cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
8-Azido-2'-O-dansyl-ATP: a fluorescent photoaffinity reagent for ATP-binding proteins and its application to adenylate kinase

Abstract The photoaffinity reagent 8-azido-2'-O-[14C]dansyl-ATP (AD-ATP) has been synthesized for labeling and monitoring the active sites of ATPases and kinases. In its first application, the reagent is used to explore the active site of adenylate kinase from rabbit muscle. In the dark, AD-ATP inhibits adenylate kinase reversibly and competitively with KI = 0.25 +/- 0.01 microM. Under weak UV illumination, AD-ATP labels adenylate kinase irreversibly. The photoinactivation data also show KI = 0.25 +/- 0.02 microM. The ratio (r) of the specific activity of AD-ATP-labeled adenylate kinase to that of the unlabeled enzyme has been determined as a function of the number (n) of label/enzyme. The linear plot of r versus n with slope equal to -1 shows that the labeling is very specific, i.e. each label completely inactivates an enzyme molecule. After the labeled enzyme was partially hydrolyzed and the radioactive peptides analyzed and sequenced, it was found that Leu-115, Cys-25, and probably His-36 were labeled, in agreement with previous conclusions on the structure of the active site of this enzyme based on amino acid sequence, x-ray diffraction, and NMR studies. The environment-sensitive fluorescent dansyl group of AD-ATP can function as an in situ probe for monitoring ligand or conformation changes at the active site. The fluorescence of AD-ATP-labeled enzyme with n = 0.9 is not affected by ATP but increases with the concentration of AMP in solution. This observation is also in agreement with the previous conclusion that ATP does not bind to the AMP site of adenylate kinase. The observed enhancement of fluorescence indicates that binding of AMP by this enzyme causes environmental change at its ATP site. The possible usefulness of AD-ATP as an effective biological inhibitor or as a molecular probe for studying the structure and regulation of ATP-binding proteins is discussed.
“The Valley of the Shadow of Books”: George Gissing, New Women, and Morbid Literary Detachment

Marisa Palacios Knox, “‘The Valley of the Shadow of Books’: George Gissing, New Women, and Morbid Literary Detachment” (pp. 92-122) Victorian consternation about the physiological—especially reproductive—repercussions of women readers’ affective involvement with fiction is well documented. This essay contends, however, that at the fin de siecle a new cultural anxiety developed around the possibility of the woman who under-identifies, that is, refuses or is simply incapable of a stereotypically feminine standard of personal identification with literature. As the number of women entering vocational training as well as higher education increased exponentially in the late nineteenth century, the threat of women’s influx into the workplace expressed itself in a discourse of concern for the vitiation of women’s “natural” responsiveness to reading as a symptom of emotional as well as physical barrenness. George Gissing’s New Grub Street (1891) and The Odd Women (1893), in addition to the New Women novels of Charlotte Riddell and George Paston, engage with and complicate the idea of professional women’s literary detachment as a kind of morbid pathology, a trope that nevertheless continues to influence the reception of these works.
Oxygen and nitrogen in coal by instrumental neutron activation analysis

The feasibility of using fast neutron (14 MeV) activation analysis techniques for the determination of oxygen and nitrogen in coal has been investigated. Conditions that favor instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) include the absence of problems associated with sample dissolution and the capability of extremely rapid analyses as compared to older techniques such as the Kjeldahl method for nitrogen. Most previous oxygen determinations have been by difference after major component analyses. In the present study, oxygen was determined in sized coal and its low temperature ash (LTA) with the difference representing the organic oxygen content. Both the oxygen and nitrogen analyses employ a multiscaling technique with the former based on the16O(n, p)16N reaction, while the latter utilizes the annihilation radiation produced by the product of the14N(n, 2n)13N reaction. The high-energy gamma-radiation associated with the decay of16N was essentially free of spectral interferences for coal analysis, although fluorine could cause a primary interference if the F/O ratio exceeds 0.02. In the nitrogen work, experiments were performed to determine correction factors to account for the effects of the12C(p, γ)13N and13C(p, n)13N “knock-on” reactions and the39K(n, 2n)38K reaction which produce interfering β+ emitting radionuclides. Data are presented for oxygen in Western Kentucky No. 9 and No. 11 coal and coal ash and for nitrogen in eleven different coals.
Effects of Transition Metals on the Expression of the Erythropoietin Gene: Further Evidence That the Oxygen Sensor Is a Heme Protein

