cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Host characteristics associated with serologic inflammatory biomarkers in women.

Abstract Background There is growing evidence that exposure to low-grade inflammation may be associated with adverse health outcomes. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study within the California Teachers Study prospective cohort, among female participants who had completed a questionnaire that asked about their health behaviors (e.g., diabetes, physical activity, body mass index, medication use) and who had donated blood within a year of their questionnaire. 822 women with stored serum were evaluated for 16 immune biomarkers. In addition, four immune pathways were constructed: Th1, pro-inflammatory/macrophage activation, B-cell activation, and T-cell activation. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between host characteristics and immune biomarkers were assessed using logistic regression models. Result Compared to women of a normal BMI, obese women (>30 kg/m2) were positively associated with sTNFR2, CD27, IL6, CXCL13, sIL-2Rα, and IL6Ra levels above the median, with odds ratios ranging from 1.5 to 6.0. The pro-inflammatory/macrophage activation pathway was positively associated with diabetes (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.14–3.95), fueled by individual associations between diabetes and sTNF-R2, TNFα and sCD27. Physical activity was inversely associated with sTNF-R2, TNFα, CXCL13, IL6, IL10, and IFN-γ levels, particularly for the highest category of activity (5.88+ hours/week) (ORs = 0.32–0.69). In pathway-based analyses, the Th1 pathway which includes decreased levels of IL4 and IL10 was positively associated with elevated physical activity (OR = 1.5). In contrast, the pro-inflammatory, B- and T-cell activation pathways were positively associated with higher BMI (OR ranging from 1.6 to 3) and inversely associated with increasing levels of physical activity. Conclusions Several host characteristics were associated with circulating levels of immune biomarkers, including markers of inflammation. Further understanding of associations between immune marker profiles with human disease are warranted.
The Constructive Use of Ignorance

Dr. Anthony’s suggestion to “introspect on the way your research mind is fashioned and the strategies that it habitually uses to solve problems” sounded to me like an invitation for True Confessions about myself. My first confession is that serendipity has played a great role in my life, that things just happened and I made use of them with little conscious planning. I doubt that I would have pursued a professional career, or would even have known about such a possibility for a girl, if the winter of 1917 had not been so very cold and the German school system so conscientious. Instead of being allowed to freeze in unheated classrooms or stay at home, we were taken to a large lake where students from various schools of the whole district went ice skating. There I noticed some girls with red students’ caps, and from them I learned about a school in a nearby larger city where girls could learn Latin and mathematics, obtain the “Abiturium,” and go on to the university. This was in February—and six weeks later I was enrolled in this school, which corresponded to the Realgymnasium for boys.
Ought We to Do What We Ought to be Made to Do

The late Jerry Cohen struggled to reconcile his egalitarian political principles with his personal style of life. His efforts were inconclusive, but instructive. This chapter locates the core of Cohen’s discomfort in an abstract principle that connects what we morally ought to be compelled to do and what we have a duty to do anyway. The connection the principle states is more general and much tighter than Cohen and others, e.g. Thomas Nagel, have seen. Our principles of justice always put our personal integrity to the test, unless those principles are designed not to. But to craft principles with an view to avoiding that test is, as Cohen argued, itself to undermine both justice and our integrity.
Identifying host immune factors that drive epidemic dynamics in a multi-scale model of tuberculosis

When a pathogen is transmitted from an infected individual to a susceptible host, many complex factors influence the outcome of transmission: whether the pathogen will cause disease, what are the lengths of latent and infectious periods, if protective immunity will arise and how long will immunity last (memory). Transmission models of disease are numerous and capture many epidemiological aspects. However, broad individual variability exists, that in classical compartmental models is captured by assuming Poisson processes for transitions between epidemiological states (e.g. infectious to removed). Using multi-scale models that explicitly account for the dynamics of host-specific immune responses operating in the population scale can allow a finer-grained description of outcomes of infection and ultimately a better understanding of transmission dynamics. In this study, we propose a multi-scale model for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). The multi-scale model bridges together two existing models: a socio-demographic, individual based model for TB transmission dynamics, and a mechanistic, validated ODE model for host Mtb immune response, expressly adapted for multi-scale integration. Changes to individual epidemiological status are driven by state variables of host immune response (such as bacterial load), whose value over time is determined in an ODE model by two classes of factors: i) characteristics of the infection episode and ii) host immune specific characteristics. The multi-scale model is calibrated against epidemiological data on TB incidence (both over time and by age) in a low burden demographic setting and the predicted age-specific frequency and timing of infection outcomes is compared with currently used estimates in epidemiological models. Relations between host immune factors, their distribution in the population and relevant aspects of TB epidemic dynamics are identified by multivariate sensitivity analysis. Finally, we discuss possible applications of the model for improved understanding of TB epidemiology and disease control.
Isolation and Characterization of Psychrophilic Purple Bacteria From Antarctica

