Showing papers by "University of Oklahoma published in 1990"

Mean seasonal and spatial variability in gauge‐corrected, global precipitation

Abstract: Using traditional land-based gauge measurements and shipboard estimates, a global climatology of mean monthly precipitation has been developed. Data were obtained from ten existing sources, screened for coding errors, and redundant station records were removed. The edited data base contains 24,635 spatially independent terrestrial station records and 2223 oceanic grid-point records. A procedure for correcting gauge-induced biases is presented and used to remove systematic errors caused by wind, wetting on the interior walls of the gauge, and evaporation from the gauge. These ‘corrected’ monthly precipitation observations were then interpolated to a 0·5° of latitude by 0·5° of longitude grid using a spherically based interpolation procedure. Bias-corrected spatial distributions of the annual mean and intraannual variance are presented along with a harmonic decomposition of the intra-annual variance.

Rapid neutrophil adhesion to activated endothelium mediated by GMP-140

Abstract: GRANULE membrane protein-140 (GMP-140), a membrane glycoprotein of platelet1–5 and endothelial cell6–8 secretory granules, is rapidly redistributed to the plasma membrane during cellular activation and degranulation1,2,6,7. Also known as PADGEM protein4, GMP-140 (ref. 9) is structurally related to two molecules involved in leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium: ELAM-1, a cytokine-inducible endothelial cell receptor for neutrophils10, and the MEL-14 lymphocyte homing receptor11,12. These three proteins define a new gene family, termed selectins, each of which contains an N-terminal lectin domain, followed by an epidermal growth factor-like module, a variable number of repeating units related to those in complement-binding proteins, a transmembrane domain, and a short cytoplasmic tail. Here we demonstrate that GMP-140 can mediate leukocyte adhesion, thus establishing a functional similarity with the other selectins. Human neutrophils and promyelocytic HL-60 cells bind specifically to COS cells transfected with GMP-140 complementary DNA and to microtitre wells coated with purified GMP-140. Cell binding does not require active neutrophil metabolism but is dependent on extracellular Ca2+. Within minutes after stimulation with phorbol esters or histamine, human endothelial cells become adhesive for neutrophils; this interaction is inhibited by antibodies to GMP-140. Thus, GMP-140 expressed by activated endothelium might promote rapid neutrophil targeting to sites of acute inflammation.

Mean seasonal and spatial variability in global surface air temperature

Abstract: Using terrestrial observations of shelter-height air temperature and shipboard measurements, a global climatology of mean monthly surface air temperature has been compiled. Data were obtained from ten sources, screened for coding errors, and redundant station records were removed. The combined data base consists of 17 986 independent terrestrial station records and 6 955 oceanic grid-point records. These data were then interpolated to a 0.5° of latitude by 0.5° of longitude lattice using a spherically-based interpolation algorithm. Spatial distributions of the annual mean and intra-annual variance are presented along with a harmonic decomposition of the intra-annual variance.

Predator-Induced Life-History Shifts in a Freshwater Snail

Abstract: The snail Physella virgata virgata, a widely distributed freshwater pulmonate, was observed to change its life-history characteristics in the presence of the crayfish Orconectes virilis in spring-fed Oklahoma streams. These changes were apparently initiated by a water-borne cue released when crayfish fed on conspecific snails. In the presence of the cue, snails exhibited rapid growth rates and little reproduction until they reached a size of about 10 mm after 8 months. In the absence of the cue, snails typically grew to about 4 mm (3.5 months) and then began reproduction. The chemically inducible shift indicates that the life histories of these snails are phenotypically plastic. By increasing the variance associated with size and age of maturity, prey may increase the likelihood of coexisting with seasonal predators.

