cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of Wafer-Enhanced Electrodeionization in a Continuous Fermentation Process to Produce Butyric Acid with Clostridium tyrobutyricum

Butryic acid is an organic acid which can be produced from Clostridium tyrobutyricum. This organic acid has many applications in food and perfumes as well serving as the first step in a two-step butanol production process. However, the fermentation is product inhibited as well as producing by-products of acetic acid and lactic acid. Electrodialysis and electrodeionization were explored as ways to separate butyric acid from a fermentation broth, in situ. For butyric acid system, the current resistance for ED was almost half that of EDI indicating that ED might be a better option for a pure component separation. However, in a simulated broth containing butyric, lactic, and acetic acid, the opposite trend was found to be true. These results were used to design a fermentation experiment where ED and EDI were used to separate butyric acid from an actual fermentation. It is shown that the percentage of butyric acid (compared to other organic acids) is 84%, 85%, and 92% for no separation, ED, and EDI, respective...
Effect of surgical weight loss on sleep architecture in adolescents with severe obesity.

Sleep duration and sleep fragmentation have been proposed to play a role in the development and progression of obesity-associated morbidity. Weight loss results in resolution of obesity-associated morbidity. Our aim was to determine the effect of weight loss on sleep architecture in adolescents with severe obesity. Retrospective analysis of polysomnograhic data from all adolescents who underwent overnight sleep study before and after weight loss surgery was performed. Polysomnographic variables of sleep architecture after weight loss were compared to baseline by paired Student’s t test (normally distributed data) or Wilcoxon test (variables not meeting normality criteria). The mean (±SEM) age of 19 subjects meeting inclusion criteria was 16.5 ± 0.35 years, mean body mass index was 60.3 ± 2.11 kg/m2, and 66% were female. Obstructive sleep apnea was present in 14 subjects (74%). The average interval between the baseline and repeat polysomnograms was 0.91 ± 0.16 years, and average weight loss was 66.4 ± 8.8 kg. Surgical weight loss resulted in increased sleep efficiency (80.2% vs 73.1%, p = 0.01), reduced time in stage 1 sleep (3.0% vs 6.0%, p = 0.02), and reduced arousal index (7.6 ± 0.6/h vs 11.3 ± 1.2, p = 0.01). Our data demonstrate a marked improvement in sleep efficiency and sleep fragmentation with surgical weight loss. Given the emerging evidence that surgical weight loss results in resolution of obesity-associated psychosocial, metabolic, and cardiovascular morbidity, these results suggest that correction of sleep fragmentation could be an important but as yet underappreciated factor influencing changes in these other major comorbidities of obesity.
Bull Run Fossil Plant: Technical Design Methods for Superheat Pendant Outlet Headers Replacement

Bull Run Unit 1, rated at 950 MW, is the first of four fossil supercritical power plants at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The unit went into commercial operation in 1967. The boiler (consists of two furnaces) built by Combustion Engineering (CE) has a radiant reheat twin divided furnace with tangential-fired coal burners. The unit’s maximum continuous rating (MCR) is 6,400,000 lbs/hr of main steam flow, with a design temperature of 1003°F and pressure of 3840 psig. Through the end of 2008, the unit had a total of approximately 670 cumulative starts and 333,185 operating hours. After years of numerous tube cracks at the Superheat Pendant Outlet Header/Tube Nozzles resulting in repetitive forced plant shutdowns, TVA decided to replace the two Outlet Headers (one for each furnace) in Fall 2008 during a reliability outage. Since the entire Main Steam piping system was installed with cold pull at almost every longitudinal pipe segment, the main challenge from the engineering mechanics point of view was how to restrain the piping system especially at the Crossover Outlet Links inside each furnace Penthouse. Further constructability reviews indicated that there were not enough adjacent steel frames inside each furnace to restrain the four Crossover Outlet Links in the three global directions during the Outlet Headers replacement inside each Penthouse. The only existing steel above the Crossover Outlet Links is embedded in asbestos insulation, and the removal of the insulation to provide access for the temporary restraints was determined to be costly and time consuming. The insulation removal would have also caused the scheduled outage to be extended significantly and unrealistically. After careful assessment, technical evaluation, and several constructability reviews; it was decided to take an unconventional approach for relieving the inherent cold pull in three global directions by cutting the four Mixing Headers outside each furnace. In addition, the concept of installing several temporary restraints was utilized for the vertical and lateral directions inside the furnace Penthouse, as well as several others outside the Boiler to control the piping configuration of the four Mixing Headers. This approach achieved two purposes: 1- relieving the inherent cold pulls in three global directions and 2- controlling the four Outlet Links pipe end positions with respect to the new Superheat Pendant Outlet Header nozzles. This unconventional method used to relieve the piping cold pull from outside the Boilers, to control the Outlet Links movements inside the Boiler Penthouses, and to restrain the entire Main Steam piping system was successfully developed and implemented in the Fall 2008 reliability outage to replace the two Superheat Pendant Outlet Headers. This unconventional method is described in this paper.
Coition-induced inhibition of sexual receptivity in female lizards (Anolis carolinensis)

