cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neurogenic Component of Chronic Renal Hypertension

Infusion of angiotensin or renin in small quantities affects the sympathetic nervous system so that responses are increased to either drugs or reflexes that cause release of norepinephrine at nerve endings. Response to injected norepinephrine is relatively unchanged. This action of angiotensin is dependent upon an intact sympathetic nervous system. The direct vasoconstrictor action of angiotensin is not an essential part of the enhanced response. The phenomenon was shown to have relevance to acute and chronic experimental renal hypertension in dogs by the fact that in both the pressor response to tyramine was enhanced. We believe that the ability of angiotensin to intensify the effect of normal neurogenic vasomotor activity, along with an upward reset of the carotid sinus buffer mechanism, might account importantly for the neurogenic component of renal hypertension.
Random-Access Digital Communication for Mobile Radio in a Cellular Environment

A random-access digital multiplex system is considered in the context of a cellular mobile radio system. Three different ways of implementing this technique in a cellular system are described. With the aid of certain simplifying assumptions, the techniques are compared as to their traffic-carrying capacity.
Stimulating Constructivist Teaching Styles through Use of an Observation Rubric.

One of the difficult transitions for new secondary science teachers is that from novice teacher to master teacher. Often this process involves the novice in adopting survival strategies for teaching rather than those advocated by the National science education standards or the Project 2061 benchmarks. This study reports on an instrument that has been shown to be useful in helping novice teachers reflect on and change their science teaching praxis. Based on the interpretation of this case study, it appears to have the potential to significantly affect the development of secondary science teachers by providing a readily accessible model of instruction that aligns with student-centered models of instruction advocated by the Standards and Project 2061. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 955–971,1999
High pressure study of a lattice resonance in the far infrared

Abstract From a study of the pressure dependence of the soft defect mode in KBr:Li + , we find that the anharmonic component of the local potential decreases continously with increasing hydrostatic pressure.
The Binary Central Star of the Planetary Nebula A35

Using new Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) observations in conjunction with Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and International Ultraviolet Explorer archive data, we have modeled both components of the binary central star of the planetary nebula A35. The white dwarf (the ionizing star) was modeled using the non-LTE, plane-parallel code TLUSTY. We find its parameters to be Teff = 80 ? 3 kK, log g = 7.70 cm s-2, and [He/H] = -4 ? 1 and C, N, O, Si, and Fe to be underabundant by 2 orders of magnitude with respect to their solar values. This confirms its classification as a DAO white dwarf, and using the Hipparcos distance D = 163 pc, we derive a radius of RWD 1.65 ? 10-2 R? and a mass of M 0.5 M?. The modeling of the far-ultraviolet spectra also constrains the extinction value; EB-V = 0.04 ? 0.01. Furthermore, the FUSE and STIS data allow us to measure the molecular hydrogen (H2) and neutral hydrogen (H I) column densities along the sight line, the majority of which we believe is associated with the circumstellar material. The FUSE spectrum is best fitted with a two-component model for H2, consisting of a cool component (T = 200 K) with log N(H2,cool) = 19.6 cm-2 and a hot component (T 1250 K) with log N(H2,hot) = 17.4 cm-2. The H I column density is log N(H ) = 20.9 ? 0.1 cm-2. Assuming a typical gas/dust ratio for the interstellar medium, our value of EB-V implies that log N(H ) = 20.8 cm-2 of this is circumstellar. Our low extinction value and the measured column densities imply that there is essentially no dust in the nebula. Assuming that the neutral and molecular hydrogen is contained in a sphere of comparable dimensions to the ionized shell, we derive the combined mass of the circumstellar H I and H2 to be ~2.7 M?. Other geometries, such as a shell surrounding the ionized region, can be excluded. The mass of the ionized hydrogen is 1% that of the neutral material. From comparison with evolutionary calculations, we estimate the progenitor mass to be ~3.2 M?.
NATURAL CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER BETWEEN NON‐NEWTONIAN FLUIDS and an IRREGULAR SHAPED PARTICLE

Natural convection heat transfer was investigated between aqueous solutions of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (modeled as power law fluids) and a mushroom shaped particle, under transient conditions, with various initial temperature differences. Convective heat transfer coefficients (h) were observed to decrease over time due to thermal equilibration. the average value of h was significantly higher for heating (75 to 310 w/m2-C) than for cooling (22 to 153 w/m2. C), and decreased with increasing viscosity (CMC concentration). For the lower viscosity ranges, h increased significantly with increasing initial temperature difference. Correlations were developed between Nusselt number and generalized Rayleigh and Fourier numbers.
Size is not a reliable measure of sexual fecundity in two species of lichenized fungi

Since a number of studies have shown a strong positive correlation between apothecia production and lichen thallus size, it has been suggested that size can serve as an easy measure of lichen sexual fecundity. The reliability of the relationship between size and apothecia production among different environments has not been studied. We measured apothecia development and thallus area in populations of the lichenized fungi Xanthoparmelia cumberlandia and Xanthoparmelia coloradoensis. Our data suggest that while size is a significant predictor of apothecia production, the relationship between size and apothecia production is not consistent among various environments, nor does size adequately explain variation in apothecia production.
An Initial Examination of Using Pseudospectral Methods for Timescale and Differential Geometric Analysis of Nonlinear Optimal Control Problems

