cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interactions of the helix-turn-helix binding domain

Abstract Recent studies of members of the helix-turn-helix class of DNA-binding proteins have indicated the importance of non-specific protein-phosphate ‘positioning contacts’ and revealed several novel features of protein-DNA recognition and binding. These novel features include: the dramatic change in the quaternary structure of Cro (the Cro protein of bacteriophage λ) on binding specifically to DNA; the striking bending of DNA by the catabolite gene activator protein; the dependence of the DNA-binding specificity of homeodomains on the nature of a single residue of the helix-turn-helix motif; and the specific recognition of minor-groove base pairs by the product of the engrailed gene of Drosophila .
An in vitro screening method to evaluate chemicals as potential chemotherapeutants to control Aeromonas hydrophila infection in channel catfish.

Aims: To develop an in vitro screening method to be used for identifying potential effective chemotherapeutants to control Aeromonas hydrophila infections. Methods and Results: Using catfish gill cells G1B and four chemicals (hydrogen peroxide, sodium chloride, potassium permanganate and d-mannose), the feasibility of using an in vitro screening method to identify potential effective chemotherapeutants was evaluated in this study. In vitro screening results revealed that, at concentration of 100 mg l−1, H2O2 was the only chemical tested that was able to completely abolish the attachment and invasion of Aer. hydrophila to catfish gill cells. In vivo virulence studies using live channel catfish through bath immersion confirmed that H2O2 was the only chemical tested that was able to significantly (P < 0·001) reduce the mortality (from 90 or 100% to 0 or 20%) caused by Aer. hydrophila infections. Conclusions: The in vitro screening method using catfish gill cells G1B could be used to initially identify potential effective chemotherapeutants to control Aer. hydrophila. Significance and Impact of the Study: An in vitro screening method using catfish gill cells to identify potential effective chemotherapeutants described here will cut cost in research compared with the method of using live fish to screen lead compounds for fish disease control.
Develop a Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model with Data Assimilation Capabilities

Abstract : The long-term goal is to develop data-assimilating capability for HYCOM, the hybrid version of University of Miami s Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model. This project is one component of the NOPP consortium for developing a data-assimilating ocean model based on a hybrid vertical coordinate. The focus of this component has been on the assimilation of in situ hydrographic data to correct the model state.
Phenotypes of sperm pathology: genetic and acquired forms in infertile men.

Asthenozoospermia and teratozoospermia are frequently responsible for infertility in men, yet they are poorly understood conditions that are often unrelated to any known andrological disorder. The cause of male infertility remains unclear in many individuals and numerous patients are believed to suffer from idiopathic infertility; however, recent developments have demonstrated that genetic abnormalities play a major role. The classic description by Scandinavian groups in the mid 1970s that absolute asthenozoospermia could be caused by genetic-related dynein (a structural protein with ATPase activity) deficiency in spermatozoa (Afzelius et al, 1975; Pedersen and Rebbe, 1975) opened up a new field that has been subsequently enriched by the recognition that other alterations such as congenital absence of the vas and classical forms of cystic fibrosis and, more recently, microdeletions in the long arm of the Y chromosome, can be responsible for male infertility. In the present review I will develop the concept that various forms of asthenozoospermia or teratozoospermia are also of genetic origin. Spermatozoa are terminally differentiated cells with organelles that are specialized in particular functions. They have a pathology of their own, which is not identified by routine semen analysis or functional tests because the deficiencies demonstrated by these methods do not reveal the underlying pathology but, rather, are secondary manifestations. The powerful resolution of electron microscopy overcomes the limitations of light microscopy and allows an excellent observation of sperm pathology because the internal Supported by grants from CONICET (PICT 0090) and ANPCyT (PICT
All that flattens is not “sprue”

The loss of normal villous architecture of the mucosa with some degree of flattening is a characteristic response of the small intestine to many forms of mucosal injury. Indeed, the height of the villi and the depth OF the crypts represent important markers for identifying morphologic abnormalities in the small intestine.* Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanisms of villous flattening or its reversal. Normally, a continuous, single layer of epithelium covers the villi and lines the crypts of the small intestine. Epithelial cell renewal occurs in the proliferative zone in the crypts where undifferentiated cells divide to provide a constant source of new cells which migrate toward the gut lumen and are extruded.’ Ci:ll migration time from crypt to villous tip in the human proximal small bowel is 5-6 days.” The paradigm of the flat villous lesion is that which occurs in gluten-sensitive enteropathy or celiac sprue.” The gluten-induced lesion results in damage to the surface epithelial cells, reducing their life span and increasing their shedding into the intestinal lumen. This results in eventual villous flattening with compensatory lengthening of the crypts.5-8 It is now well established that many disorders which result in surface epithelial cell damage lead to a lesion similar to that observed in gluten-sensitive enteropathy” (see Table 1). Some of these disorders are more prevalent in infancy and include: acute’” and chronic” infectious enteritis, cow’s milk protein sensitivity,12 soy protein enteropathy,13 eosinophilic gastroenteritis,“’ tropical sprue,l’ immunodeficiency syndromes,” collagenous or unclassified sprue,j7 malnutrition, most notably kwashiorkor,” bacterial overgrowth,” giardiasis,“” and dermatitis herpetiformis.” Villous shortening has also been reported in association with certain drugs” and radiation.23 Many of these conditions, unlike gluten-sensitive en-
Solvent-dependent 44 square grid and 64.82 NbO frameworks formed by Cu(Pyac)2(bis[3-(4-pyridyl)pentane-2,4-dionato]copper(II))

