cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Difference sedimentation velocity adapted to low molecular weight proteins

Abstract The difference sedimentation velocity technique reported by Kirschner and Schachman (1971, Biochemistry 10 , 1900–1919) has been modified to eliminate the need for a supernatant region. The method is now applicable to the measurement of small changes in sedimentation coefficient for low molecular weight proteins and other small macromolecules. Procedural changes necessary to overcome the absence of a supernatant region until late in the run have been devised and tested. A modified double-sector centerpiece was used to match the radial positions of the two menisci. The integration of the moment of the concentration difference was carried out from the meniscus to the plateau region, rather than over the peak only. The interference baseline was measured on photographs at the start of each run and after remixing. Some instability of baseline height was noted. The calculation method adjusted the baseline height to correspond with the concentration difference in the plateau region arising from unequal radial dilution. Tests of the method have been made using D 2 O to retard the sedimentation of lysozyme. The interference results at low D 2 O concentration (small values of Δs) are in agreement with schlieren results at high D 2 O concentrations. Changes of 0.005 S have been detected.
Surgical malpractice claims in the United States

Despite ongoing reform, there is still significant physician concern regarding the impact of medical claims on their practices. It is important that physicians and healthcare risk management professionals have a good understanding of the outcomes of medical malpractice to participate in its restructuring as needed and to prevent potentially harmful practices. In our study, we reviewed National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) paid malpractice claim reports from September 1, 1990, through July 30, 2011, and identified the 10 most common surgery-related allegations against physicians, excluding those listed as unspecified. Data were collected on the number of claims, the cost of the claims, and physician and patient characteristics.
Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor of the central nervous system: report on workshop.

Childhood atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) of the central nervous system (CNS) is a recently described entity. Diagnosis is based on distinctive light microscopy and immuno-histochemical findings, coupled with molecular genetic analysis. Most AT/RTs demonstrate monosomy 22 or deletions of chromosome band 22q11 with alterations of the hSNFS/INII gene. The tumor's incidence is still undefined, but it may comprise as high as I in 4 primitive CNS tumors in infants. Treatment is far from optimal, but there are occasional long-term survivors, especially among older children. Therapeutic approached have included surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Prospective clinical trials are needed for children with AT/RTs.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase protects aortic allografts from the development of transplant arteriosclerosis.

Background Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is up-regulated in rejecting allografts and is protective against allograft arteriosclerosis; it suppresses neointimal smooth muscle cell accumulation and inhibits adhesion of platelets and leukocytes to the endothelium. However, the functional importance of endothelial NOS (eNOS) in the rejecting allografts remains unclear. Methods We examined the effects of selective eNOS deficiency in aortic allografts in a murine chronic rejection model using grafts from eNOS knockout (KO) mice (C57BL/6 background; H2b) and normal C3H (H2K) as recipients. Grafts from wild-type C57BL/6 mice served as controls. Grafts from iNOS KO mice served as a second group of controls where the contribution from iNOS was eliminated but eNOS was preserved. Aortic grafts were harvested and analyzed at days 10-14, 18-22, and 26-30 after transplantation. Results Endothelial NOS-deficient grafts showed significantly increased intima/media ratios at days 26-30 compared to controls. Immunostaining demonstrated that in eNOS KO grafts, eNOS was not detectable whereas iNOS was expressed prominently in infiltrating recipient mononuclear cells. In control grafts, eNOS expression was preserved in the endothelium even by day 30, and associated with a decrease in intimal thickening. We further demonstrated that early overexpression of iNOS by ex vivo gene transfer completely prevented the development of arteriosclerosis associated with eNOS deficiency. Conclusions We found that eNOS plays a protective role in allografts, and that in eNOS-deficient allografts, early overexpression of iNOS is capable of preventing the development of allograft arteriosclerosis. In allografts with dysfunctional vascular endothelium and impaired eNOS activity as a result of ischemia or native arteriosclerotic disease, iNOS gene therapy may serve to improve their long-term survival and function.
Lichens as microenvironment markers of air quality: relative to topography, wind direction and vehicular traffic patterns

Abstract Fourteen roadside sites in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area were selected for study of the relationship of vehicular traffic, airborne particulates and lichen abundance. All sites were non-urban or rural and were located 20 to 150 km west of New York City. They represented a range of vehicular traffic from zero to 5000 vehicles per hour, and particle counts ranging from 3600 to 670,000 cm-3 air. In general lichen diversity and abundance were greatest at sites with lowest traffic and particle counts. Traffic effects were modified by differences in highway grade, height and extent of the slope at the roadside, as well as prevailing wind directions. One striking example of these effects of topography was the significant difference in particle counts at points along a 350 m section of rural highway south of the High Point park escarpment. The effects of prevailing wind directions were strikingly demonstrated at two rural sites adjacent to heavy traffic where the particle count was strictly c...
Antagonistic action of a tumor promoter and a poly(adenosine diphosphoribose) synthesis inhibitor in radiation-induced transformation in vitro.

