cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mc Model of Lipid Raft Protein Diffusion Matched to Live Cell Measurements with Controlled Chemical Perturbation Experiments

Partitioning of certain type extra-cellular or cytosolic leaflet membrane proteins into functioning cholesterol stabilized domains within both leaflets of the membrane structure has long been shown by various studies facilitating different techniques. We have modeled how lipid-stabilized nano-domains influence the diffusion of some membrane proteins. By combining these simulations with non-perturbative experimental measurements of the diffusion behavior for chemically unperturbed and controlled perturbation cases of that diffusion, we were able to quantify the essential parameters describing the domains. The simulations feature four independent parameters, i.e. area fraction of the membrane occupied by domains, size of the domains, probability of the proteins to exit the domains, and effective protein diffusion within the domains.Kinetic Monte-Carlo modeling of proteins' association with membrane nano-domains has been performed over a selected region of the parameter space. Some of these parameters may be modulated at the single cell level during the time of a single experiment, allowing precise matching of all four parameters. We have used our non-perturbative imaging based FCS, bimFCS, to measure the diffusion of several membrane proteins from inner and outer leaflets of the cell-membrane over multiple length scales simultaneously. This allows extracting information of the domains which transiently trap the diffusing proteins.We studied GFP-tagged GPI anchored proteins for the external leaflet and compared measurements of monomers and induced dimers on the same cells. For the intracellular leaflet, we studied Lyn-anchored GFP and used the Rapamycin induced cross-linking of the FKBP12 and Frb domains. We were able to successfully match experimental data with in-silico modeling by Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, giving insight about sizes and area fraction of raft domains for each leaflet of the membrane, and also affinity of associated proteins with them.
Detecting Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Using the Morel Emotional Numbing Test-Revised (MENT-R) and the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST)

The present study investigated the utility of two assessment measures in detecting malingered posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): The Morel Emotional Numbing Test-Revised (MENT-R) and the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST). The Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress (DAPS) was used as the criterion variable for the following groups: clinical PTSD, subclinical PTSD, honest responders, and coached malingerers. Total scores on the MENT-R distinguished among the four groups of participants. The three groups responding honestly averaged fewer than 3.5 errors, while malingerers missed over 5 times that number. Scores on the M-FAST were also higher for the group of participants malingering. Although the MENT-R and M-FAST correctly identified 63 and 78% of coached malingerers, respectively, the combined use of both measures resulted in the correct classification of over 90% of the participants instructed to malinger PTSD.
Trimethoprim with Sulfamethoxazole for Treatment of Infection with Pneumocystis carinii in Renal Insufficiency

Pneumonia due to Pneumocystis carinii developed in an immunosuppressed patient with a renal transplant who had substantial renal failure. Successful treatment was achieved with administration of trimethoprim plus sulfamethoxazole at a dosage adjusted to the degree of renal fallure. There were no significant adverse effects from this therapy.
Histologic type predicts survival in patients with retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma.

Background Histologic grade, completeness of resection, and presence of metastases are traditionally regarded as the primary factors in predicting survival for retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma (RPSTS). We sought to examine the importance of histologic type as a prognostic factor among patients with RPSTS. Methods We identified 2337 cases of RPSTS in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1988 to 2004. After excluding 273 cases of age Results Among 33 histologic types, leiomyosarcoma (28.7%), well-differentiated/dedifferentiated liposarcoma (20.3%), liposarcoma not otherwise specified (NOS) (11.9%), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH–11.0%), and sarcoma NOS (10.7%) were the most prevalent. Grade distribution was low, 24.2%; intermediate, 16%; high 34.3%, and unknown, 25.5%. Surgery was performed in 85.8%, and radiotherapy was administered to 22.8%. With a median follow-up of 38 mo, median OS was 78, 35, 25, 18, and 10 mo for liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, other histologies, MFH, and sarcoma NOS, respectively (P Conclusions Histologic type is an important predictor of survival in RPSTS.
Alkylation on Solid Acids. Part 2. Single-Event Kinetic Modeling

The reaction network of isobutane alkylation with butenes over proton-exchanged Y-zeolites was generated at the elementary-step level of carbenium-ion chemistry by means of the Boolean relation mat...
The role of xanthophyll cycle carotenoids in the protection of photosynthesis

The use of solar energy in photosynthesis depends on the ability to safely dissipate excess energy. The key dissipation process employed by plants in their natural environment is mediated by a particular group of carotenoids. Multiple levels of control allow adjustments in energy dissipation activity in response to changing levels of light stress in the natural environment. Recent advances in the understanding of the photophysics, biochemical regulation and ecophysiology of this essential photoprotective process are reviewed.
Zonal distribution of protein-acetaldehyde adducts in the liver of rats fed alcohol for long periods

