cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND POPULATION COMPOSITION ON THE TIMING OF CELL DIVISION IN THALASSIOSIRA FLUVIATILIS (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) GROWN ON LIGHT/DARK CYCLES1

Cell division patterns in Thalassiosira fluviatilis grown in a cyclostat were analyzed as a function of temperature, photoperiod, nutrient limitation and average cell size of the population. Typical cell division patterns in populations doubling more than once per day had multiple peaks in division rate each day, with the lowest rates always being greater than zero. Division bursts occurred in both light and dark periods with relative intensities depending on growth conditions. Multiple peaks in division rate were also found, when population growth rates were reduced to less than one doubling per day by lowering temperature, nutrients, or photoperiod and the degree of division phasing was not enhanced. Temperature and nutrient limitation shifted the timing of the major division burst relative to the light/dark cycle. Average cell volume of the inoculum was found to be a significant determinant of the average population growth rate and the timing and magnitude of the peaks in division rate. The results are interpreted in the context of a cell cycle model in which generation times are “quantized” into values separated by a constant time interval.
Preciseness for predictability with the RealSpec real-time executable specification language

RealSpec is a declarative and executable specification language for specifying real-time and concurrent software systems based on the dataflow computation model.
Lysinuric protein intolerance presenting with multiple fractures

Lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) is a rare autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism caused by mutations in SLC7A7, which encodes a component of the dibasic amino acid transporter found in intestinal and renal tubular cells. Patients typically present with vomiting, diarrhea, irritability, failure to thrive, and symptomatic hyperammonemia after protein-rich meals. Long-term complications may include pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, renal disease, and osteoporosis. We present a 5-year-old male who was followed in our skeletal dysplasia clinic for 3 years for multiple fractures, idiopathic osteoporosis, and short stature in the absence of typical features of LPI. Whole exome sequencing performed to determine the etiology of the osteoporosis and speech delay identified a nonsense mutation in SLC7A7. Chromosome microarray analysis identified a deletion involving the second allele of the same gene, and biochemical analysis supported the diagnosis of LPI. Our patient's atypical presentation underscores the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for LPI in patients with unexplained fractures and idiopathic osteoporosis, even in the absence of clinical symptoms of hyperammonemia after protein rich meals or other systemic features of classical LPI. This case further demonstrates the utility of whole exome sequencing in diagnosis of unusual presentations of rare disorders for which early intervention may modify the clinical course.
Providing Women, Kept Men: Doing Masculinity in the Wake of the African HIV/AIDS Pandemic

AbstractThis article draws on ethnographic and interview-based fieldwork to explore accounts of intimate relationships between widowed women and poor young men that emerged in the wake of economic crisis and a devastating HIV epidemic among the Luo ethnic group in western Kenya. I show how the co-optation of widow inheritance practices due to the presence of an overwhelming number of widows during a period of economic crisis has resulted in widows becoming providing women and poor young men becoming kept men. I illustrate how widows in this setting, by performing a set of practices central to what it meant to be a man in this society—pursuing and providing for their partners—were effectively doing masculinity. I also show how young men, rather than being feminized by being kept, deployed other sets of practices to prove their masculinity and live in a manner congruent with cultural ideals. I argue that, ultimately, women’s practice of masculinity in large part seemed to serve patriarchal ends. It not only...
The impact of race, police experience, and feeling of safety on attitude toward the police

This study surveyed 393 citizens who were either crime victims or complainants in the jurisdiction of the Marietta, GA Police Department in 2004. In addition to examining their local attitudes toward police demeanor and police performance, the study also evaluated the impact of race, police experience, and perceived neighborhood safety. Important findings included that overall (1) the majority of respondents felt safe in their neighborhood and were satisfied with the police who handled their case; (2) the same amount of blacks and whites reported negative experiences with the police; and (3) although all three factors greatly affected attitudes, contact experience with the police was the most influential.
STIMULATION OF ALDOSTERONE PRODUCTION BY ANGIOTENSIN II PEPTIDES IN VITRO: ENHANCED ACTIVITY OF THE (l-SARCOSINE) ANALOGUE.

The biological activity of angiotensin agonists has been determined in a highly sensitive in vitro assay system, based upon aldosterone production by isolated dog adrenal cells. The responses to angiotensin II and the heptapeptide [Des-Asp1]-angiotensin II are identical, while the [Des-Asp1, Des-Arg2]-hexapeptide and the [Des-Phe8]-heptapeptide are almost completely inactive. By contrast, [Sar1]-angiotensin II, a potent agonist upon vascular smooth muscle, is also about 10 times more active than angiotensin II in stimulating the production of aldosterone by dog adrenal cells. The increased agonist activity of [Sar1]-angiotensin II is attributable to increased binding affinity as well as increased efficacy at the adrenal receptor site. These results also suggest that conversion to the [Des-Asp1 heptapeptide is not an important intermediate step in the action of angiotensin II upon the zona glomerulosa.
The lowest quartet-state of the ketenyl (HCCO) radical: Collision-induced intersystem crossing and the ν 2 vibrational mode

