cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changing Ourselves, Changing the World: Assessing the Value of Participatory Action Research as an Empowerment-Based Research and Service Approach With LGBTQ Young People

LGBTQ youth and emerging adults are a population for which little is understood with regard to the effectiveness of interventions and service approaches. This study explores the value of participatory action research (PAR) as an empowerment-based research and service approach with LGBTQ young people. Based on analysis of audio-recordings and reflections of a research team of LGBTQ young people between the ages of 18 and 24, the researcher identified primary aspects of PAR that align with empowerment at the individual, group, and community levels. Findings suggest that PAR offers a model that supports empowerment-based outcomes in research and service delivery.
Research and Ethical Issues Arising from Ethnographic Interviews of Patients' Reactions to an Intelligent Interactive Telephone Health Behavior Advisor

People develop strong reactions to machines. Among those reactions are personal relationships that people form with technological objects. Exploration of ways in which individuals relate to information technologies and how individuals see these technologies as being machine-like or being human-like is a fascinating and useful research area. This paper presents a study where these issues arose as a key, although unanticipated, theme in ethnographic interviews conducted among individuals using an intelligent interactive telephone system, Telephone-Linked Care (TLC), that provided counseling about health behaviors. Many interviewees expressed ambiguity over whether they were talking to a machine or to a person during TLC conversations. Interview findings suggest that people formed personal relationships with the TLC system, or at least with the voice on the telephone. These relationships ranged from feeling guilty about their diet or exercise behavior to feeling love for the voice.
Decoding calcium wave signaling

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews that intercellular calcium waves in astrocytes represent a phenomenon whereby a wave of increases in free cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca 2+ ] i ) spreads from an initially stimulated cell across an astrocytic syncytium. Three key factors merged to trigger the discovery of calcium waves in the astrocyte syncytium. The first was finding that astrocytes possessed a full array of neurotransmitter receptors that operated on a millisecond time frame similar to that expected by neurons. The second contribution was the many technological advances made in time-lapse video microscopy, particularly involving the newly marketed confocal scanning laser microscope, which allowed longer recording periods free of phototoxicity. Lastly, most critical was the development of Ca 2+ sensitive fluorescent probes that were ion-specific that allowed precise quantification of changes in intracellular Ca 2+ . The chapter also explores that nitric oxide (NO)-mediated signaling mechanisms are involved, but only in some types of calcium waves, especially those triggered by mechanical stimulation. Neuronal activity also induces astrocytic calcium waves by stimulation of metabotropic glutamate receptors on astrocytes. In turn, glutamate release from astrocytes sustaining a calcium wave is capable of triggering neuronal activity.
Allelopathy in black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) alley cropping. II. Effects of juglone on hydroponically grown corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) growth and physiology.

We conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of juglone (5-hydroxy-1, 4-napthoquinone) on the growth and physiology of hydroponically grown corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) seedlings. Three different concentrations of juglone (10-6 M, 10-5 M, and 10-4 M) along with a control were applied. Within 3 days, juglone exhibited significant inhibitory effects on all measured variables including shoot and root relative growth rates (RGRs and RGRr), leaf photosynthesis (Pnet), transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (gs), and leaf and root respiration. In general, soybean was found to be more sensitive to juglone than corn. RGRr was the most inhibited variable for both species, and reductions of 86.5 and 99% were observed in corn and soybean, respectively, with 10-4 M juglone concentrations. Among the physiological variables measured, Pnet showed the greatest impact of toxicity though the other physiological parameters were also impacted. We conclude that both corn and soybean are sensitive to juglone and observed growth reductions in corn and soybean in black walnut alley cropping may partly be due to juglone phytotoxicity. Determination of actual phytotoxicity will require quantification of soil solution juglone levels, particularly in areas where soil solid-phase levels are high in close proximity to trees.
The ice/water interface: Analysis of molecular trajectories

We are engaged in constructing a theory of nucleation of crystals (i) from the melt and (ii) from solution using first-principles statistical mechanics. Interesting examples of crystallization from the melt are ice/water and silicon. The steps in this theory are (a) construction of an accurate theory of phase diagrams [1-4], or the prediction of bulk freezing and melting behaviour; (b) a statistical mechanical theory of the equilibrium crystal/melt interface [5-7]; (c) prediction of the free energy of droplet formation in the supercooled liquid [8], which involves the consideration of curved crystal/liquid interfaces; and finally (d) the description of the nucleation dynamics.
Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 inhibits apoptosis of human breast epithelial cells.

