cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exo-β-glucanases in yeast

1. A number of yeast species were examined for the presence of β-glucanases. Extracts obtained by cell disruption of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Fabospora fragilis and Hansenula anomala hydrolysed laminarin and pustulan with the production of glucose. Enzymic activities were also detected in the culture fluids of F. fragilis and H. anomala grown aerobically in buffered mineral medium with glucose as the carbon source. 2. F. fragilis and H. anomala possessed approximately sevenfold higher β-(1→3)-glucanase activity than S. cerevisiae . 3. Intracellular exo-β-glucanase from baker9s yeast was purified 344-fold from the dialysed cell extract. 4. Exo-β-glucanase from F. fragilis was purified 114-fold from the dialysed culture fluid and 423-fold from the dialysed intracellular extract. The purified extracellular and intracellular enzymes had similar properties and essentially the same specific activity, 79 enzyme units/mg. of protein. 5. Extracellular exo-β-glucanase of H. anomala was purified 600-fold. 6. The optimum pH of the enzymes from F. fragilis, S. cerevisiae and H. anomala was 5·5 in each case. Chromatographic evidence indicated that the three enzymes remove glucosyl units sequentially from laminarin as well as pustulan. 7. The ratio of activities towards laminarin and pustulan remained constant during purification of the exo-β-glucanase obtained from the three species, suggesting a single enzyme. Additional evidence for its unienzymic nature are: (i) the two activities were destroyed at exactly the same rate on heating of the purified enzyme from F. fragilis at three different temperatures; (ii) the competitive inhibitor glucono-δ-lactone gave the same value of K i when tested with either substrate; (iii) quantitative application of the ‘mixed-substrate’ method with the purified enzyme of S. cerevisiae gave data that were in excellent agreement with those calculated on the assumption of a single enzyme. 8. The purified exo-β-glucanases of the different species of yeast had different kinetic constants. The ratios of maximal velocities and K m values with laminarin and pustulan differed markedly. Comparison of V max. and K m values suggests that the rapid release of spores from asci in F. fragilis might be explained in terms of an enzyme with higher maximal velocity and higher affinity to the ascus wall than that present in baker9s yeast. 9. The estimated molecular weights for exo-β-glucanases from F. fragilis, S. cerevisiae and H. anomala were 22000, 40000 and 30000 respectively.
Adelbert von Chamisso. Ein Versuch über den Erfolg

Vor dem Hintergrund komplexer Kanonisierungsprozesse wird der Erfolg des Werkes von Adelbert von Chamisso nachgezeichnet. Dass Chamisso heute, insbesondere dessen Lyrik, kaum noch gelesen wird, fuhrt der Autor auf spezifische Gattungsprobleme zuruck; als wichtigste Rezeptionsschranke erweist sich die Verbindung von Lyrik und Erzahlung — im 19. Jh. in Form der Verserzahlung noch auserst popular. Die eminente Komplexitat und den formalen Variationsreichtum von Chamissos Lyrik fuhrt der Aufsatz anhand exemplarischer Gedichtlekturen vor. Deutlich wird hierbei nicht nur der Wandel des fur Chamissos Lyrik zentralen Wechselverhaltnisses von Alter und Verjungung, sondern zugleich die sozialkritische und politische Dimension von Chamissos Texten.
A quantitative model for carbonyl infrared frequencies of substituted quinones

Abstract A previously unobserved splitting has been found in the i.r. absorption peak of the carbonyls of asymmetrically alkylated quinones. A study of substituted benzo-, naphtho- and anthraquinones which revealed this splitting thus shows that all classes of asymmetrically substituted quinones examined give rise to split i.r. absorption peaks representing the vibrations of the two distinct carbonyl groups. A quantitative model to predict carbonyl i.r. frequencies of quinones from substituent constants was constructed. This model, wherein field and steric effects of substituents change the vibrational frequencies of nearby carbonyls while resonance through the conjugated ring changes frequencies of distant carbonyls, applies to both symmetrically and asymmetrically substituted quinones. In addition, the model is consistent with a recent report that the resonance effects of halogens increase with polarizability: I > Br > Cl > F.
Under pressure: choledochal malformation manometry.