Abstract We have used time-resolved IR emission spectroscopy to examine collision induced intersystem crossing (CIISC) and deactivation of vibronically excited cis-HCCO( a 4 A ″ ), generated following the 193 nm photolysis of ethyl ethynyl ether, by inert gases: He, Ar, and Xe. Observation of vibrationally excited CO( X 1 Σ + ), in experiments quenched with Ar or Xe, suggest rapid CIISC due to a heavy-atom effect. Conversely, experiments quenched with He show transient signal from cis-HCCO( a 4 A ″ ), and a distinct absence of CO( X 1 Σ + ), suggesting that CIISC occurs only after cis-HCCO( a 4 A ″ ) has been quenched (i.e., CIISC is significantly less efficient with He). Inert gas CIISC rate constants for cis-HCCO( a 4 A ″ ) were deduced to be k ISC He =(4.3 ± 0.2) × 10 −11 cm 3 molecules - 1 s - 1 , k ISC Ar =(8.1 ± 0.2) × 10 −11 cm 3 molecules - 1 s - 1 , and k ISC Xe =(13.0 ± 0.1) × 10 −11 cm 3 molecules - 1 s - 1 . Additionally, we report the first experimental assignment of 1785 ± 36 cm −1 for the fundamental transition of the ν 2 asym-CCO stretch of cis-HCCO( a 4 A ″ ), which, compared with ab initio calculations, suggests that cis-HCCO( a 4 A ″ ) exhibits positive anharmonicity.
Solutions of higher-order Riccati-type matrix equations

Abstract This paper establishes necessary conditions and sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions of higher-order Riccati-type matrix equations of the form The coefficient matrices A, B, C, D, E, F have elements belonging to the ring of polynomials in n-variables with complex coefficients denoted by ℜ = ℭ[z1, z2, , zn ]. Special cases include the extensively studied Lyapunov and Riccati matrix equations. Higher-order Riccati matrix equations arise in transport theory, finite element theory, non-linear optimization theory, and elsewhere.
Relevance of the catheter hub as a portalfor microorganisms causing catheter-related bloodstream infections

Microorganisms causing vascular catheter-related sepsis gain access to the bloodstream through either the skin at the catheter insertion site or through the catheter hub. The catheter insertion site is probably the predominant portal for microorganisms in catheters in place for a short time, but the catheter hub may play an increasingly important role in infection in association with long-term catheters, particularly those that are subcutaneously tunneled. Although transient contamination of the catheter hub does not cause infection, certain microorganisms may migrate endoluminally and enter the bloodstream, causing bacteremia or fungemia.
Effect of polymer surface modification on polymer-protein interaction via hydrophilic polymer grafting.

: Surface modification of flat sheet ultrafiltration membranes, polyethersulfone (PES), was investigated to improve the hydrophilicity of the membrane surface thereby reducing adsorption of the proteins onto the membrane. Grafting of hydrophilic polymers onto UV/ozone-treated PES was used to improve the hydrophilicity of the commercial PES membranes. Hydrophilic polymers, that is, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and chitosan, were employed to graft onto PES membrane surfaces because of their excellent hydrophilic property. The surfaces of modified PES membranes were characterized by contact angle measurement, FTIR, and AFM. The FTIR spectra indicated that PES membranes were successfully modified by grafting of the hydrophilic polymers. The modified PES membranes showed 20% to 50% reduction in contact angle measurements in comparison with those of the virgin PES membrane. The tapping mode AFM technique was employed to investigate the changes of surface topography, cross-section, and root mean square roughness of the modified PES membrane surfaces. The modified PES membranes showed elevated roughness (ranging from 7.0 to 25.7 nm) compared with that of the virgin PES membrane (2.1 nm). It is concluded that grafting of PVA, PEG, or chitosan onto UV/ozone-treated PES membranes increases hydrophilicity and lowers protein adsorption by 20% to 60% compared to the virgin PES membrane. Among the 3 hydrophilic polymers studied, PEG showed the most favorable result in terms of contact angle and protein adsorption.
Procalcitonin in young febrile infants for the detection of serious bacterial infections.

OBJECTIVES. The objectives of the study were (1) to study the test performance of procalcitonin for identifying serious bacterial infections in febrile infants ≤90 days of age without an identifiable bacterial source and (2) to determine an optimal cutoff value to identify infants at low risk for serious bacterial infections. METHODS. A prospective observational study was performed with febrile infants ≤90 days of age presenting to an urban, pediatric, emergency department. Serum procalcitonin levels were measured by using an automated high-sensitivity assay. An optimal procalcitonin cutoff value was selected to maximize sensitivity and negative predictive value for the detection of serious bacterial infections. Infants were classified as having definite, possible, or no serious bacterial infections. RESULTS. A total of 234 infants (median age: 51 days) were studied. Thirty infants (12.8%) had definite serious bacterial infections (bacteremia: n = 4; bacteremia with urinary tract infections: n = 2; urinary tract infections: n = 24), and 12 infants (5.1%) had possible serious bacterial infections (pneumonia: n = 5; urinary tract infections: n = 7). Mean procalcitonin levels for definite serious bacterial infections (2.21 ± 3.9 ng/mL) and definite plus possible serious bacterial infections (2.48 ± 4.6 ng/mL) were significantly higher than that for no serious bacterial infection (0.38 ± 1.0 ng/mL). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.82 for definite serious bacterial infections and 0.76 for definite and possible serious bacterial infections. For identifying definite and possible serious bacterial infections, a cutoff value of 0.12 ng/mL had sensitivity of 95.2%, specificity of 25.5%, negative predictive value of 96.1%, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.19; all cases of bacteremia were identified accurately with this cutoff value. CONCLUSIONS. Procalcitonin has favorable test characteristics for detecting serious bacterial infections in young febrile infants. Procalcitonin measurements performed especially well in detecting the most serious occult infections.
The Legalities of Employee Discharge: A Growing Need for Management Development

