cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morbid obesity: perceptions of character and comorbidities in Falstaff.

Falstaff is the literary creation of William Shakespeare. Of course, ancestral prototypes of the buffoon in the theater and in literature date back to antiquity; yet, the complex substance of Falstaff originates with Shakespeare’ s genius of characterization in Henry IV, Part I . There may have been earlier Falstaffs, including a Falstaff in Henry VI, Part I, who Shakespeare himself denied was the same person later to appear in Henry IV, Part I . 1 In the original 1596 performance text of Henry IV, Part I (of which only several lines have survived), the character of Falstaff was given the name of Sir John Oldcastle, a figure well known to Elizabethan audiences from both stage and history. 2 Oldcastle was a Protestant theologian and clergyman whose life ended in 1417, when he was “ hung in chains over a burning pyre” for his antiCatholic sentiments. 3 Probably for political reasons in 1598, in the first quarto publication of Henry IV, Part I, Oldcastle was transformed by Shakespeare into Falstaff. Interestingly, the authentic descriptions of the historic Oldcastle do not depict him as obese. Why then is Shakespeare’ s Oldcastle/Falstaff obese? Shakespeare, as many before and after him, may have regarded obesity as humorous, a physical trait to amuse both the gentry and the groundlings. Or, wishing to imbue Falstaff with certain personality traits, Shakespeare may have conceived that the outward characterization of these traits to his audience would be best served if Falstaff were not only obese but morbidly obese ‐ a caricature of grand, grandiose proportion. Shakespeare was a keen observer not only of human nature but of human diseases as well. He thought in terms of cause and effect, considering the consequences of genetic predisposition, risk factors, and lifestyle decisions. Unencumbered by the unscientific principles of the body of medical knowledge and training of the Elizabethan physicians, Shakespeare made medical observations and assessments that were markedly astute and accurate. In Falstaff, he has given us a treatise on identifying the comorbid diseases of morbid obesity. The authors are not Shakespeare scholars or teachers of history or literature. We hope the experts in the era of Elizabeth I and the works of Shakespeare will forgive our ignorance of learned dissertations pertinent to this period and its genius of letters. For our analysis, we turned to the raw data ‐ the actual language of the English texts.
Sensitization of the rat’s acoustic startle response by repetition of a photic stimulus

Acoustic startle responses were elicited in rats during trains of light flashes and during periods of darkness. In Experiment 1, startle vigor was potentiated within the first 30 sec of visual stimulation and remained above dark-control values for the 120-sec duration of each photic treatment. Motor activity increased quickly during the first train of flashes but then habituated and returned to the dark-control baseline. In Experiment 2, the time course of sensitization within the first 32 sec of the photic treatment was found to be an increasing logarithmic function of the duration of visual stimulation. In these experiments reflex sensitization did not diminish with repeated stimulus exposure.
Habituation of evoked potentials in the rat under conditions of behavioral control

Abstract Three experiments are reported in which potentials evoked by sensory stimuli were recorded from rats during habituation procedures. In all three, behavior was controlled through the use of appetitive operant conditioning procedures. In one experiment rats were exposed to repetitive photic stimuli, and evoked potentials were recorded from primary visual cortex. In two experiments rats were exposed to repetitive click stimulation, and evoked potentials were recorded from auditory cortex and, in various subjects, from medial geniculate body, inferior colliculus, ventral cochlear nucleus, and mesencephalic reticular formation. Constant rates of behavioral responding provided a control against fluctuations in the level of arousal, and the nature of the behavioral responses indured a relatively constant orientation of the subjects with respect to the stimuli. The photic and acoustic stimuli were irrelevant to the behavioral tasks. Average evoked responses revealed the following: 1. 1. Photically evoked potentials recorded from visual cortex exhibited habituation, and the amplitude reductions were confined to late components of the evoked response. 2. 2. Click-evoked potentials recorded from auditory cortex and medial geniculate body also showed reductions in amplitude during repetitive stimulation. At the cortical level the amplitude changes involved only late components of the evoked response. 3. 3. Click-evoked potentials recorded from the inferior colliculus, ventral cochlear nucleus (both VIIIth nerve and cochlear nucleus components), and reticular formation did not show consistent evidence of habituation. 4. 4. The data appear to justify the conclusion that habituation of evoked potentials occurs in the classical sensory pathways, but is probably restricted to cortical and thalamic levels of the sensory systems. These changes cannot be attributed to changes in the level of arousal, uncontrolled fluctuations in stimulus intensity, or “pre-receptor” mechanisms.
Oligodendrocyte proliferation and CNS myelination in cultures containing dissociated embryonic neuroglia and dorsal root ganglion neurons

