cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate is a predictor of renal and overall SLE disease activity

ObjectiveOur aim was to assess whether erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) levels correlate with the level of disease activity at each visit and whether a change in ESR could be useful in predicting changes in disease activity.MethodsThousands of visits in a prospective systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cohort were analyzed to assess the association of ESR and level of disease activity. We explored whether ESR was cross-sectionally associated with disease activity, whether changes in ESR were associated with changes in disease activity, and whether changes in ESR predicted future changes in disease activity. Visits when patients had cancer, infection, pregnancy or were in renal failure were excluded.ResultsAfter adjusting for confounding factors, mild (25–50 mm/h), moderate (51–75 mm/h), and marked (>75 mm/h) elevations in ESR levels at a given visit correlated with the SELENA-SLEDAI, the Physician Global Assessment (PGA), fatigue, renal, joint, rash, serositis, hematological visual analogue scale (VAS)...
A Novel End-Reactive Dendron in the Accelerated Synthesis of Carboxylate-Terminated Dendritic Poly(Ether-Amides)

Abstract A novel end-reactive AB4 dendron with four phenolic coupling sites and a benzyl alcohol functionality at the focal point has been prepared by a chemoselective amidation process that requires no functional group protection. The usefulness of the end-reactive dendron for the accelerated synthesis of dendritic polymers has been demonstrated in the preparation of several poly(amide-ether) dendritic macromolecules with carboxylate chain-ends. The new dendritic polymers have been characterized by NMR and MALDI mass spectrometry, size exclusion chromatography, and thermal analysis methods.
Systoles of two extremal Riemann surfaces

The purpose of this note is to study the π1 andH 1 systoles of two Riemann surfaces, the Klein genus 3 surface, y7 =x 2(1 −x), which we will denoteS K , and Bolza’s surface of genus 2,y 2 =x(1 −x 4), which we will denoteS B . Using period matrices, we identify theH 1 systoles and show for these examples that the π1 andH 1 systoles are in one-to-one correspondence. In their respective Teichmuller spaces,S B is known to be extremal andS K locally extremal for these systoles.
Targeting the IL-12/IL-23 cytokine family in the treatment of psoriatic disease

Both IL-12 and IL-23 have important roles in psoriasis, a complex Th1- and Th17-mediated auto-immune disease. Although they share the subunit p40, they have different immunologic profiles. Targeting these two cytokines, particularly the common subunit, has been studied recently in the treatment of this sometimes severe disease. This article reviews mechanisms of psoriasis and some studies supporting the substantial efficacy, as well as safety, of this new class of drugs, including Phase I, II and III trials.
Entropy and fractal characteristics of multiparticle production at relativistic heavy ion interactions.

We present the analysis of multiplicity distributions of charged secondary particles produced in minimum bias and central interactions of $^{32}\mathrm{S}$ and $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ at 200A GeV, $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ at 60A GeV, $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ at 14.5A GeV, and protons at 800 GeV with nuclear emulsion in terms of the information entropy and higher generalized fractal dimensions. Comparisons of the $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ data with Monte Carlo model venus and $^{32}\mathrm{S}$ data with fritiof model are also presented.
An overview of the Open Science Data Cloud

The Open Science Data Cloud is a distributed cloud based infrastructure for managing, analyzing, archiving and sharing scientific datasets. We introduce the Open Science Data Cloud, give an overview of its architecture, provide an update on its current status, and briefly describe some research areas of relevance.
BETTER PREDICTION OF EARLY OUTCOME AFTER PERINATAL ASPHYXIA WITH MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. ▴ 2241

BETTER PREDICTION OF EARLY OUTCOME AFTER PERINATAL ASPHYXIA WITH MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. ▴ 2241
Compressive strength of directionally solidified NiAl-NiAlNb intermetallics at 1200 and 1300 K

Results are presented from measurements of 1200 K and 1300 K compressive properties of two directionally solidified NiAl-NiAlNb compositions (in at. pct): Ni-41.75Al-16.5Nb (eutectic composition) and Ni-47.5Al-8.9Nb-1.3C (Al-rich composition). Results showed that the strength of the eutectic was a factor of 2 greater than that of the Al-rich composition. However, the analysis of the compressive stress-strain data indicated that the deformation mechanism was the same in both materials. 15 refs.
Equilibrium selection in signaling games with teams: Forward induction or faster adaptive learning?

