cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leptin : Structure, function and biology

Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that acts as a major regulator for food intake and energy homeostasis. Leptin deficiency or resistance can result in profound obesity, diabetes, and infertility in humans. Since its discovery, our understanding of leptin's biological functions has expanded from anti-obesity to broad effects on reproduction, hematopoiesis, angiogenesis, blood pressure, bone mass, lymphoid organ homeostasis, and T lymphocyte systems. Leptin orchestrates complex biological effects through its receptors, expressed both centrally and peripherally. Leptin receptor belongs to the class I cytokine receptor superfamily. At least five isoforms of leptin receptor exist, primarily because of alternate splicing. The longest form is capable of full signal transduction. The short forms may serve as leptin binding proteins and play a role in leptin transporting across the blood-brain barrier. In this review, we present the crystal structure of leptin and the structural comparison with other four-helical cytokines, discuss the leptin-receptor binding models based on other cytokine-receptor complex structures, and summarize the most recent progress on leptin signal transduction pathways--especially its link to peripheral lipid metabolism through AMP-activated protein kinase and hepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 pathways. Furthermore, we propose the structure based design of leptin analogs with increased stability, improved potency, enhanced blood-brain barrier transport, and extended time action for future therapeutic application.
Unsteady Separation Phenomena in a Two-Dimensional Cavity

Introduction I is generally recognized that the problem of separation is very important in practical aerodynamics and in many other fluid flowfields. Although a great deal of theoretical work has been done on steady separation, mostly through the use of the boundary-layer equations, the unsteady situation has received little attention in spite of its significance. Because the boundarylayer approximation is incomplete, recourse has been made to the full momentum equation. A two-dimensional oscillatory cavity flow presents a tractable model for approximate finite-difference solution of the equation to study the unsteady separation process. Although other workers have used steady cavity flow models, this is the first time an oscillatory cavity.flow solution has been published. The results are first compared to the steady case where there is only one fixed separation streamline along the line of symmetry. Then a dynamic pattern of separation and reattachment is illustrated.
15 Adults and Children with Headaches: Evidence-Based Role of Neuroimaging

CT imaging remains the initial test of choice for: (1) new-onset of headache in high risk adults and (2) headache suggestive of subarachnoid hemorrhage (limited evidence). Neuroimaging is recommended in adults with nonacute headache and unexplained abnormal neurologic examination (moderate evidence). In adults with headache and known primary neoplasm suspected of having brain metastatic disease, MR imaging with contrast is the neuroimaging study of choice (moderate evidence). Although most headaches in children are benign in nature, a small percentage is caused by serious diseases, such as brain neoplasm. Neuroimaging is recommended in children with headache and an abnormal neurologic examination or seizures (moderate evidence). Sensitivity and specificity of MR imaging are greater than CT for intracranial lesions. For intracranial surgical space-occupying lesions, however, there is no difference in diagnostic performance between MR imaging and CT (limited evidence). Conventional CT Angiography (CTA) and MR Angiography (MRA) have sensitivities greater than 85% for aneurysms greater than 5 mm. Multidetector CT (MDCT) sensitivity and specificity is greater than 90% for aneurysms greater than 4 mm (moderate evidence). MDCTA and Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) have similar sensitivities and specificities for aneurysms >4 mm (moderate evidence). Advance brain imaging may help differentiate the different types of primary headache disorders. Preliminary MRI studies in patients with migraine have demonstrated increased iron levels and increased fMRI activation in the midbrain. Positron emission tomography (PET) has demonstrated increase uptake in the hypothalamus and phosphorus MR Spectroscopy (MRS) has revealed mitochondrial dysfunction in those with cluster headaches (limited evidence).
Pauli-limited upper critical field of Fe 1 + y Te 1 − x Se x

In this work, we investigated the temperature dependence of the upper critical field ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}{H}_{c2}(T)$ of ${\text{Fe}}_{1.02(3)}{\text{Te}}_{0.61(4)}{\text{Se}}_{0.39(4)}$ and ${\text{Fe}}_{1.05(3)}{\text{Te}}_{0.89(2)}{\text{Se}}_{0.11(2)}$ single crystals by measuring the magnetotransport properties in stable dc magnetic fields up to 35 T. Both crystals show that ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}{H}_{c2}(T)$ in the $ab$ plane and along the $c$-axis exhibit saturation at low temperatures. The anisotropy of ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}{H}_{c2}(T)$ decreases with decreasing temperature, becoming nearly isotropic when the temperature $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$. Furthermore, ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}{H}_{c2}(0)$ deviates from the conventional Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg theoretical prediction values for both field directions. Our analysis indicates that the spin-paramagnetic pair-breaking effect is responsible for the temperature-dependent behavior of ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}{H}_{c2}(T)$ in both field directions.
Bonded Ceramic Foams Reinforced with Fibers for High Temperature Use

High quality SiC ceramic foams, which have only recently become available, have for the first time made possible the construction of low density ceramic fiber-ceramic foam sandwiches for high temperature applications. This report describes the construction of some ceramic fiber-ceramic foam structures and the preliminary measurement of strength at elevated temperature.
Chapter 13 The Matching Market Institution

