportation systems in Wisconsin

Abstract The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential for volunteer driver systems in rural areas. Volunteer driver systems in which volunteers are reimbursed for mileage are hypothesized to be a cost-effective means of providing high quality, specialized transportation in rural areas. The reasons for the growth of volunteer driver systems are outlined in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. Volunteer driver systems are used extensively in Wisconsin to provide specialized transportation service for the elderly and handicapped. The potential for expanding these systems exists as the result of a new state operating assistance program. Two well-developed volunteer driver systems which serve rural areas in Wisconsin are analyzed and compared with paid driver systems using vans. Models are developed to compare the costs of volunteer driver and van systems. The analysis shows that volunteer driver systems provide high quality door-through-door service with lower costs per trip than all but the most productive van systems. With professional direction problems of volunteer recruitment and retention, volunteer reliability, and driver safety can be minimized. Insurance is a problem but has not severly restricted the growth of volunteer systems in Wisconsin. Volunteer systems can best serve high priority trips. Van systems are better when extensive grouping of rides is possible. Finally, implications of the results for federal operating assistance are discussed.
IDENTIFYING REUSABLE SOFTWARE COMPONENTS BY INDUCTION

The goal of the Partial Metrics Project is the automatic acquisition of planning knowledge from target code modules in a program library. In the current prototype the system is given a target code module written in Ada as input, and the result is a sequence of generalized transformations that can be used to design a class of related modules. This is accomplished by embedding techniques from Artificial Intelligence into the traditional structure of a compiler. The compiler performs compilation in reverse, starting with detailed code and producing an abstract description of it. The principal task facing the compiler is to find a decomposition of the target code into a collection of syntactic components that are nearly decomposable. Here, nearly decomposable corresponds to the need for each code segment to be nearly independent syntactically from the others. The most independent segments are then the target of the code generalization process. This process can be described as a form of chunking and is implemented here in terms of explanation-based learning. The problem of producing nearly decomposable code components becomes difficult when target code module is not well structured. The task facing users of the system is to be able to identify well-structured code modules from a library of modules that are suitable for input to the system. In this paper we describe the use of inductive learning techniques, namely variations on Quinlan's ID3 system that are capable of producing a decision tree that can be used to conceptually distinguish between well poorly structured code. In order to accomplish that task a set of high-level concepts used by software engineers to characterize structurally understandable code were identified. Next, each of these concepts was operationalized in terms of code complexity metrics that can be easily calculated during the compilation process. These metrics are related to various aspects of the program structure including its coupling, cohesion, data structure, control structure, and documentation. Each candidate module was then described in terms of a collection of such metrics. Using a training set of positive and negative examples of well-structured modules, each described in terms of the appointed metrics, a decision tree was produced that was used to recognize other well-structured modules in terms of their metric properties. This approach was applied to modules from existing software libraries in a variety of domains such as database, editor, graphic, window, data processing, FFT and computer vision software. The results achieved by the system were then benchmarked against the performance of experienced programmers in terms of recognizing well structured code. In a test case involving 120 modules, the system was able to discriminate between poor and well-structured code 99% of the time as compared to an 80% average for the 52 programmers sampled. The results suggest that such an inductive system can serve as a practical mechanism for effectively identifying reusable code modules in terms of their structural properties.
Critical evaluation of the indentation data analyses methods for the extraction of isotropic uniaxial mechanical properties using finite element models

Abstract Two different definitions of indentation strain and two different definitions of contact radius are being used in the current literature, leading to inconsistent estimates of mechanical properties (especially plastic properties). In this paper, we critically evaluate the validity of the different definitions of both the indentation strain and the contact radius by applying the protocols on datasets generated from a finite element simulation of spherical indentation. The finite element models allow assignment of a wide range of elastic–plastic properties to the sample while circumventing many of the uncertainties faced in experimental investigations, and thereby offer unique opportunities for critical validation of the different data analysis procedures. In particular, we are able to establish important connections between the indentation stress–strain curves and the conventional uniaxial stress–strain curves.
Another Sternberg “Fish-within-a-Fish” Discovery: First Report of Ichthyodectes ctenodon (Teleostei; Ichthyodectiformes) with Stomach Contents

