cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The presence of α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (NAD+-linked) and adenylate kinase as core and integral membrane enzymes respectively in the glycosomes of Trypanosoma rhodesiense

A subcellular fraction enriched 12 times in glycosomes (NAD+-linked α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase) and devoid of detectable contamination from other subcellular components, was prepared from bloodstream Trypanosoma rhodesiense. Using a method employing exposure to toluene as a means of studying normally latent glycosomal enzymes, and phospholipase A2 as a membrane probe, the association of adenylate kinase and α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase with the glycosome was studied. The normally latent glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (NAD+ linked), it is proposed, is an intraglycosomal enzyme having no membrane association, but bound to the core by weak ionic linkages. As such it is possible to release the enzyme from permeable (toluene treated) glycosomes using Cl−, with a resulting 4-fold increase in the Km for dihydroxyacetone phosphate. The presence of Cl− also stimulates an increase in specific activity, but this is observed before any release of enzyme. In contrast adenylate kinase, a non-latent glycosomal enzyme, is clearly membrane associated, the use of phospholipase A2 revealing an absolute dependence on phospholipid for activity. Restoration of activity appears to specifically require phosphatidyl choline and to be co-operative in nature (nH = 1.56). It is proposed that adenylate kinase is an integral glycosomal membrane enzyme, probably affecting the control of intra-glycosomal ADP/ATP levels.
A Generalized Time-Reversed Space-Time Block Code for Helicopter-to-Ground Communications

This paper introduces a generalized version of time-reversed, space-time block codes (TR-STBCs), called GTRSTBCs that operates with non-equal power allocation between two inter-symbol interference (ISI) channels in a 2 transmit, 1 receive antenna helicopter-to-ground radio link. The power allocation is parameterized by, the portion of the total available power allocated to channel 1. The criteria for selecting the optimum is minimizing the residual mean-squared error at the MMSE equalizer output. GTR-STBC is applied to measured channel impulse responses and a simple statistical channel model. The results show that 1) the optimum value of gives the best trade off between signal-to-noise ratio and ISI, 2) equal power allocation may not be the optimum power allocation when channel side information is available, and 3) the optimum profile of over measured channels channels is significantly different than from that in statistical channel models.
Hydrothermal alteration of Tertiary igneous rocks from the Isle of Skye, northwest Scotland

Hydrothermal alteration of Tertiary granites from Skye involed the reaction of igneous amphibole, biotite, ferroaugite, fayalite, alkali feldspar, plagioclase feldspar, magnetite, and ilmenite with aqueous fluid primarily to combinations of secondary alkali feldspar, chlorite and montmorillonite. Lesser amounts of muscovite, calcite, epidote, prehnite, zeolite, and pyrite also developed. During mineralogical alteration of the granites there was a net addition to rock of H and a net loss of Ca, Fe, and probably Na. There is no positive evidence for a significant change in their Al, Si, Mg, or K contents. Hydrothermal alteration of Skye granite involved not only large-scale migration of 18O, 16O, D, and H but also of Ca, Fe, and probably Na. Mineral thermometry combined with textural observations suggests that chemical, isotopic, and most mineralogical alteration were synchronous and occurred at 350°–450° C. Textural observations further suggest that the mechanism of isotopic exchange between granite and hydrothermal fluid primarily was solution/reprecipitation.
Rodent models of early environment effects on offspring development and susceptibility to neurological diseases in adulthood

Events early in life can program brain for a pattern of neuroendocrine and behavioral responses in later life. This mechanism is named “developmental phenotypic plasticity”. Experimental evidences from rodents show that early experiences influence long-term development of behavioral, neuroendocrine and cognitive functions. While some neonatal conditions lead to positive outcomes, offspring might also display neurological dysfunctions in adulthood in case of adverse conditions during the early development. Different factors have been suggested to mediate the effects of neonatal conditions on offspring development but their exact contribution as well as their interaction still needs to be clarified. Studies based on rodents have been developed to model the long-term effects of early environmental conditions on the developing brain. These studies highlight importance of maternal behavior in mediating the effects of early environmental conditions on the offspring. However, other studies suggest that aside from the level of maternal care, other factors (gender, neonatal glucocorticoid levels) contribute to the adjustment of offspring phenotype to early environmental cues. Altogether, rodents-based evidence suggests that developmental plasticity is a very complex phenomenon mediated by multiple factors that interact one to each other. Ultimately, the goal is to understand how early life events can lead to advantageous phenotype in adult life, or, on the contrary, can predispose individuals to psychopathologies such as depression or anxiety.
Improved generalized quasilinearization method and rapid convergence for reaction diffusion equations

