cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of a stratified oxidative stress model to study the biological effects of ambient concentrated and diesel exhaust particulate matter

Although several epidemiological studies have shown a positive relationship between exposure to ambient air particulate matter (PM) and adverse health effects in humans, there is still a fundamental lack of understanding of the most toxic particle components and the biological mechanisms through which they act. Since our studies on the biological effects of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) have highlighted the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS), catalyzed by organic chemical compounds, we set out to establish whether this constitutes an oxidative stress model that can be used to study the biological effects of ambient coarse and fine PM. We demonstrate that organic DEP extracts induce a stratified oxidative stress response, leading to heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) expression at normal GSH/ GSSG ratios, proceed to Jun kinase activation and interleukin 8 (IL-8) production at intermediary oxidative stress levels, and culminate in cellular apoptosis in parallel with a sharp decline in GSH/GSSG ratios. We demonstra...
Penicillin allergy skin testing: what do we do now?

Drug-induced anaphylaxis remains a relatively infrequent event. However, penicillin and associated β-lactam antibiotics remain a primary cause of anaphylaxis. Penicillin allergies are undoubtedly overreported, and patients with suspected penicillin allergy can be treated with antibiotic alternatives. Penicillin allergy skin testing is a simple and effective way to identify true penicillin allergy. Skin testing involves testing for both major and minor determinants and should be conducted in a facility with available life-support equipment. The commercial major determinant product, benzylpenicilloyl-polylysine, was removed from the market in 2004; this action compromised the ability of clinicians to evaluate a patient's likely response to penicillin therapy. Alternatives to skin testing include laboratory synthesis of major determinants, use of the radioallergosorbent test (RAST), or a combination of RAST and minor determinant skin testing. Patients with suspected penicillin allergy can undergo desensitization if they require penicillin therapy. The planned return of a commercial major determinant will hopefully resolve this issue.
Thermal diffusivity of particulate composites made from aluminum oxide and nickel aluminide by a photothermal deflection technique

Abstract The photothermal deflection technique is used to measure the thermal diffusivity of a metal-ceramic composite. The present, as well as other data on composites are analyzed to estimate a value for the Kapitza radius, r k , which represents the effective value of the thermal boundary resistance of heterointerfaces. Remarkably, the data from different metal-ceramic composite materials lead to a similar value (within a factor of about two), r k ≈ 1 μm. Possible reasons for this outcome are discussed in terms of the acoustic mismatch model for thermal boundary resistance. Analysis of the data also suggests possible anomalous effects in nanostructured materials. © 1997 Acta Metallurgica Inc.
Information sharing in community-based multi-organizational networks

Combating complex social issues such as homelessness, gang violence, or child sex trafficking requires complex coordination on a range of levels and interactions. From individuals engaging with other individuals (person-to-person), to multiple organizations interacting with groups of other organizations (network-to-network), the coordination activities occurring at these various levels include both the formal (contracts, policies) and the informal (ad hoc, spontaneous). Some of the outcomes of coordination activity at these varying levels can be policy changes (revision to laws), resource gathering (e.g. food banks), demonstrations or protests, petitions, or the establishment of victim-care and victim-prevention processes. Given the complexity of coordination and the wide-range of interactions occurring at many different levels, breakdowns in coordination are inevitable. However, there are gaps in understanding coordination in networks that are goal-driven, largely informal and seeking to act collectively over an extended period of time (unlike one-time coordination such as flash mobs). To address some of these gaps, I am currently conducting a case study exploration of a network of multiple organizations and individuals that are coordinating to eradicate child sex trafficking from their community.
Transition Probabilities to Dependency, Institutionalization, and Death among the Elderly Over a Decade

This article provides data, based on the Massachusetts Health Care Panel Study, on the probabilities that elderly people living in the community make transitions to dependency, institutionalization, or death over a 10-year interval. Assessments of dependency, as classified by Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), are particularly important because they have been proposed as criteria to determine beneficiary eligibility to receive long-term care (LTC) services. After age and gender were controlled, the best predictors of subsequent status were initial ADL status, hospitalization or institutionalization in the year prior to baseline, self-reported health status at baseline, and poverty at baseline. These data can be used as the basis for actuarial estimates for long-term care policies, whether public or private LTC insurance or self-insurance options, such as continuing care retirement communities or life care at home. The uses and implications of these findings are discussed.
The status of infant mortality in Sweden and the United States.

