cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thymidine kinase, DNA synthesis and cancer

A resume has been presented of some recent investigations which show that DNA synthesis can be initiated in many types of quiescent animal cells by external stimuli, by introducing a quiescent nucleus into the cytoplasm of a proliferating cell, or by a virus infection. The components of the DNA replication apparatus are described. It is shown that deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate pools increase substantially in animal cells at the time DNA synthesis is initiated due to the enhanced activities of enzymes functioning in nucleotide synthesis. Especially striking is the increase of thymidine kinase activity, indicating that this enzyme may be a useful marker of the shift from the quiescent to the replicative state. The thymidine kinase isozymes of vertebrate cells have been characterized. Thymidine kinase F, which is found principally in the cytosol, is the isozyme that increases when G1(Go) phase cells are stimulated or infected with oncogenic viruses. Chick cytosol thymidine kinase F can also be reactivated by introducing differentiated chick erythrocyte nuclei into the cytoplasm of enzyme-deficient LM(TK−) mouse cells. Furthermore, herpesviruses code for distinctive, virus-specific thymidine kinase isozymes, so that another way to transform thymidine kinase-deficient LM(TK−) cells to kinase-positive cells is by infecting them with UV-irradiated herpes simplex viruses. The experiments on the activation of DNA synthesis and thymidine kinase F activity have been discussed in the context of the proliferative activityin vivo and the immortalization in culture of neoplastic cells. These experiments suggest that genes determining cell cycle proteins are readily accessible to transcription and translation in essentially all nucleated cells. The tendency of transformed cells to become multinucleated after cytochaliasin B treatment also suggests that one important difference between malignant cells and most normal cells may be the ability of malignant cells to ‘stockpile’ the proteins (and/or their messenger RNAs) of the DNA replicative apparatus and to maintain the ‘stockpiles’ in progeny cells.
Neural computing for data recovery

This paper presents binary threshold networks to recover regularized LS estimates from degraded images. The binary networks consist of nonlinear processing elements configured to optimize the objective function. The optimization takes place at the bit-level on partitions of these networks. Update procedures and algorithms are outlined. In addition, alternate objective criteria are expressed in partitions to recover the LS estimate. Regularization is introduced to control the rate of convergence of the LS estimate.
Antipsychotic and benzodiazepine use among nursing home residents: findings from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey.

Objectives To document the extent and appropriateness of use of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines among nursing home residents using a nationally representative survey. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey. Bivariate and multivariate analyses examined relationships between resident and facility characteristics and antipsychotic and benzodiazepine use by appropriateness classification among residents aged 60 years and older (N = 12,090). Resident diagnoses and information about behavioral problems were used to categorize antipsychotic and benzodiazepine use as appropriate, potentially appropriate, or having no appropriate indication. Results More than one quarter (26%) of nursing home residents used an antipsychotic medication, 40% of whom had no appropriate indication for such use. Among the 13% of residents who took benzodiazepines, 42% had no appropriate indication. In adjusted analyses, the odds of residents taking an antipsychotic without an appropriate indication were highest for residents with diagnoses of depression (odds ratio [OR] = 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12–1.53), dementia (OR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.52–2.18), and with behavioral symptoms (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.56–2.50). The odds of potentially inappropriate antipsychotic use increased as the percentage of Medicaid residents in a facility increased (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02–1.15) and decreased as the percentage of Medicare residents increased (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.25–0.83). The odds of taking a benzodiazepine without an appropriate indication were highest among residents who were female (OR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.18–1.75), white (OR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.47–2.60), and had behavioral symptoms (OR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.41–2.01). Conclusion Antipsychotics and benzodiazepines seem to be commonly prescribed to residents lacking an appropriate indication for their use.
M-shell electron capture and direct ionization of gold by 25-MeV carbon and 32-MeV oxygen ions

M-shell X-ray production cross sections have been measured for thin solid targets of Au for 25 MeV 126Cq+ (q = 4, 5, 6) and for 32 MeV 168Oq+ (q = 5, 7, 8). The microscopic cross sections were determined from measurements made with targets ranging in thickness from 0.5 to 100 μg/cm2. For projectiles with one or two K-shell vacancies, the target M-shell X-ray production cross sections are found to be enhanced over those by projectiles without a K-shell vacancy. The sum of direct ionization to the continuum (DI) and electron capture (EC) to the L, M, N.. shells and EC to the K-shell of the projectile have been extracted from the data. The results are compared with the predictions of first Born theories, i.e. PWBA for DI and OBK of Nikolaev for EC and the ECPSSR approach that accounts for energy loss. Coulomb deflection and relativistic effects in the perturbed stationary state theory.
The foreshortened malleus: Anatomic variant, not pathologic sign.

