cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MF‐TOWmuT: Testing an optimally weighted combination of common and rare variants with multiple traits using family data

With rapid advancements of sequencing technologies and accumulations of electronic health records, a large number of genetic variants and multiple correlated human complex traits have become available in many genetic association studies. Thus, it becomes necessary and important to develop new methods that can jointly analyze the association between multiple genetic variants and multiple traits. Compared with methods that only use a single marker or trait, the joint analysis of multiple genetic variants and multiple traits is more powerful since such an analysis can fully incorporate the correlation structure of genetic variants and/or traits and their mutual dependence patterns. However, most of existing methods that simultaneously analyze multiple genetic variants and multiple traits are only applicable to unrelated samples. We develop a new method called MF-TOWmuT to detect association of multiple phenotypes and multiple genetic variants in a genomic region with family samples. MF-TOWmuT is based on an optimally weighted combination of variants. Our method can be applied to both rare and common variants and both qualitative and quantitative traits. Our simulation results show that (1) the type I error of MF-TOWmuT is preserved; (2) MF-TOWmuT outperforms two existing methods such as Multiple Family-based Quasi-Likelihood Score Test and Multivariate Family-based Rare Variant Association Test in terms of power. We also illustrate the usefulness of MF-TOWmuT by analyzing genotypic and phenotipic data from the Genetics of Kidneys in Diabetes study. R program is available at https://github.com/gaochengPRC/MF-TOWmuT.
Spatial domain analysis predicts risk of colorectal cancer recurrence and infers associated tumor microenvironment networks

Abstract An unmet clinical need in solid tumor cancers is the ability to harness the intrinsic spatial information in primary tumors that can be exploited to optimize prognostics, diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for precision medicine. We have developed a transformational spatial analytics (SpAn) computational and systems biology platform that predicts clinical outcomes and captures emergent spatial biology that can potentially inform therapeutic strategies. Here we apply SpAn to primary tumor tissue samples from a cohort of 432 chemo-naive colorectal cancer (CRC) patients iteratively labeled with a highly multiplexed (hyperplexed) panel of fifty-five fluorescently tagged antibodies. SpAn predicted the 5-year risk of CRC recurrence with a mean area under the ROC curve of 88.5% (SE of 0.1%), significantly better than current state-of-the-art methods. SpAn also inferred the emergent network biology of the tumor spatial domains revealing a synergistic role of known features from CRC consensus molecular subtypes that will enhance precision medicine.
Reverse Auction-based Demand Response Program: A Truthful Mutually Beneficial Mechanism

Matching power demand during peak load hours is a well-known problem in power systems. In fact, the cost of producing electricity increases very rapidly when the demand is high, due to the need for starting backup generators and enhancing transmission system. Incentive-based Demand Response (DR) program is a new approach, enabled by recent advances in smart grid technologies, designed to deal with such problem. According to DR, the utility company can provide economical incentives to users in order to temporarily reduce their energy consumption during peak hours. It is, however, challenging to determine the procedure to distribute such incentives, as well as to ensure that users will be sufficiently engaged and satisfied to make the DR program effective. In this paper, we propose a reverse auction mechanism to enable an incentive-based DR program. We formulate the DR reverse auction as an integer linear programming (ILP) problem, which integrates a perceived-value utility, to model the user perception of electrical appliances, as well as the financial objectives of the utility company. We adopt a Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) based reverse auction mechanism to guarantee the truthfulness and individual rationality properties. Since the VCG auction requires to optimally solve the NP-Hard ILP problem, we propose a heuristic algorithm named Reverse Auction DemAnd Response (RADAR), and prove that RADAR preserves truthfulness. Extensive simulations using real power consumption data of several homes show that RADAR is effective in reducing demand peaks while outperforming previous solutions in terms of users’ perceived utility.
Clinical Recovery Timelines following Sport-Related Concussion in Men's and Women's Collegiate Sports.

CONTEXT Past work has identified sex differences in sport-related concussion (SRC) incidence and recovery time; however, few have examined sex differences in specific recovery trajectories: time to symptom resolution, return-to-academics, and return-to-athletic activity across collegiate sports. OBJECTIVE To examine sex differences in SRC recovery trajectories across a number of varsity sports with differing levels of contact. DESIGN Descriptive Epidemiology Study. SETTING College varsity and club sports. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS SRCs sustained by student-athletes (N=1,974; 38.7% female) participating in Ivy League sports were tracked from 2013/14-2018/19. INTERVENTION(S) Athletic trainers collected concussive injury and recovery characteristics as part of the Ivy League-Big Ten Epidemiology of Concussion Study's surveillance system. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Time to symptom resolution, return-to-academics, and return-to-limited and full athletic activity were collected. Survival analyses determined time from injury to each recovery outcome for males and females by sport. Peto tests compared recovery outcomes between males and female athletes and by sport. RESULTS The median time to symptom resolution overall was 9 days [IQR:4,18], return-to-academics was 8 days [IQR:3,15], return-to-limited activity was 12 days [IQR:8,23], and return-to-full activity was 16 days [IQR:10,29]. There were significant differences overall between sexes for median time to symptom resolution (males: 8 days [IQR:4,17], females: 9 days [IQR:5,20], p=0.029) and return-to-academics (males: 7 days [IQR:3,14], females: 9 days [IQR:4,17], p<.001), but not return to athletics (limited activity, p=0.107; full activity, p=0.578). Within-sport comparisons found that female lacrosse athletes had longer symptom resolution (p=0.030) and return to academics (p=0.035) compared to males, while male volleyball athletes took longer to return to limited (p=0.020) and full (p=0.049) athletic activity compared to females. CONCLUSION There were significant differences in recovery timelines between sexes. Females experienced longer symptom duration and time to return-to-academics compared to male athletes, but females and males presented similar timelines for return-to-athletics.
Continuity and change in the drug supply chain: actors, actions, and aversions