The signaling pathways critical for cell survival are mediated in part by the composition and integrity of the extracellular matrix and the action of its components on specific cell adhesion receptors. Withdrawal of anchorage-dependent epithelial cells from their association with ECM results in apoptotic cell death. Consistently, the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) or their inhibitors (TIMPs) have been suggested to regulate apoptosis. In this report, we investigated whether bcl-2 inhibition of apoptosis involves regulation of TIMP expression. We have found that bcl-2 overexpression induces TIMP-1 expression in breast epithelial cell lines (MCF10A, MCF10AneoT.TG3B, and MCF-7), whereas it has no effect on TIMP-2 expression. We demonstrated that TIMP-1 inhibits cell death induced by hydrogen peroxide, Adriamycin, or X-ray irradiation. In addition, TIMP-1 overexpression inhibits apoptosis after the loss of cell adhesion (anoikis) in MCF10A cells, suggesting that the antiapoptotic activity of TIMP-1 does not depend on its ability to stabilize cell-matrix interactions. We also showed that TIMP-1 overexpression is associated with constitutive activation of focal adhesion kinase, a signaling molecule known to be critical for the cell survival pathway.
Multi-ion Nernst distribution potential equations: interfacial potentials at equilibrium liquid/liquid and membrane interfaces

Abstract This paper presents analyses of practical cases of multi-ion Nernst distribution potential equations, and gives tables of interfacial potential difference (pd) expressions. The form of pd expressions for mixtures of partitioning ions within the window is emphasized. The topic of blocking is investigated and the whole range of behavior, from simple salt distribution Nernst distribution potentials to blocked interfaces that obey the more familiar Nernst-Donnan equation, is covered. The relation between the two limits, through Donnan exclusion and Donnan failure, is shown. Examples of model systems are calculated and illustrated. The notion of a “potential window” and conditions for establishment of the window using strongly and weakly partitioning salts are indicated. The problem of defining reference partitioning species to establish a reference pd and an ideally non-polarizable interface is emphasized. Likewise, the conditions for an ideally polarizable liquid/liquid interface are mentioned. A new concept of “repartitioning” is explained to interpret effects of foreign, “inert” salt partitioning on a reference pd. Equilibrium, not steady state, pds at single non-classical interfaces are discussed here, but single interface systems are inevitably part of larger two-interface or three-interface systems. Factors determining rates of development of pds and some connections between equilibrium single interface and steady state total membrane potential differences are considered to explain a result, viz., steady state membrane pds, comprising two interfacial pds and intervening diffusion-migration pd, often have the same mathematical form as single equilibrium interfacial pds, but contain mobilities or diffusion coefficients as multiplying factors.
Mapping Global War: Los Angeles, the Pacific, and Charles Owens's Pictorial Cartography

Abstract Writing on popular geographies has emphasized the shaping role of media. Newspapers and magazines, school texts, and atlases, had particular impacts on the twentieth century American geographical imagination, notably during World War II when news cartography became entwined with geopolitical mapping. The wartime mapmaker Richard Edes Harrison has been cited as exemplary of the role graphics played in promoting and popularizing an “air-age” geographical imagination. But Harrison was only one of a number of innovative mapmakers whose work reflects broader graphic traditions in mid-twentieth-century America. The Los Angeles Times artist Charles Owens, whose dramatic color maps of the World War were published weekly between 1942–1945, offers a West Coast perspective on the emerging spatiality of the air age in the context of wartime geopolitical mapping. Images that were powerfully influenced by Southern California's modern cultural landscape—specifically by air photography, automobiles, and the movi...
The interlocking paradigm of cultural competence: A best practice approach

Abstract Cultural competence is a key factor in the delivery of quality psychiatric mental health (PMH) nursing care. The Interlocking Paradigm of Cultural Competence (IPCC) is a best-practice model developed from the work of Peplau, Leininger, Nichols, Campinha-Bacote, and Purnell. The IPCC has five interlocking factors (therapeutic, value, world view, process, and orientation) representing theoretical, philosophical, process, and assessment components. This article presents a discussion of the factors within the paradigm and the applicability and implications of the paradigm for PMH nurses' use with their clients from diverse racial and ethnic cultural groups. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [2002], 8, 209-13.)
A Case Report of an Adolescent with Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Trunk (ALCAPA)

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is a serious congenital cardiac defect associated with high mortality rates in infancy. It is undoubtedly a rare defect but its diagnosis during life is possible in most cases, and successful surgery appears within reach. The object of this paper is to report our experience with a fourteen years old girl with this rare anomaly. The presenting symptoms of our patient during infancy were not that are considered classic for this anomaly. Though the child had excessive sweating and symptoms of heart failure during infancy. The girl was suspected to have ALCAPA clinically and echocardiographically finally selective right coronary arteriography established the diagnosis. Keywords: Congenital heart disease; ALCAPA. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/cardio.v4i1.9397 Cardiovasc. J. 2011; 4(1): 92-95
Interaction between Hepatitis B Virus Core Protein and Reverse Transcriptase