Both in vivo and in Hep3B cells, expression of the erythropoietin gene is induced by hypoxia as well as by certain transition metals (cobalt and nickel) and by iron chelation. When Hep3B cells were incubated in an iron deficient medium, Epo mRNA expression was enhanced 4-fold compared to Hep3B cells in iron enriched medium. The increased Epo expression in iron deficient medium was abolished when Fe2-transferrin complex was added. Epo induction by cobalt was also affected by iron concentration. In iron enriched medium, erythropoietin expression in Hep3B cells was maximally induced at CoCl2 concentrations between 100 to 200 microM. In contrast, in iron poor medium, a high level of induction was obtained at a CoCl2 concentration of only 50 microM, indicating competition between iron and cobalt. Under hyperbaric oxygen, cobalt induction of erythropoietin mRNA was modestly suppressed while nickel induction was markedly enhanced. These observations support the proposal that the oxygen sensor is a heme protein in which cobalt and nickel can substitute for iron in the porphyrin ring.
An anisotropic continuum model for the sintering and compaction of powder packings

Abstract A continuum model is presented for the early to intermediate stages of densification of powder packings during sintering and compaction. Material points in a particle far from a contact are assumed to deform according to the macroscopic deformation rate. This permits the force transmitted through an inter-particle contact to be related to the macroscopic deformation rate using results of unit problems for the compaction and sintering of pairs of spheres. A macroscopic stress is defined in terms of the contact force and the orientational distribution of contacts. Because the forces are related to the deformation rate, this yields a viscosity tensor that, in general, is anisotropic. Sintering tractions on the particle surfaces appear as a sintering stress that, in the isotropic case, reduces to a sintering pressure. The state is described by the orientational distribution of contacts, the contact area and length of a link connecting particle centroids (which are functions of orientation), and the coordination number and volume fraction of particles. The model is completed by specifying evolution equations for the state. Model predictions are presented for isotropic and axisymmetric cases. The predictions are compared with experiments conducted with aluminum powder compacts.
Kernels of the restriction and inflation maps in group cohomology

Abstract We consider the kernel of the restriction map in group cohomology with coefficients in a field. Johnson has shown that when the subgroup is of index 2, the kernel is principal. We show that the natural generalization of this principal ideal need not be the entire kernel when the index is an odd prime or composite. We also show that the kernel of the inflation map from a central subgroup of order 2 can be larger than what might naturally be expected.
Effect of bretylium tosylate on the prevention and treatment of postoperative arrhythmias

Abstract A series of 35 consecutive patients undergoing single or multiple prosthetic valve replacement were treated with bretylium tosylate prophylactically (5mg/kg the night before operation and again 2 hours before induction of anesthesia) to test its efficacy in suppressing postoperative arrhythmias. In the treated group 4 patients (11.4 percent) had minor early (first 12 hours) postoperative arrhythmias. In a similar control group of 38 consecutive patients 22 (58 percent) had early postoperative arrhythmias. In contrast, late arrhythmias (after 12 hours) occurred with approximately equal frequency in both groups (26 patients treated with bretylium compared to 22 control patients) as the effect of bretylium diminished and latent suppressed arrhythmias in the treated group appeared. Bretylium successfully controlled acute postoperative arrhythmias in 42 of 45 instances. These arrhythmias included premature atrial and premature ventricular contractions, bigeminy, nodal tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. Bretylium was also effective in 5 patients who had rhythm disturbances after nonvalvular cardiac operations. Bretylium was particularly impressive in the treatment of patients whose hearts could not be electrically defibrillated postoperatively when elective fibrillatory arrest had been used. In 2 such cases in the control series regular rhythm was readily established 10 to 15 minutes after bretylium (400 to 600 mg) had been given.
Adsorption of aqueous mercury (II) complexes at the oxide/water interface

Abstract The interfacial behavior of Hg(II) is similar to other hydrolyzable metal ions at the oxide/water interface in that the hydrolysis products adsorb strongly and can reverse the charge of the silica/water interface. However, the halide complexes of Hg(II), e.g., HgCl2°, are not strongly adsorbed at the oxide/water interface. Consequently, the adsorption of inorganic mercury(II) on the inorganic oxide components of marine sediments is likely to be very small.
Pseudosimultaneous fast and slow pathway conduction: A common electrophysiologic finding in patients with dual atrioventricular nodal pathways

Two ventricular responses following termination of rapid atrial pacing were noted in 24 of 87 patients with dual atrioventricular (AV) nodal pathways and supraventricular tachycardia. In all 24 patients, the AH intervals of the first and second ventricular responses were comparable with those of the fast and slow pathways, respectively. Careful analysis of the whole pacing sequence revealed that, in 21 patients, this phenomenon resulted from sustained slow pathway conduction with long AH intervals. In these patients, as the AH interval of each paced beat was progressively lengthened during pacing, the corresponding His bundle and ventricular responses were pushed one cycle behind the current atrial paced beat, so that the last paced beat was followed by two His bundle and ventricular responses. In only three patients did double ventricular responses result from simultaneous fast and slow pathway conduction. One of these three patients also showed two ventricular responses resulting from sustained slow pathway conduction. Several factors predispose to the occurrence of this phenomenon in patients with dual AV nodal pathways. These include an ability to sustain slow pathway conduction, a longer slow pathway AH interval, a shorter sinus AH interval (fast pathway) and a shorter atrial paced cycle length that sustains slow pathway conduction. In conclusion, sustained slow pathway conduction with resultant long AH intervals is the mechanism of two ventricular responses following termination of atrial pacing in most patients with dual AV nodal pathways. This phenomenon should be distinguished from the rare occurrence of double ventricular responses to an atrial impulse due to simultaneous fast and slow pathway conduction.
Analysis of deuteron NMR signals