Abstract Sexually receptive female lizards ( Anolis carolinensis ) were tested for sexual receptivity at varying intervals after exposure to selected behavioral components of normal copulation. These components were: (1) complete copulation with a male; (2) exposure to an intact male that was allowed to court and take a neck grip, but not mount or intromit or; (3) exposure to a hemipenectomized male who could court, take a neck grip, and assume the copulation posture, but not intromit or ejaculate. Results indicated that normal mating inhibits subsequent sexual receptivity within 1 min but does not affect receptivity during subsequent follicular cylces. Intromission and possibly ejaculation by the male are critical for this inhibition of female sexual receptivity. In addition, intromission and ejaculation are important in the male's termination of copulation.
Effect of myogenic determination on tumorigenicity of chemically transformed 10T1/2 cells.

Transforming agents have been postulated to interfere with cellular differentiation programs, thus causing uncontrolled growth. Inducing transformed cells to differentiate can result in loss of the transformed phenotype since many end-stage differentiated cells are unable to divide. We attempted to bypass or suppress the tumorigenic phenotype of 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA)-transformed 10T1/2 cells (MCA CI 15C1) by induction of myogenic determination. MCA CI 15C1 cells were either treated with the hypomethylating drug 5-azacytidine (5-aza-CR) or were transfected with the muscle determination gene MyoD1, both of which induce a myogenic phenotype in 10T1/2 cells. Colonies containing myoblast-like cells were isolated and examined. Muscle markers were detected both in 5-aza-CR-treated and in MyoD1-transfected myogenic clones by immunofluorescence and northern analyses. The myogenic clones did not show decreased tumorigenicities relative to that of the parental cells upon subcutaneous injection in nude mice. Some of the resulting tumors, however, were classified as rhabdomyosarcomas rather than fibrosarcomas. Although induction of myogenic determination was not sufficient to abolish the tumorigenic phenotype of MCA CI 15C1 cells, several tumors showed decreased levels of MyoD1 mRNA, suggesting that growth in vivo either selected for or caused decreased determination gene expression.
Effects of lucanthone on Chinese hamster V-79 cells. II. Damage to DNA.

Abstract The potential use of lucanthone as an anti-cancer agent, alone or as an adjuvant to radiotherapy, may be limited by its cytotoxicity. The nature of this toxicity was studied with Chinese hamster V-79 cells grown as monolayers. Cell-cycle dependent toxicity was observed, with cells in S-phase most sensitive. Cell cycle progression was also affected differentially, as treatment of asynchronous V-79 cells with 5 μig/ml lucanthone led to a progressive decrease in the proportion of cells in G, and accumulation in S-phase. DNA damage was quantified by measuring strand breakage and repair using hydroxyapatite chromatography, and lucanthone effects on both initiation of DNA synthesis and elongation rate were also evaluated. Lucanthone decreased the rate of incorporation of 3 H-thymidine in a biphasic manner; most of the inhibition occurred during the first hour of treatment. Upon removal of lucanthone, DNA synthesis similarly showed a rapid increase toward control levels within the first hour. No effect was observed on DNA elongation in the absence of DNA strand breakage. The kinetics of the interaction of lucanthone with DNA thus seem to correlate with the interaction of lucanthone with radiation.
Intracerebral Ganglioneuroblastoma with Intracytoplasmic Microtubular Aggregates: Case Report and Ultrastructural Study

Cerebral ganglioneuroblastoma is a rare entity that is not well characterized at the ultrastructural level. We report a case of such a neoplasm with some unique fine structural features. The tumor contains both small cells with little evidence of differentiation and large, bizarre multinucleate cells, many of which contain intracytoplasmic aggregates of 22- to 24-nm micro-tubules that displace the nucleus and cytoplasmic organelles to the periphery of the cell. Inclusions of this type have not previously been described in this entity.
Research on reproductive biology of gorillas

Laboratory research has implicated several variables which contribute to the regulation of reproductive behaviour of captive gorillas. Females were found to be increasingly attractive to males during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle when estrogen and testosterone concentrations in the female were increasing. Females solicited mating from the males primarily at midcycle, about the time when the concentration of testosterone was maximal. No mating occurred during the mid- to late luteal phase after progesterone concentrations were elevated. Both males and females initiated mating during the midcycle, periovulatory period, but male initiative accounted for most mating that was temporally dissociated from that period. Individual differences between males and among females contributed to the variability in results. Confinement of a male and female in relatively small quarters appears to interact with certain aspects of species-typical behaviour to distort patterns of mating in laboratory tests. Data on behaviour of gorillas in the wild contributed to interpretation of the laboratory results and suggest an enlightened approach to the captive maintenance and breeding of gorillas. An important consideration in promoting captive breeding of gorillas seems to be the provision of options to the female for regulating the frequency and distribution of mating in the cycle.
Vitamin C supplementation lowers urinary levels of 4-hydroperoxy-2-nonenal metabolites in humans