Acetaldehyde, a highly reactive intermediate of alcohol metabolism, has been shown to form adducts with liver proteins in rats fed alcohol for long periods. In this report, the zonal distribution of liver protein-acetaldehyde adducts that formed in vivo was studied by means of histoimmunostaining. Rats were pair-fed alcohol-containing and alcohol-free AIN'76 liquid diets for 2 or 11 wk before they were killed and subjected to whole body perfusion with paraformaldehyde. Each liver was cut into 60-microns-thick slices. Slices were first treated with 10% hydrogen peroxide to eliminate endogenous peroxidase activity. They were then incubated sequentially with rabbit antihemocyanin-acetaldehyde adduct, goat antirabbit serum IgG and rabbit peroxidase-antiperoxidase complex. The liver slices were stained with diaminobenzidine and counterstained with methylgreen. In the livers of rats fed alcohol for 2 wk, peroxidase activity was evident in the perivenous zone but not the periportal zone. No staining was obtained when the primary antibody had been preabsorbed with immobilized hemocyanin-acetaldehyde adduct or if the liver slices were incubated with the unimmunized rabbit IgG. Slight staining of the perivenous zone was seen in the livers of control rats, presumably because of minimal protein-acetaldehyde adduct formation emanating from endogenous acetaldehyde. When rats were fed alcohol for longer periods (e.g., 11 wk), protein-acetaldehyde adducts were still seen predominantly in the perivenous zone, but the distribution pattern was more diffuse than that observed in the livers of rats fed alcohol for only 2 wk. More liver cells produced protein-acetaldehyde adducts when rats were fed the alcohol-containing diet supplemented with cyanamide.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Generalizing automatically generated selectional patterns

Frequency information on co-occurrence patterns can be automatically collected from a syntactically analyzed corpus; this information can then serve as the basis for selectional constraints when analyzing new text from the same domain. This information, however, is necessarily incomplete. We report on measurements of the degree of selectional coverage obtained with different sizes of corpora. We then describe a technique for using the corpus to identify selectionally similar terms, and for using this similarity to broaden the selectional coverage for a fixed corpus size.
Phase fluctuations and vortex lattice melting in triplet quasi-one-dimensional superconductors at high magnetic fields

Assuming that the order parameter corresponds to an equal spin triplet pairing symmetry state, we calculate the effect of phase fluctuations in quasi-one-dimensional superconductors at high magnetic fields applied along the y (b') axis. We show that phase fluctuations can destroy the theoretically predicted triplet reentrant superconducting state, and that they are responsible for melting the magnetic field induced Josephson vortex lattice above a magnetic field dependent melting temperature Tm.
An absolute-value linear programming problem

Abstract An iterative scheme in which all the components of the matrix of unknowns are varied at each step is discussed for an absolute-value linear programming problem from structural design. Global convergence is shown for this scheme, and several cases in which it can be applied to more common programming problems are considered.
AN IN VITRO 125IUDR-RELEASE ASSAY FOR MEASURING THE KINETICS OF CELL DEATH

SummaryA radionuclide release assay for measuring the in vitro kinetics of cell death has been developed. CHO cells were labelled for 24 h with 3·0 hBq/ml of [125I] iododeoxyuridine (125IUdR) and the fate of the labelled cells and their progeny was monitored at daily intervals by measuring the rate of 125I release. Prelabelling with 125IUdR did not alter the plating efficiency, the doubling time or the selection of mitotic cells. The rate of 125I release from labelled (but otherwise untreated) CHO cells was ≈ 4% day. Treatment with a lethal dose of X-rays (30 Gy), heat (46°C, 1 h), cold (− 90°C, 1 h) or the antibiotic Geneticin® (300 μg/ml, continuously) resulted in the release of > 99% the 125I activity associated with the cells. Cell death was rapid after heating or freezing, and delayed after treatment with X-rays or Geneticin. The results illustrate the efficacy of the 125I release assay for measuring the kinetics of cell death in mammalian tissue culture cells.
Robotics in the classroom

This article presents an integrated approach for incorporating robotics into secondary education with the objective of further engaging students through an exciting application of math, computers, and science. One of the principal objectives of this university-based outreach effort is to promote the creation of independent programs at the secondary-school level in New Mexico by providing a structured set of resources from which the schools may begin. These resources include an adaptable mobile robot kit with detailed do-it-your-self online instructions, various Web-based course offerings with material directed to both secondary students and teachers, and a personnel support structure, including college engineering faculty, secondary teachers, practicing engineers, undergraduate engineering students, and junior-high and high-school students. An outreach program to integrate robotics into secondary education.
Biosynthesis of meteloidine

Abstract Tropine-3β- 3 H, N -methyl- 14 C was fed to Datura meteloides plants. After 7 days radioactive meteloidine, scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and 7β-hydroxy-3α,6β-ditigloyloxytropane were isolated from the plants and found to have essentially the same 3 H/ 14 C ratio as in the administered tropine. Degradation of the meteloidine established that all its tritium was located at C-3 and all the 14 C was on the N -methyl group, indicating that tropine is a direct precursor of teloidine.
Web image retrieval using self‐organizing feature map