An initial examination of the development of a framework for analyzing the time-scale and differential geometric structure of nonlinear optimal control problems is considered. The framework is synthesizedby combining a recently developeddirect collocationmethod called the Gauss pseudospectral method (GPM) with concepts from differentialgeometry. In particular, the GPM is known to provide optimal state and costate information, thus enabling the computation of accurate Hamiltonian phase space trajectories. Using the optimal Hamiltonian phase space trajectories from the GPM, it is possible to analyze the timescale and differential geometric structure by computing the finite-time Lyapunov exponents and Lyapunov vectors. The Lyapunov exponents provide information about both the stable/unstableand slow/fast behavior of the Hamiltonian system along the optimal trajectory. Furthermore, the directions in the phase space along which these different behaviors act are isolated by decomposing the tangent space of the Hamiltonian system using the finitetime Lyapunov vectors. The approach is demonstrated successfully on two examples. The main contribution of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of combining the Gauss pseudospectral method with results from differential geometry to assess the structure of optimally controlled systems, but without having to solve the Hamiltonian boundary-value problem that arises from the calculus of variations.
Macroscopic Kinetic Effect of Cell-To-Cell Variation in Biochemical Reactions

Genetically identical cells under the same environmental conditions can show strong variations in protein copy numbers due to inherently stochastic events in individual cells. We here develop a theoretical framework to address how variations in enzyme abundance affect the collective kinetics of metabolic reactions observed within a population of cells. Kinetic parameters measured at the cell population level are shown to be systematically deviated from those of single cells, even within populations of homogeneous parameters. Because of these considerations, Michaelis-Menten kinetics can even be inappropriate to apply at the population level. Our findings elucidate a novel origin of discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro kinetics, and offer potential utility for analysis of single-cell metabolomic data.
SU-FF-T-144: Feasibility of a Novel Gafchromic Film for Routine IMRT QA

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of using an improved Gafchromic film, EBT (International Specialty Products), for routine IMRT QA. Method and Materials: EBT films were evaluated for clinical use in IMRT QA by comparing their performance to the widely used Kodak EDR2 film. As a clinical test, one hybrid phantom plan, consisting of seven IMRT fields, was calculated on a commercial treatment planning system with prescription levels of one to five Gray. The plans were delivered to EBT and EDR2 films loaded in a Bluebox film phantom. The films were digitized on Vidar VXR‐12 film scanner and analyzed using the RIT film dosimetry system. The percentage of pixels (exceedence) with plan/film dose difference above 5% tolerance level was used as a metric for film comparison. The symmetry and flatness for the same dose range were also determined for both types of films. Results: For EBT films, flatness and symmetry in two orthogonal directions improved as dose increased. Correlation between the plan and EBT film improved with increased dose, as indicated by a decrease in the exceedence (%): 22.9(1Gy), 11.9(2Gy), 11.2(3Gy), 6.6(4Gy), 4.1(5Gy). EDR2 films exhibited a different trend: 12.7(1Gy), 7.7(2Gy), 12.6(3Gy), 13.4(4Gy), 26(5Gy). Delivery time increased from 6 minutes for 1Gy plan to 9.5 minutes for 4Gy plan using dose rate of 600MU/min. Conclusion: At higher doses, EBT films show results comparable to, or improved over, EDR2 films. They demonstrate improved flatness and symmetry and IMRT QA results with increased dose. The additional 3.5 minutes necessary to deliver 4Gy to EBT film in order to achieve better results than with the EDR2 film is more than compensated by the convenience of using Gafchromic film. Further improvement of the digitization procedure and increase of the signal‐to‐noise ratio of EBT film should allow even lower dose for routine IMRT QA.
Primary structure of the hydrogenosomal adenylate kinase of Trichomonas vaginalis and its phylogenetic relationships.

Hydrogenosomal adenylate kinase of the amitochondriate protist, Trichomonas vaginalis, has been purified and the sequence of its 39 amino-terminal residues established. Based on this sequence and a conserved internal region of the enzyme, a probe was obtained by DNA polymerase chain reaction and used to isolate a genomic DNA clone containing the gene of this enzyme. This gene exists probably as a single copy in T. vaginalis and is not interrupted by introns. The open reading frame obtained codes for a large type adenylate kinase with a mature molecular mass of 24.5 kDa. The T. vaginalis enzyme is homologous with adenylate kinases of other eukaryotes and eubacteria. Strongly conserved parts and residues of the molecule are conserved also in this enzyme. Phylogenetic trees obtained with various methods placed the T. vaginalis adenylate kinase close to the point where the different subfamilies of this enzyme branch from each other, indicating that the T. vaginalis enzyme has no close relationship to any of these subfamilies and that it separated early from other adenylate kinases. The conceptual translation predicts the existence of an amino-terminal nonapeptide absent from the protein purified from hydrogenosomes, similar to the processed amino-terminal extensions of other hydrogenosomal proteins. These extensions have been considered as putative targeting and important signals.
Compensation densities and acceptor binding energies in lightly-doped p-type HgCdTe