George F. Sternberg is well remembered for collecting the famous “Fish-within-a-fish” specimen, a 2 m Gillicus preserved inside a 4 m Xiphactinus specimen, from the Late Cretaceous Smoky Hill Chalk of Gove County, Kansas in 1952. Another, much earlier collected “fish-within-a-fish” specimen was rediscovered recently in storage at Park University, Parkville, Missouri. It was collected by G.F. Sternberg's father, Charles H. Sternberg, who sold it and other specimens to the university from his laboratory in Lawrence, Kansas. A letter dated March 24, 1919 accompanying the materials confirmed that the sale occurred just prior to the elder Sternberg moving to his retirement in California. Most importantly, this specimen is the only known example of Ichthyodectes ctenodon Cope 1870 with stomach contents. Although most of the prey fish was lost due to erosion prior to discovery, it has been tentatively identified as Enchodus petrosus from the characteristics of the caudal fin, vertebrae, and overall size. Due to ...
Rod phosphodiesterase-6 PDE6A and PDE6B Subunits Are Enzymatically Equivalent

Phosphodiesterase-6 (PDE6) is the key effector enzyme of the phototransduction cascade in rods and cones. The catalytic core of rod PDE6 is a unique heterodimer of PDE6A and PDE6B catalytic subunits. The functional significance of rod PDE6 heterodimerization and conserved differences between PDE6AB and cone PDE6C and the individual properties of PDE6A and PDE6B are unknown. To address these outstanding questions, we expressed chimeric homodimeric enzymes, enhanced GFP (EGFP)-PDE6C-A and EGFP-PDE6C-B, containing the PDE6A and PDE6B catalytic domains, respectively, in transgenic Xenopus laevis. Similar to EGFP-PDE6C, EGFP-PDE6C-A and EGFP-PDE6C-B were targeted to the rod outer segments and concentrated at the disc rims. PDE6C, PDE6C-A, and PDE6C-B were isolated following selective immunoprecipitation of the EGFP fusion proteins. All three enzymes, PDE6C, PDE6C-A, and PDE6C-B, hydrolyzed cGMP with similar Km (20–23 μm) and kcat (4200–5100 s−1) values. Likewise, the Ki values for PDE6C, PDE6C-A, and PDE6C-B inhibition by the cone- and rod-specific PDE6 γ-subunits (Pγ) were comparable. Recombinant cone transducin-α (Gαt2) and native rod Gαt1 fully and potently activated PDE6C, PDE6C-A, and PDE6C-B. In contrast, the half-maximal activation of bovine rod PDE6 required markedly higher concentrations of Gαt2 or Gαt1. Our results suggest that PDE6A and PDE6B are enzymatically equivalent. Furthermore, PDE6A and PDE6B are similar to PDE6C with respect to catalytic properties and the interaction with Pγ but differ in the interaction with transducin. This study significantly limits the range of mechanisms by which conserved differences between PDE6A, PDE6B, and PDE6C may contribute to remarkable differences in rod and cone physiology.
Effect of Selected Sodium and Potassium Salts on the Quality of Cooked, Dark-Meat Turkey Patties

Abstract Patties made with ground, dark turkey meat and various combinations of salts and water were cooked from various states: fresh; frozen then thawed; and frozen. The patties were evaluated for several quality characteristics. The formulation affected drip loss (for the uncooked, frozen and thawed patties), nonevaporative cooking loss, yield, and fat. The storage condition affected yield and expressible moisture. There was a storage-condition-by-formulation interaction in terms of the nonevaporative cooking loss. The fresh, cooked formulations with water and alkaline tripolyphosphates were rated similarly, and lower, than seven others. The frozen-and-cooked formulations containing only polyphosphates or water were rated lower than five others.
Licking one saccharin solution for access to another in rats: Contingent and noncontingent effects in instrumental performance