Previous mutagenesis studies with hepatitis B virus (HBV) suggest that continued interactions with core are required for several steps in genomic replication. To examine core-polymerase (Pol) interactions, insect cells were coinfected with baculovirus constructs that independently expressed core and Pol. The results demonstrated several features with implications that core plays an interactive role with HBV Pol: (i) core coprecipitated with constructs expressing full-length Pol as well as the terminal protein (TP), reverse transcriptase (RT) and RNase H domains of Pol, independently; (ii) coprecipitation of core was not dependent on the presence of an epsilon stem-loop sequence; and (iii) core-Pol complexes migrated as intact capsid particles, as detected by sucrose gradient analysis. To analyze the structural and sequence requirements of core in recognition of Pol, a series of core mutants with two- to four-amino-acid insertions or carboxy-terminal deletions were assessed for Pol interaction. The results indicated that capsid formation is required but not sufficient for interaction with Pol and that the TP and RT domains of Pol have different requirements for interaction with core. To map the core binding sites on Pol, a panel of amino- and carboxy-terminal deletion mutants of the TP and RT domains of Pol were analyzed for interaction with core. At least three separate core binding sites on Pol were detected. This analysis begins to define basic requirements for core-Pol interactions, but further study is necessary to delineate the effects of these interactions on encapsidation and genome replication.
A firing-rate model of spike-frequency adaptation in sinusoidally-driven thalamocortical relay neurons

Abstract In a systematic study of thalamocortical relay neuron responses to sinusoidal current injection [J. Neurophysiol. 83 (1), 588], we found that the Fourier fundamental of tonic responses was regularly phase advanced during low temporal frequency stimulation (1/10 cycle at 0.1 Hz). We hypothesized that such phase advances of the Fourier fundamental response were due to a slow spike-frequency adaptation. Here we measure the time-dependence of the instantaneous firing rate during a current pulse protocol, confirm the presence of a slow spike-frequency adaptation, and quantify the adaptation time constant (0.6–2.0 s) and percentage adaptation of spike rate (40–60%). In light of these results, we augment a previously reported minimal integrate-and-fire-or-burst (IFB) neuron model with an adaptation current. When the parameters for this current are fit using a quantitative theory of spike-frequency adaptation [J. Neurophysiol. 79, 1549], the IFB model reproduces the experimentally observed phase advance of the Fourier fundamental response during sinusoidal current injection. Using fast-slow variable analysis, we develop a firing-rate reduction of the IFB model and perform parameter studies to investigate the dependence of the Fourier fundamental response (amplitude and phase) on the maximum conductance and recovery time constant for the adaptation current. Analytical calculations clarify the relationship between dc and ac measures of the suppression of response due to spike-frequency adaptation, show how the latter depends on stimulation frequency, and confirm the adaptation-induced phase advance of the Fourier fundamental observed in both experiment and simulation.
Biomodal patterns of mortality from nuclear polyhedrosis virus in gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations

Abstract A bimodal temporal pattern of mortality caused by the nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) was observed in nine gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar ) populations of varying densities. In all cases, peak mortality from NPV occurred during the second wave (late larval instars) and the highest mortality occurred in high density populations. Patterns of NPV mortality were established several weeks before being expressed. There was no discernible correlation between weekly mortality rates and temperature, rainfall, or total solar radiation. The bimodality was also apparent in NPV contamination on foliage which was measured by bioassay. A similar pattern was observed in the laboratory among larvae reared in groups from field-collected egg masses and from eggs artificially contaminated with NPV from a laboratory population. As in field populations, the period of low mortality from NPV between the two waves occurred when most larvae were late third and fourth instars. Larvae reared individually did not exhibit the second wave of mortality.
Mismatch of Right- and Left-Sided Filling Pressures in Chronic Heart Failure

Abstract Background In patients with advanced heart failure (HF), elevated jugular venous pressure (JVP) is the most reliable sign of elevated left-sided filling pressures. However, discordance between right- and left-sided filling pressure s (R-L mismatch) could lead to inadequate or excessive therapy guided by JVP. We determined the prevalence of R-L mismatch in the current era and investigated whether mismatch might be identified from clinical information. Methods and Results Right-sided heart catheterization was performed in 537 consecutive patients hospitalized with advanced HF during complete transplantation evaluation. Patients with high filling pressures were categorized as matched (right atrial pressure (RAP) ≥10 mm Hg and pulmonary wedge pressure (PCWP) ≥22 mm Hg), high-R mismatch (RAP ≥10 but PCWP P P Conclusions R-L mismatch was present in >1 in 4 total patients, and >1 in 3 with elevated filling pressures. Regardless of clinical history, when empiric therapy to optimize volume status to JVP is not effective, additional measurement should be considered to establish the R-L relationship.
Synthesis and electrochemistry of anthraquinone-oligodeoxynucleotide conjugates.

Electroactive oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) with specific base sequences have a potential application as electrical sensors for DNA molecules. To this end, a phosphoramidite that bears a 9,10-anthra...
Adolescent Victimization: Testing Models of Resiliency by Gender.

