cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear localization of Beet black scorch virus capsid protein and its interaction with importin α.

Abstract Beet black scorch virus (BBSV) is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to Necrovirus genus. In order to better understand the life cycle of BBSV, we have investigated the subcellular localization of BBSV capsid protein (CP) by its fusion with green fluorescent protein (GFP) agroinfiltrated into Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and by particle bombardment into onion (Allium cepa) epidermal cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed that BBSV CP fused to GFP displayed enhanced fluorescence in nuclei and nuclear import of the CP was confirmed in BBSV-infected N. benthamiana leaves. Mutational analysis revealed that the N-terminal basic amino acid cluster 4KRNKGGKKSR13 of the CP is essential for nuclear localization. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays indicated that the CP could interact with the nuclear import factor importin α, suggesting that the CP is possibly imported into the nucleus via an importin α-dependent pathway. This is the first report of the nuclear localization of the CP encoded by a necrovirus.
Laser-induced fluorescence of Na2 at the Na(3s → 5s) two-photon transition (6022.3 Å)

Abstract Na 2 excited from the X 1 Σ g + state to the A 1 Σ u + state by a narrow band (3 MHz) Rhodamine-6G dye laser at 6022.3 A, the same wavelength at which Na undergoes the 3 s –5 s two-photon transition, gives four fluorescence series from A 1 Σ u + levels ( v ′ = 21, J ′ = 26), (18, 33), (33, 19), and (34, 50). The last two series are much weaker in intensity, and at long wavelengths many doublets are lost in the background noise. The same (34, 50) fluorescence series was found by other workers in the lab using a Kr + (5682 A) laser as excitation source. Their analysis agrees very well with the findings in the work.
Refractive changes induced by electrocautery of the rabbit anterior lens capsule.

Abstract The pathologic basis for presbyopia is classically attributed to lenticular sclerosis or atrophy of the ciliary muscle, but recent work suggests that thickening and loss of elasticity of the anterior lens capsule play an important role. As no practical means for attenuating or reversing the aging process of lens protein has been identified, alteration of the lens capsule eventually might prove to be a desirable alternative to spectacle correction in presbyopic individuals. This paper describes changes in the refractive properties of the lens resulting from alteration of the anterior lens capsule by application of focal cautery, using both an in vitro, in situ and an in vivo rabbit model. In vitro thermal treatment (electrocautery) of the capsule significantly increased the anterior curvature of the lens by an average of +2.95 diopters. Histologic examination of the treated lenses showed thinning of the capsule in the treated areas, as well as focal vacuolar degeneration in the lens substance beneath the lesions. In vivo thermal treatment of eyes induced a significant shift toward myopia, compared with control eyes. The accommodative range increased post-treatment relative to the controls, but the effect diminished over time, stabilizing near baseline at two to three weeks after treatment. Histologic examination showed localized changes but no signs of diffuse cataract formation. We conclude that the anterior capsule may play a significant role in the refractive power and accommodative changes in the crystalline lens. With further study of short-term and long-term effects and with development of noninvasive laser techniques, thermal treatment of the anterior lens capsule might eventually become a practical method of managing hyperopia and loss of accommodation in patients with advanced presbyopia.
Lithium Niobate Serrodyne Frequency Translator for Fiber-Optic Gyroscopes

Summary In summary, work on a Ti:LiNb03channel -waveguide serrodyne frequencytranslator has been reviewed. An anal-ysis of the serrodyne technique has shown the waveform accuracy required toobtain high sideband suppression. The experimental device utilized a sawtooth drive circuit with less than 0.5% of the period. The waveguides were designed toprovide high TM mode extinction. Usingthese components, sideband suppressionas high as 43 dB has been obtained.This work was sponsored by the Depart-ment of the Air Force. POLARIZER 0 (TE) 5 0 I 1 5 kHz POLARIZER 45 (TE TM) 43 dB l 40 dB 1 Figure 8. Spectrum analyzer output for5 -kHz serrodyne frequency shifting using superluminescent diode optical source. Results are shown for two different input polarizations.References 1. J. L. Davis and S. Ezekiel, "Closed -loop, low -noise fiber -optic rotation sensor,"Opt. Lett. Vol. 6, pp. 505 -507. 1981. 2. R. F. Cahill and E. Udd, "Phase- nulling fiber -optic laser gyro," Opt. Lett. Vol.
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: new insights in disease pathogenesis and therapy.

