cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Excess membrane cholesterol alters human gallbladder muscle contractility and membrane fluidity.

Abstract Background & Aims: The relationship between muscle contractility, plasma membrane cholesterol, and fluidity was investigated in human gallbladders with gallstones. Methods: Isolated gallbladder muscle cells were used to measure contraction. Plasma membranes of gallbladder muscle were purified in a sucrose gradient and measured for cholesterol content and cholesterol/phospholipid mole ratio. Membrane fluidity was determined by using fluorescence polarization and was expressed as the reciprocal of anisotropy. Results: The maximal contraction induced by cholecystokinin octapeptide was significantly less in gallbladders with cholesterol stones than in those with pigment stones. The membrane cholesterol content and cholesterol/phospholipid mole ratio were significantly higher in gallbladders with cholesterol stones than in those with pigment stones. Membrane anisotropy was also higher than in gallbladders with pigment stones, reflecting lower membrane fluidity in gallbladders with cholesterol stones. After muscle cells from cholesterol stone gallbladders were incubated with cholesterol-free liposomes for 4 hours, cholecystokinin octapeptide–induced contraction, membrane cholesterol content and cholesterol/phospholipid ratio, and membrane fluidity returned to normal levels. Conclusions: Gallbladder muscle from patients with cholesterol stones has increased membrane cholesterol/phospholipid mole ratio and decreased membrane fluidity resulting in impaired muscle contractility. These abnormalities are corrected by removing the excess cholesterol from the plasma membranes. GASTROENTEROLOGY 1999;116:678-685
Voltammetric rotating ring-disk studies of silver deposition on platinum at underpotential

Abstract The deposition of sub- and monolayer amounts of silver on platinum has been studied using the rotating ring-disk electrode in 0.2 M H 2 SO 4 -2.00 × 10 −5 M Ag(I). Silver does not deposit on a fully oxidized platinum surface. Two monolayers of silver will deposit on a reduced platinum surface over a range of potential positive with respect to the equilibrium Nernst potential.
Percutaneous transmyocardial laser revascularization: an overview.

Transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) is a novel strategy designed to improve anginal symptoms and enhance myocardial perfusion by applying laser energy directly into the ischemic myocardium. Preliminary surgical experiences using TMR have indicated a significant reduction in angina severity, improved quality of life, and some evidence of improved myocardial perfusion in refractory coronary ischemic syndromes. Possible mechanisms to explain the clinical benefit include stimulated angiogenesis, local myocardial denervation, or both. The goal of catheter-based TMR is to create nontransmural endomyocardial channels smaller in size but comparable in tissue effect to the surgical TMR procedure. At present, most percutaneous TMR experiences seem very promising, although derived from nonrandomized registries with a relatively small number of patients. More rigorous assessments of objective and subjective endpoints derived from ongoing larger randomized clinical trials are needed to render definitive conclusion about the validity of this therapeutic strategy in patients with refractory coronary ischemic syndromes. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 47:354–359, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Detection of mutation in transgenic CHO cells using green fluorescent protein as a reporter

Abstract A novel approach was developed for rapidly estimating the frequency of specific mutations in genetically engineered Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. We designed double-transgenic CHO cell lines that contain a transgene consisting of the sequence coding for green fluorescent protein under the control of a tetracycline (Tet) responsive promoter and a second transgene coding for the constitutively expressed Tet repressor. Cultures of these CHO cells were treated with γ-radiation, N -methyl- N -nitrosourea or methyl methanesulfonate, and the fluorescence of individual cells from both control and treated cultures was measured by flow cytometry. The treatments increased the number of highly fluorescent cells, those with presumed mutations in the Tet -repressor gene. Mutant cells from γ-radiation-exposed cultures were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, cultured, and individual clones expanded. A PCR-based analysis indicated that the highly fluorescent expanded cells had lost the transgene coding for the Tet repressor, suggesting that the system mainly detects large genetic alterations. A similar approach may be useful for making high-throughput in vivo models for mutation detection.
Markov Chain Model for Events Following Induced Abortion

This paper presents a Markov chain model for investigating questions about the possible health-related consequences of induced abortion. The model evolved from epidemiologic research questions in conjunction with the criteria for Markov chain development. It has been developed to apply to data collected on 928 women who participated in an historical-prospective study conducted in Skopje, Yugoslavia. Formulas employing the transition probabilities may be used to answer specific questions of interest to epidemiologists, physicians, and health policy makers.
On a singular integral equation arising in the FN method

A singular integral equation has been derived (and solved numerically, by the F/sub N/ method), which the unknown fluxes exciting a finite slab must satisfy. Here we prove analytically that this equation has a unique solution, and thus, that it uniquely determines the exciting fluxes.
This Is the Place: Brigham Young and the New Zion