A study was made of live birth rates, infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death rates, late fetal death ratios, and perinatal death ratios for Sweden and the United States for selected years, 1950–1973. Sweden has lower live birth rates, infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death rates, as well as lower perinatal death ratios. Data available on low-birth-weight live births for selected years, 1959–1970, for both countries indicated that rates in the United States were almost twice those in Sweden. Implications of these findings for the United States are discussed in light of the quanlity, quality, and delivery of health care services, as well as of other factors in Sweden.
Evidence for the oxidation of glycolytic NADH by the malate-aspartate shuttle in ehrlich ascites tumor cells

Abstract Actively glycolyzing Ehrlich-Lettre ascites tumor cells have been tested for their ability to reoxidize into the mitochondria reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by the malate-aspartate shuttle. The aspartate transaminase inhibitor aminooxyacetate has been used as a tool for evaluating it. Measurements of the free cytosolic (NADH) ( NAD + ) ratio indicate that it increases gradually in the inhibitor-treated cells up to a value about ninefold higher than in the controls after 30 min of glycolytic activity. Fructose 1, 6-diphosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate reach a steady-state level after 5 min of incubation in the untreated cells, whereas they accumulate in large amounts in the inhibited cells. Correspondingly, a decrease in 3-phosphoglycerate concentration is observed. On the other hand, the rate of glucose utilization is affected slightly only during long observation times. From these results it may be established that in Ehrlich ascites cells reducing equivalents generated in the cytosol during aerobic glycolysis strongly influence the NAD redox state when their intramitochondrial translocation is prevented by the inactivation of the malate-aspartate shuttle.
Urban land value functions and the price elasticity of demand for housing

The structural characteristics of an urban area are determined to a great extent by the spatial pattern of land values. It is thus important to develop urban land value functions which accurately describe the spatial structure of cities. This paper provides evidence on the functional form of the relationship between land values and distance from the city center. Using historical data for Chicago, the Box and Cox transformation technique is employed to examine the land value function. The functional form parameter can be used to determine the price elasticity of demand for housing.
Lacrimal Intubation in the Primary Repair of Midfacial Fractures

Midfacial trauma causes a variety of functional and cosmetic problems that concern many surgical specialties. Fractures of the lacrimal sac fossa and lacrimal canal and compromise of the intrinsic membranous pathways are frequently not addressed, requiring late lacrimal bypass surgery in many cases. Silicone intubation of 11 disrupted distal pathways was performed as part of the primary, interdisciplinary repair of midfacial fractures. Revision of two systems was necessitated by later surgery performed for unrelated problems. In the remaining nine primarily intubated systems, patency was maintained in long-term follow-up. The role of the ophthalmic surgeon in the recognition and primary intubation of fractured distal lacrimal pathways should be stressed among colleagues in otolaryngology, plastic surgery, and maxillofacial surgery.
Thermal and Dynamics Analysis of Meniscus-Controlled Materials Processing

Fundamental physical processes involved in meniscus-controlled materials processing include meniscus formation and dynamics, movement of solidification interface, and the interaction at the crystal-liquid-vapor tri-junction. Final product shape that can be grown by different techniques depends on the meniscus shape, heat transfer and solidification interface. The fluid flow and heat transfer in the melt and dynamics of meniscus are critical for determining the stable growth conditions for better quality of the grown crystals. In this paper, a theoretical thermal and dynamic model have been developed to describe the heat transfer and dynamics of meniscus and its interaction with solidification. A simplified form of the model will also be developed to allow the investigation of ribbon (or tube) growth that exhibits one-dimensional feature in the most regions. This model will be used to conduct parametric study, and the important process and geometry conditions will be investigated such as the crystal dimension, die-top height, pull rate, and die-top temperature. The dynamic response of meniscus to the potential perturbations during growth such as pull rate and die-top temperature variations, and misalignment between the die and silicon tube will be investigated extensively. From this study, an operating window for stable meniscus will be obtained, and growth procedure that leads to improving the grown crystal quality will be identified.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
A Metabolic Murder Mystery: A Case-Based Experiment for the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory

In 1990, a woman was wrongly convicted of poisoning her infant son and was sentenced to life in prison. Her conviction was based on laboratory work that wrongly identified ethylene glycol as present in her son’s blood and in the formula he drank prior to his death. The actual cause of the infant’s death, a metabolic disease, was eventually disclosed as a result of analytical work done by scientists who believed the mother was wrongly convicted. On the basis of the scientists’ work, the conviction was overturned. This real-life case serves as the launching point for a biochemistry laboratory experiment, which uses polymerase chain reaction. Students design their own primers, amplify two biological samples, and analyze the results by gel electrophoresis to determine if their patient has a genetic mutation. This genetic mutation causes the metabolic disease, which if present can be used to “solve” the case.
Effect of selective hippocampal lesions in the rat on acquisition, performance, and extinction of bar pressing on a fixed ratio schedule.

