cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assay of tissue levels of S-adenosylmethionine

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the methods of preparation of S-Adenosylmethionine. S-Adenosylmethionine formed from methionine and ATP by an activating enzyme is the major methyl donor tot a variety of biological transmethylations. Significant levels of this intermediate are present in most mammalian tissues and can be determined with relative ease. The method is based on isotope dilution of S-adenosylmethionine (labeled with methyl- l4 C) by the unlabeled compound present in tissue extract and estimation of the specific activity of the diluted compound by the enzymatic formation of melatonin(methoxy- 14 C-acetyl- 3 H) from the methyl donor and N-acetylserotonin- 3 H of constant specific activity. Other potential methyl donors do not interfere with the determination of S-adenosylmethionine. This tissue extract does not contain any active methyltransferase; other possible substrates present in the tissue are not methylated by the highly specific hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase. Normal tissue levels vary from about 9 μg/g in brain to about 50μg/g in adrenal glands. S-Adenosylethionine can transfer its ethyl group to N-acetylserotonin, but this compound is not normally present in tissues.
An Automated Ionization Chamber for Secondary Radioactivity Standards

I report on the operation and characterization of a new ionization chamber system, "AUTOIC", featuring a commercial digital electrometer and a commercial robotic sample changer. The relative accuracy of the electrometer was improved significantly beyond the manufacturer's specifications through an in-house calibration of the various ranges, applied via software. The measurement precision and repeatability of the system have been determined by measuring multiple samples of the same radionuclide over the span of two or three years. The linearity of the system was examined by following the decay of (99m)Tc, (99)Mo and (133)Xe sources for up to 19 half-lives and determining half-life values. All of these values agree with the accepted literature values, within their combined uncertainties.
PCSK9 variation and association with blood pressure in African Americans: preliminary findings from the HyperGEN and REGARDS studies

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (encoded by PCSK9) plays a well-known role in the regulation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors, and an inhibitor of this enzyme is a promising new therapeutic for hyperlipidemia. Recently, animal and human studies also implicate PCSK9 genetic variation in the regulation of blood pressure. The goal of this study was to examine if common and rare polymorphisms in PCSK9 are associated with blood pressure in an African-American population at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Using genomic data assayed on the Affymetrix 6.0 array (n = 1199) and the Illumina HumanExome Beadchip (n = 1966) from the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN), we tested the association of PCSK9 polymorphisms with blood pressure. We used linear mixed models and the sequence kernel association test (SKAT) to assess the association of 31 common and 19 rare variants with blood pressure. The models were adjusted for age, sex, center, smoking status, principal components for ancestry and diabetes as fixed effects and family as a random effect. The results showed a marginally significant effect of two genome-wide association study (GWAS) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs12048828: β = 1.8, P = 0.05 and rs9730100: β = 1.0, P = 0.05) with diastolic blood pressure (DBP); however these results were not significant after correction for multiple testing. Rare variants were cumulatively associated with DBP (P = 0.04), an effect that was strengthened by restriction to non-synonymous or stop-gain SNPs (P = 0.02). While gene-based results for DBP did not replicate (P = 0.36), we found an association with SBP (P = 0.04) in the Reasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study (REGARDS). The findings here suggest rare variants in PCSK9 may influence blood pressure among African Americans, laying the ground work for further validation studies.
The structure of poliovirus replicative form

Abstract The structure of polio replicative form (RF) has been investigated by 3' end labeling and the use of polynucleotide phosphorylase to now allow a complete composite of the RF structure. The evidence presented indicates that the 3' terminal sequence of the minus strand is an exact complement to the 5' end of polio RNA. This suggests that the 5' terminal U of polio RNA is genetically coded. Other data is presented to show that in addition to the genetically coded poly(A) tract of the plus strand in RF, a single-stranded poly(A) tail protrudes beyond the double-stranded RNA.
Cars and kilowatts: While detroit remains uncommitted to electric and hybrid vehicles, private industry in Europe and Japan has already taken the plunge

It has already been demonstrated (in 1974) how dependent the USA is on Arab oil. This article points out the alternatives that are currently being researched, centring mainly on electric vehicles.
Substrate binding causes movement in the ATP binding domain of Escherichia coli adenylate kinase.

