cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Infection with chronic hepatitis C virus and liver transplantation: a role for interferon therapy before transplantation.

An analysis of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Liver Transplant Registry data shows that the greater the viral load at the time of transplantation, the more rapidly clinically evident posttransplantation hepatitis C virus (HCV) disease recurs. These data suggest that aggressive pretransplantation treatment of HCV might delay recurrent posttransplantation HCV disease and enhance posttransplantation survival. We have taken an aggressive approach to treating HCV infection pretransplantation with the use of high-dose (5 MU) daily interferon α2b in an effort to clear the virus before transplantation. A total of 27 patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis were seen and underwent transplantation at Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood, IL) between February 1997 and December 2001. There were 22 men and five women, with a mean age of 56 ± 2 years. The majority had genotype 1 disease (67%). Of the 27 patients, 7 had a baseline platelet count <50,000/mm3 and were excluded from interferon therapy. The remaining 20 were treated for a mean of 14 ± 2.5 (range, 0.5 to 33.5) months before orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Twelve (60%) responded to the therapy with serologic clearance of HCV before OLT. The mean time from initiation of therapy to the first negative qualitative polymerase chain reaction was 4.5 ± 1.5 (range, 0.5 to 12) months. Four of the 12 patients in whom the virus cleared did not have evidence of HCV recurrence after OLT, representing 20% of those treated and 33% of those who had HCV clearance before OLT. The duration of post-OLT freedom from HCV infection in these individuals has been 33.6 ± 11.3 (range, 0 to 47.4) months. These data suggest that with careful supervision, cirrhotic patients can tolerate high-dose interferon. In addition, a viral clearance can be achieved in a significant number of cirrhotic patients with high-dose interferon. One third of patients, in whom the HCV cleared before OLT, did not have evidence of disease recurrence after OLT. It is thus anticipated that with early and aggressive pre-OLT HCV therapy, possibly with the use of pegylated interferon, even better results may be obtained. (Liver Transpl 2003;9:905-915.)
201 - Binding of Cations to Phosphatidylserine Vesicles

Abstract The binding of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ to phosphatidylserine (PS) vesicles is studied experimentally and analyzed. The surface potential and charge density are found for any given concentration of both monovalent and divalent cations in solution from a modified Gouy—Chapman equation. An analytical expression is given for the amount of cations concentrated in the double—layer region, which is treated distinctly from the amount of tightly bound cations. The explanation for the binding data of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ to PS required taking into account the binding of Na + to PS. The computed binding of Na + to PS is in accord with recent results of NMR and vesicle aggregation studies. The calculated surface potentials of PS in the presence of Ca 2+ and Na + are in a reasonable agreement with the previously measured zeta—potentials. Our results indicate that Ca 2+ has a ten—fold greater intrinsic binding constant than Mg 2+ for PS vesicles.
Fas Modulation of Apoptosis during Negative Selection of Thymocytes

A major mechanism maintaining immune tolerance is the deletion of potentially autoreactive thymocytes by apoptosis during development in the thymus. Previous reports suggest that apoptosis is induced by high avidity signals transduced via the T cell receptor; however, the role of signals transduced by other cell surface receptors during thymic selection remains poorly understood. Fas, a member of the TNF receptor family, has been shown to induce apoptosis in mature peripheral T cells; however, the effects of Fas on negative selection of thymocytes have not been previously detected. Using a sensitive terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase method to detect apoptotic cells, we found that mutant Fas molecules in lpr mice decrease the sensitivity of thymocytes to T cell receptor-mediated apoptosis and that blockade of Fas-Fas ligand interactions in vivo can inhibit antigen-induced apoptosis of thymocytes in non-lpr mice. Thus, we have shown that Fas, in conjunction with antigen-specific signals, can modulate apoptosis during negative selection of thymocytes.
Analytical Self-Consistent Field Calculations For Excited Configurations of Cr 3+

Analytical self-consistent field functions were calculated for several states of ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{3+}$, with two and three open shells of different symmetries. The cusp condition is exactly satisfied. The maximum deviation from the nodal condition for the radial functions ${P}_{i\ensuremath{\lambda}}(r)$ is 0.00010.
VrtProf: Vertical Profiling for System Virtualization

As data centers and end users become increasingly reliant on virtualization technology, more efficient and accurate methods of profiling such systems are needed. However, under virtualization the virtual machine and OS each try to manage the same resources independently, the underlying hardware is now multiplexed between many streams of execution, and non-trivial interference can be caused by seemingly unrelated resources. While sampling techniques are effective at gathering average behaviors over long runs, understanding the time-varying behavior of programs under virtualization, the correlation between events at the level of program phases, or the transient effects of rare events requires a new way of profiling virtualized applications. To this end we present VrtProf, a low overhead profiling tool that automates the collection of hardware and software events spanning the vertical execution stack, including the hardware, the virtual machine monitor, the guest kernels, and applications at very fine time scales. We describe the many challenges faced while developing VrtProf, the design of the resulting tool, and how it can be used in practice on several multi-programmed workloads both as virtualized and native executions. We show that VrtProf introduces negligible performance overhead of only 1.2% while capturing the time-varying application behavior with interval granularities as small as a few thousand cycles.
Microleakage evaluation in amalgam restorations used with bases.