Abstract Objective To quantitatively study the appearance of the malleus as viewed through the external ear canal clinically to determine whether its shortened appearance in some ears is associated with otitis media. Study Design Postmortem material analysis. Setting University temporal bone laboratory. Subjects and Methods A total of 41 adult crania without clinical otitis. The mastoid size indicator of previous childhood otitis media was quantified radiographically. On digitized photographs of the tympanic membranes (64 ears useable), two sets of measurements were performed: 1) the distance from the malleus' lateral process to the umbo and to the annulus; and 2) angles formed anteriorly and posteriorly at the umbo. Results The two metrics of malleus foreshortening did not correlate with one another, that is, the ratio manubrium-length/tympanic diameter did not correlate with the ratio posterior/anterior umbo angles (for right ears, r = −0.34; for left, r = 0.30). Mastoid size did not correlate with either metric of malleus foreshortening. As to right-left symmetry, the size of mastoid pneumatization had good correlation (r = 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.47-0.82); but, r = 0.21 for lengths, r = 0.34 for angles, each confidence interval included zero. Conclusion Because the data showed no correlation of the physical appearance of the malleus with the mastoid size indicator of otitis media, and right-left symmetry was only hinted, we contend that a foreshortened malleus lacks clinical relevance. Foreshortened malleus is an anatomic variant, not a sign of pathology.
A specific immunoabsorbent for the isolation of fraction I protein

Abstract Antibodies produced against pure Fraction I protein (ribulose 1,5-bis-phosphate carboxylase) from Nicotiana tabacum have been covalently linked to a Sepharose 4B matrix. Fraction I protein present in crude extracts of green leaves of higher plants can be absorbed on a column of the immobilised antibody. The Fraction I protein is eluted from the column with 8 M urea and is in the form of dissociated subunits uncontaminated with other proteins. This material is ideal for an examination of the subunit polypeptide composition of the Fraction I protein by isoelectric focusing. By this procedure, Fraction I protein from sugar beet, Beta vulgaris, has been shown to consist of four different types of polypeptides, three large subunit polypeptides and a single small subunit polypeptide.
Cofiniteness and vanishing of local cohomology modules

j(M)) i finitelys generated.Hartshorne [4] later refined thi ansd asked the following question:1*2. If / is a idean ol f R and M i finitelys a generated R-module, are whenExt^ (R/I, H\(M)) finitely generate for aldl i and al jl ?Hartshorne define ad module N to be I-cofinite if the support o Nf is containe idnV(I) and Ext^ (R/I,N) is finitely generated for al i.l It is natural to consider all of theExt modules as then short exact sequences behave well in the sens ief tha twot of themodules in the exact sequence are 7-cofinite s theo is thne third.The relationship between m-cofiniteness and the Artinian condition is given by thefollowing remark whic is ahn easy consequenc of Matlie s dualit [8y ] and th basie cwork of Grothendieck[2].Remark 1*3 Le.t (R, m, k) be a complete local noetherian an rind legt M be an R-module. Then the following are equivalent:(i) M is Artinian;(ii) M is isomorphic to a submodule of a finite direct sum of copies of the injectivehull E of the residue field k of R;(iii) ther ies a finitely generated .R-modul N such thaet Hom
The effects of exposing eggs of four cotton insect pests to volatiles of Allium sativum (Liliaceae)

Exposure of freshly laid eggs (<24 h old) of Earias vittella Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Dysdercus koenigii (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pyrrhocoridae) to volatiles from bulbs of Allium sativum significantly reduced their hatchability. Eggs of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Noctuidae) treated likewise, failed to hatch. Eggs of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Noctuidae) were more tolerant and showed only a slight decrease in mortality. None of the immature stages of D. koenigii and H. armigera and only 30% of those of E. vittella that hatched from treated eggs managed to complete their metamorphosis. A few larvae of H. armigera developed to the pupal stage but their pupal weights were markedly low. These findings are interpreted as the chronic effects of volatiles affecting larvae/nymphs following developmental defects sustained during embryonic development. The known chief constituents such as allicin, 2-propene sulfenic acid, 2-propene thiol, propylene, thioacrolein and ajoene present in the volatiles were presumed to be responsible for the adverse consequences reported here.
Degradation of AlGaN-based ultraviolet light emitting diodes

Abstract Aging the LEDs by driving at high current, results in the decrease of optical power proportional to the reciprocal square route of stress time. With aging time, change in the current–voltage characteristics indicates decrease of the current at low voltage below the light emission threshold, decrease of the forward voltage drop at high currents and usually no change in the series resistance. No change in the peak wavelength and half bandwidth were found with aging. Low frequency noise measured at low and high currents either did not depend on aging time or decreased. No correlation between noise, the device power, and the rate of the power degradation were found. These results are in strong contrast to previous studies of longer wavelength GaN-based LEDs. The possible degradation mechanism is the diffusion of the Al atoms out from the p-type cladding layer and lowering of the cladding layer potential barrier as a result.
Home-delivered meals benefit the diabetic elderly