Abstract Teams are shown to violate the most basic of equilibrium refinements in signaling games: single-round deletion of dominated strategies (part of the Cho–Kreps intuitive criteria). This is important because, to the extent that teams can be easily induced to violate the most basic of equilibrium refinements even under a “best case” scenario (teams that rapidly develop strategic play in games of this sort), it implies that one must rely on learning models, and past empirical research with these models, when predicting equilibrium outcomes.
Surface diffusion of In on Si(111): Evidence for surface ionization effects

Second harmonic microscopy has been used to quantify the surface diffusion of In on Si(111). At temperatures near 50% of the bulk melting temperature and in the coverage range 0<θ<0.7, the activation energy Ediff and pre‐exponential factor D0 lie at 42±0.5 kcal/mol and 3×103±0.3 cm2/s, respectively. These parameters, which are quite large, are explained semiquantitatively by reference to an adatom–vacancy model recently developed for related systems. The present work, when compared with the results of these other systems, offers significant evidence for the effects of adatom–vacancy ionization.
Globalisation and the Postcolonial World: The New Political Economy of Development

Contents: PART I - HISTORICAL STRUCTURES Introduction to Part I -International Political Economy -The Critical Theory of Robert Cox: Historical Structure -Historical Structure and Stage Theory 1 The History of Capitalist Expansion 2 Neo-Colonialism, Modernization and Dependency 3 Crisis and Restructuring: The New International Division of Labor PART II - GLOBALIZATION Introduction to Part II 4 From Expansion to Involution 5 Flexibility and Informationalism 6 Globalization 7 Global Governance: Regulation and Imperialism PART III - The POSTCOLONIAL WORLD Introduction to Part III 8 Africa: Exclusion and the Containment of Anarchy 9 Islamic Revolt 10 The Developmental States of East Asia 11Democracy, Civil Society and Postdevelopment in Latin America
Developmental expression of the immediate early gene EGR-1 mirrors the critical period in cat visual cortex

Immediate early gene (IEG) expression in the central nervous system is thought to play a role in coupling extracellular stimulation with the transcriptional events responsible for long-term functional changes in neurons. The goal of the present study was to determine the postnatal developmental profile of EGR-1 protein (also termed zif268, Krox-24, NGFI-A) expression across the layers of cal visual cortex and relate it to the state of visual cortical development and plasticity. Using a polyclonal antibody, EGR-1 immunoreactivity was studied in animals of various postnatal ages (from 0.5 week to adult). In very young animals (0.5 weeks), EGR-1 positive cells were restricted to deep cortical layers (layer VI/Subplate). With the increasing age, EGR-1 immunoreactivity spread across layers of the visual cortex in an inside-outside manner, and by 5 weeks of age, EGR-1 protein was highly expressed in all layers. EGR-1 expression remained high until approximately 10 weeks of age and then gradually began to decline in layer IV with little change in supra- and infragranular layers. In adult animals, EGR-1 was located predominantly in the layers above and below layer IV. This pattern of EGR-1 expression in developing cat visual cortex has both temporal and laminar similarities with the development of visual cortical connectivity, with the development of orientation selective receptive field properties, and with the level of visual cortical plasticity, suggesting an involvement of EGR-1 expression in these processes.
Acute volume loading studied in cat myocardium with 31P Nuclear magnetic resonance

To study the effects of acute volume loading on myocardial metabolic and mechanical function, seven cats were volume loaded via anastomosis of the abdominal aorta to the vena cava (A V shunt). Metabolic effects were evaluated with31 P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Mechanical function was evaluated with heart rate × systolic blood pressure product (HR × SBP). Shunts were opened for 1–2 h during which time phosphocreatine (PCr), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), inorganic phosphate (Pi), and HR × SBP were monitored. High-energy phosphate energetics as determined by Pi/PCr and PCr/ATP ratios were correlated with HR × SBP. Opening of the AV shunts was associated with an increase (four cats) or a decrease (three cats) in HR × SBP. Pi/PCr ratios increased and PCr/ATP ratios decreased in cats with an increase in HR × SBP. In cats with a decrease in HR × SBP, Pi/PCr and PCr/ATP generally did not change significantly. In summary, acute volume loading could be associated with an increase or decrease in myocardial external work as evaluated by HR × SBP, accompanied by metabolic changes suggestive of appropriate induction of state 3 metabolism (active metabolic state: ADP + Pi ATP) in those cats with increased mechanical work, and minimal change in bioenergetics in cats with no or minimal increase in mechanical work. These induced metabolic responses to myocardial mechanical loading can be evaluated with 31P NMR techniques and may provide insight into in vivo metabolic control mechanisms. © 1988 Academic Press, Inc.
Evaluating Alternative Regional Planning Models

The REMI and IMPLAN models are widely used approaches to estimating economic impacts for small regions. However, few benchmarks exist for assessing these estimates. This paper evaluates the relative performance of these models in terms of a given impact: the opening of an automobile assembly plant in central Illinois. Although our results are not conclusive and are limited by our application, we find that in terms of several indirect performance criteria, IMPLAN's outcomes, on balance, are somewhat more plausible than those for REMI.
THz SIS mixers with normal-metal Al tuning circuits

Nb-based superconductor - insulator - superconductor (SIS) mixers with Nb tuning circuits have demonstrated good results up to the Nb gap frequency. Above the gap frequency the performance is expected to degrade quickly because RF loss in Nb becomes significant. In this paper we present the results of an effort to extend Nb-based SIS mixers to THz frequencies by employing lower-loss normal-metal Al wiring and tuning structures. The SIS mixer has two Nb/Al-oxide/Nb junctions connected by an Al microstrip inductor. The direct detection response of the device was measured by a Fourier transform spectrometer. A double-side-band receiver noise temperature of 840 K was obtained at 1042 GHz when the device was operated at 2.5 K.
PAHs Removal from Urban Storm Water Runoff by Different Filter Materials