In this report we have described several aspects of glial development in cultures containing dissociated DRG neurons and glial cells obtained from dissociated spinal cord at least a week prior to the onset of in vivo myelination. With time in culture the dissociated neurons and glia interact and become organized into 3-dimensional structures possessing many features characteristic of developing CNS in vivo. We have presented evidence that some of the glial cells proliferate and differentiate into galactocerebroside positive (GC+) cells and that some produce myelin sheaths. Thymidine was incorporated into precursors of GC+ cells, but not into cells which were already GC+. Nearly all the astrocytes in areas where neurons were present participated in the formation of large fascicles, and it was within such fascicles that most myelin was formed, suggesting a possible role for astrocytes in creating a favorable microenvironment for myelination. Both the formation of myelin sheaths and the morphological maturity of the oligodendrocytes within the fascicles indicated that oligodendrocyte differentiation proceeded practically to completion in these cultures. In conclusion we believe that the culture system herein described provides an excellent model for in vitro studies of CNS development, while retaining some of the advantages of dissociated cell cultures as well as the possibility of separating and re-uniting the various cell types of interest.
Synthesis of oblique ionograms for a quasi-linear isonospheric model and spherical earth-ionosphere geometry

A method is described by means of which exact and direct synthesis of oblique incidence ionograms can be performed for a quasi-linear ionospheric model with spherical earth-ionosphere geometry but neglecting earth's magnetic field. A sample ionogram synthesized in accordance with this method is presented.
Passage-Dependence of Items Designed to Measure the Ability to Identify the Main Ideas of Paragraphs: Implications for Validity.

Items from a standardized reading test designed to measure the ability to identify the main ideas of paragraphs were administered without the associated paragraphs. The two samples consisted of graduate students and inner-city high-school students. A random half of each sample was given brief, general directions for answering the items in the absence of the passages, and the other half was given more extensive directions for answering the items in the absence of the passages. The different directions did not have a significant effect on performance, but both halves of the two samples answered a substantial number of items correctly. An index of passage-dependence was computed for each item, and the index values obtained from the responses of the graduate students and high-school students were substantially correlated.
Case Article---Revenue Management at Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.

Harrah's Entertainment operates a highly diversified network of gambling facilities in the United States and the United Kingdom. This case introduces students to Harrah's use of price controls for hotel revenue management: how it works, how it integrates with Harrah's Total Rewards loyalty card, and how it might be changed. Within the context of a course on revenue management or service operations, the case can be used effectively to discuss principles of revenue management and to demonstrate the use of a number of quantitative analysis techniques to design and optimize revenue management systems. Case Teaching Note: Interested Instructors please see the Instructor Materials page for access to the restricted materials. To maintain the integrity and usefulness of cases published in ITE, unapproved distribution of the case teaching notes and other restricted materials to any other party is prohibited.
Individual Packaging of Apples for Shelf Life Extension

Red Delicious apples after 2 wk and 4 months of cold storage and after 4 months of CA storage were individually packaged in two heat-shrinkable copolymers. Packaged and control apples were stored at 3°C and 90% RH, 21°C and 30°C and 50% RH, and at 30°C and 50% and 70% RH and the effect of packaging on modification of the microatmosphere inside the fruit and on various chemical and physiological changes were monitored with time. Temperature was the dominant storage factor. At 3°C, packaged and control apples had good eating quality and did not show significant differences (P > 0.05) after 3 months of storage. At 21°C, packaged apples reached a minimum acceptable condition at week 6 of storage which represented a shelf life extension of 3-4 wk over nonpackaged controls. At 30°C, internal quality of packaged apples deteriorated faster than controls. The respiration rate of packaged apples was lower than that of controls.
Transitions between different synchronous firing modes using synaptic depression

Abstract Bistability of different synchronous firing patterns arising in networks of pyramidal cells and interneurons which include depressing synapses is demonstrated. The firing modes differ in their frequencies, in the type of firing pattern and in their degree of synchrony. The network elements governing the frequency of each mode are identified and ways to transition between modes are discussed.
The Sialyltransferase, ST3Gal-IV, Modulates Cardiac Action Potential Waveforms And IK

Atrial arrhythmias can be caused by changes in atrial action potential (AP) waveform or conduction. The regulated activity of ion channels, including voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel isoforms, is crucial to normal AP waveform. Each Kv channel isoform is uniquely glycosylated; glycans are typically terminated by sialic acid residues. Reports have shown sialic acids can modulate Kv channel gating through isoform-specific mechanisms. Here, we questioned whether regulated sialylation alters AP waveforms and voltage-gated K+ currents (IK) produced in the atrium. AP waveform parameters and two types of IK, the transient outward, Ito, and the slowly inactivating, IK,slow, were compared in atrial myocytes isolated from neonatal control versus ST3Gal-IV knockout animals. ST3Gal-IV is a sialyltransferase expressed at uniform levels throughout the heart and adds sialic acid residues to N- and O-linked glycans through α2-3 linkages. ECG recordings suggest that cardiac conduction/rhythm are altered in ST3Gal-IV(-/-) animals. AP duration (APD) was prolonged significantly in ST3Gal-IV(-/-) atrial myocytes compared to control APD. APD10, APD50, and APD90 values for ST3Gal-IV(-/-) myocytes were ∼50-80% greater than control values (p 10 mV to more depolarized potentials in ST3Gal-IV(-/-) myocytes compared to control (p < 0.001); a depolarizing shift in activation voltage will lead to fewer Kv channels active at a membrane potential, effectively reducing Kv channel activity. These data suggest that the regulated expression of a single sialyltransferase, ST3Gal-IV, can alter IK, thus modulating the rate of atrial repolarization and potentially leading to arrhythmias.
Toward Developing A New Occupational Exposure Metric Approach for Characterization of Diesel Aerosols