The unfolding of the American West is paralleled by the evolution of the Mormon religion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith. Public hostility to his claims of divine revelations drove the Mormons from New York State to Missouri to Illinois, where Smith was murdered by a furious mob. Leadership was eventually assumed by Brigham Young, who guided his flock westward in search of the 'New Zion'. Legend has it that, when they reached the vast open spaces of the Great Basin, he ended the journey by declaring, 'This is the place'. Building on his critically acclaimed book about the origins of the Mormon faith, Ernest H Taves offers further stylometric analysis of texts from the "Book of Mormon" and recounts the spellbinding story of the cross-continental trek and establishment of the Mormon empire. Covering the years between Smith's assassination in 1844 to the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, Taves also includes discussion of polygamy and its effect on Utah's petition for statehood, and the economic impact of the 1849 gold rush on the Mormon community. A story of both monumental triumph and intense tragedy, "This is the Place" is a critical yet sympathetic examination of an integral part of American history.
Vesamicol, an inhibitor of acetylcholine vesicle packaging, increases synaptophysin phosphorylation in rat cortical synaptosomes.

Abstract Vesamicol (AH5183) is an inhibitor (IC 50 , 50 nM) of acetylcholine (ACh) vesicle packaging. Vesamicol increases the phosphorylation pattern of synaptophysin (p38), identified as a vesicle-specific phosphoprotein involved in vesicle-mediated neurotransmitter release. Percoll fractionation of the rat cortex yielded a cholinergic-enriched synaptosomal Fraction 4. Fraction 4 contained the highest enrichment of cholineacetyl-transferase activity (86 ± 4,6 μmole AcCh/g protein/hr.) in the Percoll gradient. Fraction 4 demonstrated oxygen consumption (108 ± 23.4 nmole/mg protein), levels of adenosine triphosphate, ATP, (10.29 ± 0.45 nmole/mg protein) and adenosine diphosphate, ADP, (10.54 ± 2.72 nmole/mg protein), energy potential (ATP/[ADP][Pi], (0.49) phosphate uptake (65–80 nmoles phosphate/mg tissue), 32 pi labelling (130 ± 12 × 10 5 DPM/mg tissue; 74 ± 9.8 × 10 2 nmoles phosphate/mg tissue). Synaptophysin was identified by Western blotting and confirmed by qualitative immunoprecipitation. Synaptophysin phosphorylation was confirmed by autoradiograph. Synaptophysin phosphorylation increased (225%) in the presence of vesamicol (ED50, 1 nM) in Fraction 4. Vesamicol (50 nM) and vanadate (54 μM) were compared for their effects on synaptophysin. This study suggests that during the inhibition of acetylcholine packaging by vesamicol that synaptophysin is phosphorylated. Therefore, the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of synaptophysin may be involved in the transport of acetylcholine in or out of the synaptic vesicle.
Experimental investigation of dropwise condensation on hydrophobic heat exchangers part I: Dimpled-sheets

Abstract Vapor-compression desalination is a reliable and robust desalination technology that benefits from high heat transfer coefficients in evaporators/condensers. In this study, heat transfer coefficients were measured in vertical dimpled-sheet heat exchangers (0.762-mm-thick naval brass 464 or 0.203-mm-thick copper), some of which were bare (filmwise condensation) and others were coated with a thin layer of passive electroless Ni–P–PTFE (dropwise condensation). The heat exchanger sheets were mounted in a sealed two-chamber apparatus with condensing saturated steam on one side and boiling saturated water on the other. Shearing steam on the hydrophobic condensing surface enhanced the overall heat transfer coefficient by 1.6 times and forced convection on the boiling side increased it by an additional 1.4 times. Adding a 0.635-μm-thick layer of hydrophobic Ni–P–PTFE coating to naval brass 464 that was roughened on the boiling-side surface with sand-blasting increased the heat transfer coefficient by 4.3 times. Adding PTFE boiling stones to the boiling side of the hydrophobic copper plates increased the heat transfer coefficient by 1.15 times. The maximum overall heat transfer coefficient measured was U = 184 kW/(m2·°C), which occurred with 0.203-mm-thick copper (k = 400 W/(m·°C)) coated with 0.635-μm-thick Ni–P–PTFE and PTFE boiling stones as a dynamic nucleation agent in the bulk liquid (P = 722 kPa, T = 166 °C, vsteam = 0.49 m/s, R ≈ 1 kg shearing steam/kg condensate, vliq = 1.57 m/s, ΔT = 0.20 °C).
DEOXYRIBONUCLEASES IN DEVELOPING AND ADULT RAT CEREBELLUM: TRANSIENT AND LONG DURATION ACTIONS OF METHYLAZOXYMETHANOL

—Acid and alkaline DNase activities were determined in postnatal and adult rat cerebellum. Normal animals were compared with those injected with 10 mg/kg methylazoxymethanol acetate using varying schedules after birth in order to induce transient damage to proliferating cell populations. In all animals studied, both immature and adult, methylazoxymethanol caused an increase in acidic and decrease in alkaline DNase activity. These effects were not specific to the dividing populations and occurred in nonmitotic cells as well. When injections were given to young adults, these effects appeared irreversible and persisted up to 3 months after birth.
Meaningfulness and Order-Invariance: Two Fundamental Principles for Scientific Laws

