cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Native top-down mass spectrometry provides insights into the copper centers of membrane-bound methane monooxygenase.

Aerobic methane oxidation is catalyzed by particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), a copper-dependent, membrane metalloenzyme composed of subunits PmoA, PmoB, and PmoC. Characterization of the copper active site has been limited by challenges in spectroscopic analysis stemming from the presence of multiple copper binding sites, effects of detergent solubilization on activity and crystal structures, and the lack of a heterologous expression system. Here we utilize nanodiscs coupled with native top-down mass spectrometry (nTDMS) to determine the copper stoichiometry in each pMMO subunit and to detect post-translational modifications (PTMs). These results indicate the presence of a mononuclear copper center in both PmoB and PmoC. pMMO-nanodisc complexes with a higher stoichiometry of copper-bound PmoC exhibit increased activity, suggesting that the PmoC copper site plays a role in methane oxidation activity. These results provide key insights into the pMMO copper centers and demonstrate the ability of nTDMS to characterize complex membrane-bound metalloenzymes. The activity of the membrane-bound enzyme pMMO depends on copper but the location of the copper centers is still under debate. Here, the authors reconstitute pMMO in nanodiscs and use native top-down MS to localize its copper centers, providing insights into which sites are essential for activity.
T Cell Inhibitors

T cells are intimately involved in noninfectious autoimmune uveitis, and their inhibition has been shown in both experimental models and human disease to be beneficial in controlling ocular inflammation. Two categories of T cell inhibitors exist, the calcineurin inhibitors, consisting of cyclosporine and tacrolimus, and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors, consisting of sirolimus (also known as rapamycin) and everolimus. All are available as oral formulations, and, in addition, sirolimus is under study as a locally administered agent. All four compounds are metabolized by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system and therefore have the potential for significant drug-drug interactions. In addition, sometimes serious side effects can develop, including systemic hypertension and nephrotoxicity that require tight monitoring. Despite these limitations, the T cell inhibitors provide a useful addition to the uveitis treatment armamentarium.
Changes in Utilization of Generic Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Following Product Recalls in the United States.

This pharmacoepidemiology study uses claims data to characterize angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) prescription trends to evaluate whether recalls of ARBs prompted by discovery of potentially carcinogenic impurities shifted utilization of ARBs individually and as a drug class.
A Multi-Modality Treatment of Retroperitoneal De-Differentiated Liposarcoma

BACKGROUND Retroperitoneal sarcomas are rare tumors, only affecting 2 to 5 people per million population and accounting for 0.1% of all malignancies. Liposarcoma is the most common of all retroperitoneal sarcomas, responsible for approximately 20% of all sarcomas in adults. The most important prognostic factors are tumor grade, the presence of positive margins, tumor integrity, and degree of resection. CASE REPORT Our patient was a 73-year-old man with abdominal pain whose CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated a 15×15 cm heterogeneous, left-sided intra-abdominal mass. He underwent resection of the retroperitoneal tumor, left colectomy, and left nephrectomy. Final pathology demonstrated a high-grade, de-differentiated liposarcoma with a rhabdosarcomatous component. The postoperative course was complicated by a small intra-abdominal abscess and abdominal dehiscence. a CT scan after surgery showed a residual tumor of the retroperitoneal posterior margin. Re-exploration to resect the residual tumor and repair the fascial dehiscence were performed. The patient underwent an initial chemotherapy regimen with doxorubicin, then moved to targeted therapy with Palbociclib, and is now on chemotherapy using Eribulin. CONCLUSIONS Achieving complete resection and the grade of the tumor at diagnosis are the 2 most important prognostic factors for patient survival in retroperitoneal liposarcoma, as survival rates are inversely proportional to the grade of the tumor. Even with the best resection attempts, there is always a risk of residual tumor cells within the tumor bed, which contribute to recurrence and need for additional surgical interventions. It is important to approach this disease process with a multidisciplinary team that includes surgical, medical, and radiation oncology to ensure the best survival outcomes. Retroperitoneal sarcoma recurrence and survival are directly related to the ability to achieve negative margins of resection, as well as the grade and size of the primary tumor. Adjuvant therapies that include radiation and immunotherapy may be effective in treating recurrent disease.
Preliminary Assessment of an Optical Flow Method (OFM) for Nonrigid Registration and Temporal Subtraction (TS) of Serial CT Examinations to Facilitate Evaluation of Interval Change in Metastatic Lung Nodules.

