cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A calibration model for a stellar photometer using a SEC vidicon.

Description of a SEC vidicon response model that was used to calculate intensities of stars in the ultraviolet. The tube was used only as a stellar filter photometer. The model proposed is applicable for point sources. Experiments with both curve- or surface-fitting techniques and with extrapolation-interpolation procedures were conducted. The curve-fitting techniques were not successful, and the target gain was calculated with the aid of interpolation techniques.
Increased monoamine oxidase activity in isoproterenol-stimulated submaxillary glands

Abstract Prolonged isoproterenol administration increases the monoamine oxidase (MAO) but not the cytochrome oxidase activity of rat salivary glands. This increase in MAO can be blocked by prior administration of propranolol or actinomycin D, but is not diminished by ganglionectomy or duct ligation. Three hours after isoproterenol an increase in MAO activity is detectable, but is not significantly inhibited by propranolol. No increase in cardiac MAO concentration was observed. It is suggested that the increased MAO activity may be related to increased enzyme protein in the stimulated secretory cells.
Evidence that particle size heterogeneity is the cause of centrifugal heterogeneity in tobacco streak virus.

Preparations made from seven strains of tobacco streak virus, obtained from different geographical locations and plant sources, were analyzed for particle heterogeneity using various physical criteria. Centrifugal heterogeneity was shown to be a function of particle size rather than density. Components separable by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, again on the basis of size, were identified with the centrifugal components. The significance of size heterogeneity is discussed in relation to particle structure, biological properties, and possible applicability to other isometric plant viruses.
Aedes aegypti uses RNA interference in defense against Sindbis virus infection

RNA interference (RNAi) is an important anti-viral defense mechanism. The Aedes aegypti genome encodes RNAi component orthologs, however, most populations of this mosquito are readily infected by, and subsequently transmit flaviviruses and alphaviruses. The goal of this study was to use Ae. aegypti as a model system to determine how the mosquito's anti-viral RNAi pathway interacts with recombinant Sindbis virus (SINV; family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus). SINV (TR339-eGFP) (+) strand RNA, infectious virus titers and infection rates transiently increased in mosquitoes following dsRNA injection to cognate Ago2, Dcr2, or TSN mRNAs. Detection of SINV RNA-derived small RNAs at 2 and 7 days post-infection in non-silenced mosquitoes provided important confirmation of RNAi pathway activity. Two different recombinant SINV viruses (MRE16-eGFP and TR339-eGFP) with significant differences in infection kinetics were used to delineate vector/virus interactions in the midgut. We show virus-dependent effects on RNAi component transcript and protein levels during infection. Monitoring midgut Ago2, Dcr2, and TSN transcript levels during infection revealed that only TSN transcripts were significantly increased in midguts over blood-fed controls. Ago2 protein levels were depleted immediately following a non-infectious bloodmeal and varied during SINV infection in a virus-dependent manner. We show that silencing RNAi components in Ae. aegypti results in transient increases in SINV replication. Furthermore, Ae. aegypti RNAi is active during SINV infection as indicated by production of virus-specific siRNAs. Lastly, the RNAi response varies in a virus-dependent manner. These data define important features of RNAi anti-viral defense in Ae. aegypti.
Coastal Flow in the Northern Gulf of Alaska as Observed by Dynamic Topography and Satellite-Tracked Drogued Drift Buoys

Abstract Drifting buoys and dynamic topography over the continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Alaska are used to describe the coastal circulation and flow in the offshelf Alaska Current. One permanent anti-cyclonic eddy is detailed along with several shorter period features. In general, the buoys progressed shoreward and to the west from a release point near the continental shelf break. There was a tendency for the drifters to terminate their trajectories near or inside Prince William Sound. Precipitation, runoff and wind stress suggest that the buoys' drogues are affected by entrainment. It is hypothesized that drifters move shoreward until their drogues encounter the offshore-moving, ageostrophic upper layer. Their position stabilizes between the onshore and offshore flow and their subsequent movement is parallel to this interface. Though drifters might not be monitoring surface flow, it can be inferred that the surface flow is offshore here. The behavior of drogued, drifting buoys enables them to b...
1,4-Addition of Alkyl Halides to a Side-on Bound Hafnocene Dinitrogen Complex

Attempts to functionalize the side-on coordinated dinitrogen ligand in [(η5-C5Me4H)2Hf]2(μ2, η2, η2-N2) by addition of methyl halides such as CH3X (X = Cl, Br, I) or alkyl halides (R-X = CH3CH2Br, CH3CH2I, and CH3CH2CH2Cl) resulted in 1,4-addition to yield metastable, weakly activated hafnocene end-on dinitrogen complexes, [(η5-C5Me4H)2HfX][(η5-C5Me4H)2HfR](μ2, η1, η1-N2). The product of methyl iodide addition, [(η5-C5Me4H)2HfI][(η5-C5Me4H)2HfCH3](μ2, η1, η1-N2) was structurally characterized and confirmed the hapticity of the N2 ligand. Addition of the radical clocks 6-chloro-1-hexene and chloromethylcyclopropane also yielded 1,4-addition products with accompanying cyclization and ring-opening, respectively. In contrast, treatment of [(η5-C5Me4H)2Hf]2(μ2, η2, η2-N2) with benzyl chloride, benzyl bromide, or allyl bromide yielded only small quantities of the 1,4-addition product, with the majority of the mixture being the hafnocene dihalide (η5-C5Me4H)2HfX2 and organic products of radical coupling. In benz...
A theory for the emergence of channelized drainage