The strong heart study a study of cardiovascular disease in american indians: design and methods

Abstract: Available data indicate that cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death in American Indians. However, limited information is available on cardiovascular disease incidence, prevalence, and risk factors in this population. Reported cardiovascular disease rates vary greatly among groups in different geographic areas. These rates have been obtained from studies of varying sizes and different methodologies. The Strong Heart Study, which uses standardized methodology, is designed to estimate cardiovascular disease mortality and morbidity rates and the prevalence of known and suspected cardiovascular disease risk factors in American Indians. The study population consists of 12 tribes in three geographic areas: an area near Phoenix, Arizona, the southwestern area of Oklahoma, and the Aberdeen area of North and South Dakota. The study includes three components. The first is a mortality survey to estimate cardiovascular disease mortality rates for 1984-1988 among tribal members aged 35-74 years, and the second is a morbidity survey to estimate incidence of both first and first or recurrent hospitalized myocardial infarction and stroke (cerebrovascular disease) among tribal members aged 45-74 years in 1984-1988, and the third is a clinical examination of 4,500 tribal members aged 45-74 years in order to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and its associations with risk factors. Family history, diet, alcohol and tobacco consumption, physical activity, degree of acculturation, and socioeconomic status are assessed in personal interviews. The physical examination includes measurements of body fat, body circumferences, and blood pressure, an examination of the heart and lungs, an evaluation of peripheral vascular disease, and a 12-lead electrocardiogram. Laboratory measurements include fasting and postload glucose, insulin, fasting lipids, apoproteins, fibrinogen, and glycated hemoglobin. Also measured are serum and urine creatinine and urinary albumin. DNA from lymphocytes is isolated and stored for future genetic studies.

Venture Capitalist Certification in Initial Public Offerings

Abstract: With more businesses going public, the certification of their value and offering price is a necessity, acting as a means of attracting investors and of enhancing further financial success. While auditors and underwriters typically certify the value of an initial public offering (IPO), venture capitalists, as investors in a firm, also have knowledge of the firm's value, leading researchers to explore the potential role of venture capitalists in certifying an IPO's offering price. The process of venture capital (VC) firm certification is described. Utilizing Investment Dealer's Digest Corporate Database (IDD), a representative sample of both VC backed and non-VC backed firms (320 each) is compiled, and matched for industry and offering size. The role of underwriters and auditors in certifying a firm's value is scrutinized, including their respective relationships with VC backed firms. The data regarding initial returns and offering expenses for IPOs are analyzed for both VC backed and non-VC backed firms. Venture capitalists are found to play a significant role in firm certification, including an implication of firm quality due to their investment in the firm. The data suggest that VC backed firms, when compared to non-VC backed firms, tend to be younger, typically comprised of assets of greater median book value, and have attained a larger percentage of equity in the IPO's capital structure. Additionally, VC backing often results in the utilization of higher quality underwriters and auditors, while simultaneously experiencing a decrease in costs associated with underpricing and underwriting. Although a few venture capitalists may cash-out of their investment following IPO, the majority of venture capitalists typically maintain their holdings in firms following the initial public offering. (AKP)

PTSD in DSM-III: A Case in the Politics of Diagnosis and Disease

Abstract: The American Psychiatric Association published the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-III) in 1980. Unlike DSM-II, it included the listing “post-traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD). The PTSD diagnosis is the product of a concerted effort to reintroduce war neurosis into the official psychiatric nomenclature. This paper tells the sociological story of who put PTSD in DSM-III and how they did it.

Desulfomonile tiedjei gen. nov. and sp. nov., a novel anaerobic, dehalogenating, sulfate-reducing bacterium

Abstract: An anaerobic, dehalogenating, sulfate-reducing bacterium, strain DCB-1, is described and nutritionally characterized. The bacterium is a Gram-negative, nonmotile, non-sporeforming large rod with an unusual morphological feature which resembles a collar. The microorganism reductively dehalogenates meta substituted halobenzoates and also reduces sulfate, sulfite and thiosulfate as electron acceptors. The bacterium requires nicotinamide, 1,4-naphthoquinone and thiamine for optimal growth in a defined medium. The microorganism can grow autotrophically on H2:CO2 with sulfate or thiosulfate as terminal electron acceptors. It can also grow heterotrophically with pyruvate, several methoxybenzoates, formate plus sulfate or benzoate plus sulfate. It ferments pyruvate to acetate and lactate in the absence of other electron acceptors. The bacterium is inhibited by MoOinf4sup2-or SeOinf4sup2-as well as tetracycline, chloramphenicol, kanamycin or streptomycin. Cytochrome c3 and desulfoviridin have been purified from cells grown in defined medium. 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicates the organism is a new genus of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the delta subdivision of the class Proteobacteria. We propose that the strain be named Desulfomonile tiedjei.