The present study examined how risk and protective factors were associated with adolescent victimization by testing four competing models from resiliency research—the compensatory, risk-protective,...
Balance Laws and Constitutive Relations for Plane Flows of a Dense, Binary Mixture of Smooth, Nearly Elastic, Circular Disks

We derive balance laws and constitutive relations for plane flows of a dense, binary mixture of smooth, nearly elastic, circular disks. The disks may differ in size and mass and in the coefficients of restitution characterizing the energy lost in collisions between like and unlike pairs. We focus attention on those parts of the fluxes and sources of momentum and energy that are due to collisions. To calculate them, we suppose that the complete pair distribution function for two colliding disks is the product of Maxwellian velocity distributions for each disk and a factor that incorporates the effects of excluded area and collisional shielding. In an Appendix we provide constitutive relations calculated in a similar way for a dense, binary mixture of smooth, nearly elastic, spheres.
Solving the open bosonic string in perturbation theory

The integrand and integration region for the N-point amplitude in the open oriented bosonic string are obtained to all orders in perturbation theory. The result is derived from the Witten covariant string field theory by using on-shell and off-shell conformal methods and Riemann surface mathematics. Although only the off-shell g-loop tachyon amplitudes are computed explicitly, the methods generalize to other external states. We derive the g-loop ghost-Jacobi identity in which the ghost correlation function cancels the jacobian factor in changing from second-quantized to first-quantized variables. Moduli space is discussed from several viewpoints and it is shown that string field theory provides an algorithm for its determination.
Usefulness of red cell distribution width as a prognostic marker in pulmonary hypertension.

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), a widely available biomarker, independently predicts adverse outcomes in left-sided heart failure. The relation between RDW and death in pulmonary hypertension (PH) is unknown. In a prospective study of 162 consecutive patients with PH, RDW was recorded during initial diagnostic right-sided cardiac catheterization, and patients were followed for 2.1 ± 0.8 years to determine vital status. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and hemodynamic variables were compared by tertile of RDW. Cox proportional-hazards models were used to determine whether RDW was independently associated with death, and the prognostic utility of RDW was compared to that of other laboratory predictors, including N-terminal–pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT–pro-BNP). Of the 162 study patients, 78% were women, and 62% had pulmonary arterial hypertension. The mean age was 53 ± 15 years, and most patients had severe PH (mean pulmonary artery pressure 48 ± 13 mm Hg). The highest tertile of RDW predicted death (univariate hazard ratio 4.86, 95% confidence interval 1.37 to 17.29, p = 0.015; multivariate hazard ratio 2.4, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 5.84, p = 0.045, after adjusting for age, gender, diabetes mellitus, connective tissue disease, diuretic use, phosphodiesterase inhibitor use, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and blood urea nitrogen [BUN]). Of the laboratory data, only RDW, BUN, and NT–pro-BNP were associated with death on univariate analysis. When RDW, BUN, and NT–pro-BNP were entered into a multivariate model, only RDW was still associated with death (p = 0.037 for RDW, p = 0.18 for BUN, and p = 0.39 for NT–pro-BNP). Adding NT–pro-BNP to RDW did not improve the prediction of mortality. In conclusion, RDW is independently associated with death in patients with PH and performs better as a prognostic indicator than NT–pro-BNP.
Analysis of waveguide scattering problems by the spectral domain method

The spectral domain technique has been modified for analysis of scattering from a planar obstacle in a waveguide. Validity of the method is confirmed by comparison with published data for a special case.
Semiconductor Microcrystals In Porous Glass

The photochemical method and technique by which a variety of optical structures such as channel waveguides, gratings and GRIN lenses, can be patterned in a porous glass host, have been extended to the stable formation of a number of semiconducting compounds of the III-V, II-VI, and IV-VI families, within the porous glass. The specific compounds prepared are CdS, CdSe, PbS ,PbSe, MoS2, and GaAs. In certain of these cases the reaction is optically initiated thus prescribed geometric structures are obtained. The unique microstructure provided by the porous glass, average pore diameter of 4nm with 30 percent pore volume, leads to small microcrystal size in the quantum confined regime. Optical absorption and photoluminescence data are shown to support this.
Angelman syndrome: Genetic mechanisms and relationship to Prader-Willi syndrome

Angelman syndrome (AS) has been localised to a region on the proximal long arm of chromosome 15 - bands q11-13 - previously designated as the Prader-Willi chromosome region (PWCR). Research points to two distinct regions within the PWCR, one for PWS and one for AS. There is currently no candidate gene for AS. Genetic mechanisms in Angelman syndrome are complex. At present, three mechanisms are recognised: maternal deletion, paternal uniparental disomy and a nondeleted, nondisomic form. The importance of establishing the mechanism lies in the different recurrence risks which apply to each type.
Silicon bipolar device structures for digital applications: technology trends and future directions

The double-polysilicon self-aligned bipolar device structure has come a long way since its first inception, but there is still room for further scaling of this structure and continued improvements in performance. An analysis of the current state-of-the-art double-poly structure leads naturally to a discussion of future trends and technologies necessary to continue scaling into the sub-0.25 /spl mu/m regime. In addition, it has become highly desirable to extend bipolar processes in new directions to take advantage of the opportunities offered by emerging materials technologies, such as bonded silicon-on-insulator films and medium or low temperature Si and SiGe epitaxy. Opportunities also exist for high-performance bipolars in BiCMOS technology and in complementary bipolar processes for low-power, high-speed digital applications. These extensions beyond "conventional" bipolar technology will be discussed in terms of their requirements and the device structures that are evolving to match these needs. >
The psychophysiology of motor vehicle accident related posttraumatic stress disorder