Abstract Purpose The cause of choledochal (cystic or fusiform) malformation is not known. A favoured hypothesis suggests that abnormal reflux of activated pancreatic secretions via a common pancreatobiliary channel may initiate mucosal injury and mural weakness leading to bile duct dilatation, at normal intraduct pressures. However, bile duct pressures in both normal or disease states are not known in such children. Methods Intraoperative choledochal pressure (CP) measurements were made before any other manipulation. Bile was cultured and its amylase content measured. Biochemical liver function (bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, γ -glutamyl transpeptidase, and alkaline phosphatase) was measured. Data were quoted as median (interquartile range). Statistical tests were parametric, where appropriate, and P = .05 was regarded as significant. Results Twenty-five children (age 2.5 [1.25-5.91] years) with choledochal (cystic [n = 13] and fusiform [n = 12]) malformation coming to surgery were studied. Median CP was 13 (8.5-17) mm Hg. Median bile amylase was 6722 (241-18,000) IU/L. Choledochal pressure inversely correlated with bile amylase ( r = −0.60, P = .001), serum aspartate aminotransferase ( r = 0.46, P = .01), and log γ -glutamyl transpeptidase ( r = 0.4, P = .04) but not with bilirubin ( P = .11), alkaline phosphatase ( P = .20), or age ( P = .11). No difference in CP, bile amylase, or liver biochemistry could be identified between the 2 biliary phenotypes. All bile cultures were sterile. Conclusions Increased CP is inversely related to the level of bile amylase (and hence degree of the functional common channel). This suggests that obstructive stenosis at the level of the pancreato-biliary junction (but not the ampulla) may be a causal factor in a proportion of choledochal malformations.
Isolation and culture of FSH responsive Sertoli cells.

Methods for the isolation and culture of enriched populations of Sertoli cells from 20–60 day old rats are described. The identity of the Sertoli cells was verified by bright light and electron microscopy. Freshly isolated Sertoli cells specifically bound follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) but not luteinizing hormone (LH) and responded to FSH stimulation with dramatic increase in cyclic AMP level. Isolated Sertoli cells, maintained in culture for 11 days, showed no evidence of proliferation but retained their characteristic ultrastructural features and FSH binding ability. Incubation of cultured cells with FSH resulted in a significant stimulation of cyclic AMP and androgen binding protein (ABP). Since the freshly isolated or cultured cells were predominantly (>80%) Sertoli cells, these results provide direct evidence that the Sertoli cells represent a primary target site for FSH activity in the testes. The culture method also provides a valuable in vitro model for the study of chronic effects of various ...
Femtosecond dephasing times in semiconductor microcrystals measured with incoherent light

Incoherent laser pulses are used to measure the dephasing time of photogenerated excitons in semiconductor-doped glasses. The coherent polarization dephasing time T2 is determined for several commercial glasses as well as for a semiconductor thin film. It is found that T2 varies systematically from less than 5 fs to longer than 70 fs, depending on the degree of excess excitation beyond the band edge. The temperature dependence of T2 is also measured. A systematic behavior of smaller T2 at higher temperature is observed in all samples. These T2 values are believed to result from the loss of orientational coherence of the excitons generated by laser excitation.
Resonance electron capture by serine.

Formation of negative ions via dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to the amino acid serine in the gas phase was studied using two different crossed electron/molecular beam techniques and quantum chemical calculations. Resonance electron capture mass spectrum and effective ion yield curves of 16 negative ions were measured over the electron energy range from close to 0 to 11 eV. The negative ions from serine were detected from resonance states in the vicinity of 0, 1.3, 5, and 8 eV. The dominant reaction channel at low electron energies was (M − H)−. The relative cross section for this ion exceeds more than 20 times that of any other fragment negative ions. A high-resolution experiment was applied to study fine structures in (M − H)− cross section. We have found that the second OH group influences some dissociative channels. Quantum chemical calculations were applied to interpret products of the DEA reaction channels.
Trends in the use of gross and frozen section pathological consultations during partial or radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma.

Purpose: There is no consensus regarding the role of intraoperative pathological consultation during kidney cancer surgery. Accordingly intraoperative pathological consultation use is susceptible to variation based on nonclinical factors. We explored this hypothesis by evaluating national trends in the use of intraoperative pathological consultation during radical or partial nephrectomy with time, across regions, and by patient and provider characteristics.Materials and Methods: Using linked Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare data we identified a cohort of patients who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy from 1991 to 2002. In each case we ascertained corresponding Medicare claims for gross and/or frozen section intraoperative pathological consultation. We assessed variations in the use of intraoperative pathological consultation by year of treatment and geographic region as well as by patient and provider characteristics.Results: We identified 7,507 cases treated with partial (600 or...
Entropy in operational statistics and quantum logic

In a series of recent papers, Randall and Foulis have developed a generalized theory of probability (operational statistics) which is based on the notion of a physical operation. They have shown that the quantum logic description of quantum mechanics can be naturally imbedded into this generalized theory of probability. In this paper we shall investigate the role of entropy (in the sense of Shannon's theory of information) in operational statistics. We shall find that there are several related entropy concepts in operational statistics. We shall examine the relationships between these different entropy concepts and examine their implications for the foundations of quantum theory. We shall also examine the extension of the Jaynes inference scheme to the operational statistics formalism, and apply the latter to the case of quantum statistical mechanics.
Surgery for coarctation of the aorta in infants younger than 3 months: end-to-end repair versus subclavian flap angioplasty: is either operation better?