Marginal leakage in amalgam restorations often precedes the development of secondary caries. One potential way to improve the marginal seal of such restorations, and thus minimize the risk of carles development, is to apply a glassionomer base prior to amalgam placement. This study compared microleakage resistance among amalgam restorations placed with and without light-cured glass-ionomer base materials. Preparations were made in extracted human molar teeth. Four groups were studied, including copal varnish, which was used as a control. All specimens were restored with amalgam. Results indicated significantly greater leakage at the cavity wall/base interface for restorations with a copal varnish cavity liner than for those with a glass-ionomer base. Leakage differences among bases were also found at the amalgam/base interface. Best results were obtained with a dual-cure resin-based system. These samples showed minimal leakage at both the cavity wall/base and the base/amalgam interfaces. These findings suggest that light-cured glass-ionomer bases can be effective in the prevention of microleakage in amalgam restorations.
Changing Roles and Responsibilities of Special Educators: Implications for Teacher Education.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the competencies of special educators on a set of 35 skills identified by the Council for Exceptional Children as important for professionals working in the area of special education. The self-reported competencies of the subjects are reported and the implications of the findings for special education programs and services in P-12 schools and for teacher education programs are discussed.
Levuglandin forms adducts with histone h4 in a cyclooxygenase-2-dependent manner, altering its interaction with DNA.

Inflammation and subsequent cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity has long been linked with the development of cancer, although little is known about any epigenetic effects of COX-2. A product of COX-2 activation, levuglandin (LG) quickly forms covalent bonds with nearby primary amines, such as those in lysine, which leads to LG-protein adducts. Here, we demonstrate that COX-2 activity causes LG-histone adducts in cultured cells and liver tissue, detectable through LC–MS, with the highest incidence in histone H4. Adduction is blocked by a γ-ketoaldehyde scavenger, which has no effect on COX-2 activity as measured by PGE2 production. Formation of the LG-histone adduct is associated with an increased histone solubility in NaCl, indicating destabilization of the nucleosome structure; this is also reversed with scavenger treatment. These data demonstrate that COX-2 activity can cause histone adduction and loosening of the nucleosome complex, which could lead to altered transcription and contribute to carcinogenesis.
Studies on the half-life and the distribution of stearoyl-CoA desaturase in the housefly

The half-life of the stearoyl-CoA desaturase was determined by using houseflies injected with puromycin. The LD50 for puromycin was determined to be 1.55 μ g/mg body wt for both sexes. By following the decay in specific activity of the desaturase after puromycin injection, the half-life of this enzyme in 4-day-old females was calculated to be 9.35 hr, while in 1-day-old females it was 3.38 hr. The inhibition curve for the 3-day-old males never reached 100%, and a biphasic curve was observed. The early phase resulted in a half-life of the desaturase of 2.41 hr, while the latter phase had a half-life of 8.45 hr. In general, it appeared that the half-life of the desaturase increased with age in either sex. Studies on the distribution of desaturase activity within the housefly showed that most of the activity was present in the integument; however, in the female, the onset of ovarian development seemed to shift the distribution of desaturase from the integument, towards the internal tissues. In the male, there appeared to be equal amounts of desaturase in integument and the fat body plus internal tissues at day 2, but by day 5 most of the activity was associated with the integument. The high specific activity and high percentage of total desaturase activity associated with integument coupled with the shift of distribution of desaturase in females during the onset of ovarian development may be indicative of a close correlation of the desaturase with alkene synthesis and possibly sex pheromone production.
Actinorhizal host-specificity of Chinese Frankia strains

Cross-inoculation studies of numerous Frankia strains of Asian origin, primarily Chinese, were undertaken to determine whether previously described host specificity groups (HSG) were valid. Each strain was inoculated onto seedlings of Alnus glutinosa, Casuarina cunninghamiana, Elaeagnus angustifolia and Myrica cerifera in solution culture, and the presence of nodules scored after eight weeks. All strains tested fell into three of the four HSG descriptions of Baker (1987). Our results indicate that among pure cultured Frankia strains derived from Asia there exists less diversity than those of North America and Europe, in regard to host specificity.
Adhesive properties of silanol surface modified poly(ethylene naphthalate) film