Rats with bilateral anterior and posterior hippocampal lesions (APH), anterior hippocampal lesions (AH), and controls were trained on CRF for water, and then switched to FR-20. Both hippocampal groups adapted more readily than controls to the FR-20 schedule and maintained significantly higher rates for 45 days. There were no significant differences on FR-20 between the lesion groups. Following FR-20, the rates of all groups were equalized by training on FR-30. During subsequent extinction, the APH group made significantly more responses than both the AH and control groups, while AH and control groups were indistinguishable. The acquisition results were interpreted as indicating increased emotional reactivity to delay of anticipated reward in both hippocampally lesioned groups. The extinction results suggested that APH, but not AH, lesions also result in increased perseveration.
Influence of an electric or magnetic field on the liquid–solid transformation in materials and on the microstructure of the solid

Abstract The influence of an electric or magnetic field on the liquid–solid transformation in materials and the microstructure of the resulting solid is reviewed. In the case of metals , electromigration in the liquid produced substantial changes in composition due to differences in ionic mobility. Further, both a small, continuous d.c. current (∼0.1 A cm −2 ) and high density (∼10 3 A cm −2 ) electropulsing refined the microstructure of castings. A magnetic field (>1 T) applied during directional solidification significantly reduced the convective flow in the melt and distorted the cellular array, but did not affect the dendritic array, nor the macrosegregation. The mechanisms by which these effects on the microstructure occur are not clear. In the case of electropulsing, the influence of the current appears to be to enhance the nucleation rate and at the higher current densities to deform and fracture dendrites by the pinch effect. The influence of a magnetic field appears to be largely due to the Lorentz forces which are established between the motion of the conductive melt and the applied field. Regarding semiconductors , an electric current of 1–10 A cm −2 enhanced the growth rate of GaAs single crystals on a substrate and reduced the dislocation density in the product. Theoretical treatments of these effects are in good accord with the experimental results. In the case of polymers , an electric field of ∼1 V cm −1 ‘pulled’ a camphor single crystal from a solution of camphor in CCl 4 . The mechanism by which this interesting phenomenon occurs still needs to be established.
Nuclear magnetic resonance in gallium phosphide

Abstract Pulsed and CW measurements have been made of the nuclear magnetic resonances of 69Ga, 71Ga, and 31P in polycrystalline GaP. The resonance line shapes are approximately Gaussian with line widths ~ 10 per cent greater than the calculated dipolar widths. The origin of the additional broadening is discussed and compared with line broadening observed in other III–V semiconductors. Positive frequency shifts of the gallium resonances in GaP relative to GaCl3 of Δv ( 69 Ga) = 0.65 ± 0.07 kc s and Δν ( 71 Ga) = 0·95 ± 0·07 kc s are observed. The spin-lattice relaxation times T1 have been measured using pulsed n.m.r. techniques. The phosphorus T1 temperature independent between 77–462°K and is attributed to spin-diffusion limited relaxation via paramagnetic impurities. The gallium relaxation arises from time-dependent quadrupole interactions and in the range 77–700°K can be fitted to Van Kranendonk's temperature dependence for a two-phonon relaxation process using a Debye temperature Θ ~ 400°K. Quadrupolar relaxation in strongly covalently bonded crystals is discussed briefly.
Courting His Majesty: USAED in King Hassan's Morocco

Thus history suggests that dictators come in two types: one whose personal objectives often conflict with [economic] growth promotion and another whose interests dictate a preoccupation with economic development. The theory that determines which kind of dictatorship will prevail is missing. Absent this theory, the choice of a dictatorship can be viewed as a risky investment; economic outcomes may be very good or very bad but are surely uncertain
Condensational Growth of Combination Drug-Excipient Submicrometer Particles for Targeted High Efficiency Pulmonary Delivery: Comparison of CFD Predictions with Experimental Results

Purpose The objective of this study was to investigate the hygroscopic growth of combination drug and excipient submicrometer aerosols for respiratory drug delivery using in vitro experiments and a newly developed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model.
The rush to replace Trident

The question of replacing the UK Trident submarines involves science, technology, national security and international policy. But before the vote, did parliament have access to crucial information? Did the Ministry of Defence?
A thin layer chromatography laboratory experiment of medical importance

A thin layer chromatography experiment of medical importance is described. The experiment involves extraction of lipids from simulated amniotic fluid samples followed by separation, detection, and scanning of the lecithin and sphingomyelin bands on TLC plates. The lecithin-to-sphingomyelin ratio is calculated. The clinical significance of this number is discussed. Since this is a procedure that is often performed in medical laboratories, most of the supplies and materials for the experiment are commercially available in kit form.
Short-Circuit Protection for Direct-Current Substations

The author includes an outline of the progress made in protection of direct-current machinery from short circuits since the publication of a paper at Atlantic City on this subject. The improvements mentioned include the refinement and perfection in details of the flash barriers; a new design of high-speed circuit breaker for both direct-current substations and electric locomotives; a new high reluctance commutating pole for 60-cycle synchronous converters and a new design of protected brush holder. An instructive analysis of conditions during direct-current short circuits is shown by several photographs, oscillographs and diagrams. Special reference is made to operating results on the electric zone of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad.
A Situated Cognitive Model of the Routine Evolution of Skills