The extensive use of diesel-powered equipment in mines makes the exposure to diesel aerosols a serious occupational issue. The exposure metric currently used in U.S. underground noncoal mines is based on the measurement of total carbon (TC) and elemental carbon (EC) mass concentration in the air. Recent toxicological evidence suggests that the measurement of mass concentration is not sufficient to correlate ultrafine aerosol exposure with health effects. This urges the evaluation of alternative measurements. In this study, the current exposure metric and two additional metrics, the surface area and the total number concentration, were evaluated by conducting simultaneous measurements of diesel ultrafine aerosols in a laboratory setting. The results showed that the surface area and total number concentration of the particles per unit of mass varied substantially with the engine operating condition. The specific surface area (SSA) and specific number concentration (SNC) normalized with TC varied two and five times, respectively. This implies that miners, whose exposure is measured only as TC, might be exposed to an unknown variable number concentration of diesel particles and commensurate particle surface area. Taken separately, mass, surface area, and number concentration did not completely characterize the aerosols. A comprehensive assessment of diesel aerosol exposure should include all of these elements, but the use of laboratory instruments in underground mines is generally impracticable. The article proposes a new approach to solve this problem. Using SSA and SNC calculated from field-type measurements, the evaluation of additional physical properties can be obtained by using the proposed approach.
Pyrrolidines as potent functional agonists of the human melanocortin-4 receptor

Abstract A series of pyrrolidine derivatives were synthesized and characterized as potent agonists of the human melanocortin-4 receptor. For example, 28c had a Ki of 13 nM in binding affinity and EC50 of 6.9 nM in agonist potency with an intrinsic activity of 100% of the endogenous ligand α-MSH.
Lensfree On-Chip Microscopy and Tomography for Biomedical Applications

Lensfree on-chip holographic microscopy is an emerging technique that offers imaging of biological specimens over a large field-of-view without using any lenses or bulky optical components. Lending itself to a compact, cost-effective, and mechanically robust architecture, lensfree on-chip holographic microscopy can offer an alternative toolset addressing some of the emerging needs of microscopic analysis and diagnostics in low-resource settings, especially for telemedicine applications. In this study, we summarize the latest achievements in lensfree optical microscopy based on partially coherent on-chip holography, including portable telemedicine microscopy, cell-phone-based microscopy, and field-portable optical tomographic microscopy. We also discuss some of the future directions for telemedicine microscopy and its prospects to help combat various global health challenges.
Demand curves for hypothetical cocaine in cocaine-dependent individuals

Rationale Drug purchasing tasks have been successfully used to examine demand for hypothetical consumption of abused drugs including heroin, nicotine, and alcohol. In these tasks, drug users make hypothetical choices whether to buy drugs, and if so, at what quantity, at various potential prices. These tasks allow for behavioral economic assessment of that drug's intensity of demand (preferred level of consumption at extremely low prices) and demand elasticity (sensitivity of consumption to price), among other metrics. However, a purchasing task for cocaine in cocaine-dependent individuals has not been investigated.
A multi-variate methodology for analyzing pre-existing lake water quality data

Environmental agencies are given the task of monitoring water quality in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water, for the purpose of comparing the results with regulatory standards. Monitoring follows requirements set by regulations, and data are collected in a systematic way for the intended purpose. Monitoring enables agencies to determine whether water bodies are polluted. Much effort is spent per monitoring event, resulting in hundreds of data points typically used solely for comparison with regulatory standards and then stored for little further use. This paper devises a data analysis methodology that can make use of the pre-existing datasets to extract more useful information on water quality trends, without new sample collection and analysis. In this paper, measured lake water quality data are subjected to statistical analyses including Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to deduce changes in water quality spatially and temporally over several years. It was found that the lake as a whole changed temporally by season, rather than spatially. Storm events caused the greatest shifts in water quality, though the shifts were fairly consistent across sampling stations. This methodology can be applied to similar datasets, especially with the recent emphasis by the U.S. EPA on protection of lakes as water sources. Water quality managers using these techniques may be able to lower their monitoring costs by eliminating redundant water quality parameters found in this analysis.
A Causal Analysis of Employment and Health in Midlife Women