Several anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (“anoxyphototrophs”) have been isolated and characterized from extreme environments. These include organisms from thermal [1], hypersaline [2-6], acidic [7,8], and alkaline [2,5,6] environments. In the author’s laboratory, thermophilic species of purple and green sulfur bacteria, Chromatium tepidum [9,10] and Chlorobium tepidum [11], respectively, and of heliobacteria, Heliobacterium modesticaldum [12], have been described; all of these organisms are capable of growth above 50°C. In addition, a variety of thermotolerant nonsulfur purple bacteria have been characterized, although none of these show growth above 50°C [13-15].
Pandemics of the future: Disease surveillance in real time

This paper explores disease surveillance systems in relation to preparedness, a security paradigm that strives to make future catastrophic events available for “real time” intervention in the present. I examine three different disease surveillance systems — the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System, which is composed of physical laboratories and online information dissemination tools; Flu Trends, an algorithmic syndromic surveillance system; and EpiSimS and EpiCast, agent-based epidemiological modeling platforms—in relation to three different temporal logics of preparedness—tracking, anticipating, and projecting. These logical modulations all reflect different temporalities of preparedness, or different ways of making the future present, and there are two important implications of my attention to these logics. First, I argue these disease surveillance systems extend surveillance from the present into the future, constructing the very catastrophic threats for which they seek to prepare. Second, I argue the concept of “real time” on which preparedness depends arises from the technologies that construct this particular understanding of temporality. What’s more, the “real time” these systems construct is never the instantaneous erasure of the present; instead, I emphasize real time as multiple, as the proliferation of the present. At stake is an understanding of the ways in which preparedness establishes its own authority to make the future present by creating the very condition of unpreparedness it works to remedy.
The role of tolloid/mini fin in dorsoventral pattern formation of the zebrafish embryo

A highly conserved TGF-b signaling pathway is involved in the establishment of the dorsoventral axis of the vertebrate embryo. Specifically, Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (Bmps) pattern ventral tissues of the embryo while inhibitors of Bmps, such as Chordin, Noggin and Follistatin, are implicated in dorsal mesodermal and neural development. We investigated the role of Tolloid, a metalloprotease that can cleave Chordin and increase Bmp activity, in patterning the dorsoventral axis of the zebrafish embryo. Injection of tolloid mRNA into six dorsalized mutants rescued only one of these mutants, mini fin. Through chromosomal mapping, linkage and cDNA sequence analysis of several mini fin alleles, we demonstrate that mini fin encodes the tolloid gene. Characterization of the mini fin mutant phenotype reveals that Mini fin/Tolloid activity is required for patterning ventral tissues of the tail: the ventral fin, and the ventroposterior somites and vasculature. Gene expression studies show that mfn mutants exhibit reduced expression of ventrally restricted markers at the end of gastrulation, suggesting that the loss of ventral tail tissues is caused by a dorsalization occurring at the end of gastrulation. Based on the mini fin mutant phenotype and the expression of tolloid, we propose that Mini fin/Tolloid modifes the Bmp activity gradient at the end of gastrulation, when the ventralmost marginal cells of the embryo are in close proximity to the dorsal Chordin-expressing cells. At this time, unimpeded Chordin may diffuse to the most ventral marginal regions and inhibit high Bmp activity levels. In the presence of Mini fin/Tolloid, however, Chordin activity would be negatively modulated through proteolytic cleavage, thereby increasing Bmp signaling activity. This extracellular mechanism is amplified by an autoregulatory loop for bmp gene expression.
Special Education Teacher Induction: The Wiki Way

Abstract In response to documented high rates of teacher attrition in special education, new special educators are encouraged or required to participate in induction/mentor programs. The present study reports on the use of university-initiated online support to supplement district induction programs. Participants included students who are currently or had been enrolled in a master's program in special education at a small, private university. A collaborative online writing environment, a wiki, was developed to connect colleagues, share knowledge and experiences, provide resources, promote question seeking, and encourage reflection in teaching. The culminating wiki included knowledge repositories, blogs, and various resources added by the researchers, students, and graduates. Thus, the university induction program supports a model of colleague mentoring in an online environment.
Effects of in ovo injection of carbohydrates on embryonic metabolism, hatchability, and subsequent somatic characteristics of broiler hatchlings.