Crystallographic evidence suggests that there is a large hinged domain motion associated with substrate binding in adenylate kinase. To test this hypothesis, resonance energy transfer measurements of substrate binding were initiated. Adenylate kinase from Escherichia coli consists of three domains: the main body of the enzyme with α-helical and β-sheet secondary structure, and domains that close over the AMP and ATP binding sites. Four single tryptophan mutants were constructed to map distances. Two tryptophan mutants were positioned at residues 133 (Y133W) and 137 (F137W), which are in the domain that closes over the ATP binding site. Mutant F86W that is located at the AMP binding site, and mutant S41W that is in the loop that close over AMP, complete the mapping library. Energy transfer was measured between each of these tryptophans and 5-[[2-(acetylamino)ethyl]amino]naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (AEDANS) covalently bound to the single cysteine residue at position 77, which is located in the main body of...
A two-equation turbulence model for jet flows laden with vaporizing droplets

Abstract A two-equation turbulence model for steady incompressible two-phase flows including phase change has been recently developed by Mostafa & Elghobashi (1984). This model is tested for the flow of a turbulent axisymmetric gaseous jet laden with evaporating liquid droplets. To avoid the problem of density fluctuations of the carrier phase at this stage, only isothermal flow is considered and vaporization is assumed to be due to the vapor concentration gradient. The continuous size distribution of the droplets is approximated by finite size groups. Each group is considered as a continuous phase interpenetrating and interacting with the carrier phase. Two test cases have been predicted by the model. The first is for a Freon-11 spray issuing from a round nozzle, where experimental data are available at distances equal to or greater than 170 nozzle diameters. Good agreement between the data and the predictions was achieved. The second is for a methanol spray where no experiments are available yet and the predictions consider the flow region close to the nozzle ( z/D ). The results of the methanol spray include distributions of the mean velocity, volume fractions of the different phases, concentration of the evaporated material in the carrier phase, turbulence intensity and shear stress of the carrier phase, droplet diameter distribution, and the jet spreading rate. In this case the results are analyzed based on a qualitative comparison with the corresponding single phase jet flow.
Assays for transfer RNA-dependent amino acid biosynthesis.

Abstract Selenocysteinyl-tRNA Sec , cysteinyl-tRNA Cys , glutaminyl-tRNA Gln , and asparaginyl-tRNA Asn in many organisms are formed in an indirect pathway in which a non-cognate amino acid is first attached to the tRNA. This non-cognate amino acid is then converted to the cognate amino acid by a tRNA-dependent modifying enzyme. The in vitro characterization of these modifying enzymes is challenging due to the fact the substrate, aminoacyl-tRNA, is labile and requires a prior enzymatic step to be synthesized. The need to separate product aa-tRNA from unreacted substrate is typically a labor- and time-intensive task; this adds another impediment in the investigation of these enzymes. Here, we review four different approaches for studying these tRNA-dependent amino acid modifications. In addition, we describe in detail a [ 32 P]/nuclease P1 assay for glutaminyl-tRNA Gln and asparaginyl-tRNA Asn formation which is sensitive, enables monitoring of the aminoacyl state of the tRNA, and is less time consuming than some of the other techniques. This [ 32 P]/nuclease P1 method should be adaptable to studying tRNA-dependent selenocysteine and cysteine synthesis.
The Patient Centered Medical Home: Mental Models and Practice Culture Driving the Transformation Process

BACKGROUND The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) has become a dominant model of primary care re-design. The PCMH model is a departure from more traditional models of healthcare delivery and requires significant transformation to be realized.
Relative potencies of individual polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin, dibenzofuran, and biphenyl congeners and congener mixtures based on induction of cytochrome P4501A mRNA in a rainbow trout gonadal cell line (RTG-2)

Cytochrome P450-catalyzed enzyme activity in cell culture was investigated as a bioassay for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) equivalents in environmental mixtures of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD), dibenzofuran (PCDF), and biphenyl (PCB) congeners. A problem with the use of enzyme induction is that certain congeners are unable to induce P4501A enzyme activity to the same maximal level as TCDD. We sought to eliminate this problem by measuring mRNA induction rather than enzyme activity. Rainbow trout gonadal cells (RTG-2) were exposed to PCDD, PCDF, and PCB congeners and congener mixtures, and induction of cytochrome P4501A mRNA was measured. A high level of induction in cells treated with only a medium change was seen and was due to a component of the fresh medium. 2,3,7,8-Substituted PCDD and PCDF congeners and four non-ortho-substituted PCBs caused dose-related induction of P4501A mRNA. Di-ortho-substituted PCBs did not induce P450 mRNA, but three mono-ortho-substituted PCBs caused significant induction. Toxic equivalency factors determined in RTG-2 cells were generally higher than those in rainbow trout early life stages. Rainbow trout gonadal cell (RTG-2) bioassay TCDD equivalents (TEqs) for three environmental extracts were lower than those predicted by addition of individual congener TEqs, and the synthetic congener mixture acted additively.
A MODERN ANALYSIS OF THE BARYON SPECTRUM

Although the study of the baryon spectrum has been underway for many years, there is still much room for progress. There are advantages over mesons because most data has 3 or few particles in the final state and the states are largely reached through the s channel. Nevertheless, states have significant overlap and methods to extract their properties are nontrivial. We propose some significant changes to the baryon spectrum as a result recent work with the CMB model.
Out of sight, out of mind? Relations between visual acuity and cognition.