According to the "healthy worker" hypothesis, good health selects women into the employment role; conversely, the social causation hypothesis argues that important social roles such as employment can contribute to health. The relationship between these two variables may be of special concern to women at midlife, as both issues become increasingly salient. In this paper a model hypothesizing a nonrecursive (reciprocal) causal relationship between employment (hours employed) and health was presented. Because of the importance of both employment and health for women at midlife, the model was tested in a sample of 463 women ages 40- 64 from a national cross-sectional dataset. Two-stage least squares regression supported the hypothesis that employment and health have a positive reciprocal relationship for women at midlife. In addition, married women and those with a child had better health but were likely to work fewer hours for pay. The same model tested in 21 to 39-year-old women was not significant. The res...
Electric Properties of n-Type Liquid Alloys of Thallium and Tellurium

Measurements have been made of the electrical conductivity $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ and Seebeck coefficient $S$ of Tl-Te liquid alloys as a function of the composition $X$ (at.% Tl) and temperature $T$ for $67lXl72$. Also, the effects of doping the $n$-type binary solution with relatively small amounts of a third element were studied, with Ag, Cd, In, Sn, or Sb as the third element. In most ranges of $T$ and $X$, there was little dependence of $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ and $S$ on $T$. It was possible to fit isothermal data to conventional transport theory in a rather comprehensive way. Plots of all data for $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ versus $S$, including solutions containing a third element, fell on a single theoretical curve based on Fermi-Dirac integrals, corresponding to $\mathcal{r}=\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{2}$, viz., $\ensuremath{\tau}={\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{r}$, where $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is the scattering time and $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ is the kinetic energy of the electrons. This value of $\mathcal{r}$, together with the finding that ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1}$ is independent of $T$, indicates that scattering is caused by the intrinsic (nonthermal) disorder of the liquid. Comparison of the experimental dependence of $S$ on the composition of Tl-Te solutions, with the theoretical dependence of the electron concentration $n$ on $S$, shows that $n$ is proportional to the concentration of Tl in excess of the composition ${\mathrm{Tl}}_{2}$Te. Use of the same theoretical curve for the dependence of $S$ on the concentration $A$ of the various doping elements showed again a linear dependence. Comparison of the relative slopes $\frac{\mathrm{dn}}{\mathrm{dA}}$ for the different elements indicates that one could assign integral valences as follows: Tl, +3; Ag, +1; Cd, +2; In, +1; Sn, +2; Sb, -1. Consideration of other aspects of transport theory, particularly the relative magnitudes of the de Broglie wavelength and the scattering distance, suggests that a large fraction of the electron charge in the conduction band is localized as the result of screening of the potential of the donor and acceptor ions. Solutions of the nonlinear Thomas-Fermi screening equation indicate that physically reasonable magnitudes of the effective dielectric constant $K$ leads to value of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, the fraction of free-electron charge, which are consistent with the range of values required by the transport parameters. We deduce that $0.15\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{l}\ensuremath{\alpha}\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{l}0.5$, and the effective-mass ratio $\frac{{m}^{*}}{m}$ lies between 1.0 and 2.0, corresponding to $Kl10$.
Vortex interference for superresolved beam waists

For over forty years, attempts have been made to realize so-called superresolving pupil functions that permit smaller spot sizes than conventional resolution limits might initially suggest. This was usually achieved by manipulating the diffracted field's zero distribution and was accompanied by huge sidelobes and diminished intensity in the region of interest. By carefully manipulating the interference pattern generated by two optical vortices of different order, one can generate beams of light with dimensions that are spatially superresolved and of controllable cross-sectional shapes. The reason for this is that interfering vortices can possess a much higher density of zeros than one would expect. Recent results employing non-integer vortex beam interference can generate superresolved spots with an intensity close to the theoretical limit for the associated Strehl ratio.
The Great Powers and Genocide: Lessons from Rwanda

This article is divided into three sections. The first summarises the prevailing, if circumscribed, moral and legal consensus against genocide and outlines three lines of argument to broaden the foundation of this consensus. The second section briefly dissects the Rwandan genocide and identifies the principal political and strategic constraints explaining the failure of the United Nations and the great powers to address either the Rwandan crisis or genocide more widely since the formation of the United Nations. On the basis of this diagnosis of why moral and legal prohibitions against genocide do not match the political and strategic incentives to end this practice, a final section proposes practical steps to bridge this gap to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to create an effective anti-genocide regime.
Continuous infantile spasms as a form of status epilepticus.

