cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Covalent binding of isomeric benzo(a)pyrene diol-epoxides to DNA

The authors have compared the abilities of two diol-epoxide derivatives of benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) to bind covalently to DNA in a simple in vitro system. Purified DNA in aqueous solution was allowed to react with (+/-)-7..cap alpha..,8..beta..-dihydroxy-9..beta..,10..beta..-oxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydroB(a)P (BPDE) or with (+/-)-9..cap alpha..,10..beta..-dihydroxy-7..cap alpha..,8..cap alpha..-oxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydroB(a)P (reverse BPDE) to completion. After repurification of the DNA, binding was detected by fluorescence spectroscopy or by absorbance spectroscopy. Both BPDE and reverse BPDE but not their hydrolysis products exhibited binding which increased linearly with increasing diol epoxide concentration. When DNA modified by reverse BPDE was enzymatically hydrolysed, two major fluorescent deoxyribonuclioside-adducts were detected by reverse phase h.p.l.c. Absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy of modified native DNA suggested that the pyrene nucleus of reverse BPDE but not of BPDE was intercalated in the DNA double helix. This suggestion was supported by fluorescence-quenching studies. Covalent binding of reverse BPDE to DNA was effectively blocked by low concentrations of Mg/sup 2 +/, suggesting that formation of a non-covalent intercalation complex may be a prerequisite for covalent reaction.
In vitro sulfation of pulmonary surfactant-associated protein-35.

Abstract Surfactant-associated protein-25 consists of a group of phospholipid-associated proteins of 26–36 kDa isolated from pulmonary alveolar surfactant. In the rat, surfactant-associated protein-35 is synthesized from 26-kDa primary translation products which are cotranslationally acetylated and glycosylated to heterogeneous 30 and 34 kDa forms. High-mannose oligosaccharide-containing precursors of surfactant-associated protein-35 are processed in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi to complex-type oligosaccharides, resulting in a mature glycoprotein which exhibits extensive charge heterogeneity in two-dimensional isoelectric focusing SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Much of this charge heterogeneity is related to terminal sialylation of the two asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. In the present study, we report that surfactant-associated protein-35 is also sulfated. Sulfation of the 30 and 34 kDa forms of surfactant-associated protein-35 was clearly detected in primary cultures of rat Type II epithelial cells. These sulfated isoforms were sensitive to endoglycosidase F digestion, but resistant to neuraminidase, suggesting that sulfation occurred at oligosaccharide residues other than sialic acid. The lack of sulfation of the 26 kDa forms of surfactant-associated protein-35 and the resistance of the sulfated isoforms to endoglycosidase H digestion are consistent with Golgi-associated sulfation of the complex type oligosaccharides of surfactant-associated protein-35. Thus, sulfation is another component of the complex post-translational processing of surfactant-associated protein-35, which includes acetylation, hydroxylation, glycosylation, sialylation, sulfhydryl-dependent oligomerization and sulfation.
A specific inhibitor of heart cytosolic 5'-nucleotidase I attenuates hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-monophosphate in primary rat myocytes.

Abstract ATP breakdown was triggered in primary rat myocytes in the presence of coformycin to force the catabolism of AMP through hydrolysis to adenosine. Selective inhibitors of the cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase I (c-N-I) from myocardium were used to measure the intracellular contribution of this enzyme to AMP hydrolysis under these conditions. The selective inhibitor 5-ethynyl-2′,3′-dideoxyuridine inhibited the hydrolysis of AMP to adenosine in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC 50 value of 20 μM. Maximal inhibition prevented 76% of the conversion of AMP to adenosine, indicating that under these conditions the majority of AMP hydrolysis in rat myocytes occurs through this enzyme. When ATP breakdown was triggered in the presence of thymidine 5′-phosphonate, a more potent inhibitor of the purified cytosolic 5′-nucleotidase, less inhibition of AMP hydrolysis occurred and only after prolonged preincubation of the myocytes with the inhibitor. These data demonstrate that the selective nucleoside inhibitors of c-N-I can effectively block the hydrolysis of AMP inside myocytes. Thus, these inhibitors may be useful tools in identifying the role of c-N-I during ATP catabolism in whole tissue and animal experiments.
Sustaining third world infrastructure investments: Decentralization and alternative strategies

The paper assesses the effectiveness of two institutional strategies, one centralized and the other decentralized, for sustaining infrastructure investments in the Third World and the organizations that have developed from them. It argues that each has been flawed. Institutional over-centralization, involving a centrally directed and hierarchical bureaucracy is widely found to have been ineffective in undertaking complex tasks of rural development under conditions of uncertainty and severely limited resources. It has failed to secure beneficiary participation, adequate maintenance and utilization of infrastructure, administrative co-ordination, responsiveness to local needs, as well as flexibility and adaptability. But decentralization has not been a widely successful solution. Decentralized planning, attempts to increase the role of beneficiaries in development projects, and localized training and organizational developments efforts have all produced disappointing results. There is a lack of theoretical understanding in this area. Human behaviour and relationships within organizations have been neglected. An alternative strategy, using the individual as the unit of analysis, is suggested. It requires ‘institutional analysis’ of the incentives and disincentives involved in getting people to perform specific tasks relating to specific goals.
Approximation by ridge functions and neural networks with one hidden layer

