cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polypeptide elongation factor 1 and the control of elongation rate in rat liver in vivo.

THE development of rapid kinetic methods for measurement of elongation rate in protein synthesis in vivo, independent of initiation rate, has made possible the study of the control of elongation in relation to changes in overall protein synthesis1–4. In rat liver a 40% reduction in elongation rate (from about six to four amino acid residues per ribosome) is associated with thyroparathyroidectomy2,4; the normal rate is restored by triiodothyronine injections2. The work reported here concerns the role of polypeptide elongation factor 1 (EF1), the factor responsible for aminoacyl-tRNA binding to ribosomes, in the control of elongation rate in this system. Several studies have suggested that EF1 may have regulatory significance in eukaryotic systems5,8; however no direct correlation between EF1 activity and elongation rate in vivo has previously been described.
CAD latches onto new techniques for analog ICs

Design techniques for low-power, nondigital nonmicrowave circuits are presented. The major objectives in improving analog CAD are described. The current status of CAD for analog circuits is discussed, and interesting trends are examined. An approach to CAD-compatible analog design is discussed. These designs also apply to mixed analog/digital VLSI design environments, particularly to circuits used in signal processing. >
Introduction to this Special Issue on Sensemaking

Making sense of the world using information technology has become a ubiquitous activity in the digital era. Sensemaking, as in to make sense, suggests an active processing of information to achieve...
Ferroinductance as a Variable Electric-Circuit Element

This investigation was instituted in an attempt to develop methods which would make ferroinductive circuits as susceptible to analysis as circuits with constant parameters. The work has led to the development of an accurate empirical equation for the magnetization curve of a steel. This equation has been applied in predicting the inductance of a ferroinductor at any value of current, and methods have been developed for measuring this inductance, which check the theory closely. The equation for ferroinductance has been generalized into a relation for effective ferroreactance by an assumption, and experimental evidence has been obtained to support the validity of the assumption. Methods also were developed for calculating the effective resistance of an iron-cored reactor. Application then was made of both of these developments in calculating the impedance of circuits containing ferroreactors, and the results were again well supported by experiment. Another application of the theory was made to the ferroresonant circuit, and simple relations for resonant voltage, capacity required, and the value of the critical resistance secured. All were checked satisfactorily by experiment.
Case ascertainment in pediatric traumatic brain injury: challenges in using the NEISS.

Primary objective: To evaluate mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) case ascertainment in the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS).Research design: A sample of NEISS injury cases was analyzed. Two trained researchers independently reviewed diagnostic codes based on the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). The sensitivity and specificity of two NEISS TBI definitions were evaluated, and Kappa coefficients were calculated to evaluate the agreement between NEISS TBI definitions and the standard TBI definition based on the ICD-9-CM.Results: Our sampling procedures provided a total of 1,018 NEISS cases, of which 880 were injury cases and 138 were non-injury cases. Out of the injury cases, 54 cases were defined as mild TBI cases based on the ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. Compared with non-TBI injury cases, a significantly higher percentage of TBI cases (33.3% versus 15.4%) were infants less than 1 year old and TBI cases were more likely to be adm...
Thermoelectric power in the normal state of high-Tc superconductors RBa2Cu3Ox (R = yttrium or rare earth)

Abstract We report measurements of the thermoelectric power S and resistivity ϱ of high-Tc superconductors RBa2Cu3Ox. For R=Y or a rare earth and x⋍7, S is positive and nearly temperature independent but its magnetude can vary depending on R. We have systematically varied the oxygen stoichiometry (6
On the Difficulty of Computing Logarithms Over GF (q^m)

In “New Directions in Cryptography”, Diffie and Hellman propose a public key distribution (PKD) system based on exponentiation in a discrete arithmetic system. The security of this technique is crucially dependent on the difficulty of computing discrete logarithms (the inverse of the discrete exponential function). Until recently, the best known method for computing discrete logs required running time which grew exponentially in the word size. However, Adleman has recently observed that certain fast algorithms for factoring integers are also applicable to computing discrete logs over GF(q), the Galois field with q elements (q denotes a prime number). He also noted that the running time for the modified algorithm should be of the same form as for factoring, namely
Coherence properties of the supercontinuum source

Mutual–temporal coherence of the supercontinuum (SC) generation has been experimentally investigated using a diffraction grating based interferometer. A broadband SC generation was produced in a pyrex glass plate with a 1.6-μm coherence length at 550-nm center wavelength. The degree of mutual coherence of 0.34 was measured for a wavefront shift for zero and first diffraction orders of half of the beam diameter. A design of SC source with the capability of manipulating the amplitudes and phases of optical frequency components within the SC pulse is presented for coherence applications.
Phosphorylation of the Sodium−Potassium Adenosinetriphosphatase with Adenosine Triphosphate and Sodium Ion That Requires Subconformations in Addition to Principal E1 and E2 Conformations of the Enzyme†