The first invariance principle, called “meaningfulness,” is germane to the common practice requiring that the form of a scientific law must not be altered by a change of the units of the measurement scales. By itself, meaningfulness does not put any constraint on the possible data. The second principle requires that the output variable is “order-invariant” with respect to any transformation (of one of the input variables) belonging to a particular family or class of such transformations which are characteristic of the law. These principles are formulated as axioms of a theory. Taken together, meaningfulness and order-invariance axioms have strong consequences on the feasible theories. Three applications of our results are discussed in details, involving the Lorentz–FitzGerald contraction, Beer's law, and the Monomial laws, each of which is derived from three axioms implementing meaningfulness and order-invariance concepts. (An “initial condition” axiom is also used.) Not all scientific laws are order-invariant in the sense of this paper. An example is van der Waals' equation.
Purification of an epoxide hydrolase from the midgut of the southern army worm (Spodoptera eridania.

Abstract An epoxide hydrolase was solubilized with Cutscum® from microsomal fractions of southern army worm ( Spodoptera eridania , Cramer) larval midguts. A 27-fold purification was achieved in high overall yield (38%) using ammonium sulphate fractionation, affinity chromatography (agarose with the ligand trans-9,10- epoxyoctadecanoic acid) and ion-exchange (DE-52) chromatography. The enzyme was judged highly pure by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Ouchterlony double-diffusion analysis. The purified enzyme hydrolized styrene oxide and 1,2-epoxyoctane at the rates of 7.1 and 17.2 μmoles/mg protein/min respectively. Midgut epoxide hydrolase levels increased five-fold in specific activity and ninefold in total content during early development of the sixth larval instar and rapidly decreased at the onset of pupation. Hydrolase activity was enhanced two-fold following dietary exposure of the larvae to the mixed-function oxidase inducing agent pentamethylbenzene.
Biogeochemistry: NO connection with methane.

Microorganisms that grow by oxidizing methane come in two basic types, aerobic and anaerobic. Now we have something in between that generates its own supply of molecular oxygen by metabolizing nitric oxide.
Hopping on a zig-zag course

We study the diffusion coefficient of Active Brownian particles in two dimensions. In addition to usual attributes of active motion we let the particles turn in preferred directions over random times. This angular motion is modeled by an effective Lorentz force with time dependent frequency switching between two values at exponentially distributed random times. The diffusion coefficient is calculated by the Taylor-Kubo formula where distributions found from a Fokker-Planck equation or from a continuous time random walk approach have been inserted for averaging. Eventually properties of the diffusion coefficient will be discussed.
Size-dependent interactions in salt marsh fish (Fundulus heteroclitus Linnaeus) and shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio Holthuis)

Competition and predation are major biotic interactions that influence the structure of aquatic communities. The relative importance of each type of interaction is usually a function of the relative size of the organisms involved. This study used field experiments to assess potential size-dependent interactions among small juvenile killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) and grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) and larger adult killifish. Density, species combinations, and predation risk were manipulated within field enclosures on an intertidal salt marsh on Sapelo Island, Georgia. Intraspecific and interspecific competitive effects between small juveniles (larval killifish and postlarval grass shrimp) were examined in the absence and presence of predators (larger adult killifish) to determine interactions and modifications of interactions due to predators. In the absence of predators both negative intraspecific and interspecific effects occurred in the form of reduced growth of juvenile grass shrimp. Survival of juvenile shrimp was the same in the presence or absence of juvenile killifish. However, when larger adult killifish were present, the interspecific competitive effect of reduced growth in juvenile grass shrimp was not significantly different from controls. Growth and survival of juvenile fish were unaffected by increased density of conspecific juveniles and the presence of juvenile grass shrimp and adult fish predators. These results provide field evidence for interspecific competitive interactions between juveniles of two of the most abundant species of nekton utilizing salt marsh habitat along the eastern coast of North America. However, when larger adult killifish predators were present these interspecific competitive effects among similar sized juvenile killifish and grass shrimp disappeared.
On the anomalous dimensions of the multiple pomeron exchanges

Abstract High energy hard scattering in large N c limit can be described by the QCD dipole model. In this paper, single, double and triple BFKL pomeron exchange amplitudes are computed explicitly within the dipole model. Based on the calculation, the general formula γ 0 ( k ) ∗ = χ −1 ( k χ ( 1 2 ) ) which governs the anomalous dimension of 1 ⇒ k amplitude is conjectured. As far as the unitarity problem is concerned, we find that the anomalous dimension γ varies from graph to graph due to the DGLAP evolution. In the end, a comparison between this computation and reggeon field theory is provided.
Generalized morphological center: idempotence

