cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Are the Hypervariable Regions of S RNases Sufficient for Allele-Specific Recognition of Pollen?

In a recent research article published in THE PLANT CELL (“Hypervariable Domains of Self-Incompatibility RNases Mediate Allele-Specific Pollen Recognition”), Matton et al. ([1997][1]) show that the pollen recognition function of the Solanum chacoense S11 RNase can be converted to that of the S13
Framing a Research Problem: Hypotheses, Purposes, Objectives, and Questions

The problem chapter provides an overview of the study: statement of the purpose or problem to be addressed, title, introduction, hypothesis, delimitations (scope), limitations (variables that could not be controlled), and significance of the study.
Old and stable soil organic matter is not necessarily chemically recalcitrant: Implications for modeling concepts and temperature sensitivity

Soil carbon turnover models generally divide soil carbon into pools with varying intrinsic decomposition rates. Although these decomposition rates are modified by factors such as temperature, texture, and moisture, they are rationalized by assuming chemical structure is a primary controller of decomposition. In the current work, we use near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy in combination with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and alkaline cupric oxide (CuO) oxidation to explore this assumption. Specifically, we examined material from the 2.3–2.6 kg L � 1 density fraction of three soils of different type (Oxisol, Alfisol, Inceptisol). The density fraction with the youngest 14 C age (Oxisol, 107 years) showed the highest relative abundance of aromatic groups and the lowest O-alkyl C/aromatic C ratio as determined by NEXAFS. Conversely, the fraction with the oldest C (Inceptisol, 680 years) had the lowest relative abundance of aromatic groups and highest O-alkyl C/aromatic C ratio. This sample also had the highest proportion of thermally labile materials as measured by DSC, and the highest ratio of substituted fatty acids to lignin phenols as indicated by CuO oxidation. Therefore, the organic matter of the Inceptisol sample, with a 14 C age associated with ‘passive’ pools of carbon (680 years), had the largest proportion of easily metabolizable organic molecules with low thermodynamic stability, whereas the organic matter of the much younger Oxisol sample (107 years) had the highest proportion of supposedly stable organic structures considered more difficult to metabolize. Our results demonstrate that C age is not necessarily related to molecular structure or thermodynamic stability, and we suggest that soil carbon models would benefit from viewing turnover rate as codetermined by the interaction between substrates, microbial actors, and abiotic driving variables. Furthermore, assuming that old carbon is composed of complex or ‘recalcitrant’ compounds will erroneously attribute a greater temperature sensitivity to those materials than they may actually possess.
Growth and variation in the Silurian proetide trilobite Aulacopleura konincki and its implications for trilobite palaeobiology

Morphometric analysis of growth in Aulacopleura konincki reveals several important features: (1) morphological variability is approximately constant throughout growth, increasing slightly in later ontogeny; (2) shape is more tightly constrained than the numbers of postcephalic segments, which can be quite variable; and (3) a major ontogenetic transition occurs at glabellar lengths of about 1.7 mm. This transition divides the ontogeny into two distinct growth phases, is smooth rather than abrupt, and is expressed as changes in growth trajectories, especially in the pygidium. The transition is not strictly correlated with the number of thoracic or pygidial segments. These results suggest a re-evaluation of the concepts of meraspid and holaspid growth stages in A. konincki, using growth trajectories rather than thoracic segment number to define the stages. Developmental flexibility in holaspid segment numbers in this phylogenetically advanced trilobite suggests that environmental factors, rather than phylogenetic constraint, may explain variations in segment production patterns within some advanced Trilobita.Morphometrics, trilobites, ontogeny, variability, segmentation, Silurian, Czech Republic.
Optical Imaging of Bacterial Infection Models.

Over the last 13 years, the field of optical imaging has expanded from in vitro fluorescence microscopy of cells to in vivo whole body imaging of living animals. Recent advances in optical imaging of bacterial infection have been propelled by the invention of genetic methods that produce fluorescent and bioluminescent bacteria, and also the discovery of synthetic fluorescent probes that selectively target bacterial cell surfaces. Optical imaging is an effective method for conducting longitudinal studies of bacterial infection in small animals such as nude mice. It can be used to address questions in medical microbiology concerning migration and colonization and it is an attractive method for determining the efficacy of antibiotic therapies.
Plasmodium berghei: development of resistance to clindamycin and minocycline in mice.