The title compound crystallizes from anhydrous solvents in a simple square-grid topology, but when water is present, crystals form with an unusual interpenetrated 3D NbO topology whose pores contain hydrogen-bonded solvent molecules.
Inhibition of the Focal Adhesion Kinase and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3 Interaction Leads to Decreased Survival in Human Neuroblastoma Cell Lines

Neuroblastoma continues to be a devastating childhood solid tumor and is responsible for over 15% of all childhood cancer-related deaths. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) are protein tyrosine kinases that are overexpressed in a number of human cancers, including neuroblastoma. These two kinases can directly interact and provide survival signals to cancer cells. In this study, we utilized siRNA to VEGFR-3 to demonstrate the biologic importance of this kinase in neuroblastoma cell survival. We also used confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation to show that FAK and VEGFR-3 bind in neuroblastoma. Finally, employing a 12-amino-acid peptide (AV3) specific to VEGFR-3, we showed that the colocalization between FAK and VEGFR-3 could be disrupted, and that disruption resulted in decreased neuroblastoma cell survival. These studies provide insight to the FAK-VEGFR-3 interaction in neuroblastoma and demonstrate its importance in this tumor type. Focusing upon the FAK-VEGFR-3 interaction may provide a novel therapeutic target for the development of new strategies for treatment of neuroblastoma.
How to commit concurrent, non-isolated computations

We face today with the situation that although distributed system are potentially more dependable than centralized systems, they actually confront the users, programmers, and system administrators with more complex and hard to manage failure situations than centralized systems. Fault tolerance in distributed systems is still a promising and not yet mastered area of research. One key feature of every (software) fault tolerance mechanism is the ability to commit system progress, i.e. to guarantee that some reached state will no longer be subject to any considered fault. The paper focuses on a formal model extending the notion of commit, which is originally established in classical transaction theory for isolated transactions, to the notion commit-correctness, reflecting the possibility of interactions between different computations. The problem of the domino-effect, originally established in the context of a process oriented, message based paradigm, is inherently solved by this approach.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1, human protein interaction database at NCBI.

The ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1), Human Protein Interaction Database’, available through the National Library of Medicine at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/RefSeq/HIVInteractions, was created to catalog all interactions between HIV-1 and human proteins published in the peer-reviewed literature. The database serves the scientific community exploring the discovery of novel HIV vaccine candidates and therapeutic targets. To facilitate this discovery approach, the following information for each HIV-1 human protein interaction is provided and can be retrieved without restriction by web-based downloads and ftp protocols: Reference Sequence (RefSeq) protein accession numbers, Entrez Gene identification numbers, brief descriptions of the interactions, searchable keywords for interactions and PubMed identification numbers (PMIDs) of journal articles describing the interactions. Currently, 2589 unique HIV-1 to human protein interactions and 5135 brief descriptions of the interactions, with a total of 14 312 PMID references to the original articles reporting the interactions, are stored in this growing database. In addition, all protein–protein interactions documented in the database are integrated into Entrez Gene records and listed in the ‘HIV-1 protein interactions’ section of Entrez Gene reports. The database is also tightly linked to other databases through Entrez Gene, enabling users to search for an abundance of information related to HIV pathogenesis and replication.
Negotiating Russian Federalism: A Simulation for Comparative Politics

While the use of simulations in the international relations classroom has proliferated over the past decade, this pedagogical tool has been largely neglected in the comparative politics classroom. Simulations in comparative politics can be a useful component in teaching students about the diversity within foreign countries and the dynamic of domestic policymaking. We describe here an informative and easy–to–run simulation on Russian federalism which can be integrated into courses on Russian politics or easily adapted for use in other courses, especially those focusing on countries in which center–regional relations are an important dimension. The simulation is based on the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Federal Assembly, and is a great way to illustrate through experiential learning the quid pro quo of Russian federalism. We provide detailed information on English–language sources that both instructors and students can use during the simulation, along with an Appendix and a Website that provides everything instructors need to run the simulation in their own classes.
Planning under uncertainty using parallel computing