Prior research has established significant relations between measures of sensory ability and cognitive function in adults of different ages, and several explanations for this relation have been proposed. One explanation is that sensory abilities restrict cognitive processing, a second is that cognitive abilities influence assessments of sensory ability, and a third is that both sensory function and cognition are affected by a common, potentially age-based, third factor. These explanations were investigated using mediation and moderation analyses, with near visual acuity as the sensory measure and scores on visual speed tests and auditory memory tests as the cognitive measures. Measures of visual acuity, speed, and memory were obtained from three moderately large samples, two cross-sectional (N = 380, N = 4,779) and one longitudinal (N = 2,258), with participants ranging from 18 to 90 years of age. The visual acuity and cognitive measures had different age trajectories, and the visual acuity–cognition relations were similar in each 5-year age band. The results suggest that the age-related differences and changes in near visual acuity are unlikely to contribute to the age-related differences and changes in speed and memory measures.
Three-dimensional curved surface for integrated optics

As an extension of our previous experimental and theoretical studies on homogeneous dielectric cylindrical surface or a single curved boundary on thin dielectric film as an optical waveguide, we study the behavior of a wave being guided by a conic or spherical surface. Experiments show that these surfaces cause the guided light to be deflected continuously toward the region with larger cross section, an effect that can be explained either by geometric optics or by wave equations. Possible applications of these surfaces in integrated optics are discussed.
Expression of α-cardiac and α-skeletal actin mRNAs in relation to innervation in regenerating and non-regenerating rat skeletal muscles

The expression of alpha-cardiac and alpha-skeletal actin mRNA in regenerating muscle was examined. Changes in mRNA levels were analyzed in autografted extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles in rats using alpha-isoform specific synthetic oligonucleotides and beta-actin cDNA as probes. After autografting, the expression of alpha-cardiac actin mRNA was induced; concomitantly that of alpha-skeletal actin mRNA was reduced. The pattern of alpha-actin mRNA expression appeared to be similar to that seen in embryonic skeletal muscle. In order to evaluate the effects of innervation on alpha-actin mRNA expression in regenerating muscle, nerveless, standard, and nerve-intact autografted muscles were examined. More complete innervation facilitated the recovery of alpha-skeletal actin mRNA to control levels, but had little effect on the amount of alpha-cardiac actin mRNA. We found that regenerating muscle shows that embryonic pattern of alpha-actin mRNAs in the early stage and concluded that the recovery of alpha-skeletal actin mRNA expression to the adult pattern is influenced by innervation, while alpha-cardiac actin mRNA expression is nerve independent.
Integrated engineering workstations in electrical engineering laboratories

The authors provide a description of integrated engineering workstations (IEWs) used in undergraduate electrical engineering laboratories. The IEWs are used for the design, analysis, and testing of engineering systems. Examples of laboratory experiments and software programs are presented. Two CAED (computer-aided engineering and design) software packages are described, BUCOP and BUDSP, which have enhanced the educational process at Bucknell on many different levels. The undergraduate developers of the packages have learned how to design and verify software systems. BUCOP and BUDSP have also stimulated the curiosity and creativity of students in the design of linear control systems and digital filters. Students now have a better understanding of realistic complex control and signal processing systems and are more aware of CAED capabilities. >
Subjective Judgments of Clarity and Intelligibility for Filtered Stimuli With Equivalent Speech Intelligibility Index Predictions

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether subjective judgments of clarity or intelligibility would be rated equally among conditions in which speech was equated for predicted intel...
Sites in the polyoma genome cleaved by restriction endonuclease HindII.

Abstract The Hemophilus influenzae HindII endonuclease cleaves polyoma DNA into two fragments, approximately 90 and 10% the size of polyoma linear DNA. One of the HindII sites is located in the H. parainfluenzae HpaII-F fragment, and the other in the HpaII-A fragment. Both sites have the sequence
Characterization of thermal reaction by peak temperature and height of DTG curves

Abstract A relationship between the peak temperature and height in derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) curves was explored to seek their specific combination for addressing the uniqueness of a thermal reaction. The functional relationship between the peak temperature and height was closely related to the activation energy and reaction order, but rarely affected by the preexponential factor and heating rate. Determining peak temperature and height at a heating rate was enough to characterize a thermal reaction of first-order kinetics or known reaction order, but was insufficient to specify a reaction without knowing the shifting pattern of either peak temperature or peak height with heating rate. The peak temperature and height varied with the heating rate according to the kinetic parameters. The shifting pattern of the peak temperature with the heating rate was related to the activation energy, while that of the peak height was confined by the reaction order together with the activation energy.
Neuroimaging and genetics in aging and age-related disease.