Semicrystalline poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) films were modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysi- lane (APS) and subsequently hydrolyzed to give silanol (Si-OH) functionality to the PEN surface by means of amide linkages (PEN-CONH(CH 2 ) 3 Si(OH) 3 ). The modified PEN films were characterized by reflectance FT-IR, contact angle (ca, 80° before modification and ca. 43° after modification) and by fluorescence spectroscopy. The modified films were terminated at 130 °C and 500 psi. The adhesion peel test showed that these modified PEN films form strong adhesive bonds with each other (12.51 kg/m) as well as with glass (6.43 kg/m). SEM analysis showed that failure during the peel strength determination occurred within the film matrix and not at the adhesion interface.
Entry for merger with flexible manufacturing: Implications for competition policy

Abstract This paper studies a model of product variety with flexible manufacturers when, contrary to prior work, atomistic entry occurs prior to horizontal integration. In this model, more lax antitrust laws that allow for fewer and more concentrated merged firms lead to a greater extent of excess entry. Optimal policy permits no horizontal mergers when demand is perfectly inelastic, but may permit some horizontal integration when demand is price responsive.
Anomalous Molecular Rotation and the Temperature of the Upper Atmosphere

This experiment verifies the prediction of Oldenberg that the spectroscopically measured rotational temperature of a diatomic gas will be lower than the translational temperature when (1) the pressure is low, (2) the gas is excited by electron impact, and (3) the excited electronic state from which the measured bands are radiated has an equilibrium nuclear separation greater than the internuclear distance in the ground state. For gas temperatures from 400 to 670\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K rotational temperatures from the second negative bands of ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{+}$ were found in qualitative agreement with the predicted relation ${T}_{\mathrm{rot}}=\frac{{T}_{\mathrm{trans}}{B}^{\ensuremath{'}}}{{B}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}}$. Upper atmosphere temperatures derived from band profiles in night sky spectra are consistently lower than temperatures estimated from other data. The possible occurrence of anomalous rotation of the night sky molecules casts some doubt on the meaningfulness of the night sky temperature measurements. A partial rotational analysis in the course of this experiment suggests revisions of the ${B}_{0}$ and $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-values for the ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{+}$ molecule in the $^{2}\ensuremath{\Pi}_{{u}^{\ensuremath{-}}}$- and $^{2}\ensuremath{\Pi}_{{g}^{\ensuremath{-}}}$-states.
Economic News, Exchange Rates and Interest Rates

The paper esamines the post-October 1979 response of exchange rates and interest rates to the new information contained in the first announcement of fifteen US macroeconomic series. illarkets respond primarily to monetary news, but also to news about the trade deficit, domestic inflation, and variables that reflect the state of the business cycle. For all fifteen macroeconomic variables, an increase (decrease) in interest rates is accompanied by an appreciation (depreciation) of the dollar, which is consistent with models that stress price rigidity and absence of purchasing power parity. The effect of economic news on asset prices has received increasing attention in the economic literature because an outcome of the efficient markets/rational expectations hypothesis is that flesible asset prices change the moment new information about future fundamentals arrives in the market. In the exchange rate literature, the role of news has gained importance because structural models have failed to predict most of the variation in exchange rates during the 1970s (see iMeese and Rogoff, 1983). Researchers were naturally led to investigate the types of news that make exchange rates so volatile, and to utilize news in order to test which model of exchange rate determination is consistent with the floating eschange rate experience. Notable studies are those of Dornbusch (1980), Frenkel (1981), Edwards (1982a,b, 1983), Copeland (1984), and Rose (1984). In this paper, I also examine the effects of macroeconomic news on eschange rates, but I adopt a different, more direct strategy, one that complements previous work, avoids some of its shortcomings, and promises interesting conclusions. I examine the instantaneous response of exchange rates the moment a piece of economic news hits the market. If one can isolate the exact time during a business day when news arrives, it is straightforward to examine the response of exchange rates because financial data are continuously available. The advantages of the present methodology are many: first, it is possible to identify the exact types of economic news and how they affect exchange rates; second, the simultaneity bias, which plagues the previous literature on exchange rates and news, is not present here. The independent variables that represent news can be interpreted as causal * The paper was presented at the 1985 meeting ofthe American Economic Association. The author wishes to thank Sebastian Edwards, R. W. Hafer, Nicholas Karamouzis, Andrew Rose, and two anonymous referees for helpful comments; Kim Rupert of the Money Market Services for providing the survey data; Soo Kounne for able research assistance; and Barnard College for research support.
The Charcot foot: historical perspective 1827–2003