Strains of Plasmodium berghei resistant to clindamycin or minocycline were selected by a procedure in which groups of infected mice were treated with increasing doses of drug during each of a series of subpassages. Groups of five mice, each infected by intravenous inoculation with 10 million parasitized erythrocytes, were treated orally with different doses of drug for four consecutive days beginning on the day of infection. Subpassages were routinely made by Day 7, using donor mice from the group that had been treated with the highest dose of drug that allowed for some development of parasitemia during the preceding passage. Drug doses were increased in each passage as dictated by the development of parasitemia during the previous treated passage. The rate of development of resistance to clindamycin or minocycline was much slower than to conventional antimalarials such as chloroquine, quinine, or pyrimethamine. P. berghei developed total resistance to the latter compounds in nine to 12 treated passages in mice over a period of 60 to 85 days. In contrast, development of total resistance to clindamycin required 42 treated passages over a period of 300 days. Total resistance to minocycline was not attained during 86 successive minocycline-treated passages in mice over a period of 600 days, but a sixfold increase in resistance to minocycline was observed. The clindamycin-resistant strain was normally sensitive to minocycline, chloroquine, quinine, and pyrimethamine. The strain partially resistant to minocycline was normally sensitive to clindamycin, chloroquine, quinine, and pyrimethamine. Resistance to clindamycin was stable during 51 drug-free passages in mice over a period of 1 year. Resistance to minocycline was unstable. During 16 drug-free passages in mice the strain reverted towards normal sensitivity to minocycline. Strains resistant to clindamycin or minocycline showed no difference in rate of development in mice as compared to the parent strain. Likewise, only minor morphological modifications were seen in Giemsa-stained blood smears between the two resistant strains and the parent strain. These results suggest that other species of malaria may develop resistance to clindamycin or minocycline. Should resistance to one of these compounds appear, however, it should not invalidate the use of the other in the treatment of malaria.
Lithography overlay control improvement using patterned wafer geometry for sub-22nm technology nodes

The semiconductor industry continues to push the limits of immersion lithography through multiple patterning techniques for printing features with critical dimension 20 nm and below. As a result overlay has become one of the critical lithography control parameters impacting device performance and has a stringent budget for yielding at smaller half pitch nodes. Overlay has several sources of errors related to scanner, lens, mask, and wafer. Lithographers have developed both linear and higher order field and wafer models to successfully compensate for the static fingerprints from different sources of error. After the static modeled portion of the fingerprint is removed, the remaining overlay error can be characterized as unstable modeled error or un-modeled error, commonly called uncorrectable residual error. This paper explores the fundamental relationship of overlay to wafer geometry through mechanisms of process-induced contributions to the wafer overlay, categorized as plastic and elastic wafer deformation. Correlation of overlay to local features such as slip lines is proven experimentally. The paper describes methodologies and geometry-induced overlay metrics for the application of wafer geometry to perform overlay feedback and feed forward applications. Feedback applications allow for process development and controlling semiconductor processes through in-line monitoring of wafers. Feed forward applications could include geometrybased corrections to the scanner for compensating non-static wafer geometry related overlay errors, and grouping wafers based on higher-order geometry.
How important are dental procedures as a cause of infective endocarditis

Eighteen pediatric patients with infective endocarditis (IE) were reviewed for "failure" of chemoprophylaxis; none had had a previous dental procedure. Surprisingly, published reports reveal a similarly low prevalence of dental extractions preceding IE, only 3.6% for 1,322 cases. Although bacteremia was associated with 40% of 2,403 reported extractions, it also was found in 38% of patients after mastication, and in 11% of patients with oral sepsis and no intervention. In a hypothetical month, ending with a single dental extraction, the cumulative exposure to these "physiologic" sources of bacteremia is nearly 1,000 times greater than it is from extraction. The current American Heart Association recommendations for intramuscular or intravenous chemoprophylaxis are impractical, and the discomfort and inconvenience may impede good dental care. The Committee also implies that gingival bleeding allows bacterial access to the blood stream, whereas experimental studies establish the lymphatics as the only access. Although oral chemoprophylaxis for major dental procedures appears prudent, the British regimen of a single dose of amoxicillin administered orally is much simpler and probably more effective. However, scrupulous oral and dental hygiene is undoubtedly superior in preventing IE than any chemoprophylaxis regimen.
Novel anionic dicyanamidocuprate (II) structural motifs through cation templation.

Abstract The crystal structures and magnetic properties of two new salts containing polymeric dicyanamidocuprate(II) anions are reported. Subtle changes in cation templation effects, crystallization conditions, and the coordination geometry of the metal center result in dramatic changes in the structure of the anionic framework. We report that the (PPh4)Cu(dca)3H2O [dca = dicyanamide, N(CN) 2 - ] salt contains singly bridged μ1,5-dca chains that are linked into a two-dimensional network through coordinated water molecules. Replacement of one of the cation phenyl groups with a butyl group results in the formation of the (PPh3Bu)2Cu(dca)4 salt, which contains doubly bridged μ1,5-dca chains. Only negligibly weak magnetic interactions were observed in both compounds.
Thoughts on Possible Future Charge-Based Technologies for Nano-Electronics

Scaling of silicon-based devices cannot continue indefinitely. As a result, various groups have been working on replacements for conventional CMOS. The most close to production-worthy of these include the carbon-based options of graphene (planar single layer sheets of graphite), and carbon nanotube technologies, and also compound semiconductor-based tunnel fets (TFETs). These new devices can, in principle, replace silicon in logic, analog, memory and RF applications. Work has begun to understand these beyond CMOS devices, and circuit capabilities, to determine performance compared to conventional silicon processes.
Equity Estimation and Assessing Market Response