The pharmaceutical or drug supply chain is the means through which prescription medicines are manufactured, stocked, and delivered to consumers. How the complexity and fragmentation of this supply ...
Women’s preventive services initiative: fertility counseling overlooked

The 2021 Women’s Preventive Services Initiative Well-Woman Chart outlines a framework for incorporating preventive health services recommended by the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative, the US Preventive Services Task Force, and Bright Futures based on age, health status, and risk factors. Following the previous guidelines for preventive care, this document failed to offer recommendations or guidelines for infertility screening and fertility counseling in the course of well-woman care. Healthcare providers may be less likely to address fertility with their patients in the absence of clear, evidence-based recommendations, potentially resulting in underinformed reproductive choices and compromised reproductive potential. Given the devastating consequences of infertility and unintended childlessness, we, herein, propose that infertility screening and fertility counseling should become an integral part of well-woman care and that organizations, such as the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative, put forth guidelines to assist providers in addressing fertility throughout a woman’s reproductive lifespan.
International opportunity development on crowdfunding platforms: A spatial, temporal, and structural framework

Abstract Despite the prevalence and global diffusion of digital platforms, the international entrepreneurship literature has paid limited attention to the latent potential of this type of digital context for the emergence and actualization of international opportunities (IOs). Drawing on the cognitive and digital entrepreneurship literature, we develop a framework that focuses on the spatial, temporal, and structural dimensions of digital crowdfunding platforms. We elucidate how these three contextual dimensions influence the IO development, namely IO recognition, evaluation, and exploitation. We present three testable propositions, an illustrative case, and a future research agenda that provide a foundation for research on IOs in the digital context.
Short-term ventriculo-arterial coupling and myocardial work efficiency in preterm infants undergoing percutaneous patent ductus arteriosus closure.

Definitive closure of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) causes significant changes in loading conditions of the left ventricle (LV) which can lead to cardiorespiratory instability including hypotension, low cardiac output, oxygenation, and ventilation impairment. Physiological insights of the adaptation of the LV can be gained by looking at ventriculo-arterial coupling (VAC) and myocardial work-energetics. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of preterm infants with echocardiographic assessment of VAC parameters, including end-systolic and arterial elastance (EES , EA ), and myocardial work indices derived from longitudinal strain analysis before and 1-h after percutaneous PDA closure. A total of 35 patients were included with mean [±SD] age at intervention of 30.8 ± 9.9 days and median [IQR] weight of 1130 [995, 1318] grams. There was a reduction in preload and stroke volume, an increase in EA (38.6 ± 11.4 vs. 60 ± 15.1 mmHg/ml/kg, p < 0.001) and in EES (72 [61.5, 109.8] vs. 91.6 [72.2, 125.2] mmHg/ml/kg, p = 0.003) post-closure. Myocardial work indices reduced after PDA closure, including global work efficiency (93.9 ± 2.3 vs. 91.1 ± 3.6%, p < 0.001). A total of 17 (48.6%) patients developed post-closure instability which was associated with younger age, lower preload, and higher EA and EES . Percutaneous PDA closure is associated with major short-term changes in VAC and myocardium energetics, which may provide novel insights on the physiology of PDA closure and on the differential vulnerability to changes in loading conditions.
Ensuring Global Food Safety—A Public Health Priority and a Global Responsibility

Publisher Summary The WHO Initiative to Estimate the Global Burden of Food-borne Diseases identifies the rapid globalization of food trade as a worldwide trend that has introduced an increased potential for contaminated food to adversely affect greater numbers of people. As the food supply chain becomes more integrated, the potential for massive food-borne illness outbreaks caused by pathogens, chemicals, viruses, and parasites increases—as do the difficulties in controlling food-borne infections, morbidity, disability, and mortality. Rapid globalization also has exposed critical gaps in national and international capabilities to assure adequate levels of food safety and quality. Disparities related to national infrastructural and technological capacities; international food production, distribution, and handling standards; and law have become more visible as global commerce becomes more interconnected. As a result, WHO and other food-related international public health, development, and standard-setting bodies have targeted these gaps as priority items and are working together to reinforce the need to use an integrated international food safety regulatory system in the era of “one global market.”
In Vivo Marking of Single Cells in Chick Embryos Using Photoactivation of GFP

