cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two tumors detected by thyroid assessment in two children.

ABSTRACT Objective To describe the early detection of two tumors in two children by recognition of unusual features in initial thyroid assessments. Methods We present the clinical findings and results of laboratory studies in two children. In addition, we describe RET proto-oncogene studies in one of them. Results A 14.5-year-old boy was referred for assessment because of short stature in conjunction with lack of physical growth and development. His physical examination was remarkable for height at the 50th percentile (height age, 11.5 years), weight at the 50th percentile (weight age, 13 years), and prepubertal male status. Pertinent laboratory findings were a normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level but low free thyroxine (FT4) index. These findings prompted an immediate magnetic resonance imaging study of the head. A parasellar tumor was detected and removed; histopathologic examination revealed that it was a craniopharyngioma. The patient requires lifelong multihormonal therapy for his panhypopituitarism and has responded with physical growth. Our second patient, a 7.5-year-old girl, was referred because of a painless left thyroid nodule of 4 months’ duration. Her physical examination was remarkable for (1) upper lip swelling, (2) intermittent rash, and (3) a goiter with painless mobile left and right nodules. Normal levels of TSH and FT4, serum calcitonin of 6,192 pg/mL, and a fine-needle biopsy specimen that stained strongly for calcitonin were obtained at her first clinic visit. A total thyroidectomy was performed and confirmed the presence of medullary thyroid carcinoma. Genetic studies showed that she was positive for the RET multiple endocrine neoplasia IIB mutation. After 4 years of follow-up, the patient had serum calcitonin levels that remained low ( Conclusion Attention to thyroid physical findings and laboratory studies can promptly lead to correct diagnoses and management of some rare and life-threatening tumors in children. (Endocr Pract. 2001;7:467-473)
Catalytic oxidation of chlorinated benzenes over V2O5/TiO2 catalysts

Kinetic and in situ infrared spectroscopic studies were conducted to investigate the oxidation of different chlorinated benzenes (i.e., chlorobenzene, 1,2- 1,3-, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene) over V2O5/TiO2 catalysts. The oxidation of cyclohexyl chloride and that of benzene were also examined for comparison. Observed differences in the reaction rates and activation energies can be correlated to the structural differences of these compounds, in light of a common reaction mechanism. This mechanism is supported by the results of in situ FTIR studies, which indicate the presence of similar surface intermediates on the catalyst surface under reaction conditions for all the aromatic compounds examined. The results further suggest that the following two are the important mechanistic steps in the oxidation of chlorinated benzenes: (1) the adsorption of the aromatic compound on the catalyst via a nucleophilic attack on the chlorine position in the aromatic ring and (2) the subsequent oxidation of the remaining aromatic ring.
Psychosocial Aspects of Women's Lives: Work and Family/Personal Life and Life Cycle Issues

Beginning in the past century and continuing to evolve into the twenty-first century, there have been dramatic changes in women's work and personal/family lives within the United States. These changes have particularly affected white, middle-class women and women in medicine and other professions. Physicians in fields whose practitioners are predominantly female and/or who treat primarily women and families need to be aware of the scope and nature of these changes and to recognize that their own personal experiences and values might differ from those of women of different generations as well as different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
Determination of hob offset required to generate nonstandard spur gears with teeth of equal strength

Abstract A method has been developed for determining the hob offset e 1 of the pinion from the value of e 1 + e 2 for a pair of spur gears designed to operate at a nonstandard center distance. This method is based on adjusting e 1 and e 2 so that the static stress in the pinion teeth is approximately equal to that in the gear teeth. Charts were plotted so that the ratio of e 1 /( e 1 + e 2 ) could be determined for various velocity ratios and for several changes in center distance. The results of calculating static tooth stresses by the method developed in this paper are compared with those using the Lewis equation and those following the AGMA Standards. Curves were also plotted so that tooth stresses in the form of stress factors could be determined for various values of τC , diametral pitch, and the ratio N 2 /( N 1 + N 2 ).
Uncommon GNAQ, MMP8, AKT3, EGFR, and PIK3R1 mutations in thyroid cancers.

Frequent mutations in the GNAQ, MMP8, Akt3, EGFR, and PIK3R1 genes have been reported in human cancers but mostly have not been well examined in thyroid cancer. Selected exons of GNAQ, MMP8, AKT3, EGFR, and PIK3R1 genes were sequenced in various thyroid cancers. We found a G2203A EGFR mutation, resulting in a G735S amino acid change, in one of 21 (5%) papillary thyroid cancer samples. We did not find any mutation in the MMP8 gene, but observed a frequent SNP A259G (K87E) genotype switch in various types of thyroid cancer samples. We did not find any mutation in the GNAQ, AKT3, and PIK3R1genes in various types of thyroid cancer. No mutation in these genes was found in 12 cell lines derived from various types of thyroid cancer. Therefore, unlike in other cancers, mutations in these genes are uncommon in thyroid cancer.
Implementing remote sensing strategies to support environmental compliance assessment: A neural network application