Equity estimation has been proposed as a possibly superior technique for estimating market response functions in the presence of high predictor-variable collinearity. The relative performance of eq...
A simple web content management tool as the solution to a web site redesign

Before embarking upon a large web site project, whether creating a new site or just redesigning one, it is generally accepted practice not to begin work until all the problem specifications are ironed out. Some of the information that is usually required is the audience of the site, the intended purpose of the site, and the scope of the content provided in the site. The technical specifications of the site, such as accessibility, usability, file format, layout, and style, are then usually derived from this information. This is textbook web project management methodology.At the University at Buffalo, we found ourselves in a real-world, less-than-ideal situation with our IT web site redesign. Without possessing all the preliminary information, we had no choice but to begin writing content and designing our site. This was with the full knowledge that several of the project specifications would change, or not be known to us until we were well into building the site. Interesting questions arose such as how we were going to efficiently make future layout and navigation changes that would propagate throughout the site.Additionally, there were other challenges we had to face that were typical of any large-scale web project. For example, with multiple authors with varying degrees of web publishing expertise, how were we going to maintain consistency of style, layout, and file format throughout the site? We felt that these challenges provided a perfect opportunity to implement a simple web content management tool. By creating units of content separate from their presentation, we gave ourselves the flexibility we needed to easily rearrange and redesign our site along the way. In addition, we simplified the process of editing and overhauling the site in the future.
The reasons that matter

Bernard Williams's motivational reasons-internalism fails to capture our first-order reasons judgements, while Derek Parfit's nonnaturalistic reasons-externalism cannot explain the nature or normative authority of reasons. This paper offers an intermediary view, reformulating scepticism about external reasons as the claim not that they don't exist but rather that they don't matter. The end-relational theory of normative reasons is proposed, according to which a reason for an action is a fact that explains why the action would be good relative to some end, where the relevant end for any ascription of reasons is determined by the speaker's conversational context. Because these ends need not be the agent's ends, Williams is wrong to reject the existence of external reasons. But contra Parfit, a reason for action is only important for an agent if it is motivationally internal to that agent.
Religious Involvement and Self-Perception among Black Americans

This study focuses on the relationships between the religious involvement of black Americans and two important dimensions of self-perception : self-esteem and personal mastery. This article argues that participation in church communities may foster positive self-perception through the interpersonal supportiveness and positive reflected appraisals of coreligionists. Private devotional activities may also be linked with positive self-regard via processes of religious role taking. The results shed new lights on the contemporary psychosocial role of religious life among black Americans.
Preliminary Studies with a New Hypoxia-Selective Cytotoxin, KS119W, In Vitro and In Vivo

Agents with selective toxicity to hypoxic cells have shown promise as adjuncts to radiotherapy. Our previous studies showed that the bioreductive alkylating agent KS119 had an extremely large differential toxicity to severely hypoxic and aerobic cells in cell culture, and was effective in killing the hypoxic cells of EMT6 mouse mammary tumors in vivo. However, the limited solubility of that compound precluded its development as an anticancer drug. Here we report our initial studies with KS119W, a water-soluble analog of KS119. The cytotoxicity of KS119W to EMT6 cells in vitro was similar to that of KS119, with both agents producing only minimal cytotoxicity to aerobic cells even after intensive treatments, while producing pronounced cytotoxicity to oxygen-deficient cells. This resulted in large differentials in the toxicities to hypoxic and aerobic cells (>1,000-fold at 10 μM). Low pH had only minimal effects on the cytotoxicity of KS119W. Under hypoxic conditions, EMT6 cells transfected to express high l...
The Welfare Costs of Price Controls for Cars and Color Televisions in Poland: Contrasting Estimates of Rent-Seeking from Recent Experience

The welfare costs of price controls can vary enormously, depending on the method of allocating the goods in shortage and the possible rent-seeking costs that may result. With full rent dissipation, the welfare loss from price controls on Polish color televisions in 1989 was about ten times the standard estimates of distortion costs, which ignore rent-seeking, and was more than 100 percent of the value of domestic producers' sales. The methods of allocating cars, however, did not result in rent-seeking costs. The domestic price controls were an unintended implicit subsidy to imports. Subsidies for cars were estimated at 43 percent and for color televisions at 22 percent.
Wideband Transceiver Architectures for TV Whitespace Applications

The opening of the TV bands to unlicensed use in the United States offers an opportunity to build very wideband systems, capable of dynamic spectrum access (DSA), high datarates, high capacity, and long range links. To take maximum advantage of the wide bandwidths available (up to 90 MHz of contiguous spectrum), novel wideband transceiver architectures are needed. This paper presents wideband transceiver architectures we have developed to operate in US UHF band, discussion of the requirements placed on this transceiver by regulations in the FCC order (spectrum sensing, adjacent channel mask, etc), and presentation of an architecture we implemented whose performance meets the FCC requirements.
Differences in conflict‐resolution styles among heterosexual, gay, and lesbian couples