Objective: Recurrent coarctation is a complication which is seen at a consistent rate following all types of repair for coarctation of the aorta. Particularly disappointing late results are reported in younger infants, under 3 months of age. This retrospective analysis was undertaken to compare the outcomes on late follow-up between subclavian flap angioplasty and resection and end-to-end repair, in this age group. Methods: Over a 12-year period, between 1982 and 1994, 86 infants under 3 months of age underwent surgical repair of coarctation (39 resections and end-to-end repair, and 47 subclavian flap angioplasty procedures). Operative mortality was not significantly different (P = 0.6) between resection and end-to-end repair (5.1%) and subclavian flap angioplasty (8.5%). All operative deaths (six patients) were in infants with associated ventricular septal defects. The mean follow-up for all patients was 7.95 years ∠ 4.10 (range 0‐ 14.5 years). The 5-year survival for resection and end-to-end repair was 87 ∠ 5%, compared to 75 ∠ 7% for subclavian flap angioplasty (P = 0.2). Results: Recurrent coarctation occurred in nine patients who needed reoperation. The reoperation-free rates at both 5 and 10 years for resection and end-to-end anastomosis, and subclavian flap repair were 86 ∠ 6% and 90 ∠ 5%, respectively. The recurrence in the resection and end-to-end anastomosis group were due to constrictive scarring at the anastomosis, whereas periductal tissue and growth of posterior aortic ridge caused recurrence in the subclavian flap angioplasty group. There were no deaths during reoperation for recurrence. Conclusions: Both procedures are extremely effective for coarctation repair in young infants and run a similar risk of recurrence, which are due to completely different mechanisms. The surgeon’s expertise is the major determinant of outcome. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved
Defensive and Supportive Parental Communication in a Discipline Situation

Summary The relationship of parenting discrepancy and dyadic adjustment to parental communication behaviors in a videotaped discipline situation was studied in 47 two-parent preschool-child triads. Parents tended to exhibit supportive communication in the discipline situation and indicated low levels of parenting discrepancy and high levels of dyadic adjustment. Parenting discrepancy and dyadic adjustment were not found to be significant predictors of defensive and supportive parental communication. Three null hypotheses dealing with the potential interaction between sex of child and level of discrepancy, sex of child and level of dyadic adjustment, and level of discrepancy and dyadic adjustment were not rejected. The variables of awareness of videotaping, role of disciplinarian, and sex of child were significant predictors of defensive and supportive communication for fathers and the Parenting Discrepancy Scale was a moderately sensitive discriminator between fathers exhibiting high and low levels of def...
Folding or Shearing, Which?

Folding and shearing are the two types of deformation which may result from compressive stress in the earth's crust. The structures found in a given region depend on the type of deformation, which in turn depends on the original condition of the rocks at the time of deformation. Folding requires special conditions for its development, and only rarely is it the controlling type. In the California Coast Ranges deformation has been governed by shearing, particularly along the great faults such as the San Andreas. This type of deformation began after the intrusion of the Sierra Nevada and Lower California batholiths, and was determined and controlled by them. The history of the California Coast Ranges is the history of a large number of fault blocks, each of which has acted differently under the stresses to which it was subjected, but is nevertheless related mechanically to the forces which govern the regional movements. Deformation by shearing may produce faulting on a large scale, the fault blocks may again be sheared by secondary stresses, or the conditions for folding may exist within them, giving folds of the type found in the Coast Ranges. In addition to these structures, shearing from deep-seated compression may produce vertical uplift, resulting in tension at the surface and normal faulting. Most of the structural features of the earth's crust find their origin in one of these types of deformation. California offers examples of all of them, and there seems to be some relation between oil accumulation and the type of structure. On the western side of the San Joaquin Valley there has been folding due to compression. Possibly this compression and the heat involved in the deformation has influenced the origin of the great oil fields of this region. On the east side of the valley, where the structures are due to tension following bulging by deep-seated compression, no oil has been found. A more penetrating analysis of the mechanical development of oil-bearing structures is invited in the hope that it may lead to a better understanding of the problems of oil distillation and accumulation.
A fan-type condition for claw-free graphs to be Hamiltonian

Abstract Let G be a 2 -connected claw-free graph of order n . If for each pair of vertices u and v dist (u,v)=3⇒ max (d(u),d(v))⩾(n−4)/2, then G is Hamiltonian.
Cognitive Attributes of Adequate and Inadequate Responders to Reading Intervention in Middle School

No studies have investigated the cognitive attributes of middle school students who are adequate and inadequate responders to Tier 2 reading intervention. We compared students in Grades 6 and 7 rep...
Collective Reaction to Injustice in Intercollegiate Athletics Injustice to Women and Student Athletes as Test Cases

Organizational justice research has suggested that collective action is often necessary to change the distribution of resources. Sheppard, Lewicki, and Minton have identified seven factors that increase the likelihood of collective action. The current study demonstrates that an examination of these seven factors can be useful in explaining why women have been able in recent years to increase their relative share of the resources in intercollegiate athletics. The factors also help explain why the women’s sport teams do not yet receive the same share as the men’s teams. Finally, these factors can be helpful in explaining why student athletes have been largely unsuccessful in increasing their relative share of the resources during a period in which women have experienced some success.
Food insecurity with past experience of restrained eating is a recipe for increased gestational weight gain