In lightly and moderately doped p-type HgCdTe (NA≲5×1015 cm-3), mixed conduction effects can prevent one from reliably determining compensation densities from conventional measurements of the Hall coefficient. In the present study, ND is obtained far more accurately by measuring the mobility of photoexcited electrons at temperatures in the range T ⪅ 12 K, where most of the holes are frozen out. In this case the total density of ionized impurities is nearly equal to 2 ND. Experimental photo-Hall results are reported for p-type Hg1−xCdxTe samples (0.22 < x < 0.23) with acceptor densities in the low 1015 cm-3 range. Photoexcitation is provided by a blackbody and a pulsed CO2 laser. The data are compared to a comprehensive theory which includes a partial-wave phase shift calculation of charged center scattering and a detailed treatment of the dynamic dielectric response by lattice polarizability and free holes to electron-hole interactions. At temperatures between 11 and 30 K, theory and experiment agree well over an extremely large range of photoexcited electron densities (1012 -1016 cm-3). Compensation ratios of 14–65% and single-acceptor binding energies of approximately 10 meV have been determined for these samples. The model predicts high sensitivity to donor densities as low as 1014 cm-3.
A formative study of influences on student testing behaviors

While Computer Science curricula teach students strategic software development processes, assessment is often product-instead of process-oriented. Test-Driven Development (TDD) has gained popularity in computing education, but evaluating students' adherence to TDD requires analyzing their development processes instead of only their final product. Consequently, we designed an adaptive feedback system for reinforcing incremental testing behaviors. In this paper, we compare the results of the system with different reinforcement schedules and with- or without- visually salient testing goals. We analyzed snapshots of students' programming projects gathered during development and interviewed students at the end of the academic term. From our findings, we identify potential for influencing student development behaviors and suggest future direction for designing adaptive reinforcement.
Moral voices, moral selves: About getting it right in moral theory

In 1982 Carol Gilligan published an empirical analysis of the decision making processes of a sample of girls and young women confronted with real-life moral dilemmas. Gilligan claimed that these girls and women articulated their moral situations in a "different" moral voice, a voice distinct from the moral voice defined in previous studies that involved primarily male subjects. Nearly a decade later the moral and epistemologi cal ramifications of Gilligan's study are still being explored. A wide array of claims have been made on the basis of Gilligan's analysis. Moral philosophers, feminist theorists and moral psychologists have asserted, variously, that Gilligan's "different voice" represents a significant departure in moral theory, that it is empirically unjustified, that it establishes the superiority of a distinctively feminine moral voice, and that it provides a complement to the unitary voice of moral theories that have dominated moral philosophy in the west. Some of these claims are made explicitly in In a Different Voice or in Gilligan's subsequent work, while others are implicit in it. Some contradict Gilligan's analysis or try to supercede it. The different claims that allegedly arise from her work, furthermore, are not consistent. In the following I will sort through several of these claims and examine them from an epis temological perspective. My larger goal, however, it to do more than make some sense of this extensive literature, as difficult as that task is. My thesis is that most of the claims made by Gilligan and her commentators are not sufficiently radical. The claims fall under two headings: first, the contention that the unitary moral theory of the Western tradition should be replaced by a dualistic theory, or, second, that the justice perspective in moral theory should be replaced with the more superior care perspective. The problem with these claims is that neither challenges the epistemology that charac
Political Forgiveness. By P. E. Digeser. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2001. 224p. $39.95

In one of the first recorded acts of its kind, the newly restored Athenian democracy of 403 B.C.E. adopted an amnesty for collaborators from the deposed oligarchic regime. Such political forgiveness was, according to Aristotle, a marvel of statesmanship, presumably allowing Athenians to recover a measure of civic unity (though not to Socrates' benefit). With the recent emergence of powerful human rights organizations, the option of amnesty has suffered from theoretical disrepute, though not practical disuse, and the terminology of forgiveness has acquired a maudlin air.
The fluorobasicities of ReF7 and IF7 as measured by the enthalpy change ΔH°(EF7(g) → EF6+(g) + F−(g))

Abstract Iridium hexafluoride oxidizes ReF 6 (via an ReF 6 + salt) and at room temperatures IrF 6 , ReF 6 , ReF 7 and (IrF 5 ) 4 are each present in the equilibrium mixture. From these and related findings: ΔH°(ReF 6 → ReF 6 + + e − ) 1092 ± 27 kj mole −1 (261 ± 6 kcal mole −1 ), and thermodynamic data are selected to yield ΔH°(ReF 7(g) → ReF 6 + (g) + F − (g) )=893 ± 33 kj mole −1 (213 ± 8 kcal mole −1 ). From observations on the stability of IF 6 + BF 4 − and the lattice enthalpy evaluation for the salt, ΔH°(IF 7(g) → IF 6 + (g) + F − (g) )= 870 ± 24 kj mole −1 (208 ± 6 kcal mole −1 ).
Effect of heating and rapidly quenching NbSe3 crystals.