Abstract In the method of quasilinearization or the method of generalized quasilinearization we assume that ∂ k f ( t , x , u ) ∂ u k exists, where f ( t , x , u ) is the forcing function and obtain kth order of convergence. In this paper, we assume a weaker condition namely, ∂ k - 1 f ( t , x , u ) ∂ u k - 1 exists and Lipschitzian in u and develop generalized quasilinearization method to reaction diffusion equations. The iterates will be different depending on ∂ k - 1 f ( t , x , u ) ∂ u k - 1 is nondecreasing or nonincreasing in u and k being even or odd. Finally, we prove that the sequences generated by the generalized quasilinearization method converge to the unique solution of the nonlinear reaction diffusion equation and the convergence is of order k.
Arthritis in an early 20th century geriatric population

Bone and joint alterations were characterized in the skeletons of 498 individuals age 64+ who died in Northeast Ohio between 1913 and 1933. Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, rare in young individuals, was found in 27% of men over age 65, compared with only 5% of women (Chi square = 21.1, p<0.0005), independent of race. Osteoarthritis was present in 41% of Blacks but only 24% of Caucasians (Chi square = 11.3, p<0.001), independent of sex. Rheumatoid arthritis was present in 4.4% of women and 0.7% of men (Chi square = 7.32, p<0.008), independent of race. This 6:1 ratio contrasted with the 3:1 ratio among individuals <65. Spondyloarthropathy was equally represented in all groups. Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease, equally represented by race and sex, increased logarithmically with age. This unique population survey provides new insights to rheumatologic impact on aging and should facilitate health care planning.
The morphological stability of continuous intergranular phases: Thermodynamic considerations

Abstract A thermodynamic analysis of the morphological stability of continuous intergranular phases, incorporating the number of bounding grains n, and dihedral angle ψ as variables is presented. For each n, the minimum thermodynamically unstable wavelength of an infinitesimal amplitude perturbation coincides with the Rayleigh result (2πRc for ψ = 180° For n = 2, the ratio λ min 2πR c decreases with ψ, approaching a limit of (0.7) 1 2 as ψ→0°. For n⩾ 3, λ min 2πR c increases with decreasing ψ and tends to infinity as ψ → π − (2 π n ) , or equivalently as the interface curvature vanishes. For fixed ψ, the stability increases with n. Several applications and implications of the analysis are discussed.
Percentage of free prostate-specific antigen: implications in modern extended scheme prostate biopsy.

Objectives To validate the performance of percentage of free prostate-specific antigen (%fPSA) in men undergoing extended scheme biopsy. The current cutoff values for %fPSA were chosen using data from sextant biopsies, which have been known to miss a significant number of prostate cancer cases. Additionally, we sought to validate the use of %fPSA in men with a total PSA 10.0 ng/mL. Methods We evaluated %fPSA performance in 1077 men who had undergone initial extended prostate biopsy. The men were categorized according to their PSA level into 2 groups (>4.0 and ≤4.0) ng/mL. Results The overall cancer detection rate was 42.1%. The mean PSA level was 7.6 ng/mL, and the mean %fPSA was 18.0%. The area under the curve for %fPSA was 0.59 (95% confidence interval 0.57-0.61) for all PSA levels, comparable to previous reports from sextant biopsy series. The performance of %fPSA in predicting prostate cancer on initial extended biopsy was improved with a PSA level of ≤4.0 ng/mL (area under the curve 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.62-0.70) compared with a PSA level >4.0 ng/mL (area under the curve 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.55-0.59; P 4.0-ng/mL group. Conclusions The performance of %fPSA in predicting the presence of prostate cancer was not altered when an extended biopsy scheme was used. Although a %fPSA level greater than our cutoffs would not rule out prostate cancer, a low %fPSA would be particularly useful in predicting prostate cancer, especially in men with normal digital rectal examination findings and a PSA level
Beryllium and lithium X-ray lenses at the APS

Compound refractive lenses (CRLs) are arrays of concave lenslets used to focus X-rays. For a given incident X-ray beam energy, the focal length of a CRL depends on the material and shape of the individual lenslets, and in particular is inversely related to the number of lenslets in the array. The throughput of a lens array is heavily affected by absorption of the X-rays in the lens. For this reason, it is necessary to employ low-atomic-number materials and fabricate the lenses as thin as possible, especially for low to moderate X-ray energy range (~ 5 - 20 keV) photons. Lithium and beryllium are two of the best candidate materials for X-ray lenses due to their relatively high (real decrement) index of refraction and low X-ray absorption. Lithium is very malleable, however, and reacts strongly with moisture in the air, requiring a special fabrication environment and housing. Beryllium, on the other hand, is a solid metal and is easy to machine and handle. This paper summarizes the recent work at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) on parabolic lithium and cylindrical beryllium lenses. These lenses have been tested on APS X-ray beamlines. Their performance in terms of the focal size and gain is described and further improvements including tighter manufacturing tolerances and thinner lens walls are discussed.
Reciprocal food sharing in the vampire bat