Abstract A method of extracting the Q -curve from deuteron NMR signals has been developed in order to treat signals which are highly distorted because of Q -curve instabilities. The extracted Q -curve can then be used to calculate the subtracted signals, thus leading to the determination of the polarization.
Smoke movement in rooms of fire involvement and adjacent spaces

Abstract The key to the solution of fire safety design problems is the capability to predict the dynamics of enclosure fire environments. This paper presents a detailed qualitative description of the generic phenomena which occur during typical fire scenarios. The focus of attention is on effects within building compartments of fire involvement, i.e., compartments made up of a single enclosed space or a space of two or more rooms interconnected by significant penetrations such as open doors or windows. Throughout the discussion reference is made to quantitative methods for predicting some of the most significant of these effects. Reference is also made to available mathematical/computer models which use these latter methods to quantitatively predict the overall fire environment. The basic topics that are covered are: fire growth in combustibles of fire origin; development of the fire plume and interaction of the plume with the ceiling surface; generation of ceiling jet flows which lead to actuation of detection/intervention hardware; interaction of ceiling jets and wall surfaces; growth of the smoke layer; development of wall flows which can be instrumental in drawing smoke down from the upper smoke layer into the relatively uncontaminated, shrinking lower ambient environment; downward radiation from the high temperature smoke layer and upper enclosure surfaces which can ultimately lead to flashover; and onset of conditions which are untenable for human occupancy or property survivability. Topics related to fire-generated environments in multiroom fire/smoke compartments include: dynamics of the smoke and fresh air exchange between the room of fire involvement and the adjacent spaces; dynamics of door/window plumes, ceiling jets, smoke filling and wall flows within adjacent spaces; actuation of adjacent space fire detection/ intervention hardware; and onset of adjacent space untenability. The paper concludes with a brief discussion on the relationship between fire compartment smoke dynamics and smoke movement throughout the rest of a building.
Democracy and discipline: Object lessons and the stereoscope in American education, 1870–1920

This article explores the use of the stereoscope as a pedagogical medium in the United States from the 1870s to the 1920s as an extension of object teaching, and as a device that asserted a particular visual paradigm on student users. Due to aggressive marketing strategies by firms like Underwood & Underwood and the Keystone View Company, the stereoscope experienced a resurgence of popularity near the end of the nineteenth century, particularly finding application in American schools. This was, in part, because the three-dimensional images that stereographs simulated could be used in the popular nineteenth-century pedagogical method of the object lesson. Analysis of the marketing and pedagogical materials that surrounded the stereograph in the classroom demonstrates the fidelities that its use bore to the methods and objectives of object teaching, and reveals educators’ and social scientists’ efforts to endorse the stereographic image’s properties as realistic to legitimize its work in education. These ef...
The Varying Impacts of Agricultural Support Programs on U.S. Farm Household Consumption

Farm households are economic agents whose income is derived from farm, off-farm, and government sources. This article uses farm-level data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) and recent advances in the econometric theory of dynamic pseudo-panels to show that farm households consume various sources of income differently at the margin. Particular attention is given to a specific type of lump-sum government transfer payment intended to be decoupled from (independent of) farm production decisions. The results suggest that relatively decoupled government subsidies have a greater marginal effect on farm household consumption than subsidies that are tied to market conditions. Farm households often receive income from off-farm employment and government support payments in addition to farm production revenues. If income is fungible, then marginal consumption should not vary by income source. However, Carriker et al. (1993) show that farm household consumption does vary at the margin by income source. They find that off-farm income and income from government subsidies are consumed at a higher marginal rate than income from farm production revenues. If farm household consumption varies at the margin by income source, different types of government payments may affect consumption differently. Closely following Carriker et al. (1993), this analysis further disaggregates sources of farm household income and compares how different types of government payments affect farm household consumption. It is shown that government payments that are relatively “decoupled” from farm production decisions are consumed at a much higher marginal rate than government payments that
Corrections to the classical continuity boundary conditions at the interface of a composite medium