An infant with congenital cytomegalovirus infection first developed seizures at six weeks of age. At 3½ months of age, he developed continuous infantile spasms that lasted for more than an hour. This episode of status epilepticus was terminated by intravenous lorazepam and paraldehyde, and seizures were subsequently controlled for seven months by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), valproic acid, and phenobarbital. This case demonstrates that continuous infantile spasms may occur as a unique form of status epilepticus in young infants. (J Child Neurol 1986;1:215-217).
Transfusion Approach to Neonatal Anemia

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the basis for guidelines for red blood cell (RBC) transfusions to infants. 2. Delineate the guidelines for storing and administering RBCs to preterm infants as a means of reducing donor exposure without causing hyperkalemia or acidosis. 3. Describe an alternative to selecting blood from cytomegalovirus antibody-negative donors to prevent transfusion-transmitted infection. 4. Delineate the procedure used to prevent graft-versus-host disease in preterm infants receiving RBC transfusions. Neonates are given RBC transfusions for several reasons, including hemolytic disease of the newborn due to maternal alloimmunization, congenital abnormalities of RBC enzymes and membranes, and anemia of prematurity due to multiple interacting factors, the most important of which are phlebotomy blood loss and low erythropoietin levels. Although great efforts have been made during the past few years to optimize the transfusion of RBCs to these tiny patients, several questions have not been answered definitively. Accordingly, transfusion practices vary among physicians caring for neonates. This lack of precise approach stems from incomplete knowledge of the cellular and molecular biology of hematopoiesis during the perinatal period as well as an incomplete understanding of the infant’s response to severe anemia. Generally, RBC transfusions are administered in small volumes (15 mL/kg per dose) to maintain a hematocrit (HCT) level that is believed to be most desirable in terms of oxygen delivery and tissue oxygenation for each neonate’s clinical status (Table 1⇓ ). It is widely recognized that this clinical approach is imprecise, and more physiologic indications for RBC transfusions, such as circulating RBC mass, available oxygen, and measurements of oxygen delivery and tissue extraction, have been suggested. However, the means by which these techniques can best be applied to daily clinical practice remain to be defined. Because clearly established indications for neonatal RBC transfusions based on controlled scientific studies …
An Information Fusion Approach for Multiview Feature Tracking

We propose an information fusion approach to tracking objects from different viewpoints that can detect and recover from tracking failures. We introduce a reliability measure that is a combination of terms associated with correlation-based template matching and the epipolar geometry of the cameras. The measure is computed to evaluate the performance of 2D trackers in each camera view and detect tracking failures. The 3D object trajectory is constructed using stereoscopy and evaluated to predict the next 3D position of the object. In case of track loss in one camera view, the projection of the predicted 3D position onto the image plane of this view is used to reinitialize the lost 2D tracker. We conducted experiments with 34 subjects to evaluate our proposed system on videos of facial feature movements during human-computer interaction. The system successfully detected feature loss and gave promising results on accurate re-initialization of the feature.
The R21C Mutation in Cardiac Troponin I Imposes Differences in Contractile Force Generation between the Left and Right Ventricles of Knock-In Mice

We investigated the effect of the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-linked R21C (arginine to cysteine) mutation in human cardiac troponin I (cTnI) on the contractile properties and myofilament protein phosphorylation in papillary muscle preparations from left (LV) and right (RV) ventricles of homozygous R21C+/+ knock-in mice. The maximal steady-state force was significantly reduced in skinned papillary muscle strips from the LV compared to RV, with the latter displaying the level of force observed in LV or RV from wild-type (WT) mice. There were no differences in the Ca2+ sensitivity between the RV and LV of R21C+/+ mice; however, the Ca2+ sensitivity of force was higher in RV-R21C+/+ compared with RV-WT and lower in LV- R21C+/+ compared with LV-WT. We also observed partial loss of Ca2+ regulation at low [Ca2+]. In addition, R21C+/+-KI hearts showed no Ser23/24-cTnI phosphorylation compared to LV or RV of WT mice. However, phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) was significantly higher in the RV versus LV of R21C+/+ mice and versus LV and RV of WT mice. The difference in RLC phosphorylation between the ventricles of R21C+/+ mice likely contributes to observed differences in contractile force and the lower tension monitored in the LV of HCM mice.
An intensive course for clergy on death, dying, and loss.

In the current popular focus on death and dying, the clergy have naturally been recognized as having a central role in helping people deal with this major life crisis. Although their traditional functions in regard to death are well demar cated, thoughtful clergymen are aware that the emotional impact of one's anticipated death and the bereavement of the survivors are complex psychologi cal events to which they would like to respond with greater understanding and effectiveness. They also perceive that there are many similarities between the process of bereavement after a death and the emotional reaction to a wide variety of losses (such as divorce, rejection, illness, job loss) in everyday life. With these concerns in mind, I have described an intensive course of continuing education in which I, a psychiatrist, joined with a group of 10 clergymen in studying the human experiences of terminal illness, the loss of loved ones, and other kinds of losses.
Network-Wide Spectrum Situation Reconstruction Using Total Variation Inpainting in Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, the problem of spectrum situation reconstruction is considered for large cognitive radio ad hoc networks. The major challenge of such problem lies in the fact that only very limited measurements of spectrum occupancy may be obtained by the cognitive users for a certain location at any given time slot. This is due to both the hardware limitations as well as the tradeoff between spectrum sensing and data throughput of the cognitive users. By representing the spectrum sensing results across the network as an image, we formulate the problem of spectrum situation reconstruction as an image recovery problem. The method of total variation inpainting is applied to solve the problem with low recovery error. The proposed method takes advantage of the correlations in multiple dimensions and the simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Cloning and functional characterization of the Rhizopus oryzae high affinity iron permease (rFTR1) gene