Publisher Summary The matching market (MM) institution is a two-sided auction procedure that collects bids from buyers and asks from sellers, and iteratively matches the highest remaining bid with the highest remaining ask less than or equal to it. This chapter summarizes a first laboratory experiment comparing the MM institution to the natural alternative, the uniform price (UP) or single call market.the chapter found that, compared with UP, MM has lower efficiency, has about the same average volume but greater variability, and gives sellers a smaller fraction of the surplus. Compared either to the competitive equilibrium (CE) theoretical benchmark or to the actual performance of the uniform price (UP) market institution, the MM institution fails to deliver on its main selling point: that it will generate higher trading volume. It does generate considerably more variable volume but average trading volume is quite close to the CE benchmark and to the UP average. A secondary selling point is that the MM will offer sellers a larger share of the surplus.
Sour Grapes, Sweet Lemons, and the Anticipatory Rationalization of the Status Quo

Integrating theories of cognitive dissonance, system justification, and dynamic thought systems, the authors hypothesized that people would engage in anticipatory rationalization of sociopolitical outcomes for which they were not responsible. In two studies, the authors found that people adjusted their judgments of the desirability of a future event to make them congruent with its perceived likelihood, but only when the event triggered motivational involvement. In Study 1, a political survey administered to 288 Democrats, Republicans, and nonpartisans prior to the Bush-Gore presidential election manipulated the perceived likelihood that each candidate would win and measured the subjective desirability of each outcome. In Study 2, 203 undergraduate students rated the desirability of a large or small tuition increase or decrease that was low, medium, or high in likelihood. Under conditions evoking high motivational involvement, unfavorable as well as favorable outcomes were judged to be more desirable as th...
Dodging a Bullet: WHO, SARS, and the Successful Management of Infectious Disease.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the policy decisions made by the World Health Organization (WHO) in working to fight the spread of the first truly global infectious disease, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), of the 21st century. In particular, the author pays attention to the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and analyzes how it was employed in coordinating a variety of response efforts around the world. In addition, he identifies and assesses the successes and failures of the GOARN’s policies with regard to the monitoring and containment of the SARS outbreak.
Effect of Irrigation Frequency on Cotton Yield in Short-Season Production Systems

In irrigated desert areas of the southwestern USA, fruiting of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) typically peaks in July. Water management during the fruiting period can influence cotton lint yields. This study tested the hypothesis that small frequent irrigations during the July peak fruiting stage would increase fruit set and yields compared with the same amount of water applied less frequently. During 3 yr under a short-season production system, irrigation intervals of 5-d with 42 mm of water applied at each of six irrigations increased lint yield by 5 to 11% compared with irrigation intervals of 10- and 15-d with 81 and 130 mm of water applied at each of three and two irrigations, respectively. Average stomatal conductance of 1989 and 1991 was higher for the 5-d-irrigation interval than for 10- or 15-d intervals. For 1990 and 1991 average leaf water potentials were higher and average leaf temperatures were lower for the 5-d-irrigation interval than for the other two irrigation intervals. The results show that with the same amount of water conventionally applied through furrow irrigation, small frequent irrigations during cotton fruiting were effective in reducing water deficit during critical growth stages and increasing lint production. The small frequent irrigations did not increase soil salt content in the top 15 cm of soil after 3 yr of study.
Three percent hypohydration does not affect threshold frequency of electrically induced cramps.

Purpose: Dehydration is hypothesized to cause exercise-associated muscle cramps. The theory states that dehydration contracts the interstitial space, thereby increasing the pressure on nerve terminals and cramps ensue. Research supporting this theory is often observational, and fatigue is rarely controlled. Inducing cramps with electrical stimulation minimizes many of the confounding factors associated with exercise-induced cramps (e.g., fatigue, metabolites). Thus, our goal was to minimize fatigue and determine whether hypohydration decreases the electrical stimuli required to elicit cramping (termed "threshold frequency"). Methods: Ten males cycled for 30-min bouts with their nondominant leg at 41°C and 15% relative humidity until they lost ~3% of their body mass (~2 h). Dominant leg flexor hallucis brevis muscle cramps were induced before and after hypohydration, and threshold frequency was recorded. Plasma osmolality (OSM ) characterized hydration status. Total sweat electrolytes (Na , K , Mg , and Ca ) lost during exercise was calculated. Subjects repeated the protocol 1 wk later. Results: Subjects were hypohydrated after exercise (preexercise OSM = 282.5 ± 1 mOsm·kg H O, postexercise OSM = 295.1 ± 1 mOsm·kg H O, < 0.001). Subjects lost 3.0% ± 0.1% of their body mass, 144.9 ± 9.8 mmol of Na , 11.2 ± 0.4 mmol of K , 3.3 ± 0.3 mmol of Mg , and 3.1 ± 0.1 mmol of Ca . Mild hypohydration with minimal neuromuscular fatigue did not affect threshold frequency (euhydrated = 23.7 ± 1.5 Hz, hypohydrated = 21.3 ± 1.4 Hz; = 2.81, = 0.12). Conclusions: Mild hypohydration with minimal neuromuscular fatigue does not seem to predispose individuals to cramping. Thus, cramps may be more associated with neuromuscular fatigue than dehydration/electrolyte losses. Health care professionals may have more success preventing exercise-associated muscle cramp by focusing on strategies that minimize neuromuscular fatigue rather than dehydration. However, the effect of greater fluid losses on cramp threshold frequency is unknown and merits further research.
Effects of a Divalent Cation on Sodium Removal from Intestinal Loops