Summary The identification of vWF-cleaving protease and its central role in normal vWF plasma processing has led us to a new understanding of the pathogenesis of TTP. Decreased activity of vWF-cleaving protease, whether attributable to an inherited deficiency or to an acquired inhibitor, prohibits cleavage of ULvWF multimers to smaller, normally circulating forms. These ULvWF multimers avidly aggregate platelets, forming widespread arteriolar and capillary thrombi, causing multisystem organ damage. This multisystem organ damage manifests as the pentad of symptoms commonly observed in TTP patients: microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, neurological abnormalities, renal failure, fever, and thrombocytopenia. For the first time, it is possible to separate TTP and HUS on a pathobiologic basis, the hallmark of TTP being the deficiency of this vWF-cleaving protease activity. Moreover, for the first time, a method of distinguishing patients with acquired TTP from those with familial TTP is available, marked by the presence, or not, of an IgG inhibitor of the vWF-cleaving protease. We now understand why plasma infusion and TPE are effective modes of treatment for TTP—removal of ULvWF multimers and the IgG inhibitor by TPE, and addition of vWF-cleaving protease with both plasma infusion and TPE—and we may appropriately apply the most suitable form of plasma therapy to each disease subtype. Perhaps most importantly, with a new understanding of the true pathogenesis of TTP, we can begin to develop specific diagnostic tests and treatment methods for better management of patients with this disease. Although there is still much left to learn, we are further down the path toward individualized diagnosis and treatment for each patient who develops TTP.
Simulation of transpiration sensitivity to environmental changes for shrub (Myrica cerifera) thickets on a Virginia barrier island

Abstract Shrub ( Myrica cerifera ) thickets are a major vegetation type on barrier islands. To evaluate the effects of moisture stress on shrub thicket distribution, a water relation model, MCHOG, was developed for Hog Island, a barrier island along the eastern shore of Virginia, USA. The model consists of three submodels: a transpiration submodel based on the Penman-Monteith equation, a rooting-zone water-balance submodel, and water-table dynamics submodel using Darcy's law. Precipitation, relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, and air temperature data collected on Hog Island in 1991 were used with an hourly time step to simulate transpiration patterns for shrub thickets along a cross-island transect. Transpiration under sufficient soil moisture was defined as potential transpiration. Comparisons were made between the potential transpiration pattern and the transpiration patterns under various environmental change scenarios. Simulation results suggest that the shrub thicket transpiration pattern is sensitive to climate change, landscape change, and sea-level rise. Soil water limits transpiration of all shrub thickets on barrier islands. Elevationally related capillary rise from groundwater also plays an important role in determining shrub distribution patterns. Competition may exist for groundwater resources among individuals of shrub thickets and between shrubs and associated grasses.
The obstetric pelvis of A.L. 288-1 (Lucy)

Due to the fragmentary condition of most specimens, there have been few studies on the anatomy of the early hominid bony birth canal. However, recovery of an innominate and sacrum from one individual (A.L. 288-1, Australopithecus afarensis) allows reconstruction of the complete pelvis. Although A.L. 288-1 is considered to have been a female, several morphologies of its true pelvis resemble those of human males, such as sacral angulation, ischiopubic ramus and, principally, funnelling of the pelvic cavity. The implication is that some of the pelvic dimorphisms characteristic of modern Homo sapiens developed subsequent to the emergence of bipedalism. The shape of A.L. 288-l's true pelvis is compared with that of female H. sapiens and Pan troglodytes. A.L. 288-l's pelvis is platypelloid, unlike Homo and Pan. The obstetric consequence of the difference in pelvic shape would have been a unique mechanism of birth in A.L. 288-1, with the fetus being born along the transverse axis of the outlet. Rotation of the fetal cranium within the pelvic canal, a characteristic of human birth, would not have occurred in A.L. 288-1. The platypelloid (false and true) pelvis of A.L. 288-1 is related to the requirements of locomotion and visceral accommodation and support. Although the obstetric analysis indicates that birth might have been slow and difficult in A.L. 288-1, we do not consider there to have been selection for the australopithecine fetus to have been born in a more altricial state than that in pongids. However, exactly when secondary altriciality, which is a characteristic of modern humans, emerged is a current subject of debate.
Isolation of immunoglobulin from splenic lymphocytes of inbred rats by Triton X-100 solubilization.

Abstract Isolated plasma membrane vesicles from splenic lymphocytes of inbred ACI rats, either intact or dispersed with 9 M uera + 10% acetic acid, were iodinated with 125I by lactoperoxidase catalysis and dissolved in Triton X-100 at different concentrations. The samples were then reacted with rabbit anti-rat IgG serum (test) or normal rabbit serum (control) and precipitated with goat anti-rabbit IgG serum to determine the optimal conditions for membrane IgG extraction. The immune precipitates were characterized by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The amounts of 125I taken up by the intact vesicles and the acid-urea dispersed membranes were 4% and 13% of the added iodine, respectively. The amount of IgG extracted from both these samples was highly dependent on Triton X-100 concentration, the maximal extraction being at 0.02% and a Triton to protein ratio of about 4 (w/w). The labeling of the acid-urea dispersed samples was more than 3 times that of the intact vesicles, but the maximal amounts of IgG extracted from both samples were similar and represented about 4% of the membrane iodine. This shows that acid-urea dispersion either makes a greater number of membrane IgG molecules accessible to iodination or it helps incorporation of a greater amount of radioactivity per IgG molecule. Gel electrophoresis of the reduced immune precipitates revealed 2 prominent components with mobilities of rat serum IgG heavy-chain and light-chain, respectively. The results obtained with the unreduced immune precipitates suggested that the heavy and light chains of this membrane IgG are not linked covalently.
Radiation reaction and vacuum fluctuations in spontaneous emission