We have heated single crystals of ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{3}$ to 620 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C for about 4 min and then rapidly, in less than 1 sec, quenched them to room temperature. We find that the resistive anomalies associated with the charge-density-wave transition have been completely suppressed. The crystals exhibit metallic behavior over the entire temperature range from 300 to 7.5 K. There appears to be no electric field dependence of the resistivity at 50 K to fields up to a few hundred millivolts/cm. Quantitative energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy suggests that quenching ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{3}$ crystals changes them to ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{2}$. This is further verified by following the temperature dependence of the resistance to lower temperatures, where a superconducting transition is seen in the quenched crystals at 7.2 K. This corresponds to the superconducting transition seen in crystals of 2H-${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{2}$. Thus it appears that by rapidly quenching ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{3}$ from 620 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C one is able to form ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_{2}$ while maintaining a needlelike morphology.
High-frequency percussive ventilation improves oxygenation and ventilation in pediatric patients with acute respiratory failure☆

Abstract Purpose High-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) in pediatrics has been described predominantly in burned patients. We aimed to describe its effectiveness and safety in noninhalational pediatric acute respiratory failure (ARF). Methods We conducted an observational study in a tertiary care pediatric intensive care unit on 31 patients with ARF failing conventional ventilation transitioned to HFPV. Demographics, ventilator settings, oxygenation index, oxygen saturation index, oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry/fraction of inspired oxygen ( Fio 2 ), and Pa o 2 / Fio 2 were recorded before and during HFPV. Results Initiation of HFPV was associated with improvements in oxygenation index, oxygen saturation index, Pa o 2 / Fio 2 , and oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry/ Fio 2 as early as 12 hours ( P co 2 occurred 6 hours after initiation of HFPV and continued through 48 hours ( P P Conclusions In a heterogeneous population of pediatric ARF failing conventional ventilation, HFPV efficiently improves gas exchange in a lung-protective manner.
Motivation to change among residential treatment patients with an eating disorder: assessment of the multidimensionality of motivation and its relation to treatment outcome.

Objective: To examine the multidimensional nature of motivation to change in an adolescent sample in residential eating disorder (ED) treatment and relate it to outcome. Method: To determine whether different dimensions of motivation (benefits, burdens, and functional avoidance) are differentially associated with symptom severity and outcome, we assessed eating pathology and motivation to change in consecutively admitted female patients (n = 67) with AN, BN, and EDNOS in a residential ED program with the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and the Decisional Balance Scale (DB). Results: Pretreatment DB benefits and functional avoidance subscales were correlated with ED and comorbid psychopathology. Admission to discharge change in DB benefits—but not other measured dimensions of motivation was significantly associated with post-treatment EDE-Q global scores. Discussion: Our findings support that motivation to change is a multidimensional construct among ED patients. A reduction in perceived benefits of illness is associated with less severe post-treatment eating pathology. © 2010 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2011; 44:340–348)
Are strokes predictable with noninvasive methods: A five-year follow-up of 303 unoperated patients

Abstract To determine the correlation between the degree of internal carotid arterial stenosis demonstrated by noninvasive tests and the risk of subsequent stroke, 303 consecutive patients who underwent cerebrovascular evaluation with the Hokanson ultrasonic arteriograph were reviewed retrospectively. Ninety percent of the patients were followed up for 5 years or until the time of death. Stroke occurred in 41 (13.5%) patients. There was a significant correlation (p = 0.04) between the incidence of stroke and severity of disease: ⩾50% stenosis (19%), 0% to 49% stenosis (11%), and no stenosis (10%). Stroke as a presenting complaint carried the highest risk of subsequent neurologic defect (24%), but the risk in patients without symptoms was appreciable (15%). Life-table analysis indicated that the incidence of stroke was low ( 50% stenosis. It is concluded that the demonstration of hemodynamically significant stenosis does select a group of patients at increased risk for subsequent stroke and myocardial infarction, but lesser degrees of stenosis do not exclude future neurologic events. (J VASC SURG 1985;2:654-60.)
PHOTOSENSITIZED DIMERIZATION OF URACIL

— The four isomeric dimers of uracil were isolated from photochemical reactions which were sensitized by acetone. Product analyses, made on the basis of the chemical properties of the compounds, showed that the h, h dimers predominate. Infrared and mass spectra for the dimers are here presented as well as nuclear magnetic resonance data. The syn h, h dimer has been found in two polymorphic forms.
Prestin-dependent and prestin-independent motility of guinea pig outer hair cells