Industry and government routinely solve deterministic mathematical programs for planning and schelduling purposes, some involving thousands of variables with a linear or non-linear objective and inequality constraints. The solutions obtained are often ignored because they do not properly hedge against future contingencies. It is relatively easy to reformulate models to include uncertainty. The bottleneck has been (and is) our capability to solve them. The time is now ripe for finding a way to do so. To this end, we describe in this paper how large-scale system methods for solving multi-staged systems, such as Bender's Decomposition, high-speed sampling or Monte Carlo simulation, and parallel processors can be combined to solve some important planning problems involving uncertainty. For example, parallel processors may make it possible to come to better grips with the fundamental problems of planning, scheduling, design, and control of complex systems such as the economy, an industrial enterprise, an energy system, a water-resource system, military models for planning-and-control, decisions about investment, innovation, employment, and health-delivery systems.
African Literatures and Border Issues

In his article "African Literatures and Border Issues" Chimdi Maduagwu posits that borders or boundaries are constructions which have social and symbolic implications and that they are also relevant in a variety of social processes versus class stratification. Modern Africa is a political construction from European colonialism and what we have today as countries of Africa were closely knit nation states (which colonialists identified as tribes) who had their distinct features. However, the advent of colonialism tore into the original nation state structure based on given ethnic relationships and in its place constructed sovereign states or countries, which only considered proximity or geographical relationships. Moduagwu examines the possibility of reconciling the severance in relationships and argues that it is possible to achieve either reunification or reintegration of the fragments of Africa by consolidating matters which unite and overcoming divisions.
Protection of Mice against Brucella Abortus by Immunization with Polyclonal Anti-Idiotype Antibodies

Abstract Polyclonal goat anti-idiotypic antibodies containing internal images which mimic Brucella abortus antigens were generated from rabbit polyclonal idiotypes specific for partially purified extract of B. abortus (PX III). The anti-idiotypic antibodies were purified using two-step immunoaffinity column chromatography. The presence of internal images was demonstrated by competitive inhibition analysis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Several groups of BALB/c mice were vaccinated with the anti-idiotypic antibodies. The vaccinated mice showed a high serum titer of antibodies specific for B. abortus. When the vaccinated mice were challenged with a virulent B. abortus strain 2308, > 90 % reduction of bacteria in the spleen as compared to the unvaccinated control groups was seen. Immunoblotting experiments using antiserum from vaccinated mice demonstrate the ability to distinguish vaccinated mice from B: abortus infected mice. Our data indicate that the anti-idiotypic antibody containing internal images of B. abortus may be used as a vaccine and the induced antibody can be distinguished by immunoblotting from antibodies generated by natural infection with B. abortus.
Composition dependence of glass transition temperature and fragility. II. A topological model of alkali borate liquids.

Glass transition temperature and fragility are two important properties derived from the temperature dependence of the shear viscosity of glass-forming melts. While direct calculation of these properties from atomistic simulations is currently infeasible, we have developed a new topological modeling approach that enables accurate prediction of the scaling of both glass transition temperature and fragility with composition. A key feature of our approach is the incorporation of temperature-dependent constraints that become rigid as a liquid is cooled. Using this approach, we derive analytical expressions for the composition (x) dependence of glass transition temperature, Tg(x), and fragility, m(x), in binary alkali borate systems. Results for sodium borate and lithium borate systems are in agreement with published values of Tg(x) and m(x). Our modeling approach reveals a natural explanation for the presence of the constant Tg regime observed in alkali borate systems.
Protected Methionine and Heat-Treated Soybean Meal for High Producing Dairy Cows

Abstract Twenty-four high producing Holstein cows (14 primiparous and 10 multiparous) were fed concentrate mix containing heat-treated soybean meal without or with 15 g of added DL-methionine daily provided as 50 g of ruminally protected methionine product during wk 4 through 16 postpartum. The 15% crude protein mixed diets contained 30% (dry matter basis) corn silage, 15% alfalfa hay, and 55% concentrate mix. Covariant adjusted yields of milk (34.6 and 33.1 kg/d), 4% fat-corrected milk (28.4 and 27.6 kg/d), and solids-corrected milk (29.0 and 28.5 kg/d) were not increased by feeding supplemental methionine. Percentages of fat (2.81 and 2.92) and protein (2.88 and 2.92) were similar, whereas total solids (11.49 and 12.69) and solids-not-fat (8.68 and 8.77) were higher with supplemental methionine. Dry matter intakes (20.2 and 21.0 kg/d) were higher when cows were fed supplemental methionine. Ruminal pH, volatile fatty acids, and ammonia as well as blood serum urea and glucose were generally unaffected by methionine supplementation. Concentrations of methionine in arterial and venous plasma were elevated slightly when additional methionine was fed. The first-limiting amino acid for milk production, methionine, was calculated by several methods and was not changed by feeding supplemental ruminally protected methionine.
Distillation: Research Needs