A Heisenberg-picture treatment of spontaneous emission is given, and the origin of radiative line shifts and widths is discussed. It is shown that radiation reaction and vacuum fluctuations provide complementary conceptual bases for the interpretation of these radiative corrections. Alternative approaches are discussed, including the use of a random classical field to simulate the effects of the quantum-electrodynamical radiation field.
Blood and Tissue Spatter Associated with Chainsaw Dismemberment

In response to the unexpected paucity of blood/tissue spatter at the site where a body of an adult woman was dismembered by an electric chainsaw, we dismembered two large pig carcasses with a small electric chainsaw in a controlled environment. These experiments demonstrated first that a large carcass could be easily dismembered by a small electric chainsaw. When the chainsaw bar is held parallel to the ground the majority of the blood and tissue is deposited directly beneath the saw and bar and very little elsewhere. If the discharge chute of the saw however is not oriented directly at the ground, larger amounts of blood and tissue may be sprayed on lateral surfaces or deposited some distance from the chainsaw. The characteristic striations created on the surface of wood as it is cut by a chainsaw can also be found on bony surfaces cut by a chainsaw.
It’s not just the antibiotics, it’s the treatment

The recent study by Bloos and colleagues demonstrates that early initiation of antimicrobial therapy is not associated with improved survival in sepsis. We contend that these findings should not be surprising. This study is yet another part of the growing case against early and aggressive antimicrobial therapy and highlights the important roles resuscitation and source control play in the management of the septic patient. We suggest that, whenever possible, antimicrobial therapy should we withheld until objective evidence of infection has been obtained.
Functional recovery and collateral neuronal sprouting examined in young and aged rats following a partial neural lesion.

Abstract The rat pineal gland was chosen as a model system to study how aging affects the capacity of surviving neurons to compensate for partial destruction of a neural pathway. The pineal gland receives bilateral overlapping sympathetic innervation from the two internal carotid nerves, whose activity regulates several aspects of pineal metabolism in a circadian fashion. The most dramatic of these is the marked nighttime increase in the activity of N-acetyltransferase, the rate-limiting enzyme in melatonin synthesis. These features allow for the pineal gland to be used as a model system for studies on neuronal plasticity, since it is possible to create specific partial neural lesions and to evaluate functional recovery subsequently at the cellular level. We examined the activity of N-acetyltransferase and the content of melatonin in the pineal gland as indices of pineal function at various time points after unilateral surgical denervation (lesion of one of the two internal carotid nerves) in 4-month-(young) and 25-month-old (aged) rats. At both ages, the nighttime levels of the two parameters were significantly lower 8 h after this lesion than in sham-operated animals of the same age, indicating impaired function. When examined at later time points (i.e., 1.5 and 10 days after this lesion), both young and aged animals exhibited full recovery in these two parameters. Measurement of specific neuronal uptake of [3H]norepinephrine was utilized as an index of the number of sympathetic varicosities innervating the pineal gland. One and a half days after unilateral denervation. [3H]norepinephrine uptake in 4-, 10-, 16-, and 25-month-old animals was approximately 50% of that obtained in sham-operated animals of the same age, as expected if half of the innervation of the gland was lesioned. Ten days after surgery, [3H]norepinephrine uptake in 4- and 10-month-old animals was 78% of the value found in sham-operated animals of the same age, suggesting collateral sprouting of the remaining sympathetic nerve fibers. However, in 16- and 25-month-old animals, uptake remained at 50%. These data indicate that recovery of pineal function after unilateral denervation occurs to a similar extent and with a similar time course in young and aged animals. In contrast, the data suggest that collateral sprouting is impaired in aged animals. The fact that functional recovery occurs in young animals sooner after the lesions than does collateral sprouting and that recovery occurs in the aged animals in the apparent absence of collateral sprouting suggests that the relationship between this anatomical form of plasticity and functional recovery may be complex. Among other possibilities, collateral sprouting may play a role in the maintenance of recovered function rather than in the initial recovery process or sprouting may be functionally important after nerve losses greater than those represented by a 50% lesion.
Perception of Self as a Mediator in the Dehumanization Process

A body of literature in the fields of both clinical and personality psychology has centered on the assumption that a high acceptance of self is linked with a positive perception of others. In direct opposition, our own results, based on two independent field studies, one sampling 76 mental health workers, the other 204 elementary school children, concluded that individuals low in self-perception are more empathetic and more humanly treat a stimulus person while those high in perception of self dehumanize and detach themselves from the stimulus person. These findings are interpreted within a social psychological analysis of a modified deindividuation/ dehumanization model.
Space Technology 5 - changing the mission design without changing the hardware