Abstract — In this paper, we present an investigation of the generalized morphological center. The general-ized morphological center is introduced. The idempotence of morphological filters is investigated. Conditions aresubsequently derived for the idempotence of the generalized morphological center. Several important examples ofidempotent generalized morphological centers are finally presented.Keywords: nonlinear filtering, morphological filtering, signal and image restoration. I. Introduction Median filters (and their repeated iterations) have been demonstrated to be very useful in numerous signal and imageprocessing applications; e.g., restoration of noisy images [1—2]. The utility of the median filter has been motivatedby the fact that it is an optimal robust estimator; i.e., the median filter minimizes the absolute-value of the error[1]. An additional attribute of the median filter is the fact that it is an unbiased estimator; i.e., the median filter isa self-dual operator [2].Despite the merit of the median filter as an important tool in numerous applications, its practical utility is oftenlimited due to several fundamental disadvantages. Repeated iterations of the median filter are frequently requiredin numerous applications; i.e., the median filter is not an idempotent operator [2]. This severe limitation is furtherexacerbated by the indefiniteness of the iterations of the median filter; i.e., in general, iterations of the median filter
Stability analysis for set-point-related indirect iterative learning control

Acting as a supervision or optimization module for a local controller, indirect iterative learning control (ILC) can improve closed-loop performance along the batch direction. In particular, if the set-point for the local controller is updated, this type of indirect ILC is termed set-point-related (SPR) indirect ILC. SPR indirect ILC has shown excellent performance; however, there is no reported work on stability analysis for this method. Based on a 2-dimensional (2D) framework, a sufficient condition for asymptotical stability of SPR indirect ILC is derived in this paper.
The proactive component of organizational behavior: A measure and correlates

This study investigated a personal disposition toward proactive behavior, defined as the relatively stable tendency to effect environmental change. We developed an initial scale to assess the construct and administered it to a sample of 282 undergraduates. Factor analysis led to a revised, unidimensional scale with sound psychometric properties. A second sample of 130 undergraduate students was used to determine the relationships between the proactive scale and the ’Big Five‘ personality domains: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. In a third sample of 148 MBA students, we assessed the proactive scale's relationships with three personality traits and three criterion measures. Consistent with hypotheses, scores on the proactive scale correlated with need for achievement, need for dominance, and independent measures of the nature of subjects' extracurricular and civic activities, the nature of their major personal achievements, and peer nominations of transformational leaders. We discuss the potential of the proactive construct to enhance our understanding of, and ability to predict, a wide range of behaviors.
Finding the defining functions for one-point algebraic-geometry codes

An iterative algorithm is given for producing the parity-check functions for one-point algebraic-geometry (AG) codes, in particular (but not limited to) those related to the two towers of function fields introduced by Garcia and Stichtenoth (1995). This simple method, based on the linearity of the Qth-power map over F/sub Q/, is an alternative to the method of using Laurent series expansions. Examples are given for small values of m with characteristic p=2 for both towers.
Combating Double-Spending Using Cooperative P2P Systems

An electronic cash system allows users to withdraw coins, represented as bit strings, from a bank or broker, and spend those coins anonymously at participating merchants, so that the broker cannot link spent coins to the user who withdraws them. A variety of schemes with various security properties have been proposed for this purpose, but because strings of bits are inherently copyable, they must all deal with the problem of double-spending. In this paper, we present an electronic cash scheme that introduces a new peer-to-peer system architecture to prevent double-spending without requiring an on-line trusted party or tamper-resistant software or hardware. The scheme is easy to implement, computationally efficient, and provably secure. To demonstrate this, we report on a proof-of-concept implementation for Internet vendors along with a detailed complexity analysis and selected security proofs.
The Transfer Origin for Bacteroides Mobilizable Transposon Tn4555 Is Related to a Plasmid Family from Gram-Positive Bacteria

Conjugal transfer of Bacteroides mobilizable transposon Tn4555 was examined with an Escherichia coli-based assay system. It was shown that mobilization required the cis-acting oriT(Tn) region and that the Tn4555 mobA(Tn) gene and RK231 must be present in trans. With alkaline agarose gel electrophoresis and filter blot hybridizations, it was shown that at oriT(Tn) there was a site- and strand-specific cleavage event that was dependent on mobA(Tn). The 5' end of this cleavage site was mapped by primer extension, and the nucleotide sequence surrounding the site had homology to a family of oriT nick sites found in mobilizable plasmids of gram-positive bacteria. Removal of the nick site by deletion of 18 bp surrounding the site resulted in a significant loss of transfer activity.
Clinical presentation as a guide to the identification of GERD in children.

