cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Grafting of polytetrahydrofuran from neoprene W in the presence of perchlorate salts

Silver, mercury, and lead perchlorates can be used to prepare graft copolymers of polytetrahydrofuran from neoprene. Iron and aluminum perchlorates lead to graft copolymers but the conversion is low. The most efficient graft copolymerizations are obtained at high salt-to-neoprene ratios, long reaction times, and low monomer-to-neoprene concentration ratios. Very surprisingly, high initial monomer-to-neoprene concentration ratios lead to low graft copolymerization efficiencies.
Rydberg energies of some three-electron ions

Abstract The energies of the Rydberg states of the three-electron atom and several three-electron ions have been calculated. The effects of using successively improved core functions are noted. The results are compared to self-consistent field energies where these are available. A spin-free formulation of the perturbation problem was employed.
Grammatical structure and the immediate recall of english sentences

Various grammatical features of English sentences—negative and passive transformations, and others—are encoded in immediate memory apart from one another, and apart from the rest of the sentence. The evidence for this claim is that sentences having these features require a larger part of the capacity of immediate memory than do otherwise identical sentences lacking these same features. The amount of memory capacity required by each sentence was measured by seeing how much additional material could be remembered along with it.
The Application of an Adaptive Web-Based Learning Environment on Oxidation–Reduction Reactions

The World Wide Web is increasingly being used as a vehicle for flexible learning, where learning is seen to be free from time, geographical, and participation constraints. In addition to flexibility, the Web facilitates student-centered approaches, creating a motivating and active learning environment. The purpose of this study is to set up an adaptive learning environment on Internet and to experiment with the most suitable methods and applications. Our goal is to provide a better solution with regard to the related distance learning research. All the resources and background are from current relevant documents on the theory of asynchronous distance education. We set up an adaptive Internet learning system based on learning theory and related learning models. Our research targets are those students who took the ‘life chemistry’ course for the asynchronous distance education environment at Providence University in Taiwan. The students were divided randomly into two groups: the experimental group, which was in an adaptive learning environment, and the controlled group, which was in a non-adaptive one. We used the American Chemistry Society test bank as our research tool and used SPSS to analyse the data we obtained. Results show that the experimental group in the adaptive learning environment out-performs the controlled group. In addition, those students who are field independent learning types, have higher pre-knowledge, are male, in science departments and have a longer study time span in an adaptive learning environment show much greater achievement levels than those in the opposite situations.
Protease-activated receptor-1 down-regulation: a mutant HeLa cell line suggests novel requirements for PAR1 phosphorylation and recruitment to clathrin-coated pits.

Protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR1), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) for thrombin, is irreversibly activated by a proteolytic mechanism, then internalized and degraded in lysosomes. The latter is critical for temporal fidelity of thrombin signaling. Toward understanding PAR1 down-regulation, we first investigated the pathway of PAR1 internalization. Activated PAR1 was rapidly recruited to clathrin-coated pits, where it colocalized with transferrin receptor (TfnR). Dominant-negative dynamin and clathrin hub mutants both blocked PAR1 internalization. Blockade of PAR1 internalization with dynamin K44A also inhibited activation-dependent PAR1 degradation. Thus activated PAR1 internalizes via clathrin-coated pits together with receptors that recycle and is then sorted away from such receptors and delivered to lysosomes. In the course of these studies we identified a mutant HeLa cell line, designated JT1, that was defective in PAR1 internalization. PAR1 signaled robustly in JT1 cells but was not phosphorylated or recruited to clathrin-coated pits after activation. Internalization of TfnR was intact in JT1 cells and internalization of β2-adrenergic receptor, a GPCR that internalizes and recycles, was present but perhaps reduced. Taken together, these studies suggest that PAR1 is internalized in a dynamin- and clathrin-dependent manner like TfnR and β2-adrenergic receptor but requires a distinct gene product for recruitment into this pathway.
Asp238→Asn creates a novel consensus N-glycosylation site in Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase

A single mutation, Asp238→Asn (D238N), of Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase (GA) was identified that increases extracellular production of the enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 37 °C. The mutant was isolated as a suppressor of Gly396→Ser (G396S), a previously isolated temperature-sensitive mutation that decreases the thermostability and extracellular production of GA expressed in S. cerevisiae. Culture supernatants of the double mutant G396S/D238N contained much more GA than supernatants of G396S at 33.5 and 37 °C but not at 30 °C. Additionally, culture supernatants of the D238N contained 1.5 to 2-fold more GA than supernatants of wild-type when grown at 37 °C but not at 30 or 33.5 °C. The D238N mutation creates a consensus N-glycosylation site in GA. Mass spectrometry showed that the molecular weight of D238N was 2319 Da greater than that of the wild-type GA and that of D238N/G396S was 3094 Da greater than that of G396S, suggesting the presence of an additional N-linked glycan at residue 238. No difference in thermostability or activity was observed between the G396S and G396S/D238N mutants or between wild-type and D238N GAs, and D238N did not affect intracellular GA levels at 30 or 37 °C.
Regulation of M-Phase Promoting Factor Activity during Development of Mouse Male Germ Cells