The Space Technology 5 (ST-5) project is part of NASA's new millennium program. The validation objectives are to demonstrate the research-quality science capability of the ST-5 spacecraft; to operate the three spacecraft as a constellation; and to design, develop, test and flight-validate three capable micro-satellites with new technologies. A three-month flight demonstration phase is planned, beginning in March 2006. This year, the mission was re-planned for a Pegasus XL dedicated launch into an elliptical polar orbit (instead of the originally-planned geosynchronous transfer orbit.) The re-plan allows the mission to achieve the same high-level technology validation objectives with a different launch vehicle. The new mission design involves a revised science validation strategy, a new orbit and different communication strategy, while minimizing changes to the ST-5 spacecraft itself. The constellation operations concepts have also been refined. While the system engineers, orbit analysts, and operations teams were re-planning the mission, the implementation team continued to make progress on the flight hardware. Most components have been delivered, and the first spacecraft is well into integration and test.
L’otan et George W. Bush : Perspectives du Congrès américain sur la transformation de l’alliance

La plupart des recherches actuelles sur l’Organisation du traite de l’Atlantique nord (otan) mettent en evidence que cette alliance traverse de graves difficultes, est dans l’ensemble inappropriee, ou bien est vouee a l’effondrement. Presque toutes portent sur les differends a propos de l’Irak des deux cotes de l’Atlantique, sur les grandes differences de capacite militaire entre les Etats-Unis et ses allies, ou sur les effets (negativement percus) d’un elargissement de l’alliance. Dans la litterature recente, aucune recherche n’examine le role du Congres americain sur l’evolution de l’organisation. Cet article fait l’examen du regard que porte le Congres sur l’otan a propos des quatre questions de l’elargissement de l’alliance, du role de l’otan en Afghanistan, de l’assistance qu’elle apporte aux pays de l’Union africaine au Soudan, et de son role en Irak apres l’operation Liberte de l’Irak. Il conclut que le Congres s’est peu soucie de voir a la transformation de l’otan et s’est desinteresse de maniere surprenante de sa mission en Afghanistan. Bien qu’il y ait eu des exemples d’entrepreneurship de la part du Congres, celui-ci s’est montre principalement loyal envers le president des Etats-Unis.
Cotton Rooting Patterns in Relation to Soil Temperatures and the Thermal Kinetic Window

Throughout the USA, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is irrigated to avoid the deleterious effects of drought stress on growth and development. Irrigation, while optimizing water status, results in a concomitant cooling of soil temperatures. Previous field studies have focused on soil water status effects on root growth independent of the soil temperature changes following irrigation. This study was designed to evaluate the soil temperature characteristics of irrigated and nonirrigated field plots of cotton to determine the time that temperatures are spatially and temporally within the range for optimal cotton root metabolism. Soil temperatures in the nonirrigated treatment were within cotton's thermal kinetic window (23.5 to 32°C) for 72% more time than in the irrigated treatment. Predicted rooting fronts fell between the 24 and 26°C isotherms in the irrigated treatment and the 26 and 28°C isotherms in the nonirrigated treatment. Greater root length density of cotton in the nonirrigated treatment, determined from soil cores, was associated with increased time at optimal temperatures. Near the soil surface, root length density decreased in the nonirrigated treatment because of reduced soil water status, not because of reduced time within the optimal temperature range. Soil temperatures cooled below the optimal range upon canopy closure in the irrigated treatment. The cooling trend was observed to a lesser extent in the nonirrigated treatments, which never realized full canopy closure. This study showed that greater cotton root development occurred across time and with depth in soils exhibiting temperatures within cotton's thermal kinetic window.
A note on Galois theory

Galois' tragic marginal note ..// y a quelque chose a completer dans cette demonstration. Je n'ai pas le temps" gives the impression that there is a serious gap in his memoir on the solution of equations. As I stated in my book Galois Theory, I believe that the only gap in Galois' eyes (in the eyes of his contemporaries the entire memoir was so terse as to be virtually unintelligible) was that the proposition being proved had been changed but the proof had not:
Niagara: A History of the Falls

Anthony Trollope's mother wept at the sight of it; Charles Dickens saw God in its rushing waters; and Harriet Beecher Stowe became so "maddened" by its beauty she contemplated flinging herself into the cascade. Few natural wonders have inspired the passions and the imaginations of so many as Niagara Falls, whose sublime beauty and awesome power have made it a magnet for statesmen and stuntmen, poets and poseurs, ordinary sightseers and exceptional visionaries.Popular historian Pierre Berton traces the history and allure of one of America's great natural phenomena. As Thurston Clarke noted in his front page New York Times Book Review, Berton "makes a serious and convincing case for Niagara's pivotal role in North American history .... His Niagara is a lodestar for North American culture and invention: site of the first railway suspension bridge, inspiration for Nikola Tesla's discovery of the principle of alternating current, and the subject of Frederic Church's most celebrated landscape; a natural wonder that has bewitched generations of scientists, authors, and utopians, and stimulated innovations and social movements still casting long shadows".
Poster abstract: multidimensional scaling based sensor positioning algorithms in wireless sensor networks