Abstract Objective : to determine if there is a correlation between common otolaryngologic symptoms and presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in children. Methods : charts of 295 children presenting with suspicion of GERD were reviewed for presenting symptoms including: (1) airway symptoms: stertor, stridor, frequent cough, recurrent croup, wheezing, nasal congestion, obstructive apnea, blue spells, hoarseness, throat clearing; (2) feeding symptoms: wet burps, globus sensation, frequent emesis, dysphagia, choking/gagging, sore throat, halitosis, food refusal, stomach aches, arching, drooling, chest pain, irritability, and failure to thrive. At least one positive test of barium esophagram, gastric scintiscan, pH probe or esophageal biopsy resulted in inclusion in the GERD positive group. Results : 214 children had GERD diagnosed while 81 had no positive tests for GERD. Between the GERD positive and GERD negative groups, the significantly different symptoms were stertor ( P =0.040), cyanotic spells ( P =0.043), frequent emesis ( P =0.007), failure to thrive ( P =0.006), and choking/gagging ( P =0.044). Three pooled variables were created: airway flow (stertor, stridor, cyanotic spells), airway irritation (frequent cough, recurrent croup, throat clearing), and feeding (dysphagia, failure to thrive, frequent emesis). GERD patients who were 2 years or less were compared to those older than 2 years and all three of these pooled variables were significantly different between these groups ( P Conclusion : children who present with a certain constellation of airway or feeding symptoms are more likely to have a positive GERD test. Children 2 years old or less are more likely to present with airway symptoms or feeding difficulties while children older than 2 years are more likely to present with airway irritation.
Optimal trauma resuscitation with plasma as the primary resuscitative fluid: the surgeon's perspective

Over the past century, blood banking and transfusion practices have moved from whole blood therapy to components. In trauma patients, the shift to component therapy was achieved without clinically validating which patients needed which blood products. Over the past 4 decades, this lack of clinical validation has led to uncertainty on how to optimally use blood products and has likely resulted in both overuse and underuse in injured patients. However, recent data from both US military operations and civilian trauma centers have shown a survival advantage with a balanced transfusion ratio of RBCs, plasma, and platelets. This has been extended to include the prehospital arena, where thawed plasma, RBCs, and antifibrinolytics are becoming more widely used. The Texas Trauma Institute in Houston has followed this progression by putting RBCs and thawed plasma in the emergency department and liquid plasma and RBCs on helicopters, transfusing platelets earlier, and using thromboelastogram-guided approaches. These changes have not only resulted in improved outcomes, but have also decreased inflammatory complications, operations, and overall use of blood products. In addition, studies have shown that resuscitating with plasma (instead of crystalloid) repairs the "endotheliopathy of trauma," or the systemic endothelial injury and dysfunction that lead to coagulation disturbances and inflammation. Data from the Trauma Outcomes Group, the Prospective Observational Multicenter Major Trauma Transfusion (PROMMTT) study, and the ongoing Pragmatic Randomized Optimal Platelet and Plasma Ratios (PROPPR) trial represent a decade-long effort to programmatically determine optimal resuscitation practices, balancing risk versus benefits. With injury as the leading cause of death in patients age 1 to 44 years and hemorrhage the leading cause of potentially preventable death in this group, high-quality data must be obtained to provide superior care to the civilian and combat injured.
Shame and rational choice in offending decisions

This study examined the effects of shame proneness and two types of anticipated shame states—shame due to exposure and shame without exposure—in a rational choice model of offending intentions. Using scenario-based survey data from a sample of university students, it was found that (a) anticipated shame states without exposure reduced intentions to drive drunk and shoplift and (b) anticipated shame states due to exposure reduced shoplifting intentions. By contrast, shame proneness had a positive effect on decisions to commit both drunk driving and shoplifting. The findings support the rational choice model of offending and indicate that the effects of shame are important components in individuals' decisions to offend.
Industrial governance structures, innovation strategies, and the case of Japan: sectoral or cross-national comparative analysis?

In comparative research on industrial policy strategies, attention has shifted from national-level variables to sectoral variables in both the description and the explanation of policy. The sectoral literature, however, lacks analytic focus and has provided little systematic insight into the causes of cross-sectoral variance in governance structures and policy strategies. Based on recent contributions to the economics and sociology of formal organizations, this article attempts to sharpen the concept of “industrial sector” and to provide a rationale for why sectoral structures and strategies vary. Next, it develops a synthetic explanatory framework that combines sectoral analysis and national domestic structuralism in order to account for industrial innovation strategies in advanced capitalist countries. In the final section, the fruitfulness of this approach is illustrated by developing a new account of Japan's success and failure in industrial innovation, an account that overcomes the contradictions among the main alternatives offered in the past. The key objective of the article, however, is to develop a new set of theoretical hypotheses for cross-national research, not a rigorous empirical test of its main propositions.
Mesh-star Hybrid NoC architecture with CDMA switch

The Network-on-Chip (NoC) concept has been proposed to replace conventional bus-based system architectures to create scalable and flexible future SoC designs. A 2D-mesh topology is one of the most frequently mentioned topologies for an NoC design due to its natural layout mapping onto an SoC. However, the 2D-mesh topology NoC has a hot-spot problem at the center of the network and presents difficulties in multicasting. In this paper, we propose a novel multicastable CDMA switch and an efficient mesh-star hybrid topology. This approach leads to reduced traffic at the center of the network and better performance with multicasting. Our switch has been synthesized using a 0.13µm CMOS technology library.
Risk Taking and Problem Context in the Domain of Losses