The lack of suitable biomarkers of oxidative stress is a common problem for antioxidant intervention studies in humans. We evaluated the efficacy of vitamin C supplementation in decreasing biomarkers of lipid peroxidation in nonsmokers and in cigarette smokers, a commonly studied, free-living human model of chronic oxidative stress. Participants received ascorbic acid (500mg twice per day) or placebo for 17 days in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover design study. The urinary biomarkers assessed and reported herein are derived from 4-hydroperoxy-2-nonenal (HPNE) and include the mercapturic acid (MA) conjugates of 4-hydroxy-2(E)-nonenal (HNE), 1,4-dihydroxy-2(E)-nonene (DHN), and 4-oxo-2(E)-nonenol(ONO). Vitamin C supplementation decreased the urinary concentrations of both ONO-MA (p=0.0013) and HNE-MA (p=0.0213) by ~30%; however, neither cigarette smoking nor sex affected these biomarkers. In contrast, vitamin C supplementation decreased urinary concentrations of DHN-MA (three-way interaction p=0.0304) in nonsmoking men compared with nonsmoking women (p<0.05), as well as in nonsmoking men compared with smoking men (p<0.05). Vitamin C supplementation also decreased (p=0.0092) urinary total of metabolites by ~20%. Thus, HPNE metabolites can be reduced favorably in response to improved plasma ascorbic acid concentrations, an effect due to ascorbic acid antioxidant function.
A pilot study of all-trans retinoic acid in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia

Retinoids have significant antiproliferative effect against chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells in vitro. We conducted a pilot study to investigate the clinical effect of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in patients with CML. Thirteen patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive CML in late chronic phase (n = 7), accelerated phase (n = 5), or blastic phase (n = 1) were treated. All had been previously treated and 12 (92%) had disease refractory to interferon-α therapy. They received ATRA 175 mg/m2 orally in two divided doses daily until disease progression. The median duration of therapy was 56 days (range 11 to 190). Only one patient in late chronic phase had a transient decrease in WBC counts; all other patients in late chronic phase showed no response to therapy. Four of the five patients in accelerated phase showed evidence of antileukemia effect manifested by a decrease in bone marrow and/or peripheral blood blasts, promyelocyte and/or basophil percentages. In all cases the response was transient. The patient in blastic phase had no evidence of antileukemic effect. The treatment was well tolerated with the major side-effects being headache, nausea, dry skin, and dry mucosal membranes. One patient required dose reductions due to toxicity. We conclude that in this population of patients with extensively treated, advanced stage, Ph-positive CML, ATRA alone is ineffective for long-term therapy. The antileukemia effect seen in some patients warrants further investigation of retinoids in other schedules and in combinations in patients with CML.
Orthogonal art galleries with interior walls

Consider an art gallery formed by a polygon on n vertices with m pairs of vertices joined by interior diagonals, the interior walls. Suppose that all walls (interior as well as exterior) are horizontal or vertical and each interior wall has an arbitrarily placed, arbitrarily small doorway. We show that the minimum number of guards that suffice to guard all such art galleries with n vertices and m interior walls is min{⌊(n + 2m)/4⌋, ⌊(n + 3⌊n/2⌋ +m - 2)/8⌋}.
An Application of Finite Element‐Based Fracture Mechanics Analysis to Cord‐Rubber Structures

Abstract A finite element‐based method to analyze the severity of internal cracks in cord‐rubber structures is presented. The method includes materials testing to characterize rubber fatigue behavior, a global‐local finite element analysis to provide the detail necessary to model explicitly an internal crack, and use of the J‐integral and virtual crack closure techniques for energy release rate evaluation. Analysis of the multiaxial and cyclic fracture situation is carried out by considering the cycle of each mode of fracture separately and then combining the effect of each mode to determine the total effect. Crack growth rates in the structure are assumed to be the same as the crack growth rate in a laboratory specimen at the same level of cyclic energy release rate. Results are presented for a material change in a critical tire region.
Mrp2 modulates the activity of chloride channels in isolated hepatocytes

Adenosine triphosphate binding cassette family transport proteins are important organic ion transporters in hepatocytes but these molecules may also exhibit other functions. In the present study we have measured the effects of substrates of the canalicular organic ion transporter multidrug resistance associated protein 2 (Mrp2) on chloride channel activation and cell volume regulation. We found that substrates such as leukotriene D4, 17-β-estradiol glucuronide, and the leukotriene inhibitor MK-571 accelerated the activation of chloride channels by cell swelling and activated chloride channels in cytokine-pretreated hepatocytes. Two conjugated estrogens that are not Mrp2 substrates did not produce this effect. Hepatocytes derived from a strain of transport-deficient rats (TR−), which lack Mrp2 expression, showed none of these substrate effects. Coincident with their ability to activate channels, the Mrp2 substrates increased the rate of volume regulatory decrease by approximately 50% (P < .01), confirming that enhanced channel activation under this condition stimulated volume regulation. In TR-hepatocytes the Mrp2 substrate had no effect on volume regulation. In conclusion, Mrp2 plays a role in regulation of chloride channel function by reducing the lag time necessary for channel activation and consequently accelerating the process of cell volume regulation. Substrates of Mrp2 affect the ability of the protein to interact with chloride channels. These findings represent an alternative function of Mrp2 in hepatocytes. (HEPATOLOGY 2002;36:65-71.)
Adenosine-Induced Vasoconstriction In Vivo Role of the Mast Cell and A3 Adenosine Receptor