[1] A theory of channel formation is derived from mass balance equations for water and sediment, the St. Venant equation for water flowing down an energy surface gradient, and generalized representations of sediment transport. The theory covers transport- and detachment-limited erosion environments. Linearized analysis provides closed form stability criteria for the growth rates of channels in terms of aspect ratios, lateral spacings, and four mechanisms relating to water and sediment flows. Two mechanisms, a nonlinear advective transport of sediment that drives a channel-cutting instability and a free water surface that selectively neutralizes perturbations, act down the energy surface gradient. Two other mechanisms, advectively driven and slope-driven diffusion of sediment, act down the land surface gradient and selectively stabilize perturbations. Under subcritical and critical, but not supercritical, flow conditions, the first two mechanisms, together with arbitrary amounts of either diffusive mechanism, select strongly for aspect ratios and lateral spacings of the fastest-growing channels. Thresholds for channel spacing emerge without requiring critical thresholds for sediment entrainment. Advective sediment transport and a free water surface acting alone select strongly for aspect ratios but weakly for lateral spacings. Numerical solutions and analysis of the nonlinear equations, however, indicate strong selection for spacing through nonlinear amplification and coloring of noise. The aspect ratios and lateral spacings of fastest-growing channels are determined by six dimensionless ratios and parameters of the constitutive relations. The theory provides a scaling relation between increased lateral spacing of dominant channels and increasing discharge and predicts the emergence of Hack-type scaling laws with variable exponents for the fastest-growing channels.
The role of cyanide liberation in the acute toxicity of aliphatic-nitriles

Abstract The acute ip LD50 values for a series of six aliphatic nitriles were determined in mice and compared with acetone cyanohydrin and sodium cyanide. When sodium thiosulfate was given in multiple injections, it protected mice against death by acetonitrile, propionitrile, n-butyronitrile, malononitrile, or succinonitrile. In contrast, multiple injections of sodium nitrite protected mice against death by acrylonitrile, n-butyronitrile, and malononitrile, but not against acetonitrile, propionitrile, or succinonitrile. Single prophylactic doses of either thiosulfate or nitrite protected mice against death by either acetone cyanohydrin or sodium cyanide. Only sodium cyanide and acetone cyanohydrin predictably produced death within 5 min. All other nitriles produced death at widely varying intervals from a few minutes to many hours. Only acetone cyanohydrin and cyanide inhibited the activity of purified preparations of cytochrome c oxidase in vitro and in equimolar concentrations. Pretreatment of mice with carbon tetrachloride protected them against death from all nitriles except acetone cyanohydrin. Elevated concentrations of cyanide were found in the livers and brains of mice given lethal doses of all of the nitriles, acetone cyanohydrin, or sodium cyanide. The tissue concentrations of cyanide were substantially reduced in all cases when thiosulfate was also given or when nitriles were given to carbon tetrachloride-pretreated mice. Cyanide was liberated when n-butyronitrile or succinonitrile were incubated with mouse liver slices or NADPH-fortified mouse hepatic microsomal preparations. This reaction was inhibited when the livers were taken from mice pretreated with carbon tetrachloride or when SKF-525A was added in vitro to normal liver slices. Acetone cyanohydrin in all systems tested behaved qualitatively and quantitatively like its molar equivalent in cyanide. The results suggested that the other nitriles examined here possess little, if any, acute toxicity in the absence of normal hepatic function and that these nitriles were activated by hepatic mechanisms to release cyanide which can account for their major acute toxic effects.
Proton chemical shifts of water in aqueous triethylenediamine: Cosphere model and temperature dependence

Proton chemical shifts of water in aqueous solutions containing triethylenediamine and its hydrochloride were measured at different concentrations and temperatures. The results obtained were analyzed with a cosphere model for aqueous solutions at infinite dilution. The influences of these and other solutes were found to be explicable in terms of the temperature dependence of the cosphere-water-proton chemical shift.
Total energies of decagonal models for quasicrystals

Abstract Burkov proposes a plausible atomic model for the decagonal phase of AlCuCo. Using pseudopotential-based pair interactions that reflect the metallic screening of the electron gas, we compute total energies for a few approximants to the decagonal phase and examine their stability through relaxation. We find some systematic atomic displacements and modifications in chemistry which bring the proposed model into closer agreement with experimental Patterson analysis, lower the energy, or both.
Studies on the possible role of brain histamine in behaviour