AbstractUrban storm water runoff is contaminated as deleterious materials wash from roadways, parking lots, and open spaces, and the subsequent discharge into surface water sources, such as lakes, can pose adverse effects on public health and the environment. Oil leaks and spills on roadways and parking lots can contain toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that can be washed by storm water runoff. Although many best management practices have been developed to treat urban storm water, in-ground filter systems can be best suited in urban site-constrained settings. This paper investigates the effectiveness of different permeable inorganic materials as filter media for the removal of PAHs from storm water runoff. Several series of batch experiments were conducted using four different filter media (calcite, zeolite, sand, and iron filings) and synthetic storm water containing representative PAHs (naphthalene or phenanthrene) at different initial concentrations. The PAH removal and system chemistry in ...
Histopathology of Ocular Changes in Chronic Granulomatous Disease

Autopsy findings on the eyes of a previously described patient with chronic granulomatous disease and chorioretinal scars recently became available. Because only the clinical ocular findings were included in the previous report (Case 5 of Palestine and associates 1 ), our present purpose is to present the results of histologic and electron microscopic studies.
Transarterial coil embolization of the internal and external carotid and maxillary arteries for prevention of hemorrhage from guttural pouch mycosis in horses.

Objectives— To develop a transarterial coil embolization technique for occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA), external carotid artery (ECA), and maxillary arteries (MA) in normal horses and to evaluate this technique for prevention of hemorrhage in horses affected with guttural pouch mycosis. Animals— Ten adult, normal horses and 4 horses with guttural pouch mycosis. Methods— All horses had transarterial coil embolization of the rostral and caudal ICA, caudal MA, and rostral ECA. In 1 affected horse, an aberrant actively bleeding branch of the ECA was also occluded. Normal horses had a premortem angiogram, and were killed either at 1 or 2 weeks or 1, 2, or 3 months after the procedure. Specimens from the ICA, ECA and MA were evaluated by light microscopy. Results— No surgical complications were observed, except 1 horse that developed laryngeal hemiplegia and 1 pilot horse that had embolization of the cerebral arterial circle. In normal horses, premortem angiography confirmed complete occlusion of all vessels, and coils were positioned as intended. All normal horses had partially maturing to mature, continuous thrombi occluding at the coils. In affected horses, no further episodes of epistaxis were observed. By day 60, all mycotic plaques had resolved without further treatment. Ophthalmic complications were not observed. Conclusion— Transarterial embolization provided a safe, rapid, and effective method for ICA, ECA, and MA occlusion in normal and affected horses. In affected horses, the technique was possible despite active bleeding, allowing adequate identification and occlusion of all sources of hemorrhage.
Primary structure of the H-2Db alloantigen. II. Additional amino acid sequence information, localization of a third site of glycosylation and evidence for K and D region specific sequences.

The complete amino acid sequence of the CNBr fragment comprising residues 229–284 of the murine major histocompatibility complex antigen H-2Db has been determined using radiochemical methodology. The sequence was determined by N-terminal sequence analysis of the intact CNBr fragment and by sequence determinations of peptides derived from this fragment by trypsin and staphylococcal V8 protease cleavage. In addition to the amino acid assignments for H-2Db, it was possible to assign the linkage position of the third N-linked glycosyl unit to the asparagine at residue 256. Additional amino acid sequence assignments have also been made for three other CNBr fragments that span residues 99–138, 139–228, and 308–331 of the H-2Db molecule. The total protein sequence information available (222 of 338 residues) agrees in every comparable position with the protein sequence derived from the cDNA clone (pH203) isolated by Reyes and co-workers (1982b), which strongly suggests that this clone encodes H-2Db. Combination of the protein sequence with that deduced from the cDNA clone provides the complete H-2Db protein sequence. Comparison of this sequence with other available protein sequence information for murine class I molecules has revealed protein sequences that may be unique to either K or D region molecules.
Numerical issues associated with compensating and competing processes in climate models: an example from ECHAM-HAM

Abstract. The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the need for appropriate numerical techniques to represent process interactions in climate models. In two versions of the ECHAM-HAM model, different time integration methods are used to solve the sulfuric acid (H2SO4) gas evolution equation, which lead to substantially different results in the H2SO4 gas concentration and the aerosol nucleation rate. Using convergence tests and sensitivity simulations performed with various time stepping schemes, it is confirmed that numerical errors in the second model version are significantly smaller than those in version one. The use of sequential operator splitting in combination with a long time step is identified as the main reason for the large systematic biases in the old model. The remaining errors of nucleation rate in version two, related to the competition between condensation and nucleation, have a clear impact on the simulated concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in the lower troposphere. These errors can be significantly reduced by employing solvers that handle production, condensation and nucleation at the same time. Lessons learned in this work underline the need for more caution when treating multi-timescale problems involving compensating and competing processes, a common occurrence in current climate models.
Emotional Information Management: Concept development and measurement in public service announcements