Adenosine, a vasodilator metabolite, is often produced in tissues where the demand for oxygen exceeds the supply. We have recently demonstrated in isolated cannulated arterioles that adenosine and its metabolite, inosine, can also cause vasoconstriction by stimulation of mast cells. Secondary release of histamine and thromboxane is responsible for the inosine-induced constriction in vivo. In the present study, we explored the vasomotor effects of adenosine in vivo and investigated the role of the A3 adenosine receptor in mediating vasoconstriction. In vivo, local application of adenosine (10-6 to 10-4 mol/L) to arterioles consistently caused dose-dependent vasodilation. A fraction of arterioles, however, exhibited a biphasic response, with constriction following dilation. This, too, was dose dependent; 37% of arterioles constricted by 12.7 +/- 4.3% of the initial diameter in response to 10-4 mol/L adenosine. In the presence of 8-(p-sulfophenyl)theophylline (8-SPT), an antagonist of A1 and A2 adenosine receptors, dilation in response to the same dose of adenosine was reduced, and constriction was enhanced; 85% of the tested arterioles constricted by -44.3 +/- 6.0% of the initial diameter. The A3 adenosine receptor has been shown to facilitate mediator release from mast cells, and its role was also examined. N6-(3-Iodo-4-aminobenzyl)adenosine (I-ABA), an agonist of A1 and A3 adenosine receptors, produced dose-dependent vasoconstriction. 1,3-Dipropyl-8-(4-acrylate)phenylxanthine (BW-A1433), an antagonist of A1, A2, and A3 receptors, significantly reduced the vasoconstrictor response to adenosine, which was unmasked during treatment with 8-SPT. In addition, both adenosine and I-ABA stimulated mast cell uptake of ruthenium red, indicating degranulation. The I-ABA-induced constriction was abolished by combined histamine and thromboxane receptor antagonists. We conclude that adenosine can cause vasoconstriction in vivo, which is often masked by A2 receptor-mediated vasodilation. Mast cells are stimulated in the course of the response, and the A3 adenosine receptor is involved in mediating constriction.
PHD3-mediated prolyl hydroxylation of nonmuscle actin impairs polymerization and cell motility

Actin filaments play an essential role in cell movement, and many posttranslational modifications regulate actin filament assembly. Here we report that prolyl hydroxylase 3 (PHD3) interacts with nonmuscle actin in human cells and catalyzes hydroxylation of actin at proline residues 307 and 322. Blocking PHD3 expression or catalytic activity by short hairpin RNA knockdown or pharmacological inhibition, respectively, decreased actin prolyl hydroxylation. PHD3 knockdown increased filamentous F-actin assembly, which was reversed by PHD3 overexpression. PHD3 knockdown increased cell velocity and migration distance. Inhibition of PHD3 prolyl hydroxylase activity by dimethyloxalylglycine also increased actin polymerization and cell migration. These data reveal a novel role for PHD3 as a negative regulator of cell motility through posttranslational modification of nonmuscle actins.
What Do IRBs Look Like? What Kind of Support Do They Receive?

(2002). What Do IRBs Look Like? What Kind of Support Do They Receive? Accountability in Research: Vol. 9, No. 3-4, pp. 199-216.
Hepatic effects of oxaprozin

Systematic studies of the hepatic effects of Oxaprozin, a recently developed nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID), have been conducted in 1.338 patients with various forms of rheumatic disease. Levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased above normal in 15.4% of the 1,135 oxaprozin-treated patients with normal baseline values. In 1.1% of these 1.135 patients, values increased to more than three times the upper limit of normal. In one patient, anicteric hepatitis developed, presumably due to the drug. Eight hundred of these 1,135 patients were treated with Oxaprozin under double-blind conditions. Hepatic effects of Oxaprozin in these 800 patients were compared with those of ibuprofen (164 patients), aspirin (382 patients), or indomethacin (36 patients). The potential of Oxaprozin for producing hepatic injury, judged by AST levels, was significantly greater than that of ibuprofen, significantly less than that of aspirin, and not significantly distinguishable from that of indomethacin. Tolerance seemed to develop among most patients whose AST levels became elevated in that the elevation subsided, remained essentially unchanged, or became only slightly higher despite continued therapy.
Membranes of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. V. Identification of bacteriochlorophyll a-depleted cytoplasmic membrane in phototrophically grown cells