Rhizopus oryzae is the most common etiologic agent of mucormycosis. Clinical and animal model data clearly demonstrate that the presence of elevated available serum iron predisposes the host to develop mucormycosis. Therefore, the high affinity iron permease (rFTR1) which encodes a protein required to scavenge iron from the environment, is highly likely to be a critical determinant of virulence for R. oryzae. We have cloned rFTR1 by using a PCR approach relying on degenerate primers designed from the conserved regions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae high affinity iron permease. Sequence analysis of a 2.0 kb EcoRI genomic clone revealed a single open reading frame of 1107 bp that lacked introns. The putative rFtr1p had significant homology to known fungal high affinity iron permeases from Candida albicans (46% identity) and S. cerevisiae (44% identity). In R. oryzae, rFTR1 was expressed in iron-depleted and not in iron-rich media. Finally, rFTR1 restored the ability of an ftr1 null mutant of S. cerevisiae to grow on iron-limited medium and to take up radiolabeled iron, whereas S. cerevisiae transformed with the empty vector did not. These data demonstrate that we have cloned the gene encoding a R. oryzae high affinity iron permease and the putative rFtr1p is involved in assimilation of iron from iron-depleted environments.
Use of antipsychotic medications among HIV-infected individuals with schizophrenia

Persons with schizophrenia face elevated risk of infection with HIV. While HIV therapy is demanding, patients diagnosed with both conditions also require appropriate and consistent management of their psychiatric illness, for the same reasons that generally apply to persons with schizophrenia and because untreated psychiatric illness can interfere with full participation in HIV care. This study examines the correlates of use of and persistence on antipsychotic medications among HIV-infected individuals with schizophrenia, using merged New Jersey HIV/AIDS surveillance data and paid Medicaid claims. Persistence was defined as at least 2 months of medication use in a quarter. We identified 350 individuals who were dually diagnosed with HIV and schizophrenia. Overall, 81% of these beneficiaries had at least one claim for an antipsychotic medication at some point between 1992 and 1998. Multivariate techniques were used, including simple logistic regressions on use and robust longitudinal regressions that controlled for repeated observations on the same individual and treatment gaps. Among users of antipsychotic medications, persistence was very low at 37%. Racial/ethnic minorities were less likely to receive atypical antipsychotic medications. Use of atypical antipsychotics was associated with higher persistence. Our study confirmed past findings of racial disparities in the receipt of atypical antipsychotic medications. Findings suggest that use of atypical medications may benefit individuals dually diagnosed with HIV and serious mental illness.
Cake Baking in Conventional, Impingement and Hybrid Ovens

White layer cakes were baked in three types of air impingement ovens, a hybrid (microwave/air impingement) oven, and a reel oven. Cakes were evaluated based on volume, crust color, and texture. Oven heat transfer rates were measured directly, and ranged from 22.8 to 84.8 J/s m2C° for top and from 17.4 to 110.9 for bottom surfaces, exposed in the different ovens, with the conventional reel oven having the lowest values. An RSM design was used to establish optimum baking conditions for each oven. For air impingement ovens, baking time was reduced by almost half but produced cakes very similar to those from the control (reel) oven. Incorporating microwaves enabled a further reduction in baking time, to one fourth. Cakes baked with microwaves had similar color, but had 15% less volumes and firmer textures than control cakes.
Comparative floral ontogeny in Detarieae (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae). 1. Radially symmetrical taxa lacking organ suppression

Flowers in detarioid legume taxa (Isoberlinia angolensis, Microberlinia brazzavillensis, M. bisulcata, Hymenostegia klainii) initiate all 21 floral organs, are radially symmetrical, and have little or no organ suppression. All share a narrow, "Omega"-shaped floral apex and massive bracteoles at initiation. All have helical sepal initiation, starting abaxially. They differ in whether the first sepal initiates medianly (Microberlinia brazzavillensis, M. bisulcata) or nonmedianly (Isoberlinia angolensis, Hymenostegia klainii), and in petal order: helical (I. angolensis) or unidirectional (M. brazzavillensis, M. bisulcata, H. klainii). Stamens initiate in unidirectional order in each whorl except in M. brazzavillensis, which has a bidirectional outer whorl. An unusual feature is the ring meristem in M. bisulcata, on which petals and stamens are initiated. Overlap in time of organ initiation between whorls occurs in I. angolensis, M. brazzavillensis, and M. bisulcata but not in H. klainii. The carpel initiates concurrently with petals in all except H. klainii, in which it initiates with the outer stamens. The carpel remains open at ovule initiation in both species of Microberlinia. These detarioid taxa represent elements of the tribe having essentially radially symmetrical flowers, with all organs initiated and persisting to anthesis, but their specialized "Omega" character-state complex is shared with specialized taxa that have zygomorphic flowers and some organs suppressed.
Cell movement and its coordination in swarms of myxococcus xanthus