Separation of the contingent and noncontingent effects of a schedule on amount of instrumental responding is desirable but difficult in schedules that involve instrumental and contingent responses that are either highly probable or very similar. Three studies in which rats were required to lick a solution of .1% saccharin for access to a preferred solution of .4% saccharin showed that neither single nor paired operant baselines of the instrumental response allowed accurate separation of the contingent and noncontingent effects of a fixed-ratio schedule. Two within-subject yoking procedures provided the best baselines of noncontingent effects: the massed baseline measured amount of .1% licking when each subject received free access to the total amount of .4% licking it obtained at asymptote under the schedule; the matched baseline measured .1% licking when each subject received the same access to the .4% solution, but presented in the intermittent pattern obtained during the schedule. Of the three algebraic models used to predict noncontingent effects, the substitution model was most promising, but still not adequate. The procedure of a between-subjects yoked control was also not effective.
Ozone alters carbon allocation in loblolly pine: assessment with carbon-11 labeling.

Abstract Loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) seedlings were exposed to 0·120 μmolmol −1 (ppm) ozone for 7 h per day, 5 days per week for 12 weeks. No visible damage resulted from this regime. A short-lived radioisotope of carbon ( 11 C) was used to characterize changes in plant physiology caused by ozone, the first time this technique has been used for ozone exposure studies. In comparison to plants kept in charcoal-filtered air, pines exposed to ozone exhibited reductions in photosynthesis (16%), speed of phloem transport (11%), phloem photosynthate concentration (40%) and total carbon transport toward roots (45%). Photosynthate not transported to the roots appeared to accumulate in the stems. Primary branches of pines exposed to ozone were some 50–60% heavier than those of control pines. Ozone was thus shown to have a significant short-term impact on phloem transport processes that results in a shift in allocation of photosynthate favoring stems.
Association of magnetic resonance imaging-based knee cartilage T2 measurements and focal knee lesions with knee pain: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objective To evaluate the association of MRI-based knee cartilage T2 measurements and focal knee lesions with knee pain in knees without radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) among subjects with OA risk factors.
Retinoic acid synthesis by cytosol from the alcohol dehydrogenase negative deermouse

Abstract Cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase in the deermouse is coded by a single genetic locus and a strain of the deermouse which is alcohol dehydrogenase negative exists. These two strains of the deermouse were used to extend insight into the role of cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenases in the conversion of retinol into retinoic acid. Retinoic acid synthesis from physiological concentrations of retinol (7.5 μ m ) with cytosol from the alcohol dehydrogenase negative deermouse was 13% (liver), 14% (kidney), 60% (testes), 78% (lung), and 100% (small intestinal mucosa) of that observed with cytosol from the positive deermouse. The rates in the negative strain ranged from 0.3 to 0.7 nmol/h/mg protein: sufficient to fulfill cellular needs for retinoic acid. Ten millimolar 4-methylpyrazole inhibited retinoic acid synthesis 92,94,26, and 30% in kidney, liver, lung, and testes of the positive deermouse, respectively, but only 50,30,0, and 0% in the same tissues from the negative deermouse. Ethanol (300 m m ) did not inhibit retinoic acid synthesis in kidney cytosol from the negative strain. Therefore multiple cytosolic dehydrogenases, including alcohol dehydrogenases, contribute to retinol metabolism in vitro . The only enzyme(s) likely to be physiologically significant to retinoic acid synthesis in vivo , however, is the class of dehydrogenase, distinct from ethanol dehydrogenase, that is common to both the positive and the negative deermouse. This conclusion is supported by the data described above, the kinetics of retinoic acid synthesis and retinal reduction in kidney cytosol from the negative deermouse, and the very existence of the alcohol dehydrogenase negative deermouse. This work also shows that microsomes inhibit the cytosolic conversion of retinol into retinoic acid and that the synthesis of retinal, a retinoid that has no known function outside of the eye, does not reflect the ability or capacity of a sample to synthesize retinoic acid.
Nutrition education worksite intervention for university staff: application of the health belief model.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the efficacy of an 8-week worksite nutrition education intervention for university staff using the Health Belief Model (HBM) to promote healthful dietary behaviors that reduce risks for cardiovascular disease and cancer. Design 2 X 2 repeated measures baseline/posttest ex post facto research design. Participants Staff employees were randomly assigned to treatment (n = 28) and control groups (n = 25). Intervention The intervention focused on specific health beliefs, nutrition knowledge, and dietary practices to demonstrate treatment effect. Main Outcome Measures Dependent variables were specific health beliefs, nutrition knowledge, and dietary behaviors. Independent variables were demographic characteristics and group assignment. Analyses Tests of parametric assumptions, power analyses, analysis of variance, and Kuder-Richardson and Pearson product-moment coefficients were computed and specificity of treatment effects was assessed. Results Perceived benefits of healthy nutrition practices and nutrition knowledge related to cardiovascular disease and cancer significantly improved among the treatment participants, P P Conclusions The intervention appears to be related to treatment effects and significantly increased nutrition knowledge and decreased energy, fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol intake to levels consistent with national recommendations.
How nonlinearities in the equation of state of seawater can confound estimates of steric sea level change