Abstract Rationale and Objectives Accurate assessment of size change of lung nodules on chest computed tomography (CT) is important for diagnosis and response assessment. However, manual methods are time-consuming and error-prone. We therefore assessed whether an optical flow method (OFM) with temporal subtraction (TS) can facilitate detection and quantification of lung nodule change on serial CT datasets. Materials and Methods Serial chest CT examinations were selected from 12 patients with multiple pulmonary metastases. Lung nodules were evaluated for change in size using: (1) OFM with TS and (2) reference standard visual and manual assessment. Average time required to assess interval change using both methods was recorded and compared. Concordance of agreement between OFM with TS and reference standard assessment for nodule change was examined. Results 285 solid pulmonary nodules were evaluated. The average time per nodule to assess interval change in nodule size by OFM with TS (mean 1.15 + 0.5 minutes) was significantly less (P = 0.02) than that the reference standard approach (mean 1.56 + 0.5 minutes). Agreement between OFM with TS and reference standard occurred for 63.2% of nodules overall (kappa = 0.50, standard error 0.35, P 20 mm, P Conclusions This preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of an OFM with TS to assess for interval change in metastatic lung nodules on serial CT examinations with significantly improved reading speed and moderate agreement relative to reference standard assessment. Agreement improved with larger nodule size.
Non-coding RNAs regulation of macrophage polarization in cancer

Noncoding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts that did not code proteins but regulate their functions were extensively studied for the last two decades and the plethora of discoveries have instigated scientists to investigate their dynamic roles in several diseases especially in cancer. However, there is much more to learn about the role of ncRNAs as drivers of malignant cell evolution in relation to macrophage polarization in the tumor microenvironment. At the initial stage of tumor development, macrophages have an important role in directing Go/No-go decisions to the promotion of tumor growth, immunosuppression, and angiogenesis. Tumor-associated macrophages behave differently as they are predominantly induced to be polarized into M2, a pro-tumorigenic type when recruited with the tumor tissue and thereby favoring the tumorigenesis. Polarization of macrophages into M1 or M2 subtypes plays a vital role in regulating tumor progression, metastasis, and clinical outcome, highlighting the importance of studying the factors driving this process. A substantial number of studies have demonstrated that ncRNAs are involved in the macrophage polarization based on their ability to drive M1 or M2 polarization and in this review we have described their functions and categorized them into oncogenes, tumor suppressors, Juggling tumor suppressors, and Juggling oncogenes.
LSTM Based Quantile Regression Method for Holiday Load Forecasting

Holiday load forecasting is a tough part of load forecasting, since it’s related to complicated factors, including holiday policy and custom activities. Typical short-term prediction methods can’t achieve satisfactory results due to lack of historical data and flexible holiday arrangements. This study proposes a LSTM based quantile regression method for holiday load forecasting. The holidays are classified into three groups according to their day-to-day variation characteristic and different similar day selection scheme is presented for each group. Based on “the closer the larger” principle, Quantile Regression is applied to combine LSTM networks with different time correlations. Adam stochastic gradient descent method is also introduced to optimize the parameters of the LSTM networks under different quantile conditions. Analysis of practical systems shows that the proposed method can cover the actual value more accurately and has certain reference value in engineering application.
Towards a trustworthy RFID system - from a security perspective

This paper presents a comprehensive, layered framework for a trustworthy radio frequency identification (RFID) system, which has been applied in various fields such as supply chain management, inventory tracking, healthcare, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, library, agriculture, payment and asset management. RFID provides real-time data and analytics, which allow organisations to have more accurate information at all time for improved decision making. Our proposed framework addresses technical challenges of building trustworthy RFID systems given the resource-constricted RFID components as well as high mobility and sensitivity of RFID devices. The framework offers the following merits: 1) it can be used in vastly distributed environment to support large scope RFID-enabled business processes; 2) it is appropriate for resource-restricted RFID system components; 3) it provides users with the most trustworthy information about RFID tagged items despite malicious attacks; 4) it can tolerate attacks at RFID system level and higher-application level.
TRIPS Meets Big Data

The WTO has begun its work on the interface between Big Data and trade law, including the TRIPS Agreement. After defining Big Data, this paper explores how TRIPS and especially the copyright section might apply. It also discusses briefly the EU database right and then considers how an exception for Text and Data Mining (TDM) might be analyzed under TRIPS and the three-step test.
75 Years of Astonishing Evolution of IT: 1946–2021

In 1946, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) established a Committee on Large-Scale Computing. In 1951, the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) established a Professional Group on Electronic Computers. In 1963, these societies merged to form the IEEE, and they combined their computing activities into a Computer Group. Finally, in 1970, the Computer Group became the Computer Society. In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the IEEE's computing activities, this article will highlight 75 Years of information technology (IT) by calling out mileposts every 25 (or so) years along the ever-changing journey of IT and the Computer Society (see Table 1). To begin, I will look ten years earlier (1936) at the creation of computer theory. Then, the first 25 years will focus on the creation of computers (1946), the next 25 years on the extraordinary development of computers (1971), and the recent 25 years on computer networking (1996). It will be seen that almost all of the enabling hardware was developed by and for the telephone system, but, not surprisingly, the software was developed for computers. Finally, I will predict that the next 25 years starting now in 2021 will focus on artificial intelligence and data.
Impact of High-Deductible Health Plans on Emergency Department Patients With Nonspecific Chest Pain and Their Subsequent Care.