ABSTRACT The effects of the in ovo injection of different carbohydrate solutions on the internal egg temperature (IT), hatchability, and time of hatch of embryonated Ross × Ross 708 broiler hatching eggs were determined. In addition, the BW, liver weight, yolk sac weight (YSW), and yolk-free BW (YFBW) of the embryos on d 19.5 of incubation and of the chicks on day of hatch were determined. Eggs containing live embryos were injected in the amnion on d 18.5 of incubation using an automated multiple-egg injector. Solution injections delivered 1.2 mL of physiological saline (0.85%) alone or with a supplemental carbohydrate. The following supplemental carbohydrates were separately dissolved in saline at a concentration of 0.3 g/mL: glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, and dextrin. Temperature transponders were implanted in the air cells of embryonated and nonembryonated eggs after in ovo injection for the detection of IT at 6, 14, and 22 h after injection. The IT of embryonated eggs was significantly greater than that of nonembryonated eggs at all 3 times after the treatment period. Eggs that were injected with saline with or without supplemental carbohydrates experienced a reduction in IT when compared with control eggs whose shells were perforated without solution delivery, and the decrease in IT was associated with a delay in hatch time. Liver weight was negatively related to YSW and positively related to YFBW, and YSW was negatively related to YFBW. Although the saline and carbohydrate solution injections increased chick BW compared with noninjected controls, chick YFBW was decreased in the maltose- and sucrose-injected groups. In conclusion, the injection of 1.2 mL of saline with or without supplemental carbohydrates lowered embryonic metabolism, as reflected by a lower IT and a delay in time of hatch. However, effects of the different carbohydrate solutions on yolk absorption and tissue deposition in yolk-free embryos varied. These results suggest that lower volumes for solutions containing maltose, sucrose, or fructose should be considered for in ovo injection.
Resource Requirements for a Quality Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

Fundamental to planning, implementing, and sustaining a quality Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is access to the resources needed to foster a learning environment that prepares nurses for advanced practice and leadership in the future redesigned health care system. This creates formidable challenges for schools and colleges of nursing as they endeavor to address the nation's need for an increased supply of advanced practice nurses to provide access to high-quality, cost-effective care for an aging population. This article describes the essential resources needed to support the delivery of a DNP program and the proposed strategies needed to address the resource challenges.
Kinetics of inhibin secretion in static and superfused Sertoli cell cultures in response to follicle-stimulating hormone.

It is generally accepted that inhibits secretion in the testis is regulated by FSH; however, the kinetics of inhibits secretion have not been well defined in vivo and in vitro. We investigated the kinetics of inhibin secretion in response to ISH stimulation in static and superfused Sertoli cell cultures. Sertoli cells from 18-thy-old rats were cultured in chemically defined medium for 3 days and were then stimulated for different time periods with FSH (0.1 �ag/nsl). In static cultures, media were changed every 2, 4, or 8 is, and the superfusion was carried out at a steady rate of 3 mI/h. Inhibin In the culture media was measured by RIA, using antiserum against synthetic replicate (30Tyr)inhibin a-chain-(l-30) and, in some experiments, also by bioassay. The dy- namics of inhibits secretion were similar In static and superfiased Sertoli cell cultures. A significant increase (p < 0.01) of inhibits secretion was noted after 5-6 h of FSH exposure. After 8-12 h of continuous FSH presence, the secretion of inhibin reached a maximal level, 5-10-fold higher than basal secretion (no FSH). In the continuous presence of FSH, Inhibin secretion remained stable at the high level for up to 54 h. FSH removal caused a delayed (8-h) decrease (p < 0.01) of inhibits secretion, with return to control basal values after approximately 30 h. When FSH was removed 4 h after its addition, inhibits secretion again increased 5-10-fold between 4 and 12 h, then returned to basal values withIn 30 h. Both immunoactive and bioactive inhibiri increased in response to FSH with a similar time pattern; however, Immunoactive inhibin increased 7-fold compared to a 3-fold increase of bioactlve inhibin. This study provides the first detailed description of the time course of inhibin response to JSH. It indicates that, at least in vitro, changes in inhibin secretory rates after FSH exposure or FSH withdrawal are significantly delayed.
The Available Means of Preservation: Aristotelian Rhetoric, Ostracism, and Political Catharsis

The aim of this essay is to demonstrate how Aristotle's conception of tragic catharsis provides a basis for fleshing out the political office he tacitly assigns to rhetoric: defending a city-state's constitution against its characteristic forces of corruption so as to promote stability over the long-run. By inquiring into the Politics' emphasis on preservation and its endorsement of ostracism, this essay argues that Aristotle's theory of constitutions enables a rethinking of rhetoric's political efficacy in terms of a non-representational cathartic process that by means of facilitating civic purgation renews a community's political identity and so strengthens its commitment to the task of preserving the constitution. It demonstrates how, in articulating the grounds for exile, appeals to ostracism work toward the clarification both of the community's organizing principle and the emotional bonds of political philia. The essay concludes by reflecting on the persistence of rhetorical catharsis in today's West...
Nuclear Events at High Energies

The statistical model, introduced by Fermi, is used to calculate the probabilities for various nuclear events at high energies. A general method for evaluating the phase integrals is proposed and used to find to some extent the consequences of neglect of pion momentum conservation. The effect of pion indistinguishability is studied and tables giving the probabilities for various processes are presented together with the energy spectra of the corresponding final nucleons.
Probability summation and regional variation in contrast sensitivity across the visual field.