Neuroimaging, genetics, and phenomic explorations in the study of brain aging seek to characterize typical patterns of morphometric, function, and connectomics and how these change over the lifespan. With a detailed but multifaceted knowledge of these patterns, neuroscientists and clinicians can better recognize the processes at play when age-related brain changes vary from these expectations. Employing a range of neuroimaging methods, genome-wide as well as focused gene targeting, and ‘big data’ computation, progress is occurring toward gaining such understanding. We are excited to present these articles as a special issue of Brain Imaging and Behavior which grew out of from our New Horizons in Human Brain Imaging meeting on the theme of the neuroimaging of brain aging, held in March 2013.
Comparison of Visual Acuity in Macular Degeneration Patients Measured with Snellen and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study Charts

Purpose To compare the measurements of visual acuity (VA) results measured with Snellen and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts in eyes with and without age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Design Cross-sectional study. Participants One hundred four participants (190 eyes) selected from a university retina practice; 80 participants (142 eyes) had some degree of AMD. Methods Visual acuity was measured in each patient using standard procedure with both Snellen and ETDRS charts in random order. Statistical analysis of the results was performed. Main Outcome Measures Difference in VA measured by both charts in logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) notations. Results Overall, the mean Snellen VA was 0.78 logMAR (= 20/120), and the mean ETDRS VA in the same eye was 0.54 logMAR (= 20/70; P 20/30). On average, 20/200 on Snellen was 20/95 on ETDRS (>3 lines difference), and 20/30 on Snellen was 20/25 on ETDRS ( Conclusion Our results show poor agreement between the Snellen and ETDRS charts, and it was more pronounced in the group with poor vision. The ETDRS measurements yielded better VA, particularly in participants with vision
Deconvolution of Skin Images with Multivariate Curve Resolution

Two-photon fluorescence microscopy has been demonstrated as a high-resolution 3-D tissue imaging technique. If the dream of a noninvasive optical biopsy is to be realized upon this technology, biochemically relevant information must be extracted from the data thus obtained. The current study investigated the ability of different Gram-Schmidt modifications to orthogonal projection multivariate curve resolution (MCR) to find the emission spectra and distributions of fluorophores in volume images. A two-photon microscope, incorporating a high-power femtosecond Ti:Sapphire laser and a high sensitivity multianode photomultiplier spectrally resolved detector, was used to obtain spectroscopic data for each point in a volume of the sample. The MCR algorithm was developed and tested by first examining fluorescent beads. MCR analysis on images obtained from ex vivo human skin provided recognizable structural resolution with no a priori information, suggesting that the resolved spectra correspond to different endogenous fluorophores.
The Approximate Solution of Schrödinger Equations by a Least Squares Method

A method of approximation to the solution of a Schrodinger equation has been developed in which variation functions are used but no integrations are involved. The procedure involves the evaluation of the energy for a set of representative points in configuration space. The parameters in the variation function are then chosen by applying the condition that the mean square deviation of the energy from the average should be a minimum.
Technology and the health care quadrilemma: a test

Health care quadrilemma (HCQ) theory describes the reciprocal relationship between health care technology, health care insurance, quality of care and cost containment. State-space, time series models were developed to investigate these relationships for the US health care system over the period 1950--1999. The models allow HCQ theory to be restated as historical counterfactuals. The first counterfactual assumed that neither Medicare nor HMOs, two ameliorative cost-cutting approaches, had been implemented. The second counterfactual assumed that universal coverage had been implemented after WWII. Only the second counterfactual had an impact on chronic diseases, but neither had an impact on either technological change or national health expenditures. The reason for these results depends on the unique history of the late 20th century in the USA.
Melting and refreezing of porous media

Abstract During severe nuclear reactor accidents similar to Three-Mile Island, the fuel rods can fragment and thus convert the reactor core into a large rubble bed composed primarily of UO2 and ZrO2 particles. In the present study a one-dimensional model is developed for the melting and refreezing of such a bed. The analysis includes mass conservation equations for the species of interest (UO2 and ZrO2); a momentum equation that represents a balance among drag, capillary and gravity forces; an energy equation that incorporates the effects of convection by the melt, radiation and conduction through the bed and internal heat generation; and a UO2ZrO2 phase diagram. A few key results are that (1) capillary forces are only important in beds composed of particles smaller than a few millimeters in diameter and in such beds, melt relocates both upward and downward until it freezes, forming crusted regions above and below the melt zone; (2) as melt flows downward and freezes, a flow blockage forms near the bottom of the bed and the location of this blockage is determined by the bottom thermal boundary layer thickness; (3) the maximum thickness of the lower crust increases linearly with the height of the bed; and (4) deviations from initially uniform composition profiles occur because ZrO2 is preferentially melted and these deviations decrease as the initial ZrO2 concentration is increased.
Intra-arterial Nitrovasodilators Do Not Increase Cerebral Blood Flow in Angiographically Normal Territories of Arteriovenous Malformation Patients