Abstract While the role of M-phase promoting factor (MPF) in controlling meiosis in oocytes has been well documented, very little is known about its function in male germ cells. Previous studies have localized transcripts for cyclin B1, the regulatory subunit of MPF, in male germ cells, with highest levels in postmeiotic, early round spermatids and much reduced levels in the meiotically dividing pachytene spematocytes. The present study describes the localization of the regulatory and the catalytic subunits of MPF, CycB1 and Cdc2, respectively, to specific cell types within the testis. Immunoblotting revealed that both CycB1 and Cdc2 were present at highest levels in pachytene spermatocytes, with lower levels observed in the postmeiotic compartment. To assay for MPF activity, kinase complexes were isolated from lysates of testicular cells using p13suc1 agarose and antibodies directed against Cdc2 and CycB1. Activity of these kinase complexes was analyzed using histone H1 as an exogenous substrate. Cdc2 and CycB1-associated kinase activities were localized to the meiotically dividing pachytene spermatocytes, but not to postmeiotic spermatids.
Structure and dynamics of cadmium telluride studied by x-ray and inelastic neutron scattering

We present a combined study of density functional theory, x-ray diffraction, and inelastic neutron scattering examining the temperature dependent structure and lattice dynamics of commercially available cadmium telluride. A subtle change in the structure is evinced near 80 K, which manifests also in the measured phonon density of states. There is no change to the long-range ordered structure. The implications of the change in relation to structural defects are discussed.
Design and preliminary results of a recyclable transmission line testing experiment

Summary form only given. Recyclable transmission lines (RTL) have recently been of interest to the inertial confinement fusion and pulsed power community as a means to increase repetition rate and decrease cost per shot in Z-pinch driven inertial confinement fusion devices [1–3]. The ability to remove surface contaminants from the surface of RTLs is important to their successful operation. These contaminants, which consist of residual atmospheric gases and hydrocarbons, physically and chemically adsorb to the transmission line surfaces. Some contaminants have sufficient binding energies such that they are not desorbed even in vacuums as high as 10−6 Pa at room temperature. When a pulse is initiated, remaining contaminants are rapidly emitted through joule heating and stimulated desorption, causing local pressures to increase as high as 103 Pa [4]. These areas of local high pressure support plasma formation, which leads to breakdown and loss of power delivery capability in the transmission line. In order to satisfy the RTL concept, conditioning of the transmission lines to remove contamination prior to shot must be done quickly and in situ. A new magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL) with repetitive pulse capability is being designed and installed on the 1-MA linear transformer driver at the University of Michigan to evaluate in situ conditioning methods. This test-bed will evaluate the effect of multiple “conditioning pulses” on contaminant inventory and ability to improve MITL power flow. Preliminary findings will be presented.
Determination of depleted uranium, pyridostigmine bromide and its metabolite in plasma and urine following combined administration in rats

Abstract A simple and reliable method was developed for the quantification of depleted uranium, the anti nerve agent drug pyridostigmine bromide (PB;3-dimethylaminocarbonyloxy- N -methyl pyridinium bromide) and its metabolite N -methyl-3-hydroxypyridinium bromide in rat plasma and urine. The method involved using solid phase extraction and spectrophotometric determination of uranium, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with reversed phase C 18 column, and UV detection at 280 nm for PB and its metabolite. Uranium was derivatized using dibenzoylmethane (DBM) then the absorbance was measured at 405 nm. PB and its metabolite were separated using a gradient of 1–40% acetonitrile in 0.1% triflouroacetic acid water solution (pH 3.2) at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min in a period of 14 min. Limits of detection were 2 ng/ml for uranium and 50 ng/ml for PB and its metabolite. Limits of quantitation were between 10 and 100 ng/ml for uranium and the other two analytes, respectively. Average percentage recovery of five spiked plasma samples were 83.7±8.6, 76.8±6.7, 79.1±7.1, and from urine 82.7±8.6, 79.3±9.5 and 78.0±6.2, for depleted uranium, PB and N -methyl-3-hydroxypyridinium bromide, respectively. The relationship between peak areas and concentration was linear for standards between 100 and 1000 ng/ml for all three analytes. This method was applied to analyze the above chemicals and metabolites following combined administration in rats.
Characterization of an HMG-CoA Reductase from Listeria monocytogenes That Exhibits Dual Coenzyme Specificity

HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) is an enzyme critical for cellular cholesterol synthesis in mammals and isoprenoid synthesis in certain eubacteria, catalyzing the NAD(P)H-dependent reduction of HMG-CoA to mevalonate. We have isolated the gene encoding HMG-CoA reductase from Listeria monocytogenes and expressed the recombinant 6x-His-tagged form in Escherichia coli. Using NAD(P)(H), the enzyme catalyzes HMG-CoA reduction approximately 200-fold more efficiently than mevalonate oxidation in vitro. The purified enzyme exhibits dual coenzyme specificity, utilizing both NAD(H) and NADP(H) in catalysis; however, catalytic efficiency using NADP(H) is approximately 200 times greater than when using NAD(H). The statins mevinolin and mevastatin are weak inhibitors of L. monocytogenes HMG-CoA reductase, requiring micromolar concentrations for inhibition. Three-dimensional modeling reveals that the overall structure of L. monocytogenes HMG-CoA reductase is likely similar to the known structure of the class II enzyme from Pseudomonas mevalonii. It appears that the enzyme has catalytic amino acids in analogous positions that likely play similar roles and also has a flap domain that brings a catalytic histidine into the active site. However, in L. monocytogenes HMG-CoA reductase histidine 143 and methionine 186 are present in the putative NAD(P)(H)-selective site, possibly interacting with the 2' phosphate of NADP(H) or 2' hydroxyl of NAD(H) and providing the active site architecture necessary for dual coenzyme specificity.
Indentation Fracture Toughness of Sintered Silicon Carbide in the Palmqvist Crack Regime

The fracture toughness of a sintered dense alpha-SiC was estimated by the Vickers indentation microfracture method in the low-load Palmqvist crack regime. It was observed that the use of simultaneously obtained Vickers hardnesses does not yield reliable fracture toughness values, nor does application of the median-crack-derived equations. It is necessary to utilize a load-independent, crack-free hardness value with this toughness estimation method. Although several of the curve-fitting equations yield similar toughnesses, it is concluded for the Palmqvist crack system in this alpha-SiC that the Niihara-Morena-Hasselman (1982) equation is the only one which yields fracture toughness values in agreement with conventional measurement techniques.
MicroRNAs in skeletogenesis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of highly conserved small noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression by imperfectly base pairing to the 3’-untranslated region of their target mRNAs, leading to mRNA degradation or translational inhibition. The emerging field of miRNA biology has begun to unravel roles for these regulatory molecules in a variety of biological processes. This review concentrates on the roles of miRNAs in skeletogenesis as well as in skeleton-related disease processes. Before describing these data, we present a brief review of the biogenesis and action of miRNAs, the approaches to miRNAs study, and miRNAs as global regulators of development. We finish by emphasizing that the study of the biological functions of miRNAs in skeletogenesis and dysplasia represents an entirely new avenue in the exploration of bone and cartilage biology, and large gaps remain in our knowledge of miRNAs in skeletogenesis in vivo and in our knowledge of the molecular events underlying miRNA-mediated musculoskeletal disorders.
Guest Editors' Introduction: Rationalizing and Rhetoricizing Content Management

While content management systems (CMSs) might be a new concept to many.people in our field, content management as a practice within our discipline is not; our field has been studying it and practicing it for years, though under different headings: single sourcing, knowledge management, and course management (such as in the form of WebCT and Blackboard). We started our work on this special issue with a rather ambitious mission-to bring together some diverse perspectives on content management and CMSs, to both theorize and operationalize the content management practice, and to rationalize our participation in the broad domain of content management discourse. Grounded on the premise that technical communication requires information and knowledge management, this special issue is one of the first systematic and deliberate attempts to extend our perspectives, both theoretical and practical, about technical communication from the relatively static sphere of document design to the more dynamic horizon of content (information/knowledge) management.
Deletion of alloantigen-activated cells by aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy.

Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), an endogenously synthesized photosensitizer, can transiently accumulate in activated lymphocytes following administration of the heme precursor 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). One possible mechanism of this in lymphocyte accumulation is that actively dividing cells use intracellular iron stores for cytochrome and DNA synthesis and thus do not inactivate PpIX, the photoactive precursor of heme, by iron incorporation. This selective accumulation in activated cells should allow targeting by photodynamic therapy (PDT). To determine the effect of this accumulation, we studied PDT effects on the in vitro correlate of transplantation rejection: the one-way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). Selective phototoxicity was determined by photoirradiating ALAtreated, MLR-activated cells and measuring subsequent stimulation either in a secondary MLR or with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). We found that proliferation of MLR-activated lymphocytes incubated with ALA and treated with light was only 12-20% of controls (ALA+, no light) after rechallenge with the stimulator cells (P < 0.05), although their response to nonspecific PHA stimulation was similar to controls. Thus alloantigen-specific depletion was shown. The data suggest a role for ALAPDT in the treatment of diseases that require the selective elimination of activated lymphocytes and possibly as an immunomodulator.
Temporal Trends in Mysis relicta Abundance, Production, and Life-History Characteristics in Southeastern Lake Michigan

ABSTRACT The density and life history characteristics of Mysis relicta were evaluated at a 110-m and 45-m station in southeast Lake Michigan during spring, summer, and fall for two time periods, 1995–2002 and 2007–2008. Mysis were more abundant during 1995–2002 than 2007–2008 for all seasons and depths, with average declines across seasons of 81% at 45 m and 70% at 110 m. Offshore densities of Mysis in 2007–2008 were similar to published densities within the same region during 1985–1989, but under differing ecosystem conditions (e.g. higher fish biomass and primary production in the 1980s). Growth averaged 0.032± 0.002 mm/day in both 1995–2002 and 2007–2008, and the proportion of females with broods (overall 7%) did not differ between time periods. Mean brood size adjusted for length did not differ between 1995–2002 (17 ± 0.6) and 2007–2008 (15 ± 1.3). The mean length of reproductive females was higher in 2007–2008 (17 ± 0.2) than during 1995–2002 (16 ± 0.1). New recruits (≤4 mm) were collected during eac...
Concordant Right and Left Heart Pressure and Flow Velocity Alternans