Abstract Transformation of mouse C3H 10T 1 2 cells by X-irradiation in vitro was blocked by the addition of 1 mM 3-aminobenzamide, an inhibitor of polyadenosine diphosphoribose (poly[ADP-ribose]) synthesis immediately after irradiation. 3-Aminobenzamide also inhibited an increase in the frequency of transformants caused by the addition of the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, 7 days after irradiation. These results demonstrate a role for poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis during the initiation and promotion stages of transformation. From previous studies it is known that poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis is stimulated by the DNA damage caused by X rays during initiation. During promotion, however, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate acted as a mitogen but did not induce detectable DNA damage, and we could detect no stimulation of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase. The roles of poly(ADP-ribose) during initiation and during promotion must, therefore, be significantly different.
Image construction methods for phased array magnetic resonance imaging

Purpose To study image construction in phased array magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems from a statistical signal processing point of view. Materials and Methods Three new approaches for image ...
Is there an association between study materials and scores on the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons Part 1 examination

Abstract Background Previous studies have shown that certain orthopaedic in-training examination scores can be used to identify which residents may be at risk for failing the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons (ABOS) Part 1 examination. However, no studies have examined how study resources may affect residents’ ABOS Part 1 scores. The goal of this study is to determine which review sources or review courses, if any, are associated with improved ABOS Part 1 scores. Methods A survey was sent to 221 of the 865 examinees who took the ABOS Part 1 examination in 2012. The questions inquired the respondents how well they performed on previous orthopaedic in-training examinations and ABOS Part 1, along with the study sources they most commonly used, review courses they attended, and resources they would recommended if they were to retake ABOS Part 1 examination. Results Overall, 118 of the 221 (53%) survey recipients completed the survey. Six (5%) of the respondents failed ABOS Part 1 examination. Orthobullets and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons self-assessment examinations were recommended as the primary study source significantly more (p Conclusions There does not appear to be an association between improved ABOS Part 1 scores and orthopedic study materials or review courses. Further research into the value of certain educational modalities should be conducted to determine the best ways to educate orthopedic residents and determine the value of some of these commonly used orthopedic review modalities.
Highly accurate Lagrangian flux calculation via algebraic quadratures on spline-approximated donating regions

Abstract Lagrangian flux through a fixed curve segment within a time interval ( t n , t n + k ) can be formulated as an integral at the initial time t n over a compact point set called donating region, in which each particle will pass through the curve during the time interval and contribute to the flux. Based an explicit, constructive, and analytical solution of the donating region, the author proposes algorithms of Lagrangian flux calculation (LFC) as algebraic quadratures over the spline-approximated donating regions. This generic formulation yields high accuracies up to the 8th-order both in time and space. As another benefit, LFC leads to a conservative semi-Lagrangian method whose time step size is free of the Eulerian stability constraint C r ⩽ 1 . The high accuracy and robustness of the proposed LFC algorithms are demonstrated by various numerical tests with Courant numbers ranging from 1 to 10,000 and with accuracies from the 2nd order to the 8th order. LFC might also be useful in designing hybrid Eulerian methods for complex geometries.
Photoinduced charge separation of N, N, N'N'-tetramethylbenzidine in chromium ion-exchanged zeolite X at room temperature

Chromium ion-exchanged zeolite X microporous materials were examined for the photoionization of N,N,N'N'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with 320-nm irradiation at room temperature. Photoionization of chromium-containing zeolite X results in the formation of N,N,N'N'-tetramethylbenzidine radical cations (TMB + _), which are characterized by electron spin resonance (ESR) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). ESR studies indicate that Cr(V) acts as an electron acceptor. The photoyield and stability of the photoproduced TMB + _ cation radicals is higher in Cr(V)-X zeolite than in other hosts such as silica gels, zirconium phosphate, mordenite, and silicoaluminophosphates. The study delineates the importance of the size/shape features of the host system on the stability of the photoproduced TMB + _ cation radicals.
Induced Synthesis of Oestrogens by Glia in the Songbird Brain

Studies on birds have long provided landmarks and touchstones in the fields of neuroendocrinology, immunology and neuroplasticity. The passerine brain is an excellent model for studying the actions of hormones, including steroids, on a diversity of behavioural endpoints. Oestrogens, for example, have profound effects on avian neuroanatomy and neurophysiology throughout life and, importantly, are synthesised at high levels within neurones of the songbird brain. More recently, aromatisation in another set of neural cells has been identified. Specifically, aromatase expression is induced in astrocytes and radial glia following disruption of the neuropil by multiple forms of perturbation. The avian brain, therefore, can be provided with high levels of oestrogens constitutively or via induction, by aromatisation in neurones and glia, respectively. In this review, we begin with the initial discovery of aromatisation by non-neuronal cells and discuss the mechanisms underlying the induction of aromatase expression in glial cells. We then focus on the emerging interactions between the neuroendocrine and neuroimmune systems with respect to brain injury. Next, we briefly review the extensive literature on the influence of glial aromatisation on neuroplasticity, and end with some recent data on sex differences in the induction of glial aromatase in the zebra finch. Throughout this review, we consider the unanswered questions and future studies that may emerge from these findings.
Human CHAC1 Protein Degrades Glutathione, and mRNA Induction Is Regulated by the Transcription Factors ATF4 and ATF3 and a Bipartite ATF/CRE Regulatory Element