Food insecurity is linked to higher weight gain in pregnancy, as is dietary restraint. We hypothesized that pregnant women exposed to marginal food insecurity, and who reported dietary restraint before pregnancy, will paradoxically show the greatest weight gain. Weight outcomes were defined as total kilograms, observed-to-recommended weight gain ratio, and categorized as adequate, inadequate or excessive weight gain based on 2009 Institute of Medicine guidelines. A likelihood ratio test assessed the interaction between marginal food insecurity and dietary restraint and found significant. Adjusted multivariate regression and multinomial logistic models were used to estimate weight gain outcomes. In adjusted models stratified by dietary restraint, marginal insecurity and low restraint was significantly associated with lower weight gain and weight gain ratio compared to food secure and low restraint. Conversely, marginal insecurity and high restraint was significantly associated with higher weight gain and weight gain ratio compared to food secure and high restraint. Marginal insecurity with high restraint was significantly associated with excessive weight gain. Models were consistent when restricted to low-income women and full-term deliveries. In the presence of marginal food insecurity, women who struggle with weight and dieting issues may be at risk for excessive weight gain.
Immunosuppressive activity of the retroviral envelope protein P 15E and its possible relationship to neoplasia.

Type C retroviral infections can cause profound immunosuppression as well as neoplasms. The retroviral envelope protein p15E has both immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory activities which may contribute to the pathogenicity of retroviruses. Murine and human neoplastic cells, not infected with retroviruses, have recently been found to contain p15E like antigens. In this article Ralph Snyderman and George Cianciolo discuss the potential relationship between p15E production, immunosuppression and neoplasia.
Absorption and emission of light in spark-processed silicon

Abstract Spark-processed Si (sp-Si) exhibits blue, green and red photoluminescence at around 385, 525 and 650 nm, depending on the wavelength of excitation. Its optical absorption spectrum reveals bands peaked approximately at 245, 277, 325 and 389 nm. The centers where absorption takes place were modeled as Si and silica clusters in an amorphous SiOxNy matrix using various embedding schemes. Geometry optimizations were applied prior to calculations of the absorption spectra of the clusters. The measured absorption spectrum of sp-Si and calculated absorption spectra were compared. Best agreement is achieved for Si particles embedded in amorphous SiOxNy matrix. The importance of the various embedding schemes is discussed and conclusions for the centers of emission are established.
Immunological and molecular evidence for a membrane-bound, dimeric hydrogenase in Rhodopseudomonas capsulata

Hydrogenase from Rhodopseudomonas capsulata membranes was purified to a specific activity of 37 μmol H2 oxidized·min−1·mg−1. Analysis of the purified hydrogenase by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed major protein-staining bands at 67 and 31 kDa that comigrated with the large and small subunits of Azotobacter vinelandii hydrogenase. Western immunoblots and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in microtiter plates demonstrated that the 67 and 31 kDa proteins in the R. capsulata hydrogenase are immunologically related to the large and small subunits, respectively, of the dimeric hydrogenases purified from A. vinelandii, Rhizobium japonicum, Alcaligenes latus, and Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 (membrane-bound). It is concluded that the photosynthetic microorganism, R. capsulata, contains a membrane-bound, dimeric hydrogenase that is immunologically related to the membrane-bound hydrogenase from the aerobic microorganisms mentioned.
Insurgents, accidental guerrillas and valley-ism: an oral history of oppositional US soldiers' attitudes toward the enemy in Afghanistan

In recent years Western policy towards Afghanistan has been marked by inconsistencies and errors. This article explores United States (US) soldiers' perceptions of the enemy in Afghanistan based on oral history interviews with dissenting combat soldiers who served in the Afghan theatre. By foregrounding soldiers' attitudes towards the enemy, this study includes marginalized voices, often overlooked, that challenge prevailing misconceptions. General David Petraeus, the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan, has argued that significant battlefield decisions are not reserved for generals alone. Petraeus' counterinsurgency programme promotes ‘strategic corporals’ whose decisions hold important consequences. If strategic corporals are involved in military decision-making, it follows that their interpretation of the conflict may also hold strategic implications for the researcher. Soldiers' views of war are not the final, authoritative verdict. However, this article suggests that these strategic corporal...
The androgen receptor of the prostate plasma membrane - an hypothesis

Abstract The hypothesis that the prostatic plasma membrane sodium pump apparatus functions as a non-genomic androgen receptor is based upon a number of its properties: (1) Androgen enhances the uptake of K + into minced rat prostate. (2) Ouabain, a specific inhibitor of Na/K-ATPase activity, strongly opposes the androgenic effect. (3) In non-genomic microsomes, ouabain sensitivity of the enzyme is enhanced by androgen. (4) Kinetic studies show that androgen significantly increases V max , K m and energy of activation of the enzyme. (5) Enzyme, treated with [γ- 32 P]-ATP and then subjected to SDS–PAGE electrophoresis, binds only to its α-subunit, but, if treated with [ 3 H]-DHT, shows isotope binding to the β-subunit. (6) [ 3 H]-ouabain binding to androgenized enzyme is 5.5 times greater than to the non-androgenized enzyme. (7) Treatment of the enzyme with 10 −9 M DHT enhances by 40% the binding of the ouabain derivative, anthroyl ouabain (AO). (8) Fluorescent spectra appears to show that, upon phosphorylation of the androgenized enzyme, there is a 14% approximation of the two subunits to each other. (9) Except for neuroepithelium, only the epithelium of the prostate has apically located Na/K-ATPase. Preliminary work in other labs suggests that the β-subunit of the Na/K-ATPase may be required for establishing the polarity of some epithelial cells.
Diabetes-induced changes in monoamine concentrations of rat hypothalamic nuclei