Abstract Using the multiple-scales homogenization method, we derive generalized sheet transition conditions (GSTCs) for electromagnetic fields at the interface between two media, one of which is free-space and the other a certain type of composite material. The parameters in these new boundary conditions are interpreted as effective electric and magnetic surface susceptibilities, which themselves are related to the geometry of the scatterers that constitute the composite. We show that the effective tangential E and H fields are not continuous across the interface except in the limit when the lattice constant (the spacing between the scatterers—atoms, molecules or inclusions in the case of a composite material) of the composite medium is very small compared to a wavelength. We derive first-order corrections to the classical continuity conditions. For naturally occurring materials whose lattice constants are on an atomic scale, these effects are shown to be negligible for waves at optical frequencies or lower. However, once the lattice constant becomes a significant fraction of a wavelength (which is the case for many artificial dielectrics and metamaterials), the corrections can be important. In previous work we have alluded to the fact that such a GSTC is needed to correctly account for the surface effects when extracting the effective material properties of a metamaterial. The results of this current paper justify the assumptions made in that previous work. In general, these GSTCs will result in corrections to the classical Fresnel reflection and transmission coefficients (which are themselves merely zeroth-order approximations to the actual reflection and transmission coefficients), and in a separate publication we will use these GSTCs to address this issue.
Abnormal processing of irrelevant information in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The presence of a selective attention deficit in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was investigated by administering a trial-by-trial version of the Stroop Color-Naming Task to children, aged 9-12, with ADHD (n = 19) and age-matched normal control children (n = 19). Performance was evaluated on both interference and facilitation components of the task. On the standard version of the task, with equal numbers of color words and neutral words, children with ADHD showed increased Stroop interference (prolongation of color-naming times by color-incongruent stimuli) but normal amounts of facilitation (speeding of color naming by color-congruent stimuli). This finding suggests that children with ADHD show increased disruption of color-naming performance by task-irrelevant information, probably secondary to decreased attentional control over the interference process. In contrast to findings of studies in adults, both groups of children failed to use an attentional strategy to reduce interference when they were administered blocks of trials that varied their expectancy for color word trials. This precluded a direct test of the diminished control hypothesis. There were no significant correlations between abnormal Stroop performance and impairment on the Continuous Performance Test or the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test or measures of IQ or reading performance. The implications of these findings for our understanding of information-processing deficits in children with ADHD and of the neurobiological underpinnings of these deficits are discussed.
Evolutionary biology: Genes to make new species.

A long-term goal of studies of the way in which new species form has been to identify the genes involved, and the forces that drive their evolution. That goal is now being realized — and natural selection plays a major part.
Nonlinear integration of London and Amsterdam stock markets in the 1700s

The financial markets in London and Amsterdam were some of the first to develop. Using threshold autoregressive models, we use data on two commonly traded stocks in these cities to show that the joint behaviour of the prices is consistent with the theory of arbitrage in the presence of transportation costs. The results suggest that prices converged more quickly as the price difference between the two markets increased. We also show that the threshold estimates are consistent between assets and across time. These results provide some of the earliest evidence of nonlinear mean reversion in asset prices in geographically separate financial markets.
The Role of Elaborations in L2 Text Memory: The Effect of Encoding Task on Recall of Causally Related Sentences.

To achieve coherence in a text representation, the reader must encode not only the ideas and events explicitly presented in sentences but also relations that link ideas and events. The research reported in this article was designed to investigate the relationships between the process of encoding and the resulting comprehension and representation of second language (L2) sentences that are causally related. Participants read sentence pairs varying in degree of causal relatedness and recalled one sentence of each pair when the other was given as a cue 24 hours later. When they generated an elaboration for each pair, recall was better than when they studied the pair for memorization. Recall as a function of degree of causal relatedness differed between the two encoding conditions. In the study condition, highly related sentences were generally recalled better than less related sentences. In the elaboration condition, recall for minimally related pairs was better than that for moderately related pairs and as good as that for highly related pairs. The results suggest that integration and elaboration had a critical effect on L2 readers' comprehension and memory of the sentences. The effect of processing efforts and reconstructive strategies are also discussed.
Alkali-Alkali Differential Spin-Exchange Scattering. II

We present measurements of differential elastic cross sections for various alkali-alkali pairs, as well as the angular dependence of the probability of electron spin exchange in these collisions. The resolution is sufficient to reveal interference structure in the angular dependence of both quantities. We describe our apparatus, which polarizes one incident beam and analyzes the polarization of the scattered atoms, and discuss the measurement and data-reduction procedures. Results are presented in the range 0.1-0.2 eV for the systems Na-Cs, Na-Rb, Na-K, K-Cs, and K-Rb.
Synthesis of Coupled Semiconductor by Filling 1D TiO2 Nanotubes with CdS

A coupled semiconductor material is prepared by filling one-dimensional (1D) titania (TiO2) nanotubes (NTs) with cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles (NPs). Self-assembled TiO2 NTs (length = 550 nm, diameter = 80 nm) are prepared by the sonoelectrochemical anodization method. These NTs are functionalized with CdS NPs by a single-step electrodeposition method. This material harvests solar light in UV as well as visible light (up to 510 nm) region. An eight to 9-fold enhancement in photoactivity is observed using CdS functionalized TiO2 NTs compared to pure TiO2 NTs and commercial P25 NPs. This methodology will be useful in designing multijunction semiconductor materials confined inside 1D nanochannels.
T-Stress of a Bi-Material Strip Under Generalized Edge Loads