Selective marking of a single cell within a living embryo is often difficult due to the inaccuracy and invasiveness of standard techniques. This unit describes a minimally invasive optical protocol that uses 405-nm laser light to photoactivate a variant of green fluorescent protein (PAGFP). This method takes advantage of the accessibility of the chick embryo to inject PAGFP into a region of interest and uses electroporation to deliver the construct into cells. This unit describes in detail how single and small groups of cells (n<10) that express PAGFP can be made visually distinguishable from the host population using the photoactivation process. Included is a means to maximize the fluorescence increase due to photoactivated GFP signal and to reduce photobleaching. Briefly outlined are previously developed chick culture and time-lapse imaging techniques to allow for the subsequent monitoring of photoactivated cell migratory behaviors. The technique has the potential to be a less-invasive, accurate tool for in vivo studies that involve following cell lineage and cell migration. Keywords: photoactivation; GFP; chick; embryo; cell labeling; lineage
Design of an Integrated and Extensible C++ Programming Environment

This paper describes a framework and some techniques used in the construction of integrated and extensible programming environments. To support programming in complex object-oriented languages such as C++, a database that contains semantic information on the source programs is essential. Tools in such environments should be constructed in a highly integrated fashion around the database. In addition, new programming techniques and the acquisition of knowledge through experience create a need for extensions. Such environments have to be designed so that extensions can be made easily. Thus integration and extensibility are key features of such environments.
Pyromellitein indicators : Adsorption indicators

Abstract Two new indicators have been made and tested, one of them. being a substitute for dichloro-fluorescein, the other showing excellent end-points in moderately strong nitric acid solutions for chlorides, bromides, iodides and thiocyanatcs even in the presence of colored ions.
The Sacred Door and Other Stories: Cameroon Folktales of the Beba

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Makuchi Year: 2007 Pages: 176 Publisher: Ohio University Press ISBN: 978-0-89680-256-8 (soft cover). Prices: $16.95 USD(soft cover).
Mental Health Status of Women Physicians

Physicians lead lives that contain many potentially stressful components. Long work hours, open-ended time schedules, night calls with associated sleep deprivation, dealing with death and dying and other emotional aspects of people’s lives-all can be stressful. On the other side of the coin, physicians tend to make more money than the average person have greater prestige and have the opportunity to help many people. The balance of these two sides of the equation varies according to the individual physician. For one physician, the stresses might seem dominant, for another, the benefits more important.
The ABS Frame: Quality and Considerations

Address based sampling (ABS) is increasingly being used in the current survey environment of declining response rates and coverage concerns associated with landline random digit dial surveys. The goals of this research are to determine the implications of using ABS frame variables for data collection, to evaluate data quality of demographic variables provided on ABS frames, and to examine the possibility of using ABS frame variables to guide survey design. The implications of using ABS on data collection will be evaluated by examining the quality of frame data and by comparing these data to information reported by respondents. The ability to use ABS frame information for stratification and to guide operations will also be considered in light of the findings of these evaluations.
Longitudinal phase space control in the Berkeley Femtosecond X-ray light source LUX

LUX, the proposed Berkeley Femtosecond X-ray light source, is a /spl sim/2.5 GeV recirculating linear accelerator, where electrons reach their final energy in four passes through a 600 MeV superconducting linac after injection at /spl sim/120 MeV. An important consideration for this machine is the preservation of the electron beam longitudinal emittance through the various stages of acceleration including injection linac, bunch compression, and various passages through the linac and magnetic arcs. In this paper we analyze the longitudinal dynamics of electrons and define a strategy for the electron beam manipulation leading to a successful conservation of the longitudinal emittance. Particular attention is given to the management of the correlated energy spread induced by collective effects such as longitudinal wake fields and coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR).
Endothelium-dependent vascular hyporesponsiveness without detection of nitric oxide synthase induction in aortas of cirrhotic rats

The present experiments were designed to test if induction of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) plays a role in the systemic vasodilation observed in hepatic cirrhosis. Because endotoxin levels are elevated in cirrhosis, and endotoxin stimulates inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in several cell lines, aortas of carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhotic rats with ascites were evaluated for iNOS expression. Endotoxin-treated rats were studied as positive controls. Phenylephrine contraction was decreased in aortic rings with endothelium from both endotoxin-treated and cirrhotic rats as compared with controls. However, after endothelium denudation, the reduced contractility persisted in endotoxin-treated rats but disappeared in cirrhotic rats. L-Nitro-arginine-methylester (L-NAME), a nonselective inhibitor of NOS, potentiated the phenylephrine contraction of aortic rings with and without endothelium from endotoxin-treated rats but only rings with endothelium from cirrhotic rats. Moreover, aminoguanidine (AG), a preferential inhibitor of iNOS, did not affect phenylephrine contraction of rings with or without endothelium from cirrhotic rats but reversed the blunted response in endotoxin-treated rats. Northern analysis detected iNOS RNA (mRNA) expression in aortas of endotoxin-treated rats but did not detect it from cirrhotic rats. In summary, although several previous studies provide evidence for in vivo overproduction of nitric oxide in cirrhosis, the present results do not support iNOS induction as the source of nitric oxide in aortas of cirrhotic rats. Rather, because the aortic vascular hyporesponsiveness in cirrhosis is endothelium-dependent, overexpression or overstimulation of the endothelial constitutive isoform of NOS appears to be involved.
Connotation and Development of Mechanical Reliability-based Design