The process of mixing water masses that have differing temperatures, salinities, and pressures creates water that is typically denser than the average density of the source waters. Thus mixing the ocean, either along isopycnals or vertically, tends to decrease global sea level, even when no heat or salt is added to the ocean. This effect is small in the global ocean, but regional effects can be substantial. Two recommendations emerge from this study. First, numerical predictions of steric sea level rise should be designed to minimize sensitivity to erroneous isopycnal or vertical/diapycnal mixing rates that might over or under mix water masses. Second, retrospective analyses of steric sea level rise in historic data should avoid using gridded temperature and salinity fields to compute steric sea level change, since mapping smooths data in the same way that mixing does.
Magnetic fields in the non-masing ISM

Observations of the Zeeman effect in OH and H 2 O masers provide valuable information about magnetic field strength and direction, but only for the very high density gas in which such masers are found. In order to understand the role of magnetic fields in the evolution of the interstellar medium and in the star formation process, it is essential to consider the maser results in the broader context of magnetic fields in lower density gas. This contribution will (very briefly) summarize the state of observational knowledge of magnetic fields in the non-masing gas. Magnetic fields in H I and molecular clouds may be observed via the Zeeman effect, linear polarization of dust emission, and linear polarization of spectral-line emission. Useful parameters that can be inferred from observations are the mass-to-flux ratio and the scaling of field strength with density. The former tells us whether magnetic fields exert sufficient pressure to provide support against gravitational contraction; the latter tells whether or not magnetic fields are sufficiently strong to determine the nature (spherical or disk geometry) of the contraction. Existing observations will be reviewed. Results are that the strength of interstellar magnetic fields remains roughly invariant at 5-10 microgauss between densities of 0.1 cm −3 n ( H ) −3 but increases proportional to approximately the square root of density at higher densities. Moreover, the mass-to-flux ratio is significantly subcritical (strong magnetic support with respect to gravity) in diffuse H I clouds that are not self-gravitating, but becomes approximately critical in high-density molecular cloud cores. This suggests that MCs and GMCs form primarily by accumulation of matter along magnetic field lines, a process that will increase density but not magnetic field strength. How clumps in GMCs evolve will then depend crucially on the mass-to-flux ratio in each clump. Present data suggest that magnetic fields play a very significant role in the evolution of molecular clouds and in the star formation process.
Special Educators as Secondary Content Teachers: How Justifiable?:

Although there is substantial variability regionally, in many states special educators are responsible for teaching core content classes to adolescents with mild disabilities. This study examined the degree to which pre-service training institutions value and provide content area background to secondary special educators. States were grouped according to the degree of content instruction provided by public school special educators. Seventy-eight training programs (38 from 13 "content-teaching" states and 40 from 13 "non-content-teaching" states) participated. The results indicated that pre-service training in content areas was minimal in importance and scope, with no differences between the groups. The results also indicated that science and social studies were considered significantly less important than English and mathematics and afforded correspondingly less training exposure. Implications for training and secondary school service delivery are discussed.
A Low-Cost and High-Performance Embedded System Architecture and an Evaluation Methodology