Abstract The motile response of isolated guinea pig outer hair cells (OHCs) was investigated using a combination of whole-cell patch clamp recording and continuous video image analysis. OHC’s length, width, and area were measured from video images and the cell volume estimated from these values. Morphological data was then correlated with electrophysiological recordings of whole-cell current, membrane potential and voltage-dependent non-linear capacitance. Electromotility was evoked either by manipulating the membrane potential under voltage-clamp conditions or by exposing OHCs to high K + solutions. Other motile responses were investigated in voltage-clamp experiments at constant holding potential, or exposing OHCs to solutions that did not affect the membrane potential. We found that electrical stimulation evoked voltage-dependent changes in OHC’s length, width and area but not in cell volume regardless of the time course of stimulation. Moreover, changes in cell area were always associated with both voltage-dependent motility and non-linear capacitance, suggesting prestin dependency. In contrast, voltage-independent motile responses at constant membrane potential, which are presumed to be prestin-independent, were associated with changes in cell length, width and volume without significant changes in area. Area measurements, then, become a tool to investigate the simultaneous occurrence of both prestin-dependent and prestin-independent OHC motilities, and for evaluating the individual contribution of each mechanism to the total cell movement.
Multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of high-energy phosphate metabolites in human brain following oral supplementation of creatine-monohydrate

Alterations in brain high-energy phosphate metabolism, determined by in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), have been reported in subjects with a number of brain disorders including major depression, schizophrenia, and substance abuse. It is not clear to what extent these changes can be modified by pharmacological or nutritional means. To address this possibility, we evaluated changes in brain chemistry that were associated with oral creatine (Cr) administration. We hypothesized that oral Cr supplementation, by increasing brain creatine and high-energy phosphate stored in phosphocreatine, would result in an increase in the creatine resonance, as measured using proton 1H-MRS, and a decrease in the beta-nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) peak and an increase in the phosphocreatine (PCr) peak, as measured by phosphorus 31P-MRS, in brain of healthy human subjects. Fifteen healthy male subjects (age=22.9+/-2.2; body mass index=22.9+/-1.7), who were without any axis I disorders or physical or neurological illness, were recruited. Ten subjects took creatine-monohydrate, 0.3 g/kg/day for the first 7 days and 0.03 g/kg/day for the next 7 days (creatine group). Five comparison subjects took equivalent amounts of sucrose as placebo (placebo group). Both 1H- and 31P-MRS scans were acquired at baseline, as well as at day 7 and day 14 of oral supplementation. 1H-MRS: Water suppressed localized spectra were acquired using a single-voxel (1.5 cm x 2 cm x 2 cm) proton MRS PRESS sequence in the left frontal lobe. 31P-MRS: Phosphorus spectral data were recorded from a 5-cm-thick axial brain slice using a short-TE slice selective spin-echo pulse sequence. The creatine group had significantly increased brain creatine levels (8.1% and 9.3%, in creatine/N-acetyl aspartate and creatine/choline ratios, respectively) compared to the placebo group over the 2-week period. The creatine group had significantly decreased beta-NTP levels (7.8%) and marginally increased PCr (3.4%) over the same period. In addition, the brain inorganic phosphate level increased over the same period in the creatine group (9.8%). The current study is the first multinuclear (1H and 31P) MRS study to evaluate changes in brain high-energy phosphate metabolism following oral creatine supplementation in healthy human subjects. These findings suggest the possibility of using oral creatine supplementation to modify brain high-energy phosphate metabolism in subjects with various brain disorders, including major depression, schizophrenia, cocaine and opiate abuse, where alterations in brain high-energy phosphate metabolism have been reported.
Gordian knot: apartheid and the unmaking of the liberal world order

In April 1965, US President Lyndon Johnson received an extraordinary personal letter from Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere. “I know this is not a diplomatic letter,” the Tanzanian lamented, “and ...
Isolation and phylogeny of novel cytochrome P450 genes from tunicates (Ciona spp.): A CYP3 line in early deuterostomes?

Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) form a gene superfamily involved in the biotransformation of numerous endogenous and exogenous natural and synthetic compounds. In humans, CYP3A4 is regarded as one of the most important CYPs due to its abundance in liver and its capacity to metabolize more than 50% of all clinically used drugs. It has been suggested that all CYP3s arose from a common ancestral gene lineage that diverged between 800 and 1100 million years ago, before the deuterostome-protostome split. While CYP3s are well known in mammals and have been described in lower vertebrates, they have not been reported in non-vertebrate deuterostomes. Members of the genus Ciona belong to the tunicates, whose lineage is thought to be the most basal among the chordates, and from which the vertebrate line diverged. Here we describe the cloning, exon-intron structure, phylogeny, and estimated expression of four novel genes from Ciona intestinalis. We also describe the gene structure and phylogeny of homologous genes in Ciona savignyi. Comparing these genes with other members of the CYP clan 3, show that the Ciona sequences bear remarkable similarity to vertebrate CYP3A genes, and may be an early deuterostome CYP3 line.
A functional role analysis of reasons