Abstract 1. The possible role of brain histamine in behavioural performance was studied in rats using thirst-induced water consumption, continuous (Sidman) avoidance, and reinforcement withdrawal test systems. 2. Parenteral administration of a variety of antihistamines to rats decreased thirst-induced water consumption; this effect could be antagonized by administration of histamine directly into the brain by a ventricular cannula. 3. When intraventricular doses of histamine were administered to rats at weekly intervals, an adaptation was seen in the effects of the amine on continuous avoidance behaviour. With succeeding doses, the initial period of depression of avoidance responding was shortened and the subsequent rebound stimulation disappeared. 4. The results support the hypothesis that histamine in the brain is involved in several behavioural phenomena.
Effect of octreotide on gastric and small bowel motility in patients with gastroparesis

Background: Octreotide has been shown to have effects on gastric and small bowel motility with implications for its role in treating patients with upper gastrointestinal dysmotility syndromes. Our aim was to investigate the effect of octreotide on antral and small bowel motility in patients with gastroparesis. Methods: Upper gastrointestinal manometry was carried out continuously for a period of 30 h in 11 patients with gastroparesis. The spontaneous migrating motor complex (MMC) in the fasting state and octreotide-induced MMCs were characterized and compared with regard to site of origin, duration of phase III, amplitude of phase III and propagation velocity of the MMC along the gut. The 2-h postprandial motility index was compared after a control meal as well as after a 100 μg octreotide administration. Results: In all 11 gastroparetic patients, octreotide induced a phase III-like activity front within minutes after administration and this primarily originated in the small bowel (86% of activity fronts compared with 32% of fronts originating in the small bowel prior to octreotide administration (P < 0.004)). Gastric initiation of these activity fronts dramatically decreased after octreotide administration, occurring in 68% of activity fronts prior to octreotide administration and 14% of occasions after octreotide injection (P < 0.05). The postprandial antral motility index was markedly reduced after octreotide administration (11.33 ± 0.39 vs. 7.96 ± 0.76, P < 0.0003) and octreotide re-established a motility pattern during the postprandial period that was similar to that normally seen in the interdigestive state. The octreotide-induced phase III activity fronts appeared at a higher frequency and had a higher propagative velocity compared to the spontaneous phase III fronts in the fasting state (9.27 ± 0.82 vs. 5.56 ± 0.81 cm/min, P < 0.05). Conclusions: We conclude that octreotide’s marked inhibitory effect on antral contractility may serve to worsen clinical symptoms in patients with gastroparesis and therefore this agent should not be given in the peri-prandial period. Those gastroparetic patients with associated small bowel dysmotility and diarrhoea from bacterial overgrowth may benefit from the nocturnal administration of octreotide because of its stimulatory effect of phase III MMC activity as well as its known inhibitory effect on small bowel secretions.
Linking Automated Databases for Research in Managed Care Settings

Spurred by demands for data from employer-purchasers and accreditation agencies and the adoption of strategies for disease management and outcome-based quality assurance, managed care organizations have recognized the need for rapid, convenient access to clinical information. Large investments in administrative and clinical data systems have also produced unprecedented opportunities for research on health care and epidemiology in large, defined populations. There is a long history of contributions to research by investigators who are based in the older nonprofit group and staff models of health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Many of these organizations maintain research units that are primarily funded by outside sources. Research includes descriptive and etiologic studies of epidemiology, randomized and observational studies of the effectiveness of treatment regimens, studies of disease costs and estimation of cost-effectiveness, investigations of risk predictions in populations, of risk and changes in organizational behavior, and evaluations of interventions to alter physician and patient behavior. The work is often conducted in collaboration with academic researchers. The HMO Research Network has recently been established to foster a scientific exchange among HMO-based researchers. As managed care organizations come to provide health care coverage to most U.S. citizens, research conducted by these organizations increasingly overlaps with public health research. Collaboration between HMO-based research centers and researchers from academia and government will undoubtedly continue to increase.
Investigation of some properties of multiware proportional chambers with planar cathodes

Abstract This article reports a systematic study of the pulse heights, efficiency, and plateau width of a multiwire proportional chamber with planar cathodes. It is shown that the chamber performs identically to a chamber with wire cathodes when the same electric field exists in the neighborhood of the anode signal wires. A chamber with planar cathodes may thus be operated at higher field strengths and consequently higher pulse-height amplification than a chamber with wire cathodes, which have a tendency to draw current due to field emission of electrons. Data are presented on the time jitter of a chamber with planar cathodes as a function of voltage. The observed performance of such chambers in experimental conditions, with high radiation fields, is described.
Alterations in hippocampal and hypothalamic monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems after alcohol exposure during all three trimester equivalents in adult rats.