A reduced interface and high performanceembedded system architecture (MSBUS) is proposed in thispaper. The control bus is low-cost and low-power, whereas thedata bus is high-bandwidth and high-speed especially. Inaddition, a Universal Verification Methodology (UVM)-basedperformance evaluation methodology is proposed to estimate thehardware structures. In order to evaluate the bus performance, AHB, AXI and MSBUS DMA are implemented as a case study. The experimental results show that MSBUS DMA uses the leasthardware resources, reduces energy consumption to a half ofAHB and AXI in the block transfer mode, and achieves 3.3 timesand 1.6 times valid bandwidth of AHB and AXI respectively. Moreover, the proposed evaluation methodology is effectivelyused with sufficient accuracy.
Analog at milepost 2000: a personal perspective

Electronics has barely just begun to exploit the endless opportunities for analog techniques. Rather than rendering them obsolete, the recent explosion in digital communications systems has only increased the demand for both fully analog and mixed-signal integrated-circuit (IC) products. This paper is an unashamedly personal and bipolar-centric review of a few selected aspects of the contemporary landscape and offers several reasons for expecting an unending dependence on analog techniques.
Gender disparities in posttraumatic stress disorder after mass trauma

Background: Although several studies have shown that rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are higher in women than in men, less is known about whether women are more vulnerable to PTSD after a major community-wide traumatic event. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine gender disparities in the prevalence of probable lifetime PTSD and probable PTSD after a mass traumatic event. Methods: A representative sample of men and women living in the New York City metropolitan area was selected using random-digit dialing, and subjects were interviewed by telephone 6 to 9 months after the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks. We assessed probable lifetime PTSD and probable PTSD related to the 9/11 attacks using a brief screening instrument and potential correlates. Results: A total of 2752 individuals (1479 women, 1273 men) were interviewed. The lifetime prevalence of probable PTSD was significantly higher for women than for men (17.2% vs 12.1%; P = 0.005). Experiences of sexual assault (P < 0.001), preexisting mental health problems (P = 0.04), race/ethnicity (P = 0.01), marital status (P < 0.001), and having had probable peri-event panic in the first few hours after the 9/11 attacks (P < 0.001) were all significantly related to women’s greater susceptibility to probable lifetime PTSD. However, the prevalence of probable PTSD related to 9/11 was not significantly different between women and men (6.5% vs 5.4%), although women were significantly more likely to report re-experiencing (P < 0.001) and hyperarousal (P < 0.001) symptoms than were men. Women were more likely than men to experience probable peri-event panic during the 9/11 attacks (P < 0.001); this explained, in part, the greater subsequent likelihood of re-experiencing and hyperarousal symptoms among women compared with men. Conclusions: More factors explain the risk of PTSD among women and men after interpersonal trauma than after a disaster. Using peri-event panic symptomatology after a traumatic event to determine the risk of posttraumatic symptoms may suggest avenues for intervention that can decrease the burden of PTSD in women. (Gend Med. 2006;3:54‐67) Copyright © 2006 Excerpta Medica, Inc.
Treating Rural Pediatric Obesity Through Telemedicine: Outcomes From a Small Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective The objective of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary weekly family-based behavioral group delivered via telemedicine to rural areas, compared with a standard physician visit intervention. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 58 rural children and their families comparing a family-based behavioral intervention delivered via telemedicine to a structured physician visit condition. Outcome measures included child body mass index z-score (BMIz), 24-hr dietary recalls, accelerometer data, Child Behavior Checklist, Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale, and feasibility and fidelity. Results Child BMIz outcomes were not statistically different between the 2 groups (F ¼ 0.023, p ¼ .881). Improvements in BMIz, nutrition, and physical activity were seen for both groups. Conclusions Both telemedicine and structured physician visit may be feasible and acceptable methods of delivering pediatric obesity treatment to rural children.