The present chapter examines further two of the issues raised in the insurance study of Chapter 5. The first issue concerns the extent of risk taking in the loss domain. The second involves the influence that a gamble’s context or presentation exerts on revealed risk-taking attitudes. These questions were examined through an experimental design in which probabilities, probabilistic losses, and premiums were systematically varied (see Table 7.1 and the questionnaire in Appendix VII). To assess the influence of context, each question was presented in both an “insurance” and a “gamble” format. Subjects randomly received questions in one of these two contexts. Only simple lotteries were examined.
How the US National Academy of Sciences misled the world community on cancer risk assessment: new findings challenge historical foundations of the linear dose response

This paper extends several recent publications indicating that Hermann J. Muller: (1) Made deceptive statements during his Noble Prize Lecture on December 12, 1946, that were intended to promote the acceptance of the linear dose-response model for risk assessment for ionizing radiation and (2) that such actions of Muller were masked by a series of decisions by Muller’s long-time colleague and esteemed radiation geneticist Curt Stern, affecting key publications in the mutation literature. Such actions further enhanced acceptance of the linearity dose-response model while preventing Muller’s deceptions from being discovered. This paper provides documentation that Muller reinforced such practices within the scientific literature in the early 1950s, by supporting scientifically questionable actions of Stern. Detailed documentation is provided that demonstrates how these actions affected national and international risk assessment policy for ionizing radiation and chemical carcinogens via the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences Biological Effects of Atomic Radiation committee in 1956, to adopt the linear dose-response model.
Identification of Promoter and Stringent Regulation of Transcription of the fabH, fabD and fabG Genes Encoding Fatty Acid Biosynthetic Enzymes of Escherichia Coli

In Escherichia coli, amino acid starvation results in the coordinate inhibition of a variety of metabolic activities, including fatty acid and phospholipid biosynthesis. By using primer extension analysis we identified the fabH promoter responsible for transcription of the fabH, fabD and fabG genes encoding fatty acid biosynthetic enzymes. The response of the fabH promoter to amino acid starvation was determined in vivo. Transcripts originating from the fabH promoter were quantified by employing a ribonuclease protection assay. The fabH promoter was subject to relA-dependent stringent control and was repressed approximately 4-fold upon amino acid starvation. The results suggest that inhibition of transcription initiation of lipid biosynthetic genes in starved cells contributes to the stringent control of lipid biosynthesis.
Ultrastructure of male gametes of Sphaeroplea robusta (Chlorophyceae)

Male gametes have been studied in Sphaeroplea robusta (Chlorophyceae) using both light and electron microscopy. Mature gametes are typically biflagellate and possess a single, large mitochondrion that dominates the anterior third of the cell, directly posterior to the basal bodies. One or more microbodies are closely associated with the mitochondrion. Contractile vacuoles occur anterior to the elongated nucleus which, in fully mature gametes, possesses condensed chromatin. The reduced, starch-filled chloroplast lacks an associated eyespot and occupies a posterior position. A thin, anteriorly directed process or extension of the chloroplast parallels a portion of one of the multistranded flagellar roots. The paired basal bodies are directly opposed with no demonstrable offset, and are connected by an arched distal fiber with a highly elaborated central striated region that forms the apical cone, a feature characteristic of male gametes in most species of Sphaeroplea. Possession of a striated distal fiber, a cruciate flagellar root system (i.e. two-stranded microtubular roots alternating with multistranded roots), and directly opposed basal bodies are consistent with the alga's chlorophycean affinities.
Skeletal muscle dictates the fibrinolytic state after exercise training in overweight men with characteristics of metabolic syndrome

While there is indisputable evidence supporting the beneficial role of aerobic exercise in reducing cardiovascular risk factors, there are few dose-response studies of this relationship. Increasingly, it is thought that the cardiovascular benefits of exercise are significantly influenced by adaptations within skeletal muscle and its vasculature. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying these adaptations. To address this need, we initiated a study utilizing longitudinal, microarray-based gene expression profiling of serial skeletal muscle biopsies obtained from the study of targeted risk reduction intervention through defined exercise (STRRIDE). STRRIDE participants were overweight and exhibited symptoms characteristic of the metabolic syndrome that typically precedes type II diabetes such as insulin resistance, abnormal lipids and glucose intolerance. Expression data were statistically filtered and sorted into exercise training-responsive clusters based on gene product knowledge. One such cluster included genes that promote the degradation of fibrin clots such as tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), connective tissue activation peptide III (CTAP III) and tetranectin. The fibrinolytic activity and protein levels of tetranectin, and t-PA and its endogenous inhibitor PAI-1, were subsequently shown to change significantly in both skeletal muscle and serum in response to exercise training. Our data show that the rigors of exercise directly induce fibrinolytic genes and protein cascades, both within muscle, and in the systemic circulation. This finding is particularly significant given that the metabolic syndrome is an independent risk factor for peripheral vascular disease and thrombotic events within the heart and brain. We conclude that aerobic exercise training induces both local and systemic changes in fibrinolysis and vascular homeostasis that are probably protective against cardiovascular disease.
Against Throne and Altar: The Very Model of a Modern Moralist