Behavioural reciprocity can be evolutionarily stable1–3. Initial increase in frequency depends, however, on reciprocal altruists interacting predominantly with other reciprocal altruists either by associating within kin groups or by having sufficient memory to recognize and not aid nonreciprocators. Theory thus suggests that reciprocity should evolve more easily among animals which live in kin groups. Data are available separating reciprocity from nepotism only for unrelated nonhuman animals4. Here, I show that food sharing by regurgitation of blood among wild vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) depends equally and independently on degree of relatedness and an index of opportunity for recipro cation. That reciprocity operates within groups containing both kin and nonkin is supported further with data on the availability of blood-sharing occasions, estimates of the economics of shar ing blood, and experiments which show that unrelated bats will reciprocally exchange blood in captivity.
Can universal pre-kindergarten programs improve population health and longevity? Mechanisms, evidence, and policy implications

Recent research has found that children who attended pre-kindergarten programs in childhood were more likely to be healthy as adults. One intuitive way of improving population health and longevity may therefore be to invest in pre-kindergarten programs. However, much of the research linking pre-kindergarten programs to health is very recent and has not been synthesized. In this paper, I review the mechanisms linking pre-kindergarten programs in childhood to adult longevity, and the experimental evidence backing up these linkages. I conclude with a critical exploration of whether investments in pre-kindergarten programs could also serve as investments in public health.
Dynamics of major histocompatibility complex class I association with the human peptide-loading complex

Although the human peptide-loading complex (PLC) is required for optimal major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) antigen presentation, its composition is still incompletely understood. The ratio of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) and MHC I to tapasin, which is responsible for MHC I recruitment and peptide binding optimization, is particularly critical for modeling of the PLC. Here, we characterized the stoichiometry of the human PLC using both biophysical and biochemical approaches. By means of single-molecule pulldown (SiMPull), we determined a TAP/tapasin ratio of 1:2, consistent with previous studies of insect-cell microsomes, rat-human chimeric cells, and HeLa cells expressing truncated TAP subunits. We also report that the tapasin/MHC I ratio varies, with the PLC population comprising both 2:1 and 2:2 complexes, based on mutational and co-precipitation studies. The MHC I-saturated PLC may be particularly prevalent among peptide-selective alleles, such as HLA-C4. Additionally, MHC I association with the PLC increases when its peptide supply is reduced by inhibiting the proteasome or by blocking TAP-mediated peptide transport using viral inhibitors. Taken together, our results indicate that the composition of the human PLC varies under normal conditions and dynamically adapts to alterations in peptide supply that may arise during viral infection. These findings improve our understanding of the quality control of MHC I peptide loading and may aid the structural and functional modeling of the human PLC.
Use of reflectance spectra for the estimation of barbiturates by spot test techniques

Abstract The effect of concentration, reaction solvent (chloroform or water), and reaction procedure (immersion of spot test) on the color of the copper(II)-pyridine-thiopental complex was studied, and the use of visual estimates for quantitative purposes was compared with the use of direct, single-reading reflectance photometry at both the wavelength of maximum absorption (415 mμ) and that of maximum reflectance (535 mμ). The 1931 C.I.E. chromaticity coordinate system and the Y-tristimulus value were used to interpret the visual estimates of color. The chromaticity coordinates were treated as a normal, bivariant population, and the data were presented in terms of confidence elipses. The tristimulus values and reflectance measurements were compared by means of linear regression equations. It was shown that solvent and procedure had but a minimal effect on the color developed or the reflectance observed at the two selected wavelengths. Significant changes were observed, however, with changes in concentration. For visual estimates, all three psychophysical attributes of color, i.e., dominant wavelength or hue, purity or saturation, and intensity or brightness, were found to vary simultaneously with changes in concentration, the dominant wavelength and intensity showing the greatest effect. The measurements of relative intensity showed a significant linear relationship with concentration. All three lines had identical slopes. The 415 mμ reflectance yielded an intercept significantly lower than either the blank value or the intercepts obtained with the 535 mμ reflectance and the Y-tristimulus value. The latter two intercepts were identical with their respective blank values. Regardless of the parameter used for quantitative estimation, the practical range for thiopental appeared to be from 2 to 5 mg per milliliter or 15–35 μg with a precision no better than ±50%. Conceivably, visual estimates by comparison with standards could be made with a relative precision of about half this value, and the precision for single-reading photometry might be improved by use of equipment with a better resolution than the Bausch and Lomb Spectronic 20 used in this study. However, the reaction appears to be mainly a semiquantitative one. Its primary value lies in its ability to detect small quantities of thiopental, or similar sulfur-containing barbiturates, in the presence of oxygen analogues like pentobarbital. Pentobarbital, at levels up to at least 10% by weight, was found to give no important interference in thiopental solutions for either qualitative or quantitative estimates.
A mysterious king-sized Mesozoic lungfish from North America