The separation of membrane fragments was investigated in extracts of phototropically grown Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides to determine if the plasma membrane contains discrete regions. A highly purified fraction of bacteriochlorophyll alpha-deficient membrane fragments was isolated by differential centrifugation, chromatography on Sepharose 2B, reaggregation, and isopycnic sedimentation on sucrose gradients. Significant levels of b- and c-type cytochromes and succinate dehydrogenase were demonstrated in the isolated membrane fragments and their appearance in electron micrographs, their polypeptide profile in dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and overall chemical composition were essentially identical to a similar fraction isolated from aerobically grown cells. Their polypeptide profiles were distinct from those of the intracytoplasmic chromatophore and outer membranes, and on the basis of bacteriochlorophyll content the phototrophic fraction was contaminated with chromatophores by less than 9%. The membrane fragments contained no diaminopimelic acid or glucosamine. It is condluded that the membrane fragments isolated from phototrophically growing Rp. sphaeroides have arisen from photosynthetic pigment-depleted regions of the plasma membrane structurally and functionally differentiated from the intracytoplasmic chromatophore membrane. These regions represent conserved chemotrophic cytoplasmic membrane whose synthesis continues under photoheterotrophic conditions.
Improving follow-up of abnormal cancer screens using electronic health records: trust but verify test result communication

Background Early detection of colorectal cancer through timely follow-up of positive Fecal Occult Blood Tests (FOBTs) remains a challenge. In our previous work, we found 40% of positive FOBT results eligible for colonoscopy had no documented response by a treating clinician at two weeks despite procedures for electronic result notification. We determined if technical and/or workflow-related aspects of automated communication in the electronic health record could lead to the lack of response.
Extended lung preservation with the use of hibernation trigger factors

Background. The complications of preserving lungs for transplantation are well known, with successful transplantation only being assured by preservation times of 5 to 6 hours or less. If a new method of consistent lung preservation could be identified, lung transplantation could be extended to many patients. We have previously reported lung preservation times averaging 14.8 hours using a multiorgan autoperfusion block infused with physiologic saline solution as a model. When plasma from deeply hibernating woodchucks ( Marmota monax ) or the delta opioid DADLE was infused into the multiorgan block, lung preservation times increased threefold to 45 hours. Methods. In this study, we examined the effect of infusing plasma containing the hibernation induction trigger molecule on lung preservation for transplantation using a multiorgan autoperfusion block. Results. This study demonstrated that successful orthothopic transplantation of single canine lungs is possible after 24 to 33 hours of preservation when the lung has been maintained with plasma containing the hibernation induction trigger molecule. Conclusions. Theoretically, hibernation induction trigger could be administered to donors before using harvest in an effort to extend lung preservation times.
Aspects of variational arguments in the theory of elasticity: Fact and folklore

Abstract An account of the use of the calculus of variations in elastostatics is given. Variations of both the independent and dependent variables are used to obtain the equations of balance and natural boundary conditions. The meaning and use of the necessary transversality conditions for movable internal or external boundaries are examined. Satisfaction of the transversality conditions is shown to provide immediate access to the forces that act on such boundaries through a virtual work type argument. Misconceptions concerning the general form of Lagrangian densities for which the field equations are identically satisfied are corrected. The complete characterization of such Lagrangian densities is shown to lead to methods for realization of a wide class of traction boundary conditions as natural boundary conditions and to a significantly richer class of invariance transformations and associated conservation laws.
Enantiodivergent Biosynthesis of the Dimeric Sphingolipid Oceanapiside from the Marine Sponge Oceanapia phillipensis. Determination of Remote Stereochemistry

The absolute stereochemistry of oceanapiside, an antifungal α,ω-bis-aminohydroxylipid with four stereogenic centers from the marine sponge Oceanapia phillipensis Dendy, 1895, has been obtained as 2S,3R,26R,27R from development and application of a general CD method based on superposition of additive exciton couplings in perbenzoyl derivatives of bis-amino alcohols. The method allows simultaneous determination of the local relative configuration at each of the termini of the long chain bis-aminolipid and also relates the absolute configuration of the two remote termini. Oceanapiside contains erythro and threo relative configurations at C1,2 and C26,27, respectively, but opposite absolute configurations at the amino substituted carbons C2 and C27 which implies an enantiodivergent biogenesis formally derived from both d- and l-amino acids.
Factors influencing the condensation of 4-aminoantipyrine with derivatives of hydroxybenzene—I. A critique

Abstract The quantitative determination of phenols in water and waste water is attempted by condensation with 4-aminoantipyrine and oxidation under alkaline conditions to a colored product. The major chemical factors that influence this reaction are pH value between 8.0 and 11.0, the type of aqueous buffer, and the type of substituted phenol. These three factors influence the analytical and molecular sensitivities as well as the wave length of maximum absorbance. A “total phenol” determination is not possible with the 4-aminoantipyrine technique as currently practiced.
The development of global IT infrastructure

Abstract A research model of the impact of a multinational corporations’ (MNC) global strategic orientation on global IT infrastructure was developed using global integration, or the degree to which a global strategy is actually implemented, as a mediator. A “matched pair” survey of 94 MNCs was conducted (two respondents per firm) in order to guard against common source bias. The results showed that the firms that pursue a globally oriented strategy actually enacted these strategies as indicated by a wide-variety of resource flows across national units. The role of the level of global integration as a mediator between global strategic orientation and global IT capabilities was empirically demonstrated. This confirms that a global strategy is not sufficient to ensure that an enabling IT infrastructure will be developed; rather it is the actual level of integration and interdependence that is achieved as a result of the strategy that drives IT infrastructure. The primary areas in which global integration was found to be closely linked to the global IT infrastructure were human resources, which significantly influenced the reach, range, support services and planning of the global IT infrastructure, and information resources which significantly influenced the planning dimension of the infrastructure. These results strongly suggest that the transfer of people among national units creates an information needs “pull” which leads to the development of better IT infrastructure and that the “push” of standardized information also contributes positively.
Quantitative estimation of uric acid, xanthine, and hypoxanthine in plasma using thin-layer chromatography