This paper presents a cognitive model for the routine evolution of skills in a photocopying task. In the classic study by Agre and Shrager (1990), it was found that although speedup in performance conformed to the power law of practice, microgenetic activities of the subject showed multiple stages of qualitative changes as the subject repeated the same task. The evolution of skills was shown to be more appropriately characterized by a “situated”, dialectic relationship between the subject and the environment than by a set of general mental mechanisms as in traditional theories of skill acquisition. This paper attempts to bridge the gap between these two perspectives of skill acquisition by showing how the dialectic relationship can be characterized by a traditional information processing model by making a few additional assumptions of the relationship between the human and the environment. A model based on the ACT-R architecture was constructed, which provided good fits, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to the data collected by Agre and Shrager. The model demonstrated how multiple mechanisms could be implemented in a cognitive architecture to explain both qualitative and quantitative changes at both the macro and micro levels of analysis. Implications to human factors research are discussed.
Incorporation of uracil-14C into nucleic acids in Escherichia coli infected with bacteriophage T4 and T4 amber mutants.

Abstract The synthesis of nucleic acids in Escherichia coli B infected with bacteriophage T4 and T4 amber mutants corresponding to twenty-one different genes has been investigated by following uracil- 14 C incorporation into RNA and DNA. The results on DNA synthesis indicate that seven amber mutants previously classified as unable to induce phage DNA synthesis (DO mutants) actually induce significant incorporation of radioactivity from uracil- 14 C into DNA in the restrictive host, indicating that some DNA synthesis must be occurring in these cells. Five of these were called DS mutants (some DNA synthesis), whereas the remaining could be classified as DD (delayed DNA synthesis), and DA (arrested DNA synthesis), in accordance with existing classifications. Five mutants are true DO mutants. The rate of net incorporation of radioactivity from uracil- 14 C into RNA declines markedly 10 minutes after infection of E. coli B with DO mutants and is barely detectable by 20 minutes after infection. A significant portion of the RNA made early in the infection cycle is eventually degraded when RNA breakdown begins to exceed synthesis at about 10 minutes after infection. Nevertheless, these cells have previously been shown to maintain early enzyme synthesis for extended periods at near normal rates suggesting that the bulk of the RNA made early in infection is not messenger RNA for these early enzymes. Other types of mutants inducing defective DNA synthesis (delayed or arrested DNA synthesis or maturation defective) also show abnormal RNA profiles of various types. All mutants appeared to shut off host RNA synthesis. Uracil uptake by infected cells is strongly linked to nucleic acid synthesis in the cell. When net incorporation of uracil into nucleic acids ceases, uracil uptake also ceases, suggesting stringent control of nucleotide pool sizes in these infected cells.
Users of free treatment slots at a community-based methadone maintenance clinic

At a community-based methadone clinic in Seattle, WA, 360 opiate-addicted individuals were enrolled in a treatment demonstration project. The treatment slots were free to clients and, unlike other funded treatment slots, did not require proof of eligibility based on documentation of indigence. The clients were compared with 70 clients enrolled in a research project begun 2 years earlier in which the sample was drawn from a population using normal funding sources at the same program. Subjects in the later demonstration project were older and had fewer years of education. A higher percentage of the demonstration project subjects were African American. These differences indicate that introduction of free treatment opened opportunities to individuals who have difficulty accessing treatment under normal circumstances. Subjects in the treatment demonstration project were more likely to have obtained needles from legal sources and used bleach to clean needles. These findings probably reflect the impact of needle exchange and outreach programs, established in the year prior to the demonstration project.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dysregulation of cardiac energetics in a mouse model of biliary fibrosis

Cardiac dysfunction is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage liver disease, yet the mechanisms remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that the complex interrelated impairments in cardiac structure and function secondary to progression of liver diseases involve alterations in signaling pathways engaged in cardiac energy metabolism and hypertrophy, augmented by direct effects of high circulating levels of bile acids. Biliary fibrosis was induced in male C57BL/6J mice by feeding a 0.1% 3, 5-diethoxycarbonyl-1, 4-dihydroxychollidine (DDC) supplemented diet. After 3 weeks, mice underwent live imaging (DEXA scanning, 2DEcho, EKG, cardiac MRI), exercise treadmill testing and histological and biochemical analyses of livers and hearts. Compared to chow-fed mice, DDC-fed mice fatigued earlier on the treadmill, with reduced VO2. Marked changes were identified electrophysiologically (bradycardia and prolonged QTc) and functionally (hyperdynamic left ventricular (LV) contractility along with increased LV thickness). Hearts of DDC-fed mice showed hypertrophic signaling (activation of AKT, inhibition of GSK3β and a 20-fold upregulation of β myosin heavy chain RNA) and elevated Gsα/Giα ratio. Genes regulating cardiac fatty acid oxidation pathways were suppressed, along with a 3-fold increase in myocardial glycogen content. Treatment of mouse cardiomyocytes (which express the membrane bile acid receptor TGR5) with potent natural TGR5 agonists, taurochenodeoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid, activated AKT and inhibited GSK3β, similar to the changes seen in DDC-fed mouse hearts. This provides support for a novel mechanism whereby circulating natural bile acids can induce signaling pathways in heart associated with hypertrophy. In conclusion, 3 weeks of DDC feeding-induced biliary fibrosis leads to multiple functional, metabolic, electrophysiological and hypertrophic adaptations in the mouse heart recapitulating some of the features of human cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.
CARDIOVASCULAR ACTIONS OF INSULIN: ARE THEY IMPORTANT IN LONG-TERM BLOOD PRESSURE REGULATION?