Streptozotocin-induced diabetes produced marked alterations of monoamine concentrations in several hypothalamic nuclei of male and female rats. Norepinephrine (NE) concentrations were significantly elevated in the median eminence (ME), supraoptic nucleus (SON) and periventricular nucleus (PEVN) in both sexes of diabetic rats. NE concentrations in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and ventromedial nucleus (VMN) of male and female diabetic animals remained unaltered. Serotonin (5-HT) concentrations were increased in PEVN of male and female diabetic rats. No significant changes in hypothalamic dopamine (DA) concentrations were observed. Insulin treatment reversed the diabetes-related changes in monoamine concentrations in most of the nuclei. The significance of these biochemical changes relative to the endocrine and behavioral abnormalities in diabetes is discussed.
Transforming growth factor-beta regulates the expression of luteinizing hormone receptors in ovarian granulosa cells.

In cultured granulosa cells, addition of 1 to 50 ng follicle-stimulating hormone induced a 350-fold rise in luteinizing hormone receptors, while larger amounts of gonadotropin up to 200 ng reduced these receptors to approximately 50% of peak levels. Transforming growth factor-β (16 pM) enhanced the stimulatory actions of low levels of gonadotropin (2.5–10 ng) by 2 to 3-fold, and inhibited the induction of luteinizing hormone receptors by higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (≥50 ng) by 30–50%. The actions of the growth factor were concentration-dependent over the range from 0.8 to 16 pM and included a similar biphasic effect upon gonadotropin-induced cAMP production. Modulation of cAMP formation and luteinizing hormone receptor expression by transforming growth factor-β could influence the ability of the granulosa cell to respond to luteinizing hormone during ovarian follicular maturation and ovulation.
Adult development: Plasticity of stable behavior

Abstract Gerbils in a longitudinal study demonstrated very stable behavior over more than a third of their median lifespan. There was highly significant individual stability of such behaviors as locomotor activity, rearing on the hind legs, latency to jump down from a platform, and marking with the ventral gland for thirteen months of adult life, from six to eighteen months of age. In some of these behaviors, general changes were observed over time, such as increased latency to jump down from a platform. Additionally, brief, outdoor enrichment (one hour a month) resulted in more scent marking than was found in control gerbils. In gerbils tested monthly there was less locomotor activity and rearing on the hind legs than in gerbils tested only once. It was observed that gerbils with a strong tendency to have seizures had more locomotor activity, more rearing, fewer markings, and shorter latency to jump down from a platform than those who rarely seized. Further, when gerbils had a seizure prior to testing, t...
Georgians in Tsarist Russia and in the USSR

Abstract : Should one deny the right to a national statehood to Georgians who 'formed and independent and highly civilized kingdom within the Greco-Roman world when the ancestors of the Russians were still nomads wandering about the draughty steppes'. Should such a nation, despite of her incessant struggle for the nationhood, be denied the right to independent national existence and be classified with 'those numerous small relics of peoples which, after having figured for a longer or shorter period on the stage of history, were finally absorbed as integral portions into one or the other more powerful nations whose greater vitality enabled them to overcome greater obstacles'. This study cannot answer these crucial questions. It has a much more limited objective of pointing out some important factors in relationship between Georgia and Russia - Imperial and Soviet - which would contribute to understanding of the extremely complex and ambivalent problem of national self-determination. To simplify the presentation, this paper is divided into three sections: (1) Georgia and Imperial Russia: (2) Independent Georgian Republic; and (3) Georgia as a Part of the USSR.
Ultrastructural study of degeneration and regeneration in the amphibian tectum

Summary The processes of degeneration and reinnervation in the optic tectum of Xenopus laevis have been detailed by quantitative ultrastructural analysis. The tecta were denervated either permanently, by removing the contralateral eye, or temporarily, by cutting the optic tract. After denervation the total number of synapses decreases rapidly within 4 days to a stable level of about 40% of the original number. Vacated postsynaptic sites are subsequently removed by phagocytosis. When regenerating axons arrive in the tectum they make synaptic contact by inducing new postsynaptic membrane specializations. The ultrastructural sequence of reinnervation by optic axons resembles initial synaptogenesis.
SNARE-Mediated Adhesion Kinetics in Giant Membrane Systems