Background and Purpose The mechanism of adaptation to chronic cerebral hypotension in normal brain adjacent to cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is unknown. To clarify these mechanisms, we performed cerebral blood flow (CBF) studies in structurally and functionally normal vascular territories during 53 distal cerebral angiographic procedures in 37 patients with AVMs. Methods CBF was measured using the superselective intra-arterial 133Xe method before and after a 3-minute infusion of either verapamil (1 mg·min−1, n=23), acetylcholine (1.33 μg·kg−1·min−1, n=7), nitroprusside (0.5 μg·kg−1·min−1, n=16) or nitroglycerin (0.5 μg·kg−1·min−1, n=7). Results Mean±SD systemic (76±13 mm Hg) and distal cerebral arterial (55±16 mm Hg; range, 20 to 97 mm Hg) pressures were not different among groups. Verapamil increased CBF (45±12 to 65±21 mL·100 g−1·min−1, P <.001). There was no effect of acetylcholine (no change [46±9 to 46±9 mL·100 g−1·min−1], NS) or nitroglycerin (36±14 to 36±13 mL·100 g−1·min−1, NS). Nitroprusside decreased CBF (40±12 to 31±11 mL·100 g−1·min−1, P <.001). The percent change in CBF after drug administration was proportional to cerebral arterial pressure for verapamil only ( r =.57, P =.0051). Conclusions When infused intra-arterially in clinically relevant doses in both hypotensive and normotensive normal vascular territories remote from an AVM nidus, calcium channel blockade caused vasodilation, but there was an absence of response to nitric oxide–mediated vasodilators. These data suggest that (1) the nitric oxide pathway probably is not involved in the adaptation to chronic cerebral hypotension in AVM patients and (2) if our findings in vessels remote from or contralateral to the AVM are applicable to vessels of patients with other forms of cerebrovascular disease, clinically relevant doses of intra-arterial nitrovasodilators may not be useful in the manipulation of cerebrovascular resistance.
Peptide models for the study of coupled conformational properties of protein secondary structures.

Abstract This letter describes the construction and use of molecular models designed for the investigation of the coupled conformational properties of polypeptide structures. The models incorporate several degrees of conformational freedom that are not present in other varieties of models, and are in addition furnished with angle dials so that changes in torsional bond angles accompanying motion of the structure may be read out directly. The models are particularly useful in establishing the qualitative mechanical behavior of coupled structures. Once the mechanical behavior of the system is known, it becomes relatively straight-forward to compute the energetics of the system under study.
Reply by Author to M. Lenard

where 0 and 77max refer to the wall and the point of maximum temperature in the boundary layer. The number 1.0, which appears as the first term of the result in Eq. (6), accounts for the depletion of the trace contaminant; this effect was justifiably not considered by Kane. Depletion was not found important for sodium except at the lowest altitudes and then for very long bodies only; however, it must be considered if the ionizing trace contaminant is cesium. It may be observed that, if depletion is neglected, and the reactions specified by Kane in Fig. 1 of Ref. 1 are assumed, one may obtain the generalized results of that figure (which were obtained by correlating results of numerical integrations) directly from Eq. (6) herein.
Heinz‐body anemia: “Bite Cell” variant— A light and electron microscopic study

Light and scanning electron microscopic studies of blood from five patients with drug-induced oxidant hemolysis are presented. None of the patients had a previous history of hemolytic disease and laboratory studies indicated no evidence of either glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency or unstable hemoglobinopathy. Although the red cell deformities in our patients overlapped to some extent with those reported in patients with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) and in patients with G6PD deficiency undergoing oxidant hemolysis, striking differences were also observed. Cell fragments, commonly found in patients with MAHA, and eccentrocytes, frequently found in patients with G6PD deficiency undergoing oxidant hemolysis, were seldom found in blood samples from the five patients in this study. Bite cells were extremely common in our patients. They are rare in patients with either of the above disorders. An awareness of the morphologic abnormalities detailed in this report may help characterize the nature of a hemolytic process so that appropriate therapy can be initiated.
Augusta Webster and The Social History of Myth

The major Victorian poets were plagued by a seemingly irresolvable conflict between the private nature of their work and the urgency of their public obligations. Matthew Arnold famously gave up the...
Eye Color and Motor Performance in Physical Education Activities in Elementary School Children

Summary.-251 elementary school children in Grades 1 to 6 performed a variety of motor tasks in physical education classes to investigate whether eye color was associated with performance on the expectation that dark-eyed individuals generally perform better at reactive type tasks (boxing, hitting a baseball, defensive football) while light-eyed individuals perform better at self-paced taks (bowling, golf, pitching baseballs). Eye color was oot associated with standing-long jump, soft-ball throw, or SO-, 75-, 100-yd. dashes. Boys generally ~erformed better than girls and older children in upper grades generally performed better than younger children in lower grades. As measured, all motor performances cannot be classified as either self-paced or reactive. Prior work gives evidence of differences between light-eyed individuals (blue, grey, green, or hazel iris) and dark-eyed individuals (brown or black iris) in many behaviors and performing many tasks. Few studies of eye color were conducted prior to the 1970's. Worthy ( 1974a) drew the research together, developed a theory, and conducted studies which supported his claims. He used the dimensions of self-paced versus reactive performance which was defined earlier by Worthy and Markle ( 1970). Self-paced activities are those in which the individual may initiate activity when he chooses, while the stimulus situation is not changing. A person acts to a given situation at his own pace. In self-paced activities such as bowling, golf, baseball pitching the individual can wait as long as he desires before responding. Reactive activities are those in which the individual must react to a given situation, while the stimulus situation is rapidly changing. In reactive activities such as boxing, hitting a baseball, or defensive football the individual must respond quickly at the correct moment to succeed. Worthy suggested that humans or animals with light eyes perform better at self-paced activities, requiring hesitation, inhibition, and self-paced responses, while those with dark eyes perform better at reactive activities, requiring sensitivity, speed, and reactive responses. Worthy found that dark-eyed professional Caucasian athletes were superior at hitting a baseball ( 1974b) and field-goal shooting in basketball (1971) than their light-eyed peers. The dark-eyed professional Caucasian athletes were also overrepresented as defensive backs in football (Worthy, 1974a). Light-eyed professional athletes performed bet
Microwave remote sensing of soil moisture: a comparison of results from different truck and aircraft platforms