Abstract We describe the configuration of an infinite set V of vectors in R s , s ⩾ 1, for which the closure with respect to C ( K ) of the algebraic span of { ƒ(〈 v , ·〉): v ϵ V, ƒ ϵ C(R) } is all of C ( K ), where K is any compact set in R s . This configuration also guarantees that for any sigmoidal function σ ge C ( R ), the span of { σ ( m 〈 v , · 〉 + k ):v ϵ V ; m , k ϵ Z } is already dense in C ( K ). In particular, neural networks with one hidden layer of the form ∑ ( I , k ) ϵ J c ( i , k ) σ (〈i,x〉+ k ), where k ϵ Z , c ( i , k ) ϵ R , and i ϵ Z s , can be designed to approximate any continuous functions in s variables.
Mesoporous silica–metal organic composite: synthesis, characterization, and ammonia adsorption

A novel composite adsorbent composed of an inorganic silica phase impregnated with a metal organic phase is synthesized and characterized. Specifically, MCM-41 is impregnated with copper active sites, which are then functionalized with benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid, which is the linker in the metal organic framework CuBTC. X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption isotherms, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and equilibrium ammonia capacities are used to characterize the composite and control materials. Properties of the composite and control samples after conditioning at 85 °C in saturated water vapor for 5 h are also evaluated. Results show that the silica phase of the composite material provides an engineered phase that enhances the hydrothermal stability of the metal organic phase and the metal organic phase provides active sites for chemisorption. The composite material has a high ammonia capacity of 5.2 mol kg−1 and remains stable after conditioning. In comparison, the CuBTC structure degrades and shows low ammonia capacity after conditioning.
Single neuron burst firing in the human hippocampus during sleep.

Although there are numerous non-primate studies of the single neuron correlates of sleep-related hippocampal EEG patterns, very limited hippocampal neuronal data are available for correlation with human sleep. We recorded human hippocampal single neuron activity in subjects implanted with depth electrodes required for medical diagnosis and quantitatively evaluated discharge activity from each neuron during episodes of wakefulness (Aw), combined stage 3 and 4 slow-wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The mean firing rate of the population of single neurons was significantly higher during SWS and Aw compared with REM sleep (p = 0.002; p < 0.0001). In addition, burst firing was significantly greater during SWS compared with Aw (p = 0.001) and REM sleep (p < 0.0001). The synchronized state of SWS and associated high-frequency burst discharge found in human hippocampus may subserve functions similar to those reported in non-primate hippocampus that require burst firing to induce synaptic modifications in hippocampal circuitry and in hippocampal projections to neocortical targets that participate in memory consolidation. Hippocampus 2002;12:724–734. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cardiopulmonary bypass induces the synthesis and release of matrix metalloproteinases

Abstract Background . A number of cellular and molecular events can be induced after cardiac procedures requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a recently discovered family of enzymes that degrade the extracellular matrix, but expression during and after CPB is unknown. Methods . Systemic plasma MMP levels were measured in patients (n = 28, 63 ± 1 years) undergoing elective coronary revascularization requiring CPB at baseline, termination of CPB, and 30 minutes, 6 and 24 hours after CPB. Representative classes of MMP species known to degrade matrix and basement membrane components were selected for study. Specifically, the interstitial collagenases MMP-8 and MMP-13, and the gelatinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 were determined by internally validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results . The MMP-8 levels increased by fourfold at separation from CPB, and returned to within normal values within 30 minutes after CPB. The proenzyme forms of MMP-13 and MMP-9 increased by more than twofold at cross-clamp release and returned within normal limits within 6 hours after CPB. The proform of MMP-2 increased from baseline values at 6 and 24 hours postoperatively; likely indicative of de novo synthesis. Conclusions . A specific portfolio of MMPs are released and synthesized during and after CPB. Because MMPs can degrade extracellular proteins essential for maintaining normal cellular architecture and function, enhanced MMP release and activation may contribute to alterations in tissue homeostasis in the early postoperative period.
Cognitive/affective processes, social interaction, and social structure as representational re-descriptions: their contrastive bandwidths and spatio-temporal foci

Research on brain or cognitive/affective processes, culture, social interaction, and structural analysis are overlapping but often independent ways humans have attempted to understand the origins of their evolution, historical, and contemporary development. Each level seeks to employ its own theoretical concepts and methods for depicting human nature and categorizing objects and events in the world, and often relies on different sources of evidence to support theoretical claims. Each level makes reference to different temporal bandwidths (milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, decades, and centuries) and focuses on different spatio-temporal activities and controlled and non-controlled stimulus conditions. Biological mechanisms and environmental pressures for survival simultaneously created a gradual intersection and enhancement of cognitive/affective skills, cultural practices, and changes in collaborative social interaction and communicative skills. The evolution of a given level of analysis is assumed to have been incremental and overlapping. These innovative and independent ways humans have learned to characterize their brain or cognitive/affective and social/economic/political life often depend on unexamined, “representational re-descriptions” or cognitive/affective and socio-cultural devices and forms of communication that facilitate the depiction of practices and beliefs we attribute to respondents or subjects and research colleagues.
Physical Education in the British National Curriculum.