Phosphorylation of the free sodium−potassium adenosinetriphosphatase of sheep kidney upon the addition of 0.02−2.0 mM ATP and a saturating concentration of Na+ (125 mM) follows pseudo-first-order k...
Gaseous ammonia evolution is coupled to reprocessing of urine at the gills of ghost crabs

Urine of terrestrial and aquatic crabs generally is of neutral pH and contains negli-gible waste nitrogen. Ammonia is added to urine during its reprocessing by the gills of some terrestrial species. The ghost crab, Ocypode quadrata, produces an acidic urine (pH 100 mM). This prompted us to study the chemical changes which occur during urine reprocessing by this species. Urine and reprocessed urine were collected from fed animals maintained on sand moistened with diluted seawater, and several chemical variables were measured. During urine reprocessing, Cl− was reclaimed, and CO2 concentration and pH increased. Evolution of gaseous ammonia was then measured in crabs which could and could not pass urine onto their gills. Animals with occluded nephropores released gaseous ammonia at a much lower rate (≈300 μmol·.kg−1·day−1) than animals with open nephropores (≈2,000 μmol·kg−·day−1). We hypothesize that the gaseous ammonia released by control crabs is predominantly due to degassing of NH3 from the fluid (urine) upon the pH increase which occurs during reprocessing by the gills. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
An Interview with Stanford M. Forrester, Editor and Publisher of bottle rockets

A little haiku zine / from Connecticut / who would have guessed? This installment of “They Might Be Giants” focuses on bottle rockets, a small haiku journal from, that's right, Connecticut. Stanford M. Forrester, publisher and editor of bottle rockets, talked briefly with Michael Brown about poetry, fireworks, and why he does what he does. Serials Review 2003; 29:321–324.
Mobile phones in Africa: opportunities and challenges for academic librarians

Purpose – Lack of internet access and availability of computers in Africa has hindered learning and teaching there. However, the growing prevalence of mobile phones in Africa and elsewhere has created a way for information to be quickly and easily disseminated in areas where access to the internet and computers are limited. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Mobile phones in Africa are currently being used to share information relating to agriculture, health, and finance. This paper will examine these current uses, investigate the current and future use of mobile phones by academic libraries and in education in Africa, and discuss how mobile phones might be leveraged to further education and information dissemination through academic libraries. Findings – Limited access to electricity, computers, and the internet has prevented technological growth in Africa in the past, but innovative uses of mobile phones have provided an alternate avenue of progress. More still needs ...
Universal condition for critical percolation thresholds of kagomé-like lattices.

Lattices that can be represented in a kagom\'e-like form are shown to satisfy a universal percolation criticality condition, expressed as a relation between ${P}_{3}$, the probability that all three vertices in the triangle connect, and ${P}_{0}$, the probability that none connect. A linear approximation for ${P}_{3}({P}_{0})$ is derived and appears to provide a rigorous upper bound for critical thresholds. A numerically determined relation for ${P}_{3}({P}_{0})$ gives thresholds for the kagom\'e, site-bond honeycomb, $(3\text{\ensuremath{-}}{12}^{2})$ lattice, and ``stack-of-triangle'' lattices that compare favorably with numerical results.
Strategies Utilized to Transfer Weight During Knee Flexion and Extension With Rotation for Individuals With a Total Knee Replacement

Functional activities in daily life can require squatting and shifting body weight during transverse plane rotations. Stability of the knee can be challenging for people with a total knee replacement (TKR) due to reduced proprioception, nonconforming articular geometry, muscle strength, and soft tissue weakness. The objective of this study was to identify strategies utilized by individuals with TKR in double-stance transferring load during rotation and flexion. Twenty-three subjects were recruited for this study: 11 TKR subjects (age: 65 ± 6 years; BMI 27.4 ± 4.1) and 12 healthy subjects (age: 63 ± 7; BMI 24.6 ± 3.8). Each subject completed a novel crossover button push task where rotation, flexion, and extension of the knee were utilized. Each subject performed two crossover reaching tasks where the subject used the opposite hand to cross over their body and press a button next to either their shoulder (high) or knee (low), then switched hands and rotated to press the opposite button, either low or high. The two tasks related to the order they pressed the buttons while crossing over, either low-to-high (L2H) or high-to-low (H2L). Force platforms measured ground reaction forces under each foot, which were then converted to lead force ratios (LFRs) based on the total force. Knee flexion angles were also measured. No statistical differences were found in the LFRs during the H2L and L2H tasks for the different groups, although differences in the variation of the loading within subjects were noted. A significant difference was found between healthy and unaffected knee angles and a strong trend between healthy and affected subject's knee angles in both H2L and L2H tasks. Large variations in the LFR at mid-task in the TKR subjects suggested possible difficulties in maintaining positional stability during these tasks. The TKR subjects maintained more of an extended knee, which is a consistent quadriceps avoidance strategy seen by other researchers in different tasks. These outcomes suggest that individuals with a TKR utilize strategies, such as keeping an extended knee, to achieve rotary tasks during knee flexion and extension. Repeated compensatory movements could result in forces that may cause difficulty over time in the hip joints or low back. Early identification of these strategies could improve TKR success and the return to activities of daily living that involve flexion and rotation.
Cell growth arrest and induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 WAF1/CIP1 mediated by STAT1

Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) proteins can be conditionally activated in response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) and interferon (IFN)-gamma. STAT activation was correlated with cell growth inhibition in response to EGF and IFN-gamma. Activated STAT proteins specifically recognized the conserved STAT-responsive elements in the promoter of the gene encoding the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p21 WAF1/CIP1 and regulated the induction of p21 messenger RNA. IFN-gamma did not inhibit the growth of U3A cells, which are deficient in STAT1, but did inhibit the growth of U3A cells into which STAT1 alpha was reintroduced. Thus, STAT1 protein is essential for cell growth suppression in response to IFN-gamma. The STAT signaling pathway appears to negatively regulate the cell cycle by inducing CDK inhibitors in response to cytokines.
Acetoxyphenylketene. Reaction with biacetyl

Abstract The generation of acetoxyphenylketene (4) in the cold in the presence of biacetyl yields the single β-lactone 12B , which undergoes a novel rearrangement to the tricyclic orthoester lactone 11 above 130°.
What is the hue of rod vision

Textbooks say rod vision is colorless. However, evidence that rod signals influence hue comes from several lines of psychophysical studies, including scotopic color contrast, color matching, hue scaling, and unique-hue loci. Some widely cited early studies suggested that there is a single rod hue, which is blue. Other studies have suggested that various other hues, or even all hues, can be associated with rod stimulation. This article presents a conceptual framework that helps reconcile many of these findings and that involves two unifying generalizations. (1) Rod signals are associated with signals from all three cone types and have a ubiquitous influence on all portions of the color pathways. (2) But rod signals have multiple inherent biases (differential weightings) in their effects on color pathways, and the "net effect" of these individual biases is often found to be blue. The multiple rod influences on hue, and their net blue influence, may have a basis in the parallel pathways that are the retinal substrate of color vision.© 2000 John Wiley
Economic gradients in early child neurodevelopment: a multi-country study.

Little is known about the importance of household wealth for child neurodevelopment very early in life including during infancy. Previous studies have focused on specific developmental domains instead of more holistic multi-domain measures of neurodevelopment and on economic effects for the “average” child instead of evaluating the heterogeneity in economic gradients by different levels of developmental ability. Furthermore, not much is known about whether economic gradients in early child neurodevelopment are country-specific or generalizable between populations. We evaluate wealth gradients in child neurodevelopment, an important predictor of future health and human capital, between ages 3 and 24 months in four South American countries. We also assess the heterogeneity in these gradients at different locations of the neurodevelopment distribution using quantile regression. Employing a unique dataset of 2032 children with neurodevelopment measures obtained by physicians in 2005–2006, we find a large positive wealth gradient in neurodevelopment in Brazil. The wealth gradient is larger for children at higher neurodevelopment rankings, suggesting that wealth is associated with child development inequalities in the form of a wider gap between low and high achievers on neurodevelopment in Brazil. This result highlights the need to target poverty in Brazil as a key factor in health and human capital disparities earlier in life rather than later as early developmental deficits will be carried forward and possibly multiplied later in life. More importantly, small or insignificant wealth gradients are generally found in the other countries. These results suggest that wealth gradients in child neurodevelopment are country-specific and vary with population demographic, health, and socioeconomic characteristics. Therefore, findings from previous studies based on specific populations may not be generalizable to other countries. Furthermore, wealth gradients in child neurodevelopment appear to be dynamic rather than fixed and sensitive to population characteristics that modify their intensity.
Qualitative navigation using isolated landmarks

In this paper we propose and demonstrate a simple method for navigation in a large unstructured environment that contains featureless objects, using 'isolated' landmarks in the navigator's view. The map-maker and the navigator are implemented using an IBM 7575 SCARA robot arm, PIPE (Pipelined Image Processing Engine), and two cameras. The navigational environment consists of a flat plane with spherical objects populated randomly on it. First, the map-maker model observes the environment, and given a starting position and a goal position, it generates a 'custom map' that describes how to get from the starting position to the goal position. The accuracy and the efficiency of the directional instructions are then demonstrated by the navigator by following the commands in the custom map. This is a first step towards our eventual goal, which is to develop a full set of vocabulary that can qualitatively describe the navigational environment to guide the navigator with efficiency and accuracy.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Recoil Effect in the β Decay of Molecular Tritium