Using an unbiased systems genetics approach, we previously predicted a role for CHAC1 in the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway, linked functionally to activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) following treatment with oxidized phospholipids, a model for atherosclerosis. Mouse and yeast CHAC1 homologs have been shown to degrade glutathione in yeast and a cell-free system. In this report, we further defined the ATF4-CHAC1 interaction by cloning the human CHAC1 promoter upstream of a luciferase reporter system for in vitro assays in HEK293 and U2OS cells. Mutation and deletion analyses defined two major cis DNA elements necessary and sufficient for CHAC1 promoter-driven luciferase transcription under conditions of ER stress or ATF4 coexpression: the -267 ATF/cAMP response element (CRE) site and a novel -248 ATF/CRE modifier (ACM) element. We also examined the ability of the CHAC1 ATF/CRE and ACM sequences to bind ATF4 and ATF3 using immunoblot-EMSA and confirmed ATF4, ATF3, and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β binding at the human CHAC1 promoter in the proximity of the ATF/CRE and ACM using ChIP. To further validate the function of CHAC1 in a human cell model, we measured glutathione levels in HEK293 cells with enhanced CHAC1 expression. Overexpression of CHAC1 led to a robust depletion of glutathione, which was alleviated in a CHAC1 catalytic mutant. These results suggest an important role for CHAC1 in oxidative stress and apoptosis with implications for human health and disease.
Change detection in vegetation using 1989 AVIRIS data

The reflectance of six vegetated areas was tracked from spring through early summer and early fall using three dates of groundreflectance calibrated AVIRIS data sets acquired in 1989. Annual vegetation types exhibit green vegetation spectral features in the spring. The annual plants are largely senesced by early summer and have decreased chlorophyll pigment and leaf water absorption. With the loss of leaf water lignin-cellulose absorptions emerge at 2. 09 and 2. 27 jim. AVIRIS spectra from two forest types show a slight increase in the magnitude ofthe chlorophyll red edge in early summer when compared to the spring data. In the early fall data there is a major decline in the magnitude of the chlorophyll red edge and leafwater absorptions at 0. 95 and 1. 15 jim in tree and shrub dominated areas in drought induced dormancy or undergoing senescence. 1.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Carbon tetrachloride poisoning

Summary We have reported an instance of severe poisoning from carbon tetrachloride contained in a common household cleaning fluid and have emphasized certain forms of available therapy, notably the intensive use of calcium and glucose.
Fast flow deposition of metal atoms on liquid surfaces: Gold sol formation and surface lifetime

Abstract Gold atoms are deposited on liquid water surfaces by a low-pressure, fast-flow technique. This leads either to surface penetration with formation of a gold sol, or metal film growth on the liquid surface. The lifetime with respect to surface penetration is estimated, and several applications are discussed.
Approximate and analytical solutions for solute transport from an injection well into a single fracture

In dealing with problems related to land-based nuclear waste management, a number of analytical and approximate solutions were developed to quantify radionuclide transport through fractures contained in the porous formation. It has been reported that by treating the radioactive decay constant as the appropriate first-order rate constant, these solutions can also be used to study injection problems of a similar nature subject to first-order chemical or biological reactions. The fracture is idealized by a pair of parallel, smooth plates separated by an aperture of constant thickness. Groundwater was assumed to be immobile in the underlying and overlying porous formations due to their low permeabilities. However, the injected radionuclides were able to move from the fracture into the porous matrix by molecular diffusion (the matrix diffusion) due to possible concentration gradients across the interface between the fracture and the porous matrix. Calculation of the transient solutions is not straightforward, and the paper documents a contained Fortran program, which computes the Stehfest inversion, the Airy functions, and gives the concentration distributions in the fracture as well as in the porous matrix for both transient and steady-state cases.
Homogeneous, catalytic, oxidative coupling of methane to acetic acid in one step

Acetic acid is an important petrochemical that is currently produced from methane (or coal) in a three-step process based on carbonylation of methanol. We report a direct, selective, oxidative condensation of two methane molecules to acetic acid at 180°C in concentrated sulfuric acid. 13C isotopic labeling studies show that both carbons of acetic acid originate from two methane molecules in a formal eight-electron redox reaction. The reaction is catalyzed by palladium and the results are consistent with the reaction occurring by tandem catalysis involving methane C–H activation to generate Pd-CH3 species, followed by efficient oxidative carbonylation with methanol, generated in situ from methane, to produce acetic acid. Control Experiments suggest that the carbonylation occurs via the in situ oxidation of CH3OH to low levels of CO.
Cauda equina repair in the rat: part 1. Stimulus-evoked EMG for identifying spinal nerves innervating intrinsic tail muscles.