Lungfishes (dipnoans) are lobe-finned fishes that have lived from the Devonian to Recent. Here, we describe a previously unreported Mesozoic lungfish species assigned to the genus Ceratodus on the basis of an isolated upper tooth from the Western Interior of North America. The morphology of the tooth specimen clearly suggests that it represents an undescribed taxon, but although distinct, the species cannot be given a new taxonomic name because of its mysterious provenance data. The specimen is noteworthy because it is the largest known lungfish tooth reported to date. We estimate the total length of this durophagous fish to be about 4 m in life. This discovery adds a remarkable new component to the paleoecology of North America during the ‘Age of Reptiles.’
Injectable in Situ Cross-Linking Hydrogels for Local Antifungal Therapy

Invasive fungal infections can be devastating, particularly in immunocompromised patients, and difficult to treat with systemic drugs. Furthermore, systemic administration of those medications can have severe side effects. We have developed an injectable local antifungal treatment for direct administration into existing or potential sites of fungal infection. Amphotericin B (AmB), a hydrophobic, potent, and broad-spectrum antifungal agent, was rendered water-soluble by conjugation to a dextran-aldehyde polymer. The dextran-aldehyde-AmB conjugate retained antifungal efficacy against Candida albicans. Mixing carboxymethylcellulose-hydrazide with dextran-aldehyde formed a gel that cross-linked in situ by formation of hydrazone bonds. The gel provided in vitro release of antifungal activity for 11 days, and contact with the gel killed Candida for three weeks. There was no apparent tissue toxicity in the murine peritoneum and the gel caused no adhesions. Gels produced by entrapment of a suspension of AmB in CMC-dextran without conjugation of drug to polymers did not release fungicidal activity, but did kill on contact. Injectable systems of these types, containing soluble or insoluble drug formulations, could be useful for treatment of local antifungal infections, with or without concurrent systemic therapy.
Beliefs and Perspectives of First‐Year, Alternative Preparation, Elementary Teachers in Urban Classrooms

Results from an earlier study (Hart, 2002) suggested that a group of 14 teachers participating in an alternative preparation program for elementary teachers had developed beliefs that were consistent with current thinking in mathematics education. The current study follows 8 of those teachers into their first year of teaching in an urban classroom. Qualitative data were collected from three sources: reflection logs, mathematics case discussions, and field notes made during classroom observations. This provided a triangulation of perspectives: the teachers' views of themselves, the teachers' views of others, and the university faculty member's view of them. Also, teachers completed the Standards Belief Instrument (Zollman & Mason, 1996) at the end of Phase I and at the end of Phase II. Results from the instrument and the qualitative analysis suggest that the teachers maintained a strong reform perspective in their beliefs, but they were unable to consistently implement pedagogy that was consistent with those beliefs.
Pediatricians and health promotion practitioner goals for the year 2000

Abstract Data related to goals for the year 2000 that pertain to pediatric services are examined to determine the percent of pediatricians that have achieved them at this baseline period. The results are from surveys of the membership of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). According to their responses, pediatricians are providing a number of counseling services at the levels set by the goals, including nutrition, preconception care, and safety. In other areas examined, notably physical fitness, drug use, parent-child functioning, developmental screening, AIDS and STDs, and immunizations more pediatricians need to provide counseling services to approach the goal levels. The results are viewed in the context of a number of factors identified in the literature and in the authors' own data that may be related to achieving the year 2000 goals for practitioners, and suggestions are given for steps that need to be taken to increase preventive care.
Recreational and social activities of orthognathic surgery patients

The present study examined changes in recreational and social activities after orthognathic surgery. Because this is often an expectation of patients seeking surgery, it was hypothesized that activity levels would increase gradually after surgery, particularly for patients who become more extroverted and for unmarried patients. Information on the frequencies of recreational and social activities, and the persons with whom these activities were performed, were obtained from 53 patients in a self-administered questionnaire administered at least 2 days before surgery and again 3 weeks, 4 months, and 9 months after surgery. In addition, patients were assessed on introversion-extroversion before and after surgery. The results indicated that (1) for both married and single patients, recreational and social activities dropped immediately after surgery and gradually increased to a level similar to that prior to surgery at nine months after surgery; (2) contrary to expectations, the single patients over age 15 did not increase their recreational and social activities with friends of the opposite sex after surgery; and (3) the degree of change in introversion-extroversion after surgery was not associated with the degree of change in recreational and social activities performed with others. Implications for postsurgical adjustment of orthognathic patients and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Psychophysical scaling of olfactory, visual, and auditory stimuli by alchoholic Korsakoff patients.