Abstract Distillation will undoubtedly continue to be the most-used method for separating liquid mixtures, at any scale of operation. For this reason, and also because of its recognized energy intensiveness, distillation commands continued scrutiny with respect to cost-effective improvements. In this special report the authors suggest fruitful areas of research that can lead to lower cost distillation separations. The areas of research are classified under the headings of phase equilibrium, material and energy balances, mass transfer efficiencies, equipment design, and system energy consumption. For each of the categories a summary is given of the present status of the technology as well as directions that improvement-type investigations might take.
Maintaining your EMS: The stages of EMS development

Registering to ISO 14001 doesn't mean you're forever green. If you want an environmental management system (EMS) to keep moving your organization forward to improved environmental and business performance, you need to maintain and refine it. The first step toward doing so is understanding the stages that each EMS goes through on its way to full business integration. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Lack of molecular hybridization between RNAs of two strains of TMV: A reconsideration of the criteria for strain relationships

Abstract The sequence relationships of the nucleic acids of the cowpea (C c TMV) and tobacco (C T TMV) forms (strains) of the cowpea strain of TMV and of common (U 1 TMV) TMV were investigated by competition molecular hybridization. C T TMV-RNA and U 1 TMV-RNA were found to be homologous, but neither of these showed any detectable relationship to C c TMV-RNA. In spite of this lack of nucleic acid homology, C c TMV has many physical, chemical, and biological properties in common with the other two strains; in particular they all share a very similar replication strategy. We conclude, therefore, that these viruses must still be considered as strains in the tobamovirus group.
Nicolas des Gallars, Sieur de Saules: kith, kin, and aspects of his work in Geneva with Calvin

What did Calvin seek in a pastor of Geneva? What did he hope to achieve and what were the results? William Naphy, in his book on the Company of Pastors of Geneva, signalled the significant upturn in the quality of pastors in Geneva that began with the appointment of Nicolas Des Gallars, Seigneur de Saules, to the Venerable Company in 1544. As a case study, this article examines the first of these ‘new pastors.’ As a prototype, just what was Des Gallars’ background and what did he do? Based on recent primary source research, this article considers Des Gallars’ youth and family, education, marriage, life trajectory, place in Calvin's correspondence, translations of Calvin's French treatises into Latin and work on Calvin's editions. Calvin's interaction with him not only reveals Des Gallars’ character but also offers a rare insight into Calvin's personality when faced with the possibility of using a capable, younger colleague.
Bounds on effective dynamic properties of elastic composites

We present general, computable, improvable, and rigorous bounds for the total energy of a finite heterogeneous volume element Ω or a periodically distributed unit cell of an elastic composite of any known distribution of inhomogeneities of any geometry and elasticity, undergoing a harmonic motion at a fixed frequency or supporting a single-frequency Bloch-form elastic wave of a given wavevector. These bounds are rigorously valid for any consistent boundary conditions that produce in the finite sample or in the unit cell, either a common average strain or a common average momentum. No other restrictions are imposed. We do not assume statistical homogeneity or isotropy. Our approach is based on the Hashin–Shtrikman bounds in elastostatics, which have been shown to provide strict bounds for the overall elastic moduli commonly defined (or actually measured) using uniform boundary tractions and/or linear boundary displacements; i.e., boundary data corresponding to the overall uniform stress and/or uniform strain conditions. Here we present strict bounds for the dynamic frequency-dependent constitutive parameters of the composite and give explicit expressions for a direct calculation of these bounds.
Stereopsis and positional acuity under dark adaptation

Though experience tells us we can perceive depth in dim light, it is not so obvious that one of the chief mechanisms for depth perception, stereopsis, is possible under scotopic conditions. The only studies on human stereopsis in the dark adapted state seem to be those of Nagel [(1902) Zeitschrift fur Psychologie, 27, 264-266] and Mueller and Lloyd [(1948) Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, U.S.A., 34, 223-227], both of which used real objects or line stereograms. We tested stereopsis using both random-dot and line stereograms and, in agreement with these studies, found that stereopsis is indeed possible in dark adaptation. We also measured stereo acuity and positional acuity (both of which are examples of hyperacuity) and compared these with grating acuity at several levels of light and dark adaptation. At all illumination levels tested, acuities for stereopsis and relative line position were both higher than for grating acuity. As light levels decreased, positional and grating acuity declined in parallel fashion, whereas stereoacuity declined more steeply.
Evaluation of resistance to verticillium wilt in diploid, wild potato interspecific hybrids