A technique was developed for closed-chest bypass of the right ventricle. Blood is removed from the right atrium and returned into the pulmonary artery. The blood return cannula can be inserted without x-ray equipment. The maximum flow through the system is ten liters per minute. Acute right ventricular failure produced by embolization of pulmonary arteries with starch could be treated promptly and repeatedly with the bypass. In six out of eight failure periods, the right ventricle had recovered after only five minutes of bypass. Progressive decrease of the arterial oxygen saturation, inherent with diffuse pulmonary embolization, could not be reversed. During ventricular fibrillation, while the circulation was maintained with closed-chest left ventricular bypass (transarterial), right heart bypass could not substitute right heart function. The reasons for this failure were incompetence of the pulmonary artery and tricuspid valves and increase of pulmonary arterial resistance.
A computer program for analyses of vital statistics-based occupational mortality data

Routinely collected vital statistics mortality data (death certificate data) on occupation and industry are useful for (1) generating hypotheses about potential occupational hazards and (2) identifying occupational mortality differentials possibly associated with socioeconomic and life-style factors. This paper presents a Fortran program that analyzes occupational mortality using vital statistics and census data. The user can form any desired grouping of age, race, occupation (or industry), and cause of death codes for analysis. The program also allows stratification on social class or other user-defined correlates of occupation such as smoking behavior. Furthermore, program output can be used for Poisson regression analysis of mortality rates.
The compatibility of PECVD diamond in the design am fabrication of a self-aligned rigid suspended plate

Abstract This paper discusses the design and fabrication of a self-aligned suspended rigid plate using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) diamond. The problems and special features of diamond films in the realization of this structure are highlighted in the work.
A recursive model of the spatial allocation of migrants

The model specification to explain the internal migration decision has been the subject of controversy in the literature. This controversy has centered on the influence of past migration on current migration patterns. Following Nelson recent studies (Greenwood Laber Levy and Wadycki Renshaw and Lagley) have dealt with this aspect of the migration model. These authors hypothesized that migration will flow toward those destinations inhabited by earlier migrants from the same origin and have attempted to account for this effect by including a migrant stock variable in a regression model. Their results lend support to the importance of information flow from previous migrants. This paper is the first to estimate a recursive model of internal migration in the United States. The data are gross interstate migration flows for the periods 1940 1950 1960 and 1970. This recursive model helps to clarify the controversy over the relationship between past migration and current migration flows. (excerpt)
Salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol in infancy and toddlerhood: Direct and indirect relations with executive functioning and academic ability in childhood

Summary Using data from a predominantly low-income, population-based prospective longitudinal sample of 1292 children followed from birth, indicators of children's autonomic (salivary alpha-amylase; sAA) and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis (salivary cortisol) activity at 7, 15, and 24 months of age were found to predict executive functioning at 36-months and academic achievement in pre-kindergarten. The findings suggested that the respective cortisol and sAA effects on executive functioning and academic achievement were interactive. Optimal developmental outcomes were associated with asymmetrical cortisol/sAA profiles. Higher cortisol levels were predictive of lower executive functioning and academic abilities, but only for those with concurrently moderate to high levels of sAA. In contrast, higher sAA concentrations were predictive of better executive functioning and academic abilities, but only for those with concurrently moderate to low levels of cortisol. These relations were statistically identical across infancy and toddlerhood. The conditional effects of cortisol and sAA on pre-kindergarten academic achievement were mediated fully by links between these early physiological indicators and executive functioning.
On regularity of superprocesses

Three theorems on regularity of measure-valued processesX with branching property are established which improve earlier results of Fitzsimmons [F1] and the author [D5]. The main difference is that we treatX as a family of random measures associated with finely open setsQ in time-space. Heuristically,X describes an evolution of a cloud of infinitesimal particles. To everyQ there corresponds a random measureX τ which arises if each particle is observed at its first exit time fromQ. (The stateX t at a fixed timet is a particular case.) We consider a monotone increasing familyQ t of finely open sets and we establish regularity properties of $$\bar X_t = X_{\tau _t } $$ as a function oft. The results are used in [D6], [D7] and [D10] for investigating the relations between superprocesses and non-linear partial differential equations. Basic definitions on Markov processes and superprocesses are introduced in Sect. 1. The next three sections are devoted to proving the regularity theorems. They are applied in Sect. 5 to study parts of superprocess. The relation to the previous work is discussed in more detail in the concluding section. It may be helpful to look briefly through this section before reading Sects. 2–5.
The interaction between estradiol and human platelets.