Antibody to signal recognition particle in polymyositis

Abstract: Using immunoprecipitation, we identified 13 patients with antibodies to the signal recognition particle (SRP) from a collection of sera representing 265 polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) patients. Antibody reactivity with SRP was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoprecipitation with isolated dog pancreas SRP. The antibody was present in the serum of 4% of PM/DM patients, and 18% of PM/DM patients with anticytoplasmic antibodies other than anti-Jo-1, but not in patients with other conditions who had anticytoplasmic antibodies. Anti-SRP was associated with classic adult PM, and some of these cases were unusually severe and/or of rapid onset; it was not found in patients with overlap syndromes or with DM involvement. Unlike patients with antibodies to aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetases, patients with anti-SRP had a low frequency of pulmonary fibrosis, as well as of arthritis and Raynaud's phenomenon. Anti-SRP antibodies may serve as a marker for a second, distinct subgroup of adult PM.

Carbon isotope composition of individual amino acids in the Murchison meteorite

Abstract: A SIGNIFICANT portion of prebiotic organic matter on the early Earth may have been introduced by carbonaceous asteroids and comets1. The distribution and stable-isotope composition of individual organic compounds in carbonaceous meteorites, which are thought to be derived from asteroidal parent bodies, may therefore provide important information concerning mechanistic pathways for prebiotic synthesis2 and the composition of organic matter on Earth before living systems developed3. Previous studies11, 12 have shown that meteorite amino acids are enriched in 13C relative to their terrestrial counterparts, but individual species were not distinguished. Here we report the 13C contents of individual amino acids in the Murchison meteorite. The amino acids are enriched in 13C, indicating an extraterrestrial origin. Alanine is not racemic, and the 13C enrichment of its D- and L-enantiomers implies that the excess of the L-enantiomer is indigenous rather than terrestrial contamination, suggesting that optically active materials were present in the early Solar System before life began.

Nonverbal Expectancies and the Evaluative Consequences of Violations

Abstract: This report reviews the construct of expectancy and its relevance to understanding communication phenomena. Given the shortage of empirically based knowledge about what constitute expected and unexpected interpersonal behaviors and how they are evaluated, a two-part experiment was conducted to determine the expectedness and evaluation of three nonverbal variables: touch, conversational distance, and posture. The possible moderating effects of communicator attractiveness, status, and gender were also examined. Respondents (N = 622) viewed photographs of an attractive or unattractive male or female stimulus interacting with a male or female partner, attributed to be of same, higher, or lower status, who displayed one of seven forms of touch or one of nine combinations of posture and proximity. Respondents rated the appropriateness, typicality, and desirability of the observed behavior. Results demonstrated that several behaviors are expected and positively valenced, while others qualify as positive or negative violations of expectations. Attractiveness influenced expectancies and evaluations; gender and status had limited effects. Implications for information processing and nonverbal expectancy violations theory are discussed.

Growth changes in the soft tissue facial profile.

Abstract: Longitudinal growth changes in the soft tissue profile of 40 caucasians between the ages of 7 and 18 were studied. The sample consisted of 17 males and 23 females who had Class I dentitions and balanced faces at age 7 and 18 years. None of the subjects received any orthodontic treatment. Cephalometric radiographs were available, as a rule, on a yearly basis. Soft tissue thickness, measured at the nose, upper lip, lower lip and chin, as well as the length of the upper and lower lip, all increased by varying amounts over the period of the study. Females acquired more growth as a percentage of their adult size (at age 18) than males in all variables except the angle of inclination of the skeletal chin which increased more in males. The largest increase in relative size was noted in the nose measurements. In males, the nose had not attained adult size even at age 18. Upper lip length growth, on the other hand, in both males and females was complete by the 15th year. The difference between male and female lip length growth was clinically significant; the average aggregate increase in upper and lower lips combined in males was 6.9 millimeters compared to 2.65 millimeters in females. The total gain in thickness at laberale superius was over four times as much in males as in females and continued to increase in males even at age 18. The change in thickness of the soft tissue at pogonion was not large, an average of 2.4 millimeters in males and 1.5 millimeters in females. The major contribution to the anterior growth of the chin was translatory, contributed largely by growth in the skeletal length from pogonion to pterygomaxillary plane.