Abstract Cauda equina injuries may produce severe leg and pelvic floor dysfunction, for which no effective treatments exist. We are developing a rat cauda equina injury model to allow nerve root identification and surgical repair. One possible difficulty in implementing any repair strategy after trauma in humans involves the correct identification of proximal and distal ends of nerve roots separated by the injury. Two series of studies were carried out. In Series 1, we electrically stimulated segmental contributors to the dorsal and ventral caudales nerves in order to characterize the recruitment patterns of muscles controlling rat tail movements. In Series 2, we attempted to identify individual nerve roots forming the cauda equina by both level of origin and function (i.e., dorsal or ventral), based solely upon the recruitment patterns in response to electrical stimulation. For Series 1 studies, electrical stimulation of the segmental contributors showed that all nerve roots—from the sixth lumbar to the ...
Cellular and learned tolerances to pentobarbital ataxia

Abstract Pentobarbital was administered to 4 groups of rats: 1) intermittently before testing on the rotarod (RR) (experienced, EXP), 2) chronically (CHR) before testing on the RR (EXP), 3) intermittently (INT) after being tested on the RR (NONEXP), and 4) chronically (CHR) after being tested on the RR (NONEXP). On postchronic testing, Group 1 (INT/EXP) failed to show tolerance to the RR decrement, related to prechronic scores, while Group 3 (INT/NONEXP) actually showed an enhanced RR decrement. Group 2 (CHR/EXP) and Group 4 (CHR/EXP) both exhibited prominent tolerance to RR impairment at the postchronic test, with a nonsignificant trend for greater tolerance in Group 2. The lack of an expressed behavioral tolerance in INT/EXP rats and the enhanced RR decrement in INT/NONEXP subjects at the postchronic test was attributed to repeated use of a towel wrap restraint during the chronic treatment period. When the prechronic tests for INT/EXP animals were separated into the first 3 and last 3 days, pentobarbital impairment of RR during days 4–6 was significantly less than during days 1–3. This tolerance in INT/EXP rats was lost at the postchronic testing, while INT/NONEXP subjects had by then developed an enhanced RR impairment to pentobarbital. Following postchronic testing, chronic pentobarbital (CHR/EXP and CHR/NONEXP groups) and chronic vehicle (INT/EXP and INT/NONEXP groups) were discounted for 9 days (withdrawal), after which an intermediate dose of the drug was tested on RR performance. Next, 9 days of extinction training involved vehicle injection daily before testing RR performance, after which the intermediate drug dose was again tested. INT/EXP and INT/NONEXP groups showed no change in RR impairment at the postwithdrawal and postextinction tests. However, in CHR/EXP rats pentobarbital tolerance was partly lost at the postwithdrawal test, with a significantly greater loss at the postextinction test. group showed a prominent loss of tolerance at the postwithdrawal test and no significantly greater loss at the postextinction test. Analysis of serum and brain concentrations of drug in other rats identically treated up to the postchronic period yielded evidence of metabolic and cellular tolerances in the chronically treated groups (2 and 4). Additionally, behavioral tolerance appeared to form as a function of drug experience in the CHR/EXP group. INT/EXP subjects (Group 1) failed to express behavioral tolerance during the postchronic test despite drug experience and the INT/NONEXP (Group 3) showed enhanced RR decrement, probably as the result of an interfering factor of repeated episodes of towel wrap restraint.
Circular dichroism and the interactions of water soluble porphyrins with DNA: A minireview

The size, sign, and profile of induced circular dichroism (CD) features in the Soret region are reliable indicators of the binding modes of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins to DNA. Porphyrins shown (using such CD criteria) to be intercalators in monodispersed DNA duplexes prove extremely useful for the detection and characterization of organized, condensed forms of nucleic acids (ψ-condensates). In addition, certain select porphyrin derivatives can form extended assemblies on nonaggregated DNA templates. A combination of CD and resonance light scattering (RLS) measurements allows for sensitive detection and characterization of these porphyrin arrays. Chirality 15:329–332, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The synthesis and characterization of an Mo4MoCl4(LL)2 compound with LL=Ph2PCH2PMe2

Abstract The preparation and structural characterization of a new Mo4Mo complex with an interesting asymmetric bidentate phosphine Mo4MoCl4(μ-dmdppm)2 (dmdppm=Ph2PCH2PMe2) is reported. The Mo4Mo bond distance in Mo4MoCl4(μ-dmdppm)2 (2.1523(9) A) is longer than those in either Mo4MoCl4(μ-dppm)2 (2.138(1) A) or Mo4MoCl4(μ-dmpm)2 (2.125(4) A) due to the presence of a twist about the Mo4Mo axis of 17.56°. The crystal structure of Mo4MoCl4(μ-dmdppm)2 is fully described. Crystallographic data for this compound are as follows: (1) P21/c with a=12.552(6), b=17.223(3), c=18.582(9) A, V=3989(3) A3 and Z=4.
Interplexiform cells in rabbit retina.