Summary and ConclusionsIn the presence of polyvalent cations sodium is absorbed from the intestine from concentrations much lower than the blood sodium level. The sodium concentration in the intestinal fluid may fall to as low as 5% of the blood level. Thus, the previously descrilml generalization that univalent anions move against high concentration gradients from intestine to blood when polyvalent anions ase present in the intestine, can be extended to include the comparable situation with regard to cations.
SUCCESSFUL PREVENTION OF EXPERIMENTAL RH SENSITIZATION IN MAN WITH AN ANTI-RH GAMMA2-GLOBULIN ANTIBODY PREPARATION: A PRELIMINARY REPORT.

An anti-Rh gamma2-globulin antibody preparation has been developed which can be administered intramuscularly and appears to be both safe and effective in the prevention of experimental Rh sensitization. Nine unsensitized Rh-negative male volunteers were challenged once a month for five successive months with intravenous injections of 2 ml. of Rh-positive blood. Four of these nine volunteers were passively protected each month with intramuscular injections of 5 ml. of this antibody preparation, administered 24 hours prior to the antigenic challenge. Three months after the last injection the passively acquired Rh antibodies were no longer demonstrable (by either the saline or indirect antiglobulin technics) in any of the four protected subjects and there was no sign of active antibody production six months after the last injection, whereas four of the five controls were all strongly sensitized.
Reflection and Problem Solving: Integrating Methods of Teaching Mathematics and Science

An innovative teacher preparation course which integrates methods of teaching elementary mathematics and science was the context of this study. The course was developed as a prototype for the Teachers As Reflective Problem Solvers model for the preparation of elementary mathematics and science teachers. Data from 35 preservice elementary teachers' performance-portfolios were analyzed to reveal patterns of change in their reflections and problem-solving performance during the semester. Many of the students' reflections changed from task-focused learning to broader teaching applications. No relationship was discerned between changes in students' reflections and changes in their levels of problem-solving performance, although both increased during the semester. A significant correspondence was found, however, between students' perceptions of their problem-solving abilities and their actual performance in solving teaching problems in integrated mathematics and science contexts.
Cellulose Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis

The observations reported by Tony Arioli et al. ([1][1]) represent an important contribution to characterizing the complex processes of biogenesis of cellulose in higher plants. The results presented and further discussed by Carpita and Vergara ([2][2]) do not exclude alternative interpretations
Fleas found on Rodents and Insectivores in Nigeria.

During the latter half of the year 1926, the writer collected parasites from rodents and insectivores in Nigeria. From 1st August to 20th October collections were made in the wet forest near Lagos; 26th October to 2nd November and 10th to 20th November in the guinea grass savannah near Ibadan and Oyo; 3rd to 7th November in the heavy rain forest at Ife; and 28th November to 11th December about Kano on the border of the desert. The animals were usually captured in traps, but a few were shot. They were always placed at once in tight cloth bags or wire cages in order that their ectoparasites might not escape. A general account of the character of the country where collections were made has been given elsewhere (Pearse, Science Monthly, xxv, 1927, pp. 228–239). My thanks are due to the late Major Ingoldby, of the British Museum, and Dr. Karl Jordan, of the Tring Museum. The former identified all the mammals and the latter helped with the identification of several of the fleas.
Glutamine protects against apoptosis via downregulation of Sp3 in intestinal epithelial cells

Glutamine plays a key role in intestinal growth and maintenance of gut function, and as we have shown protects the postischemic gut (Kozar RA, Scultz SG, Bick RJ, Poindexter BJ, Desoigne R, Weisbro...
Locating Southeast Asia: Geographies of Knowledge and Politics of Space by Paul H. Kratoska, Remco Raben, and Henk Schulte Nordholt, eds

Singapore: Singapore University Press, 2005. xi + 326 pp., charts, maps, tables, and index. $28.00 paper (ISBN 0-89680-242-6). As a distinct geographic entity, Southeast Asia has always existed mor...
Functional equations for zeta functions of F1-schemes

For a scheme X whose Fq-rational points are counted by a polynomial N(q)=∑aiqi, the F1-zeta function is defined as ζX(s)=∏(s−i)−ai. Define χ=N(1). In this paper we show that if X is a smooth projective scheme, then its F1-zeta function satisfies the functional equation ζX(n−s)=(−1)χζX(s). We further show that the F1-zeta function ζG(s) of a split reductive group scheme G of rank r with N positive roots satisfies the functional equation ζG(r+N−s)=(−1)χ(ζG(s))(−1)r.
Make Books, Not War: Workshops at a Summer Camp in Bosnia.