Abstract Environmental compliance assessment and enforcement are complex, labor intensive tasks that would benefit from some form of decision support. Despite the well-documented application of remote sensing in environmental analysis and assessment, the operational use of this technology for environmental compliance enforcement remains in its infancy. Because the majority of environmental laws and regulations in the United States were enacted prior to the emergence of a mature science of remote sensing, there exists a degree of skepticism regarding the operational utility and reliability of remotely sensed data as an environmental compliance tool. This paper provides a review of the role of remote sensing in environmental compliance assessment and introduces a framework to guide the application of this technology based on the use of artificial neural networks. The customized neural networks developed in this study serve as a simplifying strategy to assist the process of compliance monitoring. Functioning as “intelligent” classifiers, the network models provide a spatial characterization of activities likely to cause damage; achieving mapping accuracies that ranged from 68 to 90% for the test case samples selected for investigation.
Symptom interference with work and relationships during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause: observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study.

AbstractObjective:The aim of this study was to describe the changes in symptom interference during the menopausal transition (MT) stages and early postmenopause (PM), including the effects of age, MT-related factors (estrone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, MT stages), symptoms (hot flas
A prototype of EHD-enhanced drying system

The performance of an electrohydrodynamically enhanced drying system has been evaluated with its prototype. This scale-up system is the first implementation of such drying technology. It utilizes two convey belts to form a continuous operating system. The prototype uses wire electrodes which are charged at high voltages with positive polarity. The test runs use wet construction sands as sample. The results show that the prototype produces drying enhancement consistent with results previously reported and thus it confirms that the technology can be successfully scaled up. The performance of the prototype can be further enhanced by fine tuning the operating parameters.
Net value: wealth creation (and destruction) during the internet boom

Abstract During the internet bubble, dot-com stocks rose by a factor of 35, creating what we now know were massively distorted price signals. This paper looks at net value creation in a sample of 441 venture-backed dot-coms that received over US$21 billion from private and public equity investors. As of the end of 2001, this US$21 billion corresponded to an estimated US$39 billion of enterprise value, giving an annualized return-on-equity capital invested of 19%. These results suggest that, despite the distorted price signals and contrary to popular perception, wealth was created during the dot-com investment boom.
αADα Hybrids of Cryptococcus neoformans: Evidence of Same-Sex Mating in Nature and Hybrid Fitness

Cryptococcus neoformans is a ubiquitous human fungal pathogen that causes meningoencephalitis in predominantly immunocompromised hosts. The fungus is typically haploid, and sexual reproduction involves two individuals with opposite mating types/sexes, α and a. However, the overwhelming predominance of mating type (MAT) α over a in C. neoformans populations limits α–a mating in nature. Recently it was discovered that C. neoformans can undergo same-sex mating under laboratory conditions, especially between α isolates. Whether same-sex mating occurs in nature and contributes to the current population structure was unknown. In this study, natural αADα hybrids that arose by fusion between two α cells of different serotypes (A and D) were identified and characterized, providing definitive evidence that same-sex mating occurs naturally. A novel truncated allele of the mating-type-specific cell identity determinant SXI1α was also identified as a genetic factor likely involved in this process. In addition, laboratory-constructed αADα strains exhibited hybrid vigor both in vitro and in vivo, providing a plausible explanation for their relative abundance in nature despite the fact that AD hybrids are inefficient in meiosis/sporulation and are trapped in the diploid state. These findings provide insights on the origins, genetic mechanisms, and fitness impact of unisexual hybridization in the Cryptococcus population.
Determination of silver by potentiometric titration with sodium thiosulfate

Abstract Silver can be determined in the low parts per million range by potentiometric titration with sodium thiosulfate solution. Sodium thiosulfate solutions can be standardized by potentiometric titration of silver nitrate. Some time is required to achieve a stable potential reading in the vicinity of the end point. Reduced temperatures are required to obtain a useful potentiometric titration on adding silver ion to a thiosulfate solution. Quantitative results can be obtained in this titration also.
Self‐evaluation maintenance and the perception of friends and strangers

A self-evaluation maintenance (SEM) model was used to make predictions about the positivity of perception of the performance of friends and strangers. The model predicts that when the target of perception is close (i.e., a friend) the target's performance should be perceived more positively on dimensions of low personal relevance (to the perceiver) and less positively on dimensions of high personal relevance. If the target is psychologically distant (i.e., a stranger), this tendency should be attenuated. Thirty-four female subjects were given positive and negative feedback on a social sensitivity and an esthetic judgment task. One task had greater relevance for some subjects and the other task had greater relevance for the remaining subjects. Subjects rated their perception of a friend's and a stranger's performance on these tasks. The patterning of positivity in perception conformed to the pattern predicted by the SEM model. Subjects' awareness of their behavior as well as individual differences in self-esteem and repression-sensitization were also examined and discussed.
Rapid purification of antibodies to single band purity using recycling isoelectric focusing