Interplexiform cells, which may provide a centrifugal pathway within the retina, have been demonstrated in several vertebrate species. As revealed by Golgi stains, these cells are also present in rabbit retina and have several different morphologies. It appears that interplexiform cells are not only a general feature of the vertebrate retina, but are present in significant numbers.
An open co-op model for global enterprise technology education: integrating the internship and course work

We present an open co-op program called Global Enterprise Technology Immersion Experience (GET IE) developed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Syracuse University. The new program creates a global enterprise focus in technology-oriented academic majors, integrated with hands-on experiential work-based learning to provide a context in which students are stimulated to utilize their classroom experience. The program includes a two-semester paid internship component that can be seamlessly incorporated with the existing computer science curriculum at Syracuse and else where. The internship's unique pedagogical innovation is to simultaneously provide the students academic course work that is integrated within a students extended internship and provides relevant problems in global enterprise technology. The curricula is "open" in the sense that other institutions and companies can join the consortium to enrich choices for the students and foster cross-fertilization of curricula activities. The program, in effect, creates a domain specific next generation co-op program that complements typical computer science curricula with a skill-set that is required for creating very large, global enterprise applications for technically and socially diverse organizations.
Multiparameter pulse-height analysis with a PDP-8/e computer

Abstract A γ-ray spectrometer has been constructed based on the use of a PDP-8/e computer. The system operates in the singles or coincidence pulse-height analysis mode from one, two or three analog-to-digital converters (ADC). Any one of the ADC outputs can be stored separately or any two can be stored simultaneously in the so called dual-singles storage mode. The interface also allows the storage of two- or three-parameter coincidence data the output of which is recorded event-by-event on industry compatible magnetic tape. Input to the computer is made via an external patch panel connection which allows total flexibility in the selection of data formating to magnetic tape. A simple circuit has been developed to allow the PDP-8/e to be held at memory cycle time TP4 so that the rather restrictive timing requirements of the processor can be easily met. The circuit often allows the saving of a complete memory cycle period (≈ 1.4 μ s) by delaying the processor at TP4 by only a few nanoseconds.
Transmission electron microscopy of process-induced defects in β-SiC thin films

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has proven to be an invaluable tool in a multifaceted research program at North Carolina State University, which centers on developing β-SiC as a useful semiconducting material. As such, techniques have been developed for fabricating both plan-view and cross-sectional TEM silicon carbide thin films grown by chemical vapor deposition. The results of the TEM observations are used to determine the effectiveness of specific processing parameters in terms of film quality and defect structure as well as oxidation, ion implantation, and annealing procedures.
Wavelet-based compression and denoising of convolution operators

In highly computationally intensive fields such as signal processing, image processing, computer graphics and visualization, much of the CPU time is spent in computing various transforms on the typically large data sets which may also contain noise. Though extensive work has been reported on the de-noising and subsequent compression of the data, little of it has been reported on the de-noising and subsequent compression of the operators. Moreover, in the work reported so far, thresholding, which is essential for achieving denoising, has not been based on a specific criterion. In the present work, we propose modifications to this approach which result in significant savings in the computational cost of the associated transformations. We present wavelet based approaches to compress different operators. We present two methods to accomplish this. In the first method, we first apply a non-standard wavelet transform on the operator represented in its matrix form. This step is followed by an adaptive thresholding scheme of Donohoe and Johnstone, which results in the de-noised form of the operator. In the second method, the original matrix representation of the operator is split into two sparse diagonal dominant matrices, one in the spatial domain and the other in the wavelet domain. Although, there is a need to use the original signal in the spatial domain, the resulting decomposition actually requires only a portion of the operators. More importantly, the decomposition results in representations with very little total error. We find that the computational complexity of the transformation, using these methods, reduces to O(N2) (where N is the size of the data vector) observed with using the original, denser representation of the operator. In particular, Method 2 allows even more expedient processing of signals with greater accuracy. Hence, many transformations with operators can be represented in a diagonally dominant matrix form resulting in significant savings.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A comparison of satellite doppler and gravimetric geoid undulations considering terrain‐corrected gravity data