During the past few years a movement has begun in the USA towards passing laws that would require the discharge of employees only for just cause. Erosion of the employment‐at‐will doctrine has begun. This will continue, given social and judicial trends. This has significant implications for managers. Managers can influence this trend by adopting formal policies on employee discipline and discharge. They must be familiar with the employment‐at‐will issue and organisational procedures for preventing its growth. A management development programme is discussed that covers employee discipline. It has been implemented and used successfully by many organisations. A key to its success lies in the variety of topics covered, its appropriateness to all managers and the efficiency with which the material can be covered. Its aim is to prevent future employee charges of unjust discipline and discharge, while fostering an organisational environment based on high employee morale and productivity. The concept of employment‐at‐will and its impact on managers is reviewed.
Ultrahigh-brightness XeCl laser system

A laser system that produces terawatt-level pulses of 308-nm light with near-diffraction-limited beam quality is under development. Pulses of 175-fs duration are generated at 616 nm in a synchronously-pumped mode-locked dye oscillator. These pulses are amplified in a three-stage dye amplifier longitudinally pumped by the frequency-doubled output of a regenerative Nd:YAG amplifier. Output of the dye amplifier is frequency-doubled in a BBO crystal and amplified in a chain of XeC1 excimer stages. The optical design maintains high beam quality throughout the system.
Structural Requirements for Targeting of Surfactant Protein B (SP-B) to Secretory Granules in Vitro and in Vivo*

Human surfactant protein B (SP-B) is synthesized by type II cells as a 381-residue preproprotein which is proteolytically processed to a 79-residue mature peptide and targeted to lamellar bodies for secretion. To identify secretory granule targeting determinants, constructs encoding the SP-B preproprotein (SP-B), COOH-terminally deleted SP-B (SP-BDeltaC), the NH2-terminal propeptide (SP-BN), and a chimeric molecule consisting of albumin and the mature peptide (ALB/SP-BM) were transfected into AtT-20 and PC12 cells. Pulse-chase studies demonstrated that 10-30% of SP-B and SP-BDeltaC remained in cells in an endoglycosidase H-resistant form. Secretion of stored SP-B was stimulated by forskolin/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and intracellular SP-B was localized to secretory granules by immunoelectron microscopy. In contrast, SP-BN and ALB/SP-BM were constitutively secreted and not detected in secretory granules. Specific processing of SP-B was not detected in either AtT-20 or PC12 cells. Expression of SP-BDeltaC in transgenic mice resulted in secretion of fully processed mature SP-B, indicating correct processing and targeting of this construct in vivo. We conclude that 1) SP-B processing occurs in a cell-specific manner, 2) the proprotein contains secretory granule targeting determinants that are not cell-specific, 3) the NH2-terminal propeptide and the mature peptide are required for targeting SP-B to lamellar body, and 4) the COOH-terminal propeptide is not required for processing or sorting of SP-B.
Performance Analysis of Serial Production Lines with Deteriorating Product Quality

Abstract In manufacturing systems with perishable products (e.g., food, metal processing, etc.), the quality of a part is highly dependent on its residence time within the system. However, behavior and properties of these systems have not been studied systematically, and, therefore, is carried out in this paper. Specifically, we assume that the probability that each unfinished part is of good quality is a decreasing function of its residence time in the preceding buffer. Then, in the framework of serial production lines with machines having Bernoulli reliability model, we derive closed-form formulas for performance evaluation in the two-machine line case, and develop an aggregation-based procedure to approximate the performance measures in M > 2-machine lines. In addition, we study monotonicity properties of these production lines using numerical experiments. Finally, a case study in an automotive stamping plant is discussed.
Postnatal Testosterone Levels and Temperament in Early Infancy

Recent research showing associations between behavior and postnatal testosterone levels in male infants has suggested that the transient activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in early infancy may influence the expression of gender phenotypes in later development (i.e., the postnatal hormone hypothesis). As a further test of the relationship between postnatal hormones and behavior in infancy, we measured digit ratios and salivary testosterone in 76 male and female infants (3–4 months of age) and parents completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised, a well-established measure of temperament in the first year of life. Consistent with our earlier findings, there were no significant sex differences in salivary testosterone levels and testosterone levels were unrelated to measures of behavior in female infants. However, in male infants, higher androgen levels predicted greater Negative Affectivity. Further examination of the four scales contributing to the measure of Negative Affectivity showed testosterone levels were a significant predictor of scores on the Distress to Limitations scale, but not of scores on Fear, Sadness, or Reactivity scales. This sex-specific association between salivary testosterone and behavior in infants is consistent with animal research showing higher prenatal androgens associated with typical male development lower the threshold of sensitivity to endogenous testosterone in postnatal life. In sum, these data provide additional support for the postnatal hormone hypothesis and suggest postnatal testosterone levels may influence the development of emotional regulation in male infants.
Preparation Of Elementary School Units on the Concept of Culture