(1993). Physical Education in the British National Curriculum. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 64, No. 9, pp. 21-32.
The two-channel Kondo route to non-Fermi-liquid metals

We present a pedagogical and critical overview of the two-channel Kondo model and its possible relevance to a number of non-Fermi-liquid alloys and compounds. We survey the properties of the model, how a magnetic two-channel Kondo effect might obtain for ions in metals, and a quadrupolar Kondo effect for ions in metals. We suggest that the incoherent metal behaviour of the two-channel Kondo-lattice model may be useful in understanding the unusual normal-state resistivity of and speculate that the residual resistivity and entropy of the two-channel lattice paramagnetic phase might be removed by either antiferromagnetic (or antiferroquadrupolar) ordering or by a superconducting transition to an odd-frequency pairing state.
Colostrum, Whole Milk, and Whole Milk plus Whey Protein Concentrate for Holstein Calves,

Abstract Thirty-six Holstein calves were fed 3.6 kg of one of three liquid diets once daily from birth until weaning at 4 wk. Diets were: (1) colostrum (collected for five milkings postpartum and frozen), (2) whole milk, and (3) whole milk plus sufficient whey protein concentrate to bring diets 1 and 3 to similar whey protein. Compared to whole milk, colostrum feeding improved weight gains by 40% during wk 1 and 29% during the first 3 wk. However, this advantage was reversed during the 4th wk. Mean weight gains (kg/day) from birth to 4 wk were .47, .43, and .44 kg for diets 1, 2, and 3. Gains of calves were not different among treatments from 4 to 10 wk. Dry matter consumption of a complete pelleted starter for the first 4 wk averaged .19, .27, and .24 kg per day for diets 1, 2, and 3. Colostrum fed calves were slightly more efficient in terms of dry matter intake per kg gain (1.44) than calves fed diets 2 and 3 (1.82 and 1.77). Incidence of scours tended to be greater for calves fed colostrum. Serum protein values were similar for all calves.
The influence of urinary bilharziasis on vesico-vaginal fistula in relation to causation and healing

Abstract African patients with an obstetrically produced vesico-vaginal fistula were investigated for evidence of urinary bilharziasis and were contrasted with a comparable controlled series of gynaecological admissions without vesico-vaginal fistula. We were unable to show that patients with chronic urinary bilharziasis were more likely to tear with the production of a fistula during the course of an obstructed labour. However, those patients with vesico-vaginal fistula and urinary bilharziasis were shown to be significantly less likely to heal than those patients with vesico-vaginal fistula who did not have evidence of urinary bilharziasis. Patients with evidence of urinary bilharziasis should, therefore, receive treatment for the disease before repair of the fistula is attempted.
Construction and characterization of type 1 non‐fimbriate and non‐adhesive mutants of Salmonella typhimurium

Mutations in the fimH gene of Salmonella typhimurium result in a non-fimbriate, non-adhesive phenotype. This phenotype was shown to be due to the lack of both fimH and fimF expression since disruption of the fimH gene by insertion of a DNA cassette into this determinant results in mutants that are complemented by plasmids carrying both fimH and fimF. Deletion mutations within the S. typhimurium fimH gene carried on a recombinant plasmid can be used to complement the mutant, and these transformants are non-adhesive but fully fimbriate, consistent with the role of FimH as being necessary for fimbrial adhesin expression. Adherence to erythrocytes, HeLa, and Hep-2 cells is associated with expression of the FimH polypeptide, and fimbriate strains that cannot synthesize FimH are non-adhesive. Discrete differences in the amino acid sequences of the adhesive type 1 and the non-hemagglutinating type 2 FimH polypeptides were detected, and are most likely responsible for the differences in hemagglutinating activity.
US3 and US3.5 Protein Kinases of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Differ with Respect to Their Functions in Blocking Apoptosis and in Virion Maturation and Egress

Previously, we reported that the US3 protein kinase blocks apoptosis, that it activates protein kinase A (PKA), that activation of PKA blocks apoptosis in cells infected with a US3 deletion mutant, and that an overlapping transcriptional unit encodes a truncated kinase designated US3.5. Here, we report the properties of the kinases based on comparisons of herpes simplex virus and baculoviruses expressing US3 or US3.5 kinase. Specifically, we report the following. (i) Both kinases mediate the phosphorylation of HDAC1, HDAC2, and the PKA regulatory IIα subunit in the absence of other viral proteins. (ii) Both enzymes mediate the phosphorylation of largely identical sets of proteins carrying the phosphorylation consensus site of PKA, but only US3 blocks apoptosis, suggesting that it is US3 and not PKA that is responsible for the phosphorylation of the proteins bearing the shared consensus phosphorylation site and the antiapoptotic activity. (iii) Both kinases cofractionate with mitochondria. Immune depletion of the US3 and US3.5 kinases from the cytoplasm removed the kinases from the supernatant fraction, but not from the mitochondrial fraction, and therefore, if the antiapoptotic activity of the US3 kinase is expressed in mitochondria, the localization signal and the antiapoptotic functions are located on different parts of the protein. (iv) The US3 protein kinase is required for the translocation of virus particles from the nucleus. Although the UL31 protein is phosphorylated in cells infected with the mutant expressing US3.5 kinase, the release of virus particles from nuclei was impeded in some cells, suggesting that the US3 kinase affects the modification of the nuclear membrane more efficiently than the US3.5 kinase.
Notes on the South American Species of Vacusus, with a New Species and Two New Synonyms (Coleoptera: Anthicidae)