We investigated whether different patterns of resolving relationship conflict distinguished heterosexual, gay, and lesbian couples. One hundred eight couples (36 gay male, 36 lesbian, and 36 heterosexual) were drawn from the community, matched for age and length of relationship, and compared on the scales of the Styles of Conflict Inventory (SCI). To distinguish those conflict patterns that were orientation or gender specific, styles of conflict resolution between the men in same‐ and other‐sex relationships and between the women in same‐ and other‐sex couples were also compared. Results indicated that most couples across type of relationship reported a high degree of relationship satisfaction and moderately low amounts of conflict. Overall, heterosexual, gay, and lesbian couples were fundamentally similar, and common stereotypes of each couple were not verified. Women in lesbian relationships reported significantly greater relationship satisfaction, greater hope for conflict resolution, and several more ...
Vitamin D deficiency, myositis-myalgia, and reversible statin intolerance.

AbstractObjective:In 150 hypercholesterolemic patients, unable to tolerate ≥1 statin because of myositis-myalgia, selected by low (<32 ng/ml) serum 25 (OH) vitamin D, we prospectively assessed whether vitamin D supplementation with resolution of vitamin D deficiency would result in statin tolerance, free of myositis–myalgia.Research design and methods:We studied 74 men, 76 women, median age 60, 131 white, 17 black and 2 other. On no statins, 50,000 units of vitamin D was given twice a week for 3 weeks, and then continued once a week. After 3 weeks on vitamin D, statins were restarted. Patients were re-assessed on statins and vitamin D every 3 to 4 months, with serial measures of serum 25 (OH) vitamin D, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), LDL cholesterol (LDLC) and assessment of myositis–myalgia.Main outcome measures:Percentage of patients myalgia-free on vitamin D plus reinstituted statins, serum 25 (OH) vitamin D, CPK, and LDLC on reinstituted statins and concurrent vitamin D supplementation.Results:On vitami...
Effects of electron irradiation on precipitation in Ni-Al alloys

Binary Ni-Al alloys have been irradiatedin situ by high voltage electron microscopy (650 kV) in order to investigate the effects on precipitation. Nucleation and growth of dis-location loops are observed during irradiation in the temperature range 20 to 650°C. In solution-treated specimens, large faulted loops form during irradiation at 500°C. Con-trast analysis shows that loops are Frank-type with l/3 〈HI〉 Burgers vectors and in-terstitial in character. At 650°C and above, loop formation and growth are not observed once γ′ precipitates have formed. In preaged specimens, much smaller loops form dur-ing irradiations at below 500°C. At 500°C and above, no loops are observed in specimens containing large volume fractions of precipitates. The spatial distribution of loops ap-pears rather uniform regardless of the presence of γ′ precipitates except when large in-coherent precipitates exist. The growth of γ′ precipitates is enhanced by irradiation in the temperature range 300 to 750°C. Precipitate coarsening under irradiation follows radiation-enhanced diffusion kinetics. Quantitative analysis demonstrates that the radia-tion-enhanced diffusion coefficient responsible for coarsening of γ′ is independent of the temperature between 300 and 650°C. This result is in agreement with theoretical pre-dictions for the case in which irradiation-produced point defects are lost by their anneal-ing at fixed sinks.
Antigen tissue distribution of Avian bornavirus (ABV) in psittacine birds with natural spontaneous proventricular dilatation disease and ABV genotype 1 infection

Tissues of 10 psittacines from aviary 1 ("case birds") and 5 psittacines from different aviaries were investigated for the presence of Avian bornavirus (ABV) antigen by immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal serum specific for the viral nucleocapsid (N) protein. Seven of 10 case birds had clinical signs, and necropsy findings consistent with proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) while 3 case birds and the 5 birds from other aviaries did not exhibit signs and lesions of this disease. In birds with clinical signs of PDD, ABV antigen was largely limited to neuroectodermal cells including neurons, astroglia, and ependymal cells of the central nervous system, neurons of the peripheral nervous system, and adrenal cells. ABV antigen was present in the nuclei and cytoplasm of infected cells. In 2 case birds that lacked signs and lesions of PDD, viral antigen had a more widespread distribution and was present in nuclei and cytoplasm of epithelial cells of the alimentary and urogenital tract, retina, heart, skeletal muscle, and skin in addition to the mentioned neuroectodermal cells. ABV RNA was identified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in tissues of all 7 case birds available for testing from aviary 1, including 4 birds with PDD lesions and the 3 birds without PDD lesions. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis indicated the presence of ABV genotype 1 in all cases. Findings further substantiate a role of ABV in PDD of psittacine bird species.
Stimulation of counterregulatory hormonal responses in diabetic man by a fall in glucose concentration.