In order to determine the electron (anti)neutrino mass mν, a number of precise atomic experiments with gaseous and frozen targets of molecular tritium T2 have been carried out in the last decade. The nonzero neutrino mass should be manifested in the form of fine features near the upper edge of the β-electron spectrum. The problem of calculating the spectrum of final excitations, which is of crucial importance for determining mν, is discussed. An operator approach has been used for an analysis of spectral sums. This allows a number of effects that could not be considered earlier to be discussed, including the recoil effect, which can be of substantial importance in the interpretation of the current and future experiments.
Effect of Heat Treatment and Selected Antimicrobials on the Shelf‐life and Safety of Cooked, Vacuum‐Packaged, Refrigerated Pork Chops

The shelf-life of refrigerated (2–4°C) pork chops inoculated with Clostridium sporogenes PA3679 and Staphylococcus aureus Z88 was examined in products sliced from loins cooked to 66°C (150°F), dipped in 5% polyphosphate blend, 2.5% potassium sorbate or 2% acetic acid solutions, vacuum-packaged and stored at 2–4°C. The effect of a second in-the-bag cooking step to 66°C (150°F) after vacuum packaging was also studied. Pork chops not reheated after packaging showed incipient spoilage after 15 days at 2–4°C, depending on surface treatment. The second cooking increased the shelf-life of refrigerated product to more than 60 days and reduced counts of inoculated cultures to undetectable levels. However, on exposure of the chops to simulated mishandling (24–25°C), clostridial growth was detected in all samples except those dipped in polyphosphate or acetic acid solutions.
Notch Receptor Activation Inhibits Oligodendrocyte Differentiation

In this study, we show that oligodendrocyte differentiation is powerfully inhibited by activation of the Notch pathway. Oligodendrocytes and their precursors in the developing rat optic nerve express Notch1 receptors and, at the same time, retinal ganglion cells express Jagged1, a ligand of the Notch1 receptor, along their axons. Jagged1 expression is developmentally regulated, decreasing with a time course that parallels myelination in the optic nerve. These results suggest that the timing of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination is controlled by the Notch pathway and raise the question of whether localization of myelination is controlled by this pathway.
Novel biologically active nonpeptidic inhibitors of myristoylCoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase.

A new class of biologically active nonpeptidic inhibitors of Candida albicans NMT has been synthesized starting from the octapeptide ALYASKLS-NH 2 (2). The synthetic strategy entailed the preparation of novel protected Ser-Lys mimics 9 and 12 from (S)- or (R)-3-iodotyrosine and then grafting key enzyme recognition elements in a stepwise manner. Like 2, compounds 16, 17, and 18 are competitive Candida NMT inhibitors that bind to the peptide recognition site of the enzyme. Moreover, 16-18 have an affinity comparable to that of 2 even though they are devoid of peptide bonds. In contrast to 2, these nonpeptidic inhibitors exhibit antifungal activity.
Nondestructive Metrology of Layered Polymeric GRIN Materials Using Optical Coherence Tomography

Based on swept-source OCT technology, we investigated the unique capability of OCT for nondestructive three-dimensional characterization of the sub-surface textures and layer thickness profiles of layered polymeric GRIN samples in micrometer scale.
Effects of multiple ionization on the spectra of L x rays excited in heavy-ion collisions

Spectra of $L$ x rays emitted from thick solid targets containing elements with atomic numbers ranging from 49 (In) to 67 (Ho) were measured in high resolution using a curved crystal spectrometer. The projectiles included heavy ions (Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) ranging in energy from 6 to $15\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{MeV}∕\mathrm{amu}$. A scaling rule was established for the apparent average fraction of $M$ vacancies at the time of $L$ x-ray emission and the result was compared to one obtained previously for the apparent average fraction of $L$ vacancies at the time of $K$ x-ray emission. The apparent degree of $L$-shell ionization at the time of $L$ x-ray emission was examined as a function of target atomic number (for $6\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{MeV}∕\mathrm{amu}$ Kr projectiles), projectile atomic number (for an $_{51}\mathrm{Sb}$ target), and projectile energy.
Fuzzy programming and the Pareto optimal set

It is shown how fuzzy programming, using either the min or product operator, may be used to generate the whole Pareto optimal set for nonlinear concave, or convex, multiobjective programming problems. Also, a new solution procedure for a fuzzy program, when the min operator is employed, is presented.
ACTIVE INSTABILITY CONTROL EFFECTIVENESS IN A LIQUID FUELED COMBUSTOR

This note describes active instability control experiments in a high pressure, Jet A-fueled combustor that were performed to improve understanding of the factors limiting control performance. A set of experiments were performed where the desired level of instability amplitude suppression was systematically increased. The controller effectively drove the instability amplitude to the desired levels down to approximately 15% of those without control. Attempts to further drive the oscillations to a lower level resulted in deterioration in performance, manifested by a “peak splitting” phenomenon. Experiments were also performed at two conditions where the linear and nonlinear characteristics of the self-excited oscillations were varied. They show that the combustor's nominal dynamics (i.e., without control) has an important impact upon active control system effectiveness.
Double aging and thermomechanical heat treatment of AA7075 aluminum alloy extrusions