Based on the reliability test and statistical analysis of the failure data,the basic task of mechanical reliability design is to propose mathematical-mechanical models and methods for engineering practice.In this way the working state and life of the mechanical product under the prescriptive working condition can be predicted in the design stage.The connotation and development of mechanical reliability-based design is expounded by integrating modern mathematical-mechanical theories.A series of theories and approaches,such as the mechanical reliability-based design,dynamic reliability-based design,reliability-based optimization design,reliability-based sensitivity design,reliability-based robust design,are explained clearly and systematically.The route and way are pointed out to solve the problem of lack of kernel technologies for reliability-based design in the field of mechanical engineering.The reliability technique service and reserve for independent research and development are provided,and the systemic and unitized theories and methods for reliability-based design of mechanical products in practical engineering are given.
Solubility, melting point and salting-out relationships in a group of secondary amine hydrochloride salts

The solubilites of eight hydrochloride salts of some alpha adrenergic agonists, and beta adrenergic agonist/blocker drugs were determined in water at 25°C. An inverse relationship was observed between log X+ and the melting points of the salts where X+ is the mole fraction solubility of drug. The entropy of fusion values were not constant, as suggested by the observed log solubility-melting point correlation, and ranged from 16 to 26 cal K−1 mol−1. It is therefore unlikely that crystal forces alone are responsible for the observed relationship between log X+ and melting point. Setchenow salting-out constants were determined from the solubilities of the hydrochloride salts in sodium chloride-water and were found to be greatest for those compounds that possessed the lowest aqueous solubility and highest melting point. The number of aromatic rings and aromatic ring substituents also appear to have a significant influence on the values of the salting-out constants.
Nucleation and Thermophysical Properties of Glass-Forming Liquids

The intimate links among structure, nucleation, and thermophysical properties are demonstrated from a few select experiments on high-melting-temperature metallic alloy liquids, made possible by containerless processing techniques. To complement the ground-based studies, future experiments on the International Space Station using a new electromagnetic levitation facility developed by the European Space Agency are discussed. The knowledge obtained from these studies is expected to deepen the understanding of supercooled liquid properties, elucidate their role in nucleation and glass formation, and test and develop more advanced theories of nucleation. All of these are expected to improve liquid phase processing techniques for crystalline and amorphous materials so that better functional properties may be achieved.
Rat aortic smooth muscle cells contract in response to serum and its components in a calcium independent manner.

Diluted serum provides a model of interstitial fluid that can be used to study the response of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to interstitial flow. The effect of serum and some of its components on SMC contraction (area reduction) and intracellular calcium ([Ca2+] i ) response were characterized in rat aortic SMC in vitro. Rat aortic SMCs contracted dramatically to fetal bovine serum (FBS), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) within 5 min of exposure. By 30 min, cell areas were significantly reduced. Even at concentrations as low as 0.0005% FBS, 0.004% BSA and 0.25 μM LPA, cell areas were significantly different from controls at 30 min. The [Ca2+] i response was significant for serum and LPA at these low concentration levels, but BSA did not elicit a significant [Ca2+] i response at concentrations of 0.1% or lower. Under calcium controlled conditions in which SMCs were pretreated with 10 μM BAPTA-AM, contraction levels were not statistically different from non-calcium controlled conditions even when SMCs were exposed to the highest concentration of serum, BSA, or LPA. It appears that LPA and albumin are components of interstitial fluid that contribute to SMC contraction through calcium-independent mechanisms.
Pressor responses to nasal stimulation are unaltered after disrupting the CPA

Stimulation of either the caudal pressor area (CPA) in the most caudal ventrolateral medulla with glutamate, or the nasal mucosa with ammonia vapors, induces an increase in mean arterial blood pressure (MABP). In the present study, we determined if neurons in the CPA serve as a relay for the increase in MABP seen after nasal stimulation. Ammonia vapors stimulated the nasal mucosa of rats anesthetized with either urethane alone or ketamine/xylazine and urethane to induce an increase in MABP, a bradycardia, and an apnea. Bilateral injections (50 nl) of glycine (1 M) or muscimol (2 mM) were placed in the CPA and the nasal mucosa again stimulated. The increases in MABP, the bradycardia and the duration of apnea to nasal stimulation were unchanged after either injection. However, resting MABP and HR were decreased significantly after glycine injections and resting MABP and resting respiratory rate were decreased after muscimol injections. The increase in MABP seen with nasal stimulation also did not change after multiple bilateral injections (3x40 nl) of ibotenate (5 microg/microl) in the CPA, but the bradycardia was eliminated and the duration of apnea was significantly shorter. These results suggest that the increase in MABP induced by nasal stimulation is via routes that do not include neurons in the CPA.
Comparison of Automated and Manual Nucleic Acid Extraction Methods for Detection of Enterovirus RNA