Recycling isoelectric focusing (RIEF) was used to isolate monoclonal antibodies from an electrophoretically heterogeneous rabbit antibody population. Milligram quantities of antibodies were processed to single band purity in 4 h. The ease of operation, extremely short run times, and high resolution of the RIEF apparatus give this system great flexibility. The demonstrated capacity of the RIEF system to process large quantities of protein suggests that the system is applicable to the largescale purification of antibodies.
A differential scheme for the effective moduli of composites

Abstract A differential scheme to compute the effective moduli of composites is presented. The method is based on the idea of realizability, i.e. the composite is constructed explicitly from an initial material through a series of incremental additions. The construction process is uniquely specified by parametrizing the volume fractions of the included phases. The properties of the final composite depend upon the construction path taken and not just on the final volume fractions. Assuming the grain shapes are ellipsoidal, a system of ordinary differential equations for the moduli is obtained which is integrated along the path. The present method includes as special cases of paths or endpoints the differential scheme of Roscoe-Boucher and the self-consistent scheme of Kroner-Hill, respectively. The method includes a realization of the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds for a two-phase composite with K( 1 2- K 2 )(μ 1 – μ 2 ) ⪖ 0 . For example, the upper bounds are achieved by imbedding disks of the stiffer material in a matrix of the more compliant material.
Integrating Theory, Simulations and Experiments to Reveal the Recognition-Specific Pathways in the Nuclear Co-Activator Binding Domain Ensemble

The nuclear receptor co-activator binding domain (NCBD) selectively recruits transcription co-activators (TCAs) during the formation of the transcription pre-initiation complex. However, the biophysical mechanisms of NCBD:TCA recognition remain unclear as both NCBD and several of its corresponding TCAs are intrinsically disordered. We therefore probed the conformational diversity of the apo- and holo-forms of NCBD using all-atom, explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations (∼100 μ1/4s) and small-angle neutron scattering experiments. We integrated theory, simulations and experiments into a unified framework called anharmonic conformational analysis (ACA). ACA identifies a hierarchy of conformational sub-states, intermediates and pathways that play a key role in NCBD:TCA recognition. The transitions between sub-states can be modeled by a bent paperclip, whose arms correspond to helices, α1-α2-α3. The pathways reveal that α1 and α2 adopt conformations close to the holo-form and α3 undergoes extensive conformational changes in response to different TCAs (Fig. 1). The specificity binding loop in NCBD adopts intermediates that enables the bending and twisting of α1 and α2 into its final orientation with the target TCA. We hope this quantitative view of NCBD:TCA landscape can aid the design of novel cancer therapeutics.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Multiple time scales analysis for the Kramers-Chandrasekhar equation

Abstract A functional approach, similar in spirit to that used by Bogoliubov in his studies of the BBGKY hierarchy, is used to derive the Smoluchowski equation (and corrections) from the Kramers-Chandrasekhar equation. The method of multiple time scales is then used to examine the initial value problem for the Kramers-Chandrasekhar equation, the reduced initial data for the Smoluchowski equation is calculated and the relationship of the function approach and the multiple time scales approach is discussed.
“It's Fine as Long as You Draw, But Don't Film”: Waltz with Bashir and the Postmodern Function of Annimated Documentary

Animated documentary Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman, 2008) became Israel's official entry for consideration for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, for which it was eventually nominated. It was the first animated film in history to be so appointed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This paper attempts to move the literature concerning animated documentary a small step forward by positioning Ari Folman's film as not only a meditation on memory (as other commentators and Folman himself have characterized it) but also a critique of photographic realism. Superimposing Wells's (1997) taxonomy of animated documentary types (imitative, subjective, fantastic, and postmodern) over Roe's (2010) insistence that one must consider the function of animation in documentaries rather than types of animated documentaries, I suggest that Waltz with Bashir demonstrates within documentary a postmodern function for animation.
The dislocation content of a large angle tilt boundary

Abstract Explicit formulae for the dislocation content of a large angle tilt boundary in a cubic crystal are presented. These are obtained by using the surface dislocation formalism modified to allow for the appropriate group symmetry of the crystal. The results are compared with a simple formula recently proposed by Sleeswyk.
Determination of the Number of Atoms Trapped in an Optical Cavity

The number of atoms trapped within the mode of an optical cavity is determined in real time by monitoring the transmission of a weak probe beam. Continuous observation of atom number is accomplished in the strong coupling regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics and functions in concert with a cooling scheme for radial atomic motion. The probe transmission exhibits sudden steps from one plateau to the next in response to the time evolution of the intracavity atom number, from Ngreater than or equal to 3 to N=2-->1-->0 atoms, with some trapping events lasting over 1 s.
Men, Women, Job Sprawl, and Journey to Work in the Philadelphia Region:

The observation that increasing dispersion of employment opportunities leads to decreased travel times is reflective of a short-term phenomenon. Census-reported journey-to-work travel time is examined for the greater Philadelphia region, showing that more people are commuting by automobile, a mode usually associated with shorter journey times, but are reporting longer trip times. The finding is counterintuitive as it coincides with a period when new jobs were established in outlying areas and the region experienced a net loss in jobs. The study concludes that as job opportunities disperse into lower density areas, Philadelphia’s existing high-capacity systems are underutilized, and transportation systems throughout the region that were designed for relatively low demand are becoming overwhelmed in time. The net effect is a breakdown of both the urban mass transit systems and the suburban and rural highway networks, the latter because of overuse and the former because of underuse.
OFFSETTING BEHAVIOR AND THE BENEFITS OF FOOD SAFETY REGULATION

Many regulatory, safety and health policies are adopted to reduce harm to potential victims from accidents and other harmful events. Attenuation and, sometimes, even reversal of the direct policy effect on expected harm may occur because of offsetting behavior (OB) by potential victims, as they reduce care in response to the policy. This research determines that OB in consumers may be responsible for an increase in food poisoning cases after new, more stringent food safety policies are enacted and implemented in the food processing sector. This behavioral anomaly indicates serious deviation from rational choice and possibly helps explain the growing gap between the decrease in pathogen bacteria level recorded in meat processing plants and the increasing number of outbreaks of food poisoning cases caused by these bacteria. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Changes in subjects' preferences for level of cooking of hamburger as a result of positive and negative messages regarding food safety was measured. The results of this experiment suggest that people exhibit offsetting behavior as a reaction to policies enacted to improve food safety record and protect consumers from getting ill by some of the deadly bacteria found in ground beef. Policy action was introduced ex post, i.e., after subjects in the study adjusted their preferences accounting for knowledge about the food safety problem. The information, although true, was also at least partially irrelevant, since it is related to food safety measures in meat processing plants rather than in retail stores, restaurants or households, and meat contamination is quite possible to occur at any segment between the moment when meat leaves the processing facility until it is consumed in households or restaurants. This behavioral anomaly helps explain the growing gap between the decrease in pathogen bacteria level recorded in meat processing plants and the increasing number of outbreaks of food poisoning cases caused by these bacteria.
“I Would Like to See How They Got Poor and See What It's Like to Be Poor”: An Analysis of Young Children's Responses to a Critical Literacy Text About Poverty

Sixty-four 8-year-old children listened to a reading of a critical literacy text about poverty and then responded to interview questions about the story. The content on which the children focused their attention, the processes that they employed to engage with the text, and the particular stance(s) taken varied significantly by ecological setting or socioeconomic status for some categories of response. These findings are consistent with Rosenblatt's (1994) theory and have important implications for practice. Mindful of variations in response, practitioners can become more sensitive to children's constructed meanings about poverty and scaffold accordingly.
Comment on The Significance of Place: Fieldwork Reflections on ‘South Africa’ and “the United States'”

Nadine Dolby's essay paints a fascinating picture of her experiences with students of a multiracial high school in South Africa. In this brief commentary I will focus on three observations, albeit giving unequal attention to each, that this essay raises for me. My first observation is that the author offers some important insights regarding the powerful influence of the "intense globalization of media culture." Media culture, among other things, presents the notion of place in a manner that impacts not just one's perspectives on/perceptions of place but also the very nature of reality construction and the development of a worldview. In South Africa-as in most other developing countries-this influence is epitomized by (though not limited to) the dominance of U.S. popular culture, which bombards and impacts youth culture and the way that young people perceive the world in general, including the world in their very own backyards.' I would argue that the dominance of U.S. popular culture has created a kind of youth so much engrossed in what is happening in that romanticized world far away that they have lost sight of the present world in which they live. In fact, the very world that these "Americanized" youths live in is seen and experienced through the lens of U.S. culture; and thus the notion of place assumes a state of flux. So it becomes less astonishing when the author encounters students who are "ambivalent about the end of apartheid," "credited F. W. de Klerk with ending apartheid," and know little about "the decades of organized political resistance that preceded de Klerk's freeing of Mandela in 1990"-because their "world" is totally removed from the one they physically inhabit, replaced by preoccupations with the one to which they aspire and through which they navigate mentally via the lifestyles that they exhibit in their everyday lives. This replacement culminates in a situation whereby we have young people who have no sense of who they are, where they come from, and how the present has been shaped by the past and who have a general lack of knowledge of their own culture. Clearly there is something inherently wrong with people who have no appreciation of their own culture (and history) but are quick to embrace (certain segments of) other people's culture. I would go so far as to argue that some of the problems that
Structure, function, and aggregation of the zinc-free form of the p53 DNA binding domain.