Animal models of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) often rely on exposing the developing organism to alcohol during either the prenatal or postnatal period only. Very few studies have examined brain changes resulting from alcohol exposure during both the prenatal and postnatal period, a period which is equivalent to all three trimesters in humans. In this study, we examined the effects of alcohol exposure during this prolonged period of neural development on hippocampal and hypothalamic neurotransmitters in the rat. Pregnant dams were intubated with alcohol from gestational day (GD) 1 to GD 22 and then their pups were intubated with alcohol from postnatal day (PD) 2 to PD 10. Alcohol-exposed rats of both sexes exhibited increased hippocampal noradrenaline (NE) concentration compared to intubated and nontreated control animals. Within the hypothalamus, alcohol-exposed females but not males exhibited increased NE concentration. Hypothalamic serotonin (5-HT) concentration was reduced in both alcohol-exposed and intubated-control rats compared to nontreated controls. The results suggest that both the hippocampal and hypothalamic NE systems are especially vulnerable to alcohol insult that occurs during a period of neural development that corresponds to the full human prenatal period.
The system design cycle

Technical competence in system design encompasses at least an appreciation of a number of issues that are often dismissed as being merely managerial in nature, since most system programmers seek a purely technical definition of what constitutes a system design, if they think about the problem at all. This paper reviews the area between the purely technical and the purely managerial as it pertains to the design portion of the system development cycle and finds this area non-empty. "System", in the author's lexicon, is an antonym of "chaos"; the two main sections of the paper discuss the components of the design activity and byways which lead to chaotic systems.
Light/dark regulation of maize leaf phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase by in vivo phosphorylation.

Abstract Phospho enol pyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase) from light- and dark-adapted maize leaves was rapidly purified in the presence of l -malate and glycerol to apparent electrophoretic homogeneity by ammonium sulfate fractionation, hydroxylapatite chromatography, and fast-protein liquid chromatography on Mono Q. The resulting preparations were totally devoid of pyruvate,orthophosphate dikinase protein based on immunoblot analysis. Throughout the purification, both forms of PEPCase retained their different enzymatic properties. The specific activity of the light enzyme was consistently about twice that of the dark form when assayed at suboptimal (but physiological) pH (pH 7.0–7.3), and the former was also less sensitive to feedback inhibition by l -malate than that from darkened leaves under various conditions. Covalently bound phosphate and high-performance liquid chromatography-based phosphoamino acid analyses showed that both forms of purified PEPCase were phosphorylated exclusively on serine residues, but the degree of phosphorylation was about 50% greater in the light enzyme. Notably, incubation of purified PEPCase in vitro with exogenous alkaline phosphatase led to an increase in malate sensitivity and a decrease in specific activity of the light form enzyme to levels observed with the dark form, which was essentially not affected by phosphatase treatment. These results with the purified enzyme from light- and dark-adapted maize leaves indicate that the light-induced changes in activity and malate sensitivity of C 4 PEPCase are related, at least in part, to the degree of covalent seryl phosphorylation of the protein in vivo .
Elements of chemomechanics of calcium leaching of cement-based materials at different scales

Abstract Calcium leaching of cementitious materials has been identified as a severe long-term chemical degradation scenario of concrete structures. While the coupled diffusion–dissolution processes are well understood now, separating the effects of the incongruent dissolution of calcium (bound in different forms in the solid phases of the porous material) on the mechanical performance of cement-based materials remains a challenging task, requiring a break-down of the problem in its elementary components situated at different scales. This is the focus of this paper which reviews recent developments in chemomechanics of calcium leaching induced aging of cement-based materials: (1) a combined experimental–theoretical investigation of the strength domain of unleached and homogeneously leached cement-based materials, by means of a non-linear homogenization approach, which captures the frictional enhancement of a cement-based matrix reinforced by rigid inclusion; (2) a micro-to-macroscopic chemomechanics theory based on volume averaging of the local energy dissipation, which distinguishes the effect of the two governing leaching processes in cement-based materials: Portlandite dissolution and leaching of calcium from the calcium–silicate–hydrate structure. Combined with (3) an advanced predictive model of the two-phase dissolution process, prediction and anticipation of the mechanical integrity of concrete structures subjected to severe chemical degradation becomes possible.
Nuclear weapons and limited war

A rather broad consensus on a theory of limited war has developed in the postwar period among professional students of national security policy. There have been some significant exceptions ranging from the anti-militarism of George Kennan to the reliance on strategic air power of Thomas Finletter and others. But the overwhelming majority of scholars and journalists have agreed on the broad outlines of a theory of limited war; even on much of the detail there has been
Interactions between cannabidiol and Δ9-THC during abstinence in morphine-dependent rats

Male rats, each implanted with a pellet containing 75 mg morphine, were administered naloxone 72 hours later to precipitate abstinence. Two hours before naloxone, animals were pretreated acutely with either 10 mg/kg cannabidiol (CBD) or the vehicle. One hour later, an injection of the vehicle or a low dose of Δ9-THC that we have shown to exhibit slight efficacy in attenuating morphine abstinence signs was administered to each of the groups previously receiving the vehicle or CBD. Interactions between CBD and Δ9-THC were assessed during abstinence, precipitated one hour after the last series of injections. CBD had little effect on abstinence scores, but significantly increased the abstinence attenuating properties of Δ9-THC, Rotational behavior (turning), induced by Δ9-THC during abstinence, was also potentiated by CBD. These data extend previous reports of potentiation of pharmacological effects of THC by CBD to abstinence-attenuating properties and other effects of THC in morphine-dependent rats.
Developmental patterns of aluminum and five essential mineral elements in the central nervous system of the fetal and infant guinea pig.