This article focuses on a bookmaking project that was conducted with pre-adolescent Serbian and Bosnian girls at a summer camp outside Sarajevo, Bosnia in 2005. During this camp, children from Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia were brought together by the Global Children's Organisation to engage in a variety of activities, including conflict resolution, art, athletics and academics. The literacy workshops that were offered gave the children the opportunity to write, illustrate and construct their own books about topics such as peace, friendship and the preservation of nature in Bosnia. The workshops were conducted in English and Serbo-Croatian, using a variety of pedagogical strategies. Upon completion of their books, the girls hosted a ‘story hour’ for the younger children at the camp and their stories were read aloud and discussed. This article explores the story telling of children in post-war Bosnia (through writing samples) and discusses the powerful social component of literacy events and their ability to unite and heal disparate groups. Additionally, this article explores writing as a means of imagining a more hopeful future and how as writers, children are shapers of their own cultures and of their individual and collaborative identities within those cultures.
Effect of pH and Total Pigment Concentration on the Internal Color of Cooked Ground Beef Patties

pH of ground beef components, from three purveyors, was measured for 150 consecutive days of production. Patties were produced from the components with pH values within the interval 5.6–6.2 and cooked (71°C) on a gas grill (176°C). The internal color of the cooked patties was described by a sensory panel. The internal color varied from grey in patties within the normal pH range (5.3–5.7) of muscle, to slightly red in muscles with a pH of 6.2. Red to pink cooked color was most intense inside those patties with the highest pH and the greatest concentration of total pigments. Bull meat exhibited a much higher pH and a greater level of total pigments than the other components studied. Controlling the pH of bull meat could be important in improving the cooking characteristics and quality of ground patties containing it. Purveyor specifications for bull meat should include pH as a criteria for purchase when cooking time and quality are critical to the customer.
Detection of misfolded prion protein in retina samples of sheep and cattle by use of a commercially available enzyme immunoassay

Objective—To determine the usefulness of retina samples for detection of disease-associated prion protein by use of a commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA) intended for rapid identification of sheep and cattle with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Samples—Retina, brainstem at the level of the obex, and retropharyngeal lymph node samples obtained from 15 TSE-inoculated sheep (scrapie [n = 13] or transmissible mink encephalopathy passaged through a bovid [2]); retina and brainstem samples obtained from 11 TSE-inoculated cattle (transmissible mink encephalopathy passaged through a bovid [7] or classical BSE [4]); and negative control tissue samples obtained from 2 sheep and 2 cattle that were not inoculated with TSEs. Procedures—Tissue samples were homogenized and analyzed for detection of abnormally folded disease-associated prion protein with a commercially available EIA and 2 confirmatory assays (western blot analysis or immunohistochemical analysis). Results—Retina sample EIA r...
Synthesis and Characterization of Nitrato-Triamine-Metal(II) Complexes. Conglomerate Crystallization Part 55. Crystal Structure of [Ni(dien)(O2NO)(ONO2)] (I), {[Cu(dien)-(μ-ONO2)]NO3}∞ (II), [Zn(dien)(O2NO)(ONO2)] (III), [Ni(Medpt)(O2NO)(ONO2)] (IV) and [Cu(Medpt)(ONO2)2] (V)

In absolute ethanol and in the presence of triethylorthoformate, reactions of metal(II) nitrates with linear tridentate amines afforded metal complexes of the formula M(NNN)(NO3)2, where M = Ni2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+, and NNN = dien and Medpt. The compounds fall into three categories in accordance with their stereochemistry and mode of binding of the nitrato ligands. Compounds I, [Ni(dien)(O2NO)(ONO2)] and III, [Zn(dien)(O2NO)(ONO2)] are isomorphous and isostructural. They crystallize in the monoclinic space group P21/n with nearly identical cell constants. The stereochemistry of these two compounds is such that the terdentate dien ligand forms a fac MN3 moiety with the two oxygens of the bidentate nitrato ligand trans to the terminal NH2. These ligands form the base of the octahedral arrangement in which the sixth position, trans to the secondary nitrogen of the dien, is an oxygen of the monodentate nitrato ligand. Compound IV, [Ni(Medpt)(O2NO)(ONO2)] falls into the same category as I and III despite the fact ...
Flying spin qubits: A method for encoding and transporting qubits within a dimerized Heisenberg spin- 1 2 chain

We present a method for encoding and transporting qubits within a dimerized Heisenberg spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ chain. Logical qubits are localized at the domain walls that separate the two possible dimerized states. The domain walls can be moved to produce ``flying spin qubits.'' The topological nature of these states makes them stable against local perturbations of the exchange profile. Pairs of domain walls can be used to generate Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen pairs of entangled qubits. We discuss speed limitations within an exactly solvable three-spin model and describe a possible physical realization using quantum dot arrays.
Lateral specialization and verbal/spatial ability in preschool children: age, sex and familial handedness differences.