Fifty victims of recent motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and 40 non-MVA controls participated in a psychophysiological assessment in which heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressures, forehead EMG and electrodermal activity were measured during mental arithmetic, idiosyncratic audiotaped descriptions of the victim's own MVA, and a standard videotape of MVAs. The MVA victims were subdivided into 23 with full posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 10 with sub-syndromal PTSD, and 17 without PTSD. HR response to the idiosyncratic audiotape reliably ( p
The identification of linear systems

This paper presents a procedure for identifying a linear lumped-parameter time-invariant (at least during the measurement period) single-input single-output system from its response to a step excitation.
Observations of Crystal Structure And Particle Shape in Electron Micrographs of Several Carbon Blacks

As a sequel to an earlier paper, electron micrographs are shown which demonstrate crystal structure directly in so‐called amorphous carbon blacks. The crystalline particles of such a substance have a smaller mean size than the amorphous particles in the total distribution. The effect of variable particle shape upon such things as mean particle diameter and specific surface calculations is pointed out. It is suggested from all the experimental evidence, including electron and x‐ray diffraction data, that the crystal particles are small graphitic units, and that the graphitic nature of the carbon black is a surface rather than a volume phenomenon. The presence of the crystalline component in a carbon black distribution seems to be an intrinsic property of acetylene black made at high temperature.
Computational studies on the solvolysis of the chemical warfare agent VX

The reaction of the chemical warfare agent VX with hydroxide and hydroperoxide has been studied using a combination of correlated molecular orbital and density functional theory. It is found that the alkaline hydrolysis leads to a mixture of neurotoxic and non-toxic products while hydroperoxidolysis leads to exclusive formation of non-toxic products. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis is used to rationalize the observation that hydroxide will attack opposite the alkoxide ligand, while hydroperoxide will attack opposite the thiolate. The current results are in good agreement with previous experimental and computational work and serve to clarify the mechanism for destruction of this highly potent nerve agent. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lectotypifications of infrageneric taxa in Psoraleeae (Leguminosae: Papilionoidae)

Psoralea (Leguminosae: Papilionoidae) sectionsAxillariflorae, Capitatae, andSpicatae, andPsoralea subseriesSparsiflorae, Fasciculatae, Spicato-capitatae, andSpicato-racemosae are lectotypified.
Group living and the effects of spatial position in aggregations of Mytilus edulis.

The mussel Mytilus edulis typically occurs in aggregations and several consequences of living in groups were studied. Isolated individuals and individuals associated in relatively small groups (6–9 mussles/group) grew more and therefore had greater reproductive output than mussels associated with relatively large groups of 21–28 individuals. Mussels located in the centers of groups exhibited reduced growth and thus lower reproduction relative to mussels located on the edges of groups whose growth and reproduction was similar to that of isolated individuals. Sampling from natural populations indicated that most mussels grow within the matrix of very large groups and hence will experience reduced growth and reproduction. Patterns of growth exhibited by mussels in association with living and model mussels showed that the adverse effects on growth exhibited by mussels in relatively large groups are not a function of the mere physical relief of a mussel clump, but are caused by some property of living neighbors.
Visible IT in Credit Unions: Strategic Advantage and Disadvantage in Two Web Eras

Research indicates that rapidly evolving technology and markets do not provide a first mover strategic advantage but favor the second mover. This paper introduces a third variable: hype. In a time of rapid technology and market evolution, hype overrides the expected results and gives the first mover a strategic advantage. This study examines a homogeneous set of medium-sized information-dependent and information-intensive organizations as they implement visible information technology in two eras: during a time of intense hype and during a more normal time where technology has become commonplace. One hundred matched triples of credit unions were examined as they chose to remain offline, implement an informational website, or implement a transactional website during the highly hyped Internet expansion time of 1998 through 2002. One hundred matched pairs of credit unions were then examined during the more normal time from 2003 through 2007. Results indicate that credit unions that embraced the hyped technology gained significant strategic advantage. Second-moving credit unions that waited for the more mature technology survived, whereas the credit unions that did not adopt the technology were at a significant strategic disadvantage.
Haloalkane dehalogenases: steady-state kinetics and halide inhibition.