Al is found in the developing conceptus, but little information is available concerning its tissue distribution and its changes in concentration with age. Because Al has affinity for many of the same biological ligands as the essential mineral cations Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, and Mn, we hypothesized that Al might show a pattern of developmental concentrations that was similar to one or more of these elements in the brain, a major target of Al toxicity. Concentrations of Al, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, and Mn were measured in spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum, and forebrain of guinea pig fetuses on gestation day (GD) 30 and 45, at birth, and on postnatal day (PND) 3, 6, and 12. Dams were fed commercial guinea pig chow, which contained 47 μg Al/g. Tissue Al and Mn were measured with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry (ETAAS), and the other elements with inductively coupled axial plasma spectroscopy (ICAP-AES). Al concentrations in the brain regions were highest in spinal cord, brainstem, and cerebellum, and decreased during late gestation and lactation. Al did not show marked increases in regional brain concentrations during the final third of gestation as did Fe, Mg, and Zn. In contrast to Fe and Ca, Al did not accumulate in placenta. Al was the only element to show higher concentrations in spinal cord than in any other tissue at birth. In summary, the tissue distribution of Al did not follow that of essential cations as examined in this study.
Outcome of Early Intervention for Children With Autism

Since 1980, 12 peer-reviewed outcome studies (nine on behavior analytic programs, one on Project TEACCH, and two on Colorado Health Sciences) have focused on early intervention for children with autism. Mean IQ gains of 7-28 points were reported in studies of behavior analytic programs, and 3-9 in studies on TEACCH and Colorado. Cains were also reported on other measures in some studies. Individual children varied greatly in treatment responsivtty. No fully randomized studies have been published, and studies with features such as large sample sizes and blind examiners have been rare. Further progress is likely to require more rigorous clinical trials, more comprehensive pretreatment and follow-up assessments, and greater attention to brain-behavior relationships.
Solving multistage stochastic networks: An application of scenario aggregation

The scenario aggregation algorithm is specialized for stochastic networks. The algorithm determines a solution that does not depend on hindsight and accounts for the uncertain environment depicted by a number of appropriately weighted scenarios. The solution procedure decomposes the stochastic program to its constituent scenario subproblems, thus preserving the network structure. Computational results are reported demonstrating the algorithm's convergence behavior. Acceleration schemes are discussed along with termination criteria. The algorithm's potential for execution on parallel multiprocessors is discussed.
A new vertical continuation procedure for airborne electromagnetic field data from the modified image method

Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data measured by equipment in a bird tethered to a helicopter have large variations caused by the unavoidable vertical excursions of the helicopter as it traverses its flight path. Such large changes tend to mask the smaller changes in field strength caused by lateral variations in the earth’s electrical conductivity along the flight path, which is the information that is the goal of AEM surveys. Signals produced by conductivity anomalies such as sea‐ice keels and pipelines in marshes or in the shallow ocean are enhanced and may be apparent directly in the continued fields. Furthermore, electronic or environmental noise is more easily detected in the continued fields and reduced by various methods of filtering and signal processing. In the modified image method (MIM) formalism for AEM fields, the algebraic expression for the secondary to primary field ratio Hs/Hp is given in terms of R, where R is the total complex vertical separation of the primary and image dipoles 2(h+δef...
Mg-hydrogen interaction in AlGaN alloys

It is well known that hydrogen passivation of Mg in Mg-doped GaN reduces free hole concentrations. While there are numerous studies of passivation of Mg in GaN, little work has been reported concerning passivation rates in AlGaN alloys. We investigated the hydrogen interaction with Mg in nitrides by measuring the intensity of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal associated with the acceptor. The samples were isothermally annealed in sequential steps ranging from 5 min - 6.6 h between 300 and 700 oC in H2:N2 (7%: 92%) or pure N2. The signal intensity decreased during the H2N2 anneal and was revived by the N2 anneal as expected; however, the rate at which the intensity changed was shown to depend on Al concentration. In addition, while all signals were quenched at 700 oC in H2:N2, a 750 oC N2 anneal reactivated only about 30% of the Mg in the alloys and 80% of the intensity in the GaN film. These data suggest that the rate of passivation and activation of Mg by hydrogen is dependent on the concentration of Al in the AlxGa-1xN layer. The EPR annealing data could prove to be beneficial in improving p-type optimization in AlGaN alloys.© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Pituitary receptor site blockade by a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist in vivo: mechanism of action