In June of 1964, the University of Georgia embarked on an experimental program to develop a graded curriculum in anthropology at the elementary school level. The goal was a sequence of instructional materials that would be anthropologically sound and would introduce pupils to fundamental concepts of increasing complexity and comprehensiveness.
Neoadjuvant radiotherapy for rectal cancer: adherence to evidence-based guidelines in clinical practice.

Background Implementation of evidence-based standards is problematic. Level 1 evidence, largely predicated on the German Rectal Cancer Study, supports neoadjuvant treatment for patients with stage II/III rectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent this evidence has affected clinical practice.
A computational technique for evaluating eigenfunctions of symmetrical nuclear systems

Abstract Presented here is a description of a computational technique for calculating the higher order eigenfunctions of a linear Boltzmann operator of a nuclear system symmetrical in space. In this case, the usual conjugation of filtering technique and power method fails due to eigenvalue degeneracy. To overcome this drawback, we propose here a method for computing the eigenfunctions of such a system, starting from a set of asymmetrical ones, obtained introducing an ad hoc perturbation in the original system. This perturbation allows the degenerated eigenvalues to split so that the filter can be successful. The computation of the symmetrical set is performed via an extension of the Standard Method. The coefficients of the expansion depend here on the difference between the cross sections of the original system and those of the asymmetrical one. This methodology, quoted as the Generalized Standard Method (GSM), allows us to obtain several symmetrical eigenfunctions and degenerated eigenvalues which, otherwise, could not be computed using the filter technique. Using a quite small number of non-symmetrical eigenfunctions, we have been able to reconstruct an equivalent number of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the original system. The use of the proposed computational procedure becomes unpractical in the general multigroup problems owing to the lack of completeness of the set of eigenfunctions when they are computed via the power method. Restoring the completeness of the set would be sufficient to make an application of the method in the general case possible.
Effects of thiamine deficiency on hepatic cytochromes P450 and drug-metabolizing enzyme activities

To elucidate the mechanisms by which thiamine deficiency affects hepatic microsomal monooxygenase activities, the effect of thiamine deficiency on two constitutive cytochrome P450 isozymes, P450IIE1 and P450IIC11, was investigated, using weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats. The clinical signs of thiamine deficiency were apparent after feeding a thiamine-deficient diet for 3 weeks. Thiamine deficiency caused an increase in P450IIE1, which was determined by N-nitrosodimethylamine demethylase assay and immunoquantitation of P450IIE1. This increase in the P450IIE1 level was mainly attributed to thiamine deficiency per se but not to dietary restriction. Ketone bodies were not elevated in thiamine-deficient rats, whereas ketone bodies were elevated and may have served as inducing factors in calorically restricted pair-fed animals. Injections of pyruvate or pyrithiamine in addition to thiamine deficiency did not potentiate the induction effect. On the other hand, thiamine deficiency did not affect the level of P450IIC11 during the 3 weeks of feeding the thiamine-deficient diet. In addition, thiamine deficiency increased cytosolic glutathione S-transferase activity but not steroid isomerase activity. The present study demonstrates the specificity of thiamine deficiency per se in the induction of P450IIE1 which does not involve an increase in the ketone body level.
Multi-analyte array microdiffraction interferometry

Interferometers have maximum linear sensitivity to small optical perturbations at the half intensity point defined by quadrature when the signal and reference waves are out of phase by ninety degrees. Under this conditions optical path changes down to a billionth-lambda can be detected. We describe the fabrication of interferometric microstructures on silicon all operating at quadrature, which can have sub- micron dimensions. These dimensions could enable, in principle, the fabrication of over a billion interferometer elements on a disk the size of a CD. In addition, a spinning disk of these elements could have the capacity for mega- samples per second sampling rate. As a step towards that goal, we fabricated a 3-inch silicon wafer with 1024 micro strips of gold, each 20 micro strips of gold, each 20 microns wide and 3 cm long arranged radially. The gold was evaporated to a thickness of 79.1 nm putting them at quadrature for read-out with a 632.8 nm He-Ne laser. Bovine Serium Albumin (BSA), was immobilized on the gold micro strips on half of the wafer which had been treated with Hexadecanethiol. The presence of immobilized BSA modified the lobe structure of the far-field diffraction from the micro strips, we are currently extending these static detection result to high-sampling rates on a spinning disk.
Interaction of Photobacterium leiognathi and Vibrio fischeri Y1 Luciferases with Fluorescent (Antenna) Proteins: Bioluminescence Effects of the Aliphatic Additive†