1. In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the possibility that insulin may have important cardiovascular as well as metabolic actions. Perhaps the best documented cardiovascular effect of insulin is to cause peripheral vasodilation, especially in skeletal muscle. Hyperinsulinaemia also stimulates sympathetic activity and causes antinatriuresis, but these effects may be linked, at least in part, to the metabolic actions of insulin that elicit peripheral vasodilation and a tendency toward hypotension. Normal, fasting levels of insulin appear to have very little influence on peripheral vascular resistance, sympathetic activity or renal sodium excretion. 2. Decreased sensitivity of the peripheral tissues to the metabolic effects of insulin and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia have been postulated to play key roles in the pathophysiology of diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. Although impaired insulin action (insulin resistance) and hyperinsulinaemia often accompany essential hypertension, especially when associated with obesity, there is currently little direct evidence for a cause and effect relationship between insulin resistance, hyperinsulinaemia and increased arterial pressure. Chronic increases in plasma insulin levels in dogs and humans have not been shown to cause hypertension, although hyperinsulinaemia raises blood pressure in rats. 3. Further research is needed to determine whether there are pathophysiological conditions or genetic factors that may predispose humans to a hypertensive effect of hyperinsulinaemia and/or insulin resistance.
Comparison of culturally deprived school achievers and underachievers on memory function and perception.

S~~mnary.-To compare the memory function and perception of culturally deprived achievers with underachievers, 36 culturally deprived children were assigned to one of two groups according to their achievement level, in relation to their age and IQ. Underachievers were children achieving 6 mo. or more below expected level. Achievers were children achieving within at least 5 mo. of expected level. All subjects were between the ages of 8 and 12 yr. and were in Grades 4, 5, or 6. Four tests were administered, the Block Design and Digit Span subtests of the WISC, Memory-for-Designs, and the Minnesota PerceptoDiagnostic Test. The two groups did not differ on the first three tests, but the achievers performed significantly better on the last test than the underachievers. It was speculated that the differences were related to level of motor execution. Most research with culturally deprived children has indicated that they perform below middle-class children on achievement tests and fail to achieve at grade level in school (Coleman, 1966), and that culturally deprived children, as a group, perform below average on tests of intelligence (Covin & Hatch, 1976; Haggard, 1960; Hartlage, Lucas, & Godwin, 1976). However, Davidson and Greenberg ( 1967), using 160 10-yr.-old fifth graders from New York City, found that some children from deprived backgrounds do indeed succeed in school and perform at the same level as [heir middle-class peers. They also found that the achievers were superior to the underachievers in the areas of memory, attention, and in higher mental processes such as analyzing, organizing, and generalizing. The two groups also differed in their performance on the WISC. The achievers' Verbal and Performance IQs were approximately 20 points higher than the underachievers' with scale scores consistently above the norm, except on Block Design. Further, the achievers performed best on Vocabulary, which was followed by Comprehension, while the underachievers performed best on Comprehension, which was followed by Digit Span. Both groups of children performed poorly on Block Design (achievers' M = 8.5, SD = 2.70; underachievers' M = 6.3, SD = 1.80). It should be noted that achievement in the Davidson and Greenberg study, 3s well as most other srudies, was defined by performance on an achievement test irrespective of intelligence. They defined underachievers as those who performed at least rwo years below grade level on the Metropolitan Achievement Tesc. The low achieving group in their study had low IQs, and it could be hy
Primary bony non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the cervical spine: a case report

Introduction Non-Hodgkin lymphoma primarily originating from the bone is exceedingly rare. To our knowledge, this is the first report of primary bone lymphoma presenting with progressive cord compression from an origin in the cervical spine. Herein, we discuss the unusual location in this case, the presenting symptoms, and the management of this disease.
Distribution and regulation of esterases that hydrolyze methyl farnesoate in Homarus americanus and other crustaceans.