An expression for the T-stress in a bi-material strip with a semi-finite interfacial crack is derived for general edge loads using a conservation integral method. The expression is explicit except for two non-dimensional constants, which are determined from a finite element analysis and which are tabulated as a function of the Dundurs’ parameters and the thickness ratio of the strip.
Political Subcultures in the American States An Empirical Examination of Elazar's Formulation

This article uses survey data to examine Daniel J. Elazar's theory of political subcultures in the American states. While one of the most widely cited conceptual frameworks in American politics, it has never been operationalized and tested at the individual level. Survey questions are used to operationalize four dimensions to Elazar's formulation, but there is no correlation across the four dimensions. Two more traditional categorizations of Elazar's subtypes are developed: one based on geographic locale and the other on religion and ethnicity. A comparison of these measures also reveals little internal coherence, which suggests that, while Elazar may have identified some important dimensions of American political culture, these dimensions may not be associated in the manner that he hypothesized. Pursuing this line of analysis, some standard hypotheses are examined using the survey questions as separate indicators of cultural orientations toward politics. This analysis provides results that, within separa...
Hysteroscopic Differences in the Gestational Sac in Asymptomatic Blighted Ovum and Viable Pregnancy at Early Gestation

Summary Objective To assess differences in the surface anatomy of the gestational sac and endometrium in cases of blighted ovum and viable pregnancies using flexible hysteroscopy. Methods This was an observational case-control study. Seventeen patients with asymptomatic blighted ovum at gestational ages of 8-13 weeks and 32 women with viable pregnancy at 6-12 weeks of gestation were recruited. Subjects at 8-10 weeks of gestation in both groups were matched for comparison. The gross surface anatomy of the gestational sac and the endometrium was assessed and compared between the two groups. Results In the viable pregnancy group, the gestational sac was either round (84.4%, 27/32) or ellipsoid and slightly creased (15.6%, 5/32). In the blighted ovum group, the sac appeared collapsed and wrinkled (58.8%, 10/17), small for gestational age (11.8%, 2/17), a combination of the two (17.6%, 3/17), or round and normal (11.8%, 2/17). In general, the sac in subjects with blighted ovum tended to have various degrees of loss in surface tension, collapse in shape, decrease in sac size, and dark blue color at the sac dome compared with the sac in viable pregnancies. Conclusions The anatomic alterations of the gestational sac reflect impending sac necrosis and abortion in early-stage pregnancy loss. There were no morphologic differences between the two groups in the pattern of capillary distribution on the endometrium or the implantation base.
A New Domain Decomposition Approach for the Gust Response Problem

A domain decomposition method is developed for solving the aerodynamic/aeroacoustic problem of an airfoil in a vortical gust. The computational domain is divided into inner and outer regions wherein the governing equations are cast in different forms suitable for accurate computations in each region. Boundary conditions which ensure continuity of pressure and velocity are imposed along the interface separating the two regions. A numerical study is presented for reduced frequencies ranging from 0.1 to 3.0. It is seen that the domain decomposition approach in providing robust and grid independent solutions.
A response to LDR 2 LDR: Theory and practice working together

An act of leadership is always an act of practical theory. We lead because we hold visions of the world as it ought to be, because of the not yet, because of the potential that we see in ideas and people. Yet, there still exists a perceived binary between leadership theory (in the strong sense) and leadership practice, a binary that divides organizations, classrooms, and the differing bodies of leadership literature. In this Symposium, Duncan Waite and his colleagues discuss the barriers they have faced in bringing theory to the educational leadership classroom, as well as the promise they feel theory holds for more productive, equitable, and humane schooling organizations.
Ocean Warming and Late-Twentieth-Century Sahel Drought and Recovery

Abstract The influences of decadal Indian and Atlantic Ocean SST anomalies on late-twentieth-century Sahel precipitation variability are investigated. The results of this regional modeling study show that the primary causes of the 1980s Sahel drought are divergence and anomalous anticyclonic circulation, which are associated with Indian Ocean warming. The easterly branch of this circulation drives moisture away from the Sahel. By competing for the available moisture, concurrent tropical Atlantic Ocean warming enhanced the areal coverage of the drought. The modeled partial recovery of the precipitation in the 1990s simulations is mainly related to the warming of the northern tropical Atlantic Ocean and an associated cyclonic circulation that supplies the Sahel with moisture. Because of the changes in the scale and distribution of the forcing, the divergence associated with the continued Indian Ocean warming during the 1990s was located over the tropical Atlantic, contributing to the recovery over the Sahel...
Face and Body: Independent Predictors of Women’s Attractiveness