Abstract One hundred and fifty-five preschool children between 2 case;1 2 and 5 case;1 2 yr of age were administered two dichotic tests (digit and nonverbal sound) and three Wecheler Intelligence subtests (vocabulary, geometric design and block design). The familial dextral (FD) children around 4 yr and older demonstrated a greater degree of absolute ear laterally than the FD children under 4 yr of age. There were also age-related changes in the relationship between children's ability scores and their ear laterality scores. For older FD children a greater right-ear advantage for verbal stimuli and a left-ear advantage for nonverbal stimuli was associated with higher vocabulary scores. Under 4 yr of age, however, a strong right-ear advantage for verbal stimuli was associated with relatively higher spatial than vocabulary ability. For these younger FD children, less marked laterally predicted higher vocabulary scores. It is hypothesized that a cortical organizational transition is occuring around 4 yr of age that this transition involves a shift from reliance on subcortical to cortical mediation, accompanied by increasing callosally mediated inhibition and integration of hemispheric function. Furthermore, there were sex differences observed in the relationship between lateral specialisation and spatial ability. As young as 2 case;1 2 yr of age, the FD boy's spatial ability scores were positively associated with having a left-ear advantage for nonverbal sound stimuli. The FD girl's spatial ability scores were not significantly related to their ear advantage scores for nonverbal sounds but were associated with their ear advantage scores for verbal stimuli. In addition, around 4 yr of age a shift was observed in the relationship between the boy's absolute laterality scores and the difference between their spatial and vocabulary ability scores which was not found for the girl's scores. It is suggested that the maturation of right hemispheric spatial mediation may be delayed or inhibited in girls.
Metalloporphyrin containing carbon paste electrodes

Abstract Iron and manganese tetraphenylporphyrin chlorides can be dissolved in 1-nonanol and mixed into a carbon paste electrode which in aqueous buffer exhibits the classic metal(III/II) cyclic voltammetry. The voltammetric formal potential shifts negatively by 60 mV/pH unit, and enhanced, electrocatalytic currents are observed in the presence of dioxygen. Analysis of the chronoamperometric behavior of porphyrin-containing carbon pastes reveals a short-time linear/semi-infinite diffusion response which at longer times shows evidence of thin film (finite diffusion) reactant depletion at the carbon paste-water interface.
DIAZEPAM IN THE PROPHYLAXIS OF LIGNOCAINE SEIZURES

SUMMARY Diazepam 0.05–0.25 mg\kg increased the dose of lignocaine required to cause seizures in Rhesus monkeys by 24–34%. Spontaneous ventilation was maintained adequately during lignocaine administration following diazepam treatment and no adverse cardiovascular effects occurred. Before the onset of lignocaine-induced seizures in non-treated animakj the unimals appeared to be drowsy. However, prior administration of diazepam masked this effect. Convulsions were controlled by smaller doses of diazepam in non-treated animals than in diazepam-treated animak Also, the animals that were pretreated with diazepam had a greater duration of depression after seizure.
Engineering cell–cell signaling

Juxtacrine cell-cell signaling mediated by the direct interaction of adjoining mammalian cells is arguably the mode of cell communication that is most recalcitrant to engineering. Overcoming this challenge is crucial for progress in biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, immune system engineering and therapeutic design. Here, we describe the significant advances that have been made in developing synthetic platforms (materials and devices) and synthetic cells (cell surface engineering and synthetic gene circuits) to modulate juxtacrine cell-cell signaling. In addition, significant progress has been made in elucidating design rules and strategies to modulate juxtacrine signaling on the basis of quantitative, engineering analysis of the mechanical and regulatory role of juxtacrine signals in the context of other cues and physical constraints in the microenvironment. These advances in engineering juxtacrine signaling lay a strong foundation for an integrative approach to utilize synthetic cells, advanced 'chassis' and predictive modeling to engineer the form and function of living tissues.
Chiral Symmetry and the Pion Mass

The realization of chiral SU(2) \ensuremath{\bigotimes} SU(2) symmetry by nonlinear field transformations is considered from the standpoint of axiomatic field theory. We show that the communication relations of chiral symmetry are incompatible with the assumption that the pion has nonzero mass.
Low yield of microbiologic studies on pleural fluid specimens.

Background It is generally recommended that pleural fluid samples from pleural effusions of unknown cause be cultured for bacteria, mycobacteria, and fungi. However, the utility of this practice has been not been adequately assessed Design Retrospective review Setting Tertiary care, referral medical center Patients Five hundred twenty-five patients undergoing diagnostic thoracentesis at Mayo Medical Center, Rochester, MN, over a 12-month period from July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2002 Interventions None Measurements and results Among 525 patients undergoing diagnostic thoracenteses, 476 patients (91%) had one or more cultures performed on their pleural fluid specimens. Thirty-nine positive results (3.0% of 1,320 cultures) occurred in 35 of these 476 patients (7.4%). After excluding likely contaminants, true pathogens were identified in only 19 of 1,320 pleural fluid cultures (1.4%) belonging to 15 patients (3.2% of those who had cultures performed on their pleural fluid specimen). These positive results included 2.3% of aerobic bacterial, 1.2% of anaerobic bacterial, 1.4% of fungal, and 0% of mycobacterial cultures. Microbiologic smears performed on these pleural fluid samples included 357 Gram stains, 109 fungal smears (potassium hydroxide), and 232 acid-fast smears with positive yields of 2.5%, 0%, and 0%, respectively. These positive findings represented 1.3% of all smears performed. Of the specimens obtained from outpatient thoracenteses, only one had a true-positive result (0.8%). Only 1.1% (four specimens) of the cultures performed on free-flowing effusions demonstrated true pathogens; three of these four specimens grew fungi Conclusions The positive yield of microbiologic smears and cultures on pleural fluid specimens is low, particularly in the outpatient setting and in patients with free-flowing effusions. Microbiologic testing of pleural fluid specimens should be ordered more selectively
Coarse-grained deltaic sedimentation in the Miocene Cuyama strike-slip basin, California Coast Ranges