The substrate specificities and product inhibition patterns of haloalkane dehalogenases from Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10 (XaDHL) and Rhodococcus rhodochrous (RrDHL) have been compared using a pH-indicator dye assay. In contrast to XaDHL, RrDHL is efficient toward secondary alkyl halides. Using steady-state kinetics, we have shown that halides are uncompetitive inhibitors of XaDHL with 1,2-dichloroethane as the varied substrate at pH 8.2 (Cl-, Kii = 19 ± 0.91; Br-, Kii = 2.5 ± 0.19 mM; I-, Kii = 4.1 ± 0.43 mM). Because they are uncompetitive with the substrate, halide ions do not bind to the free form of the enzyme; therefore, halide ions cannot be the last product released from the enzyme. The Kii for chloride was pH dependent and decreased more than 20-fold from 61 mM at pH 8.9 to 2.9 mM at pH 6.5. The pH dependence of 1/Kii showed simple titration behavior that fit to a pKa of approximately 7.5. The kcat was maximal at pH 8.2 and decreased at lower pH. A titration of kcat versus pH also fits to a pK...
Umbilicus preservation with total abdominal wall reconstruction in prune-belly syndrome

A technique to preserve the umbilicus in abdominal wall reconstruction for prune-belly syndrome is presented. Our technique has been utilized in 5 cases with success.
Customization for games: lessons from variants of texas hold'em

System designers who build customization into games ought to consider how players think about adjustments. The distinctiveness of gaming contexts suggests that closer inspection of customization in games is warranted and will inform the design of customizable game systems. Presented here is an analysis of 82 collected reports about variations to the rules of the poker game Texas Hold'em. A theory of "necessity" in rule adoption is developed and the systematic perspective of rule-changing in games is discussed.
Crystallization of amorphous phase in sputter-deposited Ti-Al alloy thin films

The formation of amorphous phases in metallic alloys by various nonequilibrium processing routes such as rapid solidification of molten alloys, vapor quenching, mechanical alloying, or solid state diffusion is well documented5 ~l These amorphous phases are usually referred to as metallic glasses. Thermodynamically, the amorphous phase in metallic glasses is in a state of metastable equilibrium. Therefore, unless prevented by kinetic considerations, it should be possible to transform the metastable amorphous phase into stable crystalline phases by suitable heat treatments, perhaps involving transitional metastable crystalline phases. The present study deals with the microstructural and phase characterization of as-deposited Ti-A1 alloy thin films and of the same thin films after annealing at 823 K. This is a relevant study because of the interest in efforts toward the synthesis of laminated thin film nanoand microcomposites based on intermetallic transition metal aluminides for structural coatings to be used in high-temperature aerospace applications52] Amorphous Ti-A1 alloy thin films deposited by sputter deposition from dual targets of pure Ti and pure A1 have been found to exhibit extended periods of passivity in chloride-based solutions as compared to their crystalline counterparts, t3,4,51 Amorphous phases have also been found to form in mechanically alloyed Ti + AI powders c6---~41 and in irradiated Ti/AI multilayered thin films.US~ The as-deposited films as well as the annealed films have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The alloy thin films have been fabricated in a custom designed UHV magnetron sputtering apparatus. The base pressure prior to sputtering was 5 x 10 -8 torr (N2) and the argon pressure during sputtering was 2 x 10 .3 torr. Two 7-TiAI targets have been used for depositing the films, a binary alloy target with a nominal composition of Ti-48A1 (all compositions in atomic percent) and a quaternary alloy with a nominal composition of Ti-48A1-2Nb-2Mn. Ingots of 100-mm diameter have been generated using plasma arc melting of high-purity elemental feedstock and usually contain oxygen impurities in the range of 600 to 800 wt ppm. tt6] These targets have been sputtered using 180 W of d.c. power to produce thin films approximately 1.6-/zm thick by deposition on oxidized (100) silicon wafers with a 200-nm surface oxide layer. The nominal compositions of the films have been determined by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) in a scanning electron microscope to be 52Ti and 48A1 for the binary film and 48Ti, 48A1, 2Nb, and 2Mn for the quaternary film. The TEM foils have been
Isolation and characterization of RAD51C, a new human member of the RAD51 family of related genes

The yeast and human RAD51 genes encode strand-transfer proteins that are thought to be involved in both recombinational repair of DNA damage and meiotic recombination. In yeast, the Rad51 family of related proteins also includes Rad55, Rad57 and Dmc1. In mammalian cells, five genes in this family have been identified (HsRAD51, XRCC2, XRCC3, RAD51B/hREC2 and HsDMC1), and here we report the isolation of the sixth member, RAD51C. RAD51C was originally identified by a computer screen of the EST database. A full-length approximately 1.3 kb cDNA clone has been isolated that encodes a protein of 376 aa, having a 18-26% aa identity with other human Rad51 family members. RAD51C includes a previously mapped sequenced-tagged site location near the end of chromosome 17q. The RAD51C transcript is expressed in various human tissues, with highest level of expression in testis, followed by heart muscle, spleen and prostate. Yeast two-hybrid experiments indicate that the Rad51C protein binds to two other members of the Rad51 protein family (Xrcc3 and Rad51B) but not to itself. These findings suggest that Rad51C may function similarly to the yeast Rad55 or Rad57 proteins, rather than as a Rad51 functional homolog.
Yan functions as a general inhibitor of differentiation and is negatively regulated by activation of the Ras1/MAPK pathway