Verticillium wilt (V. albo-atrum Reinke & Berthold or V. dahliae Kleb) threatens potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production in most growing areas of the world. Genetic resistance offers the most cost-effective and environmentally-sound control measure. However, there is a dearth of genetic and breeding information on resistance to verticillium wilt in potato, because of obscure parentage of some standard cultivars and the complex segregation at the tetraploid level. The wide range of genetic variability in wild relatives of potatoes can be potentially useful as a source of disease resistance, such as verticillium wilt resistance. Six diploid, wild, interspecific Solanum hybrids involving resistant x resistant and susceptible x resistant crosses, were assayed for verticillium wilt resistance under greenhouse conditions to evaluate their potential as sources of verticillium wilt resistance. The cross between S. gourlayi Oka. and S. chacoense Bitt. and its reciprocal had the most resistant progenies based on mean colony counts. No simple mode of inheritance can be proposed based on the observed segregation ratios. However, the continuous distributions observed on verticillium wilt disease response among hybrid families indicate that inheritance of resistance may be polygenic and complex. In addition, skewness of colony count distributions toward the resistance parents were characteristic of all resistant x susceptible crosses suggesting that resistance may be dominant. By contrast, the susceptible x susceptible cross showed a more normal distribution. Overall, the cross between S. gourlayi and S. chacoense showed the most potential as a source of verticillium wilt resistance.
Getting a word in: adding artificial pauses to natural language interaction

Natural language understanding (NLU) systems are promising alternatives to traditional menu-based dialogue systems more commonly employed in games, yet they remain widely under-explored and under-studied. In this paper, we present the results from a qualitative study we conducted on different versions of an NLU interface, inspired by previous results showing this interface to maximize player presence and engagement. Specifically we introduced different pacing options to an NLU interface by using prompts and pauses, and studied how these different interface approaches changed player behavior and perception. Our results provide important guidelines on how to design NLU systems for games, but their implications go beyond that: We have found further evidence that careful mediation through interface design, by introducing understandable and player-supporting conventions to interactive experiences, can help designers create user experiences in accordance with their end-goals. Furthermore, our results provide insights into the concept of agency, particularly towards a more complete model that emphasizes the importance of audience expectation and understanding in creating a sense of agency.
Uptake of [14C] pentylenetetrazol by developing rat brain.

Abstract [14C]Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) given i.p. to adults rats (10 mg/kg) attains maximal levels in the brain within 10 min and is essentially all eliminated within 24 h. Chronic pretreatment of maturing rats with PTZ does not alter the levels found in brain relative to untreated controls. Based on brain levels of PTZ in 5 min, it is calculated that an effective concentration of 35–40 μg per g brain is required to initiate convulsions.
The Urgency and Necessity for Health Communication Research in China

This special issue of the Chinese Journal of Communication focuses on the role of health communication research in risk prevention, health promotion, and stigma reduction for people living in China...
Amyloidoma of the neck: Case report and review of the literature

We present a case report of reactive amyloidoma of the neck in a patient with chronic calcaneal osteomyelitis. Localized deposits of amyloid may occur throughout the upper aerodigestive tract, but are rarely observed in the soft tissues of the neck. This is the first report in the literature of localized head and neck amyloidosis secondary to a chronic inflammatory or infectious process. A clinicopathologic review of amyloidosis is presented with particular attention to its head and neck manifestations.
Kinetics of sulfur transfer from H2S to digenite (Cu2-xS) at 500°C

The kinetics of sulfur transfer from H2S to cuprous sulfide (digenite) at 500°C has been established by the resistance relaxation technique. The resistance measurements have been carried out by the van der Pauw method, which uses a four probe configuration. The rate of the forward reaction decreases with the increase in the activity of sulfur in the sulfide (rate ∞a s −0.55 ) while the rate of the backward reaction is found to be nearly independent of the sulfur activity. Based on these results, the rate limiting step for sulfur transfer reaction to digenite is shown to be: H2S (g) + 2e− = S2−(ad) + H2(g).
Interfacing Synchronous and Asynchronous Domains for Open Core Protocol

Intellectual property (IP) blocks are connected in a system on chip using a bus or network-on-chip (NoC). IP reuse is facilitated by the modularity that results when using common interfaces between the IP cores and the bus or NoC. This paper investigates and implements several versions of one of the common interfaces, the open core protocol (OCP). The paper addresses two new aspects of interface design. First, an approach is developed to partition the common protocol portion of the interface from the interface back-end which is specific to the particular IP. This is achieved with a component we call a domain interface at this boundary. Second, the domain interface is enhanced to synchronize between IP blocks and busses that use different clock frequencies or asynchronous (unclocked) logic. As a result IP operating at unrelated frequency and fully synchronous (unclocked) blocks can more easily be integrated into a system. Results are reported for power, performance and area for these clocked and asynchronous implementations.
Community plans for future of ocean biogeochemical research

Members of the biogeochemical research community are taking steps to keep their work thriving in the next millennium. Since 1984, major questions in ocean biogeochemical research have been studied in a concerted manner in the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) program. This effort as well as the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics program (GOED) is part of the U.S. Global Change Research Plan (USGCRP). The JGOFS Science Plan established two goals: to determine and understand on a global scale the processes controlling the time-varying fluxes of carbon and associated biogenic elements in the ocean, and to develop the capability to predict on a global scale the response of oceanic biogeochemical processes to anthropogenic perturbations, particularly those related to climate change.
Bilateral projection of the canine tooth pulp to bulbar trigeminal neurons.