The explosive growth of digital image collections on the Web sites is calling for an efficient and intelligent method of browsing, searching, and retrieving images. In this article, an artificial neural network (ANN)-based approach is proposed to explore a promising solution to the Web image retrieval (IR). Compared with other image retrieval methods, this new approach has the following characteristics. First of all, the Content-Based features have been combined with Text-Based features to improve retrieval performance. Instead of solely relying on low-level visual features and high-level concepts, we also take the textual features into consideration, which are automatically extracted from image names, alternative names, page titles, surrounding texts, URLs, etc. Secondly, the Kohonen neural network model is introduced and led into the image retrieval process. Due to its self-organizing property, the cognitive knowledge is learned, accumulated, and solidified during the unsupervised training process. The architecture is presented to illustrate the main conceptual components and mechanism of the proposed image retrieval system. To demonstrate the superiority of the new IR system over other IR systems, the retrieval result of a test example is also given in the article.
Planning an Experiment in the Company of Measurement Error.

"Textbook" calculations of statistical power and/or sample size follow from formulas that as sume that the variables under consideration are measured without error. However, in the "real world" of ...
Analysis of end user security behaviors

Many information security specialists believe that promoting good end user behaviors and constraining bad end user behaviors provide one important method for making information security effective within organizations. Because of the important of end user security-related behaviors, having a systematic viewpoint on the different kinds of behavior that end users enact could provide helpful benefits for managers, auditors, information technologists, and others with an interest in assessing and/or influencing end user behavior. In the present article, we describe our efforts to work with subject matter experts to develop a taxonomy of end user security-related behaviors, test the consistency of that taxonomy, and use behaviors from that taxonomy to conduct a U.S. survey of an important set of end user behaviors. We interviewed 110 individuals who possessed knowledge of end user security-related behaviors, conducted a behavior rating exercise with 49 information technology subject matter experts, and ran a U.S. survey of 1167 end users to obtain self-reports of their password-related behaviors. Results suggested that six categories of end user security-related behaviors appeared to fit well on a two-dimensional map where one dimension captured the level of technical knowledge needed to enact the behavior and another dimension captured the intentionality of the behavior (including malicious, neutral, and benevolent intentions). Our U.S. survey of non-malicious, low technical knowledge behaviors related to password creation and sharing showed that password ''hygiene'' was generally poor but varied substantially across different organization types (e.g., military organizations versus telecommunications companies). Further, we documented evidence that good password hygiene was related to training, awareness, monitoring, and motivation.
On a Clear Day, You Can See the Atlantic Seventeenth Century

Tawil assesses Laura Doyle’s Freedom’s Empire: Race and the Rise of the Novel in Atlantic Modernity, 1640–1940 as a rich, ambitious work of scholarship working at the intersection of several paradigmatic shifts in literary studies: the “transnational turn,” the adoption of the “Atlantic world” paradigm for literary history, and a new genealogy of “modernity” constituted by race. Doyle addresses these paradigms through the lens of the “freedom plot” as it takes shape in, and shapes, the history of the novel in English; she argues that this plot implies a racialized narrative, and not only in the “African-Atlantic” tradition. Tawil finds that Doyle’s focus on an “Anglo-Atlantic” literary history whose cultural roots reach back to seventeenth-century political debates in which the concept of freedom was no less charged, and no less racialized, effectively designates the 1640s as the opening of her historical frame; this, Tawil argues, makes the English revolutions of the seventeenth century, rather than, say, the French or American revolutions of the eighteenth, into the primal scene of modernity and English-language narrative. The raced freedom plot, he finds, binds together the Atlantic imaginary; a three-centuries-long modernity; the rise of the novel; and the Idea of freedom. Tawil concludes that this long transatlantic perspective retains its conceptual unity even as he also finds it useful to put some critical pressure on the status, epistemological stability, and historical continuity of race as an organizing principle.
Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (Amylin) Increases the Renal Excretion of Calcium in the Conscious Dog

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is a member of the calcitonin/CGRP family and has been isolated from the β-cell of pancreatic islets. Recent evidence suggests that this peptide may be involved in calcium metabolism in that its administration resulted in lowering of serum calcium levels. To determine the mechanism of IAPP-induced hypocalcemia, the peptide was infused at 50 pmol/min/kg for 90 minutes in conscious male mongrel dogs. Infusion of the peptide resulted in a modest decline in the total serum calcium concentration (10.4±0.2 to 9.4±0.2 mg/dl; P<0.05) and a concomitant increase in urinary calcium excretion (3.6±0.6 to 6.9±2.0 mg/dl; P<0.01). Based on an extracellular volume of 7 liter in a 28 kg dog, the total decrement in calcium due to IAPP was 41.3±2.4 mg, whereas the total increase in urinary calcium was 3.2±0.7 mg. There were no detectable changes in calcitonin. We conclude that IAPP lowers serum calcium and increases the renal excretion of calcium independently of calcitonin. However, the calciuria can only account for a small component of the hypocalcemic effect and therefore, an additional calcium lowering effect of IAPP exits.
Seasonally-managed wetland footprint delineation using Landsat ETM+ satellite imagery