Automated nucleic acid extraction is an attractive alternative to labor-intensive manual methods. We compared two automated methods, the BioRobot M48 instrument (Qiagen, Inc.) and MagNA Pure (Roche Applied Sciences) methods, to two manual methods, the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini kit (Qiagen) and TRIzol (Invitrogen), for the extraction of enterovirus RNA. Analytical sensitivity was assessed by dilution analysis of poliovirus type 2 Sabin in cerebrospinal fluid. The sensitivity of PCR was equivalent after RNA extraction with QIAamp, BioRobot M48, and MagNA Pure. All 18 replicates of 100 PFU/ml were detected after extraction by the four methods. Fewer replicates of each successive dilution were detected after extraction by each method. At 10−1 PFU/ml, 17 of 18 replicates were positive by QIAamp, 15 of 18 replicates were positive by BioRobot M48, and 12 of 18 replicates were positive by MagNA Pure; at 10−2 PFU/ml, 4 of 17 replicates were positive by QIAamp, 2 of 18 replicates were positive by BioRobot M48, and 0 of 18 replicates were positive by MagNA Pure. At 10−3 PFU/ml, no replicates were detected. Evaluation of TRIzol was discontinued after nine replicates due to a trend of lower sensitivity (at 10−3 PFU/ml eight of nine replicates were positive at 100 PFU/ml, four of nine replicates were positive at 10−1 PFU/ml, and zero of nine replicates were positive at 10−2 PFU/ml). Concordant results were obtained in 24 of 28 clinical specimens after extraction by all methods. No evidence of contamination was observed after extraction by automated instruments. The data indicate that the sensitivity of enterovirus PCR is largely similar after extraction by QIAamp, BioRobot M48, and MagNA Pure; a trend of decreased sensitivity was observed after TRIzol extraction. However, the results of enterovirus PCR were largely concordant in patient samples, indicating that the four extraction methods are suitable for detection of enteroviruses in clinical specimens.
Cognitive restructuring and exposure with a compulsive washer: A test of reciprocal inhibition

Reciprocal inhibition was tested with a compulsive washer using the affect elicited by rational self-statements as the response competitor to anxiety. Three conditions, CS alone, CS plus irrational self-statements, and CS plus rational self-statements, were randomly and continuously repeated over six trials. The CS was presented both imaginally and in vivo. It was hypothesized: (1) that subjective anxiety in all conditions would substantially diminish by the experiment's end; (2) that the rational self-statement condition would reduce (inhibit) subjective anxiety to a significantly greater degree than the other two conditions; and (3) that significant anxiety reduction would occur only during the rational restructuring trials. All three hypotheses were supported by the results.
Canal wall reconstruction with Mimix hydroxyapatite cement: results in an animal model and case study.

Objective/Hypothesis To assess Mimix hydroxyapatite cement for its applicability in canal wall reconstruction using the gerbil as a canal wall model. A case is presented to illustrate a novel technique of canal wall reconstruction using Mimix on the basis of the findings of our animal research. Study Design This was a preclinical study. Methods Ten Mongolian gerbils were implanted with Mimix, with the left side used to simulate mastoid obliteration and the right side used to simulate canal wall reconstruction. Pre- and postsurgery auditory-evoked brainstem responses were used to assess ototoxicity, and hematoxylin-eosin staining of histologic sections was used to assess inflammatory and foreign-body response and new bone formation. Results Rapid wound healing was achieved with each of the nine animals evaluated, with no erythema, edema, or drainage. Inspection of the ear canal at the time of sacrifice revealed no signs of otitis media and no middle ear effusions. Microscopic examination showed no inflammatory response or foreign-body reaction, good mucosalization on the side of the implant facing the bulla, and minimal fibrosis adjacent to the skin. Eight of nine specimens showed new woven bone ingrowth at the bone implant interface, with active osteoblasts and viable lacunae cells. There were no apparent fractures in the implanted material. Conclusions Mimix hydroxyapatite cement is biocompatible and suitable for canal wall reconstruction in the animal model. The characteristics of this cement, namely its ability to set quickly in a moist environment, offer advantages over previously used cements for canal wall reconstruction.
Starting Pulse Tester for High Pressure Sodium Systems

The authors discuss a device, the capacitor-neon pulse checker, that has been in use for some years, but they also discuss and compare a more accurate instrument, the electronic pulse checker. Data is also presented that relates starting to such factors as pulse amplitude, pulse width, pulse position, and pulse current.
Developing “Complicated” Understanding in Administrators

This paper develops Weick's (1979) notion of “complicated” understanding by linking it with concepts of complementarity, cognitive complexity, and adult development. The paper describes a rationale for, and design elements of, management education programs aimed at increasing complicated understanding in administrators, primarily by fostering differentiation and integration of perspectives on organizational problems. It suggests several outcomes of complicated understanding and indicates ways in which these outcomes, as well as programs aimed at producing them, can be assessed.
Fluorescent assay of anthranilate synthetase-anthranilate 5-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferase enzyme-complex on polyacrylamide gels