Abstract A comparison of the soil moisture response of three 1–4 GHz radiometers from truck and aircraft platforms at a variety of lest sites indicates that microwave remote sensing of bare soil produces repeatable and quantifiable results regardless of geographic location and sensor system used. The combined microwave sensitivity of these data sets appears to be of the order of − 3–4deg K per 1 per cent change in volumetric soil moisture for L-band wavelengths ( − 2–7 deg K per 1 per cent soil moisture if watersheds characterized by vegetation and surface roughness are included). With the addition of appropriate algorithms to handle the effect of roughness and vegetation, these results demonstrate the potential of microwave remote sensing for estimating soil moisture over large areas.
Brainstem Amino Acid Neurotransmitters and Ventilatory Response to Hypoxia in Piglets

The ventilatory response to hypoxia is influenced by the balance between inhibitory (GABA, glycine, and taurine) and excitatory (glutamate and aspartate) brainstem amino acid (AA) neurotransmitters. To assess the effects of AA in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) on the ventilatory response to hypoxia at 1 and 2 wk of age, inhibitory and excitatory AA were sampled by microdialysis in unanesthetized and chronically instrumented piglets. Microdialysis samples from the NTS area were collected at 5-min intervals and minute ventilation (VE), arterial blood pressure (ABP), and arterial blood gases (ABG) were measured while the animals were in quiet sleep. A biphasic ventilatory response to hypoxia was observed in wk 1 and 2, but the decrease in VE at 10 and 15 min was more marked in wk 1. This was associated with an increase in inhibitory AA during hypoxia in wk 1. Excitatory AA levels were elevated during hypoxia in wk 1 and 2. Changes in ABP, pH, and ABG during hypoxia were not different between weeks. These data suggest that the larger depression in the ventilatory response to hypoxia observed in younger piglets is mediated by predominance of the inhibitory AA neurotransmitters, GABA, glycine, and taurine, in the NTS.
Is there a place for intention in an analysis of intentional action

Dans le cadre du debat sur les notions d'intention et d'action intentionnelle, l'A. mesure la validite de l'argument simple de la circularite (unadorned circularity argument) concernant la possibilite d'une explication de l'intention en termes d'attitude executive envers un plan defini comme le contenu representationnel de l'intention.
Hypercoagulability in vascular surgery patients

Hypercoagulable (prethombotic) states are being recognized with increasing frequency in many patients with thromboembolic disease. The hypercoagulable state is defined as a clinical syndrome consisting of an unusual or increased predisposition to thrombosis. Situations that meet this definition include thrombosis at a young age, family history of unusual or frequent thrombosis, recurrent thrombosis, and thrombosis in unusual sites such as the portal or hepatic veins [1]. While the hypercoagulable state has most frequently been described in association with venous thrombotic events, increasing evidence indicates that many patients with arterial thrombosis may also suffer from one or more of these conditions. The frequency of various forms of the hypercoagulable state in the general population is not known with certainty but it has been estimated that 15 to 25% of young patients with venous thromboembolism likely have some underlying predisposing condition [2,3]. This figure may be even higher in patients with a positive family history suggesting a hereditary prethrombotic disorder [3,4]. The incidence of these conditions in vascular surgery patients is even less well studied, with only a few small prospective series available. Most published data in vascular patients come from case reports or highly selected small series. The most frequently described prethrombotic states are those caused by hereditary deficiencies of
Variation in alpha-amylase during the life span of the mosquito

Abstract 1. 1. The age profile of amylase activity has been determined in the mosquito, in which of particular importance is the very high level at the larval stage and the sudden decrease during pupation. 2. 2. The amylase activity was also found in axenic larvae, obviating the possibility that it was bacterial in origin. 3. 3. The pH optimum of mosquito amylase is also different from that of bacterial amylases. 4. 4. The chloride requirement for activity of mosquito amylase indicates its similarity to mammalian amylases.
Effects of corn hybrid and growth environment on corn curl and pet food extrudates