Abstract Contrast sensitivity at different positions in the visual field has been measured at various spatial frequencies using a patch of grating suitably vignetted to give a stimulus localized in both space and spatial frequency. While contrast sensitivity along a vertical line through the fixation point falls off steadily from a maximum at the centre, sensitivity along a horizontal line displaced 42 periods of the grating above the fixation point is approximately constant, at least out to 32 periods from the mid-line. The way in which detectability increases with increasing number of cycles (2 up to 64) has been measured for gratings with short horizontal bars centred on the fixation point and for gratings with short vertical bars centred on the mid-line 42 periods above it. The relation between sensitivity and number of cycles can in each case be explained exactly assuming probability summation across space as long as the variation in sensitivity across the visual field is taken into account.
Loss of Calcium in Human Spermatozoa via EPPIN, the Semenogelin Receptor

The development of a new male contraceptive requires a transition from animal model to human and an understanding of the mechanisms involved in the target's inhibition of human spermatozoan fertility. We now report that semenogelin (SEMG1) and anti-EPPIN antibodies to a defined target site of 21 amino acids on the C terminal of EPPIN cause the loss of intracellular calcium, as measured by Fluo-4. The loss of intracellular calcium explains our previous observations of an initial loss of progressive motility and eventually the complete loss of motility when spermatozoa are treated with SEMG1 or anti-EPPIN antibodies. Thimerosal can rescue the effects of SEMG1 on motility, implying that internal stores of calcium are not depleted. Additionally, SEMG1 treatment of spermatozoa decreases the intracellular pH, and motility can be rescued by ammonium chloride. The results of this study demonstrate that EPPIN controls sperm motility in the ejaculate by binding SEMG1, resulting in the loss of calcium, most likely through a disturbance of internal pH and an inhibition of uptake mechanisms. However, the exact steps through which the EPPIN-SEMG1 complex exerts its effect on internal calcium levels are unknown. Anti-EPPIN antibodies can substitute for SEMG1, and, therefore, small-molecular weight compounds that mimic anti-EPPIN binding should be able to substitute for SEMG1, providing the basis for a nonantibody, nonhormonal male contraceptive.
Elasto-plastic buckling of curved webs

Abstract This paper presents an investigation on elastic buckling strength of curved girder webs subjected to uniform shears or bending stresses at the edges. An elastic 20 degrees of freedom finite element model was used to formulate the eigenvalue problem and a Gauss-Seidel iterative procedure was employed to yield the lowest critical edge loads. In case of pure bending, the investigation is extended into the plastic range. The deformation theory of plasticity in conjunction with a new formulation of the secant modulus is used to derive the elasto-plastic buckling equations. The same Gauss-Seidel iterative procedure was used to find the critical load for each assumed stress level. Further iterations with incremental stress were done to match the elasto-plastic buckling stresses. The material is assumed to be elastic-perfectly plastic and incompressible. In order to aid design professions, the dimensions of the web panel studied are within the practical ranges of curved plate girders. Four boundary conditions that represent various constrain conditions from flanges to stiffeners of plate girder designs, were considered. The results are presented in graphical forms. Interaction curves relating to various dimensionless parameters are constructed. Comparisons and convergence studies were made with existing available data. It is found that boundary conditions and aspect ratio influence the buckling stresses greatly. However, curvature effect is relatively insignificant over the range of practical application.
Adsorption of surfactants on unburned carbon in fly ash and development of a standardized foam index test

Abstract The “foam index” test is commonly used for quick evaluation of the suitability, with respect to air entrainment, of pozzolanic additives for concrete. Many foam index test procedures are in common use, and it is difficult to compare results between laboratories. The present paper explores the possibility of standardizing the test for use with coal fly ash pozzolans. It does so by establishing that a series of commercial air-entraining admixtures (AEAs) and pure anionic surfactants all behave in a well-correlated manner, when tested using the same protocol, on a suite of 29 fly ash samples (both class F and class C) obtained from utilities throughout the United States. A pure, reagent-grade surfactant can be chosen as the basis for a standardized test; it appears as though dodecyl benzene sulfonate (DBS) is a good candidate material for such testing. The present results also confirm that it is the carbon in coal fly ash that is the main sink for AEA adsorption in concrete mixtures containing significant amounts of ash. The solution chemistry in the testing mixture is important, and use of cement in the test mix is strongly recommended. Careful attention also needs to be paid to the relative amounts of different components in the mixture to be tested.
ABC transporters and RNAi in Caenorhabditis elegans

RNAi is an evolutionarily conserved gene-silencing phenomenon that can be triggered by exogenous delivery of double stranded RNA to organisms. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the response to dsRNA is remarkably robust, and systemic RNAi responses are often observed. We have taken a genetic approach using this organism to better understand the mechanisms that facilitate RNAi. By analyzing strains of RNAi-defective mutants, we have uncovered an unexpected role for ABC transporters in RNAi and related silencing mechanisms. Ten of the sixty ABC transporter genes encoded in the C. elegans genome are required for robust RNAi. We will present data that highlights common features of these genes relative to their roles in RNAi, including genetic interactions with other components of the RNAi machinery. We will also describe unique roles for some transporter genes in endogenous RNAi-related processes.
Seeing the bigger picture: Context-aware regulations