Vacusus martinsi is described from southern Brazil. New synonymy indicated is V. holoxanthus (Fairmaire and Germain, 1860) (= V. jamaicanus Werner, 1961), and V. chilensis (Solier, 1851) (= Formicomus quadriguttatus Philippi and Philippi, 1864). Additional distribution records are given for V. apicicornis (LaFerte), holoxanthxus (Fairmaire and Germain), parvus (Pic), vicinus (LaFerte), and vulgaris Werner.
Activity of various metalloporphyrin protein complexes with microsomal heme oxygenase.

Abstract Microsomal heme oxygenase activity has been found to be specific for iron porphyrin-protein complexes. Other metalloporphyrin-protein complexes, including those of cobalt and copper, are inactive. In addition, the activity of the hepatic heme oxygenase system appears to be independent of the ligand state of the iron.
PRICE‐LEVEL VARIATIONS AND THE TENETS OF HIGH‐GRADE INVESTMENT

THE TOPIC ASSIGNED to us for discussion at this meeting clearly implies that there may be price-level variations in this country in the future and that they may be of sufficient moment to require appropriate investment policies. It would therefore be reasonable to debate either the outlook for price levels over the longer term or the nature of conservative investment policies which would best meet the probable situation. However, it has been officially suggested to me that we might focus attention on the suitability of common stocks, especially the variety known as "growth stocks," as high-grade investment vehicles in a period of price-level instability. This is my purpose; and in discussing stocks I shall mean those of competitive industrial and commercial companies only. Although it is not my intention to involve this meeting in attempts to predict the long-range economic future of the country, it seems idle to discuss investment dispositions without noting the general nature of the situations for which we must be prepared. Obviously, we would not all agree on the details of the economic road ahead, but I suspect that most of us expect a continuation of welfare-minded monetary and public budget interventionism, major emphasis on fullemployment objectives, a secondary hope for price stability and a balanced budget, large-scale public expenditures, and extensive research and development efforts by both public and private agencies. Conceding that all quantitative estimates must be liberally sprinkled with plus-and-minus signs, it would appear that a middle-of-the-road investment planner might reasonably visualize the coming decade as follows: 1. General characteristics of high-level and growing output, moderate cycles of buoyancy and recession greatly influenced by monetary and public budget manipulation, long-term money rates swinging widely in and about the 1958 range, and an intermittent price-level inflation averaging about 1 per cent per annum, firmly underwritten by habitual cost-push pressures.
Interpretation of the Transition-State Parameter for Adiabatic Electron-Transfer Reactions

The consequences of a quantum‐mechanical formulation of the adiabatic electron‐transfer problem, using a transition‐state parameter as defined by Hush, are examined. It is shown that the parameter λ‡ so defined warrants the same geometric interpretation given by Marcus to his parameter —m, subject to restrictions which are discussed. The treatment lends support to Marcus' view that λ‡ refers to a virtual charge density, specifically an equivalent equilibrium distribution.
Failure to observe a relationship between bis‐(β‐chloroethyl)sulfide‐induced NAD depletion and cytotoxicity in the rat keratinocyte culture

It has been proposed that the activation of poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (Papirmeister et al., 1985), which results from the presence of strand breaks in bis‐(β‐chloroethyl)sulfide (BCES) damaged DNA, causes depletion in the level of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) leading to cell death. This hypothesis has now been evaluated in the primary submerged culture of rat keratinocytes. The DNA content, the viable cell number, and the proliferative capability (measured by thymidine incorporation) of the culture were all reduced 48 h after exposure to 10 μM BCES. However, the total NAD level, that is, NAD+ plus NADH, was not changed at a dose of BCES lower than 50 μM. This observation was the same in both proliferating and early differentiating cultures. To further test this hypothesis, the modifying effect of inhibiting poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase on cytotoxicity in BCES‐exposed cells was investigated. After exposure to 250 μMBCES, the NAD level was reduced to approximately 26 pmol/μg DNA. This value was ...
Differential transport and processing of variant mouse mammary tumor virus glycoproteins.