Abstract The Cuyama basin, located in the southern Coast Ranges of California southwest of the San Andreas fault, developed early in the history of the San Andreas transform system. The Miocene marine basin formed in a transtensional setting along a dextral strike-slip fault of the transform system following Oligocene non-marine basin formation in an extensional setting. The lower and middle Miocene Vaqueros Formation in the northwestern part of the basin, which represents the first of two transgressive-regressive cycles, is described here in terms of nine facies in two broad facies groups. The 400-m-thick Soda Lake Shale Member (of the Vaqueros) comprises deep-basin and starved-basin facies. A thin transgressive facies occurs locally at the base of the formation. The overlying Painted Rock Sandstone Member (of the Vaqueros), which is more than 2200 m thick and consists mostly of coarse-grained sandstone and pebbly sandstone, constitutes a delta complex of prodelta, slope channel, delta front, tide-influenced distributary channel, interdistributary bay, and fluvial channel facies. The basinal depositional system consisted of turbidite mud and sand, and hemipelagic and pelagic sediments of the basinal facies deposited in a rapidly subsiding basin. The delta depositional system consisted of the delta complex facies that prograded into the deep basin and had a steep prodelta slope that extended to bathyal depths. The delta is inferred to be a mixed fluvial-wave-dominated fan delta, analogous in its delta-front morphology and processes to a fjord delta, in which coarse sediment delivered to the delta front by braided streams was transported down the prodelta slope into deep water by sediment gravity flows. Transgression and rapid deepening of the basin in the early Miocene coincided with rapid tectonic subsidence. Deepening culminated with deposition of a starved-basin facies or condensed section at the time of maximum transgression, which was followed by the beginning of a regression and basin shallowing. The overall basin history and geometry of the northwestern Cuyama basin are typical of strike-slip basins. The initial rapid subsidence to bathyal depths at rates of more than 500 m/m.y. in the early Miocene is interpreted to be a result of extension at the releasing bend of a dextral strike-slip fault.
Task parameters affecting the efficacy of a visual imagery learning strategy in younger and older children

Abstract Second- and sixth-grade children were presented a list of paired associates (concrete nouns) either at a faster (6-second) or a slower (12-second) presentation rate, under either an instruction to generate an interactive image for the pairs or a no strategy, control instruction. The list was composed of two pair types: easy-to-imaginally relate and difficult-to-imaginally relate pairs, as determined from a prior norming study. At the faster presentation rate, 2nd graders were able to benefit from the imagery strategy with easy pairs, but not with difficult pairs. At the slower rate, however, they applied the imagery strategy equally well to both pair types. Older children benefited from the imagery strategy with both pair types at both rates.
Oxygen concentration and the OER for acutely or chronically thiol deficient cells

Abstract Glutathione (GSH) is one of several intracellular hydrogen donating species thought to compete with O 2 , a damaging species, to repair radiation induced free radical damage. The O 2 K factor was determined for normal Chinese hamster V79 cells, V79 cells made acutely thiol deficient (no detectable GSH or NPSH) using the ,γ-glutamyl-cysteine synthetase enzyme inhibitor D,L-Buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine (D,L-BSO), or a human skin fibroblast cell line GM3877 which, because of the nature of its genetic defect, has chronically low levels of GSH (7% of normal skin fibroblasts). The K factors for normal V79 cells, treated with BSO or GSH deficient human fibroblasts, were 0.54, 0.15, and 0.1% O 2 , respectively. While thiol depletion affects the O 2 K factor, V79 cells without any detectable GSH were still not as sensitive as the genetically deficient line GM3877 with 7% of normal GSH values. Other factors which may influence the results are whether the GSH levels remain low or regenerate following irradiation and the intracellular distribution of GSH.
How many ways can a permutation be factored into two n-cycles?