Geoid undulations derived from Doppler satellite positioning are compared with corresponding values derived from terrestrial and satellite information using three different procedures. Doppler undulations are compared with uncorrected gravimetric undulations, and systematic differences of 1.6 m and 0.4 m are found for western and eastern U.S. stations, respectively. The systematic difference of 1.6 m was reduced to 0.1 m when terrain-related corrections were applied. Undulations computed from a spherical harmonic expansion to degree 180 yielded standard deviations only slightly poorer than the combined data. A more systematic difference in the western than in the eastern stations remained.
Changes in the C-terminal region of alpha-A crystallin during human cataractogenesis

Reverse phase chromatography was used to purify alpha-A crystallin from total protein of human cataractous and normal lenses, followed by tryptic digestion and quantitation of the peptides corresponding to the intact C-terminal region of the protein. Relative to alpha-A crystallin from normal lenses, alpha-A crystallin from cataractous lenses contained decreased amounts of the expected C-terminal tryptic peptides. In an alternative approach, antiserum specific for the C-terminal region of the protein was used to quantitatively probe Western blots of total proteins from cataractous and normal lenses. The results demonstrated a decrease in the amount of this antiserum binding to the C-terminal region of alpha-A crystallin from human cataracts. Together, these studies show that relative to alpha-A crystallin from normal lenses, there is a decrease in the amount of the intact C-terminal region during the process of human cataractogenesis.
Telehealth Interventions for Individuals With Chronic Illness: Research Review and Implications for Practice.

This article reviews outcome research on telehealth interventions for individuals with chronic illnesses. Only randomized controlled trials that provided data on specific health, quality of care, or clinical interview outcomes were selected. The overall findings suggested that telehealth interventions have shown promise as effective modes of treatment for people with chronic health conditions. Suggestions for improving the rigor and quality of future research are proposed, including the use of larger samples, conceptually meaningful control groups, cost analyses, strategies for enhancing ethnic minority recruitment, and experimental designs that examine interactions among different types of telecommunication technologies, specific health problems, and different patient populations. Implications for incorporating telehealth into psychological practice are also addressed.
Intrinsic laryngeal muscle activity in response to autonomic nervous system activation

Objectives/Hypothesis To determine whether the intrinsic laryngeal muscles exhibit a response to induced autonomic nervous system (ANS) activation, and to characterize responses that may occur. Study Design Prospective within-subjects study. Methods A cold pressor (CP) task was used to trigger a whole-body ANS response in eight vocally normal adult females. Surface electromyography of the trapezius muscle and bipolar hook-wire electromyography of intrinsic laryngeal muscles, as well as cardiovascular measures of heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (systolic [SBP] and diastolic [DBP]), were used to characterize participants' response to CP exposure compared to at-rest baseline. Results Cardiovascular response to the CP task was confirmed for subjects via HR or blood pressure measures. Post hoc Bonferroni analysis confirmed statistically significant increases in HR (P = .027), SBP (P < .001), and DBP (P < .001) during the CP task as compared to baseline. Concurrent increases in muscle activity were generally observed in trapezius, posterior cricoarytenoid, bilateral thyroarytenoid/lateral cricoarytenoid muscle complex, and bilateral cricothyroid muscles for each subject. Three individuals elected to repeat the CP task and displayed the same pattern of laryngeal response as observed in their first exposure. Results for repeated baseline measures obtained after the cessation of the CP task were compared to pre-CP baseline. Overall laryngeal activation remained even after the cardiovascular response was attenuated. Conclusions Results are consistent with the suggestion that human laryngeal muscles exhibit an elevated level of activation concurrent with ANS activation, and endorse the putative link between laryngeal muscle tension and acute stress. Findings are replicable within a subset of three individuals. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 123:2756–2765, 2013
Interactive Design of 3D Computer-Animated Legged Animal Motion

A visually interactive approach to the design of 3D computer-animated legged animal motion in the context of the PODA computer animation system is presented. The design process entails the interactive specification of parameters that drive a computational model for animal movement. The animator incrementally modifies a framework for establishing desired limb and body motion as well as the constraints imposed by physical dynamics (Newtonian mechanical properties) and temporal restrictions. PODA uses the desired motion and constraints specified by the animator to produce motion through an idealized model of the animal's adaptive dynamic control strategies.
Quantitative analysis of group II intron expression and splicing in Lactococcus lactis