Drosophila yan has been postulated to act as an antagonist of the proneural signal mediated by the sevenless/Ras1/MAPK pathway. We have mutagenized the eight MAPK phosphorylation consensus sites of yan and examined the effects of overexpressing the mutant protein in transgenic flies and transfected S2 cultured cells. Our results suggest that phosphorylation by MAPK affects the stability and subcellular localization of yan, resulting in rapid down-regulation of yan activity. Furthermore, MAPK-mediated down-regulation of yan function appears to be critical for the proper differentiation of both neuronal and nonneuronal tissues throughout development, suggesting that yan is an essential component of a general timing mechanism controlling the competence of a cell to respond to inductive signals.
Synthesis of novel disaccharides based on glycosyltransferases: β1,4galactosyltransferase

Abstract β1,4Galactosyltransferase and β-galactosidase have been investigated with regard to their acceptor specificity and used in the synthesis of galactosides using 5-thioglucose, deoxyazaglucose, glucal, modified N-acetylglucosamine and glucose derivatives as acceptors.
Neurosurgical outcomes in a modern series of 400 craniotomies for treatment of parenchymal tumors

OBJECTIVE The goals were to critically review all complications resulting within 30 days after craniotomies performed for excision of intra-axial brain tumors relative to factors likely to affect complication rates and to assess the value of these data in predicting the risk of surgical morbidity, particularly for surgery in eloquent brain regions. METHODS Neurosurgical outcomes were studied for 327 patients who underwent 400 craniotomies for removal of intra-axial parenchymal brain neoplasms in a 21-month period. Tumors removed included gliomas (206 tumors) and metastases (194 tumors) located both supratentorially (358 tumors) and infratentorially (42 tumors). RESULTS The major complication incidence was 13%, and the operative mortality rate was 1.7%. The overall morbidity rate was 32%, but more types of complications were considered than in previous studies. The major neurological morbidity rate was 8.5%. Based on pre- versus postoperative (at 4 wk) Karnofsky Performance Scale scores, 9% of patients deteriorated neurologically, 32% improved, and 58% showed no change. The median postoperative hospital stay was 5 days. Tumors were defined as Grade I, II, or III based on their location relative to brain function, and this tumor functional grade was the most important variable affecting the incidence of any neurological deficit. Patients with tumors in eloquent (Grade III) or near-eloquent (Grade II) brain areas incurred more neurological deficits than did patients with tumors in noneloquent areas (Grade I). Neither repeat surgery for recurrent disease nor extent of surgical resection affected outcome significantly. Although most tumors in this study, including those in eloquent regions, were removed by gross total resection, this did not lead to more major neurological deficits. Regional complications (at the surgical sites) and systemic complications (medical) were more prevalent among older patients (age >60 yr) with lower preoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale scores (< or = 50) and posterior fossa masses. We showed how our data can be used to predict the total risk of surgical morbidity for a given patient, to facilitate patient counseling and surgical decision-making. CONCLUSION The finding that gross total resections could be performed in eloquent brain regions with an acceptable level of neurological impairment suggested that the mere presence of a tumor in eloquent brain does not automatically contraindicate surgery. Our results have practical risk-predictive value, and they should aid in the construction of subsequent outcome studies, because we have identified the key areas to monitor.
Synthetic 1-acylglycerophospholipid analogues as lipid substrates I. Studies on microsomal acylation and uptake into liver slices of 1-acyl analogues containing various polar bases

Abstract Synthetic 1-acylglycerophospholipid analogues differing only in the base composition at the 3 position have been employed as acyl-CoA:1-acylglycerophospholipid acyltransferase substrates in microsomal preparations using several acyl-CoA thioesters. The affinity for the substrates is partially determined by the base and partially by the acyl-CoA to be transferred. Saturation curves using various 1-acyl analogues with linoleoyl-CoA suggest that acyl transfer for a given acyl-CoA is due to a single enzyme. [ 3 H]Palmitoyl-1-acylglycerophospholipid analogues have also been tested as substrates with rat liver slices. The substrates are taken up by liver slices and the [ 3 H]palmitate is distributed rapidly among the neutral lipid and glycerophospholipid fractions. Thus, incorporation into the cellular lipids is not necessarily as the 1-acyl compound or its acylated derivative.
On Grassmann algebras of graphs

Abstract If G is a graph and k is a field with char(K) ≠ 2 then the Grassmann algebra K(G) is the algebra over K generated by the vertices vi of the graph G with the relations vi2 = 0, vivj + vjvi = 0 if vi and vj are adjacent, vivj − vjvi = 0 if vi and vj are not adjacent. (The case char = 2 is excluded because the relations are then the same for both possibilities.) It is proved that G is isomorphic to G′ iff K(G) is isomorphic to K(G′). and for finite G the group of automorphisms of K(G) is described.
The water content of ethane, propane and their mixtures in equilibrium with liquid water or hydrates