Abstract Ten alcoholic Korsakoff patients, ten alcoholic control subjects, and ten non-alcoholic control subjects performed psychophysical scaling of the intensity of stimuli in the visual, auditory, and olfactory modalities. Whereas the Korsakoff patients displayed normal scaling judgments in all three visual tasks and in two out of three auditory tasks, they evidenced a severe deficit in their scaling of olfactory stimuli. Korsakoffs were shown to have elevated thresholds for the perception of olfactory stimuli. These results are consistent with previous findings of an olfactory sensory impairment in alcoholic Korsakoff patients and may be attributable to damage to diencephalic and limbic brain structures in this disease.
THE INTOXICATION OF SPLENECTOMIZED MICE BY FEEDING FRESH SPLEEN AND OTHER ORGANS

The intoxication which is developed when splenectomized mice are fed with fresh spleen is more regular in occurrence when the feeding experiment is carried out four or five days after splenectomy than when it is done at later periods. The intoxication is easily recognizable even in its less severe forms by a lengthening of the coagulation time of the blood. An intoxication of the same character is produced when splenectomized mice are fed with the mucous membrane of the stomach and upper small intestine. Bone marrow and dried blood probably give the same reaction in a somewhat milder form. The other organs either give no intoxication at all when fed, or in certain instances the thyroid, adrenal, and salivary gland (mouse) give intoxications of a different character which affect intact mice and splenectomized animals equally. The spleen or the gastro-intestinal mucosa is equally effective in producing the intoxication, whether it be derived from heterologous or homologous species. Certain experiments, not reported in detail, indicate that the susceptibility to the intoxication disappears in time and that this time may be shortened by repeated feedings with sublethal amounts of organ substance.
Algebraic connectivity of degree constrained spanning trees for FSO networks

Free space optical (FSO) networking is an attractive technology with applications ranging from high capacity military communications to “Last-mile” broadband access solutions. Topology control is an important problem in FSO networks. The problem of building a spanning tree when number of transceivers on each base station is limited, in FSO networks, is NP-hard. What makes the problem even more challenging is to maximize the algebraic connectivity of the spanning tree. In this paper, we develop an initially configuring, or bootstrapping, algorithm which produces a degree constrained spanning tree with high algebraic connectivity and also high average edge weight, where the edge weight in the graph represents the FSO link reliability. We also develop a fast reconfiguration algorithm when one or more links fail in the FSO network. Our algorithms outperform alternative schemes in improving both algebraic connectivity and average edge weight. The robustness of the resulting topology of FSO networks is significantly improved.
Dynamic Stall of an Airfoil With Leading Edge Bubble Separation Involving Time Dependent Re-Attachment

The dynamic stall of an airfoil with leading edge bubble separation is analyzed. The stall flutter of turbomachine blading may involve periodic growth and collapse of such a bubble. The mathematical model representing the physical problem is presented. A flat plate undergoing harmonic oscillations with time-dependent point of re-attachment is studied for the perturbed aerodynamic reactions and applications to the stall flutter problem.Copyright © 1978 by ASME
Obstacle avoidance guidance and control algorithm for spacecraft maneuvers

This paper outlines a method that solves for optimized satellite maneuvers in the presence of obstacles. This method constitutes an optimized plan in which the dynamics are directly incorporated in a guidance and control algorithm. The method performs a 3-D static optimization over the final relative position and time-of-flight for an appropriate cost function which uses the solution to the dynamics. Specifically, it must be a function of the impulsive thrust vector Δv which is defined as a maneuver from one relative relative position to another for a given time-of-flight and final relative position. This method utilizes the ability to alter the trajectory by varying the time-of-flight and final relative position inside the Δv expression. Therefore, a search algorithm can optimize for particular forms of cost as well as avoid obstacles by including them as inequality constraints. A feedback mechanism is also incorporated by replanning in either constant or variable type intervals.
Highly diastereoselective synthesis of nucleoside adducts from the carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide and a computational analysis.

A diastereoselective synthesis of the nucleoside adducts corresponding to a cis ring-opening of the carcinogen (±)-7β,8α-dihydroxy-9α,10α-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BaP DE-2) by 2‘-deoxyadenosine and 2‘-deoxyguanosine is described. The key intermediate (±)-10α-amino-7β,8α,9α-trihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene was synthesized by a highly diastereoselective dihydroxylation wherein phenylboronic acid was a water surrogate. The resulting boronate ester was converted to a tetraol derivative in which two of the four hydroxyl groups (trans 7, 8) were protected as benzoate esters while the remaining two (cis 9, 10) were free. The cis glycol entity was then subjected to a reaction with 1-chlorocarbonyl-1-methylethylacetate to yield an intermediate chloro monoacetoxy dibenzoate. Displacement of the halide with azide, complete cleavage of the esters, and catalytic reduction of the azide yielded the requisite amino triol. Fluoride displacement from appropriately protected nucleoside derivative...
Optimum spacings of elementary treatment contrasts in symmetrical 2-factor pa block designs

The concept of optimum spacing of an arbitrary group of treatments was introduced by Sinha and Sinha (1969) in a study of the relative efficiencies of a group of block designs. In this paper, the optimum spacings of elementary treatment contrasts in a 2-factor symmetrical block design with Property A are studied using the A-optimality criterion. Conditions for optimum spacings are expressed in terms of the relative magnitudes of the efficiency factors.
Introduction of a Direct Observation Program Into a Pediatric Resident Continuity Clinic: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Effect on Resident Feedback