Research on emotion as information in persuasive communication and ad response has created a need for a measure of individual abilities in the management of emotional information. Previous measures (e.g., emotional intelligence measures) lack adequate validity and reliability for use in persuasion and advertising contexts. Four studies iteratively refine a parsimonious Emotional Information Management scale that corresponds to theoretical dimensions of the construct and interrelationships between those dimensions—recognition of emotion, regulatory processes of optimistic utilization and management of emotions, as well as cognitive and emotional empathy. Reliability and construct validity are demonstrated, and scale norms are established. Although gender does not affect recognition of emotions or cognitive empathy, females exhibit greater emotional empathy ability, whereas males exhibit greater emotion regulation ability. Measuring emotional information management should contribute to greater understanding of responses to emotion-laden or emotion-eliciting persuasive communication (e.g., public service announcements). ©2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Measurement and analysis of charge injection in MOS analog switches

The analysis has been extended to the general case including signal-source resistance and capacitance. Universal plots of percentage channel charge injected are presented. Normalized variables are used to facilitate usage of the plots. The effects of gate voltage falling rate, signal-source level, substrate doping, substrate bias, switch dimensions, as well as the source and holding capacitances are included in the plots. A small-geometry switch, slow switching rate, and small source resistance can reduce the charge injection effect. On-chip test circuitry with a unity-gain operational amplifier, which reduces the disturbance imposed by measurement equipment to a minimum, is found to be an excellent monitor of the switch charge injection. The theoretical results agree with the experimental data.
Treatment of leprosy/Hansen's disease in the early 21st century

Leprosy, or Hansen's disease (HD), is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, a slowly dividing mycobacterium that has evolved to be an intracellular parasite, causing skin lesions and nerve damage. Less than 5% of people exposed to M. leprae develop clinical disease. Host cell-mediated resistance determines whether an individual will develop paucibacillary or multibacillary disease. Hansen's disease is a worldwide disease with about 150 new cases reported annually in the United States. Effective anti-mycobacterial treatments are available, and many patients experience severe reversal and erythema nodosum leprosum reactions that also require treatment. Leprosy has been the target of a World Health Organization multiple drug therapy campaign to eliminate it as a national public health problem in member countries, but endemic regions persist. In the United States, the National Hansen's Disease Program has primary responsibility for medical care, research, and information.
Space-time cross-correlation functions for antenna array elements in a noise field

The importance of designing a radar (or communications) receiver to operate effectively in the presence of spatial noise creates the necessity for determining the space-time cross-correlation functions between antenna array elements. A representation of a general, polarized, nonisotropic noise process is used to determine the cross-spectral densities and cross-correlation functions between arbitrarily oriented dipole antenna array elements in the presence of a noise field only. Several examples have been worked out for isotropic noise to show the variation of the cross-correlated noise function vs. the spatial separation of the dipoles. One important result is that the noise cross correlation is shown to be a function of the receiver element spatial orientation when the elements are dipoles. For certain spatial orientations between dipoles it is possible to reduce the noise cross correlation between these antenna array elements to zero.
Hadron static properties obtained from soliton bag model with iterative one-gluon exchange

The one-gluon exchange is iterated self-consistently within the framework of the Friedberg-Lee soliton bag model. While the parameters of the model are determined from fitting only the nucleon mass, the delta mass and the proton r.m.s. charge radius, the model is able to predict the static properties of other baryons and mesons, which compare favorably with the available experimental data. Eesults obtained in the self-consistent iterative approach differ significantly from those given by the calculations in which one-gluon exchange is only treated perturbatively. In particular, the iterative one-gluon exchange can lead to a light pion mass and to improved charge form factors.
Multisensory integration for motor control and adaptation.

This special issue was inspired by the 2011 meeting of the Society for the Neural Control of Movement (NCM) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. NCM is an international community of scientists, clinician-investigators, educators, and students whose common goal is to understand how the brain controls movement. The society’s mission is to provide a forum for advancing knowledge on the structure and function of neural systems underlying the control of movement and their associated disorders (http://ncm-society.org/). The April 2011 meeting in Puerto Rico exemplified these goals. In this special issue of Journal of Motor Behavior, we emphasize and expand on selected research on multisensory integration and motor adaptation presented at this meeting.
A role for zinc in pancreatic islet β-cell cross-talk with the α-cell during hypoglycaemia

Signalling by intraislet β-cells to neighbouring α-cells was recognized almost 40 years ago, leading to the hypothesis that this is an essential mechanism to regulate the glucagon counterregulatory response to hypoglycaemia. The thesis was that during normoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia insulin secretion from β-cells would enter the islet periportal circulation and travel downstream to α-cells to dampen glucagon secretion. As a corollary, during hypoglycaemia β-cells would stop secreting insulin, which would permit α-cells to release glucagon into the hepatic portal circulation so it could travel to the liver to increase glucose production and thereby correct hypoglycaemia. This mini-review briefly mentions the early work that established this hypothesis and more extensively examines more recent work that has provided direct evidence supporting the hypothesis. A new twist has been introduced based on the fact that zinc is bound to insulin within β-cells and co-secreted with insulin. Zinc is released from insulin when it reaches the higher pH of blood, and zinc has recently been shown to negatively regulate α-cell secretion. It is now suggested that a switch-off signal provided by a sudden cessation of zinc secretion from β-cells during hypoglycaemia may play a critical role in stimulating glucagon secretion that is independent of the effect of insulin.
Insertion of sequences into the 3' untranslated region of a replication-competent spleen necrosis virus vector disrupts env gene expression.