he importance of a regular meal pattern is commonly stressed to elderly diabetic persons and to their caretakers. This recommendation takes forgranted that there are no physical or financial barriers to buying or preparing food. The diabetic elderly who fail to comply with their diets are assumed to lack motivation, intelligence, or both (1-3). By removing these barriers, home-delivered meals (HDMs) may improve the eating patterns of the diabetic elderly and in turn improve control of their diabetes. Because of the increasing incidence of diabetes in the aging population, the number of people who could be helped by HDMs is considerable. For example, in a recent study of HDMs in New York State, 20% of recipients reported that they had diabetes (4). The study reported here, undertaken by the New York State Nutritional Surveillance program, examined the effects of an HDM program on food insecurity, dietary practices, and control of diabetes in an elderly diabetic population.
Effects of transecting lateral neural connections of the medial preoptic area on maternal behavior in the rat : nest building, pup retrieval and prolactin secretion

In lactating female rats bilateral parasagittal cuts transecting the dorsolateral neural connections of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) abolished nest building and retrieving components of maternal behavior, while crouching and nursing were unaffected. While few animals with these cuts were suckled when presented with pups the prolactin secretion response was undiminished when suckling did occur. Whereas previous studies have demonstrated that extensive surgical separation of the medial preoptic area-anterior hypothalamic continuum from the lateral preoptic area-lateral hypothalamus disrupts all aspects of maternal behavior, the present study has determined more specifically the zone of fibers essential for the active components of maternal behavior, i.e., nest building and retrieving. These fibers appear to enter/leave MPO dorsolaterally beneath the crossing of the anterior commissure in the region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. These neural connections are not the same as those that regulate prolactin secretion in the lactating rat.
Relative importance of aneurysm diameter and body size for predicting abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture in men and women.

Objective Women have been shown to have up to a fourfold higher risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture at any given aneurysm diameter compared with men, leading to recommendations to offer repair to women at lower diameter thresholds. Although this higher risk of rupture may simply reflect greater relative aortic dilatation in women who have smaller aortas to begin with, this has never been quantified. Our objective was therefore to quantify the relationship between rupture and aneurysm diameter relative to body size and determine whether a differential association between aneurysm diameter, body size, and rupture risk exists for men and women. Methods We performed a retrospective review of all patients in the Vascular Study Group of New England (VSGNE) database who underwent endovascular or open AAA repair. Height and weight were used to calculate each patient's body mass index and body surface area (BSA). Next, indices of each measure of body size (height, weight, body mass index, BSA) relative to aneurysm diameter were calculated for each patient. To generate these indices, we divided aneurysm diameter (in cm) by the measure of body size; for example, aortic size index (ASI) = aneurysm diameter (cm)/BSA (m 2 ). Along with other relevant clinical variables, we used these indices to construct different age-adjusted and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models to determine predictors of ruptured repair vs elective repair. Models for men and women were developed separately, and different models were compared using the area under the curve. Results We identified 4045 patients (78% male) who underwent AAA repair (53% endovascular aortic aneurysm repairs). Women had significantly smaller diameter aneurysms, lower BSA, and higher BSA indices than men. For men, the variable that increased the odds of rupture the most was aneurysm diameter (area under the curve = 0.82). Men exhibited an increased rupture risk with increasing aneurysm diameter ( P = .771; 6.5-7.4 cm: OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.9-1.0; P P 3.5-3.9: OR, 6.4; 95% CI, 1.7-24.1; P = .006; ASI ≥4.0: OR, 9.5; 95% CI, 2.3-39.4; P = .002). For women, aneurysm diameter was not a significant predictor of rupture after adjusting for ASI. Conclusions Aneurysm diameter indexed to body size is the most important determinant of rupture for women, whereas aneurysm diameter alone is most predictive of rupture for men. Women with the largest diameter aneurysms and the smallest body sizes are at the greatest risk of rupture.
Vertical Tarsal Buckling as a Complication of Levator Aponeurosis Repair for Acquired Blepharoptosis

In two patients (a 60-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman) vertical buckling of the superior tarsus followed surgery to correct levator aponeurosis disinsertions for the management of acquired upper eyelid blepharoptosis. The superior tarsus rotated posteriorly and folded on itself because the sutures reattaching the levator aponeurosis to the tarsus were placed too low on the anterior tarsal plate. This complication can be prevented by placing the tarsal sutures above the vertical midpoint of the tarsus. If this complication develops, early correction is possible by revising the suture heights and keeping the tarsus flat with a symblepharon ring. This led to a satisfactory outcome in one of our cases. Late correction of vertical tarsal buckling requires excision of the buckled tarsus and repositioning the levator aponeurosis sutures. In one of our patients, an entropion developed as a result of insufficient vertical tarsal height that caused instability of the upper eyelid. The outcome was otherwise satisfactory.
Linkage disequilibrium mapping with genotype data.