Abstract A rapid and sensitive method for the localization of anthranilate synthetaseanthranilate 5-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferase enzyme-complex from Salmonella typhimurium after disc gel electrophoresis has been developed, based on the fluorescence of the anthranilate synthetase product, anthranilate. Both NH 3 -and glutamine-dependent anthranilate synthetase activities could be detected. A linear transport attachment on a Gilford Spectrophotometer was modified to scan the fluorescent gels. Semiquantitative evaluation of enzyme-complex activity was achieved by interpreting the chart recorder tracings of assayed gels. The enzyme-complex on polyacrylamide gels can be assayed under various conditions. The concentration of tryptophan required for half-maximal inhibition of NH 3 -dependent anthranilate synthetase activity was determined from enzyme-complex assayed on polyacrylamide gels and in solution. A value of 4–8 μ m tryptophan was determined in both cases. The technique is applicable to any enzyme that forms a fluorescent product.
Biomass goes to waste

Abstract Currently the two most suitable words to describe the biomass energy industry are waste and recycling. However, there are several ways of looking at this. The first is a literal one. This reflects the current changes which are taking place in waste treatment as a consequence of new environmental initiatives. These are predicted to intensify as and when new Community Directives come into force through national legislation within the European Union (EU). The most significant will be the packaging directive, and other measures aimed at reduction of waste and increased recycling of organic materials and packaging in particular. At the same time biomass, in the true sense, both goes to waste as crops are not used and generates waste in terms of resources as uneconomic ventures are funded for political reasons. Here, the recycling is of old concepts, such as energy balances - which one hoped had been put to rest some time ago. The net result is a depleted industry, in some sectors, and one based on false hopes in others. At the same time there is also some clarity emerging in respect of end use, with most activities focussing on decentralised electricity generation and the formation of liquid transport fuels.
Porokeratosis arising in a burn scar

A histologically verified porokeratosis arose in a burn scar on the back of a 47-year-old man. This phenomenon has not been previously reported. We discuss the literature on porokeratosis, the relation between epidermal and dermal injury, and the genesis of this lesion.
Structure and Evolution of a Bifunctional Enzyme of the Tryptophan Operon

Multifunctional enzymes composed of a single polypeptide chain could conceivably have arisen through the fusion of contiguous genes coding for distinct proteins. An example of this may be tryptophan synthetase, which is a single bifunctional protein in fungi but a complex of two distinct polypeptide chains in bacteria such as Salmonella typhimurium.
Molecular dynamics simulation of structural anisotropy in glassy metals

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out to study the creep-induced structural anisotropy in amorphous alloys. A model binary glass structure 2048 particles interacting via Lennard-Jones potentials was creep-deformed below its glass transition temperature. Creep-deformation resulted in the bond-orientational anisotropy (BOA) within the first nearest-neighbor shell with a large sixth-order spherical harmonic component. The BOA caused an anisotropy characterized by uniform elongation along the tensile principal axis of the creep-deformation beyond the third nearest-neighbor shell.
Bidirectional incompatibility among divergent Wolbachia and incompatibility level differences among closely related Wolbachia in Nasonia

Most insect groups harbor obligate bacterial symbionts from the alpha-proteobacterial genus Wolbachia. These bacteria alter insect reproduction in ways that enhance their cytoplasmic transmission. One of the most common alterations is cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) - a post-fertilization modification of the paternal genome that renders embryos inviable or unable to complete diploid development in crosses between infected males and uninfected females or infected females harboring a different strain. The parasitic wasp species complex Nasonia (N. vitripennis, N. longicornis and N. giraulti) harbor at least six different Wolbachia that cause CI. Each species have double infections with a representative from both the A and B Wolbachia subgroups. CI relationships of the A and B Wolbachia of N. longicornis with those of N. giraulti and N. vitripennis are investigated here. We demonstrate that all pairwise crosses between the divergent A strains are bidirectionally incompatible. We were unable to characterize incompatibility between the B Wolbachia, but we establish that the B strain of N. longicornis induces no or very weak CI in comparison to the closely related B strain in N. giraulti that expresses complete CI. Taken together with previous studies, we show that independent acquisition of divergent A Wolbachia has resulted in three mutually incompatible strains, whereas codivergence of B Wolbachia in N. longicornis and N. giraulti is associated with differences in CI level. Understanding the diversity and evolution of new incompatibility strains will contribute to a fuller understanding of Wolbachia invasion dynamics and Wolbachia-assisted speciation in certain groups of insects.
Effect of Prostacyclin on Microvascular Pressures in a Patient With Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease

Continuous-infusion prostacyclin improves symptom scores and decreases mortality in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension, but use of prostacyclin in patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease may precipitate pulmonary edema. A patient with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease received a graduated intravenous infusion of prostacyclin and pulmonary capillary pressures were calculated during prostacyclin dose ranging. Calculated capillary pressure increased with low-dose prostacyclin (≤6 ng/kg/min) but decreased with higher doses. These data suggest that the post-capillary pulmonary venules in our patient had reversible vasomotor tone, but required a higher dose of prostacyclin to vasodilate than did the pre-capillary arterioles.
Possibility that the Pomeron-Reggeon cut contains the Regge pole

Abstract Using the triple Regge formalism for the sum over intermediate states it is shown that the Reggeon-Pomeron cut inherits the Regge pole. This pole dominance of the cut is experimentally verified for non-Pomeron exchanges involving vector and tensor trajectories. Consequences of t -channel unitarity are discussed.
Effects of palmityl coenzyme A and palmitylcarnitine on phosphorylating respiration in heart mitochondria.