Background: Direct observations of trainee performance are essential to the evaluation of clinical skills, and are now required by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Purpose: We sought to describe the feasibility and acceptability of a direct observation program in a pediatric resident clinic, and evaluate its effect on feedback. Methods: We modified the Structured Clinical Observation (SCO) for use in a pediatric resident clinic. Preceptors and residents were asked about the frequency and content of feedback given before and after the introduction of the observations. Results: One-hundred-sixty-six structured clinical observations were performed. Their use increased the frequency of feedback provided, and resulted in more feedback on listening skills and less feedback on medical knowledge and decision making. Conclusions: Structured clinical observations can be successfully introduced into a pediatric resident continuity clinic. This is a valuable supplement to the tradition...
Comparison of three-dimensional structures of homologous proteins

Abstract The rapidly expanding database of protein tertiary structures looks as though it is confirming earlier predictions that extant proteins are evolved from a relatively small number of ancestral proteins; increasingly, ‘new’ protein folds are found to be excitingly similar to previously established proteins despite the lack of significant sequence similarity. Comparison of similar folds may yield important insights into the protein folding problem, irrespective of whether the folds are related by divergent or convergent evolution. In this review, three specific topics from the recent literature related to protein structure comparison are discussed: comparison of very distantly related folds; identification of new structural motifs; and, the effects of mutations at domain boundaries.
Proliferation of mast cells in normal and DMBA‐treated mouse skin

To examine the pattern of proliferation of mast cells in the skin of Swiss Webster mice, single or multiple pulses of -3H-thymidine. autoradiography and selective staining techniques were combined to detect DNA synthesis. A very low labelling index was found for the mast cells of normal skin but alteration of the mast-cell population using the chemical carcinogen dimethylbenzanthracene led to increased labelling of mast cells. A series of studies of experimentally altered skin showed a pattern of mast cell labelling which suggested derivation of new mast cells by local self-replication. The labelling pattern indicated that mast cells labelled after 1 h divided to produce 2 daughter cells and that the rate of increase in the number of labelled mast cells following repeated labelling for up to 20 days was linear. These data do not suggest major recruitment of mast cells from a distant source during this period.
Use of Particle-Tracking Velocimetry and Flow Birefringence To Study Nonlinear Flow Behavior of Entangled Wormlike Micellar Solution: From Wall Slip, Bulk Disentanglement to Chain Scission

In this work, we have investigated nonlinear flow behavior of an entangled living polymer solution made of wormlike micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium salicylate (NaSal), using a combination of rheometric, particle tracking velocimetric (PTV), and flow birefringence (FB) techniques. The responses of the entangled micellar solution to various modes of shear including startup, creep, large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS), and step shear are analyzed with PTV and FB. Apart from the usual nonlinear behavior analogous to that observed in entangled polymer solutions, i.e., shear inhomogeneity in the form of either interfacial slip or nonlinear velocity profile in the bulk that is plausibly due to deformation-induced chain disentanglement, the entangled micellar solution shows a sign of molecular rupture (i.e., chain scission) when it is subjected to a high rate of shear beyond a critical strain level of 4.0. LAOS at amplitude of 6.0 produces a similar rupture in the sample interior. On the other hand, creep flow can avoid such rupture, allow development of less sharp boundaries among the different layers of varying local shear rates, and still reach high apparent rates. Finally, application of FB observations not only confirms the PTV measurements of shear inhomogeneity but also reveals structural nonuniformity in the flow-vorticity plane both during a startup shear and in relaxation after a large step shear.
Analysis of bounded time warp and comparison with YAWNS

This article studies an analytic model of parallel discrete-event simulation, comparing the YAWNS conservative synchronization protocol with Bounded Time Warp. The assumed simulation problem is a heavily loaded queuing network where the probability of an idle server is closed to zero. We model workload and job routing in standard ways, then develop and validate methods for computing approximated performance measures as a function of the degree of optimism allowed, overhead costs of state-saving, rollback, and barrier synchronization, and workload aggregation. We find that Bounded Time Warp is superior when the number of servers per physical processor is low (i.e., sparse load), but that aggregating workload improves YAWNS relative performance.
Quantification of Diacylglycerol Molecular Species in Biological Samples by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry after One-Step Derivatization

Diacylglycerols (DAGs) are important lipid intermediates in cellular trafficking and signaling. Their concentrations are altered in diabetes, cancer, and other disease states. Quantification of DAGs in biological samples may provide critical information to uncover molecular mechanisms leading to various cellular functional disorders. Recent advances in lipidomics using mass spectrometry have greatly accelerated global lipid analysis and quantification. Quantification of DAGs by electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI/MS), however, is challenged by the absence of a permanent charge on the molecule, its low proton affinity and acidity, and its low abundance under normal biological conditions. We describe here the introduction of a quaternary ammonium cation to DAG molecules, using N-chlorobetainyl chloride, to afford a derivatized DAG that gives 2 orders of magnitude higher signal intensities than their underivatized sodium adducts. A linear calibration curve in which peak intensity ratios are plotted versus molar ratios can be achieved by using ESI/MS with dilauroyl glycerol as the internal standard. Employing this new approach to this analyte, we found a 9-fold increase of total DAGs in the livers of obese db/db mice as compared to their heterozygous lean controls. This proven strategy can be used to detect and quantify DAG molecular species from biological samples using ESI/MS after one-step derivatization.
Graphitic mesoporous carbon as a support of promoted Rh catalysts for hydrogenation of carbon monoxide to ethanol