One major challenge in water resource management is the estimation of evapotranspiration losses from seasonally managed wetlands. Quantifying these losses is complicated by the dynamic nature of the wetlands' areal footprint during the periods of flood-up and drawdown. We present a data-lean solution to this problem using an example application in the San Joaquin Basin, California. Through analysis of high-resolution Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) satellite imagery, we develop a metric to better capture the extent of total flooded wetland area. The procedure is validated using year-long, continuously-logged field datasets for two wetlands within the study area. The proposed classification which uses a Landsat ETM + Band 5 (mid-IR wavelength) to Band 2 (visible green wavelength) ratio improves estimates by 30-50% relative to previous wetland delineation studies. Requiring modest ancillary data, the study results provide a practical and efficient option for wetland management in data-sparse regions or un-gauged watersheds.
The fragmentation of negative ions generated by electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry: A review with new data

Electron capture negative ion (ECNI) mass spectrometry is a technique used to detect trace levels of electrophilic compounds in complex matrices. ECNI mass spectra can also provide information regarding molecular structure. In this paper, current knowledge regarding the modes of negative ion formation under ECNI conditions is presented. Types of negative ions that have been observed in ECNI mass spectra are summarized based upon spectra that have appeared in the literature and upon the spectra of over 350 compounds that were measured in our laboratory. Factors that influence molecular ion stability and sensitivity to isomeric structures are addressed.
Ultraviolet absorption bands of ionic compound clusters: Onset of crystalline structures in [Csn+1In]+, n=1–13

Starting from the large photofragmentation cross sections recently reported for mass‐selected alkali–halide cluster and nanocrystal beams [X. Li, R. D. Beck, and R. L. Whetten, Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 3420 (1992)], we have obtained optical absorption spectra for ionic compound clusters in the ultraviolet charge‐transfer bands. The smaller members of the CsI series, 3<n<14, show distinct absorption edges in the 4.6–5.8 eV region—just below the bulk exciton band near 5.9 eV—and the smallest cluster with an onset near the bulk is Cs14I13+, which is also a (3,3,3) nanocrystal. To help account for these features, we have computed minimum‐energy structures for the entire series using a classical electrostatic potential, and have derived a simple model for the absorption energy, following deBoer. The locations of the spectral features are compared to the predicted energies, and good qualitative agreement is found.
Sulfidation behavior of Ni-Cr-Mo alloys at 700°C

The effect of molybdenum additions 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt. %, on the sulfidation behavior of Ni-20Cr, and the effect of chromium additions, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.%, on the sulfidation of Ni-20Mo were studied in pure sulfur vapor at 700°C. In general, the alloys followed a linear or near-linear rate law, the sulfidation rate of Ni-20Mo being slightly less than that of Ni-20Cr. The alloys having the lowest ternary addition, e.g., Ni-Cr-5Mo and Ni-20Mo-5Cr. exhibited the most rapid reaction rates. The highest alloying additions of 20 wt.% had no appreciable benefit on reaction rates. Scale structures were complex but generally consisted of several layers. The outer layer was always NiS1.03, although both binaries formed Ni3S2 within the NiS1.03. An inner layer of Cr3S4 existed in which there was considerable dissolved molybdenum. A thin, intermediate layer of Cr2S3 generally formed between the Cr3S4 and the outer nickel sulfide. An innermost layer of MoS2 formed on all alloys containing more than 10 wt. % Mo, and a second phase of Mo2S3 formed within the MoS2 on Ni-20Mo. Although the scales changed with alloy composition, no significant changes in reaction rate were observed. Notable differences in both scale structure and reaction kinetics between this study and previous studies were apparent. The differences and possible reaction mechanisms are discussed.
Mammary Gland Growth and the Initiation of Lactation in Dairy Goats

Summary The efficacy of estradiol, oxytocin, and bovine somatotrophin to initiate lactation in goats with artificially induced mammary gland growth was tested. In a second experiment, the amount of mammary gland growth resulting from the oral administration of diethylstilbestrol (DES) and 6-methyl-17 acetoprogesterone (MAP) was determined. In the first experiment, the milk production of goats previously treated for 120 days with estradiol and progesterone was not increased by the injections of either estradiol, oxytocin, or bovine somatotrophin. In the second experiment, no marked milk secretion occurred in goats fed DES or MAP for 150 days until a dose of 1.0 mg estradiol had been injected daily for a 7-day period. The oral administration of DES or MAP alone, or a combination of the two, resulted in some mammary gland growth and milk production, but the production was much lower than that resulting from pregnancy. The combination of both compounds was no more effective than either one alone. The feeding of MAP to goats for the last 60 days of pregnancy resulted in higher levels of milk production for the first 4 wk of lactation, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.10). Thereafter, the milk production was approximately equal in the treated and the normal pregnant groups. The correlation between previous milk production and total alveolar surface area was 0.935.
IMPROVED FLUORESCENT SMEAR TECHNIQUE AND ITS APPLICATION IN DETECTING VIRUS ANTIGENS IN AN INSECT VECTOR.