Abstract Human platelets have been incubated in vitro with 3 H-estradiol. After incubation approximately 2% of the estradiol was associated with 10 8 platelets. Varying time or temperature had little effect on the association. Repeated washing of the platelets removed most of the associated estradiol. A highly positive correlation was found between the amount incubated and the amount bound to the platelet in the range of 10 to 518 × 10 −14 M incubated. After incubation, about 10% of the estradiol was converted to estrone. A synthetic estrogen, ethinyl estradiol, had the highest binding to platelets followed by estradiol, estrone and progesterone. Estrone sulfate, corticosterone, and cortisol demonstrated almost no binding. These data suggest a loose binding of estiadiol to human platelets.
Anti-inflammatory, antiproteolytic, and antihemolytic properties of pyrrole carboxylic acids

Eight substituted pyrrole carboxylic acids were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity against carageenin-induced edema in rats. The protection afforded by seven of these compounds at a dose of 100 mg/kg i.p. ranged from 11 to 42%. Indomethacin (10 mg/kg i.p.), used as a reference drug, possessed 45% anti-inflammatory activity under similar experimental conditions. The ability of these compounds to exhibit in vitro antiproteolytic activity was reflected by their ability to inhibit trypsin-induced hydrolysis of bovine serum albumin. The inhibition of the activity of trypsin by these substituted pyrrole carboxylic acids (1 mM) ranged from 42 to 90% while such an inhibition with indomethacin (1 mM) was 95%. The in vitro membrane stabilizing property of these substituted pyrrole carboxylic acids was observed by their ability to provide protection against heat-induced dog erythrocyte hemolysis. The I50 value of these compounds, representing the concentration required to inhibit one-half of heat-induced erythrocyte hemolysis, ranged from 0.29 to 6.0 mM. Such an inhibition was concentration-dependent and biphasic in nature. The I50 value for indomethacin, showing greater antihemolytic activity was found to be 0.02 mM under similar experimental conditions. These results have provided some correlation of anti-inflammatory activity with antiproteolytic and membrane stabilizing properties for substituted pyrrole-3-carboxylic acids alone but not for pyrrole-2-carboxylic acids.
The Flow Calculations in the High Temperature Heat Exchanger With the Manufacturing Geometrical Effects

Computational simulations of a flow in the high temperature offset strip-fin heat exchanger to study the manufacturing geometrical effects (MGE) were conducted. The considered heat exchanger design is used in the cooling cycle in advanced nuclear reactors for hydrogen production by the sulfur iodine thermo-chemical cycle. The study is conducted with helium gas and molten salt as the working fluids with two different channel flow surfaces: fins with roundings on their bases (manufacturing geometrical effects (MGE)) and fins without roundings on their bases. The pre-processor GAMBIT is used to generate a computational mesh, and the CFD software package FLUENT (parallel version), that is based on the finite volume method is used to perform numerical simulations. Because the Reynolds number for the helium side is about 3000, two different models were used for the calculations: laminar model and k-ω turbulence model (for transition flow). The Reynolds number for the molten salt side is less than 100; therefore the laminar flow model was used for these calculations. The results show that manufacturing geometrical effects influence very strongly pressure drop and are negligibly small for temperature and heat transfer.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Termination of Sustained Atrial Flutter and Fibrillation Using Low Voltage Multiple Shock Therapy

Background Defibrillation therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) and flutter (AFl) is limited by pain induced by high-energy shocks. Thus, lowering the defibrillation energy for AFl/AF is desirable. Objective In this study we applied low-voltage multiple-shock defibrillation therapy in a rabbit model of atrial tachyarrhythmias comparing its efficacy to single shocks and antitachycardia pacing (ATP). Methods Optical mapping was performed in Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts (n = 18). Acetylcholine (7 ± 5 to 17 ± 16 μM) was administered to promote sustained AFl and AF, respectively. Single and multiple monophasic shocks were applied within 1 or 2 cycle lengths (CLs) of the arrhythmia. Results We observed AFl (CL = 83 ± 15 ms, n=17) and AF (CL = 50 ± 8 ms, n=11). ATP had a success rate of 66.7% in the case of AFl, but no success with AF (n = 9). Low-voltage multiple shocks had 100% success for both arrhythmias. Multiple low-voltage shocks terminated AFl at 0.86 ± 0.73 V/cm (within 1 CL) and 0.28 ± 0.13 V/cm (within 2 CLs), as compared with single shocks at 2.12 ± 1.31 V/cm ( P P =.06). No ventricular arrhythmias were induced. Optical mapping revealed that termination of AFl was achieved by a properly timed, local shock-induced wave that collides with the arrhythmia wavefront, whereas AF required the majority of atrial tissue to be excited and reset for termination. Conclusion Low-voltage multiple-shock therapy terminates AFl and AF with different mechanisms and thresholds based on spatiotemporal characteristics of the arrhythmias.
Combinatorial studies of Zn-Al-O and Zn-Sn-O transparent conducting oxide thin films

Abstract In this work, we discuss the development of combinatorial deposition and analysis tools for the investigation of and the optimization of transparent conducting oxides. Library deposition by co-sputtering followed by optical analysis is shown to be a facile way to achieve these goals. Initial work focused on Zn-Al-O libraries with low Al contents as a test case. Subsequent work has focused on the ZnO-SnO2 tie line. Local maxima in the composition dependence of the conductivity were found for Zn/Sn ≈2:1 (Zn2SnO4) and Zn/Sn ≈1:1 (ZnSnO3). For these two representative stoichiometries, constant composition films have also been grown by pulsed laser deposition.
Cholesterol regulates the cell surface expression of glycophospholipid-anchored CD14 antigen on human monocytes.