Abstract Graphitic mesoporous carbon (GMC), prepared through high-temperature graphitization of soft-templated amorphous mesoporous carbon (AMC), was used as the support for Mn, Li, and Fe triple-promoted Rh catalysts for CO hydrogenation to ethanol. The use of GMC results in C2H5OH selectivity and formation rate comparable to nonporous SiO2 support along with a significant inhibition on the formation of undesired CH4 and light hydrocarbons at the expense of appreciable amounts of CO2 produced. The better catalytic performance of promoted-Rh/GMC than those supported on other carbon allotropes (AMC and non-porous graphitic carbon black) seems to be associated with the specific graphitic structure and mesoporosity of GMC. The surface modification of GMC by wet oxidation leads to considerable increases in C2H5OH selectivity and formation rate. The modified GMC as a support shows substantially greater CO2-free selectivity for C2H5OH than the SiO2.
LOX-1 and Angiotensin Receptors, and Their Interplay

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in regulating blood pressure, water-salt balance and the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is the physiologically active mediator and mediates the main pathophysiological actions in RAS. Ang II exerts the effects by activating its receptors, primarily type 1 (AT1R) and type 2 (AT2R). Most of the known pathophysiological effects of Ang II are mediated by AT1R activation. The precise physiological function of AT2R is still not clear. Generally, AT2R is considered to oppose the effects of AT1R. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein scavenger receptor-1 (LOX-1) is one of the major receptors responsible for binding, internalizing and degrading ox-LDL. The activation of LOX-1 has been known to be related to many pathophysiological events, including endothelial dysfunction and injury, fibroblast growth, and vascular smooth muscle cell hypertrophy. Many of these alterations are present in atherosclerosis, hypertension, and myocardial ischemia and remodeling. A growing body of evidence suggests the existence of a cross-talk between LOX-1 and Ang II receptors. Their interplays are embodied in the reciprocal regulation of their expression and activity. Their interplays are involved in a series of signals. Recent studies suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), protein kinase C (PKC) and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are important signals responsible for their cross-talk. This paper reviews these aspects of dyslipidemia and RAS activation.
Regional and cellular localization of glycosyltransferases in rat small intestine Changes in enzymes with differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells

Optimal assay conditions were determined for four glycosyltransferases in rat small intestinal mucosal homogenates and the regional distribution and cellular localization of these enzymes was studied. For each glycosyltransferase, similar levels of activity were found in duodenal, proximal jejunal and distal ileal segments; activities of the galactosyltransferases were lower in the distal jejunal-proximal ileal segment. Planar section studies indicated that the undifferentiated crypt cells had significantly higher levels of sialyltransferase activities in the jejunum and ileum than the mature villus cells. A similar crypt to villus gradient was found for a galactosyltransferase in the ileum. These data suggest that glycoprotein synthesis may be active in the undifferentiated crypt cells and that certain glycosyltransferases may serve as marker enzymes for cellular differentiation in the intestine.
Super Spatio-Temporal Resolution, Digital PIV System for Multi-Phase Flows With Phase Differentiation and Simultaneous Shape and Size Quantification

A unique, super spatio-temporal resolution Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) system for the analysis of time-dependent multiphase flows has been developed. The system delivers a sampling frequency between 1KHz and 10KHz, with continuous total acquisition time up to 4 secs and resolution 1Kx1K pixels down to 256×256 pixels. The hardware is integrated with sophisticated image processing algorithms that allow direct image segmentation in order to resolve the multiple phases present in the flow and provides quantitative information about the shape and size of droplets or bubbles present. Finally, the in-plane velocities are measured by a super-resolution, dynamically-adaptive cross-correlation algorithm which is coupled with a particle-tracking scheme. Each individual phase present in the flow is resolved with mean spatial resolution in the order of 3–4 pixels, and accuracy in the order of 0.01–0.1 pixels, while the spatial averaging effects of cross correlation are eliminated.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Effects of growth hormone and estrogen on T lymphocytes in older women.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect on peripheral blood T lymphocytes of recombinant human growth hormone administered to healthy older women. DESIGN Prospective, open study. SETTING Veterans Administration clinical research unit and community surrounding Palo Alto, California. PARTICIPANTS Thirty-three women were recruited in two age groups: 20 to 40 years (n = 13) and 70 years or older (n = 24). Subjects were healthy, community-dwelling volunteers. INTERVENTIONS Recombinant human growth hormone at a dose of 0.025 mg/kg body weight/day was administered to the older subjects by daily subcutaneous injection over a 6-month study period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mean percentage and number of peripheral blood CD45RA+ (“naive”) T cells, mean counts per minute (CPM) of [3H]-thymidine incorporation following stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with phytohemaglutinin (T cell proliferation). RESULTS Before therapy, mean percentage and number of peripheral blood CD45RA+ T cells and T cell proliferative responses were significantly reduced in older compared with younger women. The fraction of older women with CD45RA+ T cell levels or T cell proliferative responses in the young range was significantly decreased in those who were receiving estrogen (1/10) compared with those who were not (9/14). After treatment with growth hormone, there were no significant changes in the mean CD45RA+ T cell levels or proliferative responses of the older women. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that T cell changes associated with the age-related decline in secretion of growth hormone cannot be reversed by growth hormone therapy during the eighth decade.
A new one dimensional search technique