A recursion is developed for the number ?;(P) of ways a permutation P on n symbols can be written as a product of two n-cycles. It is known that ?(P) > 0 if and only if P is an even permutation. It is shown here that ?(P)(n?1)! = ?(Q)(m?1)! if P has trivial cycles but the same nontrivial cycle structure as a permutation Q on m symbols, while 1 ? ?(P)(n?2)! ? 73 if P is even and has no trivial cycles. Additional evidence strongly suggests ?(Pn)(n?2)! ? 2/ as n ? ∞ for any sequence of even Pn on n symbols without trivial cycles. Some connections with Hamiltonian cycles in a random graph and the group structure of the symmetric group are noted.
Achieving Symptom Control in Patients with Moderate Asthma

Disease severity in asthma can be classified as mild, moderate or severe based upon the frequency of symptoms or the severity of airflow obstruction. This review will focus on the treatment of youths greater than 12 years of age and adults with moderate persistent asthma. Moderate asthmatics may have daily symptoms that cause some limitation with normal daily activities and require use of a rescue inhaled short-acting beta2-agonist inhaler or experience nocturnal awakenings secondary to asthma that occur more than once per week. Furthermore, spirometry may reveal airflow obstruction with a reduction in FEV1 to between 60% and 80% of predicted. Although inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the primary controller medication used to modify symptoms in moderate asthmatics, additional controller medications, such as inhaled long-acting beta2-agonists (LABA), leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) or theophylline, are often needed to obtain optimal disease control. While the addition of an inhaled LABA to an ICS is very effective at improving disease control in moderate asthma, concerns have arisen over the safety of LABAs, in particular the risk of asthma-related death. Therefore, consideration may be given to initially adding a LTRA, rather than a LABA, to ICS when asthma symptoms are not adequately controlled by ICS alone. Furthermore, individualization of medication regimens, treatment of co-morbid conditions, and patient education are crucial to optimizing compliance with therapy, improving disease control, and reducing the risk of exacerbations. Lastly, the development of new asthma treatments, perhaps based upon personalized medicine, may revolutionize the future treatment of moderate asthma.
Effects of ACTH on conditioned suppression: a time and strength of conditioning analysis.

Abstract The effects of ACTH injections on acquisition and retention of a conditioned-suppression response were measured as a function of the time of training and the duration of the conditioned stimulus. Rats were trained 5 a.m. ± 1 hr or 5 p.m. ± 1 hr; training consisted of a single trial in which either a 10 or 60 sec tone was followed by footshock. Retention increased following a shift in time of training from a.m. to p.m. and in tone duration from 60 to 10 sec. ACTH as Corticotrophin Gel was injected before training, before testing, or before both training and testing. The facilitory effects of the injections were selective. Retention was improved given that the injections were made before training, as opposed to before testing, and that training was conducted in the a.m. In one case, the 60 sec tone condition, the facilitory effects of the injections before training were cancelled if the animals were also injected before testing.
cDNA cloning of bovine liver dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), the initial and rate-limiting enzyme in pyrimidine catabolism, has recently been purified to homogeneity from several species. In the present study the molecular cloning of DPD with isolation of a cDNA coding for bovine liver DPD is reported using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodology. Known amino acid sequence from purified bovine DPD was used to initially design mixed oligonucleotide primers for amplification of a cDNA fragment (65 base pairs). Specific primers were subsequently designed and utilized in the amplification of the full-length cDNA (4422 base pairs). Sequence analysis demonstrated a 74 nucleotide 5′-nontranslated region, an open reading frame of 3075 bases, and a 1273 nucleotide 3′-non-translated region. Comparison of the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of Bovine DPD to Pig and Human liver DPD reveals 93 % and 92 % identity respectively.
Preliminary crystallographic data on the human lambda III Bence Jones protein dimer Cle.

Abstract A complete human λ Bence Jones protein dimer (Cle) has been isolated and crystallized. Protein Cle was characterized immunochemically and chemically as having a variable region amino acid sequence associated with light chains of the λ chain subgroup, λIII, and a constant region sequence characteristic of “non-Mcg” type λ chains. Bence Jones protein Cle contains two covalently bound intact monomers, each having a molecular weight of ~23,000. Crystals of Bence Jones protein Cle, obtained from ammonium sulfate solutions, diffract to 2.6 A resolution and have the orthorhombic space group P212121 with cell dimensions a = 113.0 A , b = 72.3 A , and c = 48.9 A . The asymmetric unit consists of a dimer with a molecular weight of ~ 46,000.
Semiconductor laser-based measurements of quench rates in an atmospheric pressure plasma by using saturated-fluorescence spectroscopy.

Plasma diagnostics based on saturated fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy with a semiconductor (diode) laser are developed to probe the 4s3P1 → 4p3D2 transition (8425 A) of argon in an atmospheric pressure plasma produced by an inductively coupled plasma torch. Spatially resolved measurements of saturation intensity, nonradiative collisional transfer (quench) rate, and fluorescence yield (Stern–Volmer factor) are inferred from variations of spectral profile characteristics (line shape, line-center value, and frequency-integrated signal) with laser intensity. The results obtained by using fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy are mutually consistent in the analytical region 10 mm above the induction coil. The measured quench rates compare favorably with computed rates from a multilevel collisional radiative model that assumes a suprathermal electron population relative to the local thermodynamic equilibrium value at the kinetic temperature.
Predation by public enterprises

Abstract This paper demonstrates that, in addition to the usual Niskanen-type losses generated by excess production by public firms, there is an unrecognized second type of loss. In order to sell their excess production, public firms have to price their output below the competitive price and thereby cause more efficient firms (at the margin) to be eliminated. The discussion is then extended to include the case where public enterprises finance additional expansions of output by price-discriminating against inframarginal customers but then face the threat of competition for these inframarginal customers from new potential entry. Public enterprises are further shown to provide more credible threats to potential entrants since, unlike private firms, they value the increased output associated with predation and not merely the higher future benefits produced by it.
Networks That Alter Teaching: conceptualizations, exchanges and experiments