One strategy for providing an analysis of practical rationality is to start with the notion of a practical reason as primitive. Then it will be quite tempting to think that the rationality of an action can be defined rather simply in terms of ‘the balance of reasons’. But just as, for many philosophical purposes, it is extremely useful to identify the meaning of a word in terms of the systematic contribution the word makes to the meanings of whole sentences, this paper argues that it is extremely useful to explain the nature of practical reasons in terms of the systematic contributions that such reasons make to the wholesale rational statuses of actions. This strategy gives us a clear view of two logically distinct normative roles for practical reasons – justifying and requiring – that are often conflated, and it allows us to give clear definitions of what ‘the strength of a reason’ means within each of these roles. The final section of the paper explores some implications of the resulting view for the internalism/externalism debate about practical reasons, and for the practical significance of moral theory.
Factors influencing student acceptance and use of academic portals

Institutions of higher education have increasing turned to web portals as a way to connect with students. These portals are designed to provide students a centralized point of access to information and services. In spite of the efforts put into developing and maintaining these portals, their use by students can be disappointing. The study described in this paper examines factors influencing the acceptance and use of academic intranet portals by university students. The research uses as its theoretical basis the technology acceptance model (TAM), one of the most widely accepted information technology utilization models from information systems literature. Two additional constructs, compatibility and enjoyment were added to the model to determine if an expanded model would better characterize user acceptance and use. A survey administered to 709 university students was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The data indicated that ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude from the basic TAM model all contributed significantly to explaining intention and usage of the portal. In addition, the integration of enjoyment as a construct was found to improve the fit of the model. Weak measurement properties precluded the analysis of the compatibility construct. The paper includes discussion of practical and academic implications of the research.
What Constitutes Satisfactory Cycloplegia

A study of many cases was made to determine how much the accommodation need be reduced in order satisfactorily to determine the full refractive error. Younger individuals and those with greater accommodative power required a more effective cycloplegic and more frequent application to produce the desired result. Two to three diopters residual accommodation permitted as satisfactory refraction as higher degrees of cycloplegia. Numerous cases are reported in some detail. Read before the Pacific Coast Oto-Ophthalmological Society, Victoria, B.C., Sept., 1930. From the Section on Ophthalmology, The Mayo Clinic.
Continuous hypertonic conditions activate and promote the formation of new centrioles within cytasters in sea urchin eggs

Abstract Sea urchin eggs continuously exposed to hypertonic conditions slowly produce cytasters containing centrioles, which both appear as recognizable nascent forms and gradually develop into mature structures. Cytoplasmic centrioles mature only within cytastral areas. De novo centrioles form diplosomes, and this event is completed before prophase begins. All centrioles, whether they form within cytasters situated away from the nucleus or right along the nuclear surface, appear the same; and all maturational events leading to diplosome formation are identical.
Escribiendo el silencio: la contemplación poética de Sara Pujol

Reading Sara Pujol Russell's El fuego tiende su aire (1999) and Intacto asombro de la luz del silencio (2001), is entering into a poetic world whose content and form are both innovative and complex. This poetry invites the reader into a state of meditative contemplation that seeks correspondences among different elements in reality as the key to access a superior type of knowledge. Pujol's writing moves in the fringes between voice and silence, art and nature, meaning and nothingness, identity and difference, it seeks to surpass its own verbal texture while only in that texture does it find articulation and only through it does transcendence becones accessible. The focus of the present reading centers on the point where Pujol's language seeks to transcend the disjunction between sign and surrounding, the point where synthesis is fusion about to dissolve.
Aberrant expression of neuropeptide Y in hippocampal mossy fibers in the absence of local cell injury following the onset of spike-wave synchronization.

Stargazer mutant mice inherit a recessive neuronal excitability phenotype featuring frequent non-convulsive spike-wave seizures that arise from synchronous bursting in neocortical, thalamic and hippocampal networks. Immunocytochemistry reveals that granule cells in the mutant dentate gyrus aberrantly express neuropeptide Y (NPY) at multiple ages following the developmental onset of seizures. The ectopic NPY is selectively concentrated in the mossy fibers, co-localizing with the releasable dense core vesicle pool. The NPY content of native NPY + local circuit neurons is also elevated in the mutant CNS. There is no concurrent elevation of hippocampal 72 kDa heat shock protein (HSP72), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) or NADPH-diaphorase, three markers that are induced during cellular injury, and no evidence of granule cell loss. Since mossy fiber NPY expression appears after the developmental onset of spike-wave discharges and can be induced in wild type granule cells by electrical stimulation, the altered peptide phenotype is likely to reflect transynaptic gene induction triggered by synchronous bursting. These results link a specific pattern of repetitive synaptic input with selective molecular plasticity in dentate granule cells that may contribute to dynamic modifications in hippocampal network excitability.
Trypanosoma cruzi: ultrastructure of morphogenesis in vitro and in vivo.