The genomes of all replication-competent retroviruses contain cis-acting elements that regulate gene expression. However, the identities of many of these elements remain to be characterized. Inserting sequences into the 3′ untranslated region of a replication-competent spleen necrosis virus (SNV) vector disrupted its ability to replicate. Inserts varying in sequences and sizes (0.4-kb to 1.6-kb) all resulted in this defect. Genetic compensation experiments and immunostaining revealed that env gene expression was deficient. Northern analysis indicated the presence of spliced viral mRNA of the correct size although at a reduced level compared to a wildtype vector. It is likely that the block in env expression occurs at a post-transcriptional step. These results suggest that the function of a cis-acting element distinct from the constitutive transport element is disrupted by the inserted sequences into the 3′ untranslated region of SNV.
The Metabolism and Transplacental Passage of 3H-Vitamin D3 in the Pregnant Primate, Macaca mulatta

In animal system excessive maternal ingestion of vitamin D during pregnancy has been shown to cause in the offspring most of the bony and arterial pathology seen in idiopathic hypercalcamia of infancy. This disease is felt by some to be due to altered responsiveness of the fetus and/or mother to vitamin D. Mammals, including man, convert vitamin D to 25-hydroxy vitamin D before the vitamin has its characteristic effects. A previous study demonstrated nonspecific antirachitic activity in cord serum of rabbits whose mothers had been given massive vitamin D doses during pregnancy. The current study demonstrates not only how much, but also, in what metabolic form the vitamin traverses the placenta. C-sections were performed 6, 24, 48 and 100 h after IV administration of 3H-vitamin D3 in non-physiologic doses to pregnant rhesus monkeys. All tissues within the fetal compartment were studied for the amount and metabolic state of the vitamin present. Results show that the placenta acts as a barrier and storage organ from which the fetal serum somewhat selectively supplies fetal tissues with, mainly, 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Fetal tissues do not appear to convert vitamin D to 25-hydroxy vitamin D. The data suggest that at physiologic doses the fetal tissues would probably not be exposed to unaltered vitamin D. This suggests that the teratogenicity of vitamin D is due to undue exposure of fetal tissues to the unaltered vitamin.
Google's Geospatial Organizing Principle

This article reviews the motivations, approaches, and accomplishments in applying genus loci - the sense of place - to advance Google's mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Delivering information in a meaningful spatial context has proven an ambitious undertaking. Ideas from philosophy, psychology, and sociology shaped the design, and technical and logistical challenges abounded in the implementation. For this project, the Google geospatial team wove long-standing wisdom, fresh technical thinking, and their vision of the future to create a global information landscape where people experience a uniquely real understanding of the answers to their questions. That the work is used millions of times per hour shows the result to be useful.
New constructs and assessments for relapse and continued use potential in the ASAM Patient Placement Criteria.

SUMMARY One area of intensive study in recent years in addiction research is the characterization and prediction of relapse risk. Given the growing list of findings and assessment tools in this area, in preparation for the second edition, revised volume of the Patient Placement Criteria (PPC) of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), a workgroup of the Coalition for National Criteria was assigned the task of creating a revised conceptual organization for Dimension 5: Relapse/ Continued Use Potential. The workgroup conducted a review of the previous Dimension 5 constructs and criteria, including a decision analysis of the previous Dimension 5 decision rules. Following that analysis, field data from the ASAM Criteria Validity Study at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School were analyzed from a large cohort of public and indigent patients in eastern Massachusetts. After determining the concurrent validity of the Dimension 5 decision rules and their limitations, the decision rul...
OptIPuter: Enabling advanced applications with novel optical control planes and backplanes

Many emerging and anticipated advanced applications have demanding requirements that cannot be supported using traditional communication services, architecture, and technologies. Such requirements include those related to high performance, large scale data volume transport, dynamic provisioning, path flexibility, and stringent determinism for all service parameters. The OptIPuter research initiative was established to investigate the potential for meeting these and other exceptional challenges by creating new types of communication services that could be implemented as complements to traditional approaches and, in some special cases, as alternatives. In particular, the OptIPuter initiative has been exploring advanced communication services based on individually addressable, dynamically allocated lightpaths. These approaches require novel control plane and backplane architecture and technology. As part of its core research agenda, the OptIPuter initiative designed and deployed such architecture and technology, which is described here along with a large scale testbed implementation, including national and international extensions. This testbed was used for a series of experiments, and the results are summarized.
The effect of sex labels on adults' knowledge of infant development

The present study investigated the influence of sex label of an infant on adult men's and women's knowledge of infant development. Two hundred thirty nine adults were asked to indicate on a questionnaire the age at which they believed infants were first able to perform a variety of developmental skills. The 56 skills equally represented cognitive, language, motor, and personal-social behaviors. One third of the adults received a questionnaire about “girls,” one third about “boys,” and one third about “babies” (sex label not provided). Each of the three groups had equal numbers of men and women. Contrary to previous findings, results indicated that the sex label of the infant did not affect adults' ratings of behaviors. This finding is discussed with respect to current cognitive-social psychological conceptualizations of gender stereotypes.
Infantile spasms in two brothers with broad thumbs syndrome.