The effects of double aging and thermomechanical double aging on enhancing mechanical properties and accelerating the kinetics of precipitation in aluminum alloy AA7075 were studied by means of hardness tests, tensile tests, and transmission electron microscopy. Using the appropriate heat treatment schedule, the time to peak aging was reduced by a factor of up to 36 without substantial decrease in hardness or tensile properties. The use of appropriate double aging and thermomechanical double aging showed that there can be a significant impact on energy savings and productivity resulting from the accelerated kinetics of precipitation.
Beta‐Oxidation in Glyoxysomes from Euglena*

SYNOPSIS. We demonstrated previously the presence of glyoxysomes containing the glyoxylate cycle enzymes in Euglena gracilis grown in the dark on ethanol. We have now established that the glyoxysomes of Euglena grown on hexanoate also contain the following enzymes of the pathway for β-oxidation of fatty acids: hexanoyl-CoA synthetase, 3-β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase and thiolase. Estimations of specific activities indicate that these enzymes are over 20 times as active in glyoxysomes as they are in mitochondria, suggesting that the β-oxidation of fatty acids occurs almost entirely in Euglena glyoxysomes under these conditions. Thus, the entire portion of the gluconeogenic pathway from fatty acid to succinate is localized in the glyoxysome of Euglena.
Synthesis of a disulfide cross-linked DNA triple helix

An intramolecular DNA triple helix incorporating a disulfide cross-link has been synthesized. Potassium permanganate footprinting and UV melting analysis demonstrate that the cross-link increases the conformational stability of this novel triplex at physiological pH and [Mg2+] relative to the unmodified sequence.
Clinical Anatomy of the Quadriceps Femoris and Extensor Apparatus of the Knee

Most descriptions of the extensor mechanism of the knee do not take into account its complexity and variability. The quadriceps femoris insertion into the patella is said to be through a common tendon with a three-layered arrangement: rectus femoris (RF) most superficially, vastus medialis (VM) and lateralis (VL) in the intermediate layer, and vastus intermedius (VI) most deeply. We dissected 20 limbs from 17 cadavers to provide a more detailed description of the anterior components of the knee: the tendon, the patellar retinacula, and the patellofemoral ligaments. Only three of the 20 specimens exhibited the typically described quadriceps pattern. The remainder had bilaminar and even more complex trilaminar and tetralaminar fiber arrangements. We found an oblique head of the vastus lateralis (VLO), separated from the longitudinal head by a layer of fat or fascia, in 60% of the specimens. However, we found no distinct oblique head of the vastus medialis (VMO) in any specimen. The medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) was more common than the lateral (LPFL), supporting its suggested role as the principal passive medial stabilizer of the patella. Because the quadriceps muscle group plays a direct role in patellofemoral joint function, investigation into the clinical applications of its highly variable anatomy may be worthwhile with respect to joint dysfunction and failures of TKAs.
Orthogonal sets of vectors over Zm

Abstract The theory of Hadamard matrices is concerned with finding maximal sets of orthogonal vectors whose components are +1's and −1's. A natural generalization of this problem is to allow entries other than ±1's or to allow entries from some fixed field or ring. In the case of an arbitrary field or ring there may be “orthogonal” sets of “vectors” whose cardinality exceeds the “dimension” of the space. The purpose of this paper is to obtain an explicit formula for the maximum cardinality of such an orthogonal set when the ring involved is Zm, the integers modulo m.
Inhibitory effects of a novel Val to Thr mutation on the distal heme of human catalase

True catalases efficiently breakdown hydrogen peroxide, whereas the catalase-related enzyme allene oxide synthase (cAOS) is completely unreactive and instead metabolizes a fatty acid hydroperoxide. In cAOS a Thr residue adjacent to the distal His restrains reaction with H2O2 (Tosha et al. (2006) J. Biol. Chem. 281:12610; De Luna et al. (2013) J. Phys. Chem. B 117: 14635) and its mutation to the consensus Val of true catalases permits the interaction. Here we investigated the effects of the reciprocal experiment in which the Val74 of human catalase is mutated to Thr, Ser, Met, Pro, or Ala. The Val74Thr substitution decreased catalatic activity by 3.5-fold and peroxidatic activity by 3-fold. Substitution with Ser had similar negative effects (5- and 3-fold decreases). Met decreased catalatic activity 2-fold and eliminated peroxidatic activity altogether, whereas the Val74Ala substitution was well tolerated. (The Val74Pro protein lacked heme). We conclude that the conserved Val74 of true catalases helps optimize catalysis. There are rare substitutions of Val74 with Ala, Met, or Pro, but not with Ser of Thr, possibly due their hydrogen bonding affecting the conformation of His75, the essential distal heme residue for activity in catalases.
Racial/ethnic differences in weight perception.