ABSTRACT The effects of corn growth environment and hybrid on properties of corn curl and pet food extrudates were studied. Extrusion runs were conducted using a twin-screw extruder. Both corn curl and pet food extrudates were affected significantly by the corn growth environment (location) and corn hybrid. Corn hybrids grown at Creston, IA, produced extrudates with significantly higher expansion (indicated by lower bulk density and higher volumetric expansion index) followed by corn hybrids grown at Johnston, IA, and Nevada, IA, showing that growth environment affects extrusion properties. Hybrid 3348 produced extrudates with significantly higher expansion than that of extrudates from Pioneer Hi-Bred 3394. A decrease in protein, and the subsequent increase in starch, appears to be related to the increase in extrudate expansion. This suggests that the amount of starch in the sample may be responsible for the effects of environment and hybrids on expansion. Significant (P < 0.05) correlations existed betwe...
The recirculation zone at the entrance of a falling liquid film: Consequences for the surfactant adsorption problem

Abstract When a surfactant solution emerges from a slot to form a falling liquid film, an adsorption process occurs which generates a gradient in surface concentration. This concentration gradient gives rise to a gradient in the surface tension which retards the development of the velocity profile. Experimental measurements of the surface velocity, theoretical analysis of the adsorption process, and visual observation of the entrance region all indicate the existence of a double-vortex recirculation zone at the head of the entrance region. The surfactant adsorption process is largely controlled by the flow field in the recirculation zone as the downstream vortex provides a mechanism of convective transport from the bulk to the surface phase.
Relationship between avoidance-induced arousal and plasma DBH, glucose and renin activity.

Abstract On their first exposure to a 6 hr session of free operant avoidance, a group of monkeys showed increased levels of plasma glucose early in the session with a return to control levels subsequently. Plasma renin activity (PRA) increased and remained elevated throughout the entire 6 hr session. Plasma dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH) did not change. A month later, animals were subjected to 11 consecutive daily 6 hr avoidance sessions. Following the first 80 min of the final session, unavoidable shock was superimposed on the avoidance baseline. Plasma DBH and glucose remained at control levels while PRA increased in 2 steps during this session. Multiple correlations among these three plasma constituents were higher when animals' behavior was stable than when it was disrupted. When changes in these plasma substances were correlated with arousal, as measured by a behavioral scoring technique, a significant number of subjects showed monotonic increases in PRA, but not glucose or DBH, that occurred concurrently with monotonic increases in behavioral arousal. These experiments indicate that DBH is a poor index of sympathetic activation and stress-induced arousal in the monkey and that PRA levels, although rather insensitive, seem to be the best hormonal respondent of arousal yet tested under these conditions.
Highlights in clinical autonomic neurosciences: vasovagal syncope - insights on diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment.

The authors sought to determine the prevalence of amnesia for loss of consciousness (A-LOC) in those who have a history suggestive of vasovagal syncope (VVS) and who develop syncope on head-up tilt (HUT) table testing. A secondary goal was to determine the effect of patient age on A-LOC in VVS. Patients were recruited from a syncope and falls unit and underwent neurocardiovascular evaluation as indicated under European Society of Cardiology guidelines to illicit a diagnosis of VVS. Following tilt-induced syncope, standard questions were used to determine the presence of A-LOC. The prevalence of A-LOC following syncope on tilting was 28% (44/159). Forty-two percent of those ≥60 years of age vs. 20% of those b60 years of age experienced amnesia post-induced syncope (P=0.003). The authors conclude that amnesia for loss of consciousness is common in VVS, and this was more prevalent in older age-groups.
The case for an unfractionated244Pu/238U ratio in high-temperature condensates

The coarse-grained, Ca-rich inclusions in the Allende meteorite are the highest-temperature condensates from the cooling solar nebula and, as such, the oldest solid objects in the solar system. All refractory elements with condensation points above the accretion temperature of the inclusions whose concentrations in them have been measured are seen to be present in the inclusions in unfractionated proportion to one another relative to Cl chondrites when data are averaged for a large number of inclusions. Observational data for U and theoretical data for both U and Pu suggest that these elements exhibited refractory behavior in the solar nebula. An experiment is proposed in which fissiogenic Xe and U contents are measured in a suite of these inclusions to obtain the Pu-244/U-238 ratio of the solar system at the time of initial condensation with an uncertainty of plus or minus 15%.
Temporal Signatures of Taste Quality Driven by Active Sensing

Animals actively acquire sensory information from the outside world, with rodents sniffing to smell and whisking to feel. Licking, a rapid motor sequence used for gustation, serves as the primary means of controlling stimulus access to taste receptors in the mouth. Using a novel taste-quality discrimination task in head-restrained mice, we measured and compared reaction times to four basic taste qualities (salt, sour, sweet, and bitter) and found that certain taste qualities are perceived inherently faster than others, driven by the precise biomechanics of licking and functional organization of the peripheral gustatory system. The minimum time required for accurate perception was strongly dependent on taste quality, ranging from the sensory-motor limits of a single lick (salt, ∼100 ms) to several sampling cycles (bitter, >500 ms). Further, disruption of sensory input from the anterior tongue significantly impaired the speed of perception of some taste qualities, with little effect on others. Overall, our results show that active sensing may play an important role in shaping the timing of taste-quality representations and perception in the gustatory system.
An empirical correlation for polymer self-diffusion data in the dilute and semidilute concentration regimes