The TV whitespaces represent an incredible opportunity for innovation. Along with this opportunity come significant challenges: the whitespaces are very heterogeneous in terms of channel availability as well as quality. This poses a challenge to anyone wishing to achieve uniform or even similar quality of service nationwide. In this paper, we consider using heterogeneity in the emissions limits to counteract the inherent heterogeneity of the whitespaces, ultimately resulting in a more homogeneous quality of service for secondary users. However, heterogeneity cannot be added to regulations in a haphazard manner. Rather, it must be carefully crafted as a result of looking at the bigger picture and fully exploiting the capabilities of databases. Databases should not be seen as a necessary evil but rather as an exciting opportunity for improvement and innovation. In particular, rather than being viewed as a simple repository of data, the “database” can be viewed as a cloud-based entity that reports the result of a default kind of Coasian-bargaining that could be expected to occur among frequency-agile radios. We conclude by showing a few small examples of positive heterogeneity as it applies to real-world data for the TV whitespaces in parts of the United States.
Coaching to vision versus coaching to improvement needs: a preliminary investigation on the differential impacts of fostering positive and negative emotion during real time executive coaching sessions

Drawing on Intentional Change Theory (Boyatzis, 2006), this study examined the differential impact of inducing coaching recipients’ vision/positive emotion versus improvement needs/negative emotion during real time executive coaching sessions. A core aim of the study was to empirically test two central Intentional Change Theory (ICT) propositions on the effects of using the coached person’s Positive Emotional Attractor (vision/PEA) versus Negative Emotional Attractor (improvement needs/NEA) as the anchoring framework of a onetime, one-on-one coaching session on appraisal of 360-degree feedback and discussion of possible change goals. Eighteen coaching recipients were randomly assigned to two coaching conditions, the coaching to vision/PEA condition and the coaching to improvement needs/NEA condition. Two main hypotheses were tested. Hypothesis1 predicted that participants in the vision/PEA condition would show higher levels of positive emotion during appraisal of 360-degree feedback results and discussion of change goals than recipients in the improvement needs/NEA condition. Hypothesis2 predicted that vision/PEA participants would show lower levels of stress immediately after the coaching session than improvement needs/NEA participants. Findings showed that coaching to vision/the PEA fostered significantly lower levels of expressed negative emotion and anger during appraisal of 360 feedback results as compared to coaching to improvements needs/the NEA. Vision-focused coaching also fostered significantly greater exploration of personal passions and future desires, and more positive engagement during 360-degree feedback appraisal. No significant differences between the two conditions were found in emotional processing during discussion of change goals or levels of stress immediately after the coaching session. Current findings suggest that vision/PEA arousal versus improvement needs/NEA arousal impact the coaching process in quite different ways; that the coach’s
Diabetic nephropathy is resistant to oral l-arginine or l-citrulline supplementation

Our recent publication showed that pharmacological blockade of arginases confers kidney protection in diabetic nephropathy via a nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS)3-dependent mechanism. Arginase competes with endothelial NOS (eNOS) for the common substrate l-arginine. Lack of l-arginine results in reduced NO production and eNOS uncoupling, which lead to endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, we hypothesized that l-arginine or l-citrulline supplementation would ameliorate diabetic nephropathy. DBA mice injected with multiple low doses of vehicle or streptozotocin (50 mg/kg ip for 5 days) were provided drinking water with or without l-arginine (1.5%, 6.05 g·kg−1·day−1) or l-citrulline (1.66%, 5.73 g·kg−1·day−1) for 9 wk. Nonsupplemented diabetic mice showed significant increases in albuminuria, blood urea nitrogen, glomerular histopathological changes, kidney macrophage recruitment, kidney TNF-α and fibronectin mRNA expression, kidney arginase activity, kidney arginase-2 protein expression, and urinary oxidative stress along with a significant reduction of nephrin and eNOS protein expression and kidney nitrite + nitrate compared with normal mice after 9 wk of diabetes. Surprisingly, l-arginine or l-citrulline supplementation in diabetic mice did not affect any of these parameters despite greatly increasing kidney and plasma arginine levels. These findings demonstrate that chronic l-arginine or l-citrulline supplementation does not prevent or reduce renal injury in a model of type 1 diabetes.
Synthesis and Phase Behavior of a New Thiophene Monomer as Nematic Liquid Crystal

The synthesis of a new liquid crystal thiophene monomer of (E)-4-(6-(3-(thiophen-3-yl)- acryloyloxy) hexyloxy) biphenyl-4’-ethylbenzoate (LC-M) is presented. The chemical structure of this monomer and intermediate compounds was characterized by FT-IR and 1H-NMR. The phase behavior was investigated by polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. LC-M showed nematic threaded and schlieren textures on heating and cooling cycles.
The antioxidant and prooxidant activity in ascites tumors.