The objective of this research was to estimate the prevalence of weight misperception among adults using the most recent nationally representative data, according to measured weight category and to assess the relationship between weight misperception and race/ethnicity. Height and weight were measured as part of the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study sample consisted of 17,270 adults aged >or=20 years. BMI was categorized as underweight (BMI or= 30). Subjects reported self-perception of weight status. Among study subjects, 31.7% of healthy weight adults, 38.1% of overweight adults, and 8.1% of obese adults incorrectly perceived their weight category. Among obese men, the odds of weight misperception were higher for non-Hispanic blacks (odds ratio (OR) = 3.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.0-4.5) compared to non-Hispanic whites and for persons with less than a high school education (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.3-2.1), compared to those with some college education. Among obese women, the odds of weight misperception were higher for non-Hispanic blacks (OR = 3.4; 95% CI = 1.4, 3.1) and Mexican Americans (OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.2, 3.2) compared to non-Hispanic whites and for persons with less than high school education compared to those with some college education (OR = 5.5; 95% CI = 3.3-9.3). Weight misperception is highly prevalent in the US population, and more frequent in racial/ethnic minorities, males, and in persons with lower educational levels. Addressing the issue of weight misperception may help address the problem of obesity in the United States by increasing awareness of healthy weight levels, which may subsequently have an impact on weight-related behavior change.
Family Environment, Personality, and Psychological Symptoms in Adults Sexually Abused as Children

The current study examined the relationships between family environment characteristics, personality traits, and current psychological symptoms in adults with a history of child sexual abuse. Family environment characteristics, personality traits, and psychological symptoms in 18 abused and 18 nonabused college students were examined using ANOVAs and MANOVAs. Pearson product moment correlations were also performed. Results indicated significantly more dysfunctional family environment characteristics (inflexibility, poor cohesion, family dissatisfaction, and poor family communication) in the abused versus the nonabused group. There were significantly higher levels in the personality traits of neuroticism and openness to experience in the abused group; however, there were no significant differences in psychological symptoms when comparing the two groups. The implications of the results and areas of future research are discussed.
Application of a Bubble Tracking Technique for Estimating Downhole Natural Separation Efficiency

Liquid velocity and pump intake pressure are known to have strong effects on the separation efficiency of gas and liquid which may impact the flow efficiency of downhole pumps. This paper describes a new model to evaluate the effectiveness of this separation. The model correctly predicts the decline in separation efficiency with higher liquid flowrates, which is shown to be in agreement with presented experimental data. A calibration procedure is conducted which shows a descending trend of bubble size when the pump intake pressure is increased. The new model shows good agreement with the experimental data in the bubble flow regime, since it handles the two-phase natural separation problem by combining the single-phase flow field solution with a bubble tracking method. It is the first CFD-based simplified model which incorporates the multiple effects that govern the natural gas-liquid separation process. If a correlation for bubble size is properly obtained, the model will cover the comprehensive effects of operational and geometric conditions and provide an accurate prediction of gas-liquid separation efficiency over the full spectrum of normal bottomhole pump operating conditions. Finally, the single-phase flow field is solved in a 2D Cartesian coordinate system. The acceleration of the liquid phase, a nature of fluid behaviour in a cylindrical system, is not considered. This is a necessary improvement in the model to properly calculate the slip velocity in the radial direction.
Understanding perfectionism and depression in an adult clinical population: Is outcome expectancy relevant to psychological functioning?

Abstract Perfectionism is a personality trait defined by high standards of performance, which has been identified as a risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD). The present study examined if outcome expectancy involved in perfectionism differs for individuals with depression compared to non-depressed controls, and how outcome expectancy relates to depression symptoms. This study included 49 depressed and 42 non-depressed participants. Perfectionism and depression severity were measured via self-report instruments. This study is the first to provide preliminary evidence that outcome expectancies involved in perfectionism may be related to psychological functioning in depression. Individuals with depression demonstrated higher negative and lower positive outcome expectancies associated with perfectionism compared to non-depressed participants. Perfectionism outcome expectancies are also related to depression severity and symptoms. Future research should prospectively investigate relationships of outcome expectancy involved in perfectionism in individuals at risk for depression.
Use of prothrombin complex concentrate as an adjunct to fresh frozen plasma shortens time to craniotomy in traumatic brain injury patients.