Abstract ‘Professional development’ has become a password to a variety of activities ranging from self‐directed experimentation in the classroom to full‐blown research projects with peers and, occasionally, with external sources of expertise. From its initial, more restrictive and individual sense of in‐service training, it has taken on institutional, even systemic dimensions, and has been identified as a pre‐condition for thorough‐going school reform. Even in its present form, however, the concept is problematic. The claim is made here that (a) it does not take into account the more ‘artisan’ or ‘craft‐centered’ nature of work in the classroom, (b) that it is overly school‐centered, and (c) that it under‐estimates the real gradient of instructional change. A research‐based, cross‐school alternative for reflection and change is proposed, with a focus on bridging the gap between peer exchanges, the interventions of external resource people, and the greater likelihood of actual change at the classroom level.
Anticardiolipin in Porphyromonas gingivalis Antisera Causes Fetal Loss in Mice

β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI)-dependent anticardiolipin autoantibodies (aCl) are associated with thrombosis and fetal loss. Some microbial pathogens can induce pathogenic antibodies cross-reactive with β2GPI. Sera from a significant percentage of periodontitis patients contain aCl, and some periodontal pathogens contain antigens with peptide sequences having homology to β2GPI. We hypothesized that antibodies raised against P. gingivalis (aPg) contain pathogenic aCl that induce fetal resorption. We immunized mice with β2GPI, P. gingivalis W83, or an arg-gingipain-defective mutant of P. gingivalis (HF18). IgG fractions of aPg were immunoabsorbed to remove aCl-like antibodies (abs-aPg). IgG fractions were administered intravenously into tail veins of mated BALB/c females at day 0 of pregnancy. At day 15, the proportions of fetal resorptions were evaluated. The prevalence of fetal loss was significantly greater in the aPg group than in the control IgG group (21.2% vs. 5.3%, p = .001), and greater in the aPg group than in the abs-aPg group (21.2% vs. 12%, p < .05). There were no fetal resorptions observed in the aPgHF18 group (p = .0005 compared with aPg, p = .17 compared with control). aPg antibody contains activity consistent with pathogenic aCl, and the antigen inducing the antibodies that cause increased fetal loss may be on the arg-gingipain protease of P. gingivalis.
Effects of primary care coordination on public hospital patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of primary care coordination on utilization rates and satisfaction with care among public hospital patients. DESIGN: Prospective randomized gatekeeper intervention, with 1-year follow-up. SETTING: The Adult General Medical Clinic at San Francisco General Hospital, a university-affiliated public hospital. PATIENTS: We studied 2,293 established patients of 28 primary care physicians. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomized based on their primary care physician’s main clinic day. The 1,121 patients in the intervention group (Ambulatory Patient-Physician Relationship Organized to Achieve Coordinated Healthcare [APPROACH] group) required primary care physician approval to receive specialty and emergency department (ED) services; 1,172 patients in the control group did not. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Changes in outpatient, ED, and inpatient utilization were measured for APPROACH and control groups over the 1-year observation period, and the differences in the changes between groups were calculated to estimate the effect of the intervention. Acceptability of the gatekeeping model was determined via patient satisfaction surveys. RESULTS: Over the 1-year observation period, APPROACH patients decreased their specialty use by 0.57 visits per year more than control patients did (P=.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] −1.05 to −0.01). While APPROACH patients increased their primary care use by 0.27 visits per year more than control patients, this difference was not statistically significant (P=.14; 95% CI, −0.11 to 0.66). Changes in lowacuity ED care were similar between the two groups (0.06 visits per year more in APPROACH group than control group, P=.42; 95% CI, −0.09 to 0.22). APPROACH patients decreased yearly hospitalizations by 0.14 visits per year more than control patients (P=.02; 95% CI, −0.26 to −0.03). Changes in patient satisfaction with care, perceived access to specialists, and use of out-of-network services between the 2 groups were similar. CONCLUSIONS: A primary care model of health delivery in a public hospital that utilized a gatekeeping strategy decreased outpatient specialty and hospitalization rates and was acceptable to patients.
Neurotoxicity of methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Amphetamines are a class of psychostimulant drugs that are widely abused for their stimulant, euphoric, empathogenic and hallucinogenic properties. Many of these effects result from acute increases in dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission. Subsequent to these acute effects, methamphetamine and 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) produce persistent damage to dopamine and serotonin nerve terminals. This review summarizes the numerous interdependent mechanisms including excitotoxicity, mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress that have been demonstrated to contribute to this damage. Emerging non-neuronal mechanisms by which the drugs may contribute to monoaminergic terminal damage, as well as the neuropsychiatric consequences of this terminal damage are also presented. Methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) have similar chemical structures and pharmacologic properties compared to other abused substances including cathinone (khat), as well as a relatively new class of novel synthetic amphetamines known as 'bath salts' that have gained popularity among drug abusers.