In contrast to liver, brain, and other tissues, homogenates of Ehrlich and Krebs-2 ascites tumor cells formed no lipid peroxides upon aerobic incubation. These tumor cells contained two antioxidant components (measured by their inhibition of lipid peroxidation in liver homogenates): a heat-stable supernatant fraction, and a heatlabile pellet fraction. Also present was a dialyzable, heat-labile supernatant prooxidant. Ultraviolet irradiation of tissue homogenates caused considerable peroxidation in liver but had little effect on the tumors. However, extracted tumor lipids were shown to be capable of forming peroxides. Tumor antioxidant activity was reduced by ultraviolet light, but X-irradiation of tumor cells in vitro and of tumor-bearing animals had little effect on antioxidant activity.
Heart rate responses of spontaneously hypertensive rats during aversive classical conditioning.

Heart rate (HR) responses of restrained spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive (WKY) female rats were compared during aversive classical conditioning. Baseline HR of the SHR group was temporarily higher than that of the WKY group. For both groups, the directions of the HR-orienting response to the novel CS prior to conditioning as well as the HR-conditioned response during conditioning were decelerative. Although the magnitude of the orienting response was larger in the SHR group than in the WKY group, the conditioned responses of the two groups were nearly the same. It was suggested that the orienting response in both groups was due to inhibition of sympathetic activity in conjunction with increased vagal outflow. It was further suggested that the enhanced orienting response in the SHR group could be accounted for by the greater β-adrenergic tone in the resting HR of the SHR which, with inhibition of sympathetic tone, resulted in a relatively larger fall in HR.
A pragmatic approach to parole aftercare: Evaluation of a community reintegration program for high-risk youthful offenders

We evaluated the parole reentry program “Lifeskills'95” to determine the initial success of individuals released from secure facilities. We collected and analyzed data on experimental and control groups of California Youth Authority offenders released to parole in 1995. The program was successful in several areas of parole performance, especially in reducing recidivism rates during the period of program participation. This study is relevant to rethinking the role of juvenile justice agencies in the United States. The long-term goal is to substantially alter the traditional way in which juvenile offender aftercare and community reintegration have been designed and managed in this country.
Privacy Measurement for Social Network Actor Model

Privacy measurement is critical to evaluate privacy risks for business, public policy and legislation. However, there is a lack of effective and practical way to quantify, measure, and evaluate privacy. In this paper, we propose three privacy indexes for privacy measurement (ranking) for social network actor model, i.e., weighted privacy index (w-PIDX), maximum privacy index (m-PIDX), and composite privacy index (c-PIDX). We also introduce a novel virtual attribute for social network actor model to describe the combined attributes' behavior. We further evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of these PIDXes for various user groups in different testing scenarios. Our tests and analysis show that composite privacy index, c-PIDX, is the best to measure privacy for social network actor model. A practical approach to evaluate w-PIDX, m-PIDX, and c-PIDX is also presented in the paper.
International Financial Markets and Agricultural Adjustment in North America: Discussion

I begin with a discussion of the Carter, Gray, and Furtan paper and then turn to Orden's paper. I conclude with only a few remarks on VillaIssa's paper. First, I take exception to the conceptual framework in CGF, not because the framework is incorrect, nor does it necessarily alter the conclusions drawn from their empirical results. Instead, the approach (their fig. 1) ignores the importance of capital markets in exchange rate determination, while the others, figures 2 and 3, illustrate the problem of casting questions of exchange rates into a partial equilibrium framework. The Slater model is a model of the current
Physical–chemical properties, separation performance, and fouling resistance of mixed-matrix ultrafiltration membranes

Herein we report on the formation and characterization of mixed-matrix ultrafiltration (UF) membranes hand-cast by nonsolvent induced phase inversion. We evaluated nanometer-to-micrometer sized inorganic fillers (silver, copper, silica, zeolite, and silver-zeolite) materials with polysulfone (PSf) as the polymeric dispersing matrix. In general, mixed-matrix membranes were rougher, more hydrophilic, and more mechanically robust. Only sub-micron zeolite-PSf mixed-matrix membranes exhibited simultaneous improvements in water permeability and solute selectivity; all other mixed-matrix membranes were more permeable, but less selective due to defects associated with poor polymer-filler binding. Protein and bacterial fouling resistance of mixed-matrix membranes containing silver, zeolite, and silver-zeolite nanoparticles were compared to a low-fouling, poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) UF membrane. Zeolite and silver containing membranes exhibited better protein fouling resistance (due to higher hydrophilicity), whereas silver and silver-zeolite based membranes produce better bacterial fouling resistance due to antimicrobial properties. Overall, zeolite-PSf and silver exchanged zeolite-PSf membranes offered the best combination of improved permeability, selectivity, and fouling resistance — superior to the commercial PAN membrane.
Development of a prostate cancer metagram: a solution to the dilemma of which prediction tool to use in patient counseling.