Abstract The CD14 antigen which is expressed on human monocytes and macrophages is a phosphatidylinositol-linked surface protein. We investigated the effects of cellular cholesterol depletion and repletion on cell surface expression of this glycoprotein. Adherent normal human monocytes were cultured for four days in media containing delipidated fetal calf serum which depleted cellular cholesterol. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated a markedly diminished surface expression of CD14 on cells cultured in delipidated serum compared to normal serum. Expression of CD64 (high-affinity Fc receptors, FcγRI) also was reduced under these conditions. This inhibition of CD14 expression was overcome by addition to the culture medium of cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, or very low density lipoprotein. All of these supplements replenished cellular cholesterol. Expression of CD64(FcγRI) was not restored by addition of cholesterol. These observations indicate that cholesterol can regulate the surface expression of some phosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoproteins.
Universal correlations of Coulomb-blockade conductance peaks and the rotation scaling in quantum dots.

We show that the parametric correlations of the conductance peak amplitudes of a chaotic or weakly disordered quantum dot in the Coulomb-blockade regime become universal upon an appropriate scaling of the parameter. We compute the universal forms of this correlator for both cases of conserved and broken time-reversal symmetry. For a symmetric dot the correlator is independent of the details in each lead, such as the number of channels and their correlation. We derive a scaling, which we call the rotation scaling, that can be computed directly from the dot's eigenfunction rotation rate or alternatively from the conductance peak heights and therefore does not require knowledge of the spectrum of the dot. The relation of the rotation scaling to the level velocity scaling is discussed. The exact analytic form of the conductance peak correlator is derived at short distances. We also calculate the universal distributions of the average level width velocity for various values of the scaled parameter. The universality is illustrated in an Anderson model of a disordered dot. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Condensation by homogeneous nucleation of H2O, C6H6, CCl4 and CCl3F in a shock tube

Abstract The driver section of a shock tube was used to determine the measurable onset of condensation in the supersaturated state of water of different purity levels, benzene, carbon tetrachloride and freon-11, all present at small mole fraction in argon. It was found that the purity of the water does not affect the critical supersaturation and that benzene and carbon tetrachloride—in contrast to freon-11 —condense approximately as predicted by the classical theory of nucleation and appropriate growth laws.
Expression of defensin-like peptides in tick hemolymph and midgut in response to challenge with Borrelia burgdorferi, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis

Challenge of Dermacentor variabilis by hemocoel injection with Borrelia burgdorferi but not Bacillus subtilis or Escherichia coli provoked secretion of two low molecular weight peptides into the hemolymph plasma; the lower band co-migrated with a band previously identified as varisin (a tick defensin). These findings are consistent with reports that D. variabilis controls B. burgdorferi but not B. subtilis or E. coli by defensin-dependent bacteriolysis. Challenge of the tick midgut by capillary artificial feeding with bacteria also provoked expression of multiple low molecular weight peptides. In this case, however, all three bacteria elicited the response. Two bands, including the defensin-like peptide were expressed following challenge with B. subtilis and E. coli, but only the upper band following challenge with B. burgdorferi. Although they appeared intact, these spirochetes were no longer viable suggesting that borreliae in the midgut are controlled by a different method than the lytic response of the D. variabilis hemolymph. DD-RT-PCR revealed multiple mRNAs in the midgut of D. variabilis following challenge with B. burgdorferi, E. coli and Rickettsia montana. Although their identification remains to be determined, the large number of genes expressed in response to bacterial challenge presents intriguing possibilities for explaining the ability of the tick midgut to destroy invading microbes at the cellular level.
Integration of the plasmid prophages P1 and P7 into the chromosome of Escherichia coli.