Giant membrane in vitro systems are powerful and relatively unexplored model systems to probe mechanisms of SNARE-mediated adhesion and fusion. We present results of a joint experimental-modeling study of SNARE-mediated adhesion kinetics of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) with supported bilayers (SBLs). The large size of GUVs allows control of physical parameters such as tension and direct observation of adhesion kinetics unavailable in small unilamellar vesicle (SUV) systems. In the gravity-imposed contact zone between v-SNARE GUVs and t-SNARE SBLs, reflection interference contrast microscopy (RICM) revealed initial membrane separation ∼50 nm, consistent with Helfrich theory predicting intermembrane repulsion from thermal undulations. Tight adhesion in several discrete patches within the contact zone then develops over ∼10 min, with total patch area growing linearly in time. We mathematically modeled the adhesion kinetics, which comprises two stages. (a) Patch nucleation kinetics. Nucleation is limited by the mean membrane separation which exceeds the reach of cognate SNAREs in apposing membranes. Complexation requires fluctuations to bring cognate SNAREs into proximity and the nucleation rate depends on tension and SNARE density. (b) Patch growth. Once nucleated a patch encourages further complexation because the membrane separation is within SNARE reach. We find two classes of patch growth kinetics. (i) Mobile SNARE complexes. Complex osmotic pressure then drives patch growth and patch area grows quadratically in time. (ii) Immobile SNARE complexes. Patches of tightly clustered SNARE complexes are predicted: patch growth, limited by SNARE diffusion, is linear in time. The experimental data are consistent with model (ii). The SNARE complex density in the patch inferred from the areal growth data suggests that complexes were shoulder-to-shoulder as expected in clusters generated by SNARE-SNARE interactions.
On the Semantics of the Subset Principle

Virtually all generative accounts of language development assume that syntactic acquisition is guided by a learnability constraint called the Subset Principle (SP). In essence, SP forces learners to initially select the value of a parameter that generates the smallest possible language. Recent work on the acquisition of semantics suggests that there also are semantic subset problems; therefore, one needs a Semantic Subset Principle (SSP) to solve these problems. This article shows that (a) to the extent that semantic subset problems exist, the SSP is not the correct solution to them and (b) that semantic subset problems most likely do not exist in the first place. These conclusions have important implications for theories of the acquisition of semantic knowledge and for the study of language acquisition more generally. First, they provide a basis for delimiting the class of problems that theories of the acquisition of semantics ought to be responsible for. Second, these conclusions underscore the fact tha...
Assessing the use of Bourdieu's key concepts in the strategy‐as‐practice field

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the elucidation of key concepts in the new field of strategy‐as‐practice, in order to clarify the proper object of inquiry/unit of analysis. It does so by evaluating the degree of incorporation of Pierre Bourdieu's “theory of practice” in the literature. Bourdieu is one of the pioneers of the “practice turn” in sociology.Design/methodology/approach – A summary and graphical framework of the key concepts of Bourdieu's “theory of practice” are developed. A small “theoretical sample” (in the sense used in “grounded theory” methodology) of representative authors and articles in the new field of strategy‐as‐practice is analyzed vis‐a‐vis the developed framework to probe and evaluate the degree of inclusion of Bourdieu's key concepts in the literature.Findings – The incorporation of Bourdieu's key concepts is very limited and sometimes misinterpreted. His concept of “habitus” is generally cited, but its collective implications are not emphasized and neithe...
Production Flexibility, Stochastic Separation, Hedging, and Futures Prices

We study a dynamic model where uncertainty about interim output adjustments causes producers to face price, cost and output uncertainty. Stochastically separable production decisions are independent of the producer's risk preferences and expectations and are based on the prevailing futures price as a certain output price. Conditions under which futures contracts achieve stochastic separation are established. Optimal hedging and maturity structure of futures contracts, equilibrium futures prices, and the effects of futures trading on output are studied. The systematic risk premium depends on the product of the futures beta and the covariance of the market return with production revenues. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Data dependence analysis on multi-dimensional array references

An efficient and precise data dependence analysis is the key to the success of a parallelizing compiler because it is required in almost all phases of the parallelism detection and enhancement in such compilers. However, existing test algorithms are quite weak in analyzing multi-dimensional array references, which are usually where the parallelism is in most programs.In this paper, a new algorithm, called l-test, is presented for an efficient and accurate data dependence analysis on multi-dimensional array references. It achieves high efficiency and high accuracy at the same time, which is in general not allowed in previous algorithms. This algorithm has been implemented in Parafrase [Wolf82]. Some experimental results are also presented to show its effectiveness.
Physiological implications of the alteration of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase isozyme pools during brain development and aging