Abstract Antiserum to wound-tumor virus (WTV) with a titer of 1 10,240 was prepared by injecting into rabbits WTV purified by steps including rate and equilibrium zonal centrifugation. When crude globulins were precipitated by ammonium sulfate solution at pH 7.0 and conjugated with crystalline fluorescein isothiocynate (FITC) by a dialysis technique, the recovery of antibody was about 50% as determined by precipitin ring test. By contrast, if the pH of the ammonium sulfate solution was not adjusted and the antiserum was conjugated with FITC by the method used previously, the recovery of antibody was only about 12.5%. (Conjugates prepared by the earlier method are designated A and those by the dialysis method D.) Also, when D conjugates were used to detect WTV antigens in the smears of exposed leafhoppers, much brighter specific and much less nonspecific fluorescence was observed than with A conjugates. In experiments correlating results of smear tests of vectors and their transmission of virus to plants, 107 smears of exposed leafhoppers were stained with the D conjugates. Of these, 76 were positive and 24 negative both by smear test and transmission. Seven leafhoppers were positive by smear test but did not transmit WTV in the transmission tests. On the other hand, there were no leafhoppers which were positive by transmission but negative by smear test. Four days of acquisition feeding and 22 days of incubation at 27.5° yielded as high a proportion of viruliferous leafhoppers as longer periods. The probability of susceptible insects acquiring the virus by a 24-hour acquisition feed at 27.5° was 0.55. WTV could be detected earlier by smear test than by transmission. A method of scoring smears of leafhoppers in ultraviolet (UV) light without using a microscope is described.
The Interaction of Salivary Proteins with Tooth Surface

Studies of the adsorption of human salivary proteins, in general, and the enzymes amylase, lysozyme, and neuraminidase, in particular, reveal that these proteins differ in their affinities for the surface of enamel. The enzymes studied retained their enzyme activity in the adsorbed state. Only amylase was desorbed by water; lysozyme was desorbed by its substrate; and all three enzymes, as well as most other adsorbed proteins, were desorbed by phosphate.
Thymosin stimulates interleukin-6 production from rat spleen cells in vitro.

Abstract Thymosin fraction 5 (TF5) is a partially purified preparation of bovine thymus that affects the differentiation and function of T-cells in vitro. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine that induces terminal maturation of B-cells and T-cell activation and differentiation. Although TF5 had previously been shown to stimulate the production of a number of lymphokines, its effects on IL-6 were not known. In this study we determined the effect of TF5 on IL-6 production from rat spleen cells in vitro. TF5 (100 μg/ml) stimulated IL-6 production from splenocytes (0.75 – 3.0 × 105 cells/well) in the presence of 0.008 – 0.2 μg/well of the T-cell mitogen concanavalin-A (con-A) by 10–20 fold during a 72 h incubation period. Dose-response studies demonstrated that 10 μg/ml of TF5 was the lowest concentration capable of enhancing IL-6 production. The ability of TF5 to stimulate IL-6 production in the presence of con-A could be demonstrated within 24 h of incubation; longer incubation periods (48–72 h) correlated with further enhancements of IL-6 production. Partial purification of the IL-6-inducing activity from TF5 resulted in three subfractions possessing activity in the presence of con-A (MB2, MB3, MB7) and one in the absence of con-A (MB2). The previously characterized thymosin peptides Tα1 and Tβ4 had no effect on IL-6 production in the absence or presence of mitogen. This study reports a new biological activity for TF5 and suggests that a novel constituent of TF5 may enhance the production of IL-6 from spleen cells.
Analysis of the toxic effects of linoleic acid, 12,13-cis-epoxyoctadecenoic acid, and 12,13-dihydroxyoctadecenoic acid in rabbit renal cortical mitochondria.

P450 epoxidation of linoleic acid has been associated with many pathological conditions that often lead to acute renal failure. However, there is only suggestive evidence that linoleic acid monoepoxides and/or linoleic diols directly induce mitochondrial dysfunction. Using isolated rabbit renal cortical mitochondria (RCM), we found that linoleic acid (50 μM) and the linoleic acid monoepoxide, cis-12,13-epoxy-9-octadecenoic acid (12,13-EOA, 50 μM) increased state 4 and oligomycin-insensitive respiration and reduced state 3 and oligomycin-sensitive respiration. Concomitant with these effects, linoleic acid and 12,13-EOA decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ). In contrast, the hydrolyzed product of 12,13-EOA, 12,13-dihydroxyoctadecenoic acid (12,13-DHOA, 50 μM), had no effect on state 3, state 4, oligomycin-sensitive, and oligomycin-insensitive respiration, and ΔΨ. Neither linoleic acid or its metabolites altered uncoupled respiration, which suggests that these compounds have no affect on electron transport chain in RCM. Nucleotides such as ATP (0.5 mM) and GDP (0.5 mM) partially prevented the decrease in ΔΨ but did not attenuate the increase in oligomycin-insensitive respiration after exposure to linoleic acid (50 μM) and 12,13-EOA (50 μM). These results demonstrate that linoleic acid metabolism to the 12,13-DHOA is a detoxification pathway that prevents mitochondrial dysfunction in RCM. The increase in state 4 respiration concomitant with decreases in state 3 respiration and ΔΨ suggest that, in addition to uncoupling effects, linoleic acid and 12,13-EOA may have other effects, such as alterations of mitochondrial membranes. The inability of ATP and GDP to fully attenuate the uncoupling effects of linoleic acid and 12,13-EOA suggests that these effects are mediated through a nucleotide-independent mechanism.
Immunology of the healthy liver: Old questions and new insights