The coordinated movement of many cells—a process called swarming—permits myxobacteria to spread rapidly over a surface. We have investigated the mechanism of swarming in Myxococcus xanthus by making time-lapse motion pictures and by measuring the dependence of cell movement and spreading rate on the concentration of cells. Motion pictures of spreading zones showed that spreading resulted from motility, not growth, and that a swarm spread outward by establishing a loose reticulum of cells, then later filling it in. The spreading rate of wildtype strains was found to be highly dependent on cell density, increasing about 8-fold as the cell density was increased from 2.5 to 200 units. Mutants swarmed if they possessed only the A-motile component (A+S−) or only the S-motile component (A−S+) of wild type (A+S+); their spreading rate increased with cell density but was always less than A+S+. Individual A+S+, A+S−, and A−S+ cells executed typical gliding movements and (when moving) progressed at approximately the same speed, as if A and S motility were different ways of engaging the same gliding machine. Photographic studies of an A−S+ strain showed that cells moved only if they were separated by less than approximately one cell length from each other. This provided further evidence that pili, which are present on A+S+ and A−S+ cells and which extend about one cell length, could be responsible for switching on movement in S-motile cells, and presumably in wild type as well.
NITRITE BINDING SITES ON MYOGLOBIN

1 5 N-labelled nitrite was used to determine the amount of nitric oxide bound to unheated compared to heated myoglobin. Heated samples contained twice the amount of 15N as unheated samples. The globin portion was likely detached from the myoglobin by heating, and two sites for binding of nitric oxide were therefore made available.
Permanent Delegations to the League of Nations

The student of international organization who visits the League of Nations in its home city of Geneva encounters one phenomenon associated with the organization and activity of the League which seldom receives much, if any, attention in the news of the day or in current discussions of League problems. That is the so-called Permanent Delegation to the League of Nations. As will appear, these institutions are sometimes located elsewhere than in Geneva; but most of them are located there, and it is there that their activities are most easily observable. It is proposed to describe this institution as regards its nature and its proper nomenclature, its history, its organization, its functions, and its actual and potential value for international government.' The title inscribed at the head of this paper was adopted,
Advanced input modeling for simulation experimentation

We discuss ideas useful to simulation practitioners when specifying the probability models used to represent stochastic behavior. Emphasis is on situations in which the classical simple models are inadequate. After discussing some general modeling issues, we consider univariate distributions, nonnormal random vectors and time series, and nonhomogeneous Poisson processes.
Quantitative bone measurements using x-ray computed tomography with second-order correction

Two‐component cortical bone and water, and trabecular bone and water models were used to study the beam hardening errors associated with computed tomography(CT)bone densitometry and sizing methods. Specimens used included a femur, humerus, radius, ulna, and vertebral bodies. A second‐order correction algorithm was employed to improve the accuracy of these quantitative CT methods. Physical measurements of the bones were obtained to verify the CT results. Large discrepancies were found between the uncorrected and second‐order corrected CT assessments of cortical bone density, trabecular bone density, water density within the medullary canal, total bone area, medullary canal area, and cortical area. The interosseous lucent streak was also quantitatively studied. Results showed that second‐order correction significantly improved the accuracy of CTbone densitometry and sizing methods.
Discussion of "Updated Precipitation Frequency Estimates for Kansas City: Comparison with TP-40 and HYDRO-35"

694 / JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGIC ENGINEERING © ASCE / NOVEMBER/D There are three variables in rainfall characterization—depth or intensity, duration, and frequency or return period. Given a duration and return period, the intensity is established by using wellfitted probability distributions whose parameters are established by data analysis. In the procedure developed by Hershfield 1961 , and later used by Huff and Angel 1992 , the 24-h rainfall depth corresponding to a given frequency is estimated. The rainfall depths corresponding to other durations are fixed proportions of the 24-h rainfall depth. This assumption deserves some investigation. Hourly data from 20 stations in Indiana within about 100 km in a region where the rainfall is homogeneous were used in the investigation presented herein. The average data length is about 30 years. We fitted generalized extreme value GEV distributions to the data. Examples of the distributions fitted are shown in Fig. 1. KT is the frequency factor of GEV Rao and Hamed 2000 . The GEV distribution fitted the observed data well according to both the 2 and Kolmogorov–Smirnov goodness-of-fit tests. The rainfall depths for different durations and frequencies were extracted from the fitted distributions. The ratios of rainfall
VpsR, a Member of the Response Regulators of the Two-Component Regulatory Systems, Is Required for Expression of vps Biosynthesis Genes and EPS(ETr)-Associated Phenotypes in Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor.