The transport and proteolytic processing of two individual gene isolates of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) glycoprotein were compared in transfected rat HTC hepatoma cells. Plasmids were constructed such that the MMTV glycoprotein genes were constitutively expressed from the promoter within the Rous Sarcoma Virus 5′ Long Terminal Repeat in the absence of other MMTV proteins. An isolate of the GR strain MMTV glycoprotein was efficiently transported and processed resulting in the localization of MMTV glycoproteins at the cell surface and in the extracellular environment. Moreover, the kinetics of acquisition of endoglycosidase H resistant oligosaccharide side chains and the rate of endoproteolytic cleavage of the glycosylated polyprotein expressed in transfected cells were virtually identical to that observed in viral-infected rat hepatoma cells. In contrast, a natural variant of the C3H strain MMTV glycoprotein expressed in transfected cells was retained in an intracellular compartment by a heavy chain binding protein (Bip)-independent pathway in an endoglycosidase H sensitive and uncleaved form. This MMTV glycoprotein isolate was retained early in the exocytic pathway and displayed a half-life of approximately 45 min in transfected cells. Only a minor fraction of the expressed C3H variant glycoprotein was detected at the cell surface but was not externalized. Our results suggest that the variant C3H MMTV glycoprotein contains one or more mutations that preclude its efficient transport through the exocytic pathway.
Temperature-dependent gas-surface chemical kinetic model for methane ignition catalyzed by in situ generated palladium nanoparticles

Abstract A temperature-dependent gas-surface kinetic model for methane oxidation over palladium is proposed. Thermodynamic data for the surface species (O, H, OH, H 2 O, and CO) are derived from statistical mechanic analysis using literature heats of desorption and vibrational frequencies. The rate parameters in the model also satisfy thermo-kinetic constraints. The hydrogen oxidation submodel is validated against literature stagnation flow reactor experiments at 1300 K and 13 Pa. The current model is further tested against catalytic methane ignition in a laminar flow reactor at atmospheric pressure, and with time-resolved measurements of the size distribution of palladium nanoparticles generated in situ from an aerosol containing palladium acetate. The improved gas-surface model predicts closely the experimental data. The role of palladium nanoparticles in enhancing methane ignition is attributed to heat release due to catalytic methane oxidation over distributed nanoparticle surfaces, leading to a temperature rise and thus an accelerated gas-phase chain-branching process.
Interactive animation as an educational tool in "Winter Dreams"

Being interested in Interactive Animation, Illustration, Multimedia, and the creative use of programming languages, I explored these areas to produce an educational game for preschool children. The following four chapters present the concept and development of an experimental interactive game titled "Winter Dreams".
Ambient hydrocarbon and ozone measurements downwind of a large automotive painting plant.

A month-long study (August 1977) by Washington State University of ground-level and aerial air pollutant levels in the plume of solvent emissions from a General Motors Corp. assembly plant in Janesville, Wis., which annually emits an estimated 9200 tons of volatile hydrocarbons, measured against a background pollutant level one mile from the plant, showed that the ground-level nonmethane total hydrocarbons (NMTHC) concentrations in the plume were 2 to 2.5 ppM above the <0.5 ppM background levels; methane concentrations varied little in or out of the plume; ground-level in-plume NO/sub x/ concentrations were usually 5 to 10 ppb, with a maximum of 15 ppb; within one mile of the plant, 1121 jg/cu m of hydrocarbons were measured, 18% paraffins and 82% aromatics, the dominant species being toluene, C/sub 8/ alkanes, ethylbenzene, and the three isomeric xylenes; downwind in-plume toluene and xylene concentrations 11 miles from the plant exceeded background levels by a factor of 10 and 6, respectively; a large percentage of the organic emissions were oxygenated hydrocarbons; and on the three days that it was detected, maximum air in-plume ozone levels were 10 ppb above background levels.
Steroid-Responsive Encephalopathy Associated With Autoimmune Thyroiditis

Background Steroid-responsive encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroiditis (SREAT), often termed Hashimoto encephalopathy , is a poorly understood and often misdiagnosed entity. Objective To characterize the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic findings in patients with SREAT to potentially improve recognition of this treatable entity. Design Retrospective analysis of clinical features and diagnostic test data. Setting Two affiliated tertiary care referral institutions. Patients Twenty consecutive (6 male) patients diagnosed as having SREAT from 1995 to 2003. Main Outcome Measures Clinical features and ancillary test findings associated with SREAT. Results The median age at disease onset was 56 years (range, 27-84 years). The most frequent clinical features were tremor in 16 (80%), transient aphasia in 16 (80%), myoclonus in 13 (65%), gait ataxia in 13 (65%), seizures in 12 (60%), and sleep abnormalities in 11 (55%). All patients were assigned an alternative misdiagnosis at presentation, most commonly viral encephalitis (n = 5), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (n = 3), or a degenerative dementia (n = 4). The most frequent laboratory abnormalities were increased liver enzyme levels in 11, increased serum sensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone levels in 11, and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate in 5. In only 5 patients (25%) did cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities suggest an inflammatory process. Magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities believed to be related to the encephalopathy were present in 5 patients (26%). Conclusions The clinical, laboratory, and radiologic findings associated with SREAT are more varied than previously reported. Misdiagnosis at presentation is common. This treatable syndrome should be considered even if the serum sensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone level and erythrocyte sedimentation rate are normal, the cerebrospinal fluid profile does not suggest an inflammatory process, and neuroimaging results are normal. Until the pathophysiologic mechanism of this and other autoimmune encephalopathies is better characterized, we believe that descriptive terms that reflect an association rather than causation are most appropriate for this syndrome.
Negative-muon capture in ionic compounds and some related elements