Summary Unit activity was recorded extracellulary from neurons of the cat medulla following electrical stimulation of the ipsilateral and/or contralateral canine tooth pulps. The majority of the cells (67%) were only responsive to ipsilateral stimulation. However, many (28%) responded to stimulation of either canine pulp and a few (5%) responded to contralateral stimulation alone. The neurons were localized histologically in the nucleus proprius of the rostral trigeminal nucleus caudalis (NVCaud) and in dorsal portions of the ventromedially contiguous lateral reticular formation (LRF). Cells exclusively responsive to ipsilateral stimuli had a relatively wide dorsoventral distribution. In contrast, ‘bilateral’ and ‘contralateral’ cells were situated only in the deep NVCaud-LRF border zone or in immediately adjacent portions of the LRF. Generally, ipsilateral stimuli evoked response bursts with shorter latencies, more spike potentials and briefer interspike intervals than equivalent contralateral stimuli. In experiments designed to study afferent interactions, a conditioning stimulus, applied to either the ipsilateral or the contralateral canine, preceded a test stimulus applied to the other canine at predetermined interstimulus intervals. Responses to the test stimulus were either totally or partially suppressed when intervals of moderate duration (90–500 msec) were used. However, responses to the test stimulus frequently were enhanced when the intervals were brief (≤ 60 msec) or when the teeth were stimulated simultaneously. The results reveal that bilateral afferents from the pulps of the canine teeth converge upon neurons of bulbar trigeminal structures, that the neurons are differentially responsive to the activation of ipsilateral and contralateral pulpal receptors and that bilateral afferent barrages originating in the canine pulps interact to modulate the firing patterns of the neurons.
Towards a Theory of Cultural Evolution

AbstractPrevious experience in the development of the mathematical theory of biological evolution, has helped the authors toward their theory of cultural evolution. In this review a constant comparison between the two evolutions, in both directions, has led to an interdisciplinary understanding. Cultural transmission is discussed in detail and the ten major modes of transmission are enunciated; cultural traits are defined and the variance within, as well as between, groups considered. Cultural and environmental selection as well as complex transmission are further aspects leading the authors to the conclusion, that in spite of gross oversimplification, their theory is essential for a rigorous qualitative investigation of cultural evolution.
Energy harvesting of non-emissive triplet excitons in tetracene by emissive PbS nanocrystals

Lead sulphide colloidal nanocrystals are now used to harvest non-emissive triplet excitons generated in a tetracene layer. Depending on the length of the ligands capping the nanocrystals, exciton transfer efficiency as high as 90% can be achieved.
A stakeholder analysis approach for interorganizational systems

A large body of literature emerged in the early 1980s which addressed the competitive implications of private investments in information systems (IS) at the level of individual firms. Provides a summary of the existing literature in this area which is based mostly on Porter′s work, as well as other disparate IS strategy literature. Discusses the limitations of the existing literature, and puts forward the stakeholder approach to strategic management because it is seen to offer a more complete basis for analysing the impact of information systems and interorganizational systems at the firm, industry and societal levels.
Enhancing Point of Care Vigilance Using Computers

Information technology has the potential to provide a tremendous step forward in perioperative patient safety. Through automated delivery of information through fixed and portable computer resources, clinicians may achieve improved situational awareness of the overall operation of the operating room suite and the state of individual patients in various stages of surgical care. Coupling the raw, but integrated, information with decision support and alerting algorithms enables clinicians to achieve high reliability in documentation compliance and response to care protocols. Future studies and outcomes analysis are needed to quantify the degree of benefit of these new components of perioperative information systems.
Reducing slack: the performance consequences of downsizing by large industrial firms, 1977–93