Background: Timely evaluation of acute chest pain is necessary, although most evaluations will not find significant coronary disease. With employers increasingly adopting high-deductible health pla...
The Liability of Gender: Examining Investment Gaps in Male- and Female-led nascent social ventures

While most empirical evidence suggests that male-led ventures raise more financing than female-led ventures due to investor biases, these studies primarily focus on commercially-oriented ventures s...
The Window Test: a simple bedside method to detect radial deviation of the wrist commonly seen in posterior interosseous nerve palsy.

Abstract Background Posterior interosseous nerve palsy (PINP) is a disorder caused by damage to the posterior interosseous nerve, resulting in weak extension of the wrist and fingers as well as radial deviation of the wrist. Methods: In this study, a new type of evaluation for PINP was analyzed in hopes of increasing ease of diagnosis and earlier detection of the disorder. The “Window Test” is performed by the examiner laying hands on the ulnar aspect of the patient’s pronated forearm while the latter is trying to extend the wrist. A positive test is observed when a gap (window) appears between the examiner’s forearm and the patient’s hand. Lay people, medical students, residents, and practicing providers were assessed prospectively on their ability to correctly diagnose PINP by observing one hand, both hands, and by using the Window Test. Results: The Window Test was consistently found to be the most effective method of evaluation as it increased the accuracy of diagnoses in all groups surveyed. Additionally, case studies were performed using the Window Test on patients, further demonstrating the efficacy of the test by confirming wrist radial deviation. Conclusion: The Window Test introduces a reference frame, making it easier to assess wrist radial deviation and offering a simple evaluation that can be administered by virtually anyone. These findings indicate that the implementation of the Window Test will increase the accuracy and effectiveness of PINP diagnosis, thus allowing early diagnosis and better management.
Identification of Regions Within a Robotic Manipulator Work Envelope Which Minimize Tracking Error

In current robot path planning strategies, the user specifies a path in space and a velocity profile along the path, but there is no specification of the acceptable deviation of the hand from the preplanned path. This deviation may be very large due to high accelerations that are encountered at certain areas within the work envelope, such as regions near the singular points of the manipulator. The study of robot joint synchronization leads to the determination of these areas. The proposed method will construct regions within the work envelope which will satisfy an error criteria on the path. These regions will be a function of the path velocity.
Time-limited support groups for individuals with early stage dementia and their care partners

Abstract With the advent of sensitive diagnostic procedures, Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias are being diagnosed in their earliest stages. Although early diagnosis provides opportunities for treatment, decision making, and planning, it also conveys some potentially negative consequences, including affective and interpersonal changes. Early-stage support groups for individuals with dementia and their caregivers have been developed to help individuals and their families cope with the psychological and social changes that the diagnosis brings. Although early studies provide anecdotal and qualitative support for the benefits of such groups, there have been few empirically based investigations of their efficacy. This article describes an ongoing randomized controlled clinical trial comparing early stage support groups with a wait-list control condition, and provides preliminary outcome data for participants and their family care partners. Results to date indicate improved quality of life and de...
One Small Step for a Diagram, One Giant Leap for Meaning

Concept-Mapping was used to create models of the knowledge of expert weather forecasters. STORM-LK (System To Organize Representations in Meteorology-Local Knowledge) demonstrates the use of CMap diagrams to generate large-scale multi-media knowledge models. This merger of interactive graphical communication with knowledge management provides a counterpoint for discussion of logical and psychological issues in diagrammatic reasoning.
The genome generator: simulating the development of junk DNA

The authors extend the work of Loomis and Gilpin, as reported in [12], to further explore the effects of arbitrary insertions, deletions, and reversals on the development of vestigial sequences, otherwise known as "junk DNA," within genomes. In addition to its utility as a research aid, the Genome Generator has proven to be a valuable pedagogical aid for undergraduate courses in biology, bioinformatics, and computer science. Indeed, the fundamental ideas behind this tool are so simple that we have used it successfully in short workshops for visiting high schoolstudents. The authors believe that others will also find the Genome Generator to be a useful teaching tool.
Assessment and Modification of Cognitive Distortions in Sex Offenders

Sexual aggression against children and adults is being recognized both by professionals and by the public as a significant problem for society (Badgley, 1984; Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987; Russell, 1982). In an attempt to address the problem, there have been attempts to more fully understand the individuals who perpetuate such abuse and to determine relevant target areas for treatment. This literature has produced numerous descriptive studies, personality assessment studies, and classification systems which have been well-reviewed previously (Knight, Rosenberg, & Schneider, 1985; Levin & Stava, 1987; Murphy & Stalgaitis, 1987; Prentky, Cohen, & Seghorn, 1985; Quinsey, 1984, 1986). All of these approaches provide some understanding of sex offenders, although they do not always clearly translate into specific treatment programs.
Space-time turbo codes: decorrelation properties and performance analysis for fading channels