Linkage disequilibrium mapping has proven a powerful tool for locating disease genes. Although all existing linkage disequilibrium mapping methods implicitly assume that individual haplotypes can be inferred, only genotypes are directly observable in practice, and haplotypes cannot always be uniquely resolved based on genotype data. In this article, we propose a likelihood-based linkage disequilibrium mapping approach to analyzing multilocus genotype data arising from case-control studies. Results from extensive simulation studies suggest that this approach may be a useful tool to fine map disease genes using case-control data.
Thermodynamic Modeling of the Solubility of Salts in Mixed Aqueous−Organic Solvents

A semiempirical thermodynamic model is proposed for prediction of the solubility of salts in mixed aqueous−organic solvents. This model requires only standard thermodynamic properties for the pure components and for the solutes at infinite dilution in each solvent. The new method is illustrated with predictions of solubility for several salts in mixtures of water with methanol and ethanol. The method developed here could be of particular interest for process calculations and design of low-energy extractive crystallization methods for production of salts from aqueous solutions.
Religious-spiritual tourism and promotional campaigning: a Church-State partnership for St. James and Spain.

Modern-day pilgrimages draw millions of faithful across the religious spectrum–both as pilgrims and as tourists–to sites considered sacred. This study, one of the first of its kind to examine religion and tourism from a public relations perspective, reviews a Church-State promotional campaign in Spain, Xacobeo 99, to attract pilgrims and tourists on an international scale to Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) and to the shrine of St. James the Apostle in the city's Cathedral. The shrine, which contains the relics of the saint–discovered in 813 A.D.–is considered one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Christian world. Interviews of corporate figures, field observations, and content analysis of corporate media provide insight into campaign strategies, tactics, and messages and examine campaign results from an advertising, marketing, and public relations perspective.
The Revenge of Practical Reason? A Review Essay On Gananath Obeyesekere's The Apotheosis of Captain Cook

The Apotheosis of Captain Cook: European Mythmaking in the Pacific. By Gananath Obeyesekere. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992. Pp. xvii + 251. Price $US 24.95.
Sampling depth effects on sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)‐extractable phosphorus and potassium and fertilizer recommendations

Abstract Soil test nutrient concentrations vary with depth, especially in perennial cropping systems where fertilizer is broadcast on the soil surface without incorporation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of fertilizer rate and sampling depth on soil test phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and P and K fertilizer recommendations for alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Five rates of P and K (0, 56, 112, 224, and 336 kg ha‐1 P2O5 and K2O) were broadcast on established alfalfa stands at three sites with different soil properties and tillage and fertilization histories. In separate plots at one site the same rates of P and K were also incorporated to a depth of 15 cm prior to seeding alfalfa. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0 to 10, 0 to 15, and 0 to 30 cm during the growing season. Fertilizer rates and soil sample depth affected soil test P and K at all sites. Relative to the 30‐cm sample depth, soil test values were higher in fertilized treatments with 10 and 15 cm sample depths du...
Effects of Climate Variability and Accelerated Forest Thinning on Watershed-Scale Runoff in Southwestern USA Ponderosa Pine Forests

The recent mortality of up to 20% of forests and woodlands in the southwestern United States, along with declining stream flows and projected future water shortages, heightens the need to understand how management practices can enhance forest resilience and functioning under unprecedented scales of drought and wildfire. To address this challenge, a combination of mechanical thinning and fire treatments are planned for 238,000 hectares (588,000 acres) of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests across central Arizona, USA. Mechanical thinning can increase runoff at fine scales, as well as reduce fire risk and tree water stress during drought, but the effects of this practice have not been studied at scales commensurate with recent forest disturbances or under a highly variable climate. Modifying a historical runoff model, we constructed scenarios to estimate increases in runoff from thinning ponderosa pine at the landscape and watershed scales based on driving variables: pace, extent and intensity of forest treatments and variability in winter precipitation. We found that runoff on thinned forests was about 20% greater than unthinned forests, regardless of whether treatments occurred in a drought or pluvial period. The magnitude of this increase is similar to observed declines in snowpack for the region, suggesting that accelerated thinning may lessen runoff losses due to warming effects. Gains in runoff were temporary (six years after treatment) and modest when compared to mean annual runoff from the study watersheds (0–3%). Nonetheless gains observed during drought periods could play a role in augmenting river flows on a seasonal basis, improving conditions for water-dependent natural resources, as well as benefit water supplies for downstream communities. Results of this study and others suggest that accelerated forest thinning at large scales could improve the water balance and resilience of forests and sustain the ecosystem services they provide.
Acromioclavicular joint injuries and reconstructions: a review of expected imaging findings and potential complications