A rapid method for the quantitative separation and estimation of uric acid, xanthine, and hypoxanthine in plasma or serum using thin-layer chromatography and spectrophotometry is described. The compounds are first separated on 20 × 20 cm layers of ECTEOLA cellulosc 275 μ thick using 0.15 M NaCl as a solvent. Development is accomplished in 60 to 90 min and the Rf values are 0.27, 0.34, and 0.46 for uric acid, xanthine, and hypoxanthine, respectively. The resolved compounds are then removed from the plate, eluted in 0.05 M borax and analyzed using the Beckman model DB spectrophotometer with UV equipment. Precision of the method is above ±5% for uric acid and ±1% for xanthine and hypoxanthine in the normal range. Because of the over-all simplicity of the procedure, it is possible to perform about twelve determinations in about two working days.
A Π12 singleton incompatible with 0

Abstract Stanley, M.C., A Π 1 2 singleton incompatible with 0 # , Annals of Pure and Applied Logic 66 (1994) 27–88. A non-constructible Π 1 2 singleton that is absolute for ω -models of ZF is produced by class forcing over the minimum model.
Amino acid-dependent inactivation of glucagon-induced system A transport activity in cultured rat hepatocytes

Hepatocytes isolated from glucagon-treated rats contain stimulated System A activity. If these cells are placed in primary culture, the enhanced transport decays rapidly provided the culture medium contains substrate amino acids. This amino acid-dependent inactivation can be composed of trans-inhibition (protein synthesis-independent), repression (protein synthesis-dependent), or both depending on the particular substrate tested. Repression was most prominently observed with a group of small neutral amino acids that are commonly found in proteins. A strong trans-inhibition response was induced by a variety of amino acid analogs. Amino acids showing no reactivity with System A produced neither trans-inhibition nor repression. Repression of System A activity in culture was blocked by inhibitors of both RNA and protein synthesis. In contrast to inhibitors of RNA biosynthesis such as actinomycin and alpha-amanitin, inhibitors of poly(A) polymerase (cordycepin and adenine-9-beta-D-arabinopyranoside) did not prevent the inactivation of the transport activity. These results demonstrate that both the stimulation of activity and the turnover of the hepatic System A activity are controlled at the transcriptional level.
Analysis of pollen-specific alternative splicing in Arabidopsis thaliana via semi-quantitative PCR

Alternative splicing enables a single gene to produce multiple mRNA isoforms by varying splice site selection. In animals, alternative splicing of mRNA isoforms between cell types is widespread and supports cellular differentiation. In plants, at least 20% of multi-exon genes are alternatively spliced, but the extent and significance of tissue-specific splicing is less well understood, partly because it is difficult to isolate cells of a single type. Pollen is a useful model system to study tissue-specific splicing in higher plants because pollen grains contain only two cell types and can be collected in large amounts without damaging cells. Previously, we identified pollen-specific splicing patterns by comparing RNA-Seq data from Arabidopsis pollen and leaves. Here, we used semi-quantitative PCR to validate pollen-specific splicing patterns among genes where RNA-Seq data analysis indicated splicing was most different between pollen and leaves. PCR testing confirmed eight of nine alternative splicing patterns, and results from the ninth were inconclusive. In four genes, alternative transcriptional start sites coincided with alternative splicing. This study highlights the value of the low-cost PCR assay as a method of validating RNA-Seq results.
Sensitivity of a Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Model to Physical Parameterizations

Abstract The sensitivity of a coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model to parameterizations of selected physical processes is studied. The parameterizations include those of longwave radiation and surface turbulent fluxes in the atmospheric model, and those of vertical turbulent mixing and penetration of solar radiation in the ocean model. It is shown that the performance of the coupled model is highly sensitive to the parameterization of longwave radiation. This sensitivity is not solely due to the difference in surface radiative flux but involves interactions among radiation, convection, and large-scale dynamics of the atmosphere and ocean. It is concluded that differences in parameterizations can have large impacts on the performance of the coupled model, and these impacts can be very different from what may be expected from uncoupled model simulations.
Combinatorial analysis of loop nucleotides in human mitochondrial tRNALeu(UUR).