This paper studies the decorrelation property of the constituent codes in space-time turbo codes (STTCs), where different constituent codes are transmitted over different antennas. We show that the time correlation between constituent codes falls of with respect to STTC block length N as 1//spl radic/N for large N, and hence goes to zero as N/spl rarr//spl infin/. We then use this result to obtain analytical expressions for the frame error rate (FER) of STTCs in flat fading. The decorrelation property of STTCs helps explain the exceptional performance of STTCs on slowly varying flat fading channels.
Toward optimizing latency under throughput constraints for application workflows on clusters

In many application domains, it is desirable to meet some user-defined performance requirement while minimizing resource usage and optimizing additional performance parameters. For example, application workflows with real-time constraints may have strict throughput requirements and desire a low latency or response-time. The structure of these workflows can be represented as directed acyclic graphs of coarse-grained application tasks with data dependences. In this paper, we develop a novel mapping and scheduling algorithm that minimizes the latency of workflows that act on a stream of input data, while satisfying throughput requirements. The algorithm employs pipelined parallelism and intelligent clustering and replication of tasks to meet throughput requirements. Latency is minimized by exploiting task parallelism and reducing communication overheads. Evaluation using synthetic benchmarks and application task graphs shows that our algorithm 1) consistently meets throughput requirements even when other existing schemes fail, 2) produces lower-latency schedules, and 3) results in lesser resource usage.
Promoter-proximal poly(A) sites are processed efficiently, but the RNA products are unstable in the nucleus.

The presence of two polyadenylation signals in the primary transcript of the human immunodeficiency virus type1(HIV-1)provirusleadstoarequirementforregulationof3*-endprocessing.Toensurethatviralgenome replication and gene expression occur, polyadenylation must occur at the poly(A) site transcribed from the 3* long terminal repeat (LTR) but not the 5* LTR. Models that have been proposed to explain this regulation include (i) inhibition of the 5*site as a result of proximity to the promoter and (ii) enhancement of the 3*site by U3 sequences that are transcribed upstream of only the 3* poly(A) site. In previous studies designed to investigate these models, a reduction in the levels of steady-state RNA was observed when the HIV-1 poly(A) site was placed within 500 nucleotides of the cap site. Although thesefindings were interpreted to be the result of promoter proximity effects on 3*-end processing, in vitro studies demonstrated that the HIV-1 poly(A) site wasequallyfunctionalinpromoter-proximalandpromoter-distalpositions.Theseresultsledtothehypothesis that, in vivo, the poly(A) site is fully active at this close distance but the short transcripts produced are highly unstable in the nucleus and undergo rapid degradation, precluding their appearance as abundant mRNAs in the steady-state pool. To investigate the biogenesis of these short RNAs in vivo, experiments were performed to examine directly the nuclear processing rates of the HIV-1 poly(A) site in intact cells. By using recombinant adenoviruses as expression vectors, it is now demonstrated conclusively that the HIV-1 poly(A) site is indeed processed at equivalent levels independent of its distance from the promoter. Although transcripts containing the promoter-proximal poly(A) site are processed efficiently, most undergo degradation in the nucleus instead of nucleocytoplasmic transport.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: a review of treatment options

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe cutaneous reactions that are medication-induced in most instances. While the clinical manifestations of SJS and TEN are well-defined, the optimal treatment for these disorders is not. Case reports have shown benefit with the use of a variety of agents including tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors and cyclophosphamide, whereas thalidomide was associated with an increased mortality. Plasmapheresis and cyclosporine have also demonstrated efficacy anecdotally, albeit with an even smaller number of cases in the literature. Most of the reporting has focused on the use of systemic corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for these severe reactions. The majority of studies analyzing the use of IVIG in the treatment of SJS/TEN show a benefit, though more recent series cast doubt upon this conclusion. The results of these studies are summarized in this present review study.
Human thymic epithelial cells: adhesion molecules and cytokine production.

The ability to culture human thymic epithelial cells has greatly facilitated studies of direct cell-cell interaction between thymic epithelial cells and T lymphocytes in vitro, as well as cytokine production and regulation of cytokine production. In vitro, human thymic epithelial cells bind to T lymphocytes via two adhesion pathways: CD2-lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3 and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1-intercellular adhesion molecule-1. Cultured human thymic epithelial cells produce interleukins-1α, −1β, −3, −6 and −8, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, leukemia inhibitory factor and transforming growth factor-α. Production of thymic epithelial cell-drived cytokines is regulated by both adhesion molecules (lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3) and soluble factors via both autocrine (interleukin-1α, transforming growth factor-α) and paracrine (interleukin-4, interferon-γ) pathways. Transforming growth factor-α and epidermal growth factor regulate various cytokine mRNA at a post-transcriptional level by increasing cytokine mRNA stability.
Distributed Activation Energy Model of Heterogeneous Coal Ignition