Women’s faces and bodies are both thought to provide cues to women’s age, health, fertility, and personality. To gain a stronger understanding of how these cues are utilized, we investigated the degree to which ratings of women’s faces and bodies independently predicted ratings of women’s full-body attractiveness. Women came into the lab not knowing they would be photographed. In Study 1 (N = 84), we photographed them in their street clothes; in Study 2 (N = 74), we photographed women in a solid-colored two-piece swimsuit that revealed their body shape, body size, and breast size. We cropped each woman’s original photo into an additional face-only photo and body-only photo; then, independent sets of raters judged women’s pictures. When dressed in their original clothes, women’s face-only ratings were better independent predictors of full-body attractiveness ratings than were their body-only ratings. When cues displayed in women’s bodies were made conspicuous by swimsuits, ratings of faces and bodies were similarly strong predictors of full-body attractiveness ratings. Moreover, women’s body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio were tied to ratings of women’s body attractiveness, with waist-to-hip ratio more important among women wearing swimsuits than among women wearing their original clothes. These results suggest that perceivers attend to cues of women’s health, fertility, and personality to the extent that they are visible.
A Practical Theory-Based Method to Improve Lay Decision-Making for Genetic Testing

Research on lay decision-making for genetic testing has identified many concerns. These include (a) discussions of testing risks/benefits often reflects a professional more than a lay perspective; b) risks/benefits typically provided to patients constitute only part of a broader list of lay reasons for/against testing; and (c) patient's personal considerations are as important as medical considerations in a patient's testing decision. Drawing on decision-making theories in psychology, we developed an instrument that asked women at-risk to be a carrier of a Hemophilia A mutation to list (a) the personal consequences for themselves and significant others of accepting/declining carrier testing; (b) the reasons for accepting/rejecting testing in terms of their and significant others values and beliefs; and (c) their four most important reasons for/against testing. Women are provided with examples of the above. Innovative aspects of this approach include: (a) women construct their own list of personal reasons for/against testing instead of getting a provider list of risks and benefits; (b) the instrument can be completed at home allowing women time to consider the test; and (c) the instrument can be used for provider-lay discussion of testing in the clinic. Pilot work and trial experience (N=76) suggest: (a) women of varying educational backgrounds can complete the instrument; (b) women identify reasons for/against testing beyond examples provided; (c) many of the most important reasons for/against testing are reasons women generate, not examples provided; (d) the most important reasons cited include personal values/beliefs, not just risks/benefits; and (e) women using the instrument accept testing at the same rate as women who do not. The method is applicable to many genetic tests in various clinical settings.
Development of a scaffoldless three-dimensional engineered nerve using a nerve-fibroblast co-culture.

Nerve grafts are often required to replace tissue damaged by disease, surgery, or extensive trauma. Limitations such as graft availability, donor site morbidity, and immune rejection have led investigators to develop strategies to engineer nerve tissue. The goal of this study was to fabricate a scaffoldless three-dimensional (3D) nerve construct using a co-culture of fetal nerve cells with a fibroblast monolayer and allow the co-culture to remodel into a 3D construct with an external fibroblast layer and an internal core of interconnected neuronal cells. Primary fibroblasts were seeded on laminin-coated plates and allowed to form a confluent monolayer. Neural cells isolated from E-15 spinal cords were seeded on top of the fibroblast monolayer and allowed to form a networked monolayer across the monolayer of fibroblasts. Media shifts initiated contraction of the fibroblast monolayer and a remodeling of the co-culture into a 3D construct held statically in place by the two constraint pins. Immunohistochemistry using S100 (Schwann cell), β3-tubulin, DAPI, and collagen I indicated an inner core of nerve cells surrounded by an external layer of fibroblasts. Conduction velocities of the 3D nerve and control (fibroblast-only) constructs were measured in vitro and compared to in vivo measures of neonatal sciatic nerve. The conduction velocities of the nerve constructs were comparable to 24-d-old neonatal nerve. The presence of Schwann cells and the ability to conduct neuronal signals in vitro suggest the scaffoldless 3D nerve constructs will be a viable option for nerve repair.
Infusion technology: a cause for alarm.

SummaryBackground: Volumetric infusion pumps are widely used in paediatric practice. Tissue extravasation is a hazard. The occlusion pressure limit alarm, although not intended to detect extravasation, is the only warning sign present to indicate flow faults in the infusion systems. Methods: Extravasations were created in the subcutaneous plane of 20 limbs of five piglets with normal saline via an infusion pump. Five flow rates were used with each piglet allocated to one: 100 ml·h−1, 200 ml·h−1, 300 ml·h−1, 400 ml·h−1, 500 ml·h−1. The occlusion pressure limit was first set at low and adjusted to medium, then to high, upon alarm activation. Line pressure at 5-min intervals and upon alarm activation and volume of infusate given were measured. Limb diameters before and after infusion were measured. Results: Six out of 20 cases failed to activate any alarm. The low, medium and high occlusion pressure limit alarms were activated in 14, 1 and 0 instances, respectively. The incidence of alarm activation is higher in the forelimb compared with the hindlimb (P=0.001). The tissue compliance and volume infused at alarm activation are significantly lower in the former (P < 0.05). Line pressure increases with increase in flow rates for the same limb (P=0.013 Fore, P=0.005 Hind). Conclusions: Occlusion pressure limit alarm cannot reliably detect extravasation especially at sites with high compliance, low flow rates, even at low occlusion limit. Line pressure depends on interplay of site (compliance) and flow rate and is independent of volume extravasated. Users must be aware of the set occlusion pressure limit. Repeated clinical assessment remains vital.
Minimizing the expected number of tardy jobs when processing times are normally distributed