A series of disease-related mutations are known to affect the hs mt tRNALeu(UUR) gene, and the molecular-level properties of this tRNA may underlie the effects of pathogenic sequence changes. A combinatorial approach has been used to explore the importance of the D, TΨC, and anticodon loops of hs mt tRNALeu(UUR) in the structure and function of this molecule. A tRNA library was constructed with 20 randomized nucleotides in the loop regions of hs mt tRNALeu(UUR), and tRNA variants that were aminoacylated by hs mt LeuRS were isolated using an in vitro selection approach. Analysis of 26 selected sequences revealed that a stabilized anticodon stem significantly enhances aminoacylation activity. However, anticodon loop nucleotides were not conserved in the active sequences, indicating that this region of hs mt tRNALeu(UUR) is not involved in recognition by LeuRS. Within the D and TΨC loops, only two nucleotides conserved their identities, while new sequences were selected that likely mediate interloop interact...
Mechanical Loading during Growth Is Associated with Plane-specific Differences in Vertebral Geometry: A Cross-sectional Analysis Comparing Artistic Gymnasts vs. Non-gymnasts

Lumbar spine geometry, density and indices of bone strength were assessed relative to menarche status, using artistic gymnastics exposure during growth as a model of mechanical loading. Paired posteroanterior (pa) and supine lateral (lat) DXA scans of L3 for 114 females (60 ex/gymnasts and 54 non-gymnasts) yielded output for comparison of paired (palat) versus standard pa and lat outcomes. BMC, areal BMD, vertebral body dimensions, bone mineral apparent density (BMAD), axial compressive strength (IBS) and a fracture risk index were evaluated, modeling vertebral body geometry as an ellipsoid cylinder. Two-factor ANCOVA tested statistical effects of gymnastic exposure, menarche status and their interaction, adjusting for age and height as appropriate. Compared to non-gymnasts, ex/gymnasts exhibited greater paBMD, paBMC, paWidth, pa Cross-sectional area (CSA), paVolume, latBMD, latBMAD, palatCSA and palatIBS (p<0.05). Non-gymnasts exhibited greater latDepth/paWidth, latBMC/paBMC, latVHeight, latArea and Fracture Risk Index. Using ellipsoid vertebral geometric models, no significant differences were detected for pa or palat BMAD. In contrast, cuboid model results (Carter et al., 1992) suggested erroneous ex/gymnast paBMAD advantages, resulting from invalid assumptions of proportional variation in linear skeletal dimensions. Gymnastic exposure was associated with shorter, wider vertebral bodies, yielding greater axial compressive strength and lower fracture risk, despite no BMAD advantage. Our results suggest the importance of plane-specific vertebral geometric adaptation to mechanical loading during growth. Paired scan output provides a more accurate assessment of this adaptation than pa or lat plane scans alone.
Transport of aspartic acid, arginine, and tyrosine by the opportunistic protist Pneumocystis carinii

Abstract In order to improve culture media and to discover potential drug targets, uptake of an acidic, a basic, and an aromatic amino acid were investigated. Current culture systems, axenic or co-cultivation with mammalian cells, do not provide either the quantity or quality of cells needed for biochemical studies of this organism. Insight into nutrient acquisition can be expected to lead to improved culture media and improved culture growth. Aspartic acid uptake was directly related to substrate concentration, Q 10 was 1.10 at pH 7.4. Hence the organism acquired this acidic amino acid by simple diffusion. Uptake of the basic amino acid arginine and the aromatic amino acid tyrosine exhibited saturation kinetics consistent with carrier-mediated mechanisms. Kinetic parameters indicated two carriers ( K m =22.8±2.5 μM and K m =3.6±0.3 mM) for arginine and a single carrier for tyrosine ( K m =284±23 μM). The effects of other L -amino acids showed that the tyrosine carrier was distinct from the arginine carriers. Tyrosine and arginine transport were independent of sodium and potassium ions, and did not appear to require energy from ATP or a proton motive force. Thus facilitated diffusion was identified as the mechanism of uptake. After 30 min of incubation, these amino acids were incorporated into total lipids and the sedimentable material following lipid extraction; more than 90% was in the cellular soluble fraction.
Questions raised by the controversy over recovered memories of incest.

Abstract: The controversy in the mental health community over recovered memory has been heated. The devastation to families falsely accused of incest has been profound. A fortunate consequence, however, has been the vigorous pursuit of answers to a variety of mind-behavior questions raised by the controversy. In this article I raise some of the important questions and in reply I review and summarize some of the data. Some questions deal with the nature of memory and of unconscious processes, especially the role of implicit memory; the techniques of recovered memory therapy and the evolution of pseudomemories and its relevance to clinical practice; the effects, real and alleged, of trauma; the place of dreams, flashbacks, and repetitive patterns of behavior in the understanding of memory and behavior; and finally, questions dealing with the definition of reality. All of these are important issues for the psychoanalyst.
Effects of phosphoethanolamine and ethanolamine on growth of mammary carcinoma cells in culture.