Administration of a potent gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist [Nac-L-Ala1,pCl-D-Phe2,D-Trp3,6]GnRH as a single subcutaneous injection to castrated adult male rats reduced, by more than 90 percent, both serum luteinizing hormone concentrations and specific pituitary GnRH receptor binding. This effect persisted for 24 hours. The dissociation rate of the antagonist from pituitary membrane homogenates was fourfold slower than the dissociation rate of a potent agonist. The prolonged in vivo inhibition of pituitary GnRH receptor binding and luteinizing hormone secretion by the GnRH antagonist may be mediated by the slower dissociation rate of the antagonist from its specific pituitary membrane receptor site.
Don't touch my language: attitudes toward institutional language reforms

This paper examines language users' attitudes toward language reforms proposed by the Real Academia Espanola (RAE) (Spanish Royal Academy) in 2010 by analyzing readers' comments posted online in response to an article by El Pais, the major newspaper in Spain, which presented those reforms. This project combines the theoretical notion of argumentation schemes by Fairclough and Fairclough [2012. Political discourse analysis: A method for advanced students. London: Routledge] and Systemic Functional Linguistics, in particular the Transitive Model [Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004). An introduction to functional grammar (3rd ed.). London: Arnold, p. 282] to observe how those argumentation schemes are linguistically constructed and to connect linguistic forms, discourse practices, and social processes. This study classifies readers' comments/reactions considering rejection and acceptance of the changes and the most common argumentation schemes (Fairclough & Fairclough, 2012, p. 23) displaye...
Budd-Chiari syndrome: shunt selection and post-operative assessment.

Radiological investigation of patients with the Budd-Chiari syndrome is helpful in making the diagnosis and to determine the most suitable method of surgical decompression of the portal venous system where this is indicated. The radiological findings in four patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome who were treated by meso-atrial shunt operations are described. The key pre-operative investigation is inferior vena cavography with pressure measurements. Post-operatively shunt patency is most reliably assessed by dynamic CT scanning. Doppler ultrasound studies may detect flow within the shunt but patency may be inferred by observing reversal of blood flow within the portal vein.
Effects of withdrawal of exogenous estradiol from pseudopregnant rabbits: transient nature of loss of luteal function and reversal of estradiol-induced suppression of luteinizing hormone-responsive adenylyl cyclase.

We have reported in recent studies that exogenous estradiol (E2) suppresses luteal LH-responsive adenylyl cyclase activity in pseudopregnant rabbits. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether this suppression is reversible. High or low level E2-filled Silastic capsules or empty capsules were sc implanted in day 5 pseudopregnant rabbits. On day 8 of pseudopregnancy, the high level E2 implants were either sham replaced, replaced with low level E2 implants, or replaced with empty capsules. The low level E2 implants and empty capsules were sham replaced. Animals from each of the five resulting groups were killed on days 9–12 of pseudopregnancy (1, 2, 3, and 4 days postimplant manipulation). As previously reported using an intermittent injection protocol, exogenous E2 had little effect upon serum progesterone concentrations. Both high and low level E2 implants suppressed the luteal LH-responsive adenylyl cyclase, but the suppression due to the low level E2 implants was not as great as that for ...
A SIMPLE AND ROBUST THINNING ALGORITHM

In this paper a new thinning algorithm is presented. It is simple yet robust, and can maintain the same advantages of other key skeletonization algorithms. In this new algorithm, only a very small set of rules of criteria for deleting pixels is used. It is faster and easier to implement. Its advantages and limitations are discussed and compared with others. Several examples are illustrated.
Site-specific disulfide capture of agonist and antagonist peptides on the C5a receptor.

Abstract The manner by which peptidic ligands bind and activate their corresponding G-protein-coupled receptors is not well understood. One of the better characterized peptidic ligands is the chemotactic cytokine complement factor 5a (C5a), a 74-amino acid helical bundle. Previous studies showed 6-mer peptide analogs derived from the C terminus of the C5a ligand can bind to C5aR (Kd values ∼0.1–1 μm) and either agonize or antagonize the receptor (Gerber, B. O., Meng, E. C., Dotsch, V., Baranski, T. J., and Bourne, H. R. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 3394–3400). Here, we provide direct biochemical data using disulfide trapping to support a model that these peptides bind within a transmembrane helical triad formed by α-helices III, VI, and VII. We show that the three amino acids on the C terminus of the peptide analogs bind too weakly to exert a functional effect themselves. However, when a cysteine residue is placed on their N terminus they can be trapped by disulfide interchange to specific cysteines in helix III and VI and not to other cysteines, engineered into the C5aR. The trapped peptides function as agonists or partial antagonists, similar to the non-covalent parents from which they were derived. These data help to further refine the binding mode for C5a to the C5aR and suggest an approach and a binding site that may be applicable to studying other peptide binding receptors.
The South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus, 1970 to 1988:

V. 0. Key observed that the legislature in South Carolina "gives direction, cohesion, and continuity to the politics of the state" (Key, 1949, p. 2). The South Carolina legislature, similar to legislatures throughout the South, was a "bastion of prejudice and reactionary social policy" (Willingham, 1985, p. 3). It was both a product and vehicle of the state's racist and undemocratic social order. The social order was characterized by a political system in which race determined the administration and distribution of public goods and services that affected the quality of everyday life. African Americans were excluded from public administration and the decision-making process. Public officials extracted revenue from the Black community without providing that community with public goods and services. The political system reinforced the exploitation in the workplace (Reed, 1979). Thus, the election of African Americans to the South Carolina legislature in the 1970s represented a significant departure from the state's political history. Seated in a powerful political institution from the state, Black legislators could now challenge the traditional conservative and anti-Black orientation of the general assembly. This study focuses on the issue of Black legislators' responsiveness to the Black community of South Carolina. As Michael B. Preston asserted, "adequate representation of Black demands as well as the potential that Black interests may prevail over conflicting White preferences require that there be Black officeholders to translate these demands into policy" (Preston, 1974, p. 198).
Modeling of self-compensating wideband antennas for peer-to-peer communications in distributed sensing arrays

We present a numerical analysis of a self-compensating antenna for peer-to-peer communications. We consider an antenna that performs a temporal half-derivative on transmit, for which reciprocity dictates that it performs a half-integral on receive. These two operations invert each other, resulting in a flat communication channel. The analysis of an isolated antenna on transmit and the simulation of the channel formed by this transmitter and received using an identical antenna is also discussed.
Driving Cessation in Older Adults With Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type

The psychometric profile of 143 drivers with dementia who stopped driving did not differ from that of 58 individuals with dementia of similar severity who still drove. The reasons given for driving cessation by drivers with dementia as reported by a collateral source are reported.
“Off-the-Shelf” Devices for Complex Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Background Fenestrated devices currently require a 3- to 4-week manufacturing period before implantation; as such, there have been efforts to develop "off-the-shelf" (OTS) devices to reduce the time before definitive treatment can be accomplished. We examined all patients treated for complex aortic problems at our institution during the past 12 months to evaluate the suitability and early outcomes of the OTS devices vs commercially available endovascular options. Methods Between July 2012 and September 2013, patients undergoing aortic aneurysm repair were extracted from a prospectively managed aortic database. Two OTS devices, the Cook (Bloomington, Ind) p-Branch and the Endologix (Irvine, Calif) Ventana device, were being evaluated through clinical trials during this time frame. The custom Cook Zenith fenestrated endovascular (ZFEN) device was also available and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the study period. Results Of 224 aortic aneurysms treated at our institution during this period, there were a total of 85 patients with type IV thoracoabdominal aneurysms including juxtarenal aneurysms. Only 23 patients (27%) met anatomic criteria for OTS devices, with 16 patients having these investigational devices implanted. The major exclusion criterion for the p-Branch device was renal axial or circumferential position; the limiting factor for Ventana was infrasuperior mesenteric artery neck length restriction. Five of the patients who would have fit criteria for an OTS device had an FDA-approved (ZFEN) device implanted instead, and two patients opted for open repair as a result of follow-up requirements. An additional 25 patients received custom-designed (ZFEN) devices (n = 30; 35%), whereas 37 (44%) others did not meet criteria for any available endovascular device and were repaired with alternative management strategies. The mean age and maximal aortic diameter of the two cohorts (OTS and ZFEN) were 71.8 years and 72.7 years ( P = NS) and 61.3 mm and 58.5 mm ( P = NS), respectively. Technical success was 100%, with an overall 30-day mortality of 2.1% (n = 1, ZFEN). Major complications occurred in eight patients (17%; two OTS, six ZFEN). Conclusions Whereas OTS device strategies will reduce the waiting times for patients with complex aortic aneurysmal disease, a significant number will still require custom-made device repair until additional device designs become available. Early experience with OTS devices does not demonstrate any significant renal risks; however, the treatment numbers are low and should be interpreted with caution until larger confirmatory studies are published. Further studies comparing the outcomes of these techniques are required to establish the best approach to handle endovascular repair of complex aortic aneurysm.
Design‐Sensitivity analysis of Solids Using BEM

This paper describes an effective formulation for computing design sensitivities required in the shape optimization of solid objects using the boundary element method (BEM). Implicit differentiation of the discretized boundary integral equations is performed, resulting in a general and efficient analysis technique for design sensitivities of all structural quantities. The numerical integration of kernels is performed, which involves the products of shape functions, fundamental solutions, and their derivatives required for sensitivity calculations. The sensitivities of all components of the boundary stress tensor are obtained without additional numerical integrations. High‐order elements with curved sides are employed for stress and sensitivity analysis. A multizone analysis is implemented and its computational advantages are studied. An approximate method for design sensitivity calculations is also suggested and its performance and computational economy relative to the exact procedure are presented. Compa...
Review of implicit methods for the magnetohydrodynamic description of magnetically confined plasmas