Abstract Glutamate-supported respiration in mitochondria is inhibited by palmityl-CoA in the presence of carnitine. Palmityl-CoA-induced lag phase and depressed state 3 rates increase with increasing ADP. Palmityl-CoA inhibition of state 3 respiration with glutamate shows an increased I 50 for palmityl-CoA (three to fourfold) when ADP increases and carnitine is present. ADP alone has a small effect. Glutamate-supported respiration is more profoundly inhibited by palmityl-CoA (+carnitine) than palmityl-CoA oxidation. With palmityl-CoA (+ carnitine) alone, the I 50 for palmityl-CoA is two-to threefold greater than when glutamate is also present. Active respiration with palmityl-CoA as substrate demonstrates a 2.5-fold greater apparent affinity for ADP than when glutamate is also present. The kinetics are competitive in both cases. Palmitylcarnitine, above 30 μ m , produces inhibition of glutamate-supported respiration, concomitant with mitochondrial swelling and eventual lysis. At 15 μ m palmitylcarnitine (minimal swelling), succinate (+ rotenone)-supported respiration decreases with a decrease in K app for ADP; no effect of 15–20 μ m palmitylcarnitine on glutamate-supported respiration is observed. However, palmityl-CoA (+ carnitine)-inhibited respiration with glutamate is further decreased with 15 and 20 μ m palmitylcarnitine, i.e., by 13 and 29%, respectively. Inhibition is competitive with ADP. With 3 μ m palmitylCoA and 20 μ m palmitylcarnitine, a decrease in carnitine (1.5 to 0.25 m m ) decreases the apparent K i for palmityl-CoA from 2.6 to 1.8 μ m . The results suggest that glutamate increases the palmityl-CoA available to inhibit adenine nucleotide transport. Inhibition may take place external to the inner membrane. Competition of carnitine and palmitylcarnitine for substrate sites may explain the decreased apparent K i for palmityl-CoA as carnitine decreases.
Characterization of cDNAs encoding the murine A+U-rich RNA-binding protein AUF1.

Abstract A + U-rich elements ( ARE ) serve to control the degradation of some proto-oncogene and lymphokine mRNAs. The protein, AUF1 , which consists of two polypeptides of 37 and 40 kDa (p37 and p40, respectively) when purified from cytosol, has been implicated in ARE -directed mRNA turnover due to its binding to ARE . Molecular cloning of a cDNA ( p37 AUF1 ) corresponding to human p37 predicted a polypeptide containing two non-identical RNA recognition motifs (RRM) and a C-terminal Gin-rich domain [Zhang et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 13 (1993) 7652–7665]. Two cDNAs, designated mu AUF1 -3 and mu AUF1 -7, were isolated from a murine fetal cDNA library, using as a probe, a fragment of the p37 AUF1 cDNA encoding RRM1 and approximately half of RRM2. The mu AUFl-3 open reading frame (ORF) was very homologous to human p37 AVF1 with the greatest homology between the corresponding RRMs and the C-terminal Gin-rich motif. Clone mu AUFl-7 was highly homologous to mu AUFl-3 , but was truncated within the region encoding the RNP-1 box in RRM2. Clone mu AUFl-3 encoded 19 amino acids in RRM1 not encoded by either mu AUFl-7 or human p37 AUF1 . Such alterations in sequence could modify the RNA-binding properties of these proteins and have concomitant effects on ARE -directed posttranscriptional processes.
Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment Cepheids Have Lower Amplitudes in the Small Magellanic Cloud than in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

We selected Cepheids from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment database for the Magellanic Clouds in the period range of 101.1 ≤ P ≤ 101.4 days. There were 33 objects in the LMC and 35 in the SMC. We find that the median amplitude of Cepheids in the LMC is 18% larger than in the SMC, a 4 σ effect. For a sample of 42 galactic Cepheids in the same period range, the median amplitude is 7% larger than in the LMC, suggesting that the higher the metal content the larger the amplitude. This implies that the period-flux amplitude relation is not universal and cannot be used to measure distances accurately, unless properly calibrated.
Curriculum Design and Children's Learning at Church.