Abstract The prophages of the related temperate bacteriophages P1 and P7, which normally exist as plasmids, suppress Escherichia coli dnaA (ts) mutants by integrating into the host chromosome. The locations of the sites on the prophage used for integrative recombination were identified by restriction nuclease analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization techniques. The integration of P1 and P7 often involves a specific site on the host DNA and a specific site on the phage DNA; the latter is probably the end of the phage genetic map. When this site is utilized, the host Rec + function is not required. In Rec + strains, P1 and P7 may also recombine with homologous regions on the host chromosome; at least one of these regions is an IS1 element. In some integration events, prophage deletions are observed which are often associated with inverted repeat structures on the phage DNA. Thus, P1 and P7 may employ one of several different mechanisms for integration.
Reacting Turbulent Flow and Thermal Field in a Channel With Inclined Bluff Body Flame Holders

In this paper, a numerical study has been carried out to investigate the effects of inlet turbulent intensity and angle of attack on the chemically reacting turbulent flow and thermal fields in a channel with an inclined bluff body V-gutter flame holder. With a basic geometry used in a previous experimental study, the inlet turbulent intensity was varied from 2% to 100%, while the angle of attack of the V-gutter was varied from 0 deg to 30 deg. The turbulent flow was modeled with a realizable k-e two-equation turbulence model. The chemical reaction was premixed propane-air combustion with an equivalence ratio of 0.6. The chemistry-turbulence interaction was simulated with an eddy-dissipation model. Numerical results indicated that increasing the inlet turbulent intensity and V-gutter angle of attack resulted in an increase not only in the size, but also in the magnitude of the downstream high turbulence areas with shedding vortexes. The recirculation flow behind the flame holder tended to maintain the rear wall at constant temperature, except at the edges of the wall. The friction factor of the flow channel was more sensitive to the change in inlet turbulence intensity at smaller angle of attack of the V-gutter.
Histochemical localization of selected dehydrogenases in frozen sections of human dental plaque.

Abstract Human dental plaque was collected on Mylar strips, frozen and cut in a cryostat. Sections were attached to microscope slides and incubated in histochemical media for the demonstration of selected dehydrogenases. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of enzyme histochemical methods in the study of dental plaque.
Menopause Research in Women with Spinal Cord Injury: Challenges and Opportunities

This article focuses on the current state of menopause research and the challenges and opportunities for understanding this normal biological passage in women with spinal cord injury (SCI). We present a model of menopause in the context of SCI as a foundation for expanding this line of research. Symptoms and health risks associated with menopause particularly relevant for women with SCI are briefly reviewed. Methodological challenges of menopause research and specific issues that are made even more challenging by SCI are discussed. Last, we offer recommendations for advancing research of menopause in women with SCI and disability in general.
Advances in Barrett’s Esophagus and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Despite advances in diagnosis and therapy, esophageal adenocarcinoma remains an aggressive and usually lethal tumor. This review focuses on the epidemiology of esophageal adenocarcinoma and its presumed precursor lesion, Barrett's esophagus; the pathogenesis of the cancer; advances in treatment of adenocarcinoma and Barrett's esophagus; and strategies for cancer prevention. Emphasis is placed on recent literature. Although the absolute number of cases of adenocarcinoma in the United States is still small, the incidence of this cancer has increased dramatically in the last 40 years, and adenocarcinoma is now the predominant form of esophageal cancer in this country. Recent evidence suggests that Barrett's esophagus is more prevalent in asymptomatic individuals than previously appreciated. The pathogenesis of Barrett's esophagus is poorly understood. Given that some subjects will have repeated bouts of severe erosive esophagitis and never develop Barrett's esophagus, host factors must play an important role. The utility of neoadjuvant radiation and chemotherapy in those with adenocarcinoma, although they are widely practiced, is not of clear benefit, and some authorities recommend against it. Ablative therapies, as well as endoscopic mucosal resection, hold promise for those with superficial cancer or high-grade dysplasia. Most series using these modalities feature relatively short follow-up, and longer-term data will be necessary to better describe the effects of these therapies. The value of chemoprevention in subjects with dysplastic Barrett's esophagus by use of cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or proton pump inhibitors is unknown. Similarly, although endoscopic screening is widely practiced, its value in patients with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms is of unproven value, and recommending bodies are divided as to its practice.
Times at War: Commentary on Gentile’s “Troubling Temporalities”

This commentary on Gentile’s article “Using Queer and Psychoanalytic Times to Explore the Troubling Temporalities of Fetal Personhood” considers how temporality shapes cultural conflict between religious and secular groups. The author briefly reviews how time is mentally represented chronologically and during trauma. Christianity holds that one’s immortal soul and sins are judged at the end of time and that supporting religious law is a moral obligation. This view conflicts sharply with secular values that privilege reproductive rights and progress in human rights. The distinct temporalities of myth and timelessness hold in common that the individual is part of a transcendental whole and has kinship with all other beings. Timelessness as a temporality includes the ability to intuit the minds of others. It is with such a felt understanding of the other that we can endeavor to have mutual understanding and avoid further escalation of religious and secular strife.
Analytical approaches to the investigation of kerogen structure by mass spectrometric techniques

Abstract Specific chemical degradation techniques have been developed to liberate structural elements from Green River Formation oil shale kerogen and from protokerogens derived from recent algal mats at Baffin Bay, Texas (U.S.A.). These degradation techniques include saponification, reduction by the novel complex hydride, sodium bis-(2 methoxy ethoxy) aluminum hydride (SMEAH) and treatment with trimethylsilyl iodide (TMSI). Saponification of the algal mats demonstrated significant changes in the composition of the protokerogen structure over the past 1,000 years.
Omega-3 fatty acid deficient male rats exhibit abnormal behavioral activation in the forced swim test following chronic fluoxetine treatment: association with altered 5-HT1A and alpha2A adrenergic receptor expression.