Monogamy and long-term pair bonding in vertebrates.

Abstract: The term 'monogamy' represents a complex of mating systems that has been relalively neglected. Monogamy is generally associated with significant biparental care and is most common among birds. Recent work has addressed such aspects as the evolutionary incentives for (and value of) contributions by the male parent, how the distributions of females and critical nesting resources can promote monogamy, male defense of genetic paternity, the causes of long-term mate-retention in certain species, and the subtle means by which sexual selection operates within basically monogamous systems. New advances in testing genetic relatedness, especially DNA fingerprinting, promise much for the assessment of individual costs and benefits of monogamy.

Pharmacokinetics of recombinant interleukin 2 in humans.

Abstract: This report summarizes the pharmacokinetics in humans of recombinant interleukin 2 (IL-2) given as an iv bolus, iv or ip infusion, and im or sc injection Immediately after an iv bolus the serum IL-2 level equals the dose divided by the plasma volume, in a typical human 650 units/ml for a dose of 10(6) units/m2 The level initially decreases with a half-life of 129 min, followed by a slower phase with a half-life of 85 min out to 4 h after the bolus The median steady state level during an iv infusion of 10(6) units/m2 over 6 h is 41 units/ml A clearance rate of approximately 120 ml/min is obtained from either the iv bolus or infusion data and is consistent with the renal filtration being the major route of clearance Serum levels remain fairly constant for about 8 h after sc or im injection but are approximately 2% of the level seen immediately after an iv bolus The area under the time-concentration curve suggests that about 30% of the IL-2 activity is transported from the site of an im injection to the blood After ip infusion IL-2 is only slowly transported to the blood The median serum IL-2 levels are 430-fold lower than levels in the ip fluid and decrease with a median half-life of 63 h

Properties of the biosurfactant produced by Bacillus licheniformis strain JF-2.

Abstract: The activity of the biosurfactant produced byBacillus licheniformis strain JF-2 was quantified using a unit defined as the amount of the acid-precipitated biosurfactant that lowered the surface tension by 10 mN/m. One unit was equivalent to 37 μg/ml of the acid-precipitated biosurfactant. Acid precipitation was very effective in the removal of the biosurfactant from the spent medium. Among the solvents tested methanol was the most efficient in extracting the surfactant activity from acid-precipitated material. Thin-layer chromatography of the acid-precipitated biosurfactant revealed four components, two of which contained a lipid moiety and one of which contained an amino group. The methanol-soluble fraction also contained these four components. Studies suggested that all four components were needed for full activity. The lowest interfacial tensions against octane were observed when NaCl concentrations were 50 g/l or greater. Calcium concentrations greater than 25 g/l significantly increased the interfacial tension

Application of the Piecewise Parabolic Method (PPM) to meteorological modeling

Abstract: The Piecewise Parabolic Method (PPM), a numerical technique developed in astrophysics for modeling fluid flows with strong shocks and discontinuities is adapted for treating sharp gradients in small-scale meteorological flows. PPM differs substantially from conventional gridpoint techniques in three ways. First, PPM is a finite volume scheme, and thus represents physical variables as averages over a grid zone rather than single values at discrete points. Second, a unique, monotonic parabola is fit to the zone average of each dependent variable using information from neighboring zone averages. As shown in a series of one- and two-dimensional linear advection experiments, the use of parabolas provides for extremely accurate advection, particularly of sharp gradients. Furthermore, the monotonicity constraint renders PPM's solutions free from Gibbs oscillations. PPM's third attribute is that each zone boundary is treated as a discontinuity. Using the method of characteristic the nonlinear flux of qua...