The kinetics of the bacterial bioluminescence reaction is altered in the presence of the fluorescent (antenna) proteins, lumazine protein (LumP) from Photobacterium or the yellow fluorescence proteins (YFP) having FMN or Rf bound, from Vibrio fischeri strain Y1. Depending on reaction conditions, the bioluminescence intensity and its decay rate may be either enhanced or strongly quenched in the presence of the fluorescent proteins. These effects can be simply explained on the basis of the same protein−protein complex model that accounts for the bioluminescence spectral shifts induced by these fluorescent proteins. In such a complex, where the fluorophore evidently is in proximity to the luciferase active site, it is expected that the on−off rate of certain aliphatic components of the reaction should be altered with a consequent shift in the equilibria among the luciferase intermediates, as recently elaborated in a kinetic scheme. These aliphatic components are the bioluminescence reaction substrate, tetrad...
Detecting cholangiocarcinoma in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Abstract Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a progressive cholestatic liver disease associated with cholangiocarcinoma. Brush cytology and serum tumor markers (carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 [CA19-9]) have been used to diagnose cholangiocarcinoma, but there are few data comparing their effectiveness. Methods: The effectiveness of brush cytology, carcinoembryonic antigen, and CA19-9 for the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma was retrospectively studied by review of patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis. Receiver operator curves were used to identify cutoff points for carcinoembryonic antigen and CA19-9. Results: Of 692 patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis screened, adequate follow-up was obtained in 333, 44 (13%) of whom had a diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. Three hundred eighteen brush cytology specimens were obtained in 151 patients; serum carcinoembryonic antigen and CA19-9 levels were obtained in 144 and 55 patients, respectively. The overall sensitivity and specificity of brush cytology were, respectively, 46.4% (95% CI [27.5, 64.5]) and 100% (95% CI [97.2, 100]). A carcinoembryonic antigen >5.2 ng/mL had a sensitivity of 68.0% (95% CI [47.5, 83.9]) and specificity of 81.5% (95% CI [73.9, 87.7]). A CA19-9 >180 U/mL had a sensitivity of 66.7% (95% CI [34.9, 87.7]) and specificity of 97.7% (95% CI [88.2, 99.9]). In the subset of patients in which all 3 tests were obtained, (n = 45, cholangiocarcinoma=8) the combination of an abnormal carcinoembryonic antigen or CA19-9 had the highest sensitivity: 100% (95% CI [65.1, 100.0]) with a specificity of 78.4% (95% CI [63.1, 89.7]). The combination of a positive brush cytology or an abnormal CA19-9 had a sensitivity and specificity of, respectively, 87.5% (95% CI [50.0, 99.4]) and 97.3% (95% CI [86.2, 99.9]). Conclusions: Screening patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis for cholangiocarcinoma with CA19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen is reasonable, but the ideal intervals at which to obtain these tests and the cost-effectiveness require further study. (Gastrointest Endosc 2002;56:40-7.)
Contrasting effects of systemic and central sibutramine administration on the intake of a palatable diet in the rat

Sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate is the only centrally active weight-modifying agent currently approved by the FDA for long-term use in the treatment of obesity. Systemic sibutramine treatment has been shown to reduce food intake in humans and rodent models in a manner that is consistent with the enhancement of satiety mechanisms. Although it is generally assumed that the hypophagic effects of the drug are mediated by actions within the brain, the locus or loci of these effects remains unclear. These experiments compared the effects of systemic and intracranial injections of sibutramine on the intake of a palatable diet in non-deprived animals. Consistent with prior reports, systemic injections of sibutramine hydrochloride (at 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 3.0 mg/kg sibutramine i.p.) dose-dependently reduced feeding on a high fat/high sucrose diet across a 2-h feeding session, but did not alter water intake or locomotor activity. In contrast, bilateral injections of sibutramine (at 0.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 10.0 μg/0.5 μl/side) into either the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) or the medial nucleus accumbens shell (ACb) significantly and dose-dependently increased food intake of the sweetened fat diet. ACb treatment also modestly inhibited locomotor behavior; intracranial injections had no effect on water consumption. These experiments are the first to suggest that sibutramine treatment may have distinct actions upon separate neural circuits that modulate food intake behavior in the rat.
Optical properties of mercury in potassium chloride single crystals

Single crystal samples of KCl:Hg2+, KCl:Hg2+ :OH−, and KCl:HgO were prepared by both melt-doping and by various diffusion techniques. Each species has a characteristic absorption spectrum. Only KCl:Hg2+ can be prepared with a single impurity species. KCl:Hg2+, KCl:Hg2+ :OH−, and KCl:HgO are always mixed with KCl:Hg2+. The existence of these three species explains the discrepancy between previously reported spectra of mercurydoped KCl.
Prevention of tracheal stoma recurrences after total laryngectomy by postoperative irradiation

Patients with advanced glottic cancer, in whom there is extensive subglottic disease and/or low cervical lymph node metastasis, have a high incidence of recurrence in and about the tracheal stoma. Stoma recurrences can be prevented by immediate postoperative megavoltage radiotherapy when the stoma is included in the irradiated volume.
Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials Suggest a Role for the Ventral Cochlear Nucleus in Tinnitus