Shoulder injuries, including acromioclavicular (AC) joint separations, remain a common reason for presentation to the emergency room. Although the diagnosis can be made apparent through proper history and physical examination by the emergency medicine physician, ascertaining the degree of injury can be difficult on the basis of clinical evaluation alone. While there is consensus in the literature that low-grade AC joint injuries can be treated with conservative management, high-grade injuries will generally require surgical intervention. Furthermore, the treatment of grade 3 injuries remains controversial, making it incumbent upon the radiologist to become comfortable with distinguishing this diagnosis from lower or higher grade injuries. Imaging of AC joint injuries after clinical evaluation is generally initiated in the emergency room setting with plain film radiography; however, on occasion, an alternative modality may be presented to the emergency room radiologist for interpretation. As such, it remains important to be familiar with the appearance of AC joint separations on a variety of modalities. Another possible patient presentation in both the emergent and nonemergent setting includes new onset of pain or instability in the postsurgical shoulder. In this scenario, the onus is often placed on the radiologist to determine whether the pain or instability represents the sequelae of reinjury versus a complication of surgery. The purpose of this review is to present an anatomically based discussion of imaging findings associated with AC joint separations as seen on multiple modalities, as well as to describe and elucidate a variety of potential complications which may present to the emergency room radiologist.
Slowly varying system x&#775; = A(t)x

A limiting case of great importance in engineering is that of slowly varying parameters. For systems described by \dot{x} = A(t)x , one would intuitively expect that if, for each t , the frozen system is stable, then the time-varying system should also be stable. Provided A(t) is small enough, Rosenbrock has shown that this is the case [1]. Rosenbrock used a continuity argument [1, p. 75]. In this correspondence explicit bounds and slightly sharper results are obtained. Finally, it is pointed out that these results are useful in the study of the exact behavior of non-linear lumped systems with slowly varying operating points.
Transformation toughening and grain size control in??-Al2O3/ZrO2 composites

In order to fabricate transformation-toughenedβ″-Al2O3 and optimize its mechanical and electrical properties it was found to be necessary to carefully control the particle size distribution of the starting powders and their mixing. The ionic resistivity of the composites depended primarily on the volume fraction of ZrO2. Additions between 10 and 20 vol% produced materials with ionic resistivities (300° C) between 6 and 10 Ωcm and eliminated exaggerated grain growth of theβ″-Al2O3. Comparison ofβ″-Al2O3 composites containing either tetragonal (t-) ZrO2 or cubic (c-) ZrO2 with the single phase material showed that the major strengthening mechanism is the reduction in critical flaw size. This occurred by the elimination of the flaw population associated with abnormally large grains. For maximum increases in fracture toughness and strength, however, the use of t-ZrO2 (transformation toughening) as a second phase is preferred.
Effectiveness of personalized and interactive health risk calculators: A randomized trial

BackgroundRisk calculators are popular websites that provide individualized disease risk assessments to the public. Little is known about their effect on risk perceptions and health behavior.Object...
Implementing a cost-aware evaluator for ACL2 expressions

One of ACL2's most interesting features is that it is executable, so users can run the programs that they verify, and debug them during verification. In fact, the ACL2 implementors have gone well out of their way to make sure ACL2 programs can be executed efficiently. Nevertheless, ACL2 does not provide a framework for reasoning about the cost of function invocations. This paper describes how such a framework can be added to ACL2, by using ACL2 macros and supporting code to access the prover state. The approach is illustrated with a cost analysis of red-black tree operations.
Infrared absorption intensities of hexafluorobenzene. Assignment of the 317 cm−1 band

Abstract The infrared intensifies of the two low-frequency fundamentals of hexafluorobenzene have been measured in the vapor phase, and the value of the intensity of the Fermi doublet at 1000 cm −1 has been checked. The intensity of the 317 cm −1 band is very low, contrary to the estimate made by STEELE and WHIFFEN. Although both the low-frequency bands show the PQR structure of a parallel vibration, estimation of the PQR spacing expected for this molecule confirms the assignment of the 317 cm −1 band to the e 1 u fundamental, ν 20 , made by STEELE and WHIFFEN. The CF bond moments are presented, together with a discussion of the nature of the bond moment hypothesis and an estimate of the vibronic effects to be expected in this molecule.
Adsorption calorimetry during metal vapor deposition on single crystal surfaces: Increased flux, reduced optical radiation, and real-time flux and reflectivity measurements

Thin films of metals and other materials are often grown by physical vapor deposition. To understand such processes, it is desirable to measure the adsorption energy of the deposited species as the film grows, especially when grown on single crystal substrates where the structure of the adsorbed species, evolving interface, and thin film are more homogeneous and well-defined in structure. Our group previously described in this journal an adsorption calorimeter capable of such measurements on single-crystal surfaces under the clean conditions of ultrahigh vacuum [J. T. Stuckless, N. A. Frei, and C. T. Campbell, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 69, 2427 (1998)]. Here we describe several improvements to that original design that allow for heat measurements with ∼18-fold smaller standard deviation, greater absolute accuracy in energy calibration, and, most importantly, measurements of the adsorption of lower vapor-pressure materials which would have previously been impossible. These improvements are accomplished by: (1) us...
A comparison of adrenalin and glucagon effects on carbohydrate levels of larval and adult Rana pipiens.