Many treatment options are available to the human with clinically localized prostate cancer, including surgery, radiation, and even active surveillance. To the authors' knowledge, there is no consensus on the optimal management of this patient population, with most clinicians tending to recommend the treatment with which they are most familiar. Effective patient counseling allowing informed decision making can be best achieved with a formalized system that offers accurate predictions of outcomes for all available treatment approaches. The authors organized the currently available prostate cancer prediction tools toward the formation of a metagram that can be used to tailor management to the individual patient. A comprehensive review of the literature was performed to identify published prediction tools intended for use in prostate cancer. Tools were categorized by a combination of treatment modality and the outcome being predicted, and incorporated into a metagram constructed of 16 different treatment options and 10 outcomes related to cancer control, survival, and morbidity. A search of the literature revealed 44 prostate cancer prediction tools that assessed at least 1 of the 160 treatment/outcome combinations that comprise the metagram. Only 31 cells of the metagram were populated with currently available tools. Prediction tools offer the most accurate estimates of outcomes in prostate cancer, but their current role in patient counseling is complicated by the large number of existing tools, as well as a lack of comparative data. To address this, the authors incorporated the most relevant prediction tools currently available into a prostate cancer metagram that may offer evidence-based and individualized predictions for multiple endpoints after all available treatment options in clinically localized prostate cancer. The metagram also reveals areas of deficiency in the current catalog of prediction tools. Many more prediction tools are needed. Cancer 2009;115(13 suppl):3039–45. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Solid phase versus solvent extraction of pesticides from water

The average recovery for 12 pesticides spiked into 100 ml of water at 0.1 ppb was 90% when cartridges containing 100 mg of C-18 bonded porous silica were used for adsorption. Flow rates of up to 200 bed volumes per minute were employed for the adsorption step. Quantitative desorption of the pesticides was accomplished with less than 100μl of solvent, thus eliminating the need for a solvent reduction step. The pesticides from samples of surface waters were adsorbed onto C-18 bonded porous silica at the sampling site and the cartridges containing the bonded phase were returned to the laboratory for elution and analysis. The analytical results obtained from use of this procedure agreed with those obtained for duplicate samples of the water that were processed in the laboratory using standard solvent extraction procedures.
Modulation of intracellular calcium by potassium channel openers in vascular muscle.

We investigated two putative K+ channel openers, pinacidil and BRL34915 (cromakalim), and demonstrated their vasorelaxant effectiveness on rat artery contractions induced by K+, tetraethylammonium (TEA), or norepinephrine. The K+ channel opener-induced decrease in tension was rapid, even when tension was stimulated by 100 mmol/l K+. Measurements of intracellular free Ca++ (activity) by ultra-high sensitivity digital imaging microscopy was carried out by briefly loaded fura2 (fluorescence ratio) quantitation in isolated, contracting cells of rat azygos vein. Submicron resolution was achieved by measuring cytoplasmic Ca++-sensitive fluorescence at each pixel, and size and intensity of areas with high Ca++ concentrations, called hot spots, were determined by a computer-generated, 3λ algorithm. Hot spots, which most likely represent the sites of Ca++ release and re-uptake by Ca++-regulatory organelles, increased in size and intensity upon addition of K+ or norepinephrine, reaching an early peak prior to the whole cell average peak in cytoplasmic Ca++ activity. Both norepinephrine and K+-induced stimulation resulted in Ca++ activity increases that were primarily due to Ca++ release from storage sites. Reduction of free Ca++ activity to resting or lower levels occurred upon addition of pinacidil or cromakalim. Intracellular Ca++ decreases due to K+ channel openers appeared abruptly beginning at the central portions of the cells, resulting in a pronounced early drop in central Ca++ activity while elevated Ca++ levels persisted at the periphery. While this late stage residual of peripheral Ca++ appears to be a significant step in the vascular muscle relaxant action of both K+ channel opener drugs, the level of Ca++ at peripheral sites was greater in response to pinacidil than to cromakalim. The results of this study suggest that in addition to increasing K+ conductance, pinacidil and cromakalim cause 1) decreased Ca++ activity in central regions of the myocytes, and 2) a shift in Ca++ distribution to primarily subsarcolemmal sites. These observations lead us to hypothesize separate control of peripheral and central Ca++ activity within a vascular muscle cell, with Ca++ redistribution that can be altered by vasorelaxants. We suggest that intracellular Ca++ redistribution may contribute the membrane potential-independent part of the vasorelaxant action of the K+ channel openers.
The Hydrologic Importance of Small- and Medium-Sized Dams: Examples from Texas

Studies of the effects of dams have emphasized large and very large dams; less well understood are the impacts caused by smaller dams. Using Texas as an example area, this article highlights the role of small- and medium-sized dams in affecting the surface hydrology of river systems. Analysis of data from the National Inventory of Dams (NID) in a geographic information system showed that small and medium dams comprise about 97 percent of the dams registered in Texas. A small-or medium-sized dam is found approximately every 100 km2 of area and about 120 km of river length. Different from large dams, which affect water storage the most, the major impact of these smaller dams is fragmentation of river landscapes. Analysis of data for dams extracted from digital orthoquads and for water bodies from the National Hydrography Dataset indicates that the extent of river fragmentation is likely greater than that suggested by data from the NID, because the NID underrepresents the smaller dams. Such extent of river f...
The Hsp90 Cochaperones Cpr6, Cpr7, and Cns1 Interact with the Intact Ribosome