Numerous studies have demonstrated elevated spontaneous and sound-evoked brainstem activity in animal models of tinnitus, but data on brainstem function in people with this common clinical condition are sparse. Here, auditory nerve and brainstem function in response to sound was assessed via auditory brainstem responses (ABR) in humans with tinnitus and without. Tinnitus subjects showed reduced wave I amplitude (indicating reduced auditory nerve activity) but enhanced wave V (reflecting elevated input to the inferior colliculi) compared with non-tinnitus subjects matched in age, sex, and pure-tone threshold. The transformation from reduced peripheral activity to central hyperactivity in the tinnitus group was especially apparent in the V/I and III/I amplitude ratios. Compared with a third cohort of younger, non-tinnitus subjects, both tinnitus, and matched, non-tinnitus groups showed elevated thresholds above 4 kHz and reduced wave I amplitude, indicating that the differences between tinnitus and matched non-tinnitus subjects occurred against a backdrop of shared peripheral dysfunction that, while not tinnitus specific, cannot be discounted as a factor in tinnitus development. Animal lesion and human neuroanatomical data combine to indicate that waves III and V in humans reflect activity in a pathway originating in the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) and with spherical bushy cells (SBC) in particular. We conclude that the elevated III/I and V/I amplitude ratios in tinnitus subjects reflect disproportionately high activity in the SBC pathway for a given amount of peripheral input. The results imply a role for the VCN in tinnitus and suggest the SBC pathway as a target for tinnitus treatment.
Practical Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI in Small Animal Models of Cancer: Data Acquisition, Data Analysis, and Interpretation

Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) consists of the continuous acquisition of images before, during, and after the injection of a contrast agent. DCE-MRI allows for noninvasive evaluation of tumor parameters related to vascular perfusion and permeability and tissue volume fractions, and is frequently employed in both preclinical and clinical investigations. However, the experimental and analytical subtleties of the technique are not frequently discussed in the literature, nor are its relationships to other commonly used quantitative imaging techniques. This review aims to provide practical information on the development, implementation, and validation of a DCE-MRI study in the context of a preclinical study (though we do frequently refer to clinical studies that are related to these topics).
CORRELATION BETWEEN PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND HIGH‐ENERGY RADIATION CHEMISTRY

— The initial interactions between high-energy radiation and a sample of condensed matter are complex. However, soon after the initial phases the excitation energy appears in well-known forms: ions, free radicals, and molecular excited states. These excited species are the immediate precursors of the stable chemical products. The nature of the chemically significant excited species can be inferred by studying the chemical changes induced in solutes which have been well characterized in photochemical studies. RESUMEN Las interacciones iniciales entre radiaciones de alta energia y una muestra de materia condensada son complejas. Sin embargo, Iuego de la faz inicial la energia de excitation aparace bajo formas bien conocidas: iones, radicates libres y estados moleculares excitados. Estas especies excitadas son las precursoras inmediatas productos dequimicos estables. La naturaleza de las especies excitadas con significado quimico puede ser inferida estudiando cambios quimicos inducidos en solutos que han sido bien caracterizados en estudios fotoquimicos.
A new porphyrin derivative for use as a diene in the Diels-Alder reaction

Abstract The first representative of a new class of porphyrins featuring a tetramethine bridge joining the 2 and 20 positions of the macrocycle has been prepared and found to undergo the Diels-Alder reaction, yielding structures in which functional groups are linked to the porphyrin macrocycle through a rigid, bicyclic bridge.
A dual input DNA-based molecular switch

We have designed and characterized a DNA-based molecular switch which processes two physiologically relevant inputs: pH (i.e. alkalinisation) and enzymatic activity, and generates a chemical output (in situ synthesized oligonucleotide). The design, based on allosteric interactions between i-motif and hairpin stem within the DNA molecule, addresses such critical physiological system parameters as molecular simplicity, tunability, orthogonality of the two input sensing domains, and compatibility with intracellular operation/delivery.
A Review of the Gobiid Genus Akko (Teleostei: Gobiidae) With Description of a New Species

Akko was originally described for a highly autapomorphic species of goby, A. dionaea, taken off Brazil. The genus is here recorded for the first time from the eastern Pacific Ocean. The poorly known eastern Pacific goby Amblyopus brevis G nther is redescribed as Akko brevis based on the study of numerous specimens recently collected off Panama and El Salvador, and Akko rossi is described as new from the coast of El Salvador. Akko dionaea has 11+16 vertebrae, 76 scales in the lateral series, non-overlapping scales on the caudal peduncle, and no melanophores on the pectoral fin or female genital papilla; A. brevis has 11+16 vertebrae, 53 60 scales in the lateral series, overlapping scales on the caudal peduncle, and no melanophores on the pectoral fin or female genital papilla; A. rossi has 11+17 vertebrae, 115 scales in the lateral series, overlapping scales on the caudal peduncle, and dense melanophores on the pectoral fin and female genital papilla.
Detection of differential gene expression in brown adipose tissue of hibernating arctic ground squirrels with mouse microarrays