Relative muon capture probabilities for the individual elements of compounds and relative muonic x-ray intensities have been measured for a series of ionic solids and some related elements. Marked similarities are observed in relative $K$- and $L$-series intensities of a single ionic species, independent of bond partner (e.g., ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ in NaCl and Ca${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$). However, significant $K$-series differences are observed for an element in an ionic vs a covalent situation (e.g., Cl in NaCl and in NaCl${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$), with the higher $K$ x rays from the covalently bound element showing relative enhancements of as much as a factor of 2 over the ion. The measured intensities have been compared to the predictions of a meson cascade code, which allows variation in the muon initial principal quantum number (${N}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$) and the parameter $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ in the commonly used modified statistical angular momentum distribution, $P(l)=(2l+1){e}^{\ensuremath{\alpha}l}$. The fit was quite insensitive to the choice of ${N}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ (in the neighborhood ${N}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}=17$), but the results could not be well fitted with a single value of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$. The atomic capture probabilities predicted by recent calculations do not fit the data noticeably better than the Fermi-Teller "$Z$ law."
NO and superoxide: Opposite ends of the seesaw in cardiac contractility

The discovery of superoxide dismutase by McCord and Fridovich (1) ushered in a new area of biology wherein free radicals had to be factored into the biology of animals and plants. The free radical species of oxygen, the superoxide anion radical, has become the focus of thousands of studies. In medicine, the number of disease processes that have been linked to overexposure to oxidants or a failure to defend against them is vast, including pathologies as diverse as neurodegeneration, sepsis, atherosclerosis, and arthritis. The NO free radical and its redox partners, the nitrosonium and nitroxide ions, have been similarly painted with broad negative brushes (2). More recently, NO has been recognized for its role in normal physiology, arising in part from its ability to act as a signal through regulation of guanylate cyclase (3) and to S -nitrosylate cysteinyl residues of proteins and peptides (3). In a recent issue of PNAS, we witnessed the emergence of a new paradigm wherein the interplay between different highly reactive species allows for complex and fast regulation of cellular processes whose disruption has potentially serious pathological consequences (4). Research from the Hare laboratory (5) has shown that the different isoforms of NO synthase (NOS) are involved in controlling different aspects of cardiac contractility. However, Khan et al. (4) present simple and clear studies that describe a new aspect to the paradigm of NO control that has broad application beyond the realm of contractility. Khan et al . show that the neuronal isoform of NOS (nNOS) and the superoxide-generating enzyme xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) are in physical proximity in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of the cardiac myocytes of mice. Earlier studies have shown that superoxide production within cardiac myocytes has a potentially important signaling role (6). Furthermore, disruption of this signaling is involved in the …
Climate security vulnerability in Africa mapping 3.01

Abstract Climate change is expected to have severe consequences on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world, but its effects will not be evenly distributed. Africa is thought to be especially vulnerable, given both high exposure to climate change and relatively low community resilience and governance capabilities. With climate change adaptation looming ever larger as an important policy area, understanding where climate vulnerabilities are located therefore has immense practical significance. This article details the methodological refinements made to an existing model of climate security vulnerability, the rationale for the approach, and the findings. The model introduces more fine-grained data and new methods of normalizing the data to retain more granularity, as well as other changes. The vulnerability maps show the Horn of Africa (Somalia in particular), South Sudan, the eastern coasts of Madagascar and Mozambique, northern Nigeria and southern Mali, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Guinea, as well as pockets along rivers and coasts in Egypt and Nigeria to be the most vulnerable. For validation, the model is also compared to maps of climate-related disaster counts, fatalities, and affected populations derived from the EM-DAT International Disaster database.
Synthesis and modification of ZSM-5/silicalite bilayer membrane with improved hydrogen separation performance

Abstract MFI type zeolite membrane offers good stable and high hydrogen separation performance, making it attractive for application in membrane reactors for water gas shift (WGS) reaction for hydrogen production. The hydrogen permselectivity of MFI zeolite membranes can be improved by intracrystalline pore modification. However, more than one order of magnitude reduction in H 2 permeance usually accompanies with the significant improvement in H 2 /CO 2 separation factor of MFI zeolite membranes modified by catalytic cracking deposition (CCD) of methyldiethoxysilane. In this work, a thin, high quality ZSM-5 top layer was synthesized on a thick silicalite bottom layer to form a ZSM-5/silicalite bilayer membrane. The ZSM-5/silicalite bilayer zeolite membrane was supported on a porous α-alumina support coated with an yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) intermediate barrier layer for membrane stability improvement. The CCD modification of the bilayer zeolite membrane resulted in an improvement of H 2 /CO 2 separation factor of the membrane by over five-fold from 4.95 to 25.3 with only about 31% reduction in H 2 permeance from 1.85 × 10 −7 to 1.28 × 10 −7 mol m −2 s Pa at 450 °C. The significant improvement in H 2 /CO 2 separation factor with only moderate reduction in H 2 permeance of the modified ZSM-5/silicalite bilayer membrane is due to controlled CCD modification in the thin, high quality ZSM-5 top layer instead of the entire zeolite membrane thickness. Because of the high H 2 /CO 2 separation performance, considerable H 2 permeance and good hydrothermal stability under H 2 S containing gas, the modified ZSM-5/silicalite bilayer membrane is very promising to be used as a membrane reactor for WGS reaction for hydrogen production.
SELECT triggers for data auditing