To date, we have not been able to find other references in the literature to infantile spasms in broad thumbs syndrome. Our cases may be the first reported broad thumbs syndrome associated with infantile spasms
Catalytic acid-base groups in yeast pyruvate decarboxylase. 3. A steady-state kinetic model consistent with the behavior of both wild-type and variant enzymes at all relevant pH values.

The widely quoted kinetic model for the mechanism of yeast pyruvate decarboxylase (YPDC, EC 4.1.1.1), an enzyme subject to substrate activation, is based on data for the wild-type enzyme under optimal experimental conditions. The major feature of the model is the obligatory binding of substrate in the regulatory site prior to substrate binding at the catalytic site. The activated monomer would complete the cycle by irreversible decarboxylation of the substrate and product (acetaldehyde) release. Our recent kinetic studies of YPDC variants substituted at positions D28 and E477 at the active center necessitate some modification of the mechanism. It was found that enzyme without substrate activation apparently is still catalytically competent. Further, substrate-dependent inhibition of D28-substituted variants leads to an enzyme form with nonzero activity at full saturation, requiring a second major branch point in the mechanism. Kinetic data for the E477Q variant suggest that three consecutive substrate bin...
Poisson dampening factor

Reservoir discrimination and characterization for proper lithology and fluid-content distribution is a must for proper reservoir management. Seismic inversion methods using variation of amplitude with offset (AVO) are regularly used in differentiating lithology along with its fluid content. Acoustic impedance (AI), shear impedance (SI), and density (ρ) are the fundamental rock properties often derived using AVO equations. The AI and SI estimates are more stable as compared to the density estimate that remains unstable because of its dependence on far-angle amplitude information. Various attributes, e.g., lambda-rho, mu-rho, elastic impedance, Poisson's ratio etc., derived from these inversion results are routinely used to discriminate lithology along with its fluid content. A new approach using Poisson dampening factor (PDF) attribute, derived using AI and SI values and making density estimate intrinsic within it, is applied and found to improve reservoir delineation and description.
Heterodimeric CD3epsilongamma extracellular domain fragments: production, purification and structural analysis.

The CD3 polypeptides (epsilon, gamma, and delta) are non-covalently associated signaling subunits of the T cell receptor which form non-disulfide linked epsilongamma and epsilondelta heterodimers. With the goal of investigating their structure, Escherichia coli expression was utilized to produce CD3 ectodomain fragments including the murine CD3epsilon subunit N-terminal Ig-like extracellular domain alone or as a single chain construct with that of CD3gamma. The latter links the CD3gamma segment to the C terminus of the CD3epsilon segment via a 26 amino acid peptide (scCD3epsilongamma26). Although CD3epsilon could be produced at high yield when directed to inclusion bodies, the refolded monomeric CD3epsilon was not native as judged by monoclonal antibody binding using surface plasmon resonance and was largely unstructured by (15)N-(1)H two-dimensional NMR analysis. In contrast, scCD3epsilongamma26 could be refolded readily into a native state as shown by CD, NMR and mAb reactivity. The linker length between CD3epsilon and CD3gamma is critical since scCD3epsilongamma16 containing a 16 residue connector failed to generate a stable heterodimer. Collectively, the results demonstrate that: (i) soluble heterodimeric fragments of CD3 can be produced; (ii) cotranslation of CD3 chains insures proper folding even in the absence of the conserved ectodomain stalk region (CxxCxE); and (iii) CD3epsilon has a more stable tertiary protein fold than CD3gamma.
Osteoporosis and the metabolites of vitamin D

Vitamin D is metabolized by sequential steps in the liver and kidney to its active form, a process that is strongly feedback-regulated. In old age, the activity of the enzyme, 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1 hydroxylase, which produces the vitamin D hormone, is diminished. The activities of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) extend beyond increasing intestinal absorption of calcium. The vitamin D hormone (or its analogs) is useful in the treatment of osteoporosis because it not only stimulates intestinal calcium absorption, but also is required for the stimulation of osteoblasts and many other cells in the body. Recent work demonstrates that it is possible to chemically synthesize analogs selective for specific actions of the vitamin D hormone, especially in inducing differentiation of promyelocytes and keratinocytes.
The Physiology of Gastric Acid Secretion

THE mammalian stomach is a specialized organ of the digestive tract that serves to store and process food for absorption by the intestine.1 One of its features, considered to be the hallmark of gas...
Lorentz-and Spin-Invariant Elastic Scattering of Two Spin- 1/2 Particles