Charcot's joint disease of the foot and ankle is a poorly understood and frequently overlooked complication of diabetes. Recognition of this condition, especially in its earliest stage, remains problematic, with many cases going misdiagnosed even today. Medical management of the Charcot foot remains the standard of care for the majority of patients, with surgical intervention reserved for the most difficult cases. This historical perspective began in the early nineteenth century with the first attempts to experimentally examine the spinal origin of rheumatism of the foot and ankle. J.-M. Charcot was the first to describe the arthropathies associated with tabes dorsalis. His early investigations into the tabetic arthropathies (1868) and his brilliant presentation, Demonstration of Arthropathic Affections of Locomotor Ataxy, at the 7th International Medical Congress (1881), established this disease as a distinct pathological entity. Charcot and Fere published the first observations of the tabetic foot (Pied tabetique) in the Archives de Neurologie in 1883. It was not until 1936, however, that W. R. Jordan established the association between neurogenic arthropathy of the foot/ankle and diabetes mellitus.
Theories as tools: a pluralistic approach to ecological modeling

Ecology is a young, but burgeoning field. With roots in both natural history and evolutionary biology, ecology came into its own only at the beginning of the twentieth century. Throughout its short life, ecology— the science of the struggle for existence , as Ernst Haeckel called it back in 1866—has struggled to define its own existence as a science. This struggle has involved a shift from descriptive, qualitative work toward increasing quantification and mathematization (McIntosh, 1987, p. 4) and a search for general patterns among the blooming, buzzing confusion that characterizes life on earth in all its diverse forms. This shift has been motivated by ecologists interest in firmly establishing their discipline as a science, bringing it more closely in line with the paradigm of physics, with its well established laws and elegant mathematical models. Yet the move toward general theory has not been easy. Instead it has been marked by ambivalence among ecologists, many of whom have
The role of Regge poles and cuts in high-energy phenomenology☆

Abstract We survey the successes and the failures of the Regge-pole model in explaining the high-energy data. We stress that at present energies the Regge-pole model work reasonably well, at least up to t = −1.0 GeV 2 for those reactions characterized by the dominance of the t -channel helicity-flip amplitude. But the same model fails to describe features of the t -channel helicity-non-flip and the double-flip amplitudes. For the non-flip amplitudes studied, in addition to the leading Regge pole, the extra contribution needed, which is suggested to be the cut, has to have a comparable strength to that of the pole at around t = −0.2 GeV 2 and it dominates over the pole in the larger negative t -region. For the double-flip amplitudes, the cut contribution is needed to totally mask the nonsense wrong-signature zero of the pole. The qualitative feature of the described relative importance of poles and cuts in the various helicity amplitudes is present in several cut models, such as the absorption model and the Carlitz-Kislinger model. As far as the present phenomenological models, such as the Regge-pole model, the weak-cut and the strong-cut models, are concerned one can claim, from our point of view, at best only a partial success in describing the data. At this stage, a phenomenological model which explicitly takes into account the prescribed role of poles and cuts is lacking.
Synthesis of some new o-thioazo ligands and evaluation of their metallochromic properties.

Abstract The synthesis of several new o-thioazo derivatives of p-cresol and 2-naphthol is reported, as well as their spectral properties, acid dissociation constants, and potential as metallochromic reagents. All the ligands form complexes with CU2+ and Ni2+. o-Mercaptoazo complexes of Fe3+ and Cu2+ with molar absorptivities of 3.83 × 104 and 3.58 × 104 l.mole−1 cm−1, respectively, are described.
Microstructure-sensitive creep models for nickel-base superalloy single crystals

Abstract Microstructure-sensitive creep models have been developed for Ni-base superalloy single crystals. Creep rupture testing was conducted on fourteen single crystal alloys at two applied stress levels at each of two temperatures, 982 and 1093 °C. The variation in creep lives among the different alloys could be explained with regression models containing relatively few microstructural parameters. At 982 °C, γ − γ ′ lattice mismatch, γ ′ volume fraction, and initial γ ′ size were statistically significant in explaining the creep rupture lives. At 1093 °C, only lattice mismatch and γ ′ volume fraction were significant. These models could explain from 84% to 94% of the variation in creep lives, depending on test condition. Longer creep lives were associated with alloys having more negative lattice mismatch, lower γ ′ volume fractions, and finer γ ′ sizes. The γ − γ ′ lattice mismatch exhibited the strongest influence of all the microstructural parameters at both temperatures. Although a majority of the alloys in this study were stable with respect to topologically close packed (TCP) phases, it appeared that up to ∼2 vol% TCP phase did not affect the 1093 °C creep lives under applied stresses that produced lives of ∼200–300 h. In contrast, TCP phase contents of ∼2 vol% were detrimental at lower applied stresses where creep lives were longer.
Maintaining Professional Relationships in an Interdisciplinary Setting: Strategies for Navigating Nonbehavioral Treatment Recommendations for Individuals with Autism