Background The use of prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) to reverse acquired (coagulopathy of trauma) and induced coagulopathy (preinjury warfarin use) is well defined. Objective To compare outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury without warfarin therapy receiving PCC as an adjunct to fresh frozen plasma (FFP) therapy compared with patients receiving FFP therapy alone. Methods All patients with traumatic brain injury coagulopathy without warfarin therapy who received PCC (25 IU/kg) in conjunction with FFP or FFP alone at our Level I trauma center were reviewed. Coagulopathy was defined as an international normalized ratio >1.5. The groups (PCC + FFP vs FFP alone) were matched using propensity score matching on a 1:2 ratio for age, sex, Glasgow Coma Scale score, Injury Severity Score, head Abbreviated Injury Scale score, and international normalized ratio (INR) on presentation. The primary outcome measure was time to craniotomy. Secondary outcome measures were blood product requirements, cost of therapy, and mortality. Results A total of 1641 patients were reviewed, 222 of whom were included (PCC + FFP, 74; FFP, 148). The mean ± standard deviation age was 46.4 ± 21.7 years, the median (range) Glasgow Coma Scale score was 8 (3-12), and the mean ± standard deviation INR on presentation was 1.92 ± 0.6. PCC + FFP therapy was associated with an accelerated correction of INR (P = .001) and decrease in overall pack red blood cell (P = .035) and FFP (P = .041) administration requirement. Craniotomy was performed in 26.1% of patients (n = 58). Patients who received PCC + FFP therapy had faster time to craniotomy (P = .028) compared with patients who received FFP therapy alone. Conclusion PCC as an adjunct to FFP decreases the time to craniotomy with faster correction of INR and concomitant decrease in the need for blood product requirement in patients with traumatic brain injury exclusive of prehospital warfarin therapy.
Gating currents of the cloned delayed-rectifier K+ channel DRK1

Abstract Gating currents of the cloned delayed-rectifier K+ channel DRK1 expressed in Xenopus oocytes were measured with the open-oocyte Vaseline-gap voltage-clamp technique. DRK1 gating charge had the following salient properties: (i) gating-charge amplitude correlated positively with size of the expressed ionic K+ currents; (ii) the time integral of ON and OFF gating currents was similar, indicating charge conservation and lack of charge immobilization; (iii) the gating-charge activation curve was shallower and had a half-activation potential 15 mV more negative than the activation curve for K+ conductance; (iv) effective valence for the gating current was about two electronic charges per gating subunit; (v) for large depolarizations (to > 0 mV) prominent rising phases were observed during the ON and OFF gating charge, which appeared as shoulders in unsubtracted traces; (vi) for small depolarizing pulses (to < 0 mV) ionic-current activation and deactivation had time constants similar to ON and OFF gating-current decay, respectively; (vii) negative prepulses made more prominent the ON rising phase and delayed ionic and gating currents. The results are consistent with a model for K+ channel activation that has an early slow and/or weakly voltage-dependent transition between early closed states followed by more voltage-dependent transitions between later closed states and a final voltage-independent closed-open transition.
Adolescents' perceived ability to say "no" to unwanted sex.

The authors examined the degree to which adolescents believe they can resist a dating partners verbal pressure to have sex when they themselves really do not want to. 2472 10th-grade students of mean age 15.5 years from eight public high schools in Dade County Florida participated in the study. 49% were male 27.8% White 38.2% Hispanic and 27.7% Black. 50.1% reported having ever experienced sexual intercourse. The female students were found to be more likely than males to believe that they could refuse unwanted sex. No consistent differences were found along ethnic and racial lines. The multivariate analysis identified the following as predictors of the ability to refuse sex: a less-permissive attitude toward sex the low importance of peer influence and for females a generalized sense of self-efficacy.
Alternative Methods for Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles

Extracellular vesicles are nano-sized vesicles released by all cells in vitro as well as in vivo. Their role has been implicated mainly in cell-cell communication, but also in disease biomarkers and more recently in gene delivery. They represent a snapshot of the cell status at the moment of release and carry bioreactive macromolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins and lipids. A major limitation in this emerging new field is the availability/awareness of techniques to isolate and properly characterize Extracellular vesicles. The lack of gold standards makes comparing different studies very difficult and may potentially hinder some Extracellular vesicles -specific evidence. Characterization of Extracellular vesicles has also recently seen many advances with the use of Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), flow cytometry, cryo-EM instruments and proteomic technologies. In this review, we discuss the latest developments in translational technologies involving characterization methods including the facts in their support and the challenges they face.
Significant and serious dehydration does not affect skeletal muscle cramp threshold frequency.

Objective Many clinicians believe that exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMC) occur because of dehydration. Experimental research supporting this theory is lacking. Mild hypohydration (3% body mass loss) does not alter threshold frequency (TF), a measure of cramp susceptibility, when fatigue and exercise intensity are controlled. No experimental research has examined TF following significant (3–5% body mass loss) or serious hypohydration (>5% body mass loss). Determine if significant or serious hypohydration, with moderate electrolyte losses, decreases TF. Design A prepost experimental design was used. Dominant limb flexor hallucis brevis cramp TF, cramp electromyography (EMG) amplitude and cramp intensity were measured in 10 euhydrated, unacclimated men (age=24±4 years, height=184.2±4.8 cm, mass=84.8±11.4 kg). Subjects alternated exercising with their non-dominant limb or upper body on a cycle ergometer every 15 min at a moderate intensity until 5% body mass loss or volitional exhaustion (3.8±0.8 h; 39.1±1.5°C; humidity 18.4±3%). Cramp variables were reassessed posthypohydration. Results Subjects were well hydrated at the study9s onset (urine specific gravity=1.005±0.002). They lost 4.7±0.5% of their body mass (3.9±0.5 litres of fluid), 4.0±1.5 g of Na + and 0.6±0.1 g K + via exercise-induced sweating. Significant (n=5) or serious hypohydration (n=5) did not alter cramp TF (euhydrated=15±5 Hz, hypohydrated=13±6 Hz; F 1,9 =3.0, p=0.12), cramp intensity (euhydrated= 94.2±41%, hypohydrated=115.9±73%; F 1,9 =1.9, p=0.2) or cramp EMG amplitude (euhydrated=0.18±0.06 µV, hypohydrated= 0.18±0.09 µV; F 1,9 =0.1, p=0.79). Conclusions Significant and serious hypohydration with moderate electrolyte losses does not alter cramp susceptibility when fatigue and exercise intensity are controlled. Neuromuscular control may be more important in the onset of muscle cramps than dehydration or electrolyte losses.
Exercise Oscillatory Ventilation in Patients With Fontan Physiology