Recently, a family of methods have been proposed for large scale ad hoc sensor networks that estimate the approximate positions of sensor nodes in the network. In the paper, we first investigate some situations that most existing sensor positioning methods fail to perform well. An example of such situations is that the topology of a sensor network is anisotropic. Then, we study the multidimensional scaling (MDS) technique, and a centralized sensor positioning algorithm is proposed based on MDS. We also propose a distributed sensor positioning algorithm, which is in iteration paradigm, to address these situations. The MDS technique is applied to recover a series of local maps for adjacent sensors, and these maps are then stitched together to form a portion of globe map. At last, the estimated anchor positions are compared with the anchors' physical position for accurate positioning.
Permeability of iodide in multilamellar liposomes modeled by two compartments and a reservoir

Abstract A previously published rate law for the diffusion of iodide from multilamellar egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes (Schullery, S.E. (1975) Chem. Phys. Lipids 49–58) is fitted to the relatively simple mathematical model of two compartments in series with a reservoir. All of the inner liposome compartments are assumed to behave as effectively one compartment in series with the liposome's outermost compartment. Based on this model, reasonable values are calculated for the fraction of the total solution trapped by liposomes which is in the outermost liposome compartment, 17%, and the permeability coefficient of iodide against isotonic, mixed iodide-chloride solution, 2 · 10 −9 cm/s .
Toxoplasma gondii in Cats: Fecal Stages Identified as Coccidian Oocysts

Isospora-type oocysts were excreted by cats following the ingestion of Toxoplasma fromn infected mice. Oocysts appeared 3 to 5 days after cyst. were ingested and 8 to 10 days after trophozoites were ingested, and also 21 to 24 days after the administration of infective fecal suspensions from cats. A close quanititative and biologic correlation between oocysts and Toxoplasma infectivity of the feces was observed which could not be separated by density gradient centrifugation and filtration methods. Toxoplasma is an intestinal coccidian of cats which is fecally spread. It has evolved to multiply in brain and muscle and in other species, making it possible for carnivorism to become another means of transmission.
The interaction representation and nonadiabatic corrections to adiabatic evolution operators. II. Nonlinear quantum systems

This paper reports further applications of the recently developed interaction representation form of infinite order operator corrections to adiabatic evolution operators. Previous work derived the form of the correction, and applied the methodology to a bilinearly coupled system bath model. In this paper we present results on coupled quantum systems in which the coupling is highly nonlinear. The method is both easy to implement and numerically accurate.
L-citrulline immunostaining identifies nitric oxide production sites within neurons.

The cellular and subcellular localization of L-citrulline was analyzed in the adult rat brain and compared with that of traditional markers for the presence of nitric oxide synthase. Light, transmission electron, and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to study tissue sections processed for immunocytochemistry employing a monoclonal antibody against L-citrulline or polyclonal anti-neuronal nitric oxide synthase sera, and double immunofluorescence to detect neuronal nitric oxide synthase and L-citrulline co-localization. The results demonstrate that the same CNS regions and cell types are labeled by neuronal nitric oxide synthase polyclonal antisera and L-citrulline monoclonal antibodies, using both immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence. Short-term pretreatment with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor reduces L-citrulline immunostaining, but does not affect neuronal nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity. In the vestibular brainstem, double immunofluorescence studies show that many, but not all, neuronal nitric oxide synthase-positive cells co-express L-citrulline, and that local intracellular patches of intense L-citrulline accumulation are present in some neurons. Conversely, all L-citrulline-labeled neurons co-express neuronal nitric oxide synthase. Cells expressing neuronal nitric oxide synthase alone are interpreted as neurons with the potential to produce nitric oxide under other stimulus conditions, and the subcellular foci of enhanced L-citrulline staining are viewed as intracellular sites of nitric oxide production. This interpretation is supported by ultrastructural observations of subcellular foci with enhanced L-citrulline and/or neuronal nitric oxide synthase staining that are located primarily at postsynaptic densities and portions of the endoplasmic reticulum. We conclude that nitric oxide is produced and released at focal sites within neurons that are identifiable using L-citrulline as a marker. Copyright 2002 IBRO.
Globalization in a small island context: creating and marketing competitive advantage for offshore financial services

(2001). Globalization in a small island context: creating and marketing competitive advantage for offshore financial services. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography: Vol. 83, No. 4, pp. 161-174.
Editorial introduction: Is the World Bank lending effective in developing countries?