We conceptualize downsizing as an attempt to reduce organizational slack. We suggest that the degree to which downsizing will improve firm performance will be contingent on conditions under which the downsizing occurs. We emphasize the level of organizational slack as an important contingency, and also examine two other contingencies: (1) whether the scope of the downsizing is narrow (restricted to personnel reductions) or broad (involves organizational redesign); and (2) if the downsizing is conducted proactively (when performance is stable or improving) or reactively (when performance is declining). By analyzing a panel dataset of downsizings conducted by the 100 largest American industrial firms from 1977 to 1993, we find broad support for our hypotheses that downsizings are more likely to lead to improved performance when firms have high slack, when their scope of the downsizing is broad, and when the downsizing is done proactively. We also explore and find evidence for interactions among these contingencies. We discuss the implications of our findings for the literatures on downsizing and organizational slack. In doing so, we bring together two literatures that have an obvious affinity but have been only loosely coupled in the past. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Studies in nuclear magnetic resonance—IX. Rotational barriers in substituted N,N-dimethylbenzamides†

The barriers to rotation about the CN bond in eighteen substituted N,N-dimethylbenzamides have been determined by complete line shape analysis of the NMR spectra of the N,N-dimethyl protons. The barriers have been correlated with the substituent constants σ and σ+. It has been shown that polar solvents increase the barrier in N,N-dimethylbenzamide. Acid catalysis of rotation about the amide CN bond in N-(p-N,N-dimethylcarboxamidobenzyl)-pyridinium bromide has been investigated. 18O exchange studies show that catalysis is due to N-protonation rather than the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate. The rate of rotation is a function of the Hammett acidity function, H0, and the water activity, and it is shown that proton exchange between the N- and O-protonated species involves the intermediacy of a water molecule. The differences in chemical shifts for the non-equivalent N, N-dimethyl groups of the benzamides are also a function of the substituents. Possible explanations of this phenomenon are discussed.
Determination of Ga Self-Diffusion Coefficient in GaAs

A quantitative determination of the contributions of the triply-negatively charged Ga vacancies (V3-Ga) and of the doubly-positively charged Ga self-interstitials I2+Ga to Ga self-diffusion coefficient in GaAs has been carried out. Under thermal equilibrium and intrinsic conditions, the V3-Ga contribution is characterized by an activation enthalpy of 6 eV for As-rich crystals and of 7.52 eV for Ga-rich crystals, while the I2+Ga contribution is characterized by an activation enthalpy of 4.89 eV for As-rich crystals and of 3.37 eV for Ga-rich crystals.
An interpreter for a nondeterministic language

This paper provides a top-down description of an interpreter for a nucleus of a simple nondeterministic language designed to be utilized in computer aided problem-solving. The given description can be readily programmed in a language which allows the use of recursive procedures and which has record-type definition capabilities. After a minimal set of primitive commands is defined, an interpreter for these commands is developed using nondeterministic and recursive programming techniques. The examples presented are among many which have been tested using a version of the interpreter written inpascal.
Urgent colectomy in a patient with membranous tracheal disruption after severe vomiting.

Implications We report a case of a patient who developed membranous tracheal disruption after severe vomiting. He subsequently required urgent colectomy for toxic megacolon under general anesthesia. With this challenging situation, we were able to successfully conduct general anesthesia in the presence of tracheal laceration, pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum.
The IT Deniers Versus a Portfolio of IT Roles

There has been a long, continuing debate over the value of IS and IT in producing business value and competitive advantage. For years, the “productivity paradox” — the fact that IT investments did ...
Use of the scanning electron microscope for observation of vertebrate embryos.

Abstract Use of the scanning electron microscope for the study of young vertebrate embryonic stages was examined. Two methods of tissue drying were used, and the results were compared. The critical point method of drying was shown to be superior to acetone dehydration and air drying for preserving overall size, shape, and surface topography of embryonic tissues. Microvilli were preserved and cell outlines were readily apparent after critical point drying, but were seldom observed after air drying. Observation of cut or fractured surfaces following critical point drying reveals that the scanning electron microscope can provide information regarding the cellular architecture of tissues and the internal surface topography of hollow structures. Such observations should prove extremely valuable to a variety of embryological problems, and serve as an additional method of accurately and efficiently representing the complex three-dimensional morphology of rapidly growing embryonic systems.
CORR Insights®: distribution of locally delivered antimicrobials is limited by cortical bone: a pilot study.

This CORR Insights®is a commentary on the article “Distribution of Locally Delivered Antimicrobials is Limited by Cortical Bone: A Pilot Study by Odgers and colleagues available at: DOI:10.1007/s11999-013-2853-6. The author certifies that he, or a member of his immediate family, has no funding or commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article. All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, and do not reflect the opinion or policy of CORR® or the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons®. This CORR Insights® comment refers to the article available at DOI: 10.1007/s11999-013-2853-6.
In vitro biocompatibility performance of Physioneal