Due to an increase in research and clinical application of behavior analysis with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one setting a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) may work within is an interdisciplinary setting, where multiple disciplines collaborate to improve the outcomes of individuals with ASD. In some cases, nonbehavioral colleagues could recommend nonbehavioral treatments, setting the occasion for the BCBA to offer an alternative treatment to or question the nonbehavioral treatment. However, excessive questioning or critiques of nonbehavioral treatments by the BCBA may unintentionally erode professional relationships between the BCBA and their nonbehavioral colleagues. Because an erosion of professional relationships may occur when a BCBA questions a nonbehavioral treatment, a decision-making model for determining whether or not the proposed nonbehavioral treatment is worth addressing may be useful. The purpose of this paper is to outline such a decision-making model in order to assist the BCBA in assessing nonbehavioral treatments while maintaining an ethical balance between professional relationships and the well-being and safety of the individual with ASD. Such a model could assist the BCBA in becoming familiar with the proposed treatment, understanding the perspective of the nonbehavioral colleague and assessing the negative impacts the treatment could have on the individual with ASD. With this information, the BCBA will be in a better position to decide whether or not addressing the nonbehavioral treatment is worth the possibility of eroding a professional relationship.
Development of a globally harmonized system for hazard communication

As a result of an international mandate adopted in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED), a globally harmonized system (GHS) for hazard communication has been developed. The work has involved significant contributions from numerous countries and international organizations. The GHS is designed to be a common and coherent approach to defining and classifying hazards of chemicals, and communicating information on labels and substance data sheets. The target audiences for the information include workers, consumers, transport workers, and emergency responders. The GHS can provide an informational infrastructure for countries establishing national, comprehensive programs for the sound management of chemicals. Adoption of the GHS by the United Nations is expected in December 2002, and it will be available for countries to adopt in 2003. The purpose of this discussion is to describe the work to develop the system, the primary components of the GHS, and efforts to promote implementation.
The effect of a granulosis virus on Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) infestations occurring in stored raisins

Abstract Neonate larvae of Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) were exposed to 5 different concentrations of a granulosis virus (GV) on raisins; the estimated LC 50 was between 1 × 10 3 and 1 × 10 4 capsules/ml of suspension. Raisins treated with 1 × 10 8 capsules/ml GV suspension were protected from P. interpunctella infestation for at least four months under normal storage conditions. The treated raisins retained the GV inoculum after 5 min of water washing. Field-run raisins treated with GV in two separate tests (14 and 9 weeks) reduced moth populations by 95.2% and 96.9%. Treatment with GV of processed raisins prior to packaging and of the packages themselves (containing raisins) reduced moth populations over a six-month period by 75.5% and 33.2%, respectively.
Vision-based reinforcement learning for robot navigation

We present a novel vision-based learning approach for autonomous robot navigation. A hybrid state-mapping model, which combines the merits of both static and dynamic state assigning strategies, is proposed to solve the problem of state organization in navigation-learning tasks. Specifically, the continuous feature space, which could be very large in general, is first mapped to a small-sized conceptual state space for learning in static. Then, ambiguities among the aliasing states, i.e., the same conceptual state is accidentally mapped to several physical states that require different action policies in reality, are efficiently eliminated in learning with a recursive state-splitting process. The proposed method has been applied to simulate the navigation learning by a simulated robot with very encouraging results.
Modeling of the rough-interface effect on a converging light beam propagating in a skin tissue phantom.

Light distribution in a strong turbid medium such as skin tissue depends on both the bulk optical properties and the profiles of the interfaces where mismatch in the refractive index occurs. We present recent results of a numerical investigation on the light distribution inside a human skin tissue phantom for a converging laser beam with a wavelength near 1 µm and its dependence on the roughness of the interfaces and index mismatch. The skin tissue is modeled by a two-layer structure, and within each layer the tissue is considered macroscopically homogeneous. The two interfaces that separate the epidermis from the ambient medium and the dermis are considered randomly rough. With a recently developed method of Monte Carlo simulation capable of treating inhomogeneous boundary conditions, light distributions in various cases of interface roughness and index mismatch are obtained, and their relevance to the measurements of optical parameters of the skin tissue and laser surgery under the skin surface are discussed.
SECONDHAND TOBACCO SMOKE IN NEVER SMOKERS IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK FACTOR FOR CORONARY ARTERY CALCIFICATION

Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure (SHTSE) has been linked to coronary artery calcium (CAC) in a single nonquantitative study. The purpose of this report is to assess the relationship of the extent of CAC to the extent of SHTSE in asymptomatic never smokers. 3,098 never smokers, aged 40-80, in the
Images of Identity: in search of modes of presentation

There are many alternative ways that a mind or brain might represent that two of its representations were of the same object or property, the "Strawson" model, the "duplicates" model, the "synchrony" model, the "Christmas lights" model, the "anaphor" model, and so forth. I first discuss what would constitute that a mind or brain was using one of these systems of identity marking rather than another. I then discuss devastating effects that adopting the Strawson model has on the notion that there are such things as modes of presentation in thought. Next I argue that Evans' idea that there are "dynamic Fregean thoughts" has exactly the same implications. I argue further that all of the other models of thought discussed earlier are in fact isomorphic to the Strawson model. A search for the source of these difficulties reveals the classical notion of modes of presentation as resting on two assumptions, neither of which I recommend. It depends on denying that the way the mind reacts to or understands the thoughts or ideas that it harbours has any bearing on their intentional contents. And it depends on an internalist view of thought content, in particular, on denying that the natural informational content carried or potentially carried by a thought has any bearing on its intentional content.
Structure and assembly of hemidesmosomes