The immunologic properties of the liver confront one with a combination of unique phenomena. These include graft survival across major histocompatibility antigen disparities, induction of systemic tolerance to food antigens, persistence of some viral infections for decades, and a collection of liver-specific immune-mediated diseases. 1‐ 4 The immunologic basis for these phenomena has been an active area of research, but in contrast the immunology of the healthy liver has received little attention. In this review the following questions will be addressed: what is the relationship of the healthy liver with the immune system? Does the liver have a unique immunologic function on a daily basis, and can an understanding of this provide insights into the liverspecific phenomena listed above? This review will summarize the current information on the immune functions of the healthy liver, and present some hypotheses on why these functions can be expected to give the liver a unique immunologic role in medical therapeutics and disease. Histologic study of the liver identifies liver-specific cell populations such as Kupffer cells and stellate cells, but does not suggest that there are many immunologically relevant cells present. 5 When the liver is digested and the nonparenchymal cells are characterized, a very different picture emerges. As early as 1976, “lymphoid” cells were shown to comprise 16%‐22% of the nonparenchymal cell pool, and this has subsequently been confirmed. The absolute number of lymphocytes in liver tissue is in the range of 10 ‐20 million cells per gram of tissue. 6 The high concentration of lymphocytes and the size of the liver results in a total hepatic lymphocyte number of 15%‐20% of the lymphoid cells in the spleen. This is a remarkable status for a nonlymphoid organ. The liver lymphocyte population is very diverse. Lymph nodes and the spleen are comprised primarily of B cells and T cells with the ab receptor (TCRab), the most common T cell in the body. The vast majority of TCRab cells remain as resting naive cells unless their TCR is activated by peptide antigen bound to either class I or class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules (class I for CD8 1 T
Gender and self-perceptions of social power

Using data from undergraduates we found that financial resources, intelligence, and having responsibility were important sources of social power. Consistent with traditional gender norms, women were more likely than were men to perceive social power from emotional intimacy, social skills, and parenting. Men were more likely than were women to perceive having a lot of social power due to physical strength and social status. Unexpected was that more men than women chose sexuality as a source of power. An awareness of gender stratification was found in the reports that “women in general” do not have a lot of social power and women were more likely than were men to say that “men in general” had a lot of social power.
Predicted stem-loop structures and variation in nucleotide sequence of 3' noncoding regions among animal calicivirus genomes

Caliciviruses are nonenveloped with a polyadenylated genome of approximately 7.6 kb and a single capsid protein. The “RNA Fold” computer program was used to analyze 3′-terminal noncoding sequences of five feline calicivirus (FCV), rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), and two San Miguel sea lion virus (SMSV) isolates. The FCV 3′-terminal sequences are 40–46 nucleotides in length and 72–91% similar. The FCV sequences were predicted to contain two possible duplex structures and one stem-loop structure with free energies of −2.1 to −18.2 kcal/mole. The RHDV genomic 3′-terminal RNA sequences are 54 nucleotides in length and share 49% sequence similarity to homologous regions of the FCV genome. The RHDV sequence was predicted to form two duplex structures in the 3′-terminal noncoding region with a single stem-loop structure, resembling that of FCV. In contrast, the SMSV 1 and 4 genomic 3′-terminal noncoding sequences were 185 and 182 nucleotides in length, respectively. Ten possible duplex structures were predicted with an average structural free energy of −35 kcal/mole. Sequence similarity between the two SMSV isolates was 75%. Furthermore, extensive cloverleaflike structures are predicted in the 3′ noncoding region of the SMSV genome, in contrast to the predicted single stem-loop structures of FCV or RHDV.
Social reactions to the expression of emotion

Abstract Weeping has traditionally been seen as a sign of weakness, and laughter as a sign of health. In the current study, attitudes and reactions toward emotional expressions were evaluated in a laboratory setting. Subjects (n = 168) viewed a movie with a confederate who cried, laughed, or expressed no emotion; they then engaged in 3 minutes of videotaped interaction. Results indicated that men were liked best when they cried, and women when they did not. Criers were seen as more depressed and emotional than individuals who laughed, but not as more feminine. More personal conversations were initiated in the Control condition, and contagion occurred in the Laugh condition, where moods were most positive. These results are consistent with other research which suggests that gender role expectations of emotional expression, especially crying, may have changed in recent years; they also demonstrate that reactions to others' expressions depend upon the expression and also the expressor.
Continuous speech recognition using linked predictive neural networks