Hibernation is an energy-saving strategy adopted by a wide range of mammals to survive highly seasonal or unpredictable environments. Arctic ground squirrels living in Alaska provide an extreme exa...
Thalidomide-Related Eosinophilic Pneumonia: A case report and brief literature review

Thalidomide has regained value in the multimodality treatment of leprosy, multiple myeloma, prostate, ovarian and renal cancer. Complications related to arterial and venous complications are well described. However, pulmonary complications remain relatively uncommon. The most common pulmonary side-effect reported is non-specific dyspnea. We report a patient with multiple myeloma, who developed an eosinophilic pneumonia, shortly after starting thalidomide. She had complete resolution of her symptoms and pulmonary infiltrates on discontinuation of the drug and treatment with corticosteroids. Physicians should be cognizant of this potential complication in patients receiving thalidomide who present with dyspnea and pulmonary infiltrates.
Counter-Based Approaches for Efficient WCET Analysis of Multicore Processors with Shared Caches

To enable hard real-time systems to take advantage of multicore processors, it is crucial to obtain the worst-case execution time (WCET) for programs running on multicore processors. However, this is challenging and complicated due to the inter-thread interferences from the shared resources in a multicore processor. Recent research used the combined cache conflict graph (CCCG) to model and compute the worst-case inter-thread interferences on a shared L2 cache in a multicore processor, which is called the CCCG-based approach in this paper. Although it can compute the WCET safely and accurately, its computational complexity is exponential and prohibitive for a large number of cores. In this paper, we propose three counter-based approaches to significantly reduce the complexity of the multicore WCET analysis, while achieving absolute safety with tightness close to the CCCG-based approach. The basic counter-based approach simply counts the worst-case number of cache line blocks mapped to a cache set of a shared L2 cache from all the concurrent threads, and compares it with the associativity of the cache set to compute the worst-case cache behavior. The enhanced counter-based approach uses techniques to enhance the accuracy of calculating the counters. The hybrid counter-based approach combines the enhanced counter-based approach and the CCCG-based approach to further improve the tightness of analysis without significantly increasing the complexity. Our experiments on a 4-core processor indicate that the enhanced counter-based approach overestimates the WCET by 14% on average compared to the CCCG-based approach, while its averaged running time is less than 1/380 that of the CCCG-based approach. The hybrid approach reduces the overestimation to only 2.65%, while its running time is less than 1/150 that of the CCCG-based approach on average.
Block of L-Type Calcium Channels by Charged Dihydropyridines Sensitivity to Side of Application and Calcium

We have studied block of L-type calcium channels by intracellular and extracellular application of the ionized dihydropyridine derivatives amlodipine and SDZ 207-180. We find that extracellular application of either drug causes voltage-dependent block of calcium channels. However, neither drug is effective when applied intracellularly. The insensitivity of calcium channels to intracellular drug is not due to the low concentrations of cytosolic calcium, because voltage-dependent block by ionized amlodipine, SDZ 207-180, and the neutral drug nisoldipine persists under conditions in which Ca0 is buffered by EGTA. In fact, the time course of the development of block by the ionized but not neutral drug molecules studied, is slower in the presence than in the absence of calcium. Our results indicate that the DHP binding site of the L-type calcium channel is close to the extracellular surface of the cell membrane and that ionized DHP molecules may interact with the receptor in a manner that is uniquely affected by calcium.
Surviving extreme lactic acidosis: the role of calcium lactate formation in the anoxic turtle

During prolonged anoxia at low temperature, freshwater turtles develop high plasma concentrations of both lactate and calcium. At these concentrations the formation of the complex, calcium lactate, normally of little biological significance because of the low association constant for the reaction, significantly reduces the free concentrations of both lactate and calcium. In addition, lactate is taken up by the shell and skeleton to an extent that strongly indicates that calcium lactate formation participates in these structures as well. The binding of calcium to lactate thus contributes to the efflux of lactic acid from the anoxic cells and to the exploitation of the powerful buffering capacity of the shell and skeleton.
Comparison of statistical methods for classification of ovarian cancer using mass spectrometry data

Motivation: Novel methods, both molecular and statistical, are urgently needed to take advantage of recent advances in biotechnology and the human genome project for disease diagnosis and prognosis. Mass spectrometry (MS) holds great promise for biomarker identification and genome-wide protein profiling. It has been demonstrated in the literature that biomarkers can be identified to distinguish normal individuals from cancer patients using MS data. Such progress is especially exciting for the detection of early-stage ovarian cancer patients. Although various statistical methods have been utilized to identify biomarkers from MS data, there has been no systematic comparison among these approaches in their relative ability to analyze MS data. Results: We compare the performance of several classes of statistical methods for the classification of cancer based on MS spectra. These methods include: linear discriminant analysis, quadratic discriminant analysis, k -nearest neighbor classifier, bagging and boosting classification trees, support vector machine, and random forest (RF). The methods are applied to ovarian cancer and control serum samples from the National Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program clinic at Northwestern University Hospital. We found that RF outperforms other methods in the analysis of MS data.
Isolation and Characterization of Ultraviolet Light-Sensitive Mutants of the Blue-Green Alga Anacystis nidulans