Abstract Ester hydrolysis of methyl farnesoate (MF) by crustacean tissue homogenates was measured using the substrate [ 3 H]MF in a radiochemical partition assay. Tissues were obtained from the lobster Homarus americanus, penaeid shrimp Sicyonia ingentis, thalanassid shrimp Callianassa californiensis, sand crab Emerita analoga, and spider crab Pugettia producta. The greatest specific activities were recovered from the hepatopancreas (239 to 11,500 pmol MF/min-mg total protein). Hepatopancreatic homogenates of C. californiensis were significantly more active than homogenates from the other species. In the lobster, esterases that hydrolyze MF were associated with lipid storage (R) cells of the hepatopancreas. Enzyme activity of lobster larval homogenates increased 1.5-fold during the second stage of development. The rate of MF hydrolysis by esterases extracted from the juvenile lobster hepatopancreas could not be correlated with molt stage or sex and was not significantly influenced by eyestalk ablation, mandibular organ ablation, or MF injection.
Activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in Triton X-100 disrupted NIH-3T3 cells by p21 ras and in vitro by plasma membranes from NIH 3T3 cells

We describe a novel Triton-disrupted mammalian cell system wherein the pathways for activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases (MAPKs) are capable of direct biochemical manipulation in vitro. MAPKs p42mapk and p44mapk are activated in signal transduction cascade(s) initiated by occupancy of plasma membrane receptors for peptide growth factors, hormones, and neurotransmitters. One likely activation pathway for MAPKs consists of sequential activations of c-ras, c-raf-1, and a protein-tyrosine/threonine kinase, MAP kinase kinase. Triton-disrupted cells retained capacity for activation of the pathway by both peptide growth factors and by addition of GTP-loaded p21 rasVal12. Incubation of disrupted cells with an antibody that neutralized the function of c-ras (Y13-259) abolished receptor-mediated stimulation of MAPK as did acute addition of 200 microM azatyrosine. Activation of the pathway was reconstituted in a cell-free system using high-speed supernatants generated from Triton-disrupted cells together with purified plasma membranes from parental cells and as a heterogeneous system using purified plasma membranes from v-ras-transformed cells. These systems will allow biochemical dissection in vitro of the interaction(s) between c-ras and the MAPK pathway in mammalian cells.
Channel Catfish Farming in Ponds: Lessons from a Maturing Industry

In the southeastern United States, the commercial culture of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus has developed into a mature and sustainable industry. This article explores the catfish industry as a case study for the development of a sustainable pond aquaculture industry. The prerequisite knowledge base to support catfish industry development was largely in place by 1960. The industry developed from multiple centers, but became firmly rooted in northwest Mississippi by the mid-1960s. The industry expanded and became progressively more vertically integrated, a process that was completed by the mid-1970s. During the 1980s, industry output expanded at a rate nearly three times greater than the increase in pond area, indicating significant intensification of production, related to the widespread adoption of paddlewheel aeration. Factors that contributed to the success of the channel catfish industry include the characteristics of channel catfish, physical and edaphic factors, personal attributes of farmers, ...
Isolation and antiviral activity of the gymnemic acids

Aus den Blattern vonGymnema sylvestre wurden 4 Gymneasauren (A, B, C und D) isoliert. Die Antivirusaktivitat der Sauren A und B wurde gepruft.
Rapid, large-scale purification and characterization of ‘Ada protein’ (06 methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase) of E.coli

Abstract The E. coli Ada protein (O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase) has been purified using a high-level expression vector with a yield of about 3 mg per liter of E. coli culture. The 39-kDa protein has an extinction coefficient (E280 nm (1%)) of 5.3. Its isoelectric point of 7.1 is lower than that predicted from the amino acid content. The homogeneous Ada protein is fully active as a methyl acceptor from O6-methylguanine in DNA. Its reaction with O6-methylguanine in a synthetic DNA has a second-order rate constant of 1.1 x 10(9) M-1 min-1 at O degree C. Both the native form and the protein methylated at Cys-69 are monomeric. The CD spectrum suggests a low alpha-helical content and the radius of gyration of 23 A indicates a compact, globular shape. The middle region of the protein is sensitive to a variety of proteases, including an endogenous activity in E. coli, suggesting that the protein is composed of N-terminal and C-terminal domains connected by a hinge region. E. coli B has a higher level of this protease than does K12.
Size Adjectives and Adnominal Degree Modification

probably the clearest window avai lable onto how degree modifi cation works. But degree modi fication occurs outside the adj ectival domain as well (a fact noted by Bolin ger 1972, Abney 1987, Deutjes 1997, Kennedy and McNal ly 2004 among oth­ ers) , and the mechani sms that underl ie gradabi lit y in these non-adjectival contexts remain lar gely mysteri ous . The big-pi cture aim of thi s paper is to shed some light onto one comer of this murky area by exa mining a variety of non-ad jectival degree modificati on in which the gradable predicate is pro vided by a noun, and an adjec­ tive serves only to characterize the degree to which the gradable predicate holds . In the compositional semantics ultima tel y proposed here, core properties of thi s con­ struction follow from a restriction on how degrees on one scal e can be mapped to degrees on another and from a close structural paral lel between the nominal and adjectival extended pro jections.
Photosynthetic characteristics of Lactuca serriola L.