We restrict ourselves to the elastic scattering of two spin-\textonehalf{} particles. For each particle ($n=1, 2$) we construct a spin-like vector ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{(n)}$ in terms of the variables of the $n\mathrm{th}$ particle alone in such a way that the conservation of $\ensuremath{\Sigma}={\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{(1)}+{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{(2)}$ is compatible with Lorentz invariance. However, the unitarity of the scattering operator restricts the possible processes to forward and backward scattering.
G-protein Regulation of Outwardly Rectified Epithelial Chloride Channels Incorporated into Planar Bilayer Membranes

Experiments were designed to test if immunopurified outwardly rectified chloride channels (ORCCs) and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) incorporated into planar lipid bilayers are regulated by G-proteins. pertussis toxin (PTX) (100 ng/ml) + NAD (1 mM) + ATP (1 mM) treatment of ORCC and CFTR in bilayers resulted in a 2-fold increase in single channel open probability (Po) of ORCC but not of CFTR. Neither PTX, NAD, nor ATP alone affected the biophysical properties of either channel. Further, PTX conferred a linearity to the ORCC current-voltage curve, with a slope conductance of 80 +/- 3 picosiemens (pS) in the +/- 100 mV range of holding potentials. PKA-mediated phosphorylation of these PTX + NAD-treated channels further increased the Po of the linear 80-pS channels from 0.66 +/- 0.05 to >0.9, and revealed the presence of a small (16 +/- 2 pS) linear channel in the membrane. PTX treatment of a CFTR-immunodepleted protein preparation incorporated into bilayer membranes resulted in a similar increase in the Po of the larger conductance channel and restored PKA-sensitivity that was lost after CFTR immunodepletion. The addition of guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate (100 mum) to the cytoplasmic bathing solutions decreased the activity of the ORCC and increased its rectification at both negative and positive voltages. ADP-ribosylation of immunopurified material revealed the presence of a 41-kDa protein. These results demonstrate copurification of a channel-associated G-protein that is involved in the regulation of ORCC function.
Effects of microcystin-lr on actin and the actin-associated proteins α-actinin and talin in hepatocytes

Microcystin-LR (MCLR) is a commonly encountered blue-green algal hepatotoxin and a known inhibitor of cellular protein phosphatase types 1 and 2A. The toxin causes alterations in, and redistribution of, intermediate filaments, microtubules, and actin microfilaments (MFs) in affected cells. In this study, the effect of MCLR on the sequence of alterations in MFs and actin-associated proteins (AAPs) of isolated hepatocytes was examined in an effort to determine whether morphologic changes induced in MFs by microcystins are a result of prior dislocation of AAPs. We studied the effects of MCLR exposure on α-actinin and talin, two AAPs that play a role in the orientation of the MFs. Primary hepatocytes were incubated with 10 μM MCLR for 0-64 min. The distribution of actin, α-actinin, and talin were examined using fluorescence microscopy. MCLR induced similar changes in the distribution of actin and the AAPs. Actin filament redistribution was first observed after 12 min of MCLR exposure, and was characterized by detachment of MFs from the cell periphery, followed by condensation at distinct focal points and progressive collapse into the interior of affected cells. Changes in α-actinin and talin distribution were first observed after 20 min of toxin exposure. The AAPs appeared to detach from focal contacts on the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane, condense into cytoplasmic aggregates, and ultimately collapse into a juxtanuclear bundle. The results of this study indicate that, in hepatocytes exposed to MCLR, the collapse of actin MFs occurs prior to the dislocation of α-actinin and talin. Changes in these actin associated proteins are not likely to account for the initial changes in actin MFs. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Pumping-Generating Units for the Grand Coulee Pumping-Generating Plant

The Grand Coulee Pumping-Generating Plant is the primary source of water for the vast Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. Two new units will be installed to serve dual purposes of irrigation pumping and pumped storage generation. This paper covers the plans of the United States Bureau of Reclamation for integrating the two new pumping-generating units into the ultimate 45 hydroelectric unit complex at Grand Coulee Dam.
The 180 KDa polypeptide contains the DNA-binding domain of RNA polymerase II

Purification of RNA polymerase II from chicken myeloblastosis (leukemia) cells to homogeneity and subsequent structural analysis of the purified enzyme revealed that the enzyme contained seven polypeptides with molecular masses ranging from 27 KDa to 220 KDa. Inclusion of protease inhibitors in the buffer system during purification significantly increased the molar ratio of the largest (220 KDa) polypeptide to the second largest (180 KDa) polypeptide. However, proteolytic conversion of the 220 KDa to 180 KDa polypeptide did not inhibit the DNA binding activity of the enzyme. The enzyme, after dissociation into subunits in a SDS-polyacrylamide gel containing urea was blotted onto a nitrocellulose filter. The filter was incubated with 32P-labeled calf thymus DNA and both the 220 KDa and 180 KDa polypeptides of the enzyme bind DNA, suggesting that the DNA-binding site of the enzyme resides on the 180 KDa polypeptide of the largest subunit.
More on the flux tube model of the deconfining transition