This paper studies the single machine scheduling problem for the purpose of minimizing the expected number of tardy jobs. The effect of variance of processing time is evaluated, and a dynamic policy based on a myopic approach is developed. The conditions for the optimality and the worst case analysis are provided.
Posttranslational modifications in Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase and mutations associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Activation of the enzyme Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) involves several posttranslational modifications including copper and zinc binding, as well as formation of the intramolecular disulfide bond. The copper chaperone for SOD1, CCS, is responsible for intracellular copper loading in SOD1 under most physiological conditions. Recent in vitro and in vivo assays reveal that CCS not only delivers copper to SOD1 under stringent copper limitation, but it also facilitates the stepwise conversion of the disulfide-reduced immature SOD1 to the active disulfide-containing enzyme. The two new functions attributed to CCS, (i.e., O2-dependent sulfhydryl oxidase- and disulfide isomerase-like activities) indicate that this protein has attributes of the larger class of molecular chaperones. The CCS-dependent activation of SOD1 is dependent upon oxygen availability, suggesting that the cell only loads copper and activates this enzyme when O2-based oxidative stress is present. Thiol/disulfide status as well as metallati...
Sit-to-stand alterations in advanced knee osteoarthritis

This study investigated the full-body strategies utilized during a sit-to-stand (STS) task in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and the association between STS alterations and clinical measurements. Twenty-five patients with advanced knee OA and twenty healthy elderly adults were recruited to participate in this study. Patients were asked to stand up from a chair four times without using their arms. A 3D motion analysis system was used to capture the full-body kinematics during the task. Two force plates were used to capture the forces under each leg. The following parameters were investigated in the knee OA group and compared with the control group: the time to realize STS, the force ratio between both limbs, the knee and hip kinetics and the trunk kinematics. The pain and functional capacity were obtained from the WOMAC. The results showed that patients with knee OA put 10% additional weight on the contralateral side when compared with the symmetrical strategy of the control group. Patients with knee OA showed a significantly lower knee flexion moment (0.51 Nm/kg vs. 0.72 Nm/kg), a higher maximal trunk flexion (46.4° vs. 37.5°), and a higher lateral trunk lean on the contralateral side (2.4° vs. 0.9°) when compared with the control group. The main correlations were found between pain and the averaged time to complete the STS task (r=0.55). With the quantification of the full-body mechanisms utilized during the STS task, which includes both distal and proximal compensations, our study brings new insights, leading to a better understanding of the functional alterations in patients with advanced knee OA.
Two approaches to the luminance enhancement of backlighting units for LCDs

— Two approaches to the luminance enhancement of a backlighting unit for a LCD have been followed. One uses a light-collimating sheet, which changes the light direction from an oblique angle to the normal angle, resulting in higher luminance intensity at the normal direction. By optimizing its refractive index and the apex angle, a luminance enhancement of 30% was achieved. This collimating sheet has a light distribution whose angles at half luminous intensity were the same as the LCD's viewing angles. The other approach uses a reflective polarizer sheet, which reflects one of the polarization components and recycles it to the other polarization component in order to increase the total amount of light. This sheet also has a luminance enhancement of 30%. The designs and the measured data obtained through each approach are presented.
Effects of prior ethanol exposure on ethanol self-administration in a continuous access situation using retractable drinking tubes

To examine whether exposure to ethanol influences subsequent ethanol consumption using a continuous access procedure, two groups of rats were given differing initial exposure to ethanol. One group underwent a sucrose-substitution initiation procedure. The second group received abbreviated initiation consisting of one-session exposure to each ethanol/sucrose combination used in standard initiation. The animals were then provided with 23 h/day access to ethanol (10%, v/v) from a retractable drinking tube. Food pellets were available following a single-lever press, and water was available from a sipper tube. After 5 weeks, the data indicated that few significant differences existed between the groups on total ethanol (g/kg), food or water consumed. The overall intake (g/kg/day), number of ethanol bouts per day, and amount consumed per bout (g/kg/bout) were substantially lower than observed in previous research using ethanol presented in a dipper. However, differences in g/kg per ethanol bout did differ significantly between the two groups with the group receiving standard initiation showing more ethanol consumed per bout. These data agree with our previous work indicating that initiation results in larger drinking bouts.
Estrogens, progestins and coronary artery reactivity.