The group II intron Ll.ltrB is found within the ltrB relaxase gene of the conjugative element pRS01 in Lactococcus lactis. Precise splicing of the intron is essential for pRS01 transfer. The transcription regulation and in vivo splicing activity of Ll.ltrB have not been investigated thoroughly in L. lactis in the natural pRS01 context. We developed absolute quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR assays to quantify RNA levels of the 5′ exon (ltrBE1) and the spliced relaxase (ltrB) and intron-encoded protein (ltrA) genes, as well as Ll.ltrB splicing activity under different physiological conditions. The mRNA levels for the ATP-binding protein OppD were assayed for comparison to the ltrB transcripts. The oppD mRNA ranged from 10- to 10,000-fold higher than ltrB region genes. ltrBE1 expression was growth-phase dependent. The mRNA level of ltrA was almost constant during all growth phases and in all media tested. Ll.ltrB in vivo splicing activity ranged from (6.5 ± 2.1)% to (22.1 ± 8.0)%. Acid challenge significantly decreased both ltrB region mRNA levels and intron splicing activity. The presence of recipient cells, different mating environments, and temperature stress had no significant effects on expression and splicing. Western blotting showed that the level of LtrB protein expressed from an intronless ltrB gene was much higher (about 20-fold) than the level of protein expressed from an intron-containing construct. Interestingly, LtrB protein showed a tendency to function in cis on its oriT target. The low level of ltrB transcript and relatively inefficient splicing of the intron may limit Ll.ltrB mobility and dissemination in nature.
Word from the Editor

In the issue that follows the reader will find five papers from the Religion Section of the Gerontological Society of America. They were presented as a part of a special section at the GSA Annual M...
Econometric Estimation of Producers' Risk Attitudes

General methods are proposed for the identification and econometric estimation of the parameters of the distribution of risk attitudes in a producer population. The proposed methods also provide the basis for the development of statistical tests of model specification and of behavioral hypotheses. Econometric risk attitude estimation is shown to be possible under less restrictive conditions than previously believed. A moment-based version of the general model is applied to Indian data, and the econometrically estimated risk attitudes are presented and compared to experimental results for a similar group of producers.
Cystitis in female guineapigs

During 3 years there were 19 clinical cases of cystitis in breeding female guineapigs, an incidence of 0·6%.
Connectionist networks for feature indexing and object recognition

Feature indexing techniques are promising for object recognition since they can quickly reduce the set of possible matches for a set of image features. This work exploits another property of such techniques. They have inherently parallel structure and connectionist network formulations are easy to develop. Once indexing has been performed, a voting scheme such as geometric hashing can be used to generate object hypotheses in parallel. We describe a framework for the connectionist implementation of such indexing and recognition techniques. With sufficient processing elements, recognition can be performed in a small number of time steps. The number of processing elements necessary to achieve peak performance and the fan-in/fan-out required for the processing elements is examined. These techniques have been simulated on a conventional architecture with good results.
An oscillating cortical model of auditory attention and electrophysiology

Abstract We present preliminary work on a computational neural network model of both behavioral and electrophysiological data from perception to response in an auditory discrimination experiment of Alain and Woods showing the EEG-ERP effects of attention and auditory stream clustering. The architecture models the N1/P2 and N2/P3b sequence of evoked potentials as variations in cortical excitability (gain) due to thalamic inputs which control a sensory/motor processing cycle. Gamma band oscillatory associative memory attractor activations occur on the negative peaks followed by resets on the positive peaks. A transient gamma burst on stimulus arrival in the early N1 stage determines preattentive stream clustering by synchronization of separate activity at different frequencies. Frontal attentional control signals in the gamma band selectively synchronize with the target stream activity to apply a gain enchancing bias that affects all inputs captured by that stream. Later gamma power enhancement around P3 occurs only for targets as part of the “binding” of the target feature conjunction by synchronization, and the transmission of final N2 recognition information to frontal and motor areas to trigger the response.
Irrationalized endodontics: N2 and us too

The development of endodontic treatment is reviewed from two standpoints, and areas that need clarification are discussed. Two organizations presently exist that pertain to the field of endodontics. There are differences at the root of the dichotomy as to what constitutes an optimal result in treatment. An attempt is made to review objectively the background of this development and to demonstrate areas that are urgently in need of clarification. Notwithstanding the achievement of clinical success, the widespread use of irritants in connection with prevention or treatment of pulpal and periapical disease needs to be examined carefully.
Nonlinear Periodic Phononic Structures and Granular Crystals

This chapter describes the dynamic behavior of nonlinear periodic phononic structures, along with how such structures can be utilized to affect the propagation of mechanical waves. Granular crystals are one type of nonlinear periodic phononic structure and are the focus of this chapter. The chapter begins with a brief history of nonlinear lattices and an introduction to granular crystals. This is followed by a summary of past and recent work on one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) granular crystals, which is categorized according to the crystals’ periodicity and dynamical regime. The chapter is concluded with a commentary by the authors, which discusses several possible future directions relating to granular crystals and other nonlinear periodic phononic structures. Throughout this chapter, a richness of nonlinear dynamic effects that occur in granular crystals is revealed, including a plethora of phenomena with no linear analog such as solitary waves, discrete breathers, tunable frequency band gaps, bifurcations, and chaos. Furthermore, in addition to the description of fundamental nonlinear phenomena, the authors describe how such phenomena can enable novel engineering devices and be applied to other nonlinear periodic systems.
Tenure Perspectives: Tenured Versus Nontenured Tenure-Track Faculty