We present a model that simulates the conventional tube-furnace experiment used for ignition studies. The Distributed Activation Energy Model of Ignition accounts for particle-to-particle variations in reactivity by having a single preexponential factor and a Gaussian distribution of activation energies among the particles. The results show that the model captures the key experimental observations, namely, the linear increase in ignition frequency with increasing gas temperature and the variation of the slope of the ignition frequency with oxygen concentration. The article also shows that adjustments to the model parameters permit a good fit with experimental data.
An in vitro approach to the study of macula densa-mediated glomerular hemodynamics

Tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF), which operates between the tubule and the parent glomerulus, is important to renal autoregulation and homeostasis of body fluid and electrolytes [1, 2]. Since the juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA) displays an intimate anatomical relationship between the specialized tubular epithelial cells (macula densa) and the vasculature (afferent and efferent arterioles), it has long been suggested as the anatomical site of TGF [3]. However, attempts to obtain direct evidence to support this have been hindered by the anatomical complexity of the JGA. Since the JGA is located beneath the tubular layer at some distance from the surface of the kidney, the macula densa is not accessible to direct micropuncture in vivo, nor is direct observation of the vascular pole possible. To circumvent these limitations of the in vivo approach, we have developed an in vitro preparation in which both the afferent arteriole and the macula densa of a microdissected rabbit JGA are microperfused simultaneously. This allows us to study the JGA directly without being influenced by systemic hemodynamic and hormonal factors; moreover, real-time images of the afferent arteriole can be continuously monitored and recorded. Unlike other preparations, there are only a few structures to interfere with direct observation of the vascular pole, permitting accurate measurement of the luminal diameter of the arterioles even in segments which are overlapped by the glomerulus. Using this preparation, we have observed that increasing the NaCl concentration of the macula densa perfusate constricts the afferent arteriole in the segment close to the glomerulus, and that this constriction is abolished by furosemide, a loop diuretic known to inhibit TGF.
Diffraction pattern and structure of amorphous and crystalline regions in semicrystalline nylon 6.6

Abstract X-ray diffraction data on two nylon 6.6 samples of different crystallinity are analysed to yield separate scattering functions for the amorphous and crystalline regions. The amorphous pattern is found to be quite different from the smooth background usually assumed in the determination of polymer crystallinity. Radial distribution functions derived from the data are qualitatively different beyond the nearest neighbour distance regions. The curves for the crystalline regions show discrete distance distributions to very large separations. In contrast, the positional correlation between atom pairs in the amorphous regions are short-range and much less well defined, and the degree of hydrogen bonding in the amorphous regions appears to be lower than in the crystalline regions.
Weapons of bewilderment

One World or None: A History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement. Vol. 1 — The Struggle Against the Bomb. By Lawrence S. Wittner. Stanford University Press: 1993. Pp. 456. $24.95.
Flow cytometric analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid in human granulosa cells as a function of chronological age and ovulation induction regimen.

We examined whether the proliferative index of granulosa cells as determined by flow cytometry varied with a women's age or ovulation induction regimen that included leuprolide acetate (LA). This prospective cohort study included three groups of patients undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. Group I consisted of 9 women age less than or equal to 30 yr, who received LA plus human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG). Group II included 9 women age more than or equal to 40 yr, who received LA plus hMG. Group III consisted of 6 women age less than or equal to 30 yr who received hMG alone. A total of 79 preovulatory follicles containing greater than 10(4) granulosa cells were obtained from these 24 women and examined by flow cytometry. Group I was compared to group II to match for ovulation induction regimen and to examine proliferative index as a function of age. Group I was compared to group III to match for age and to examine proliferative index as a function of ovulation induction regimen. Outcome measur...
The adaptor protein of the anaphase promoting complex Cdh1 is essential in maintaining replicative lifespan and in learning and memory