The hemidesmosome is a complex junction containing many proteins. The keratin cytoskeleton attaches to its cytoplasmic plaque, while its transmembrane elements interact with components of the extracellular matrix. Hemidesmosome assembly involves recruitment of α6β4 integrin heterodimers, as well as cytoskeletal elements and cytoskeleton-associated proteins to the cell surface. In our cell culture models, these phenomena appear to be triggered by laminin-5 in the extracellular matrix. Cell interaction with laminin-5 apparently induces both phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of subunits of α6β4 integrin. There is emerging evidence that such events are necessary for subsequent cytoskeleton anchorage to the hemidesmosome cytoplasmic plaque. Once assembled, the hemidesmosome plays an essential role in maintaining firm epithelial adhesion to the basement membrane, with hemidesmosome disruption being a hallmark of certain devastating blistering diseases. However, the hemidesmosome is more than just a stable anchor, as it may also be the site of signal transduction, mediated by its α6β4 integrin component. This review discusses our current knowledge of the structure and assembly of the hemidesmosome. BioEssays20:488–494, 1998. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Snow cover detected by diurnal warming of sea ice/snow surface off Labrador in NOAA imagery

Four consecutive NOAA-9 infrared images show diurnal warming of the sea-ice surface off the coast of Labrador. For three subdomains with scales of approximately 100 km, the warming of the surface is obtained on the assumption that the warming of the surface is obtained on the assumption that the warming in one pixel is proportional to ice compactness, which is given in turn by brightness of a visible (daytime) image. A one-dimensional heat transfer equation for snow and ice is solved. An algorithm to estimate the snow thickness, which is required to calculate the heat flux through ice, from this extra warming is proposed. >
General Causal Representations in the Medical Domain

The target of many studies in the health sciences is the discovery of cause-effect relationships among observed variables of interest, for example: treatments, exposures, preconditions, and outcomes. Causal modeling and causal discovery are central to medical science. In order to algorithmically consider causal relations, the relations must be placed into a representation that supports manipulation. Knowledge of at least some causal effects is imprecise. The most widespread causal representation is di- rected acyclic graphs (DAGs). However, DAGs are severely lim- ited in what portion of the common sense world they can repre- sent. This paper considers the needs of commonsense causality and suggests Fuzzy Cognitive Maps as an alternative to DAGs.
Learning Bounds for Domain Adaptation

Empirical risk minimization offers well-known learning guarantees when training and test data come from the same domain. In the real world, though, we often wish to adapt a classifier from a source domain with a large amount of training data to different target domain with very little training data. In this work we give uniform convergence bounds for algorithms that minimize a convex combination of source and target empirical risk. The bounds explicitly model the inherent trade-off between training on a large but inaccurate source data set and a small but accurate target training set. Our theory also gives results when we have multiple source domains, each of which may have a different number of instances, and we exhibit cases in which minimizing a non-uniform combination of source risks can achieve much lower target error than standard empirical risk minimization.
Draw-A-Person test as a measure of anxiety in the work place

It was hypothesized that, given their stressful working conditions, nuclear weapons workers would show more anxiety indicators on the Draw-A-Person test. Three groups (ns = 9) were given the test and their drawings were scored with Handler's 1967 objectively scorable indexes. A posttest-only design with two nonequivalent comparison groups was employed. Nuclear weapons workers had a reliably higher number of anxiety indicators on their Draw-A-Person drawings than the two comparison groups. These preliminary results indicate that Handler's objectively scorable indexes may be of value in detecting anxiety in the work place. The conclusions are tempered by the small groups and the quasi-experimental design used but indicate that further research could be fruitful.
Developmental regulation of a protein kinase C isoform localized in the neuromuscular junction