The abundant molecular chaperone Hsp90 is essential for the folding and stabilization of hundreds of distinct client proteins. Hsp90 is assisted by multiple cochaperones that modulate Hsp90's ATPase activity and/or promote client interaction, but the in vivo functions of many of these cochaperones are largely unknown. We found that Cpr6, Cpr7, and Cns1 interact with the intact ribosome and that Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking CPR7 or containing mutations in CNS1 exhibited sensitivity to the translation inhibitor hygromycin. Cpr6 contains a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) domain and a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain flanked by charged regions. Truncation or alteration of basic residues near the carboxy terminus of Cpr6 disrupted ribosome interaction. Cns1 contains an amino-terminal TPR domain and a poorly characterized carboxy-terminal domain. The isolated carboxy-terminal domain was able to interact with the ribosome. Although loss of CPR6 does not cause noticeable growth defects, overexpression of CPR6 results in enhanced growth defects in cells expressing the temperature-sensitive cns1-G90D mutation (the G-to-D change at position 90 encoded by cns1). Cpr6 mutants that exhibit reduced ribosome interaction failed to cause growth defects, indicating that ribosome interaction is required for in vivo functions of Cpr6. Together, these results represent a novel link between the Hsp90 molecular-chaperone machine and protein synthesis.
Effect of Oxygen Addition to a Near-Sooting Ethene Inverse Diffusion Flame

Abstract The pyrolysis zone of a near-sooting ethene inverse diffusion flame (IDF, with oxidizer in the central stream) has been probed for temperature and species concentrations. Oxidation processes can play an indirect but significant role on the observed intermediate hydrocarbon species profiles, and therefore on soot formation. Intermediate hydrocarbons can be formed near the main oxidation zone, and diffuse back into the colder fuel-rich region. Acetylene, C4 species (1,3 butadiene, vinylacetylene and diacetylene) and benzene are indicative of ethene pyrolysis and are observed to build up slowly with height. Methane, ethane and C4 species (allene, propyne and propene) are more indicative of ethene oxidation, and form rapidly low in the flame. The addition of a trace amount of oxygen to the fuel decreased the concentrations of the pyrolytic species and indicates that fuel pyrolysis rates were not enhanced by oxygen addition to the fuel in the present non-sooting flame. However, oxygen addition increas...
Structural Rearrangements Underlying K+-Channel Activation Gating

The intramembrane molecular events underlying activation gating in the Streptomyces K+ channel were investigated by site-directed spin-labeling methods and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. A comparison of the closed and open conformations of the channel revealed periodic changes in spin-label mobility and intersubunit spin-spin interaction consistent with rigid-body movements of the two transmembrane helices TM1 and TM2. These changes involve translations and counterclockwise rotations of both helices relative to the center of symmetry of the channel. The movement of TM2 increases the diameter of the permeation pathway along the point of convergence of the four subunits, thus opening the pore. Although the extracellular residues flanking the selectivity filter remained immobile during gating, small movements were detected at the C-terminal end of the pore helix, with possible implications to the gating mechanism.
Clinically significant vitamin B12 deficiency secondary to malabsorption of protein-bound vitamin B12.

Protein- (chicken serum) bound [57Co]cyanocobalamin absorption was evaluated in five hypochlorhydric patients who had developed B12 deficiency despite having normal absorption of unbound crystalline vitamin B12. All five patients had decreased urinary excretion of protein-bound B12 (0.06–0.34%) as compared to twelve normal controls (0.61–5.6%), P<.001. Improvement in protein-bound B12 absorption in four of the five patients occurred with the exogenous administration of hydrochloric acid, pepsin, gastric intrinsic factor, or a combination thereof. Vitamin B12 deficiency developing in the setting of hypochlorhydria may result from deficiency of acid-peptic digestion of B12 bound to protein and/or a relative deficiency of intrinsic factor. This digestive defect is not detected with tests which measure the absorption of unbound crystalline B12 but is detected by a simple test which employs B12 bound to chicken serum as the form of protein-bound B12.
Nanocomposite formation and size reduction of Terfenol-D particles during mechanical milling

Abstract Mechanical milling of Terfenol-D (Tb 0.3 Dy 0.7 Fe 1.97 ) was conducted under both dry and wet conditions. Nanoparticles of Terfenol-D were produced by mechanical milling, where Terfenol-D polycrystalline bulk samples were ball milled under argon atmosphere. Size reduction was found to be the main result of the dry mechanical milling. The magnetization and coercivity of the milled sample correlated with the particle size. Different results were obtained when using wet grinding. Nanocomposite of (Dy,Tb) 2 O 3 –Fe was found to form via the decomposition of (Tb 0.3 Dy 0.7 Fe 1.97 ) and the formation of rare earth oxides.