We do not know when Thomas Hobbes first read De rerum natura . For understandable reasons, the authorities who designed the curricula for England's grammar schools and for the University of Oxford chose not to include on either syllabus a poem quite rightly regarded as a fount of atheism, and in his various autobiographical works, Hobbes is silent on the subject. In consequence, Lucretius is rarely mentioned in the secondary literature on Hobbes's political thought – although there is evidence that his influence on the Malmesbury philosopher was considerable. He was, after all, one of the handful of authors whom Hobbes himself actually deigned to mention. Moreover, the English philosopher's physics, as he readily acknowledged, owed a great deal to the Epicurean account espoused by the Roman poet, and the charge that he was an Epicurean was frequently leveled against Hobbes by contemporary critics. By the eighteenth century, one could, in fact, speak of “an epicurean or a Hobbist” as if there was no difference, and no less an authority than David Hume did so. It is tolerably likely that Hobbes read De rerum natura on the sly during his years at Magdalen Hall. He arrived at Oxford in the wake of an Aristotelian revival, and in his day the university statutes not only specified that students study with extreme care the works of Aristotle dealing with physics, metaphysics, psychology, rhetoric, morals, and politics.
The Role of Eolian Processes in Forming Surface Features of the Martian Polar Layered Deposits

Abstract The major topographic features of the martian polar layered deposits include the conspicuous spiral troughs, subtle undulations, broad reentrants (chasma), steep, arcuate scarps, and dune fields. A prominent role for eolian processes in the formation of all of these features is proposed. Strong katabatic winds occur on the north polar cap, producing widespread frost streaks. These cold drainage winds are analogous to those on the terrestrial Antarctic cap. In the chasmae convergent katabatic winds create yardangs and erode arcuate scarps in the layered deposits that are also the source for local dune fields migrating outward from the polar cap. The chasmae are postulated to originate by long-term erosion by katabatic wind. Wind plays a role in formation of the troughs and scarps primarily through removal of dust freed from exposed layered deposits by ablation of ice on defrosted equator-facing slopes. The undulations are created by interaction between surface erosion or deposition of perennial ice and standing waves in the shallow katabatic windflow. The south polar layered deposits exhibit topographic features similar to those at the north polar cap, but erosion and depositional processes creating these features may be inactive during the current epoch because of the lack of an extensive perennial ice cover and associated katabatic wind.
Mitigation of impedance changes due to electroporation therapy using bursts of high-frequency bipolar pulses

For electroporation-based therapies, accurate modeling of the electric field distribution within the target tissue is important for predicting the treatment volume. In response to conventional, unipolar pulses, the electrical impedance of a tissue varies as a function of the local electric field, leading to a redistribution of the field. These dynamic impedance changes, which depend on the tissue type and the applied electric field, need to be quantified a priori, making mathematical modeling complicated. Here, it is shown that the impedance changes during high-frequency, bipolar electroporation therapy are reduced, and the electric field distribution can be approximated using the analytical solution to Laplace's equation that is valid for a homogeneous medium of constant conductivity. Two methods were used to examine the agreement between the analytical solution to Laplace's equation and the electric fields generated by 100 µs unipolar pulses and bursts of 1 µs bipolar pulses. First, pulses were applied to potato tuber tissue while an infrared camera was used to monitor the temperature distribution in real-time as a corollary to the electric field distribution. The analytical solution was overlaid on the thermal images for a qualitative assessment of the electric fields. Second, potato ablations were performed and the lesion size was measured along the x- and y-axes. These values were compared to the analytical solution to quantify its ability to predict treatment outcomes. To analyze the dynamic impedance changes due to electroporation at different frequencies, electrical impedance measurements (1 Hz to 1 MHz) were made before and after the treatment of potato tissue. For high-frequency bipolar burst treatment, the thermal images closely mirrored the constant electric field contours. The potato tissue lesions differed from the analytical solution by 39.7 ± 1.3 % (x-axis) and 6.87 ± 6.26 % (y-axis) for conventional unipolar pulses, and 15.46 ± 1.37 % (x-axis) and 3.63 ± 5.9 % (y-axis) for high- frequency bipolar pulses. The electric field distributions due to high-frequency, bipolar electroporation pulses can be closely approximated with the homogeneous analytical solution. This paves way for modeling fields without prior characterization of non-linear tissue properties, and thereby simplifying electroporation procedures.
The Family Solutions Program: A Collaboration of the University of Georgia and the Athens/Clarke County Juvenile Court

‘You are the experts on this—tell me what I can do to help you make it happen’— The juvenile court judge talking in 1991 to the author and associates about how a family intervention program might effectively address juvenile crime problems in the county.
A Cadaver Investigation of Screw Purchase With 2 Retrograde Techniques for Capitolunate Arthrodesis