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of protein serine/threonine kinases consisting of multiple isoforms whose distinct physiological roles within cells are unknown. The message encoding the nPKC theta isoform, a member of the novel calcium-independent class of PKCs, has recently been shown to be abundant in mouse skeletal muscle. The message for cPKC alpha, a calcium-dependent isoform, was also found to be highly expressed in this tissue. In an effort to distinguish between the physiological roles of these two isoforms of PKC in rat skeletal muscle, we examined their subcellular distribution, developmental expression and intracellular localization. We generated an isotype-specific antiserum directed against a peptide sequence unique to nPKC theta. This antiserum recognized a 79 kDa protein highly enriched in rat skeletal muscle, which is likely to be nPKC theta. cPKC alpha was also readily detectable in skeletal muscle, using another isotype-specific antibody, but it appeared to be ubiquitously expressed in all of the tissues we examined. Together these results suggest that nPKC theta, rather than cPKC alpha, is involved in physiological functions that are specific for skeletal muscle. The immunoreactivity for nPKC theta was highest in the membrane subcellular fraction compared to the cytosolic fraction of skeletal muscle. In contrast, cPKC alpha was found to be predominantly distributed in the cytosolic rather than the membrane fraction. nPKC theta appeared to be developmentally regulated postnatally in rat skeletal muscle, with a 4-fold increase in expression occurring exclusively in the membrane fraction during postnatal days 3 through 21. This time course coincides with the period in rat development associated with maturation of neuromuscular junctions. Expression of nPKC theta in rat spleen, another tissue expressing detectable levels of this isoform, was not found to be developmentally regulated during this time. cPKC alpha expression was found to increase slightly from postnatal days 3 through 11 and no developmental increase in expression of this isoform was observed in skeletal muscle during postnatal days 11 through 21. The intracellular localization of the PKC theta and alpha isoforms in rat skeletal muscle was examined by immunocytochemistry. nPKC theta was detected in association with the sarcolemma of skeletal muscle and was found to be localized in the neuromuscular junction. Enhanced staining for nPKC theta in the neuromuscular junction appeared as early as postnatal day 4 during development. Staining for nPKC theta in the neuromuscular junction persisted after prolonged denervation, suggesting that the enzyme is distributed postsynaptically.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Degradation of Y-Ba-Cu-O in a high-humidity environment

Changes in ac susceptibility of the high-T/sub c/ superconductor Y--Ba--Cu--O have been used to investigate the degradation of this material in the presence of high humidity. It is found that the fraction of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ in a sample decreases exponentially with time when the sample is kept at 98% relative humidity and 20 /sup 0/C. The time constant is approximately 22 days.
A Program of Study of the Use of Stories in DSS

Storytelling is an innate human characteristic. Stories are used to manage meaning, control behavior, and facilitate identification and bonding. The theory of identification and unobtrusive control enhances theories of sense making in organizations and argues that when members identify with the organization, they accept and use the organization's premises when defining feasible alternatives to problems and consequently make choices consistent with desired organizational behavior. Stories can be used in many ways, including the inculcation of organizational culture and values (i.e., premises) that could be used to influence member behavior. However, no one has examined how technology could be used to integrate stories into computer-based decision-making processes. This paper reviews storytelling and stories, identification and unobtrusive control theory, and narratology (the study of narratives). It synthesizes these three areas into a program of study into the use of stories in computer-based decision support
Reply to the comment of J. Vrba: Problems with enzyme-based methods.

The important thing is to not stop questioning , Albert Einstein. Our colleague Jaroslav Vrba raised a number of points regarding application of the fluorogenic substrate MUF- N -acetyl-β-d-glucosaminide (MUF-[GlcNAc]) in methods designed to address aspects of the ecology of bacterivorous protists in fresh and marine waters [1]. His lengthy comment and associated references, we would argue, serve to underscore the difficulties involved with the use of enzyme-based methods in natural systems. To clarify our and Vrba's discussion, a central issue is that both low-affinity and high-affinity hydrolytic enzymes are expressed by aquatic organisms. Low-affinity enzymes are saturated at high (>20–100 μM) substrate concentrations, while high-affinity concentrations are saturated at much lower (<1–3 μM) concentrations of substrate. In addition, hydrolytic enzymes expressed by various organisms show different patterns of activity with respect to pH; some hydrolytic enzymes have peak activity at neutral to slightly basic pH, while others have peak activity at acidic pH [2,3]. Two methods have been proposed which rely on the rate of enzymatic cleavage of MUF-[GlcNAc] as a proxy for estimating the amount of β-glucosaminidase (βGAM)-like activity in aquatic systems. Vrba et al. [4,5] developed a method for quantifying in situ protistan bacterivory based on the rate of cleavage of low concentrations (high-affinity enzyme) of MUF-[GlcNAc] in whole water samples at neutral pH. Zubkov and Sleigh [6] subsequently suggested that acid βGAM activity at higher substrate concentrations (low-affinity enzyme), determined for live plankton samples collected on glass fiber filters, could be used to estimate the biomass of bacterivorous protists. We demonstrated that low-affinity βGAM activity …
High speed light choppers.

Mechanical light choppers are used in many optical systems with a great deal of success. At high PRF’s, however, designers often tend to avoid their use because of stress and torque limitations. This article attempts to provide an optical engineer with sufficient information to compute the maximum stresses in a chopper wheel. It also provides curves for estimating the torque required to drive the wheel as well as general design guidelines. An example is shown of a 10-kHz chopper that was designed from the data presented and is now in use.
Dosage compensation of serine-4 transfer RNA in Drosophila melanogaster.