Cellular progression through mitosis is largely controlled by the APC-Cdh1 complex. Zhang and colleagues report that, when the Cdh1 gene is disrupted, cells undergo premature p16-dependent senescence, and that Cdh1-deficient mice show impairment of hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. The anaphase promoting complex (APC) or cyclosome is a multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase. Cdc20 (fizzy (fzy)) or p55CDC, and Cdh1 (Hct1, srw1 or fizzy-related 1 (fzr1)) encode two adaptor proteins that bring substrates to the APC. Both APC–Cdc20 and APC–Cdh1 have been implicated in the control of mitosis through mediating ubiquitination of mitotic regulators, such as cyclin B1 and securin. However, the importance of Cdh1 function in vivo and whether its function is redundant with that of Cdc20 are unclear. Here we have analysed mice lacking Cdh1. We show that Cdh1 is essential for placental development and that its deficiency causes early lethality. Cdh1-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) entered replicative senescence prematurely because of stabilization of Ets2 and subsequent activation of p16Ink4a expression. These results have uncovered an unexpected role of the APC in maintaining replicative lifespan of MEFs. Further, Cdh1 heterozygous mice show defects in late-phase long-term potentiation (L-LTP) in the hippocampus and are deficient in contextual fear-conditioning, suggesting that Cdh1 has a role in learning and memory.
The role of disability self-concept in adaptation to congenital or acquired disability.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE Current theories of adaptation to disability do not address differences in adaptation to congenital or acquired disability. Although people with congenital disabilities are generally assumed to be better adapted than people with acquired disabilities, few studies have tested this, and even fewer have attempted to explain the mechanisms behind these differences. This study tested the proposition that whether a disability is congenital or acquired plays an important role in the development of the disability self-concept (consisting of disability identity and disability self-efficacy), which in turn, affects satisfaction with life. It was predicted that disability self-concept would be better developed among people with congenital, compared with acquired disabilities, predicting greater satisfaction with life in those with acquired conditions. RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN 226 participants with congenital and acquired mobility disabilities completed a cross-sectional online questionnaire measuring satisfaction with life, self-esteem, disability identity, disability self-efficacy, and demographic information. RESULTS Self-esteem, disability identity, disability self-efficacy, and income were significant predictors of satisfaction with life. Congenital onset predicted higher satisfaction with life; disability identity and disability self-efficacy, but not self-esteem, partially mediated the relationship. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS Findings highlight the distinction between adaptation to congenital versus acquired disability and the importance of disability self-concept, which are underresearched constructs. Results suggest that rather than attempting to "normalize" individuals with disabilities, health care professionals should foster their disability self-concept. Possible ways to improve disability self-concept are discussed, such as involvement in the disability community and disability pride.
Adsorption, ordering, and chemistry of nitrobenzene on Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1

Abstract Surface chemistry of nitrobenzene on Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1 has been investigated using multiple internal reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (MIR-FTIR), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and thermal desorption mass spectrometry. Molecular adsorption of nitrobenzene at submonolayer coverages is dominating at cryogenic temperatures (100 K). As the surface temperature is increased to 160 K, chemical reaction involving nitro group occurs, while the phenyl entity remains intact. Thus, a barrier of approximately 40.8 kJ/mol is established for the interaction of the nitro group of nitrobenzene with the Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1 surface. Further annealing of the silicon surface leads to the decomposition of nitrobenzene. The concentration of nitrogen and oxygen remains constant on a surface within the temperature interval studied here. AES studies also suggest that the majority of carbon-containing products remain bound to the surface at temperatures as high as 1000 K. The only chemical reaction leading to the release of the gaseous products is benzene formation around 670 K. The amount of benzene accounts only for a few percent of the surface species, while the rest of the phenyl groups connected to the silicon surface via a nitrogen linker remain stable even at elevated temperatures, opening an opportunity for stable surface coatings.
Chemical shift sums

Abstract Graph theoretical schemes have been found useful in systematic searches for regularities in available molecular data. In particular, enumeration of paths of different lengths provides a basis for characterization of atomic environments in a molecule as well as the molecule as a whole. Various thermodynamic properties have been reported in the literature as showing regularities in trends when one orders structures on a coordinate grid using paths of length 2 and paths of length 3 alone. Here it is shown that simple sums of carbon-13 chemical shifts in alkanes show the same topological regularity, and can be viewed as legitimate molecular quantities which reflect some salient structural features. Such additional information, easily derived from available NMR spectra, may assist one in locating missing chemical shifts, in checking assignment, or in making structural deductions—provided that the preliminary finding for alkanes proves more general.
Masticatory biomechanics and its relevance to early hominid phylogeny: An examination of palatal thickness using finite-element analysis

Abstract It has been proposed that morphological characters functionally related to mastication may be unreliable indicators of early hominid phylogeny. One hypothesis states that masticatory characters are highly prone to homoplasy. A second hypothesis states that such characters are likely to be morphologically integrated and thus violate the assumption of character independence implicit in all phylogenetic analyses. Evaluation of these hypotheses requires that masticatory features be accurately identified, but, to date, there have been relatively few attempts to test precisely which early hominid features are functionally related to chewing. This paper uses finite-element analysis to evaluate the functional relationships of a character—palatal thickness—that is one of several Paranthropus synapomorphies putatively related to mastication. A finite-element model of 145,680 elements was created from sixty-one 2-mm-thick CT scans of a Macaca fascicularis skull. The model was assigned the elastic properties of facial bone and loaded with muscle forces corresponding to the moment of centric occlusion during mastication. The model was constrained so as to produce a reaction force (corresponding to the bite force) at M1. With a few exceptions, the strain patterns in the finite-element model compare well with those gathered from published and unpublished bone-strain experiments. The model was then modified to have a thick palate. The model was reloaded using an identical loading regime, and the strain patterns of the original and thick-palate models were compared. Although a thickened palate acts to reduce palatal strain, strains are elevated in other facial regions. This suggests that a thick palate would not have evolved in isolation as an adaptation to withstand masticatory stress. Rather, a thick palate may have evolved in concert with a suite of other facial features that share a stress-resistance function. This appears to be consistent with hypotheses positing that at least some facial features related to chewing evolved in an integrated fashion. More functional studies of other facial features are needed, as are formal studies of morphological integration.
Critical Scattering in a Field and Below T c