Abstract Phosphoethanolamine (PEtn) was previously shown to be a potent mitogen for a rat mammary carcinoma cell line, 64-24. The objective of this study was to elucidate the role of phosphoethanolamine as a mitogen. The growth stimulatory effect of various compounds related to PEtn was examined, and ethanolamine (Etn) and compounds whose structures resembled Etn were also found to be active. Among several neoplastic mammary epithelial cell lines of human and rat tested, a human line, T47-D, gave a positive growth response to phosphoethanolamine. The results suggest that a positive growth response to PEtn is correlated with growth response of a cell line to prolactin in culture. PEtn and Etn (10−6 M) added to the medium incorporated efficiently into cellular phosphatidylethanolamine. After 3–4 days in culture more than 50% of the cellular phosphatidylethanolamine appeared to be derived from exogenous PEtn or Etn. Moreover, phosphatidylethanolamine content in phospholipid became three times higher than that without Etn in the medium.
The social psychological impacts of a technological accident: Collective stress and perceived health risks

Abstract Technological accidents pose a threat to community structure and the social psychological wellbeing of community residents. This research provides an evaluation of the impact of a major train derailment and toxic spill in Livingston, Louisiana, a rural community in the United States. The nature, direction and magnitude of this impact are assessed through data collected under a court-order and introduced as evidence in class-action litigation. A disaster impact assessment design was developed and data were collected 20 months after the accident. Findings for the residents of Livingston reveal that victims closer to the impact site, members of families who are evacuated for longer time periods and members of families who were separated at the time of the accident experienced the most collective stress and manifested strongest concerns about risks to their health. Many of the community residents wanted to move because they were upset with the source of the accident and they perceived that they had “increased risks of getting cancer” and feared that their “drinking water was contaminated”. The social-psychological impact of this technological accident varied in terms of disaster demographics, providing one basis for mitigation and the allocation of compensation through a court settlement.
The relationship between perfectionism and self-efficacy

Abstract The hypothesis that individuals scoring high vs low on measured perfectionism would differ significantly on a measure of self-efficacy was tested. The Burns Perfectionism Scale (BPS), the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), and the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (SES) were administered to 271 college students. It was found that while the BPS and MPS total scores were not able to discriminate high and low perfectionism scorers on self-efficacy, the three subscales of the MPS did. In this case, higher levels of Self-Oriented and Other-Oriented Perfectionism were associated with low self-efficacy, while higher levels of Socially-Prescribed Perfectionism were associated with high self-efficacy. The results not only have important implications for the conceptualization of perfectionism as an important factor in self-efficacy, but have important assessment implications, as well. Possible interpretations are offered.
Discovering interchangeable words from string databases

This paper presents a solution for the problem of finding interchangeable words in the context of an input collection of strings. Interchangeable words are words that can be replaced indistinctly in phrases or free text without deviating its actual meaning. Under restricted conditions, pairs of interchangeable might be useful for data deduplication, copy detection, software localization, among others. The calculation of the degree of interchangeability involves the accurate calculation of semantic similarity between pairs of words and the search for candidate pairs in the overall search space imposed by the input collection. The solution presented in this paper is composed by a search method for candidate pairs using the Levenshtein distance algorithm and a novel algorithm - SSA -for calculating the semantic similarity between words. The proposed solution was implemented and tested within a real world application related to a string message database from a software development company. The system was used to build an ontology with clusters of interchangeable words.
The Interaction Effect of Rivalry Restraint and Competitive Advantage on Profit: Why the Whole Is Less Than the Sum of the Parts

Rivalry-restraint-based theoretical mechanisms predict that an industry's profits will increase when its firms engage in less price competition, or less direct competition, with each other. Competitive-advantage-based theoretical mechanisms predict that a firm's profits will increase when it creates superior economic value that direct and indirect competitors cannot fully compete away. But what is the interaction effect on profit of simultaneously restraining rivalry and increasing competitive advantage? Do they positively amplify/reinforce each other, or negatively dampen/undermine each other? This paper's theoretical model predicts a negative interaction effect, with potentially significant implications for theory, practice, and pedagogy.
A Multilevel Model of Privatization in Emerging Economies

Why are so many emerging economies privatizing state-owned enterprises, and how does that affect their performance? The author proposes a dynamic multilevel model to answer these questions. Firm-level arguments need to be complemented by industry- and country-level arguments to explain why some enterprises are privatized but not others. Similarly, changes in firm governance resulting from privatization are only one determinant of postprivatization performance: changes in industry structure, regulation, and country-level variables are as important. Furthermore, changes introduced at all three levels in one round of reform influence the context within which subsequent privatizations occur.
Establishing a Clinical Research Collaboration: An SLP Perspective

Conducting research as a practicing clinician is difficult. Barriers include lack of time, education, and funding. Collaborating with other professionals is one way to facilitate research in the cl...
Looking for Evidence of Language Learning in Practices for Repair: A Case Study of Self‐Initiated Self‐Repair by an Adult Learner of English

This paper uses methods from conversation analysis to investigate a well‐documented practice from mundane conversation (self‐initiated self‐repair) as it is accomplished during the interactions of one adult learner of English. The interactions took place during her classroom talk‐in‐interaction over the course of 18 months. The research describes the placement of repair initiations, the production practices used for initiation and repair, the activity contexts within which the repairs took place, and how the production of repair might give us a clue to emerging syntactic organization of language learners. By focusing on participant‐relevant language practices like self‐initiated self‐repair this research will add to socio‐cultural understandings of language learning and addresses the call for more longitudinal research in the area.