Auditing is a key part of the security infrastructure in a database system. While commercial database systems provide mechanisms such as triggers that can be used to track and log any changes made to “sensitive” data using UPDATE queries, they are not useful for tracking accesses to sensitive data using complex SQL queries, which is important for many applications given recent laws such as HIPAA. In this paper, we propose the notion of SELECT triggers that extends triggers to work for SELECT queries in order to facilitate data auditing. We discuss the challenges in integrating SELECT triggers in a database system including specification, semantics as well as efficient implementation techniques. We have prototyped our framework in a commercial database system and present an experimental evaluation of our framework using the TPC-H benchmark.
National Asthma Education and Prevention Program: Expert Panel Report 2. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma: Translating research for clinicians and patients

Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the airways that exacts a large burden of illness among patients, their families, and the health-care system. Yet advances in research have generated the means for addressing this public health problem. The challenge is to bridge the gap between excessive asthma morbidity and the science that holds the promise of reducing it; that is, to translate the scientific advances into meaningful recommendations for clinical care and to promote adoption of the recommendations. This paper will demonstrate how national asthma education programs, founded on science-based clinical practice guidelines, meet this challenge and help reduce illness and improve the quality of life for people with asthma.
ILUCG2: Subprograms for the solution of a linear asymmetric matrix equation arising from a 9-point discretization

Resolution des equations differentielles partielles elliptiques et paraboliques de physique des plasmas
School Size and Student Achievement: Does One Size Fit All?

I estimate value-added education production functions and control for a wide range of educational inputs associated with school size in order to establish the role of school size in the educational process. I estimate separately for urban, suburban, and rural schools to account for the distinct differences in the educational process by location. I find that for urban and rural schools, the size–achievement relationship is U-shaped, indicating that achievement is highest in the smallest and largest schools. My findings suggest that one size does not fit all, but that relatively small and relatively large schools may benefit students in most locations.
Structural characterization of the interaction of the delta and alpha subunits of the Escherichia coli F1F0-ATP synthase by NMR spectroscopy.

A critical point of interaction between F1 and F0 in the bacterial F1F0-ATP synthase is formed by the α and δ subunits. Previous work has shown that the N-terminal domain (residues 3−105) of the δ subunit forms a 6 α-helix bundle [Wilkens, S., Dunn, S. D., Chandler, J., Dahlquist, F. W., and Capaldi, R. A. (1997) Nat. Struct. Biol. 4, 198−201] and that the majority of the binding energy between δ and F1 is provided by the interaction between the N-terminal 22 residues of the α- and N-terminal domain of the δ subunit [Weber, J., Muharemagic, A., Wilke-Mounts, S., and Senior, A. E. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 13623−13626]. We have now analyzed a 1:1 complex of the δ-subunit N-terminal domain and a peptide comprising the N-terminal 22 residues of the α subunit by heteronuclear protein NMR spectroscopy. A comparison of the chemical-shift values of δ-subunit residues with and without α N-terminal peptide bound indicates that the binding interface on the N-terminal domain of the δ subunit is formed by α helices ...
Gaps in educational outcomes: analysing national examination performance of Singaporean Malay and non-Malay students in the past 20 years

Singaporean students generally perform very well in international tests of mathematics and science. Nonetheless, in multi-cultural Singapore, there exist gaps with the Malays, a minority group in Singapore, systematically lagging behind the other ethnic groups of the Chinese and Indians in many educational performance indicators. While there have been previous qualitative assessments of this issue, rigorous statistical analyses are lacking. In this article, I analyse data from 1991 to 2011 of aggregate percentage passes in national examinations for the different ethnic groups in Singapore. Using time series techniques and regression, I uncovered two major findings. First, the Malay trends in percentage passes for the last two decades were strongly correlated with the non-Malay, national trends. Second, despite the correlation, there remained fluctuations around the national trend by Malay cohorts in the past two decades. Malay cohorts tended to perform better during an upward national trend, but also perf...
Hyperparallel tempering Monte Carlo simulation of polymeric systems

A new hyperparallel tempering Monte Carlo method is proposed for simulation of complex fluids, including polymeric systems. The method is based on a combination of the expanded grand canonical ensemble (or simple tempering) and the multidimensional parallel tempering techniques. Its usefulness is established by applying it to polymer solutions and blends with large molecular weights. Our numerical results for long molecules indicate that the new algorithm can be significantly more efficient than previously available techniques.
Gene Conversion in Drosophila: Non-Reciprocal Events at the Maroon-like Cistron