The p53 DNA binding domain (DBD) contains a single bound zinc ion that is essential for activity. Zinc remains bound to wild-type DBD at temperatures below 30 °C; however, it rapidly dissociates at physiological temperature. The resulting zinc-free protein (apoDBD) is folded and stable. NMR spectra reveal that the DNA binding surface is altered in the absence of Zn2+. Fluorescence anisotropy studies show that Zn2+ removal abolishes site-specific DNA binding activity, although full nonspecific DNA binding affinity is retained. Surprisingly, the majority of tumorigenic mutations that destabilize DBD do not appreciably destabilize apoDBD. The R175H mutation instead substantially accelerates the rate of Zn2+ loss. A considerable fraction of cellular p53 may therefore exist in the folded zinc-free form, especially when tumorigenic mutations are present. ApoDBD appears to promote aggregation of zinc-bound DBD via a nucleation-growth process. These data provide an explanation for the dominant negative phenotype ...
Variability of Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 Measurements

We read with interest the recent report in this journal by Khuseyinova and colleagues regarding the variability of serial lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) measurements in postmyocardial infarction patients(1). Because Lp-PLA2 plays a role in inflammation but, unlike other inflammatory proteins, is not an acute-phase reactant(2), nonspecificity issues associated with acute-phase reactants may be averted. Indeed, recent reviews verify that several epidemiologic studies have demonstrated a strong association between Lp-PLA2 and ischemic events(2)(3)(4). Thus, as indicated by Khuseyinova and colleagues, Lp-PLA2 appears to be a promising emerging biomarker for coronary heart disease and stroke. We applaud the effort of this group to evaluate the performance of Lp-PLA2 measurements. With all assay development, multiple iterations of assays are often developed before a given …
NCEAS: promoting creative collaborations.

A substantial portion of research occurs in places where scholars congregate—in campus laboratories, in libraries, or in large specialized facilities, such as oceanographic ships, astronomical observatories, or accelerators. Under any of these circumstances, researchers can interact easily, exchanging ideas and information.
Multipath detection and mitigation leveraging the growing GNSS constellation

This paper describes a method to observe the likely presence of multipath errors and mitigate them from the computation of the GNSS position solution.
BODIPY-Derived Photoremovable Protecting Groups Unmasked with Green Light

Photoremovable protecting groups derived from meso-substituted BODIPY dyes release acetic acid with green wavelengths >500 nm. Photorelease is demonstrated in cultured S2 cells. The photocaging structures were identified by our previously proposed strategy of computationally searching for carbocations with low-energy diradical states as a possible indicator of a nearby productive conical intersection. The superior optical properties of these photocages make them promising alternatives to the popular o-nitrobenzyl photocage systems.
Death and dying in Buddhist Ladakh

Abstract This paper focuses on the nature of cultural practices and belief systems related to death and dying in Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism. Based on ethnographic and psychological fieldwork conducted in a Buddhist society located in the western Himalaya, it explores how the monks and laypersons of Ladakh approach the hour of their death. The paper includes a discussion of the Bardo T'odrol, also known in the west as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. It concludes by giving some pointers to western counsellors who may be asked to interact with Buddhist clients in the wider context of death and bereavement. You are a house of bones Flesh and blood for plaster Pride lives in you And hypocrisy, decay and death. The glorious chariots of kings shatter So also the body turns to dust. But the spirit of purity is changeless And so the pure instruct the pure… [I have] beaten out desire And now my mind is free. Siddhartha Gautama Man says: Time passes. Time says: Man passes. Tibetan proverb If you want to know about l...
Domain knowledge and individual interest: The effects of academic level and specialization in statistics and psychology

Abstract Numerous research studies have highlighted the significant impact of domain knowledge and individual interest on learning. However, much of this prior research has neglected several important issues regarding the dynamic interplay of domain knowledge and individual interest both within and between domains as well as across developmental stages of learners. Situated within the Model of Domain Learning, this investigation seeks to respond to those issues. We studied the scores of 267 undergraduate and graduate students representing a variety of majors and programs. Results indicate that domain knowledge and individual interest are related differently for the domains of statistics and psychology. Further, findings indicate that when examining multiple domains of learning (e.g., statistics and psychology), the relationship between domain knowledge and interest changes as an artifact of both students’ academic level of preparation in undergraduate and graduate programs and their academic specialization. Based on these results, we offer implications for future research.
Changes in the returns to education in Costa Rica

Abstract I document patterns in the returns to education in Costa Rica from 1976 to 1992. The most important change during this period was that from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, the return to education fell by about one-fourth. I construct demand and supply indices within a fixed manpower requirements framework to estimate demand and supply shifts. I find a significantly positive relationship between measures of demand for education and a significantly negative relationship between measures of supply for education. These findings suggest that calculations based on the returns to education, such as the returns to social investments in education, must take into account future changes in the returns to education as supply and demand conditions develop.
A bound on the chromatic number of a graph

We give an upper bound on the chromatic number of a graph in terms of its maximum degree and the size of the largest complete subgraph. Our results extends a theorem due to Brooks.
How might Native science inform “informal science learning”?