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between curriculum design and children's learning in church. Participants in this study included 12 six-year-old children attending two different Sabbath school classes in the same Midwestern Seventh-day Adventist church. A traditional curriculum guided instruction in Class 1. GraceLink, a new curriculum, guided instruction in Class 2. Data were collected to document children's attitudes and growth in knowledge of a Bible story. Both classes demonstrated comparable factual and conceptual knowledge growth, although Class 2 achieved these results with fewer storytellers. Children in Class 2 demonstrated more positive attitudes toward Sabbath school and the Bible story.
The effects of continuous axially-directed intrusive loads on the erupting rabbit mandibular incisor

Abstract A cantilever beam strain-gauge transducer was used to apply continuous light intrusive loads (0.2–0.4 and 2.5 g) to unimpeded mandibular incisors. Tooth position was continuously monitored using a variable capacitance displacement transducer. After 4 days of unimpeded eruption, the animals were divided into three experimental groups: no axial loading (6 rabbits); 0.2–0.4 g of axial loading (3 rabbits); 2.5 g of axial loading (3 rabbits). During a 4-h period, light forces (0.2–0.4 g) slowed eruption to a stop, whereas a heavier force (2.5g) intruded the teeth. The data support Burn-Murdoch's (1981) ( Archs oral Biol . 26 , 939–943) contention that the eruptive force of unimpeded continuously-erupting incisors is significantly less than previously thought.
Increased radiographic damage scores at the onset of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in older patients are associated with osteoarthritis of the hands, but not with more rapid progression of damage.

Objective. To investigate the impact of patient age at symptom onset on radiographic joint damage at study entry, and on subsequent progression of damage in a cohort of patients with early seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. We studied 186 patients with RA of 55 years) and younger patients (<55 years) were compared by t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square, or Fisher’s exact test. Multiple linear regression models were also constructed. Results. The older group (n 74) had a higher baseline total Sharp score (median 6.21) compared with the younger group (n 112) (median 2.33) (P 0.0002). This was mainly due to a higher baseline JSN score in the older group (median 3.96 versus 1.08) and not to differences in erosion score (median 0.91 versus 0.70). Disease activity and duration of RA symptoms were similar in the 2 groups, as were progression rates of the TSS, JSN score, and erosion score. At baseline, 26% of patients had osteophytes, with a prevalence of 13% in the younger age group and 50% in the older group. The presence of OA-JSN was highly correlated with the presence of osteophytes (r 0.72). Also, increased age and RA-JSN were associated with increased severity of osteophytes and OA-JSN at baseline. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that both age and hand osteophytes contributed to the increase in baseline RA-JSN score and TSS, but not to erosion score. Conclusion. In a cohort of patients with early RA, an increase in the baseline RA-JSN score and TSS can be accounted for in part by the presence of hand OA.
The Globalization of College and University Rankings

In the era of globalization, accountability, and benchmarking, university rankings have achieved a kind of iconic status. The major ones—the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU, or the “Sh...
Electron-lucent degenerating geniculate terminals in cat striate cortex.

Abstract Degenerating geniculate axon terminals in cat striate cortex have been previously described as electron-dense. After electrolytic lesion of the lateral geniculate nucleus, we observed degenerating terminals in layer 4 of striate cortex which were electron-lucent. The lucent terminals — which co-exist with the dense terminals — are characterized by a pale matrix, large size, distorted mitochondria, and a paucity of synaptic vesicles. They preferentially (82.5%) contact dendritic spines. Lucent terminals were common in layer 4, rare in layer 6, and absent from layers 1 through 3 and layer 5. This distribution is consistent with the projection of the lateral geniculate nucleus to the striate cortex. Thus, geniculate terminals undergo both the electron-lucent and electron-dense degeneration reactions in cat striate cortex, and the lucent terminals make a significant contribution to the amount of degeneration present. The relationship of lucent degeneration to other forms of degeneration is discussed.
Stability analysis of systems with distributed delay

Pontryagin's stability criterion for systems with time delay is extended to systems with distributed delay utilising Brin's results. This leads to an algorithmic method for analysing stability in terms of 2-variable system parameters. A further extension to systems with distributed parameters is proposed.
The IR spectrum of Pu(IV) polymer

Abstract The IR spectrum of Pu(IV) polymer has been measured from 200–4000 cm −1 . Major bands which could be associated directly with the oxygen-bridged polymer occured at 360 and 3400 cm −1 . These were assigned, respectively, to a PuO vibration similar to the lattice vibration of high-fired PuO 2 and to an OH stretching vibration of a water group which is either hydrated or occluded in the polymer structure. In addition, weaker bands were observed in the 1000 cm −1 region which were correlated with the age of the polymer. The dried polymer precipitate was found to have a very great affinity for CO 2 , absorbing it to form CO 3 2− groups which gave characteristic bands at 890 cm −1 ( v 2 ) and 1359, 1500 cm −1 (split v 3 ). From chemical analyses, the carbon content of the polymer was found to be as high as 1.5 wt% when equilibrated in the room air.
Footnotes to the history of statistical mechanics: In Boltzmann’s words

Abstract Although Ludwig Boltzmann was one of the primary founders of the field of statistical mechanics, very few contemporary physicists have actually read his papers. As a result, some of his ideas have been distorted or even lost over the course of time. In this paper, I will discuss some of the reasons for the neglect of Boltzmann’s writings and try to reintroduce one of his most important ideas, the definition of entropy.