The effect of a falling plasma glucose concentration, from one hyperglycemic to another lower, yet still hyperglycemic, level, on the release of counterregulatory hormones was examined in nine diabetic subjects. The fasting plasma glucose concentration (201 ± 22 mg/dl) was lowered at the rate of 2.3 ± 0.3 mg/min with an exogenous insulin infusion and maintained between 100 and 110 mg/dl for an additional 60 min employing the glucose clamp technique. During the phase of rapidly falling glucose concentration, or shortly thereafter while the plasma glucose was being maintained at or above 100 mg/dl, eight of nine diabetics released growth hormone, five of nine released cortisol, six of nine released epinephrine, and five of nine released norepinephrine. No subject demonstrated any increase in plasma glucagon. One subject experienced a frank hypoglycemic reaction when her plasma glucose concentration had decreased to 149 mg/dl. In contrast, control subjects did not demonstrate the release of any counterregulatory hormones despite a similar rate of decline in plasma glucose concentration. These results indicate that diabetic subjects with fasting hyperglycemia have an upward resetting of the glucostat at which counterregulatory hormones are released and provide direct support for the clinical observation of hypoglycemic reactions in some diabetics with “normal” or high plasma glucose concentrations.
Discursive Construction of the Images of U.S. Classrooms.

Recent work in applied linguistics has critiqued the discursive construction of essentialized cultures of ESL students as the Other. Also discursively constructed are the images of the Self compared with the Other. This article focuses on the images of U.S. classrooms in terms of the goals of education, the characteristics of teaching, and student characteristics, and aims to reveal their discursive nature by reviewing literature in applied linguistics, studies on instructional practices in U.S. schools and colleges, and a revisionist critique of the educational crisis in the United States. This literature review demonstrates that the applied linguistics and revisionist discourses that emphasize cultural differences convey positive, idealized images of U.S. classrooms whereas research on classroom instruction in mainstream contexts portrays negative images of U.S. classrooms quite similar to applied linguistics' images of Asian classrooms. This disparity indicates that a particular representation of the Self as the ideal norm is produced in contrast with the Other. Discursive practices of Othering, dichotomization of the Self and the Other, and legitimation of power relations between the Self and the Other echo a past-present continuity of the discourses of colonialism. The article discusses the effects of the essentialization of cultures
The Constant Volume Limit of Pulsed Propulsion for a Constant Gamma Ideal Gas

The constant volume (CV) limit of pulsed propulsion was explored theoretically, where the combustion chamber was approximated as being time-varying but spatially uniform, while the nozzle flow was approximated as being one dimensional but quasi-steady. The CV limit was explored for the isentropic blow down of a constant y ideal gas for fixed expansion ratios and for variable expansion ratios which were adjusted to match the pressure ratio at all times. The CV limit calculations were notable in that all the fixed expansion ratio results could be expressed as analytical solutions. The CV limit was then compared with two relevant constant pressure (CP) cycles. Among the several conclusions were that using a fixed expansion ratio nozzle during a CV blow down did not exert more than a 3% performance penalty over using a variable expansion ratio nozzle as long as the fixed expansion ratio nozzle was optimized for the blow down. Another major conclusion was that, while the impulse produced by a CV device could significantly exceed that of a CP device operating at the fill pressure of the CV device at elevated ambient pressures (e.g. , I atm), the impulse produced by a CP device could actually exceed, albeit only slightly, the impulse produced by a CV device when the ambient pressure was near zero, such as would occur in the near vacuum conditions in space. Nomenclature A - area c - speed of sound CF - thrust coefficient cp - specific heat at constant pressure F - thrust g(Y) - eq. (4) / - impulse rate of mass flow Mach number velocity pressure
Carcinoma in the porcelain gallbladder: a relationship revisited.

Abstract Background. Gallbladder cancer is the most common biliary tract malignancy. Calcification of the gallbladder wall is reported to be associated with gallbladder cancer. In the literature, the incidence is quoted to be between 12% and 61%. This study aims to clarify the risk of cancer in a calcified gallbladder. Methods. The charts and pathology reports at the Massachusetts General Hospital were reviewed, and patients with either gallbladder cancer or a calcified gallbladder were included in the study. The Fisher exact test was used to test for the association between cancer and gallbladder wall calcifications. Results. From 1962 to 1999, there were approximately 25,900 gallbladder specimens analyzed at the Massachusetts General Hospital. There were 150 patients with gallbladder cancer and 44 patients with calcified gallbladders. Two types of calcified gallbladders were noted: those with complete intramural calcification (n = 17) and those with selective mucosal calcification (n = 27). The incidence of cancer arising in a gallbladder with selective mucosal wall calcification was approximately 7%. There was a significant association between gallbladder cancer and selective mucosal calcification with an odds ratio of 13.89 ( P =.01). There were no patients with diffuse intramural calcification and cancer. Conclusions. A calcified gallbladder is associated with an increased risk of gallbladder cancer, but at a much lower rate than previously estimated. The incidence of cancer depends on the pattern of calcification; selective mucosal calcification poses a significant risk of cancer whereas diffuse intramural calcification does not. (Surgery 2001;129:699-703.)
Boron neutron capture in prostate cancer cells.