Series expansions for spin-spin correlations of simple-cubic, bcc, and square lattice Ising ferromagnets for general field and temperature have been analyzed. To within the attainable precision (of \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1 to \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 5%) the exponents ${\ensuremath{\nu}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\nu}}^{c}$ are consistent with scaling predictions. Deviations of the scattering from Ornstein-Zernike forms are significantly larger quantitatively than above ${T}_{c}$; the second-moment correlation lengths verify $\frac{{{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{1}}^{+}}{{{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{1}}^{\ensuremath{-}}(T)}=1.96\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03$ as $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{{T}_{c}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$.
Criteria and metrics for thresholded AU detection

Implementing a computerized facial expression analysis system for automatic coding requires that a threshold for the system's classifier outputs be selected. However, there are many potential ways to select a threshold. How do different criteria and metrics compare?
Enhancement of Radiative Efficiency of Nitride-Based LEDs via Staggered InGaN Quantum Wells Emitting at 420-500 nm

Polarization band engineering via staggered InGaN quantum well allows enhancement of radiative recombination rate, leading to significant improvement of luminescence and LEDs output power by > ~4 times.
Fate of new neurons in adult canary high vocal center during the first 30 days after their formation.

Projection neurons are added to the high vocal center (HVC) of adult songbirds. Here we report on events associated with their initial arrival in HVC. Neurons formed in adult canaries were labeled with [3H]-thymidine and examined 8, 15, 22, and 31 days later. By 8 days, some [3H]-labeled cells with the nuclear profile of postmigratory neurons were already present in HVC but could not be retrogradely labeled by Fluoro-Gold injections in the robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA); 7 days later, a few such cells could be backfilled from RA. Thus, new neurons may arrive in HVC as much as 1 week prior to establishing connections with RA. By 31 days, 43% of the [3H]-labeled neurons could be backfilled from RA. In no case were new neurons backfilled by tracer injections into Area X, suggesting that newly formed HVC cells do not establish a transient connection with this region. At all survival times, the somata of new neurons were often clustered tightly together with other HVC neurons that differed in age and projection. Between days 15 and 25 after their birth, half of the new HVC neurons disappeared. We conclude: (1) that neurons arrive in HVC earlier than previously thought, (2) that soon after their arrival they become part of cell clusters in HVC, and (3) that in addition to the previously described death of new neurons that occurs over a period of months, there is an early wave of death that occurs soon after new neurons adopt a postmigratory phenotype. J. Comp. Neurol. 411:487–494, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Interaction of the pesticide chlordimeform with adrenergic receptors in mouse brain: an in vitro study.

Chlordimeform (N'(4-chloro-o-tolyl)-N, N-dimethylformamidine; CDM) is a formamidine insecticide/acaricide whose major active metabolite is its N-monomethyl analog, desmethylchlordimeform, (DCDM). While their pesticidal action in invertebrates appears to be related to activation of octopamine receptors, their mechanism of action in mammals has not been established. Because of similarities between octopamine and adrenergic receptors and suggestions of CDM and DCDM action on adrenoceptors, the in vitro interactions of CDM and DCDM with adrenoceptors were studied. In mouse brain membrane preparations CDM inhibited the binding of [3H]-clonidine to alpha2- adrenoceptors and of [3H]-WB4101 to alpha1-adrenoceptors with IC50 values of 18.2 and 87 μM, respectively. DCDM was a much more potent inhibitor, with IC50 values toward alpha2−, and alpha1-adrenoceptors of 44 nM and 1 μM, respectively. Both compounds were only weak inhibitors of the binding of [3H]-dihydroalprenolol to beta-adrenoceptors and of [3H]-quinuclidinyl benzilate to muscarinic receptors and were inactive toward benzodiazepines and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptors. Inhibition of [3H]-clonidine binding by both compounds was competitive, as indicated by a decreased receptor affinity without changes in receptor density. Interaction of CDM and DCDM with [3H]-WB4101 binding, on the other hand, was more complex, and not of the competitive type. These results show that CDM and its metabolite DCDM can interact directly in vitro with alpha-adrenergic receptors, suggesting that these receptors could mediate some of the effects of CDM and DCDM in vivo.
Voters, Information Heterogeneity, and the Dynamics of Aggregate Economic Expectations