In vitro biocompatibility performance of Physioneal. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) has been a successful and effective form of chronic renal replacement therapy since its introduction over 20years ago. Despite its overall success, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests shortcomings in the preservation of membrane integrity. This has led to the development of several second-generation PD solutions that demonstrate improved biocompatibility. Physioneal, a neutral pH, bicarbonate/lactate-buffered solution, was one of the first of these new PD solutions to become commercially available. This review will focus on one of the first preclinical stages in the development of Physioneal: studies on in vitro biocompatibility testing. Studies in leukocyte, mesothelial cell, and fibroblast populations demonstrated significantly improved biocompatibility of neutral pH, bicarbonate/lactate-based solutions compared to conventional solutions. The solutions contributed to improved leukocyte viability and response to bacterial infection (e.g., phagocytosis, superoxide radical generation, and endotoxin-stimulated cytokine release). Studies on peritoneal mesothelial cells demonstrate improved cell viability, proliferation, and response to proinflammatory stimuli, and a reduced potential for angiogenesis and peritoneal fibrosis, all suggesting a better preservation of membrane structure and function. The bicarbonate/lactate-based solutions demonstrated decreased cytotoxicity and preserved cell growth in fibroblast cultures as well. In vitro biocompatibility testing has clearly demonstrated that neutral pH, bicarbonate/lactate-buffered Physioneal solutions are superior to conventional solutions in preserving cell viability and function in cell populations that contribute to peritoneal homeostasis. This positive assessment now provides a foundation and rationale for moving forward with the next stages in preclinical testing: in vivo animal models and human ex vivo studies.
Outcomes for whites and blacks at hospitals that disproportionately care for black Medicare beneficiaries.

Racial and ethnic disparities in care are well known, although the reasons underlying them are still not well understood (Smedley, Stith, and Nelson 2002). Prior studies have found that care for minorities is highly concentrated, with a large proportion of minority patients receiving care from a small number of providers who generally provide a somewhat lower quality of care, at least as measured by process indicators (Bach et al. 2004; Baicker et al. 2004; Hasnain-Wynia et al. 2007; Jha et al. 2007a, b; Jha et al. 2008). In addition, prior research has focused on mortality for a single disease process using older Medicare data. Whether these hospitals have worse outcomes across multiple medical conditions, at least as measured by mortality rates, is not fully known. Finally, the heterogeneity in hospital characteristics of hospitals that care for a disproportionate number of blacks has not been fully explored. Understanding outcomes at hospitals that disproportionately care for minorities is important, especially in light of the national Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) effort by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which will now use mortality rates as part of its payment scheme. If hospitals that disproportionately care for minority patients have worse outcomes, they are likely to be penalized under the scheme. Furthermore, if they do have worse outcomes, understanding why their outcomes are worse is critically important for any quality improvement effort. For instance, if the hospitals that disproportionately care for minority patients provide worse care for all their patients, then targeting quality improvement efforts at these providers will likely have an important effect. Alternatively, if these hospitals provide largely similar care and any gaps between whites and minorities represent “within” hospital differences, then the interventions needed will be very different and likely require efforts such as cultural competency training for staff. Yet we are unaware of any data that examine how mortality rates vary between minority-serving and nonminority-serving institutions and what explains any gaps in mortality that might exist between these two types of hospitals. Empirical data here are critically important for understanding how these hospital might fare under VBP and what we might do to improve care at these institutions. Therefore, in this study, we sought to answer three questions: First, do hospitals with a high proportion of black patients generally have worse outcomes than hospitals with fewer black patients? Second, can these gaps, if any, be explained by differences in key structural characteristics between black-serving and nonblack-serving hospitals? And finally, if black-serving hospitals (BSHs) do have worse outcomes, do these differences in outcomes extend to white patients, black patients, or both?
Binding of retinoids to β-lactoglobulin isolated by bioselective adsorption

Abstract Binding of the retinoids, all-trans -retinol, all- trans -retinal, all-trans -retinyl acetate, and all-trans -retinoic acid, to β-lactoglobulin (LG) (96% purity) that had been prepared by bioselective adsorption on N-retinyl-Celite TM was determined from changes in the fluorescence quenching (332nm) of the protein tryptophanyl residues. High affinity binding of all of these compounds occurred at pH 7.0, and the apparent dissociation constant ranged from 1.7 to 3.6 × 10 –8 M . Furthermore, a stoichiometry of 1.0 mol·mol –1 of protein was obtained for each case, indicating that all of the sites in the protein preparation were available. When β-LG in whey protein isolate (57.4% β-LG) was studied, a stoichiometry of 0.65 to 0.82 mol·mol –1 of protein was obtained, indicating that a large number of the sites already had bound lipid or that the protein had been denatured. As the pH was lowered toward 5.15, the affinity decreased about fourfold, but the stoichiometry of binding was unchanged. Far UV circular dichroism spectra indicated that the secondary structure of the protein was not significantly affected by ligand binding; however, the near UV spectra were changed, indicating that the flexibility of tryptophanyl residues decreased. The latter effect is consistent with the change in fluorescence quenching and suggests that a tryptophan is in the binding site.