The authors present a large vocabulary, continuous speech recognition system based on linked predictive neural networks (LPNNs). The system uses neural networks as predictors of speech frames, yielding distortion measures which can be used by the one-stage DTW algorithm to perform continuous speech recognition. The system currently achieves 95%, 58%, and 39% word accuracy on tasks with perplexity 7, 111, and 402, respectively, outperforming several simple HMMs that have been tested. It was also found that the accuracy and speed of the LPNN can be slightly improved by the judicious use of hidden control inputs. The strengths and weaknesses of the predictive approach are discussed. >
Resonant neutralization of 7Li+ scattered from alkali/Al(100) as a probe of the local electrostatic potential

Abstract Time-of-flight detection is used to measure the neutralization probabilities for 1.2 and 2.0 keV 7 Li + ions scattered from alkali-adsorbate-covered Al(100) surfaces. At low coverages, the neutral fractions for single scattering from adsorbate and substrate sites differ significantly while, at larger coverages, they are nearly equal. This change denotes a transition in the surface local electrostatic potential (LEP) from being spatially inhomogeneous to becoming homogeneous. The measured neutral fractions are compared to a quantum mechanical multi-state model of resonant charge transfer that includes the inhomogeneous adsorbate-induced part of the LEP. When the adsorbate-induced potential is modeled as the sum of isolated dipoles, good agreement between theory and experiment is obtained for single scattering from substrate atoms.
Dynamics of SU(1,1) coherent states.

We derive the most general Hamiltonian which preserves the Perelomov SU(1,1) coherent states under time evolution. It is shown that the Hamiltonian of the degenerate parametric oscillator from nonlinear optics, which does not preserve ordinary coherent states, does preserve the SU(1,1) coherent states under time evolution.
Value of Holter monitoring in identifying risk for sustained ventricular arrhythmia recurrence on amiodarone.

Abstract Seventy-four patients with sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias had 22 ± 3 hours of Holter monitoring before and after 11 ± 6 days of amiodarone treatment. On control Holter recordings, 55 patients (group I) had frequent (more than 10 extrasystoles per hour) and/or complex (at least couplets) ventricular ectopic activity (VEA), and 19 patients (group II) had infrequent and simple VEA. A positive Holter monitor response to amiodarone was defined as a decrease in VEA by more than 85% and abolition of all complex VEA. In group I, 34 patients (62%) had a positive Holter monitor response. In group II, 16 patients (84%) had persistent, infrequent and simple VEA and 3 had frequent and/or complex VEA. During a mean follow-up of 13 ± 12 months, 22 patients (30%) had ventricular tachycardia (VT) or sudden death. In group I, VT or sudden death occurred in 6 of 34 (18%) patients with a positive Holter monitor response and 11 of 21 (52%) with a negative Holter monitor response (p
Onset of propofol‐induced burst suppression may be correctly detected as deepening of anaesthesia by approximate entropy but not by bispectral index

The bispectral index (BIS) is a complex EEG variable that combines several disparate descriptors of the EEG into a single value. Approximate entropy is a novel EEG measure that quantifies the regularity of a data time series such as EEG. We report two patients in which the EEG effect of propofol was quantified very similarly by BIS and approximate entropy. However, at the beginning of burst suppression of the EEG, BIS did not indicate an increased anaesthetic drug effect, while approximate entropy did.
The structure and maturation of the spermatozoa of Sciara coprophila

The axial filament of Sciara coprophila does not conform to the usual 9 + 2 filament pattern but consists, rather, of as many as 76 pairs of filaments which decrease in number from the anterior to the posterior region of the sperm. It is first seen at the base of the head in the shape of an indented oval. The axial filament varies in configuration along the remaining length of the sperm as one whorl or two connected whorls of filament pairs. The other structures of the sperm revealed by the light and electron microscopes are a homogeneous, dense, spear-shaped nucleus, a row of spherical dense bodies in the middle piece enclosed by the axial filament and of unknown nature and function and a single mitochondrial derivative. The mitochondrial nebenkern derivative consists of a large electron transparent region bordered by cristae and a smaller paracrystalline region located adjacent to the axial filament. The derivative arises as paracrystalline material in a medial nuclear indentation. The electron transparent material is first seen at the anterior end of the middle piece. Unlike other known insect sperm, but reminiscent of sperm capacitation in mammals, sperm maturation is completed in the spermathecae of Sciara 7 to 9 hours after insemination. It consists of the acquisition of sperm motility and elimination of the electron transparent region of the mitochondrial nebenkern derivative. The electron microscope reveals in mature sperm that the axial filament doublets have changed configuration and consist of a single whorl which encloses the paracrystalline rod. The process by which the major portion of the nebenkern derivative is eliminated occurs in four identifiable stages. Since sperm maturation does not appear to be intrinsically controlled, factors in the spermathecal fluid may play a role in its completion.
Opportunistic splitting algorithms for wireless networks