Abstract Song, K.Y. and Kobayashi, R., 1994. The water content of ethane, propane and their mixtures in equilibrium with liquid water or hydrates. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 95: 281-298. Experimental results for the water content are reported for the ethane-rich phase in the liquid and gaseous states in equilibrium with hydrates for pressures of 360 psia (2.483 MPa) and 500 psia (3.448 MPa), and at temperatures from −27.5°F (−33.1°C) to 50.9°F (10.5°C), as well as in the three-phase coexistence non-hydrate conditions at pressures ranging from 500 psia (3.448 MPa) to 700 psia (4.828 MPa) and temperature from 60°F (15.6°C) to 89°F (31.7°C), respectively. Also included are the water content measurements of the propane-rich phase in equilibrium with hydrates covering temperatures from −35.5°F (−37.5°C) to 37.4°F (3.0°C) at a constant pressure of 159 psia (1.097 MPa). Above the hydrate region the experimental conditions range from 48°F (8.9°C) to 80°F (26.7°C) and pressures of 90 psia (0.621 MPa) to 130 psia (0.897 MPa). Isobaric water content data at 600 psia (4.138 MPa) for the liquid hydrocarbon-rich phase are reported for four ethane-propane mixtures containing 30.5, 50.0, 75.0 and 89.5 mol% ethane with the remainder propane, in equilibrium with liquid water or hydrate at temperatures ranging from −0.4°F (−18°C) to 77°F (25°C). The water content data for two binary systems, ethane-water and propane-water, and four ternary systems, ethane-propane-water mixtures, have been used to estimate the equilibrium conditions for three-phase coexistence: (liquid water-liquid hydrocarbon-hydrate I or II, liquid hydrocarbon-hydrate I-hydrate II), and for a quadruple point (liquid water-liquid hydrocarbon-hydrate I-hydrate II). Equilibrium constants for water in the hydrocarbon-rich phases, i.e. the ratio of mole fraction of water in the gaseous hydrocarbon-rich phase to that of water in the liquid hydrocarbon-rich phase, are graphically presented along the three-phase coexistence locus, and along the non-hydrate conditions for the ethane-water and the propane-water systems.
The effects of a targeted multicomponent delirium intervention on postdischarge outcomes for hospitalized older adults

Abstract Purpose We sought to determine whether a multicomponent hospital-based intervention targeted toward risk factors for delirium had any effect on patient outcomes 6 months later. Methods We studied 705 patients aged 70 years or older who had been enrolled in a controlled trial of a multicomponent intervention at an academic medical center and who survived for at least 6 months after hospitalization. Outcomes included self-rated health, functional status, incontinence, depression, cognitive status, delirium, home health visits, homemaker visits, rehospitalization, and nursing home placement. Results Overall, there were no differences between the intervention and control groups for any of the 10 outcomes, except that incontinence was slightly less common in the intervention group (30% [103/344] vs. 37% [132/354], P = 0.02). Among high-risk patients, those in the intervention group had better self-rated health (among those with poor/bad self-rated health at baseline, P Conclusion In the group as a whole, we were unable to identify a lasting beneficial effect of the multicomponent intervention, although further efforts to identify appropriate subgroups for targeted interventions may be worthwhile. Other strategies are needed after hospital discharge to deter deterioration in susceptible elderly people.
Public administrators and policy implementation--a social work perspective

Professional social workers in both macro and micro settings are vitally concerned with public policy, particularly that of social welfare policy, and its implementation. They are keenly aware of t...
Platelet aggregation in asthmatic and normal subjects

Abstract In vitro platelet aggregation responses after epinephrine stimulation were measured with platelets obtained from three defined subpopulations of asthmatic patients and from a normal, nonatopic control group. Graded doses of epinephrine were used to determine whether there were different levels of sensitivity to this aggregating agent. Since medications significantly affect platelet aggregation, all medications taken by subjects were carefully documented but only avoidance of aspirin was a requirement to entering the study. Our results showed that there was no significant difference in platelet aggregation between normal and asthmatic populations. A few subjects in each group did show absent or reduced second-phase platelet aggregation, but in most of these cases medications could be implicated as a causative factor.
Bead-based assays for biodetection: from flow-cytometry to microfluidics

The potential for the use of biological agents by terrorists is a real threat. Two approaches for antibody-based detection of biological species are described in this paper: 1) The use of microbead arrays for multiplexed flow cytometry detection of cytokines and botulinum neurotoxin simulant, and 2) a microfluidic platform for capture and separation of different size superparamagnetic nanoparticles followed by on-chip fluorescence detection of the sandwich complex. These approaches both involve the use of automated fluidic systems for trapping antibody-functionalized microbeads, which allows sample, assay reagents, and wash solutions to be perfused over a micro-column of beads, resulting in faster and more sensitive immunoassays. The automated fluidic approach resulted in up to five-fold improvements in immunoassay sensitivity/speed as compared to identical immunoassays performed in a typical manual batch mode. A second approach for implementing multiplexed bead-based immunoassays without using flow cytometry detection is currently under development. The goal of the microfluidic-based approach is to achieve rapid (<20 minutes), multiplexed (≥ 3 bioagents) detection using a simple and low-cost, integrated microfluidic/optical detection platform. Using fiber-optic guided laser-induced fluorescence, assay detection limits were shown to be in the 100's of picomolar range (10's of micrograms per liter) for botulinum neurotoxin simulant without any optimization of the microfluidic device or optical detection approach.