A dosage series of the X chromosome site for serine-4 transfer RNA consisting of one of three copies in females and one to two in males was constructed to test whether transfer RNA expression is governed by dosage compensation. A dosage effect on the level of the serine-4 isoacceptor was observed in both females and males when the structural locus was varied. However, in males, each dose had a relatively greater expression so the normal one dose was slightly greater than the total female value and the duplicated male had the highest relative expression of all the types examined. Serine-4 levels in males and females from an isogenic Oregon-R stock were similar. Thus the transfer RNA levels conform to the expectations of dosage compensation.
Beam dynamics in heavy ion fusion

A standard design for heavy ion fusion drivers under study in the US. Is an induction linac with electrostatic focusing at low energy and magnetic focusing at higher energy. The need to focus the intense beam to a few-millimeter size spot at the deuterium-tritium target establishes the emittance budget for the accelerator. Economic and technological considerations favor a larger number of beams in the low-energy, electrostatic-focusing section than in the high-energy, magnetic-focusing section. Combining four beams into a single focusing channel is a viable option, depending on the growth in emittance due to the combining process. Several significant beam dynamics issues that are, or have been, under active study are discussed: large space charge and image forces, beam wall clearances, halos, alignment, longitudinal instability, and bunch length control.
Positive sentinel lymph nodes should be followed by axillary lymph node dissection

The use of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has revolutionized breast surgery for early stage breast cancer. SLNB accurately stages the axilla without the morbidity of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). While allowing those patients with No disease to avoid a potentially morbid dissection, SLNB is a diagnostic procedure which identifies nodal disease and is not designed to replace ALND in patients with metastatic disease in the axilla. ALND provides regional disease control, assists physicians in making decisions for patients regarding systemic therapy, and may or may not have a survival advantage. The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011 study was constructed to determine whether there was a survival difference between completion ALND vs. observation in patients with a positive sentinel lymph node (SLN). Without strong data from randomized, controlled trials regarding the locoregional and long-term survival of patients who undergo observation after a positive SLN, patients should be offered completion ALND for a positive SLNB although ALND may offer no survival advantage.
Modeling of Slab-Foundation Friction in Jointed Concrete Pavements Under Nonlinear Thermal Gradient or Traffic Loads

The accurate modeling of the thermomechanical response of jointed concrete pavements is of primary importance in the design of pavement sections. From the initial development of pavement analysis software in the early 1970s, it was recognized that the finite element method was the most appropriate modeling tool because of its potential ability to capture all pavement response features. A series of software development efforts have culminated in the production of NYSLAB, an analysis tool for jointed pavement that can predict the complete thermomechanical response, including pavement curling and interactions between slab and foundation. A series of studies were developed in NYSLAB specifically to look into slab-foundation friction generated by nonlinear thermal gradients and traffic loads. Nonlinear temperature gradients can produce slab expansion and contraction that lead to frictional traction between slabs and foundation. The prediction of these friction tractions is complicated by the curling of the sla...
Unusual benthic fauna associated with a whale fall in Monterey Canyon, California

On February 6, 2002, we discovered an unusual assemblage of deep-sea animals associated with a well-preserved carcass of a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) at 2891 m depth in the axis of Monterey Canyon, California. The 9–10 m long carcass was found approximately 31 km off shore, where it settled to the bottom against the northern wall of the canyon’s sedimented floor. This carcass delivered approximately 20,000 kg of organic material to a typically foodlimited seafloor. Particularly noteworthy were the low occurrence of large mobile scavengers, the large number of opportunistic deep-sea species, and an abundance of unusual polychaetes. Two of these polychaetes, a spionid and a siboglinid, are new to science. Since this discovery, we visited the whale fall on two subsequent occasions (March and
Switching Behavior of a Plasma-Fluidic Actuator

This work presents the plasma-fluidic actuator as a new type of flow control actuator. The device combines the best features of plasma actuators and fluidic oscillators to create an actuator that decouples the actuation frequency from the flow rate and overcomes the velocity limitations of the plasma actuator. Plasma actuators are used to effectively switch a high momentum jet between Coanda attachment walls by inducing a flow asymmetry across the nozzle of a fluidic oscillator. In this manner the device effectively serves as a fluid amplifier. Switching time, defined as the delay between the plasma initiation and completion of the switching process between opposing attachment walls, is used as a metric to quantify the performance of these new devices. In these tests the jet issuing from the plasma-fluidic actuator was switched between attachment walls in as little as 19 ms. Results indicate that the switching time decreases as the power of the plasma actuator increases. Furthermore, switching times decrease with decreased velocity, as the plasma has more substantial control authority over the primary jet. This new flow control actuator concept has the potential of being used in many applications such as thrust vectoring and jet flow mixing.