The morphogenesis of Trypanosoma cruzi at the ultrastructural level has been observed in vivo and in vitro. Epimastigotes of T. cruzi inoculated into a cell-free medium (F-69) and serially cultured at 37 C changed into amastigotes via trypomastigotes during the first several subcultures. Ultrastructural studies revealed many transitional forms between epimastigotes and trypomastigotes, and between trypomastigotes and amastigotes. Such transitional forms included: trypomastigotes containing epimastigote-type kinetoplasts, trypomastigotes lacking a surface coat, epimastigotes having trypomastigote-type kinetoplasts, dividing epimastigotes containing an epimastigote-type and a trypomastigote-type kinetoplast, and amastigotes having trypomastigote-type kinetoplasts. The fine structure of well-developed epimastigotes, trypomastigotes, and amastigotes obtained in vitro appeared similar to that of the same stages derived from animals. Transformation of epimastigotes to a different morphologic stage appeared to be closely associated with their division. In the in vivo study, amastigotes in large intracardiac nests changed into bloodstream trypomastigotes via epimastigotes and metacyclic trypomastigotes. The Golgi complex in trypomastigotes from cultures and from animals was active, suggesting its possible role for the production of the surface coat in this structural stage.
Impingement of Internal Waves from Below onto a Moving Mixed Surface Layer

Abstract Discussion of the generation of internal waves by tidal flow over bottom topography concludes that isobath convergence has an important effect on wave intensity near the sea surface, and also predicts that all harmonics of the tide will be present in the emitted waves. A simple analysis of the reflection of internal waves by a moving surface layer predicts that the surface layer disturbance will be amplified by, at the most, a factor of 2, and that this amplification is selective in wavenumber. For waves near inertial frequency, the impinging wave can excite disturbances that grow exponentially with time. Data from the GATE experiment show a clear tidal signal in isotherm depths near the thermocline and a possible inertial period variation as predicted by the simplified case analyzed.
HIV-1 Nef Binds a Subpopulation of MHC-I throughout Its Trafficking Itinerary and Down-regulates MHC-I by Perturbing Both Anterograde and Retrograde Trafficking

The HIV protein Nef is thought to mediate immune evasion and promote viral persistence in part by down-regulating major histocompatibility complex class I protein (MHC-I or HLA-I) from the cell surface. Two different models have been proposed to explain this phenomenon as follows: 1) stimulation of MHC-I retrograde trafficking from and aberrant recycling to the plasma membrane, and 2) inhibition of anterograde trafficking of newly synthesized HLA-I from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane. We show here that Nef simultaneously uses both mechanisms to down-regulate HLA-I in peripheral blood mononuclear cells or HeLa cells. Consistent with this, we found by using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy that a third of diffusing HLA-I at the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi/trans-Golgi network, and the plasma membrane (PM) was associated with Nef. The binding of Nef was similarly avid for native HLA-I and recombinant HLA-I A2 at the PM. Nef binding to HLA-I at the PM was sensitive to specific inhibition of endocytosis. It was also attenuated by cyclodextrin disruption of PM lipid micro-domain architecture, a change that also retarded lateral diffusion and induced large clusters of HLA-I. In all, our data support a model for Nef down-regulation of HLA-I that involves both major trafficking itineraries and persistent protein-protein interactions throughout the cell.
The Fallout from Fireworks: Perchlorate in Total Deposition

Recent studies have shown that natural perchlorate may be an important component to the general population exposure. These studies indicate that natural perchlorate is likely deposited by atmospheric deposition. Perchlorate concentration of total (dry + wet) deposition is relatively unstudied yet these measurements will aid in understanding natural levels in the environment. We sampled total deposition monthly at six sites in Suffolk County, Long Island, NY from November 30, 2005 until July 5, 2007. The mean perchlorate concentration is 0.21 ± 0.04 (standard error) μg L−1 with a maximum value of 2.78 μg L−1 . Here we show up to an 18-fold increase above the mean concentration in July 2006 and July 2007 samples. It appears that this increase in perchlorate in total deposition is associated with Fourth of July fireworks.
SCHWANN CELL INFLUENCE ON MOTOR NEURON REGENERATION ACCURACY