Theory: It is argued here that previous studies analyzing the formation of voters' economic expectations overlook important subtleties found in a differentiated (heterogeneous) electorate. Since different segments of the electorate possess varying information capabilities, it is asserted that they will form their prospective economic evaluations differently from one another. Hypotheses: The impact of "expectational" electoral cycles, news coverage of the economy reported by voters, retrospective economic evaluations, and personal financial expectations are hypothesized to have a differential impact on their economic expectations based on varying levels of information (education) among subsets of the electorate. Methods: Time series multiple regression analysis is conducted for the monthly period between January 1978 and December 1990. The empirical analysis involves testing for the properties of the statistical time series (i.e., integration and cointegration) as well as specification of an error correction mechanism (ECM) that captures long-run statistical relationships in appropriate circumstances. Results: These findings uncover electoral heterogeneity (based on information/education differences) with respect to voters' prospective economic evaluations. Specifically, the information capabilities of voters is inversely related to their reliance on past/retrospective sources of information when forming both egocentric and sociotropic economic expectations. The main implication of this research is that the assumption of electoral homogeneity contained in previous longitudinal analyses of aggregate economic opinion formation provides misleading results that either overlook intra-electoral variations, introduce aggregation bias, or possibly both.
Biography of Josef Warkany

Josef Warkany was born in Vienna, Austria, March 25, 1902. He received his formal education in Vienna, graduating from the medical school of the University of Vienna in January 1926, with the MD degree. He interned at the University Pediatric Clinic from 1926 to 1927. At that time, Professor Pirquet was the director of the program. From 1927 to 1931, he was Assistant Reichsanstalt for Mothers and Children in Vienna. He came to this country in 1931 to the city of Cincinnati as an appointee at the new Children's Hospital Research Foundation. He has remained at that institution to this day. In 1937 he married his present wife Suzanne, who has been an important part of his professional and personal life. They have two children, Joseph Henry and Stephen Ford.
Multiple promoter elements in the human chorionic gonadotropin β subunit genes distinguish their expression from the luteinizing hormone β gene

Abstract The β subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (CGβ) is encoded by a cluster of six genes, which have developed through gene duplication from an ancestral LHβ gene. Despite approximately 90% sequence homology between the CGβ and LHβ promoters, the CGβ gene is expressed in the placenta, whereas the LHβ promoter is active only in the pituitary. The CGβ gene uses a TATA-less promoter that is located upstream of the transcriptional start site used by the homologous LHβ gene. The purpose of this study was to use the high degree of homology among members of the CGβ gene cluster and between the CGβ and LHβ promoters to localize regulatory elements that confer CGβ expression in the placenta. The 5'-flanking regions of the different CGβ genes were cloned and expressed in JEG-3 placental cells. Naturally occurring sequence variations were correlated with promoter activity and used to identify candidate regulatory elements. Exchanges of homologous sequences in the CGβ and LHβ proximal promoters identified three separate regions between −362 and +104 that are necessary for full basal expression of the CGβ promoter. Site-directed mutagenesis of four evolutionarily divergent sequences near the CGβ transcription start site confirmed the importance of multiple distinct regulatory elements as each of these mutations resulted in an 80% decrease in promoter activity. These data support a model in which placental expression of the CGβ promoter has evolved from an ancestral LHβ promoter by the accumulation of multiple, combinatorial regulatory elements rather than by acquisition of single distinct tissue-specific enhancer.
Drying of Granular Ceramic Films: I, Effect of Processing Variables on Cracking Behavior

Drying of binder-free granular ceramic films was studied to identify processing variables which affect their cracking behavior. Films were prepared from electrostatically stabilized suspensions of α-alumina in water. A critical cracking thickness (CCT) was determined, above which films would spontaneously crack during drying. The effects of particle size, liquid surface tension, drying rate, dispersion stability, and sedimentation time were evaluated by a statistical design methodology. The CCT for films prepared on glass substrates was used as a measure of the effect of each variable on cracking. The statistically significant variables were particle size, dispersion stability, and sedimentation time. The effect of substrate constraint was also studied by producing films on a Teflon substrate and a pool of liquid Hg. The observations were consistent with a capillary formed tensile stress acting on the entire film rather than differential stress generated by a moisture gradient over the film thickness.
Higher-order bounds on the conductivity of composites from symmetry considerations

It is well known that symmetry considerations can lead to improved bounds on, or even determine, the conductivity of two-component symmetric materials. The present work exploits symmetry properties to derive explicit higher-order bounds for three-component symmetric materials. The bounds contain geometric parame­ters. But even without any knowledge of these geometric parameters, substantial improvement on previous bounds is made. This is discussed in the context of equiaxed polycrystals. Results include a parameter-independent pair of bounds that for some polycrystals becomes third-order, and a parameter-dependent third-order upper bound that can be partially attained.