Abstract This special issue of Economic Systems includes five papers about the World Bank lending in developing countries. The motivation for the special issue stems from the relatively extensive literature on the sister institution, namely, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but not on the World Bank itself. The papers’ focus is the influence of the World Bank lending on economic growth, education and health, poverty reduction, and regulation in the recipient countries. The papers’ findings contribute to our understanding of the effects of the World Bank lending in developing countries, which reflects both successes and shortcomings.
Convergent synthesis of the amphotericin polyol subunit employing asymmetric dienolate addition reactions

Abstract We have described a convergent asymmetric synthesis of the polyol fragment of amphotericin B that utilizes a versatile dienolate aldol addition reaction of furfural to rapidly assemble the constituent polyol subunit. This strategy allows for the efficient synthesis of large quantities of the desired fragment while inherently flexible to allow the construction of analogs. The synthesis of the C 1 C 13 fragment of amphotericin requires only eleven steps and proceeds in 28% overall yield.
The Impact of Gender on Configurations of Care among Married Elderly Couples

This article analyzes data from the Supplement on Aging of the National Health Interview Survey to examine gender differences in the configuration of care among married elderly couples living in two-person households. The rational choice model provides the conceptual framework for the analysis. Results support the hypothesis that husband caregivers are more likely to incorporate extra-household assistance than are wife caregivers. There were no gender differences, however, in the source of extra-household assistance.
Benthic Tanaidacea and Isopoda From the Alaskan Arctic and the Polar Basin

Eine Apseudide, Sphyrapus anomalus G. O. Sars, eine Tanaide, Leptognaihia armata Hansen, und die Isopoden Desmosoma plebejum Hansen, Gnathia albescens Hansen, Idotoega sibirica (Birula), Idotoega entonaon entomon (Linnaeus), Idotoega sabini sabini forma barentsi Gurjanova werden vom Polarbecken beschrieben und abgebildet. Die genannten Arten der Gattungen Leptognathia, Dermoroma und Gnathia waren bisher vom arktischen Becken nicht bekannt.
Accumulation of Am-241 and Cm-244 from water and sediments by Hyalella sp. and Tubifex spp.

This paper reports on the bioaccumulation of americium and curium by freshwater invertebrates in laboratory experiments. Uptake by benthic invertebrates will affect both the biogeochemical cycling of these elements and the potential exposure of man through accumulation in aquatic food chains. Am and Cm isotopes are produced by nuclear reactions in commercial reactors and are major components of high level wastes. Both elements bind strongly to sediments which may be the principal source for uptake by benthic organisms in freshwater and marine environments. The principal objectives of this research were: (1) to determine the extent of bioaccumulation of Am and Cm for freshwater species; (2) to compare bioaccumulation from water with bioaccumulation from various types of sediment particles; and (3) to evaluate the similarities and differences in the behavior of Am and Cm.
Behavior of terrestrial dissolved organic matter at the continent-ocean boundary from high-resolution distributions

Abstract This paper presents distributions of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in the Columbia River estuary and associated coastal plume as determined by in situ measurement with a fiber optic spectrometer. We interpret these data to represent fluorescence from the humic material associated with terrestrial dissolved organic matter (DOM). We were able to convert FDOM data to quantitative estimates of fluorescent dissolved organic carbon (FDOC) by calibrating our instrument against organic carbon measured by high temperature combustion. The concentration of FDOC in the Columbia River is 140–180 μM, in agreement with DOC data from several previous investigations and our own high-temperature measurements. This result supports the view that humic fluorescence can be used as an analog for terrestrial DOC in some circumstances. The distribution of FDOM in the estuary is nonlinear when plotted against salinity indicating a source within the estuary. The flux of DOC from the river was 1040 mols C sec−1 during our October sampling period. Mass balance calculations show that estuarine source(s) added 14% to this amount. Potential sources of this material are groundwater, intertidal embayments, and in situ production associated with the estuary turbidity maximum (ETM). FDOM-absorbance demonstrates that substantial shifts in fluorescence efficiency occur only in the ETM. This result together with other recent studies suggests that microbial attack of particulate organic carbon in the ETM may be the primary source of excess FDOC in the Columbia estuary. Once FDOM leaves the estuary it mixes into the coastal ocean conservatively with little indication of removal. The presence of three water masses explains most of the variability of FDOM on the shelf. There is a reversal in the slope of the FDOM-salt relationship between Columbia River plume water and deeper shelf water masses. We interpret this bilateral distribution to be the net result of two conservative processes: primary dilution of dissolved fluvial material with coastal surface water and mixing of refractory terrestrial material into the ocean.
Tight lower bounds for selection in randomly ordered streams

We show that any algorithm computing the median of a stream presented in random order, using polylog(n) space, requires an optimal Ω (log log n) passes, resolving an open question from the seminal paper on streaming by Munro and Paterson, from FOCS 1978.
Fragmenting pictures on the apple macintosh computer for experimental and clinical applications

A set of procedures implemented in Microsoft BASIC is described that creates fragmented versions of pictures scanned into the Apple Macintosh, stores them as resource files, and presents them in a computerized perceptual memory test. A total of 150 pictures were selected from the Snodgrass and Vanderwart (1980) set for fragmentation. The perceptual memory test provides for five forms of 30 pictures each, divided into two sets of 15 that serve alternately as the training or old set and the new set. A training set of 15 pictures is presented for identification during the first (training) phase of the test. The second (test) phase presents the training pictures again, randomly mixed with 15 new pictures for identification. The performance of 100 subjects on the memory test is presented, along with results for each form. Overall, subjects showed improvement on the task with practice (skill learning), indexed by a decrease in thresholds from the training set to the new set. Subjects also showed large savings for the repeated pictures (perceptual learning), indexed by a decrease in thresholds from the new to the old set.
Red cell mass determinations in infancy and childhood, with the use of radioactive chromium.