Abstract A modified enhanced thermal neutron beam (METNB) assembly at Fermilab was used to irradiate borylphenylalanine (BPA) treated human prostate cancer cells, DU 145. Acceptable cellular uptake levels of BPA and no BPA cytotoxicity were observed. In the absence of BPA, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of the METNB was determined to be 2.3–4.8 times greater than gamma rays. An additional 1.2 or 1.4 fold relative enhancement from boron neutron capture (REBNC) was observed for METNB irradiated DU 145 cells treated with 4.9 or 12 mM BPA, respectively. The additional cell killing of the BPA loaded DU 145 cells by the METNB at Fermilab is evidence for a BNC enhanced cell killing.
Energetics of potential heterotrophic metabolisms in the marine hydrothermal system of Vulcano Island, Italy

Abstract Values of overall Gibbs free energy of 144 organic oxidation (respiration) and disproportionation (fermentation) reactions are calculated at the temperatures and chemical compositions that exist in nine submarine vents, sediment seeps and geothermal wells in the hydrothermal system of Vulcano Island, Italy. The organic compounds considered here include four carboxylic acids (formic, acetic, propanoic and lactic), two C 5 aldoses (arabinose and xylose), three C 6 aldoses (galactose, glucose and mannose), and 15 protein-forming amino acids (Ala, Arg, Asp, Glu, Gly, His, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Ser, Thr, Tyr, and Val). Oxidation of these compounds is coupled to five redox pairs: O 2 /H 2 O, SO 4 2 - / H 2 S , S 0 /H 2 S, NO 3 - / NH 4 + and Fe 3 O 4 /Fe 2+ . Energy yields from potential respiration reactions range from 6 to 118 kJ/mol of electrons transferred and show systematic behavior with respect to the terminal electron acceptor. Overall, respiration with O 2 yields the most energy (98–118 kJ/mol e − ), followed by reactions with NO 3 - (53– 86 kJ/mol e − ), magnetite (29–91 kJ/mol e − ), S 0 (11–33 kJ/mol e − ) and SO 4 2 - (6–34 kJ/mol e − ). Energy yields show little correlation with organic compound family, but are correlated with fluid pH. Variability in energy yields across the nine sites is greatest for Fe(III) reduction and is primarily influenced by pH and the activity of Fe 2+ . In addition to the potential respiration reactions, the energetics of 24 potential fermentation reactions are also calculated. As expected, fermentation reactions generally yield much less energy than respiration. Normalized to the number of moles of carbon transferred, fermentation yields−8 to 71 kJ/mol C, compared with 16 to 531 kJ/mol C for respiration reactions. All respiration and fermentation reactions, except for methionine (Met) fermentation, are exergonic under the in situ hydrothermal conditions and represent a plethora of potential metabolisms for Vulcano’s diverse thermophilic heterotrophs.
The stereochemistry of limaspermine, haplocine and haplocidine

Abstract Haplocine has been transformed by a sequence of chemical steps into palosine, identical with material synthesized form aspidospermine. This conversion provides unambiguous proof of the stereochemistry of haplocine, haplocidine and limaspermine.
Growth of yeast and alcohol production in apple juice containing patulin

Apple juice containing 0, 50, 100, 250, and 500 μg of patulin per liter was fermented with Saccharomyces cereviseae var. Montrochet. Numbers of yeast and amount of alcohol in the juice were determined daily for 10 days. No appreciable differences in either numbers of yeast or alcohol production were noted between samples with and without patulin.
Effects of habitat edges on American lobster abundance and survival

Abstract Habitat edges frequently possess distinct ecological conditions that affect interactions such as competition and predation. Within a species' preferred habitat, the structural complexity and resource availability of adjacent habitats may influence the effect of edges on ecological processes. In nearshore waters of New England, American lobsters ( Homarus americanus ) inhabit fragmented cobble reefs that often are bordered by unvegetated sediment and occasionally by seagrass. We determined whether proximity to cobble patch edges, microhabitat characteristics within cobble habitat, and the type of habitat adjacent to cobble patches (seagrass or unvegetated sediment) influence the density and survival of juvenile and adult American lobsters in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. We surveyed naturally occurring cobble patches and artificial cobble reefs to determine how the odds of finding lobsters varied with distance from the edge and habitat type. Additionally, we tethered lobsters at different distances from the edge inside and outside of cobble patches to determine how lobster relative survival varied with edge proximity and habitat type. In cobble habitat, the odds of finding large lobsters (adolescents and adults > 40 mm carapace length (CL)) were highest near patch edges regardless of adjacent habitat type, whereas smaller lobsters (e.g. emergent juveniles 15–25 mm CL) were more abundant in patch interiors when seagrass bordered cobble patches. The odds of finding lobsters also increased with the relative amount of cobble cover within patches. In predation experiments, lobster relative survival after 6 h was lowest outside of cobble and increased toward cobble patch interiors, but after 24 h this trend disappeared or reversed. Seagrass appeared to offer greater refuge for lobsters than did unvegetated sediment. Our results suggest that proximity to patch edges influences lobster distribution and survival, and that edge effects on lobsters vary with life history phase and with the type of habitat adjacent to cobble patches.
Production and perception of Taiwan Mandarin syllable contraction.