Abstract The 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) isozyme pools from brains of fetal, neonatal, young adult (3 months) and aged (30 months) rats were studied using chromatographic and immunological techniques. Also, the changing subunit composition of each isozyme pool was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis on 6% slab gels and by immunoblotting with subunit-specific antibodies. The total PFK activity increased over seven-fold during the 30 days following birth, and the L-type, M-type, and C-type subunits increased approximately 2-fold, 7-fold, and 24-fold, respectively. In the near-term fetal brain and early neonatal brain, the L-type and L-type subunits were the predominant forms and were present in approximately equal amounts. During the second week of postnatal brain maturation, the levels of the M-type and C-type subunit began to significantly increase. Consequently, during postnatal development, the isozyme pools switched from L-M-rich forms to M-C-rich forms. In aged brain relative to the young adult (3 months) brain, the 20% loss of total activity was associated with 27% and 18% losses of the M-type and C-type subunits, respectively. Examination of the regulatory properties of the various PFK isozyme pools revealed that at the low concentration of fructose-6-P and high level of ATP which are thought to occur in vivo, fructose-2,6-P2 was required for measurable PFK activity. Further, as the proportion of C-type subunit increased during postnatal development, the isozyme pool became increasingly more sensitive to inhibition by ATP and exhibited decreased affinities for fructose-6-P and fructose-2,6-P2. These results are compatible with the increased dependence on glucose as a source of energy during brain development.
Use of Adaptive Polynomials for Real-Time Data Editing

Abstract The National Center for Atmospheric Research has developed a new radiosonde system CLASS (Cross-chain LORAN Atmospheric Sounding System). The sounding data acquired by this system are nonstationary with time dependent mean and variance. Real-time analysis is required to determine winds, pressure, temperature and humidity. Before such computations we must carry out an editing step to remove wild data points or outliers. It is paper presents a new data-editing algorithm using adaptive polynomials. This algorithm is amenable for real-time editing of nonstationary data because of its (i) data-adaptive nature, (ii) computing efficiency, and (iii) simplicity of implementation. Its implementation is demonstrated on a set of pressure data collected by CLASS.
Effects of ash fouling on heat transfer during combustion of cattle biomass in a small‐scale boiler burner facility under unsteady transition conditions

Combustion of cattle biomass (CB) as a supplementary fuel has been proposed for reducing emissions of NOx, Hg, SO2, and nonrenewable CO2 in large coal-fired power plants; however, its high ash content resulted in fouling and slagging problems when the CB was co-fired with coals during small- and pilot-scale tests. Ash depositions during combustion of the CB as a reburn fuel were investigated using a 30 kWt (100 000 Btu h−1) boiler burner facility with water-cooled heat exchangers (HEXs) under unsteady transition conditions and short-term operations. Two parameters were used to characterize the effects of the ash deposition: (1) Overall heat transfer coefficient (U) and (2) Burnt fraction (BF). A methodology was presented and empirically demonstrated for the effects of ash deposition on heat transfer under unsteady transition conditions. Experiments involving ash deposition during reburning the CB with coals were compared with experiments involving only ash-less natural gas. It was found that the growth of the ash layer during reburning the CB and coals lowered the heat transfer rate to water in the HEXs. In low-temperature regions, the thin layer of the ash deposition promoted radiation effects, while the thick layer of the ash deposition promoted the thermal resistance of the ash layer. A chemical analysis of the heavy ash indicated that the BF increased when a larger fraction of the CB was used in the reburn fuels, indicating better performance compared with coal combustion alone. However, the results of ash fusion temperature indicated the ash deposited during combustion of the CB and coals was more difficult to remove than the ash deposited during coal combustion alone. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Growth in economies with non convexities: sunspots and lottery equilibria

We investigate the relation between lotteries and sunspot allocations in a dynamic economy where the utility functions are not concave. In an intertemporal competitive economy, the household consumption set is identified with the set of lotteries, while in the intertemporal sunspot economy it is the set of measurable allocations in the given probability space of sunspots. Sunspot intertemporal equilibria whenever they exist are efficient, independently of the sunspot space specification. If feasibility is, at each point in time, a restriction over the average value of the lotteries, competitive equilibrium prices are linear in basic commodities and intertemporal sunspot and competitive equilibria are equivalent. Two models have this feature: Large economies and economies with semi-linear technologies. We provide examples showing that in general, intertemporal competitive equilibrium prices are non-linear in basic commodities and, hence, intertemporal sunspot equilibria do not exist. The competitive static equilibrium allocations are stationary, intertemporal equilibrium allocations, but the static sunspot equilibria need not to be stationary, intertemporal sunspot equilibria. We construct examples of non-convex economies with indeterminate and Pareto ranked static sunspot equilibrium allocations associated to distinct specifications of the sunspot probability space.
Interleukin-27 expression following infection with the murine gammaherpesvirus 68.