A large scale half tetrad analysis in Drosophila melanogaster questions the reciprocality of intragenic recombination and demonstrates that all intragenic exchange events at the ma-l cistron occur by a conversion mechanism.
The effects of 2-APB on the time–frequency distributions of γ oscillations in rat hippocampal slices

We investigated the influence of 2-APB (2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborate) acute exposure on hippocampal oscillations using time–frequency analysis methods including continuous wavelet transform and short-time Fourier transform. We hypothesized that acute exposure to 2-APB drastically reduced the hippocampal γ oscillations. We estimated the hippocampal oscillations' time–frequency representations from 24 hippocampal slices in five rats. Our results indicated that it took at least 100 ms to see any hippocampal activities in response to the 100 Hz stimulus. The hippocampal oscillations' spectral energies dominated in the 31–60 Hz and 61–90 Hz frequency bands in the early time (100–200 ms) segment post-stimulus and in the 31–60 Hz and 61–90 Hz frequency bands after 200 ms until 400 ms post-stimulus. They were noticeably reduced in the late time segment (above 400 ms). The hippocampal oscillations' spectral energies in the 31–60 and 61–90 Hz frequency bands still dominated the early time segment after the acute 2-APB exposure. The 2-APB exposure never changed the energy content in all three frequency bands in the early time segment (p > 0.01). The exposure significantly reduced the energy content in both the mid-time segment and in the 31–60 Hz frequency band (p < 0.001) and in both the second time segment and in the 61–90 Hz frequency band (p < 0.01). Additionally, in the late time segment, the energy content in all three frequency bands was notably reduced post-drug exposure (p < 0.001).
Maturation Alters the Contractile Role of Calcium in Ovine Basilar Arteries

The present studies examine how agonist-induced increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and sensitivity vary with maturation. Basilar arteries from term fetal (138-141 d) and nonpregnant adult sheep were denuded of endothelium, mounted for measurements of contractile tension, and then loaded with Fura-2 to enable estimation of cytosolic Ca2+ responses to both potassium and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT). In response to potassium, normalized values of intracellular Ca2+ and tension increased in parallel in both fetal and adult preparations; no age-related differences were apparent. In contrast, 5-HT increased Ca2+ sensitivity significantly more in fetal than in adult arteries. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+, 5-HT increased cytosolic Ca2+ in adult but not fetal arteries. In addition, responses to repeated applications of 5-HT in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ were exhausted more rapidly in fetal than in adult arteries. We interpret these data to indicate that vascular maturation involves important shifts in the mechanisms mediating cerebrovascular pharmacomechanical coupling. Specifically, the data suggest that normal development involves a reduction in the Ca2+ sensitizing effects of agonists with parallel increases in the agonist-induced intracellular Ca2+ release. In so doing, these studies offer one possible reason why vascular reactivity varies dramatically with age. From a pathophysiologic perspective, these studies also advance the possibility that failure to shift from the increased Ca2+ sensitivity typical of immature arteries may lead to vascular hyperreactivity in adult arteries.
A simple blueprint for automatic Boolean query processing

Abstract The operations of conventional information retrieval systems are based on the use of Boolean query formulations designed to reflect user needs. Unfortunately, many retrieval system users are not able to construct useful Boolean expressions, and trained search intermediaries must normally help in the search formulation process. In this article, a new Boolean retrieval environment is outlined in which the queries are automatically constructed from original natural language formulations provided by the users. A soft Boolean logic is introduced that relaxes the interpretation of the Boolean operators and provides much enhanced retrieval effectiveness. All the proposed processing modifications are compatible with conventional inverted file technologies, and with normal operational retrieval methodologies.
Applicability of the theory of hollow inclusions for overcoring stress measurements in rock

Whenever solid or hollow inclusions are used as instrumented probes in overcoring techniques, “residual stresses” remain in the overcored rock sample and in the probes. When using such devices for computing the in-situ stress field components from measured strains or displacements, it is common practice to assume that the overcoring diameter is infinite and that there is a perfect bonding between the rock and the probes. The validity of these assumptions depends on the magnitude of the residual stresses at the rock-probe contact as compared to the tensile and shear strengths of the rock-probe bond material. It also depends on the distribution of residual stresses in the overcored sample. In comparison to previous work, new expressions are proposed in this paper for the residual stresses associated with solid or hollow inclusion type stress probes in anisotropic ground. These expressions are presented in dimensionless form and are used to show that the distribution and magnitude of residual stresses depend on the isotropic-anisotropic rock character, the degree and type of rock anisotropy, the orientation of the rock anisotropy with respect to the hole in which the probes are located and the relative deformability of the rock with respect to the deformability of the material comprising the probes. The conditions that are required for neglecting the overcored sample diameter are also discussed. This is shown for rocks that can be described as isotropic, transversely isotropic and orthotropic materials.