Summary The evolution of a method for determining red cell mass in infancy and childhood with the use of radioactive chromium has been outlined. The results of utilizing this method are recorded in the cases of 78 infants and children, most of whom underwent an operation. The practicality and accuracy of the isotope method have been evaluated.
Do piece rates influence effort choices? Evidence from stadium vendors

Abstract This paper analyzes the daily sales performance of stadium vendors over an entire baseball season. The vendors were paid a pure commission on their sales, but the commission rate varied across vendors. Estimates that allow for a vendor-specific fixed effect in sales performance reveal that the elasticity of sales with respect to demand conditions at the game varies systematically across groups of vendors facing different commission rates. This finding strongly suggests that the commission rate that a vendor faces influences the choice of effort.
Cell Therapy of α-Sarcoglycan Null Dystrophic Mice Through Intra-Arterial Delivery of Mesoangioblasts

Preclinical or clinical trials for muscular dystrophies have met with modest success, mainly because of inefficient delivery of viral vectors or donor cells to dystrophic muscles. We report here that intra-arterial delivery of wild-type mesoangioblasts, a class of vessel-associated stem cells, corrects morphologically and functionally the dystrophic phenotype of virtually all downstream muscles in adult immunocompetent α-sarcoglycan (α-SG) null mice, a model organism for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. When mesoangioblasts isolated from juvenile dystrophic mice and transduced with a lentiviral vector expressing α-SG were injected into the femoral artery of dystrophic mice, they reconstituted skeletal muscle in a manner similar to that seen in wild-type cells. The success of this protocol was mainly due to widespread distribution of donor stem cells through the capillary network, a distinct advantage of this strategy over previous approaches.
A simple method for noise tolerance characterization of digital circuits

A method for characterizing dynamic noise tolerance of digital circuits is discussed. In this method noise impulses are characterized by their energy, voltage and width. The method is intended for use in simulation-based noise analysis and design of receiver circuits in digital systems. >
Analysis of simple counting protocols for delay-tolerant networks

Mobile Wireless Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTNs) are wireless networks that suffer from intermittent connectivity, but enjoy the benefit of mobile nodes that can store and forward packets or messages, and can act as relays, bringing packets and messages closer to their destination through a selective forwarding policy. Many DTN protocols compensate for the unpredictability of the network by distributing multiple message copies in the hopes that at least one will eventually be delivered. As the number of message carriers becomes large these schemes experience diminishing marginal benefits from the addition of more message carriers. We describe and analyze the Simple Counting Protocol, an extremely simple and robust method for limiting the fraction of nodes that carry a copy of a message. We examine the performance of this protocol in conjunction with several abstract mobility models and show that the protocol performs reasonably well in diverse circumstances. The Simple Counting Protocol does not assume much about node mobility, and therefore should be useful for applications where little is known about node encounter patterns. The simplicity of its implementation will hopefully make it a useful substitute for epidemic routing as a naive lower bound in protocol performance comparisons.We also show how the same simple techniques and principles can be applied in conjunction with more complex heuristic DTN protocols to reduce network resource usage, a scheme we call Intermediate Immunity.
Inducible and Reversible NR1 Knockout Reveals Crucial Role of the NMDA Receptor in Preserving Remote Memories in the Brain

Long-term storage of information is a hallmark feature of the brain, yet routine turnover of synaptic receptors appears to be intrinsically paradoxical to this capability. To investigate how the brain preserves its delicate synaptic efficacies, we generated inducible and reversible knockout mice in which the NMDA receptor can be temporarily switched off in the forebrain specifically during the storage stage. Retention of 9-month contextual and cued fear memories is severely disrupted by prolonged, but not transient, loss of the NMDA receptor that occurs 6 months after initial training and at least 2 months prior to memory retrieval. Normal learning and memory function in subsequent tasks following the 9-month retention tests suggest that the observed retention deficits did not result from recall or performance impairment. Thus, our study reveals a hitherto unrecognized role of the NMDA receptor in dynamically maintaining the long-term synaptic stability of memory storage circuits in the brain.
Measurement of Compliance With New York City’s Regulations on Beverages, Physical Activity, and Screen Time in Early Child Care Centers