Implicit algorithms are essential for predicting the slow growth and saturation of global instabilities in today's magnetically confined fusion plasma experiments. Present day algorithms for obtaining implicit solutions to the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations for highly magnetized plasma have their roots in algorithms used in the 1960s and 1970s. However, today's computers and modern linear and non-linear solver techniques make practical much more comprehensive implicit algorithms than were previously possible. Combining these advanced implicit algorithms with highly accurate spatial representations of the vector fields describing the plasma flow and magnetic fields and with improved methods of calculating anisotropic thermal conduction now makes possible simulations of fusion experiments using realistic values of plasma parameters and actual configuration geometry. This article is a review of these developments.
Evolving dynamic web pages using web mining

The heterogeneity and the lack of structure that permeates much of the ever expanding information sources on the WWW makes it difficult for the user to properly and efficiently access different web pages. Different users have different needs from the same web page. It is necessary to train the system to understand the needs and demands of the users. In other words there is a need for efficient and proper web mining. In this paper issues and possible ways of training the system and providing high level of organization for semi structured data available on the web is discussed. Web pages can be evolved based on history of query searches, browsing, links traversed and observation of the user behavior like book marking and time spent on viewing. Fuzzy clustering techniques help in grouping natural users and groups, neural networks, association rules and web traversals patterns help in efficient sequential anaysis based on previous searches and queries by the user. In this paper we analyze web server logs using above mentioned techniques to know more about user interactions. Analyzing these web server logs help to closely understand the user behavior and his/her web access pattern.
Constant velocity air inlet controller

Abstract The experimental implementation of a microprocessor-based controller to adjust the width of hinged baffled slot inlets is described. The system was designed to utilize a velocity sensor which output a digital pulse train proportional to the air velocity as the feedback mechanism to the controller. The controller adjusted the slot width as necessary to maintain a setpoint velocity within a specified deadband. Results, in terms of system response to a step change in either air flow rate (such as additional fans turning on), or to a step change in setpoint velocity, are presented. An analysis of this nonlinear control system resulted in the characterization of the system response in terms of a linear, second-order model. To illustrate a means for further improvement in controller response, the design of a lead compensator cascaded to the original controller is discussed. This method of control is believed to have several advantages compared with current air inlet controllers.
New Light on a Continuing Clash

Examining how issues of race, gender, and regional identity affected responses to the teaching of evolution, Moran offers a fresh perspective on 20th-century clashes between science and religion in the United States.
The Trouble with Thinking: People Want to Have Quick Reactions to Personal Taboos

If lay theories associate moral intuitions with deeply held values, people should feel uncomfortable relying on deliberative thinking when judging violations of personal taboos. In two preliminary studies, participants with siblings of the opposite sex were particularly troubled when evaluating a sibling incest scenario under instructions to think slowly and rationally, or when the scenario was presented in a hard-to-read font forcing them to employ deliberative processing. This suggests that we may be intuitive intuitionists, and opens the door for investigations of people's preferred modes of moral judgment.
A perspective on systems and controls engineering in the earth moving and construction industry

This paper focuses on the requirements of systems and controls engineering for production intent machines in the earth moving and construction industry. Mobile machinery operates in an ill-structured environment which subsequently makes it difficult to define requirements in complete engineering terms. This in turn makes it difficult to judge the feasibility of introducing a control or system onto a production machine. To address this problem, several top level metrics are introduced to evaluate performance. These include measuring the machine efficiency by the cost per ton of materials moved or quantity of materials moved per gallon of fuel, and machine utilization as the percentage of total shift time. These metrics are then used to gain a perspective of current controls development for mobile machinery and its feasibility in production.
The New New (Buddhist?) Ecology

Simultaneous with the emergence of an ‘environmental crisis’ and attendant widespread environmental consciousness and conscience in the1960s, Eugene Odum, then dean of the field, announced the advent of the ‘New Ecology.’ Odum's new ecology was based on the ecosystem concept as its organizing idea and reiterated the classic notion of nature, unperturbed by human disturbance, as in a steady state of dynamic equilibrium. This New Ecology is now old. The classic ‘balance-of-nature’ paradigm has been replaced by the ‘flux-of-nature’ paradigm in which ecosystems are open, human influence has been ubiquitous and long-standing, and natural disturbance is multifaceted, widespread, and frequent. If not in Buddhism, then certainly in ecology ‘everything burns’—that is, everything is subject to periodic disturbance, of which fire is so common an instance as to be symbolic. However, most laypersons are unaware of this paradigm shift in ecology, which was consolidated over the last forty years. Any plausible and up-to-date articulation of an ‘ecotheology’ should be informed by the new New Ecology and not the old New Ecology. Among world religions, Buddhism has had the longest association with ecology, and thanks to leaders such as the Dalai Lama, it remains the religious worldview most closely associated with ecology in the environmentalist’s imaginary.