This article examines the literature on Native science in order to address the presumed binaries between formal and informal science learning and between Western and Native science. We situate this discussion within a larger discussion of culturally responsive schooling for Indigenous youth and the importance of Indigenous epistemologies and contextualized knowledges within Indigenous communities.
Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Mutations of the Myosin Regulatory Light Chain Remove Myosin Load Sensitivity

The myosin head domain consists of a globular head and an elongated alpha-helical neck region, the “lever arm”, which undergoes large conformational changes during the ATPase cycle. This lever arm has been proposed to be part of the communication pathway transmitting external loads to the active site. Since the regulatory light chain (RLC) supports and imparts stiffness to the myosin lever arm, we hypothesized that alterations in the structure of the myosin heavy chain-RLC interaction could alter myosin load-dependent biochemistry. Using modifications to the in vitro motility assay under unloaded and loaded conditions, we examined the biochemical properties of two RLC mutations that have been implicated in causing familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, N47K and R58Q. Myosin was purified from porcine ventricles carrying beta-MHC, and the native RLC was replaced with recombinant human wild type (WT) or mutant RLC. Our data show that under unloaded conditions, there are no differences between the mutant myosins and the WT. On the other hand, consistent with skinned fiber studies, we saw significant changes under loaded conditions, with both mutants showing reductions in isometric force, power output, and the load at which peak power occurs. We also see that both ATP and ADP affinity are load-dependent in the WT. Interestingly, our data suggests that cardiac myosin undergoes a load-dependent isomerization in the ADP bound state, similar to other “load sensing” myosins. Furthermore, we show that whereas WT shows a reduction in affinity for exogenously added ADP under loaded conditions, the mutants are relatively insensitive to load. Taken together these data demonstrate that mutations of the RLC change the load dependent kinetics of cardiac myosin, suggesting a role for the RLC in tuning load-dependent myosin mechanochemistry.
Sclerotherapy for male alcoholic cirrhotic patients who have bled from esophageal varices: Results of a randomized, multicenter clinical trial

Sclerotherapy and sham-sclerotherapy were compared in male alcoholic patients with cirrhosis and bleeding esophageal varices. The prospective, singleblind, randomized clinical trial of 5 yr duration entered 253 male alcoholic patients at 12 Veterans Affairs medical centers. Patients were either actively bleeding from esophageal varices at randomization or they had a history of such bleeding. They were treated by endoscopy with sham-sclerotherapy or endoscopy with sclerotherapy at randomization, 4 to 6 days, 9 to 11 days, 1 mo, 3 mo and every 3 mo for 2 yr and followed for the remainder of the study period. of the patients randomized, 131 were assigned to sham-therapy and 122 were assigned to sclerotherapy. At entry the two patient groups were comparable. The upper gastrointestinal rebleeding rates during the study were 101 and 66 per 100 person years of follow-up in sham-therapy and sclerotherapy, respectively (rate ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 2.22; p = 0.01). A significantly higher number of episodes were attributable to esophageal varices in the shamtherapy group (112 vs. 52; p = 0.005). Seventy-four sham-therapy patients (56%) and 77 sclerotherapy patients (63%) died (p = 0.54; relative risk, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.66 to 1.25). The mean transfusion requirement was higher in the sham-therapy group (16.0 units vs. 9.4 units; p = 0.002) and more patients in this group required shunt surgery (18 vs. 5; p = 0.005). We conclude that sclerotherapy reduces the rate of rebleeding from varices, the transfusion requirement, and the need for shunt surgery, but has no long-term effect on survival. (HEPATOLOGY 1994;20:618–625).
Sticking coefficients of atoms on solid surfaces at low temperatures

It is shown that the polarization effect, discussed by Knowles and Suhl [Phys. Rev. Lett. 39, (1977) 1417], is unnecessary to explain why sticking (adsorption) probabilities of atoms on surfaces remain nonzero down to zero energies. The earlier explanation, in terms of the long-range nature of the atom-surface interaction potential, is sufficient.
Quantum fluctuations in a φ 4 field theory. I. Stability of the vacuum

We study the effect of quantum fluctuations in a ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ field theory using a Hartree-type approximation. We reduce the operator field equations into a set of coupled $c$-number (infinite in number) equations. We show that these equations can also be derived from a variational principle. We carry out the renormalization procedure in the one-dimensional theory in detail and demonstrate how the renormalization can be done in a fashion consistent with the Hartree approximation. We then apply the technique to study the effective potential and the stability of the vacuum. We find that the abnormal vacuum is unstable as the coupling becomes strong, and a transition between the abnormal ($〈\ensuremath{\varphi}〉\ensuremath{\ne}0$) and the normal ($〈\ensuremath{\varphi}〉\ensuremath{\ne}0$) vacua occurs in both the one- and the three-dimensional theory. A generalization of the theory to include internal symmetries is briefly outlined.
Supercomplementarity in massless suppersymmetric QCD