Abstract Hyperglycemia was observed in frogs after single ip injections of doses above 50 μg/kg of adrenalin and glucagon. Blood glucose responses were maximal at 3 hr and lasted at least 5 hr. Lactacidemia was apparent after treatment with adrenalin at doses of 50 μg/kg and above. The increase in lactate was apparent by 1 hr and had dropped to control levels by 5 hr. Tissue glycogen loss was not observed after treatment with either hormone in adults. Preliminary studies with tadpoles indicated a hyperglycemic response to adrenalin and glucagon at doses of 1.0 mg/kg and an increase in lactate after injection of a 1.0 mg/kg dose of adrenalin. Liver glycogen loss was observed following glucagon but not adrenalin. Both hormones stimulated glucose release from liver slices of frogs and tadpoles.
Isolation and characterization of a sulfur-regulated gene encoding a periplasmically localized protein with sequence similarity to rhodanese.

Abstract During sulfur-limited growth, the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 loses most of its photosynthetic pigments and develops an increased capacity to acquire sulfate. Sulfur deprivation also triggers the synthesis of several soluble polypeptides. We have isolated a prominent polypeptide of 33 kDa that accumulates specifically under sulfur-limiting conditions. This polypeptide was localized to the periplasmic space. The gene for this protein (designated rhdA) was isolated and discovered to lie within a region of the Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 genome that encodes components of the sulfate permease system. The mRNA for the 33-kDa protein accumulates to high levels within an hour after the cells are deprived of sulfur and drops rapidly when sulfur is added back to the cultures. The amino acid sequence of the protein has similarity to bovine liver rhodanese, an enzyme that transfers the thiol group of thiosulfate to a thiophilic acceptor molecule, and a rhodaneselike protein of Saccharopolyspora erythraea. A strain in which rhdA was interrupted by a drug resistance marker exhibited marginally lower levels of rhodanese activity but was still capable of efficiently utilizing a variety of inorganic sulfur sources. The possible role of this protein in the transport of specific sulfur compounds is discussed.
Teachers’ Characteristics and Attitudinal Beliefs About Linguistic and Cultural Diversity

Abstract The K–12 population has increased dramatically over the past 20 years with regard to cultural and linguistic diversity, thereby creating a critical need to prepare teachers for this diversity. This study conducted an analysis of teacher characteristics vis-a-vis their attitudinal beliefs about language-minority students. Using multivariate analysis, teachers' attitudinal beliefs about ELLs in academic settings were compared to teachers' ethnicity, linguistic proficiencies, number of minority students in class, and the amount of diversity preparation. Data for this study were gathered on 564 teachers using a 34-item survey. Findings suggest that attitudes are influenced by multiple factors to varying degrees, and all teachers regardless of ethnicity need to have exposure to diversity issues. Finally, findings suggest that the amount of diversity preparation, purposeful experiences with ELLs, and some degree of bilingualism may result in more positive attitudinal beliefs about language-minority stu...
Health Status of Urban American Indians and Alaska Natives: A Population-Based Study

Objective. —To use vital statistics and communicable disease reports to characterize the health status of an urban American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population and compare it with urban whites and African Americans and with Al/ ANs living on or near rural reservations. Design. —Descriptive analysis of routinely reported data. Setting. —One metropolitan county and seven rural counties with reservation land in Washington State. Subjects. —All reported births, deaths, and cases of selected communicable diseases occurring in the eight counties from 1981 through 1990. Main Outcome Measures. —Low birth weight, infant mortality, and prevalence of risk factors for poor birth outcomes; age-specific and cause-specific mortality; rates of reported hepatitis A and hepatitis B, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases. Results. —Urban AI/ANs had a much higher rate of low birth weight compared with urban whites and rural AI/ANs and had a higher rate of infant mortality than urban whites. During the 10 years, urban AI/AN infant mortality rates increased from 9.6 per 1000 live births to 18.6 per 1000 live births compared with no trend among the other populations. Compared with rural AI/AN mothers, urban AI/AN mothers were 50% more likely to receive late or no prenatal care during pregnancy. Relative to urban whites, urban AI/AN risk factors for poor birth outcomes (delayed prenatal care, adolescent age, and use of tobacco and alcohol) were more common and closely resembled the prevalence among the African-American population except for a higher rate of alcohol use among AI/ANs. Compared with urban whites, urban AI/AN mortality rates were higher in every age group except the elderly. Differences between urban whites and AI/ANs were largest for injury- and alcohol-related deaths. All-cause mortality was lower among urban AI/ANs compared with rural AI/ANs and urban African Americans, although injury- and alcohol-related deaths were higher for AI/ANs. All communicable diseases studied were significantly ( P Conclusions. —In this urban area, great disparities exist between the health of AI/ANs and whites across almost every health dimension we measured. No consistent pattern was found in the comparison of health indicators between urban and rural AI/ANs, though rural AI/ANs had lower rates of low birth weight and higher rates of timely prenatal care use. The poor health status of urban AI/AN people requires greater attention from federal, state, and local health authorities. ( JAMA . 1994;271:845-850)
CITASA: intellectual past and future

This article reviews the history of the Communication and Information Technologies section of the American Sociological Association (CITASA), and discusses its current research emphases and future trajectory. Critically, the article argues that CITASA has become the preeminent point of reconnection between sociology and communication, allowing cross-pollination of ideas in the study of digital media, and increasingly in the study of media more broadly. The article also discusses contemporary research emphases involving computational and programming-intensive research, research on the use and effects of digital tools, and research on communication and media broadly understood.
Mitochondrial formation of reactive oxygen species.