An expression is presented which can be used to correlate and predict, in an empirical fashion, polymer self-diffusion coefficients in solution over a wide range of concentrations and molecular weights, and whose parameters can be established with a minimal amount of data. Predictions thus made have been found to agree well with the limited amount of available experimental data over the entire concentration-molecular weight spectrum studied to date. This is in marked contrast to other available expressions, whose validity is confined to a narrow range of concentrations and/or molecular weights.
Lateral ventricular cerebrospinal fluid diffusivity as a potential neuroimaging marker of brain temperature in multiple sclerosis: a hypothesis and implications

In this retrospective study we tested the hypothesis that the net effect of impaired electrical conduction and therefore increased heat dissipation in multiple sclerosis (MS) results in elevated lateral ventricular (LV) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diffusivity as a measure of brain temperature estimated in vivo using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We used validated DTI-based segmentation methods to obtain normalized LV-CSF volume and its corresponding CSF diffusivity in 108 MS patients and 103 healthy controls in the age range of 21-63 years. The LV CSF diffusivity was ~2% higher in MS compared to controls that corresponds to a temperature rise of ~1 °C that could not be explained by changes in the CSF viscosity due to altered CSF protein content in MS. The LV diffusivity decreased with age in healthy controls (r=−0.29; p=0.003), but not in MS (r=0.15; p=0.11), possibly related to MS pathology. Age-adjusted LV diffusivity increased with lesion load (r=0.518; p=1x10−8). Our data suggest that the total brain lesion load is the primary contributor to the increase in LV CSF diffusivity in MS. These findings suggest that LV diffusivity is a potential in vivo biomarker of the mismatch between heat generation and dissipation in MS. We also discuss limitations and possible confounders.
Autologous Alternative Veins May Not Provide Better Outcomes Than Prosthetic Conduits for Below-Knee Bypass When Great Saphenous Vein Is Unavailable

Background There is a need to better define the role of alternative autologous vein (AAV) segments over contemporary prosthetic conduits in patients with critical limb ischemia when great saphenous vein (GSV) is not available for use as the bypass conduit. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent bypass to infrageniculate targets between 2007 and 2011 were categorized in three groups: GSV, AAV, and prosthetic. The primary outcome was graft patency. The secondary outcome was limb salvage. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to adjust for baseline confounding variables. Results A total of 407 infrainguinal bypasses to below-knee targets were analyzed; 255 patients (63%) received a single-segment GSV, 106 patients (26%) received an AAV, and 46 patients (11%) received a prosthetic conduit. Baseline characteristics were similar among groups, with the exception of popliteal targets and anticoagulation use being more frequent in the prosthetic group. Primary patency at 2 and 5 years was estimated at 47% and 32%, respectively, for the GSV group; 24% and 23% for the AAV group; and 43% and 38% for the prosthetic group. Primary assisted patency at 2 and 5 years was estimated at 71% and 55%, respectively, for the GSV group; 53% and 51% for the AAV group; and 45% and 40% for the prosthetic group. Secondary patency at 2 and 5 years was estimated at 75% and 60%, respectively, for the GSV group; 57% and 55% for the AAV group; and 46% and 41% for the prosthetic group. In Cox analysis, primary patency (hazard ratio [HR], 0.55; P Conclusions AAV conduits may not offer a significant patency advantage in midterm follow-up over prosthetic bypasses.
High-temperature tolerance of the silver-copper oxide braze in reducing and oxidizing atmospheres

The silver-copper oxide–based reactive air brazing technique was developed as a method of joining complex-shaped ceramic parts. To investigate the viability of this approach for high-temperature application, a series of air-brazed alumina joints were independently exposed to either oxidizing or reducing atmosphere at 800 °C for 100 h. Those samples that were thermally aged in air maintained good joint strength, similar to that of the original as-brazed samples. Microstructural analysis revealed no significant change in joint microstructure after long-term oxidation at elevated temperature, indicating excellent stability of the Ag–CuO-based filler metal in this environment. On the other hand, exposure of the air-brazed alumina joints to hydrogen under the same aging conditions resulted in a measurable decrease in joint strength. Scanning electron microscope analysis conducted on the fracture surfaces of the broken hydrogen-exposed specimens indicated that the source of joint failure was debonding along the interface between the filler metal and alumina substrate. This was due in large part to internal reduction of CuO precipitates within the filler metal to copper and accompanied by the simultaneous formation of porosity at these sites, both within the bulk of the joint as well as along the filler metal/substrate interfaces. Pore formation was noticeably present in filler metals prepared with a high concentration of copper oxide.