INTRODUCTION Policy interventions designed to change the nutrition environment and increase physical activity in child care centers are becoming more common, but an understanding of the implementation of these interventions is yet to be developed. The objective of this study was to explore the extent and consistency of compliance with a policy intervention designed to promote nutrition and physical activity among licensed child care centers in New York City. METHODS We used a multimethod cross-sectional approach and 2 independent components of data collection (Center Evaluation Component and Classroom Evaluation Component). The methods were designed to evaluate the impact of regulations on beverages served, physical activity, and screen time at child care centers. We calculated compliance scores for each evaluation component and each regulation and percentage agreement between compliance in the center and classroom components. RESULTS Compliance with certain requirements of the beverage regulations was high and fairly consistent between components, whereas compliance with the physical activity regulation varied according to the data collection component. Compliance with the regulation on amount and content of screen time was high and consistent. CONCLUSION Compliance with the physical activity regulation may be a more fluid, day-to-day issue, whereas compliance with the regulations on beverages and television viewing may be easier to control at the center level. Multiple indicators over multiple time points may provide a more complete picture of compliance - especially in the assessment of compliance with physical activity policies.
Detecting psychopathy from thin slices of behavior.

This study is the first to demonstrate that features of psychopathy can be reliably and validly detected by lay raters from “thin slices” (i.e., small samples) of behavior. Brief excerpts (5 s, 10 s, and 20 s) from interviews with 96 maximum-security inmates were presented in video or audio form or in both modalities combined. Forty raters used these excerpts to complete assessments of overall psychopathy and its Factor 1 and Factor 2 components, various personality disorders, violence proneness, and attractiveness. Thin-slice ratings of psychopathy correlated moderately and significantly with psychopathy criterion measures, especially those related to interpersonal features of psychopathy, particularly in the 5- and 10-s excerpt conditions and in the video and combined channel conditions. These findings demonstrate that first impressions of psychopathy and related constructs, particularly those pertaining to interpersonal functioning, can be reasonably reliable and valid. They also raise intriguing questions regarding how individuals form first impressions and about the extent to which first impressions may influence the assessment of personality disorders.
IAA: Interference aware anticipatory algorithm for scheduling and routing periodic real-time streams in wireless sensor networks

This paper provides a polynomial time heuristic for the real-time communication scheduling problem in multi-hop wireless sensor networks.Wireless networks add a new dimension to the real-time communication problem because of interference: a transmission cannot be scheduled on a radio link if another transmission is scheduled on any interfering link. The problem being NP-hard in nature, we propose a novel heuristic that comes into two parts: (1) a scheduler that uses a topological analysis of the network to anticipate the effects of radio interference in order to improve scheduling prioritization, (2) an iterative route update scheme that pushes apart interfering streams and spreads them out over the network to reduce interference and improve schedulability while meeting the deadline requirements. The whole algorithm runs in polynomial time of O(N3d), where N and d are the number of streams and maximum deadline respectively. We use a simulation-based study to demonstrate that this algorithm produces near-optimal schedules for approximately 10 packet streams in a 100 node network, where the optimal schedule can be computed. We also show that the overall algorithm is able to schedule as much as 47% more steams than simple heuristics that takes only deadline or interference into account. Of this improvement, 4% – 26% contribution comes from the iterative route update scheme.
Atelectrauma disrupts pulmonary epithelial barrier integrity and alters the distribution of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and claudin 4.

Mechanical ventilation inevitably exposes the delicate tissues of the airways and alveoli to abnormal mechanical stresses that can induce pulmonary edema and exacerbate conditions such as acute res...
Dual AKT inhibition with perifosine and GCP enhances apoptosis in prostate cancer: Clinical implications

14096 Background: Genistein combined polysaccharide (GCP) has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer properties in both experimental and clinical models of prostate cancer (CaP). Perifosine is an alkylp...
Dermoscopic patterns and subclinical melanocytic nests in normal-appearing skin

Summary Background Dermoscopic patterns of normal-appearing skin have received little scrutiny. We have recently completed an analysis of dermoscopic patterns of naevi in children. Objectives To describe dermoscopic patterns in the normal-appearing skin surrounding naevi and to explore histological features of patterned background skin. Methods Dermoscopic images of back naevi were obtained from a population-based sample of fifth grade students. The dermoscopic pattern of the background skin around the naevi was analysed. We examined histopathological features of background skin patterns in a convenience sample of seven specimens from six adult patients. Results We observed a dermoscopic pattern in the background of normal-appearing skin in 41% of 1192 dermoscopic images from the backs of the 443 children. The background skin pattern was less frequent in individuals with a fair skin (P < 0·001). A globular pattern was observed in 201 images (17%) and a reticular pattern was seen in 287 images (24%), of which 112 images also showed globules. Inter-rater reliability between the two observers for a random sample of 100 images was excellent (κ = 0·77). In four specimens with a globular background pattern, microscopic melanocytic nests were observed in the normal-appearing skin. No subclinical naevus nests were observed in three reticular pattern specimens. Conclusions Dermoscopically recognized patterns are commonly present in clinically normal skin of children. Microscopic melanocytic nests may be observed in normal-appearing skin with a globular skin pattern.