The reduction of oxygen to water proceeds via one electron at a time. In the mitochondrial respiratory chain, Complex IV (cytochrome oxidase) retains all partially reduced intermediates until full reduction is achieved. Other redox centres in the electron transport chain, however, may leak electrons to oxygen, partially reducing this molecule to superoxide anion (O2−•). Even though O2−• is not a strong oxidant, it is a precursor of most other reactive oxygen species, and it also becomes involved in the propagation of oxidative chain reactions. Despite the presence of various antioxidant defences, the mitochondrion appears to be the main intracellular source of these oxidants. This review describes the main mitochondrial sources of reactive species and the antioxidant defences that evolved to prevent oxidative damage in all the mitochondrial compartments. We also discuss various physiological and pathological scenarios resulting from an increased steady state concentration of mitochondrial oxidants.
Isolation and structural determination of octacyanobutanediide, [C4(CN)8]2–; precursors to M(TCNE)x magnets‡

The reaction of MI2·xMe3CN (M = Mn, Fe) and TCNE (tetracyanoethylene) leads to unprecedented [C4(CN)8]2– µ4-metal complexes which have been crystallographically characterized and are precursors to M(TCNE)x·yS magnets.
Haloaldehyde Polymers. XXX. Macromolecular Asymmetry as the Basis of Optical Activity in Polymers

Abstract The synthesis of polymers characterized by a preferred helical screw sense (macromolecular asymmetry) is a subject of considerable experimental interest. Here, we summarize our efforts toward the preparation of optically active polychloral in which asymmetry at the macromolecular level is the only factor contributing to the polymer's chiroptical properties. Through the use of chiral initiating species, we have prepared optically active polychloral with specific rotations reaching 4500° at the sodium D-line. The results of this work and the prospects for further investigation are outlined.
Differential response of MCF7, MDA-MB-231, and MCF 10A cells to hyperthermia, silver nanoparticles and silver nanoparticle-induced photothermal therapy

AbstractPurpose: Silver nanoparticles (Ag NP) can generate heat upon exposure to infrared light. The in vitro response of breast cell lines to Ag NP, both with and without nanoparticle-induced heating was evaluated.Materials and methods: Ag NP heat generation, intracellular silver concentration, and cell viability of MDA-MB-231, MCF7, and MCF 10A breast cells with Ag NP alone, or after exposure to 0.79 or 2.94 W/cm2 of 800 nm light were evaluated.Results: The concentration of Ag NP to induce sufficient heat for cell death, upon exposure to 800 nm light, was 5–250 μg/mL. Clonogenics assay indicates a cytotoxic response of MCF7 (45% decrease) and MDA-MB-231 (80% decrease) cells to 10 µg/mL, whereas MCF 10A had a 25% increase. Without Ag NP, MDA-MB-231 cells were more susceptible to hyperthermia, compared to MCF7 and MCF 10A cells. Clonogenics assay of Ag NP-induced photothermal ablation demonstrated that MCF 10A cells have the highest survival fraction. MCF7 cells had more silver in the cytoplasm, MDA-MB-23...
Direct determination of trace elements in terephthalic acid by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Abstract The feasibility of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as an online tool for trace metal analysis in terephthalic acid (TA) was evaluated. Millions of metric tonnes of TA are produced each year as a raw material for various kinds of polyesters used to make many consumer and industrial products. The conventional techniques used for trace metal analysis in TA are electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). However, these techniques require digestion of the sample and dissolution and so are very time consuming and are not suitable for online analysis. LIBS, if it meets the sensitivity and accuracy requirements, will be a very effective tool for online analysis of the production of terephthalic acid and other organic particles. In this work, the main elements of interest, including Mn, Co, Fe, and Na, were studied. The strongest emission line of each element was chosen to obtain the best detection limit. The experimental parameters, including delay time, gate time, sample stage moving speed, and laser repetition rate, were optimized to maximize the signal-to-noise and signal-to-background ratios. Two sampling methods were studied: compressed pellet and loose powder on sticky tape. The preliminary results indicated that there was no difference between these two sampling methods in term of sensitivity and precision. Therefore, the loose powder on sticky tape was preferred for making online analysis of loose powders possible. One unknown and two certified samples were used to determine the accuracy of the method, and the results were compared to those obtained by ICP-OES.
Fingerprint information maximization for content identification

This paper presents a novel design of content fingerprints based on maximization of the mutual information across the distortion channel. We use the information bottleneck method to optimize the filters and quantizers that generate these fingerprints. A greedy optimization scheme is used to select filters from a dictionary and allocate fingerprint bits. We test the performance of this method for audio fingerprinting and show substantial improvements over existing learning based fingerprints.
The cryptophycin-tubulin ring structure indicates two points of curvature in the tubulin dimer.