ABSTRACT The rugose colonial variant of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor produces an exopolysaccharide (EPSETr) that enables the organism to form a biofilm and to resist oxidative stress and the bactericidal action of chlorine. Transposon mutagenesis of the rugose variant led to the identification of vpsR, which codes for a homologue of the NtrC subclass of response regulators. Targeted disruption of vpsR in the rugose colony genetic background yielded a nonreverting smooth-colony morphotype that produced no detectable EPSETr and did not form an architecturally mature biofilm. Analysis of two genes, vpsA andvpsL, within the vps cluster of EPSETr biosynthesis genes revealed that their expression is induced above basal levels in the rugose variant, compared to the smooth colonial variant, and requires vpsR. These results show that VpsR functions as a positive regulator of vpsAand vpsL and thus acts to positively regulate EPSETr production and biofilm formation.
Modeling Interactions Between Flexible Flapping Wing Spars, Mechanisms, and Drive Motors

rst principles are described. An example is presented where simulation results are compared to experimental measurements. The results show that the dierential equations correctly predict major trends in observed motor speed and wing spar structural deformation over the course of each wingbeat. The results show that when pairing ight-weight motors and wings, signicant variations in drive motor speed occur during each wingbeat. It is shown that coupling between motor speed, wing loads, and structural exibility cause the aerodynamic forces encountered by the wing spars to depart from those predicted by rigid-spar and constant-velocity-motor-based kinematic simulations.
A testbed for algorithms to localize extracellular potentials

A testbed system was developed for investigating algorithms to detect and localize extracellular potentials of peripheral nerves. A short segment of simulated nerve fiber was assembled in a cylindrical enclosure holding a conductive medium for noise and longitudinal pathways for impulses through the segment. Simulated extracellular potentials transmitted through the segment, and their extracellular remnants are sensed by four electrodes spaced circumferencially around the perimeter. From its north, south, east, and west indices, each impulse is triangulated to an origin within the nerve's interior. That region can then be classified into one of a number of known centers by real time analog circuitry.
A two-year study of leaf litter decomposition as related to macroclimatic factors and microarthropod abundance in the southern Appalachians

Chestnut oak Quercus prinus L. litter in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States decomposes slowly during winter and more rapidly in other seasons. This pattern differed from other studies of litter decomposition in more northern environments where decomposition rates were relatively constant throughout the year or more rapid beneath a winter snow cover. The pattern observed can be approximated by using monthly actual evapotranspiration estimates as a correction factor for the decomposition constant, k, in the commonly-used negative exponential decomposition model. Mean microarthropod densities increased from a seasonally weighted estimate of 18.2 ind. g−1 litter during the first year of decomposition to 73.6 ind. g−1 litter during the second year. In spite of this increase, no difference in the rate of weight loss of the litter was observed between the first and second year of the study.
Gap junction- and hemichannel-independent actions of connexins.

Connexins have been known to be the protein building blocks of gap junctions and mediate cell–cell communication. In contrast to the conventional dogma, recent evidence suggests that in addition to forming gap junction channels, connexins possess gap junction-independent functions. One important gap junction-independent function for connexins is to serve as the major functional component for hemichannels, the un-apposed halves of gap junctions. Hemichannels, as independent functional units, play roles that are different from that of gap junctions in the cell. The other functions of connexins appear to be gap junction- and hemichannel-independent. Published studies implicate the latter functions of connexins in cell growth, differentiation, tumorigenicity, injury, and apoptosis, although the mechanistic aspects of these actions remain largely unknown. In this review, gap junction- and hemichannel-independent functions of connexins are summarized, and the molecular mechanisms underlying these connexin functions are speculated and discussed.
Applying bulk insertion techniques for dynamic reverse nearest neighbor problems

Reverse nearest neighbors queries have emerged as an important class of queries for spatial and other types of databases. The Rdnn-tree is an R-tree based structure that has been shown to perform outstandingly for such kind of queries. However, one practical problem facing it (as well as other type of indexes) is how to effectively construct the index from stretch. In this case, the cost of constructing and maintaining a Rdnn-Tree is about twice the cost of an R-Tree. Normal insertion into a Rdnn-Tree is performed one point at a time, known as single point insertion. The question arises, can insertion be improved there by reducing the construction and maintenance cost. In this paper we propose a bulk-loading technique, which is capable of significantly, improve the performance of constructing the index from stretch, as well as insert a large amount of data. Experiments show that our method outperforms the single point insertion significantly.
The Pedagogical Turn QI at 20 Years

The author argues that the proliferation of conferences, handbooks, and journals in qualitative inquiry can be seen as part of a “pedagogical turn” in the field. Specific attention is given to the ...