The presence of at least one supersymmetric phase is established for the strongly interacting SU(N) gauge theory with n flavors of massless matter in the N + N representation ofthe gauge group.
Density Functional Theory Study of Transformations of Nitrogen Oxides Catalyzed by Cu-Exchanged Zeolites

A previously reported density-functional-theory-based model of NO decomposition in Cu-exchanged zeolites (Schneider, W. F.; et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 1997, 101, 4353) is extended to consider more generally the Cu-zeolite catalyzed chemistry of nitrogen oxides. The catalyst active site is considered to be an isolated, zeolite (Z)-bound Cu ion, which can exist in either a reduced (Z-−Cu(I)) or an oxidized (Z-−Cu(II)−O-) state. Three different cluster models are used to study the affinity of ZCu and ZCuO for gaseous molecules (e.g., NO, NO2, or N2O), the structures and vibrational spectra of the stable complexes thus formed, and the possible reactivity between active sites and gaseous species. The reduced and oxidized states are found to react with nitrogen oxides via two types of O atom transfer reactions, one in which ZCu adds an O atom to form ZCuO, and the other in which ZCuO adds an O atom to form ZCu + O2 via a dioxygen (ZCuO2) intermediate. Potential energy surfaces for several key reactions are explore...
Urothelial Carcinoma with Divergent Histologic Differentiation (Mixed Histologic Features) Predicts the Presence of Locally Advanced Bladder Cancer When Detected at Transurethral Resection

OBJECTIVES The histologic classification of bladder tumors remains an important predictor of treatment response and patient outcome, with pure nonurothelial tumors associated with poorer outcome compared with pure urothelial carcinoma (UC). Little, however, is known about the significance of UC with divergent (mixed) histologic features at transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). This study examined the incidence, pathologic spectrum, and clinical significance of this phenomenon. METHODS The histologic patterns of 448 consecutive TURBT and 295 subsequent cystectomy specimens from this subgroup were analyzed. The type of divergent tumor differentiation observed in the mixed histologic type cases was categorized and quantified. Pure non-UC cases were excluded. Various clinicopathologic parameters were compared between the mixed histologic type and pure UC cohorts. RESULTS UC with mixed histologic features was identified in 25% of all TURBT specimens and was uniformly (100%) high grade and invasive (99%). The most common mixed histologic components were squamous (40%) and glandular (18%). Eleven percent of cases had multiple mixed histologic types. Compared with the pure high-grade UC, UCs with mixed histologic features were associated with muscle invasion at TURBT (chi-square test, P <0.001) and with extravesical disease at cystectomy (chi-square test, P = 0.0001). The presence of mixed histologic features at TURBT was an independent predictor of extravesical disease in a multivariate logistic model (P = 0.007). However, it was not significant for disease-specific survival in the univariate (P = 0.17) or multivariate (P = 0.68) models. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study have shown that the presence of mixed histologic features at TURBT indicates locally aggressive disease. Patients with mixed histologic features might benefit from an aggressive multimodality treatment strategy.
Chronic drug use and cognitive impairments.

Reports regarding the effects of chronic drug use on human cognition and comparisons of different drug user groups have been inconsistent. Methodological flaws may account for some inconsistencies. To determine the effects of chronic drug use on cognition, drug users (n=192) were tested 17.1+/-0.3 days (mean+/-S.E.) and 99.4+/-1.7 days on average after their last use of drugs before beginning treatment. Drug users were categorized as stimulant, alcohol, or polydrug users. Their performance on tests of academic achievement, verbal memory, and abstraction was compared to performance of community-dwelling controls (n=137). The groups were matched on selected demographic and psychiatric characteristics. Historical records of achievement test scores were used to attempt to control for premorbid intellectual ability. Drug users showed impairments on each of the achievement tests (P<.001), as well as poorer total recall (P<.01) and abstraction ability (P<.05). Stimulant users performed worse on several tests relative to the other drug use groups. Only one of six tests demonstrated improvements following about 3 months of abstinence. Thus, chronic drug use is associated with cognitive impairments that do not improve substantially even after several months of abstinence.
Hepatoblastomas in the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus (L.), from a creosote‐contaminated environment: a histologic, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study