Extensive peripheral nerve injuries can result in the effective paralysis of the entire limb or distal portions of the limb. The major determinant of functional recovery after lesions in the peripheral nervous system is the accurate regeneration of axons to their original target end-organs. We used the mouse femoral nerve as a model to study motor neuron regeneration accuracy in terms of regenerating motor neurons projecting to their original terminal pathway to quadriceps muscle vs. the inappropriate pathway to skin. Using a variety of surgical manipulations and the selective removal of Schwann cells in the distal nerve via molecular targeting, we have examined the respective roles of end-organ influence (muscle) vs. Schwann cells in this model system. We found evidence of a hierarchy of trophic support that regulates motor neuron regeneration accuracy with muscle contact being the most potent, followed by the number or density of Schwann cells in the distal nerve branches. Manipulating the relative levels of these sources of influence resulted in predictable projection patterns of motor neurons into the terminal pathway either to skin or to muscle.
Amygdala deep brain stimulation is superior to paroxetine treatment in a rat model of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a very debilitating disease refractory to current treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in up to 30 percent of patients, illustrating the need for new treatments of PTSD. Neuroimaging studies have shown increased activity of the amygdala of patients with PTSD. Objective/hypothesis: To investigate amygdala deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a possible novel treatment for PTSD and compare it to current treatment with a commonly used SSRI, paroxetine, in a rat PTSD model. Methods: A PTSD model was created by subjecting rats to inescapable foot shocks in the presence of a conspicuous ball. Response to treatment was measured as a decreased burying behavior when presented with the same ball 1 and 2 weeks after the shocks. Rats were treated with either daily intraperitoneal paroxetine injections or amygdala DBS via an electrode implanted 1 week prior to shocks. Generalized anxiety was assessed using an elevated plus maze. Results: Animals treated with amygdala DBS showed less ball burying at 2 weeks relative to the animals treated with paroxetine. The animals treated with paroxetine, however, had a lower general anxiety level compared to the DBS-treated group. Conclusions: In this PTSD model, paroxetine was found to decrease the measured general anxiety level of rats that underwent the PTSD protocol, but did not counteract shock-induced hyper-vigilance toward the trauma-associated object (ball). Amygdala DBS, however, did decrease shock-induced hyper-vigilance as measured by a lower burying time, but had no effect on general anxiety assessed in the elevated plus maze. By attenuating amygdala function, DBS may act to treat the cause of PTSD, hyperactive amygdala function, and may be a promising novel alternative in cases of PTSD refractory to current pharmacological treatments.
Enhanced quantum dot optical down-conversion using asymmetric 2D photonic crystals

Asymmetric 2D photonic crystals were fabricated using polymer embedded PbS quantum dots on plastic substrates for enhancing optical down conversion efficiency from blue to near infrared wavelengths through enhanced extraction and excitation effects. We demonstrate 8x improvement of QD emission at normal incidence extraction from enhanced extraction and 2.5x improvement in power conversion efficiency from enhanced excitation.
Long-term transformation of an inhibitory into an excitatory GABAergic synaptic response

Abstract For a constant membrane potential, a predominantly inhibitory GABAergic synaptic response is shown to undergo long-term transformation into an excitatory response after pairing of exogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) with postsynaptic depolarization or pairing of pre- and postsynaptic stimulation. Current- and voltage-clamp experiments suggest that this synaptic transformation is due to a shift from a net increase of conductance to a net decrease of conductance in response to GABA. GABA-induced elevation of intracellular calcium is prolonged after the same stimulus pairing and may, therefore, contribute to this synaptic transformation via Ca(2+)-activated phosphorylation pathways. This synaptic transformation, which does not follow unpaired stimulus presentations, occurs in a neuronal compartment spatially separated from the soma, which also changes during stimulus pairing.
Molecular analysis of SAR1-related cDNAs from a mouse pituitary cell line.

Vesicular transport between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae requires a Ras-like, small GTP-binding protein, Sarip [1–3]. Whether a functional homologue operates in export from the ER in mammalian cells is unknown, nor is it clear if transport in other branches of the secretory pathway requires member(s) of a gene family. In this study, we used a PCR approach to examine the complexity of SAR1-related sequences expressed in mammalian cells that possess multiple secretory pathways. Amplification of cDNA sequences from rodent pituitary cells with primers corresponding to two conserved GTP binding domains of Sarlp yielded several clones with sequences homologous to Sarl and/or the closely related ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) family. Of these, only two showed closer homologies to S. cerevisiae Sar1 than members of the ARF family and are designated as mSARa and mSARb. Northern blot analysis shows that mSARa is expressed in most tissues including liver, heart, brain, skeletal muscle and kidney. In contrast, mSARb is preferentially expressed in skeletal muscle and liver. The full-length cDNA of mSARa isolated from a mouse pituitary AtT-20 cDNA library encodes a protein of 198 amino acids, and is 61.6% identical to Sarlp from S. cerevisiae. Thus in contrast to the large rab family of GTP-binding proteins, vesicular transport in mammalian cells appears to be mediated by a relatively small number of Sar1-related proteins.
Annealing of radiation-induced positive charge in MOS devices with aluminum and polysilicon gate contacts

This paper discusses the removal of radiation-induced positive charge from MOS structures by low temperature thermal anneals. Results are presented for structures in which the gate oxide is covered either by an aluminum or by a polysilicon contact during the anneal. The anneals were performed in forming gas, nitrogen and hydrogen ambients. The presence of aluminum over the gate oxide is found to play an important role in the annealing of radiation-induced positive charge in these structures . While a 400‡C anneal is sufficient to remove this charge from capacit or structures with aluminum gates, it leaves a small amount of residual charge (about 6xl010}cm2}) in structures with polysilicon gates. Anneals at temperatures in excess of 550‡C are required to remove this charge completely from the polysilicon-gated MOS devices. However when a thin layer of aluminum is present over the polysilicon contact during the anneal the charge can be removed easily at 400‡C. The results in capacitor structures are consistent with those found in polysilicon gate MOSFET’s with similar coverage over the gate oxide.