Three independently isolated ultraviolet light sensitive (uvs) mutants of Anacystis nidulans were characterized. Strain uvs-1 showed the highest sensitivity to UV by its greatly reduced photoreactivation capacity following irradiation. Pretreatment with caffeine suppressed the dark-survival curve of strain uvs-1, thus indicating the presence of excision enzymes involved in dark repair. Under 'black' and 'white' illumination, strain uvs-1 shows photorecovery properties comparable with wild-type cultures. Results indicate that strains uvs-1, uvs-35, and uvs-88 are probably genetically distinct UV-sensitive mutants.
Mass exchange in the stable boundary layer by coherent structures

Abstract Observations of multi-dimensional water vapor structures in the first 75 m of the stable boundary layer (SBL) were made using a high resolution scanning Raman lidar in October 2000 during the Vertical Transport and Mixing Experiment (VTMX). Lidar images reveal the intermittent presence of plumes and low-frequency structures contributing to much of the nocturnal surface–atmosphere mass exchange. Furthermore, periodic wave–turbulence interactions between solitary waves aloft and coherent structures at the surface were observed. Results show that when low-level waveguides are present in the SBL, downward transport by pressure fluctuations arising from Kelvin–Helmholz instabilities hundreds of meters above the surface appears to pump energy near the surface thereby supporting the development of coherent structures. These structures have a vertical extent determined by the depth of the low-level waveguide inversion. The present results suggest that, in certain nocturnal conditions, coherent structures can transport more than a third of the mass exchanged between the surface and the lowest region of the stable atmospheric boundary layer.
Relation of body mass index, fat mass index and fat-free mass index to blood pressure in children aged 7–12 in Shandong, China

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is widely used to assess the prevalence of childhood obesity in populations and its relationship with blood pressure has been observed. However, no studies on the distribution of fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) and their relationship with blood pressure have been reported.Aim: The present study examined the distribution of BMI, FMI, FFMI and the relationship with blood pressure among children aged 7–12 years in Shandong, China.Subjects and methods: A total of 4326 children (2165 boys and 2161 girls) aged 7–12 years participated in this study. Height, weight, skinfold thickness (SFT) and blood pressure (BP) of all subjects were measured, body fat percentages (BF%) were calculated by regression equation, fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) were calculated according to the following expressions: FMI (kg/m2) = BF% × weight/height2 and FFMI (kg/m2) = (weight − BF% × weight)/height2.Results: SBP and DBP were positively correlated with FMI, FF...
Developing circadian rhythmicity

Circadian rhythms are endogenously generated rhythms with a period length of about 24-hours. Evidence gathered over the past decade indicates that the circadian timing system develops prenatally, and the suprachiasmatic nuclei, the site of a circadian clock, is present by midgestation in human and nonhuman primates. Recent evidence also shows that the circadian system of primate infants is responsive to light at very premature stages and that low intensity lighting can regulate the developing clock. After birth, there is progressive maturation of the circadian system outputs, with pronounced rhythms in sleep-wake and hormone secretion generally developing after 2 months of age. With the continued elucidation of circadian system development and influences on human physiology and illness, it is anticipated that consideration of circadian biology will become an increasingly important component of neonatal care.
The mean interval to conception: a measure of utility for the analysis of decisions involving fertility.

This article describes a method of assigning a utility, or relative worth, to outcomes based on the mean interval to conception (MIC). In the formula MIC = 1 /fc, the subscript C is the proportion of a given cohort of women who would conceive if given an infinitely long trial and fc is the fecundability or monthly probability of conception among this subgroup. MIC and MIO (interval of observation for those who do not conceive) are used as the utilities in decision analyses of fertility treatment. This method provides a semiquantitative estimate that reflects uncertainty of cure of infertility and variation in amount of time spent in the nonpregnant state after infertility treatment.
The Perception of Dyspnea in Patients With Mild Asthma

Background: Airway function, as assessed by standard spirometry, and the intensity of dyspnea reported by asthmatic patients correlate poorly. Objective: This study tests the following two hypotheses: (1) that measures of the tendency of a patient to somatize will reduce the variation in the report of dyspnea not explained by airway function; and (2) that plethysmography is a better tool with which to estimate the degree of dyspnea associated with asthma. Design: A prospective laboratory study carried out over one study session. Participants: Forty asthmatic subjects who had withheld bronchodilator (BD) therapy overnight. Interventions: We performed spirometry, plethysmography, and an assessment of dyspnea (ie, modified Borg scale) on all subjects before and after they received BD therapy. Standard questionnaires pertaining to psychological state and trait were administered as well. Results: The change in specific airway conductance with BD therapy correlated with a decline in the Borg score (r 5 0.47; p 5 0.007). By contrast, neither spirographic measures nor measures of static lung volumes correlated. Correlation with the Borg scale score was not improved by adding indexes of either somatization or psychological state or trait. Conclusion: The relief of dyspnea reported by patients with mild asthma after BD therapy is related to dilatation of the central airways. (CHEST 2001; 120:409 ‐ 415)