Taiwan Mandarin syllable contraction is an optional lenition process which involves the elision of the intervocalic segments and the merger of the tonal elements of two syllables. Here it is shown that syllable contraction is gradient and non‐neutralizing. In a production experiment, 20 subjects read a list of minimal sentence pairs, containing disyllabic contractable words and matched monosyllabic lexical words, at two speech rates (88 and 144 beats/min), three times each. Degree of contraction was measured as the depth of the intensity trough between two syllables [Mermelstein 1975], with a trough depth (TrD) of zero meaning fully contracted. 8% of disyllables were somewhat contracted (TrD between 0 and 2 dB) while 29% were fully contracted (TrD = 0 dB). Fully contracted disyllables were compared on several other acoustic measures to their monosyllabic counterparts and were found to differ most strongly in duration. In a perception experiment, items from the production experiment were presented to 35 listeners for forced‐choice identification as disyllabic or monosyllabic words. Accuracy was generally high; reaction times were slower for lexical monosyllables, which were sometimes labeled as contracted. Thus, even when fully contracted syllables were produced, they remained acoustically and perceptually distinct from monosyllables.
Differential Molecular Chaperone Response Associated with Various Mouse Adapted Scrapie Strains

Prionoses are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by misfolding of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) and accumulation of its diseases specific conformer PrP(Sc) in the brain and neuropathologically, they can be associated with presence or absence of PrP amyloid deposits. Functional molecular chaperones (MCs) that constitute the unfolded protein response include heat shock proteins and glucose-regulated protein families. They protect intracellular milieu against various stress conditions including accumulation of misfolded proteins and oxidative stress, typical of neurodegenerative diseases. Little is known about the role of MCs in pathogenesis of prionoses in mammalian prion model systems. In this study we characterized MCs response pattern in mice infected with various mouse adapted scrapie strains. Rather than uniform upregulation of MCs, we encountered two distinctly different patterns of MCs response distinguishing ME7 and 87V strains from 22L and 139A strains. ME7 and 87V strains are known for the induction of amyloid deposition in infected animals, while in mice infected with 22L and 139A strains amyloid deposits are absent. MCs response pattern similar to that associated with amyloidogenic ME7 and 87V strains was also observed in APPPS1-21 Alzheimer's transgenic mice, which represent an aggressive model of cerebral amyloidosis caused by β-amyloid deposition. Our results highlight the probability that different mechanisms of MCs regulation exist driven by amyloidogenic and non-amyloidogenic nature of prion strains.
Mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement ameliorates the impact of pain on self-reported psychological and physical function among opioid-using chronic pain patients.

Abstract Context Chronic pain impacts one-third of the U.S. population, and its effects are debilitating for individuals and costly to the medical system. Although opioids are commonly prescribed to address chronic pain, they confer risk for misuse and addiction in some patients and may not fully restore life function—particularly with regard to psychosocial factors. Because of the multiplicity of impacts that chronic pain may have on daily functioning, broad-spectrum behavioral interventions are needed. Objectives The purpose of this study was to conduct follow-up analyses from a pilot randomized controlled trial of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) to assess specific effects of MORE on various biopsychosocial aspects of pain-related impairment. Methods Chronic pain patients ( N = 115; mean age, 48 ± 14 years; 68% female) were randomly assigned to either eight weeks of MORE or a support group. Domains of pain-related functional interference were measured with the Brief Pain Inventory at pre- and post-treatment and at a three-month follow-up. Treatment effects were analyzed with multivariate intention-to-treat models. Results MORE participants reported significantly greater reductions in functional interference than support group participants at post-treatment across all domains, including general activity, mood, walking ability, normal work, relationships, sleep, and enjoyment of life. These effects were largely maintained by the three-month follow-up; however, general activity level and walking ability were no longer significant, indicating differential long-term effects between physiological and psychological functioning. Conclusion Findings demonstrate preliminary efficacy of MORE as a treatment for pain-related functional impairments and suggest that effects may be more pronounced and durable for aspects of psychological function.
Magnetic Transitions in Alloys of Gadolinium and Dysprosium

Magnetic properties of alloys of gadolinium and dysprosium have been studied experimentally. As the temperature is lowered, pure gadolinium makes a transition from the paramagnetic state directly to the ferromagnetic state. Pure dysprosium transforms under somewhat similar circumstances from the randomly oriented spin structure to an ordered spin state, commonly referred to as a spiral structure. As the temperature is lowered further, this nonferromagnetic spiral structure changes to the parallel aligned spin structure, which is ferromagnetic. The transition temperatures have been investigated as a function of composition of the alloys and also as a function of the ambient pressure. The strength of the internal magnetic interaction evidently depends strongly on interatomic spacings, which are pressure-dependent. The present experiments show that the binary alloys transform directly from the paramagnetic state to the ferromagnetic state when they contain less than 50\ensuremath{\sim} dysprosium. The dysprosium-rich alloys evidently pass through the oscillatory spin state before they become ferromagnetic. Results at atmospheric pressure are consistent with previously reported experiments by others. As the ambient pressure is increased, significant changes occur in the temperatures at which the magnetic transitions occur. In most of the cases, both the N\'eel temperature (random to spiral structure) and the Curie temperature (parallel aligned structure) decrease with increasing pressure. However, in some cases the Curie temperature appears to increase with increasing pressure. The results are discussed in terms of the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida model.
A Single Amino Acid Change in the Cytoplasmic Domain Allows the Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin to Be Endocytosed through Coated Pits