A detailed histologic, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural description of two cases of hepatoblastoma, a primitive liver cell neoplasm, is provided from mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus (L.), inhabiting a creosote-contaminated environment in the Elizabeth River, Virginia, USA. Both neoplasms were multifocal and comprised of undifferentiated embryonal cells with a high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio. One case was characterized by a prominent macrotrabecular arrangement of tumour cells, whereas the other was solid in organization and undifferentiated. Tumour cells in some areas formed rosettes or pseudorosettes characteristic for hepatoblastoma. Focal areas within the macrotrabecular tumour were poorly differentiated, exhibiting a solid cellular arrangement. Strong immunolabelling with antibody C-219 indicated elevation and altered patterns of P-glycoprotein expression in both cases. In case 1, plasma membranes and tumour cell cytoplasm, but not bile canaliculi, were strongly labelled. However, in case 2, the macrotrabecular lesion, bile canaliculi were prominently labelled by the C-219 antibody with only patchy immunolabelling of tumour cell cytoplasm. Ultrastructurally, neoplasms from both specimens were composed of small, closely apposed, undifferentiated embryonal cells with scant cytoplasm resembling developing hepatocytes. The macrotrabecular lesion (case 2) exhibited a prominent tubular organization with well-developed bile canaliculi and constituent cells with abundant organelles. Based on histologic pattern, immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural features, these undifferentiated liver lesions are distinct from hepatocellular carcinoma reported in this species and warrant a diagnosis of hepatoblastoma.
Evaluation and redesign of product and service delivery processes

The Citizen's Telephone Cooperative in Floyd Co, VA is interested in supplying the most advanced technology to its customers and providing high quality customer service. As they expand, evaluations and improvement of their work practices and processes is crucial to stay competitive. The process of installing and initiating phone and/or DSL service to new customers without existing facilities or utilities was examined and redesigned. After establishment of the existing process state, process time data was collected and incorporated. Using this tool opportunities to make improvements were identified and vetted. The recommended improvements should reduce the average new customer (no facilities) viewed lead time for service initiation from 11 days to 7. days. The cross-department working group responsible for vetting work improvements and implementation ideas was imbued with a new appreciation for the importance and power of a systems perspective in creating change.
Effect of Calcium on Acute Toxicity of Sodium Chloride to Larval and Newly Transformed Juvenile Striped Bass

Abstract During postlarval development and the first few weeks after becoming juveniles, striped bass Morone saxatilis die if they are abruptly transferred to water with 5 g NaCl/L and low concentrations of calcium. Larval (3-week-old) and juvenile (4-week-old) striped bass were transferred from a freshwater rearing pond to water containing various concentrations of reagent grade NaCl. For larvae, the 24-h median lethal concentration (LC50; concentration lethal to 50% of test fish) of NaCl was 1.6 g/L in water with 9.0 mg Ca2+/L. The 24-h LC50 for juveniles ranged from 1.4 to 18.2 g/L as the Ca2+ concentration increased from 3.0 tc 100 mg/L. Lethal toxicity of 5 g NaCl/L (often used during transport of this species) was inhibited in 50% of fish of both ages by 5.8 mg Ca2+/L. The lethal ratio of NaCl to Ca2+ varied depending on the Ca2+ concentration. Food-grade salt has a low concentration of calcium, but impure or calcium-supplemented salt contains enough calcium to prevent the acute toxicity of 5 g NaCI/L.
Purinergic receptors and dephosphorylating enzymes occur in both the gustatory and olfactory systems of the spiny lobster

1. Electrophysiological procedures demonstrated that sensilla on the walking legs of the spiny lobster,Panulirus argus, possess ATP- and AMP-sensitive cells. 2. The ATP-sensitive cells on these gustatory appendages exhibited similar structure-activity relationships, response properties and antagonistic effects as cells described earlier on the olfactory organ. 3. Biochemical procedures demonstrated that the walking legs, like the olfactory organ, also possess ectoenzymes that dephosphorylate the nucleotides ATP, ADP and AMP.
Analytical Calculation of the Modes in a Substrate Integrated Waveguide

A first order analytical method is developed to analyze the guided modes in substrate integrated waveguides. The complex propagation constant is derived as a closed expression which is a function of frequency, and geometrical and material parameters. This single equation is able to describe multimode and band gap effects in substrate integrated waveguides. Therefore, the initial design procedure can be greatly simplified by using this analytical model as starting point.
Simulation-Based Comparison of Existent IAS 19 Accounting Options

We focus on accounting for unfunded defined benefit pension plans according to IAS 19 and compare the option to recognise any actuarial gain or loss immediately outside profit or loss in a separate statement within equity (‘equity approach’) with the ‘corridor approach’. The objective is to detect systematic differences in long-term pure accounting effects, which can be seen by the different cumulated net-amounts not (yet) recognised in profit or loss. Due to the complexity and the probabilistic elements, human expectations on system behaviour often fail. Therefore, we have performed the first Monte-Carlo-simulation study of the accounting options. The assumptions concerning input data are based on official German statistics and, therefore, are representative at least for Germany and similar countries. As a result, the belief of long-term offsetting of cumulated actuarial gains and losses is not accurate. The former unforeseeable consequences are the following: if we apply the equity approach we identify a tendency for a quasi-permanent cumulated actuarial net-gain (regenerating workforce) or a permanent cumulated actuarial net-loss (degenerating workforce) recognised outside profit or loss. If the corridor approach is applied, a tendency for quasi-permanent cumulated unrecognised net-gains is reported while amortising any corridor excess in the case of a regenerating workforce.