Cryptophycin-1 is the parent compound of a group of cyclic peptides with potent antineoplastic activity. Cryptophycins are thought to function by modulating the dynamic instability of spindle microtubules, and in vitro are known to bind in an equimolar ratio to the β-tubulin subunit and to induce the formation of ring-like complexes. However, the detailed mechanisms whereby the cryptophycins interact with tubulin are not known. We have investigated the origin of the conformational changes in tubulin both biochemically and by electron microscopy and image analysis. Cryptophycin was found to protect both α- and β-tubulin against proteolysis by trypsin, indicating conformational changes in specific regions of both subunits. The ring mass was determined to be ∼0.81 MDa by sedimentation velocity combined with dynamic light scattering and by STEM, indicating a complex of eight αβ dimers. Statistical analysis of rings imaged by cryoelectron microscopy revealed 16-fold symmetry, corresponding to eight dimers. Com...
Insights from Theory on the Relationship Between Surface Reactivity and Gold Atom Release

Density functional theory, informed by experimental studies, is used to investigate the interplay of surface morphology, the adsorption site of reactants, the nature of the interaction between adsorbates and the surface, the potential energy landscape for adsorbates on the surface, adsorbate coverage, temperature, and the dynamic evolution of these factors during adsorption and reaction. We summarize our current understanding of Au atom release on the (111) surface and the corresponding effects on adsorption and reactivity. Gold was selected for these investigations because of the recent intense interest in the activity of gold nanoparticles for several important catalytic reactions. Fundamental experimental studies on Au single-crystal surfaces have established that atomic O is extremely active for oxidation of CO and olefins, that the local bonding of O is an important factor in determining the reactivity and selectivity for oxidation, and that Au atom release is induced by electronegative adsorbates, such as O, Cl, and S. These experimental results guided our theoretical studies. Density functional theory is an extremely useful tool since it evaluates the energetics associated with the incorporation of gold into the adsorbate layer, while providing fundamental physical insight into the underlying cause of gold incorporation. We use our results from static DFT calculations along with ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to understand the effect of surface morphology on the activity of gold for CO oxidation. Our investigation of Au atom release and incorporation induced by electronegative atoms clearly illustrates the importance of using experiments in combination with theory to establish the importance of and the underlying reasons for metal atom release and the affect on bonding and reactivity.
Using coreference for question answering

We present a system which retrieves answers to queries based on coreference relationships between entities and events in the query and documents. An evaluation of this system is given which demonstrates that the the amount of information that the user must process on average, to find an answer to their query, is reduced by an order of magnitude.
Left-ventricle wall motion tracking using curvature properties

This paper presents the complete implementation of the new algorithm for tracking points on the left ventricle (LV) surface from volumetric cardiac images. We define the local surface stretching as an additional motion parameter of nonrigid transformation. Stretching is constant at all points on the surface for homothetic motion, or follows a polynomial function of certain order (linear in our implementation) in conformal motion. The wall deformation and correspondence information between successive frames of LV in a heart cycle are considered important in evaluating heart behavior and improved diagnosis. We utilize small motion assumption between consecutive frames, hypothesize all possible correspondences, and compute curvature changes for each hypothesis. The computed curvature change is then compared with the one predicted by conformal motion assumption for hypotheses evaluation. We demonstrate the improved performance of the new algorithm utilizing conformal motion with linear stretching assumption over constant stretching assumption on simulated data. Then, the algorithm is applied to real cardiac (CT) images and the stretching of the LV wall is determined. The data set used in our experiments was provided by Dr. Eric Hoffman at University of Pennsylvania Medical school and consists of 16 volumetric (128 by 128 by 118) images taken through the heart cycle.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Service Instantiation in an Internet with Choices

New Internet architectures have been proposed to address some of the shortcomings of the current Internet. Many new architectures represent existing and novel networking functionality as network "services". These services are fundamental building blocks that need to be described and can be composed in an effective manner. Any service-based network architecture fundamentally struggles to assign specific physical resources to a service when a user requests for a service. This "instantiation" problem of mapping an advertised service to a reservable physical entity becomes complex when advanced services comprise of multiple basic services. In our work, we present a resolution to the service instantiation problem that can identify multiple potential solutions. Since candidate solutions may use multiple metrics to express quality, our approach takes into account multiple criteria and yields results that are fewer in number but more optimal than others in nature. We show that this approach can be used to to make an efficiently tradeoff between time taken and the number of solutions obtained without having to explore the complete solution space. Thus, our approach presents a practical heuristic for instantiating network services in the future Internet.