Afterburner [network-independent card for protocols]

Many current implementations of protocols such as the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) are inefficient because data are often accessed more frequently than necessary. Three techniques that reduce the need for memory bandwidth are proposed. The techniques are copy-on-write, page remapping, and single-copy. Afterburner, a network-independent card that provides the services that are necessary for a single-copy protocol stack, is described. The card has 1 MByte of local buffers and provides a simple interface to a variety of network link adapters, including HIPPI and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). Afterburner can support transfers to and from the link adapter card at rates up to 1 Gbit/s. An implementation of TCP/IP that uses the features provided by Afterburner to reduce the movement of data to a single copy is discussed. Measurements of the end-to-end performance of Afterburner and the single-copy implementation of TCP/IP are presented     

Dynamical considerations of network properties

Elasticity is discussed as an aspect of viscoelasticity, which is described by the tube model. The effects of both crosslinks and entanglements contribute to this model and a discussion of how these effects can be quantified is given. At high enough concentration, entanglements ensure the existence of elastic effects even without crosslinks, and a theory is presented on how this dynamical phase change comes about.     

The greenhouse effect; Impact upon and the role to be played by construction

The authors highlight several possible ways in which the construction industry could lower present emissions of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. It is an excellent discussion document and is recommended reading.     

The intracorporeal ultraviolet irradiation of the blood and its effect on the immune status in patients with a surgical infection

A dynamic investigation was done of the immunologic status in 75 patients with purulent surgical lesions of soft tissues. Applied in the complex of therapeutic measures was intracorporeal irradiation of blood with ultraviolet light under control of partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The above irradiation was found out to make for a more rapid and marked stabilization of bodily immunologic status.     

AIDS; new developments. I. HIV tests: time for a more active policy

Until recently, an HIV test was of limited importance for persons who had been at risk for HIV as effective drugs were not available. With the advent of a new generation of antiretroviral drugs with beneficial effect after early treatment, knowledge of the HIV serostatus has become of more importance to asymptomatic persons. There is no need for a mass screening campaign however, as there is no cure as yet.     

The current and future role of the Internet in patient education

The Internet technology known as the World Wide Web is rapidly emerging as the most powerful medium of mass communication this century and it can be harnessed to dispense global, cost-effective, high-quality, multimedia patient education material. This paper reviews how the Internet has progressed from delivering simple static, text-based material to sophisticated interactive Web sites based on CGI Technology. Interactive Web sites can be used to deliver health assessment questionnaires and Web-based decision-support systems can give patients advice on the emergency management of acute medical problems. The advantages and drawbacks of this new technology, including information regulation and quality are discussed. The role of the Hospital Intranet as a patient education resource is described. The paper concludes by illustrating how patients can appreciate the 3-D structure of bones and organs using virtual reality in a VRML Web environment.     

Cdc34 and the F-box protein Met30 are required for degradation of the Cdk-inhibitory kinase Swe1

Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis controls the abundance of many cell cycle regulatory proteins. Recent work in Saccharomyces cerevisiae suggests that a complex consisting of Cdc53, Skp1, and a third component known as an F-box protein (termed SCF) in combination with Cdc34 specifically targets regulatory proteins for degradation, and that substrate specificity is likely to be mediated by the F-box subunit. A screen for genetic interactions with a cdc34 mutation yielded MET30, which encodes an F-box protein. MET30 is an essential gene required for cell cycle progression and met30 mutations interact genetically with mutations in SCF components. Furthermore, physical interactions between Met30, Cdc53, Cdc34, and Skp1 in vivo provide evidence for an SCFMet30 complex. We demonstrate the involvement of Met30 in the degradation of the Cdk-inhibitory kinase Swe1. Swe1 is stabilized in met30 mutants and GST-Met30 pull-down experiments reveal that Met30 specifically binds Swe1 in vivo. Furthermore, extracts prepared from cdc34 or met30 mutants are defective in polyubiquitination of Swe1. Taken together, these data suggest that SCF-mediated proteolysis may contribute to the regulation of entry into mitosis. Our data, in combination with previously published results, also provide evidence for distinct SCF complexes in vivo and support the idea that their F-box subunits mediate SCF substrate specificity.