The author examined a broad range of respondent perspectives on tenure-related issues in a survey of 1,583 professors at 321 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)-accredited business schools in all 50 states. Tenured and nontenured tenure-track university professors at AACSB-accredited business schools agreed that tenure is necessary. Survey results indicate that mean ratings for 9 of the 20 tenure issues investigated differed significantly between tenured and nontenured tenure-track faculty members, down from 13 significant differences in 2001. Basically, even though the groups disagree on the impact of traditional tenure on teaching and research, both groups now embrace traditional tenure.
Implementation of sliding mode control with perturbation estimation (SMCPE)

Experimental verification of a recently developed algorithm, sliding mode control with perturbation estimation (SMCPE), is performed, a two-axes planar SCARA type robot is used as the test platform. The controller is a PC-based microprocessor with transducer and actuator interfaces. The objective of trajectory tracking is achieved by directly controlling the joint torques, despite the modeling deficiencies and unknown disturbances. Two major practical issues are considered. One of them is the measurement noise and the other is the hard/software limitations on the control loop closure speed. Both of these issues affect the parametric selections with the SMCPE algorithm. A sample test result is presented, to compare the performance of SMCPE with the classical SMC.
Beaver-Trout Relationship in the Headwaters of Sunkhaze Stream, Maine

Abstract The effect of beaver, Castor canadensis (Kuhl), on an eastern brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), population was studied in the vicinity of five beaver dams in the headwaters of Sunkhaze Stream. The beaver dams were found to present a serious obstacle to trout movements but they were not a complete barrier. Estimated unit-area production of bottom organisms was poor in the beaver ponds but the beaver had so increased the bottom area that total production of the stream section was probably more than doubled. Forage fishes appeared to be somewhat more abundant in the beaver ponds than in the open stream and constituted an unexpectedly high percentage of the food of 6- to 10-inch brook trout taken in the ponds. Measurable but not serious water-quality reduction was found in and below the beaver ponds.
Whois WSIS; Whois IGF: The New Consensus-Based Internet Governance

The first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was held in Athens from Oct 30-Nov 2, 2006. This meeting capped off nearly a decade of preparations and planning, organized through the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The ultimate result, the IGF, is a discussion body with no decision-making power and a mandate to do little more than publish its results. This article argues that despite this thin mandate - and perhaps because of it - the IGF and the process leading up to it mark a fundamental shift in Internet governance. For the first time, we are entering an era of truly International Internet governance.This Article comprises four parts. The first three parts present the development of Internet governance. In broad strokes, it is drawn in three stages: pre-governance, modern US governance, and "post-modern" International governance. Pre-governance, the subject of the first part of this Article, spanned the birth of the Internet through the birth of ISOC, the Internet Society - during which the Internet went from having no centralized point of control, to the development in 1983 of a centralized Domain Name System, and from there to the initiation of the modern governance debate by ISOC. The modern era, the second part of this article, starts with this shift in discussion, continues through the creation of ICANN, and runs up through the present implementation of the WSIS outcome. The third part of this article looks at the ongoing shift in the governance discussion - the WSIS- and IGF-induced shift away from control of the DNS. Pending the success of this shift, we are witnessing the creation of a "post-modern" Internet governance. Early indications suggest the success of the new discussion, and thus the birth of a third era of Internet governance. The last part of this Article puts this evolution of Internet governance into a theoretical framework.
2 Gaucher Disease

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the molecular biology of Gaucher disease. The chapter addresses some of the criticisms that concern the treatment of Gaucher disease and focuses on the findings that have an enormous financial impact on the treatment of patients with this disorder. Investigations of the molecular biology of the disease have disclosed important information about the mutations that cause Gaucher disease, their frequency in various populations, and their phenotypic effect. Occasionally, neurologic disturbances may occur in type I disease, but when they do, they are secondary to complications such as collapse of a vertebra or a stroke. This disease has become one of the relatively few enzyme deficiencies that can be treated effectively by replacement of the missing enzyme. The new findings about Gaucher disease have, as is usually the case, raised as many questions as they have answered.
Noncomparabilities & Nonstandard Logics

Many normative theories set forth in the welfare economics, distributive justice and cognate literatures posit noncomparabilities or incommensurabilities between magnitudes of various kinds. In some cases these gaps are predicated on metaphysical claims, in others upon epistemic claims, and in still others upon political-moral claims. I show that in all such cases they are best given formal expression in nonstandard logics that reject bivalence, excluded middle, or both. I do so by reference to an illustrative case study: a contradiction known to beset John Rawls's selection and characterization of primary goods as the proper distribuendum in any distributively just society. The contradiction is avoided only by reformulating Rawls's claims in a nonstandard form, which form happens also to cohere quite attractively with Rawls's intuitive argumentation on behalf of his claims.