Abstract A recently proposed flux tube model describing the finite temperature deconfining transition in QCD is analysed in mean field theory. The phase structure is studied as a function of the baryonic vertex energy.
Annexin A6 contributes to the invasiveness of breast carcinoma cells by influencing the organization and localization of functional focal adhesions

The interaction of annexin A6 (AnxA6) with membrane phospholipids and either specific extracellular matrix (ECM) components or F-actin suggests that it may influence cellular processes associated with rapid plasma membrane reorganization such as cell adhesion and motility. Here, we examined the putative roles of AnxA6 in adhesion-related cellular processes that contribute to breast cancer progression. We show that breast cancer cells secrete annexins via the exosomal pathway and that the secreted annexins are predominantly cell surface-associated. Depletion of AnxA6 in the invasive BT-549 breast cancer cells is accompanied by enhanced anchorage-independent cell growth but cell-cell cohesion, cell adhesion/spreading onto collagen type IV or fetuin-A, cell motility and invasiveness were strongly inhibited. To explain the loss in adhesion/motility, we show that vinculin-based focal adhesions in the AnxA6-depleted BT-549 cells are elongated and randomly distributed. These focal contacts are also functionally defective because the activation of focal adhesion kinase and the phosphoinositide-3 kinase/Akt pathway were strongly inhibited while the MAP kinase pathway remained constitutively active. Compared with normal human breast tissues, reduced AnxA6 expression in breast carcinoma tissues correlates with enhanced cell proliferation. Together this suggests that reduced AnxA6 expression contributes to breast cancer progression by promoting the loss of functional cell-cell and/or cell-ECM contacts and anchorage-independent cell proliferation.
Trauma and Testimony in Black Women's Civil Rights Memoirs: The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It, Warriors Don't Cry, and From the Mississippi Delta

This article focuses on three memoirs of the civil rights movement published roughly thirty years after the events described. Unlike feminist biography, on the one hand, and oral history, on the other hand, self-initiated accounts allow us to examine the range of narrative strategies chosen by black, female participant-witnesses to describe traumatic aspects of a movement that exposed them to varying degrees of physical, psychological, and sexual violence. I argue that memoirs by Jo Ann Gibson Robinson, Melba Pattillo Beals, and Endesha Ida Mae Holland are significant not only because they situate familiar movement milestones within the intimate context of "ordinary" women's lives, but also because they challenge the disembodied and triumphal story of the civil rights movement that has dominated American popular memory. As rich repositories of source material and as histories in their own right, these memoirs and others like them deserve considerably more scholarly attention.
Chemical and Sensory Properties of Thirteen Major Beef Muscles

Chemical and sensory properties of the following thirteen muscles from ten Angus steers were evaluated: semimembranosus, semitendinosus, adductor, biceps femoris, rectus femoris, gluteus medius, psoas major, longissimus - loin portion (LD-L), longissimus - rib portion (LD-R), triceps, infraspinatus, pectoral, and supraspinatus. Steaks (3.8 cm) were cooked to 70°C internally on open hearth grills for sensory evaluation. Muscles from the round and chuck, excluding the infraspinatus, were generally scored lower by the sensory panel than muscles from the loin and rib. The psoas major, LD-L, LD-R, and infraspinatus were more tender (P < 0.05) than seven other muscles; WBS values followed the same trend. Large ranges were observed among muscles for percent fat, sarcomere length, and total collagen.
Cortisol stimulation of glycogen synthesis in fasted rats.

The acute effects of cortisol that result in an increase in liver glycogen deposition were studied in fasted rats, using C14O2 and glucose-6-C14 as labeled substrates. The incorporation of labeled carbon into blood glucose, liver glycogen and liver dicarboxylic acids was determined. The results of these experiments indicate that cortisol increases the incorporation of label from radioactive bicarbonate into liver glycogen without any significant increase in the activity of either blood glucose or liver dicarboxylic acids. Studies with labeled glucose showed increased deposition of glycogen from this substrate. There was little recycling of C14 from glucose via the Cori cycle. Under these conditions cortisol did not appear to increase hepatic glucose production as measured by changes in specific activity of blood glucose. Evidence is presented that in the fasting adrenalectomized animal there is some specific impairment in glycogen formation apart from the ability of the liver to form glucose. It is sugges...
A comparison of group desensitization with two control procedures in the treatment of test anxiety

Abstract The present investigation was concerned with determining the effectiveness of group systematic desensitization and with comparing group desensitization with two control procedures. Highly test-anxious subjects were selected on the basis of Test Anxiety Questionnaire scores and assigned to either group desensitization (2 groups of 8 S s each), an automated instruction procedure (8 S s), or test-retest control condition (8 S s). Desensitization S s demonstrated significantly greater ( p S s who in turn showed significantly greater ( p S s. A follow-up assessment with 13 desensitization S s suggested that the anxiety reductions were stable. Some procedural aspects of group desensitization are discussed.