Abstract A new one dimensional search technique for unimodal functions is proposed which is on the average better than the Golden Section Method and is easy to program for machine search. An analysis based on the further assumption that the objective function is symmetric demonstrates the assertions made regarding effectiveness of the method and provides a guide for selecting certain parameters appearing in the computational algorithm.
Seasonal spontaneous torpor in the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus

Abstract 1. 1. In winter spontaneous torpor occured only in mice that had been acclimated to cold weather the preceding fall. 2. 2. Daily spontaneous torpor was very frequent from late fall to early spring. Minimum thoracic temperatures averaged 17·3°C and minimum heart rate was 60 beats/min. 3. 3. All mice became torpid when fasted in late spring and summer. Fasting-induced torpor differed from spontaneous torpor in a slower rate of arousal, higher minimum thoracic temperature and irregular heart rhythm.
Analysis of integrin mRNA in human and rodent tumor cells.

Abstract Several human and rodent tumor cell lines were examined for the presence of integrin mRNAs by dot- and Northern- blot analysis. All tumor cells tested expressed mRNAs for α5, αIIb, β1 and β3. The mRNA of β2 integrin was not detectable and that of αv integrin was found only in certain cells. Northern blotting was carried out in three selected tumor cell lines: Clone A, HEL and B16a. An apparent difference in the mRNA species coding for the αIIbβ3 integrin, but not for α5 and β1, was found. Our result suggests that alternative splicing of integrin genes may be one of the important mechanisms in regulating αIIbβ3 expression and function in different tumor cells.
Asymptotically optimal sequential estimation of regular functionals of several distributions based on generalized U-statistics☆

Abstract For the several sample problem, a vector of estimable parameters is considered. For a fixed total sample size, a multistage (sequential) procedure based on generalized U -statistics is developed for choosing a partition of this sample size into individual sample size for which the generalized variance of the estimator of the parameter vector is asymptotically minimized.
Going with the Flow: Workflow systems can provide value beyond automating business processes.

An organization consists of two worlds. The real world contains the organization’s structure, physical goods, employees, and other organizations. The virtual world contains the organization’s computerized infrastructure, including its applications and databases. Workflow systems bridge the gap between these two worlds. They provide both a model of the organization’s design and a runtime to execute the model.
PERSISTENCE OF INFLUENCE FOR VARYING DURATIONS OF EXPOSURE TO THREAT STIMULI.

This study investigated the effect of two variables: (1) duration of exposure to a fear-arousing communication and (2) time interval between exposure to the communication and measurement, upon emotional arousal and attitude change. The study used four durations (8, 16, 24, 32 min.) of technicolor sound movies depicting the consequences of serious automotive accidents. Questionnaires measuring affect arousal and desire to engage in safe driving practices were administered immediately, 1 to 2 hr., 1 day, and 1 wk. after exposure. A total of 201 college students were recruited and paid for participating. The results showed increased concern and worry over driving and increased desire to take preventive action the longer the duration of exposure. There were no increases in reported fear with increased duration. In addition, there were decreases in reported emotional arousal, concern over driving, and desire to engage in safe driving practices the longer the interval between exposure to the communications and ...
Retail place attachment: a qualitative study of apparel shoppers

This exploratory study proposes an empirical look at the meaning of place attachment for the retail consumer and studies its role in online shopping patronage. A theoretical framework was developed from a review of the literature, and guides this research. The dependent variable in this study was retail place attachment. The aim of the study was to validate constructs of retail place attachment and identify its influence on online retail patronage. A total of 429 participants were randomly chosen from a social-networking database and two professional organization databases using the snowball sampling technique. Inclusion criteria for this sample included gender, age range of 18 and up, and all ethnic backgrounds. Survey participants were recruited from Facebook, a social-networking database, and two professional organization databases. Identifying that consumers value both hedonic and utilitarian aspects of their shopping experience, this study assists in understanding the meaning of the term “retail plac...