Through site-specific mutagenesis, three of the ten amino acids of the cytoplasmic domain of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) were individually changed to tyrosines. None of these changes had significant effect on the rate of export, the rate of folding, or the antigenicity of the mutant HAs. However, one of these mutations, substituting tyrosine for cysteine at amino acid 543, changed HA from a protein that was endocytosed at a very low rate to a protein that readily entered coated pits, was internalized, and apparently recycled to the cell surface. Replacement of cysteine 543 with phenylalanine or serine did not increase the rate of internalization of HA. Phosphorylation of the mutant HA bearing a tyrosine at position 543 was not detected. These results indicate a specific and local role for the tyrosine introduced into the cytoplasmic domain of HA that is necessary for interaction of the protein with coated pits.
Searching for the Berry phase effect with two-particle transfer reactions

Abstract Recent structure calculations of two-particle transfer amplitudes between rotating heavy nuclei have predicted strong variations that are related to Berry's topological phase. In this work these amplitudes are incorporated into a new method for calculating the reaction process that allows one to study the consequences of the structure variations on the observable cross sections.
Purchasing for safety: standardization in intravenous equipment.

In 2005 the National Audit Office published figures that revealed nearly a million (974 000) ‘incidents’ or ‘near misses’ regarding patient safety had been recorded in England over the previous year. A total of 2181 later proved fatal. These incidents included errors in drug dose calculations, administering drugs at the wrong rate or to the wrong patient. The nursing profession, along with doctors, surgeons and every other member of the healthcare team must understand their role in these mistakes. This article considers how standardizing equipment used by clinical staff and enhancing best practice with evidence can significantly reduce medical errors and allow clinical staff more time with their patients.
A Study of Husbands and Wives from Dual‐Career and Traditional‐Career Families

Husbands and wives of dual-career families were compared with husbands and wives of traditional-career families on the variables of inner-directedness, self-actualizing values, existentiality, self-regard, and self-acceptance. Also, comparisons between the two sets of couples were made on shared and unshared interests. Our findings indicate that the husbands and wives in our sample of dual-career families do not differ in major ways from our sample of husbands and wives of traditional-career families; however, in every instance of difference, the direction of difference supports the view that husbands and wives of dual-career families are more inner-directed and flexible in applying personal values than husbands and wives of traditional-career families.
Organization of spinal motor nuclei in the stingray, Dasyatis sabina.

Abstract The Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina , has enlarged pectoral fins consisting of a series of antagonist dorsal (elevator) and ventral (depressor) muscles. Each muscle is divided into superficial and deep components. The retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used to determine the organization of motoneuron pools innervating fin and epaxial muscles. HRP applied to a single peripheral nerve labeled motoneurons within a single spinal segment. Following intramuscular injection of HRP, 3 distinct cell groups were identified in the transverse plane. Motoneurons innervating elevator muscles were lateral in the ventral horn, while motoneurons innervating depressor muscles were dorsomedial. The epaxial muscles were found to be innervated by a distinct cell column along the ventral border of the ventral horn. Separate injections of the superficial and deep bundles of the elevator muscle resulted in considerable overlap in the distribution of labeled motoneurons. Soma areas for both elevator and depressor motoneurons were unimodally distributed. The mean cell diameters were 33.6 and 31.8 μm respectively. Motoneurons innervating the superficial and deep bundles of elevator muscle also had similar size distributions. The location of motoneurons innervating elevator and depressor fin muscles in the stingray supports the hypothesis that motoneurons innervating muscle derived from the dorsal premuscle mass are located laterally in the ventral horn while motoneurons innervating muscle derived from the ventral premuscle mass are located medially.
Changes in axonal transport of phospholipids in the regenerating goldfish optic system

Changes in axonally transported phospholipids of regenerating goldfish optic nerve were studied by intraocular injection of [2-3H]glycerol 9 days and 16 days after nerve crush at 30°C. The four major glycerophospholipids all showed substantial increases in transported radioactivity above non-regenerating controls at both time points, these being maximal (15- to 35-fold) in the optic nerve-tract at 9 days and about half as great at 16 days. In the contralateral optic tectum transported label increased 6- to 13-fold at 9 days and 10- to 25-fold at 16 days in the various glycerophospholipids. While all glycerophospholipids showed absolute increases in both tissues, PS and PI increased relatively more, especially in the tectum. The regeneration-associated increases in transported label of all glycerophospholipids were larger than those previously demonstrated for gangliosides and glycoproteins in the same system.