Certain progestins may oppose the favorable effects of estrogen on the cardiovascular system of postmenopausal women (pages 324−327).
Angiotensin II and non-angiotensin II displaceable binding sites for [3H]losartan in the rat liver

Abstract By virtue of the more than 1000-fold selectivity of losartan (DuP 753) for the AT 1 angiotensin II (AII) receptor subtype compared with the AT 2 subtype, [ 3 H]losartan may be a useful radioligand for studies of the AT 1 receptor subtype. Comparison of B max values in the liver obtained from saturation isotherms using [ 3 H]losartan ( B max = 194 pmol g tissue) and [ 125 I]sarcosine 1 ,isoleucine 8 angiotensin II ( B max = 20 pmol g tissue) indicated that the AII receptor concentration was approximately 10% that of the [ 3 H]losartan binding sites. In addition, AII at concentrations as high as 10 μM displaced less than one-third of specific [ 3 H]losartan binding in the liver and less than 80% in the whole adrenal. The presence of non-AII displaceable [ 3 H]losartan binding in the liver did not appear to result from metabolism of the radioligand since HPLC analysis of free and bound 3 H revealed that greater than 90% of the 3 H eluted at the same time as the parent [ 3 H]losartan. This suggests that [ 3 H]losartan binds with high affinity to a site(s) other than angiotensin II receptors in the rat liver.
TLR2 Regulates Neutrophil Recruitment and Cytokine Production with Minor Contributions from TLR9 during Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease that develops following repeated exposure to environmental antigens. The disease results in alveolitis, granuloma formation and may progress to a fibrotic chronic form, which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The severity of the disease correlates with a neutrophil rich influx and an IL-17 response. We used the Saccharopolysporarectivirgula (SR) model of HP to determine whether Toll-like receptors (TLR) 2 and 9 cooperate in neutrophil recruitment and IL-17-associated cytokine production during the development of HP. Stimulation of bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) from C57BL/6, MyD88(-/-) and TLR2/9(-/-) mice with SR demonstrate that SR is a strong inducer of neutrophil chemokines and growth factors. The cytokines induced by SR were MyD88-dependent and, of those, most were partially or completely dependent on TLRs 2 and 9. Following in vivo exposure to SR, CXCL2 production and neutrophil recruitment were reduced in TLR2(-/-) and TLR2/9(-/-) mice suggesting that the response was largely dependent on TLR2; however the reduction was greatest in the TLR2/9(-/-) double knockout mice indicating TLR9 may also contribute to the response. There was a reduction in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-6 as well as CCL3 and CCL4 in the BALF from TLR2/9(-/-) mice compared to WT and single knockout (SKO) mice exposed one time to SR. The decrease in neutrophil recruitment and TNFα production in the TLR2/9(-/-) mice was maintained throughout 3 weeks of SR exposures in comparison to WT and SKO mice. Both TLRs 2 and 9 contributed to the Th17 response; there was a decrease in Th17 cells and IL-17 mRNA in the TLR2/9(-/-) mice in comparison to the WT and SKO mice. Despite the effects on neutrophil recruitment and the IL-17 response, TLR2/9(-/-) mice developed granuloma formation similarly to WT and SKO mice suggesting that there are additional mediators and pattern recognition receptors involved in the disease.
Ketones in hydrothermal petroleums and sediment extracts from Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California

The polar compound (NSO) fractions of seabed petroleums and sediment extracts from the Guaymas Basin hydrothermal system have been analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The oils were collected from the interiors and exteriors of high temperature hydrothermal vents and represent hydrothermal pyrolysates that have migrated to the seafloor by hydrothermal fluid circulation. The downcore samples are representative of both thermally unaltered and thermally altered sediments. The survey has revealed the presence of oxygenated compounds correlated with samples exhibiting a high degree of thermal maturity. Several homologous series of related ketone isomers are enriched in the interiors of the hydrothermal vent samples or in hydrothermally-altered sequences of the downcore sediments (DSDP Holes 477 and 481A). The n-alkanones range in carbon number from C11 to C33 with a Cmax from 14 to 23, distributions that are similar to those of the n-alkanes. The alkan-2-ones are usually in highest concentrations, with lower amounts of 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7- (and higher) alkanones, and they exhibit no carbon number preference (there is an odd carbon number preference of alkanones observed for downcore samples). The alkanones are enriched in the interiors of the hydrothermal vent spires or in downcore hydrothermally-altered sediments, indicating an origin at depth or in the hydrothermal fluids and not from an external biogenic deposition. Minor amounts of C13 and C18 isoprenoid ketones are also present. Simulation of the natural hydrothermal alternation process by laboratory hydrous pyrolysis techniques provided information regarding the mode of alkanone formation. Hydrous pyrolysis of n-C32H66 at 350°C for 72 h with water only or water with inorganic additives has been studied using a stainless steel reaction vessel. In each experiment oxygenated hydrocarbons, including alkanones, were formed from the n-alkane. The product distributions indicate a reaction pathway consisting of n-alkanes and α-olefins as primary cracking products with internal olefins and alkanones as secondary reaction products. Hydrous pyrolyses of Messel shale spiked with molecular probes have been performed under similar time and temperature constraints to produce alkanone distributions like those found in the hydrothermal vent petroleums.