Abstract Omega-3 fatty acid deficiency during development leads to enduing alterations in central monoamine neurotransmission in rat brain. Here we investigated the effects of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency on behavioral and neurochemical responses to chronic fluoxetine (FLX) treatment. Male rats were fed diets with (CON, n = 34) or without (DEF, n = 30) the omega-3 fatty acid precursor alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) during peri-adolescent development (P21–P90). A subset of CON (n = 14) and DEF (n = 12) rats were administered FLX (10 mg/kg/d) through their drinking water for 30 d beginning on P60. The forced swimming test (FST) was initiated on P90, and regional brain mRNA markers of serotonin and noradrenaline neurotransmission were determined. Dietary ALA depletion led to significant reductions in frontal cortex docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) composition in DEF (−26%, p = 0.0001) and DEF + FLX (−32%, p = 0.0001) rats. Plasma FLX and norfluoxetine concentrations did not different between FLX-treated DEF and CON rats. During the 15-min FST pretest, DEF + FLX rats exhibited significantly greater climbing behavior compared with CON + FLX rats. During the 5-min test trial, FLX treatment reduced immobility and increased swimming in CON and DEF rats, and only DEF + FLX rats exhibited significant elevations in climbing behavior. DEF + FLX rats exhibited greater midbrain, and lower frontal cortex, 5-HT1A mRNA expression compared with all groups including CON + FLX rats. DEF + FLX rats also exhibited greater midbrain alpha2A adrenergic receptor mRNA expression which was positively correlated with climbing behavior in the FST. These preclinical data demonstrate that low omega-3 fatty acid status leads to abnormal behavioral and neurochemical responses to chronic FLX treatment in male rats.
Magnetic monopole production by virtual photons

Abstract We estimate the magnetic monopole pair production cross section from internal virtual photons in p-p collisions. Comparing predictions to the only accelarator experiment to date gives a lower mass limit M ⪆ 5 GeV for monopoles produced by this mechanism. Comparison to the lunar data is made, and provided one accepts several assumptions, a limit of M ⪆ 100 GeV is obtained. The inclusion of final state interactions between monopole and antimonopole is found not to modify the salient features of the other results.
DNA synthesis in freshly excised regenerating rat liver tissue: A model for large animal studies

Abstract The ability of liver to synthesize DNA during the regenerative response can be monitored from freshly excised liver segments removed percutaneously. The results obtained by this method parallel closely those obtained by the standard methods, employing intravenous labeled isotope injection and timed multiple animal sacrifice.
A Miniature Fiber Optic pH Sensor for Physiological Use

A flexible 0.4-mm-dia pH probe potentially suitable for physiological use has been developed. It is based on the concept of utilizing two single plastic fiber optic strands to illuminate and remotely sense the color change of a dye indicator contained within an acutely implanted sealed cellulosic hollow fiber permeable to hydrogen ions. A supporting electronic module provides tungsten filament illumination, light sensing with a photodiode/operational amplifier, analog and digital circuitry to provide appropriate signal averaging and processing, and a mechanical assembly to enable the optical density measurements to be made both at 560 nm and, for normalization purposes, in the red. Over the physiological pH range from 7.0 to 7.4, the fiber optic probe agrees with a standard glass pH electrode to within 0.01 pH units in buffer solutions, to within 0.017 pH units in heparinized dog blood in vitro, and it has performed successfully while implanted in the jugular vein of a sheep.
Stimulation of distinct D2 dopaminergic and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors induces light-adaptive pigment dispersion in teleost retinal pigment epithelium.

In the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of lower vertebrates, melanin pigment granules aggregate and disperse in response to changes in light conditions. Pigment granules aggregate into the RPE cell body in the dark and disperse into the long apical projections in the light. Pigment granule movement retains its light sensitivity in vitro only if RPE is explanted together with neural retina. In the absence of retina, RPE pigment granules no longer move in response to light onset or offset. Using a preparation of mechanically isolated fragments of RPE from green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus, we investigated the effects of catecholamines on pigment migration. We report here that 3,4-dihydoxyphenylethylamine (dopamine) and clonidine each mimic the effect of light in vivo by inducing pigment granule dispersion. Dopamine had a half-maximal effect at approximately 2 nM; clonidine, at 1 microM. Dopamine-induced dispersion was inhibited by the D2 dopaminergic antagonist sulpiride but not by D1 or alpha-adrenergic antagonists. Furthermore, a D2 dopaminergic agonist (LY 171555) but not a D1 dopaminergic agonist (SKF 38393) mimicked the effect of dopamine. Clonidine-induced dispersion was inhibited by the alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist yohimbine but not by sulpiride. These results suggest that teleost RPE cells possess distinct D2 dopaminergic and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, and that stimulation of either receptor type is sufficient to induce pigment granule dispersion. In addition, forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, induced pigment granule movement in the opposite direction, i.e., dark-adaptive pigment aggregation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)