Autoantibodies to aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetases for isoleucine and glycine. Two additional synthetases are antigenic in myositis.

Abstract: Autoantibodies to three of the aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetases have been reported (for histidine, threonine, and alanine). Most patients with these autoantibodies have polymyositis, and the majority also have interstitial lung disease. This study examined the question of whether autoantibodies to other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases occur in the sera of myositis patients. We tested sera from patients with myositis with unidentified anticytoplasmic antibodies that immunoprecipitate tRNA for the ability to inhibit the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases for the remaining 17 amino acids. Three sera showed strong inhibitory activity for a synthetase. OJ and NJ sera (and IgG) significantly inhibited isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase activity, each with 94% inhibition at the screening dilution, whereas other test sera and controls all inhibited less than 50%. OJ and NJ sera immunoprecipitated identical patterns of tRNA, and identical, complex patterns of high m.w. polypeptides that were consistent with the multienzyme synthetase complex of which isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase is a part. EJ serum (and IgG) significantly inhibited glycyl-tRNA synthetase, and immunoprecipitated a unique pattern of transfer RNA, and a strong predominant protein band of 77 kDa. These data strongly suggest that OJ and NJ have autoantibodies to isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase, and that EJ has antibodies to glycyl-tRNA synthetase. The findings of signs of muscle involvement in all three patients, and severe interstitial lung disease in OJ, strengthens the association of antisynthetases with these conditions.

Genomic organization of the selectin family of leukocyte adhesion molecules on human and mouse chromosome 1.

Abstract: A structurally and functionally related group of genes, lymph node homing receptor (LHR), granule membrane protein 140 (GMP-140), and endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule 1 (ELAM-1) are shown to constitute a gene cluster on mouse and human chromosome 1. In situ hybridization mapped GMP-140 to human chromosome 1 bands 21-24 consistent with chromosomal localization of LHR. Gene linkage analysis in the mouse indicated that these genes and serum coagulation factor V (FV) all map to a region of distal mouse chromosome 1 that is syntenic with human chromosome 1, with no crossovers identified between these four genes in 428 meiotic events. Moreover, long range restriction site mapping demonstrated that these genes map to within 300 kb in both the human and mouse genomes. These data suggest that LHR, ELAM-1, and GMP-140 comprise an adhesion protein family, the selectins, that arose by multiple gene duplication events before divergence of mouse and human. Furthermore, the location of these genes on mouse and human chromosome 1 is consistent with a close evolutionary relationship to the complement receptor-related genes, which also are positioned on the same chromosomes in both species and with which these genes share a region of sequence homology. These data characterize the organization of a genomic region that may be critical for intercellular communication within the immune system.

Two-photon production of pion pairs.

Abstract: We present a new high-statistics measurement of the cross section for the process {ital e}{sup +}{ital e}{sup {minus}}{r arrow}{ital e}{sup +}{ital e}{sup {minus}}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup {minus}} at a center-of-mass energy of 29 GeV for invariant pion-pair masses {ital M}({pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup {minus}}) between 350 MeV/{ital c}{sup 2} and 1.6 GeV/{ital c}{sup 2}. We observe the {ital f}{sub 2}(1270) and measure its radiative width to be 3.15{plus minus}0.04{plus minus}0.39 keV. We also observe an enhancement in the {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup {minus}} spectrum near 1 GeV. General agreement is found with unitarized models of the {gamma}{gamma}{r arrow}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup {minus}} reaction that include final-state interactions.

New insights into the astrophysical r-process

Abstract: Elements heavier than iron are known to be made partly by rapid neutron capture—the astrophysical r-process. New data from nuclear experiments and astronomical observations may allow some of the proposed astrophysical sites for the r-process to be ruled out and suggest that these elements are mostly produced in type II supernovae.

Infection of vascular endothelial cells with herpes simplex virus enhances tissue factor activity and reduces thrombomodulin expression.