Background—Exercise oscillatory ventilation (EOV) refers to regular oscillations in minute ventilation (VE) during exercise. Its presence correlates with heart failure severity and worse prognosis in adults with acquired heart failure. We evaluated the prevalence and predictive value of EOV in patients with single ventricle Fontan physiology. Methods and Results—We performed a cross-sectional analysis and prospective survival analysis of patients who had undergone a Fontan procedure and subsequent cardiopulmonary exercise test. Data were reviewed for baseline characteristics and incident mortality, heart transplant, or nonelective cardiovascular hospitalization. EOV was defined as regular oscillations for >60% of exercise duration with amplitude >15% of average VE. Survival analysis was performed using Cox regression. Among 253 subjects, EOV was present in 37.5%. Patients with EOV were younger (18.8±9.0 versus 21.7±10.1 years; P=0.02). EOV was associated with higher New York Heart Association functional c...
Antimicrobial Therapy for Infectious Diarrhea

Acute diarrheal disease may be due to viral, bacterial, or protozoal enteropathogens. In our current state of knowledge and medical practice, specific antiviral agents are not used in the treatment of known or presumed viral diarrhea. In contrast, for a number of the bacterial and protozoal diarrheal infections, therapy with certain antimicrobial agents can significantly ameliorate the severity and duration of illness and curtail the excretion of the pathogen. A recurring theme encountered in reviewing information on the therapy for diarrheal infections is that demonstration of the susceptibility in vitro of a bacterial pathogen to a particular antibiotic by no means assures clinical success. Many antibiotics that show potent activity in vitro have little or no efficacy in vivo. Controlled clinical trials are necessary to assess the clinical and bacteriologic efficacy of an antibiotic in diarrheal infections.
TCP Vegas: new techniques for congestion detection and avoidance

Vegas is a new implementation of TCP that achieves between 40 and 70% better throughput, with one-fifth to one-half the losses, as compared to the implementation of TCP in the Reno distribution of BSD Unix. This paper motivates and describes the three key techniques employed by Vegas, and presents the results of a comprehensive experimental performance study—using both simulations and measurements on the Internet—of the Vegas and Reno implementations of TCP.
Modeling Variability and Trends in Pesticide Concentrations in Streams1

: A parametric regression model was developed for assessing the variability and long-term trends in pesticide concentrations in streams. The dependent variable is the logarithm of pesticide concentration and the explanatory variables are a seasonal wave, which represents the seasonal variability of concentration in response to seasonal application rates; a streamflow anomaly, which is the deviation of concurrent daily streamflow from average conditions for the previous 30 days; and a trend, which represents long-term (inter-annual) changes in concentration. Application of the model to selected herbicides and insecticides in four diverse streams indicated the model is robust with respect to pesticide type, stream location, and the degree of censoring (proportion of nondetections). An automatic model fitting and selection procedure for the seasonal wave and trend components was found to perform well for the datasets analyzed. Artificial censoring scenarios were used in a Monte Carlo simulation analysis to show that the fitted trends were unbiased and the approximate p-values were accurate for as few as 10 uncensored concentrations during a three-year period, assuming a sampling frequency of 15 samples per year. Trend estimates for the full model were compared with a model without the streamflow anomaly and a model in which the seasonality was modeled using standard trigonometric functions, rather than seasonal application rates. Exclusion of the streamflow anomaly resulted in substantial increases in the mean-squared error and decreases in power for detecting trends. Incorrectly modeling the seasonal structure of the concentration data resulted in substantial estimation bias and moderate increases in mean-squared error and decreases in power.
Toward measuring potential coupling

Coupling (W.P. Stevens et al., 1974) measures the strength of connection between two modules and is defined for modules that share data or control connections. Other types of connections are possible. Among these are sharing of types, sharing of coding standards and sharing an environment. The work presented deals with the potential coupling between a program and other modules in the environment. The importance of this type of coupling stems from its prevalence in software reuse. Potential coupling is not defined directly like the original coupling types. Instead, this work develops bounds for the sum of all coupling in the program and uses it to define the measure of design density and define potential coupling analytically. >