Abstract. Gas exchange responses of intact leaves of Lactuca serriola serriola and L. serriola integrifolia were examined. The light, temperature and intercellular CO2 dependence of photosynthesis of these two forms of L. serriola were indistinguishable. Dependence of photosynthesis on leaf temperature differed only slightly between plants grown at approximately 10/3°C and those grown at 33/25°C with the thermal optimum shifting 4°C. Transpiration was shown to increase exponentially with leaf temperature. The gas exchange characteristics of L. serriola are discussed in relation to water relations, carbon gain and compass leaf orientation under field conditions.
A scenario generation tool for DDF simulation testbeds

An interactive tool has been developed for visualizing and creating scaled battlefield based scenarios for use in a simulation testbed to develop and test distributed data fusion and ad-hoc networking algorithms. This paper discuses the design requirements and implementation issues for developing such a tool. Two main design goals were to enable design of complex scenarios in an intuitive and easy fashion, and provide a complete set of decision support utilities. The tool, called SceneGen, supports 3D visualization for creating scenarios and overcoming challenges including geospatial (GIS and Terrain) data management, entity information management and waypoint/path specification. The scenario generator includes a number of sensor and target models and provides database support to manage different fusion and network algorithms. This tool was implemented and tested successfully with several sample scenarios.
Online selection of mediated and domain-specific predictions for improved recommender systems

Recommender systems use a set of reviewers and advice givers with the goal of providing accurate user-dependent product predictions. In general, these systems assign weights to different reviewers as a function of their similarity to each user. As products are known to be from different domains, a recommender system also considers product domain information in its predictions. As there are few reviews compared to the number of products, it is often hard to set the similarity-based weights as there is not a large enough subset of reviewers who reviewed the same products. It has then been recently suggested that not considering domains will increase the amount of reviewer data and the overall prediction accuracy in a mediated way. However, clearly, if different reviewers are similar to a user in each product domain, then domain-specific predictions could be superior to mediated ones. In this paper, we consider two advice giver algorithms to provide domain-specific and mediated predictions. We analyze both advice giver algorithms using large real data sets to characterize when each is more accurate for users. We realize that for a considerable number of users, the domain-specific predictions are possible and more accurate. We then contribute an improved general recommender system algorithm that autonomously selects the most accurate mediated or domain-specific advice giver for each user. We validate our analysis and algorithm using real data sets and show the improved predictions for different users.
Cord Stresses in Inflated Tires

In order to calculate the stresses in the cords of an inflated tire, membrane theory is applied to the cord body. The equation describing the tire surface in terms of tire con struction parameters ...
Controlled synthesis of water-dispersible faceted crystalline copper nanoparticles and their catalytic properties

We report a solution-phase synthetic route to copper nanoparticles with controllable size and shape. The synthesis of the nanoparticles is achieved by the reduction of copper(II) salt in aqueous solution with hydrazine under air atmosphere in the presence of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as capping agent. The results suggest that the pH plays a key role for the formation of pure copper nanoparticles, whereas the concentration of PAA is important for controlling the size and geometric shape of the nanoparticles. The average size of the copper nanoparticles can be varied from 30 to 80 nm, depending on the concentration of PAA. With a moderate amount of PAA, faceted crystalline copper nanoparticles are obtained. The as-synthesized copper nanoparticles appear red in color and are stable for weeks, as confirmed by UV/Vis and X-ray photoemission (XPS) spectroscopy. The faceted crystalline copper nanoparticles serve as an effective catalyst for N-arylation of heterocycles, such as the C--N coupling reaction between p-nitrobenzyl chloride and morpholine producing 4-(4-nitrophenyl)morpholine in an excellent yield under mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, the nanoparticles are proven to be versatile as they also effectively catalyze the three-component, one-pot Mannich reaction between p-substituted benzaldehyde, aniline, and acetophenone affording a 100% conversion of the limiting reactant (aniline).
Policies and Practices Regarding Students With Accents in Speech-Language Pathology Training Programs:

Speech-language pathology (SLP) training programs are the initial gateway for nonnative speakers of English to join the SLP profession. An anonymous web-based survey in New York State examined poli...
Binding of the Essential Saccharomyces cerevisiae Kinetochore Protein Ndc10p to CDEII