In this paper, we develop medium access control protocols to enable users in a wireless network to opportunistically transmit when they have favorable channel conditions, without requiring a centralized scheduler. We consider approaches that use splitting algorithms to resolve collisions over a sequence of minislots, and determine the user with the best channel. First, we present a basic algorithm for a system with i.i.d. block fading and a fixed number of backlogged users. We give an analysis of the throughput of this system and show that the average number of minislots required to find the user with the best channel is less than 2.5 independent of the number of users or the fading distribution. We then extend this algorithm to a channel with memory and also develop a reservation based scheme that offers improved performance as the channel memory increases. Finally we consider a model with random arrivals and propose a modified algorithm for this case. Simulation results are given to illustrate the performance in each of these settings
Using Virtual Peers to Guide Visual Attention During Learning A Test of the Persona Hypothesis

This study tested the hypothesis that animated pedagogical agents (APAs) can effectively support students' learning by sig- naling visual information in multiple-representation learning environments. Novice students learned about electrical circuit analysis with an agent-based instructional program that included circuit diagrams and the corresponding Cartesian graphs. For some students, attention to relevant parts of the display was guided by an animated arrow (A group) or the deictic movements of a pedagogical agent (P group). A control (C) group learned with no visual attention-guiding method. Group P outperformed groups C and A on a posttest and gave lower difficulty ratings than group C. The findings suggest that a promising function of APAs is to support students' cognitive processing during
Extracting Output Metadata from Scientific Deep Web Data Sources

Increasingly, many data sources appear as online databases, hidden behind query forms, thus forming the deep web. The popularity of this new medium for data dissemination is leading to new problems in data integration. Particularly, to enable data integration from multiple deep web data sources, one needs to obtain the metadata for each of the data sources. Obtaining the metadata, particularly, the output schema, can be very challenging. This is because, given an input query, many deep web data sources only return a subset of the output schema attributes, i.e, the ones that have a non-NULL value for the corresponding input. In this paper, we propose two approaches, which are the sampling model approach and the mixture model approach, respectively, to efficiently obtain an approximately complete set of output schema attributes from a deep web data source. Our experiments show while each of the above two approaches has limitations, a hybrid strategy, where we combine the two approaches, achieves high recall with good precision for most data sources.
Medical history of carpal tunnel syndrome

The anatomical configuration of the carpal tunnel is that of an inelastic channel. Consequently, any increase in its volume or alteration in shape will usually result in a significant increase in interstitial pressure. At a pressure threshold of 20 mm Hg to 30 mm Hg, epineurial blood flow is compromised. When that pressure is sustained, the symptoms and physical findings associated with CTS appear. Typically, patients present with intermittent pain and paresthesias in all or part of the median nerve distribution of their hand(s). As weeks and months pass, symptoms progressively increase in frequency and severity. Eventually, thenar muscle weakness develops that initially manifests itself as "fatigue," or "tiredness." The progressive increase in symptoms and physical findings, usually accompanied by a progressive deterioration in electrodiagnostic studies, facilitates the classification of the condition into early, intermediate, and advanced stages. The increase in interstitial pressure in the carpal tunnel is in the vast majority of cases idiopathic (spontaneous). It can also be caused by a myriad of other conditions that can be classified into three other categories: intrinsic factors that increase the volume of the tunnel (outside and inside the nerve), extrinsic factors that alter the contour of the tunnel, and repetitive/overuse conditions. In addition, there is another category of neuropathic factors that affect the nerve without increasing interstitial pressure. In rare situations CTS can present as an acute problem. Far less common than the chronic form of the condition, it can follow acute wrist trauma, rheumatologic disorders, hemorrhagic problems, vascular disorders affecting a patent median artery, and high pressure injection injuries. Prompt recognition is important, followed in most cases by urgent surgical decompression of the median nerve.
The Vaccine-Autism Connection: A Public Health Crisis Caused by Unethical Medical Practices and Fraudulent Science

In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist, described a new autism phenotype called the regressive autism-enterocolitis syndrome triggered by environmental factors such as measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination. The speculative vaccination-autism connection decreased parental confidence in public health vaccination programs and created a public health crisis in England and questions about vaccine safety in North America. After 10 years of controversy and investigation, Dr. Wakefield was found guilty of ethical, medical, and scientific misconduct in the publication of the autism paper. Additional studies showed that the data presented were fraudulent. The alleged autism-vaccine connection is, perhaps, the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years.
Degradation-based reliability in outdoor environments

Some important reliability problems involve estimating a life distribution when failure is due to chemical degradation of materials or products that are exposed to the outdoor environment. There is a growing need to obtain timely predictions of such degradation behaviors on the basis of accelerated laboratory tests. Laboratory life tests provide in­ formation about degradation processes. Historical weather data are used to characterize the stochastic outdoor environment over time. A physical/chemical model for degra­ dation rate is used as a basis for using these data to produce reliability estimates. We propose and illustrate the use of an evaluation/estimation method that involves time series modeling. The method is illustrated with an example involving the degradation of a solar-reflector material. We will also show how to construct approximate confidence intervals for important reliability metrics.