Purpose To examine the hypothesis that the amount of bone purchase within the lunate is greater when using a technique for intermetacarpal retrograde screw placement across the capitolunate joint than when using a dorsal capitate technique. Methods Seven fresh cadaver limbs were dissected. We exposed the carpus and scaphoidectomy and performed selective capitolunate decortication. We compared the technique of dorsal capitate placement of headless compression screws with intermetacarpal placement by measuring the depth of purchase in the lunate. Results Drill hole depths in the lunate were greater using the intermetacarpal technique versus the dorsal capitate technique; the average depth was 9.0 and 6.4 mm, respectively. The calculated number of threads was also greater with the intermetacarpal technique than with the dorsal capitate technique (15 vs 9 threads, respectively). Conclusions The intermetacarpal technique for retrograde headless compression screw placement in a capitolunate arthrodesis provided a greater depth of purchase in the lunate portion of the construct. It also afforded more ease of placement than previously described antegrade techniques without the risk of hardware migration into the radiocarpal joint. Clinical relevance The knowledge gained from this study may help guide surgeons to choose a technique for retrograde placement of headless compression screws in capitolunate arthrodesis to gain better purchase within the lunate.
In-Situ Silver Acetylide Silver Nitrate Explosive Deposition Measurements Using X-Ray Fluorescence.

The Light Initiated High Explosive facility utilized a spray deposited coating of silver acetylide - silver nitrate explosive to impart a mechanical shock into targets of interest. A diagnostic was required to measure the explosive deposition in - situ. An X - ray fluorescence spectrometer was deployed at the facility. A measurement methodology was developed to measure the explosive quantity with sufficient accuracy. Through the use of a tin reference material under the silver based explosive, a field calibration relationship has been developed with a standard deviation of 3.2 % . The effect of the inserted tin material into the experiment configuration has been explored.
Radiations of Ce 143

A spectrometric investigation of the radiations of ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{143}$ has revealed that there are beta-ray groups of 1.090\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005, 1.390\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005, and 0.710\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.010 Mev maximum energy. In addition, there was evidence for a fourth lower energy group which could not be resolved. Electromagnetic radiations of energies 0.0349\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001, 0.126\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005, \ensuremath{\sim}0.160\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.010, 0.289\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005, 0.356\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005, 0.660\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.010, and 0.720\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.010 Mev were found. A decay scheme for ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{143}$ is proposed.
Migraine and School Performance in Preadolescent Children

Researchers at the Glia Institute, Brazil; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY; and other centers conducted a population-based study of school performance in children in Brazil with migraine.
Prevention of levarterenol necrosis in rabbits by use of levarterenol-phentolamine mixtures.

Summary1. Subcutaneous infiltration of 250 cc of solutions containing 8, 6, or 32 mg levarterenol/liter for 2 hours regularly produced slough of skin on abdomen of rabbits. 2. All levarterenol-phentolamine mixtures that contained 2.5, 5, and 10 mg phentolamine did not produce slough. Those containing 0.5 and 1 mg phentolamine prevented slough only for mixtures with 8 mg levartere-nol. Sloughs were reduced with mixtures containing 16 and 32 mg levarterenol and 1 mg phentolamine.
Use of Alveolar Macrophages for Cultivation of Canine Distemper Virus.

SummaryCell cultures prepared from dog lungs without trypsinization contained viable lung macrophages. When such cultures were inoculated with CDV, giant cells were seen 2 to 6 days after inoculati...
COEVOLUTION AND AVIAN BROOD PARASITISM: COWBIRD EGGS SHOW EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSE TO HOST DISCRIMINATION.

The Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus) is an important host of the brood parasitic Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) in Uruguay, but not in nearby Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Eggs of the Shiny Cowbird are extremely variable in size, and horneros eject cowbird eggs with widths less than about 88% of the widths of their own eggs. Uruguayan cowbird eggs are, on average, 12% larger than those from Buenos Aires, a geographic pattern in egg size that corresponds to the pattern of successful host use. Uruguayan cowbird eggs are also wider per unit volume than eggs from Buenos Aires. Allometric analyses of egg width and volume indicate that this shape change is apparently an evolutionary response to selection exerted by the hornero. Such a response is absent in Buenos Aires because interactions between the cowbird and the hornero are probably of recent origin there.
Food Value Chain Development in Central New York: CNY Bounty

In the past 10 years, demand for locally grown food has increased dramatically. Concomitantly, small, commercial farms have declined disproportionately to small and large farms. The decline may be due to the lack of appropriately scaled marketing and distribution resulting from changing markets. This article presents a case study of a component of a food value chain started in 2007, Central New York (CNY) Bounty. CNY Bounty markets and distributes products produced by 119 small, commercial farms and processors to individual households, restaurants, natural food stores, and universities. In the past four years, CNY Bounty has experienced mixed success in terms of its economic viability, which can offer some important lessons for practitioners and contributions for food value chain research.