Abstract IL-27 is a heterodimeric cytokine composed of p28 and Epstein Barr virus induced gene 3 (Ebi3) protein subunits. In the present study, we questioned whether murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (HV-68) could induce expression of Ebi3, p28, and IL-27 in this mouse model of an EBV-like infection. Cultured macrophages and dendritic cells exposed to HV-68 upregulated p28 mRNA expression and increased secretion of the p28 and IL-27 (p28 + Ebi3) proteins. B220 + and CD11b + cells also upregulated p28 mRNA expression following in vivo infection with this virus. Surprisingly, no significant increases in p28 or IL-27 protein production were observed in vivo during the acute or mononucleosis phases of the disease. The possibility that HV-68-induced upregulation of p28 mRNA expression primed cells for IL-27 secretion was suggested by the ability of a TLR4 agonist to augment cytokine production. When cultured macrophages and dendritic cells were exposed to virus plus a suboptimal dose of LPS, increased levels of p28 protein expression were observed. More importantly, when latently infected mice were challenged with a sublethal dose of LPS, augmented p28 and IL-27 protein production occurred. Using a model of sepsis, mice latently infected with HV-68 had exaggerated p28 protein production when compared to mice that were singularly infected or subjected to cecal ligation and puncture. Taken together, these studies define expression of HV-68 induced IL-27, and suggest that mice latently infected with this gammaherpesvirus will have exaggerated responses when confronted with other stimuli capable of inducing this member of the IL-12 family of cytokines.
Cell-based interventions for therapeutic angiogenesis: review of potential cell sources:

Alternative therapies are currently being developed to treat patients with chronic limb ischemia who are unable to be revascularized in order to avoid amputation. Cell-based therapy using mononuclear cells is gaining attention as many clinical trials are currently underway. We review cell differentiation along with the different potential cell sources for use in therapeutic angiogenesis.
Modification of the method of polarized orbitals for electron-alkali-metal scattering: Application to e -Li

The method of polarized orbitals is modified to treat low-energy scattering of electrons from highly polarizable systems, specifically alkali-metal atoms. The modification is carried out in the particular context of the $e$-Li system, but the procedure is general; it consists of modifying the polarized orbital, so that when used in the otherwise orthodox form of the method, it gives (i) the correct electron affinity of the negative ion (in this case ${\mathrm{Li}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$), (ii) the proper (i.e., Levinson-Swan) number of nodes of the associated zero-energy scattering orbital, and (iii) the correct polarizability. A procedure is devised whereby the scattering length can be calculated from the (known) electron affinity without solving the bound-state equation. Using this procedure we adduce a $^{1}S$ scattering length of $8.69{a}_{0}$. (The $^{3}S$ scattering length is $\ensuremath{-}9.22{a}_{0}$.) The above modifications can also be carried out in the (lesser) exchange adiabatic approximation. However, they lead to qualitatively incorrect $^{3}S$ phase shifts. The modified polarized-orbital phase shifts are qualitatively similar to close-coupling and elaborate variational calculations. Quantitative differences from the latter calculations, however, remain; they are manifested most noticeably in the very-low-energy total and differential spin-flip cross sections.
On the Dynamics of Rods in the Theory of Kirchhoff and Clebsch

We discuss here the dynamical equations of a theory of elastic rods that is due to Kmcm-ioFF [1, 2] and CL~Bsc~ [3, 4]. This properly invariant theory is applicable to motions in which the strains relative to an undistorted configuration remain small, although rotations may be large. It is constructed to be a first-order theory, i.e., a theory that is complete to within an error of order two in an appropriate dimensionless measure of thickness, curvature, twist, and extension. In a first-order theory of thin rods, one can treat the rod as inextensible, and we do so here at the outset. Thus, at each time t, the arc-length parameter s for the axial curve ~(t) is employed as a material coordinate, i.e., a parameter whose value at a material point is constant in time, and not only the resultant of the shearing forces on a cross section, but also the tension in the rod, are reactive quantities not given by constitutive equations. Consider for a moment a rod that is naturally prismatic and dynamically symmetric, i.e., a rod that in an undistorted stress-free configuration is a cylinder whose directrix, although not necessarily a circle, bounds a figure with equal principal moments of inertia. A motion of the rod is said to be planar and twist-flee, i.e,, a motion of pure flexure, if it is such that ~(t) lies at all times in a fixed plane ~ which contains a principal axis of inertia of each cross section. For such a motion we employ a fixed Cartesian coordinate system on ~, and, for consistency with a discussion of more general motions to be given later in this paper, we call the abscissa z and the ordinate x. We may write FZ(s, t), FX(s, t) for the z- and x-components of the resultant force F at time t on the cross section with arc-length coordinate s. The motion of the rod may be described by giving the (z, x)-coordinates of the points on ~(t) as functions of s and t. With O(s, t) the counterclockwise angle from the z-axis to the tangent of ~(t) at s, we have
‘This we will Maintain’: Gender, Ethno-Nationalism and the Politics of Unionism in Northern Ireland

This paper examines the gendering of unionist national identity in Northern Ireland through an analysis of organizations that are central to unionist politics today. While the commonplace observation that unionist women are ‘tea-makers‘ conveys a critical dimension of the gender order within unionism, it does not fully capture the significance of women's contributions to the establishment or maintenance of unionism. The article analyzes how Stormont constituted an ethno-gender regime, examines unionist women's political engagement during the Stormont era and under direct rule, investigates how the peace process and Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement have affected the unionist ethno-gender order and the gender politics of unionism, and explores the possibilities for political transformation.