Chromosome segregation at mitosis depends critically on the accurate assembly of kinetochores and their stable attachment to microtubules. Analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae kinetochores has shown that they are complex structures containing >/=50 protein components. Many of these yeast proteins have orthologs in animal cells, suggesting that key aspects of kinetochore structure have been conserved through evolution, despite the remarkable differences between the 125-base pair centromeres of budding yeast and the Mb centromeres of animal cells. We describe here an analysis of S. cerevisiae Ndc10p, one of the four protein components of the CBF3 complex. CBF3 binds to the CDEIII element of centromeric DNA and initiates kinetochore assembly. Whereas CDEIII binding by Ndc10p requires the other components of CBF3, Ndc10p can bind on its own to CDEII, a region of centromeric DNA with no known binding partners. Ndc10p-CDEII binding involves a dispersed set of sequence-selective and -nonselective contacts over approximately 80 base pairs of DNA, suggesting formation of a multimeric structure. CDEII-like sites, active in Ndc10p binding, are also present along chromosome arms. We propose that a polymeric Ndc10p complex formed on CDEII and CDEIII DNA is the foundation for recruiting microtubule attachment proteins to kinetochores. A similar type of polymeric structure on chromosome arms may mediate other chromosome-spindle interactions.
Skyline query processing for uncertain data

Recently, several research efforts have addressed answering skyline queries efficiently over large datasets. However, this research lacks methods to compute these queries over uncertain data, where uncertain values are represented as a range. In this paper, we define skyline queries over continuous uncertain data, and propose a novel, efficient framework to answer these queries. Query answers are probabilistic, where each object is associated with a probability value of being a query answer. Typically, users specify a probability threshold, that each returned object must exceed, and a tolerance value that defines the allowed error margin in probability calculation to reduce the computational overhead. Our framework employs an efficient two-phase query processing algorithm.
Age-related variation in isotopic indicators of diet at medieval Kulubnarti, Sudanese Nubia

This study compares trends in dietary composition in two large cemetery populations from the site of Kulubnarti (AD 550–800) in Sudanese Nubia. Bone collagen and bone apatite carbonate were analysed to characterise stable carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotopes. Previous research on these cemeteries has suggested marked differences in nutritional status and health between the populations. Contrary to expectations, there were no significant relationships between any isotopic indicators related to sex or cemetery of burial, suggesting no isotopically-measurable differences in diet. However, collagen δ13C and δ15N were significantly related to age, suggesting age-related differences in protein intake or other factors. Weaning trends are gradual and variable, with the range in δ15N values exceeding 4‰ among infants/young children (0–3 yrs) and standard deviations exceeding 1‰ in collagen δ13C and δ15N for both infants/young children and subadults (4–17 yrs). This suggests varied weaning strategies among both populations and variable diets prior to adulthood. Also observed was a distinct range of isotopic carbon and nitrogen values among individuals classified as subadults (4–17 yrs), who are depleted in collagen δ13C and δ15N relative to adults. However, both infants/young children and subadults are slightly enriched in δ18O relative to adults, which suggests the presence of non-local individuals or age-related variation in water sources. While most isotopic studies of age-related dietary trends have focused on reconstructing the weaning process, this study presents findings that indicate tripartite isotopic trends distinguishing infancy, subadulthood and adulthood as separate dietary categories. Broad similarities are evident between the results presented here and those from several earlier studies of smaller populations and to nutritional studies of modern communities. These findings suggest that further research into health disparities at Kulubnarti should focus on non-dietary causal factors, and more generally, that greater attention should be paid to subadulthood in palaeodiet studies. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Degenerate four-wave mixing in azo-dye-doped polymer films

We report experimental results for the third-order nonlinear properties of thin polymer films doped with azo dyes, which have long-lived triplet states and can undergo reversible photochromic reactions. Cast films of Disperse Red 1 and Methyl Red in polystyrene and polymethyl methacrylate were investigated by degenerate four-wave mixing with a low-power cw mode-locked laser. Polarization properties and the time dependence of the laser-induced gratings were investigated, and results were compared with those obtained for liquid solutions of the dye in the respective monomers. A phase-conjugate reflectivity of 1% was observed for Disperse Red 1 in polystyrene, with no long-term degradation under laser irradiation.
Exchange of P/V genes between two non-cytopathic simian virus 5 variants results in a recombinant virus that kills cells through death pathways that are sensitive to caspase inhibitors.

The paramyxovirus Simian virus 5 (SV5) is largely non-cytopathic in human epithelial and fibroblast cells. WF-PIV has been described previously as a naturally occurring SV5 variant that encodes P and V proteins differing from the wild-type (WT) SV5 proteins in eight and five amino acid positions, respectively. In this study, it is shown that WF-PIV is like WT SV5 by being largely non-cytopathic in A549 lung epithelial cells. However, substitution of the WF-PIV P/V gene into the background of WT SV5 resulted in a hybrid virus (P/V-WF) that induced apoptotic cell death not seen with either of the parental viruses. The kinetics of HeLa cell killing and induction of apoptosis by the P/V-WF chimera differed from those of the previously described P/V-CPI− chimera by being slower and less extensive. HeLa cell killing by the P/V-WF chimera was effectively reduced by inhibitors of caspase-9, but not of caspase-8. These results demonstrate that an exchange of P/V genes from two non-cytopathic SV5 variants can produce apoptosis-inducing chimeras, and that the role of the SV5 P/V gene products in limiting apoptosis can be dependent on expression in the context of a native viral genome.