Abstract: Latent infection of vascular cells with herpes-viruses may play a pathogenic role in the development of human atherosclerosis. In a previous study, we found that cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) infected with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) became procoagulant, exemplified both by their enhanced assembly of the prothrombinase complex and by their inability to reduce adhesion of platelets. We now report two further procoagulant consequences of endothelial HSV infection: loss of surface thrombomodulin (TM) activity and induction of synthesis of tissue factor. Within 4 hr of infection of HUVECs, TM activity measured by thrombin-dependent protein C activation declined 21 +/- 3% (P less than 0.05) and by 18 hr, 48 +/- 5% (P less than 0.001). Similar significant TM decrements accompanied infection of bovine aortic endothelial cells. Identical TM loss was induced with HSV-2 infection but not with adenovirus infection. Decreased surface expression of TM antigen (measured by the specific binding of a polyclonal antibody to bovine TM) closely paralleled the loss of TM activity. As examined by Northern blotting, these losses apparently reflected rapid onset (within 4 hr of HSV infection) loss of mRNA for TM. In contrast, HSV infection induced a viral-dose-dependent increase in synthesis of tissue factor protein, adding to the procoagulant state. The results indicate that loss of endothelial protein-synthetic capacity is not a universal effect of HSV infection. We suggest that the procoagulant state induced by reduction in TM activity and amplified tissue factor activity accompanying HSV infection of endothelium could contribute to deposition of thrombi on atherosclerotic plaques and to the "coagulant-necrosis" state that characterizes HSV-infected mucocutaneous lesions.

Measurement Errors in the Behavioral Sciences: The Case of Personality/Attitude Research:

Abstract: It has been established that construct measures often contain measurement error and method effects. However, the extent of these measurement problems and their effects on personality constructs has not been fully examined. In this study, an analysis of published data sets affords estimates of the amount of trait, method, and error variance of measures used in the social/behavioral sciences. It was found that traits accounted for less than 50 percent of the variance in construct measures among the entire group of data sets included in the study. Measures of attitudes and personality variables contain considerably less trait variance. Implications for theory testing are discussed.

High efficiency introduction of plasmid DNA into glycine treated Enterococcus faecalis by electroporation.

Abstract: A highly efficient electroporation system for Enterococcus faecalis was developed by systematically optimizing different parameters. One parameter found to be particularly critical for electroporation was cultivation of E. faecalis in medium containing a high glycine concentration, prior to electroporation. Osmotic stabilization of cells with 0.5 M sucrose was also found to be critical during glycine treatment. 106 transformants per microgram of plasmid DNA were consistently obtained within 48 h. Electrocompetent preparations of E. faecalis could be stored at −70° C without loss of competence.

Uncertainty in the dempster-shafer theory: a critical re-examination

Abstract: Measures of two types of uncertainty that coexist in the Dempster-Shafer theory are overviewed. A measure of one type of uncertainty, which expresses nonspecificity of evidential claims, is well justified on both intuitive and mathematical grounds. Proposed measures of the other types of uncertainty, which atlempt to capture conflicts among evidential claims, are shown to have some deficiencies. To alleviate these deficiencies, a new measure is proposed. This measure, which is called a measure of discord, is not only satisfactory on intuitive grounds, but has also desirable mathematical properties. A measure of total uncertainty, which is defined as the sum of nonspecificity and discord, is also discussed. The paper focuses on conceptual issues. Mathematical properties of the measure of discord are only slated; their proofs are given in a companion paper.15

Numerical prediction of thunderstorms—has its time come?

Abstract: An approach to developing numerical prediction of convective storms and storm environments over the next decade is outlined. the principal scientific challenges are described, along with some early progress made in meeting them.

Melt blowing: General equation development and experimental verification

Abstract: A model has been developed for steady polymer melt blowing. This model includes the dominant effect that the forwarding air has upon the process. Inertial, gravitational and heat transfer effects are also included. The model equations are solved numerically with both Newtonian and viscoelastic (Phan-Thien and Tanner) constitutive equations. The predicted results compare favorably with actual experimental data.