cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability of naive judges of genuine suicide notes

Summary.-58 naive judges were reliably different in their ability to distinguish 32 pairs of genuine and simulated suicide notes. Lester (1991) was unsuccessful in finding personality correlates for the ability of naive judges to distinguish between genuine and simulated suicide notes. This raises the possibility that the performance of naive judges may be based on random guessing. In order to explore whether good judges were reliably good, a sample of 32 pairs of genuine and simulated suicide notes obtained from Shneidman and Farberow (1957) were judged by 17 male and 41 female undergraduates (M,,, = 25.2 yr., SD = 7.5) who were enrolled in social science classes. Their scores on the odd and even pairs were compared by calculating a simple Pearson t: The obtained value of 0.58 (two-tailed p<.O01) indicated that the better judges were reliably better. Thus, there may be a valid difference in the ability of naive young adults to distinguish genuine from simulated suicide notes. The basis for the observed difference deserves further exploration.
Water's role in measuring security and stability in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of water in peacebuilding, cooperation and confidence building in the early phases of counterinsurgency operations in Helmand Province from Summer 2009 to Autumn 2010. For post-conflict Helmand to achieve security, it needs water to stabilize population movement, support a change from poppy cultivation to other crops, ensure food security, support public health and generate electricity. However, officials lack critical information that they need to make informed decisions about water, while counterinsurgency efforts and assistance programmes have overlooked the lead role that water can play.
The Benzoin and Shellac turbidity as liver function tests

1. The Shellac and Benzoin Turbidity Liver Function Tests with modifications are described. 2. The results in controls, acute hepatitis, portal cirrhosis, obstructive jaundice and miscellaneous conditions are given. 3. A comparison is made with the thymol turbidity and the cephalin-cholesterol flocculation test. 4. A larger series of cases of obstructive jaundice should be studied to further evaluate the tests.
Management of the Adult, Spastic, Equinovarus Foot Deformity:

Management of the persistent, acquired, neurogenic equinovarus foot may be a confounding rehabilitative dilemma. Victims of cerebrovascular accidents and traumatic brain injury commonly develop this neurogenic deformity. The plantarflexed and inverted foot position results from an imbalance of forces about the hindfoot due to exaggerated muscle tone and hyperactive stretch reflexes. Significant functional impairment may ensue if a plantigrade foot position cannot be achieved and maintained. Surgical correction may be necessary if conservative measures fail. Determination of the dynamic and static components contributing to the equinovarus deformity is difficult. Gait analysis and dynamic electromyographic studies are valuable adjuncts for operative planning. The wide-ranging goals of surgery vary from improving transfer and ambulation skills, to assisting wheelchair positioning, to facilitating use of braces and/or shoe wear.
Following Fungal Melanin Biosynthesis with Solid-State NMR: Biopolymer Molecular Structures and Possible Connections to Cell-Wall Polysaccharides†

Melanins serve a variety of protective functions in plants and animals, but in fungi such as Cryptococcus neoformans they are also associated with virulence. A recently developed solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) strategy, based on the incorporation of site-specific 13C-enriched precursors into melanin, followed by spectroscopy of both powdered and solvent-swelled melanin ghosts, was used to provide new molecular-level insights into fungal melanin biosynthesis. The side chain of an l-dopa precursor was shown to cyclize and form a proposed indole structure in C. neoformans melanin, and modification of the aromatic rings revealed possible patterns of polymer chain elongation and cross-linking within the biopolymer. Mannose supplied in the growth medium was retained as a β-pyranose moiety in the melanin ghosts even after exhaustive degradative and dialysis treatments, suggesting the possibility of tight binding or covalent incorporation of the pigment into the polysaccharide fungal cell walls. In ...
Modeling seasonal solar thermal energy storage in a large urban residential building using TRNSYS 16

Abstract Space heating, primarily using fossil fuels, is a major component of US energy consumption. Seasonal solar thermal energy storage (SSTES) provides a method to store solar thermal energy collected in the summer to use for heating in the colder months. Solar collectors are used to heat a sand bed, which retains its thermal energy through the winter. That energy is then sent into the building via radiant floors for space heating use. A sand-based storage bed SSTES system for a new five story student housing complex at Virginia Commonwealth University is modeled using TRNSYS Version 16 software. A total of 15 simulations of various storage bed locations and configurations as well as building efficiencies are modeled to determine whether a system is feasible for an urban environment. Substantial energy savings are possible within the small footprint required by city lots. Up to 91% of energy for this large building can be provided by the most efficient SSTES system.
The effect of discrete headway and relative velocity information on car-following performance.

An experiment was conducted to test the effect of relative velocity and headway information on car-following performances. A discrete deadband type display was used for each type of information. Those displays signalled for acceleration or deceleration to maintain target headways of both 70 and 200 feet behind a lead car executing random velocity patterns. Test variables were a type of display and deadband tolerances (bandwidth). Results indicated substantial improvement in headway variances at 200 feet. Target distances with the use of displays and relative improvement for both target distances and use of both displays and tighter bandwidths improved car-following performance.
Conformal plasma cathode for surface hardening of steels

Summary form only given. More than 97% of a bipolar plasma sheath current (and 97% of the power) is carried by the electron component. When an anode workpiece is surrounded by a plasma cathode, the entire anode surface can be illuminated with an electron beam having high current density and high energy. This is particularly useful for heat treatment of steels. Since the plasma cathode can conform to the anode shape, electrons emitted from the plasma cathode can be accelerated across the anode sheath and into the anodic workpiece at normal incidence. If all radii of curvature of the workpiece are larger than the sheath thickness (a few mm), the workpiece surface can be almost uniformly and instantaneously heated. Thermal analysis shows that a single, pulsed, electron beam of energy 10/sup 5/-10/sup 6/ eV and current density 100-1000 A/cm/sup 2/ will heat treat carbon steel surface to a depth of /spl sim/1 mm to achieve high hardness. Several conditions must be achieved to form the desired conformal plasma cathode and to accelerate the desired electron beam. One requirement is that the voltage across the anode sheath must be the major component of the total diode voltage. This can be realized in a fully ionized plasma if the ratio of anode sheath to cathode sheath perveance exceeds 30, and the ratio of plasma containment vessel surface area to workpiece surface area exceeds 10. The diode must operate in a dynamic mode so that the anode sheath grows faster than the cathode sheath. A fully ionized plasma is required.
Using volume holograms to search digital databases

Holographic data storage offers the potential for simultaneous search of an entire database by performing multiple optical correlations between stored data pages and a search argument. This content-addressable retrieval produces one analog correlation score for each stored volume hologram. We have previously developed fuzzy encoding techniques for this fast parallel search, and holographically searched a small database with high fidelity. We recently showed that such systems can be configured to produce true inner-products, and proposed an architecture in which massively-parallel searches could be implemented. However, the speed advantage over conventional electronic search provided by parallelism brings with it the possibility of erroneous search results, since these analog correlation scores are subject to various noise sources. We show that the fidelity of such an optical search depends not only on the usual holographic storage signal-to-noise factors (such as readout power, diffraction efficiency, and readout speed), but also on the particular database query being made. In effect, the presence of non-matching database records with nearly the same correlation score as the targeted matching records reduces the speed advantage of the parallel search. Thus for any given fidelity target, the performance improvement offered by a content-addressable holographic storage can vary from query to query even within the same database.
Subwavelength photoresist grating metrology using scatterometry

A precise and accurate technique for the characterization of periodic line/space gratings is presented. The technique, known as scatterometry, derives its sensitivity and robustness from the wealth of information present in diffracted optical radiation. Scatterometry is capable of determining width, height, and overall shape of sub-half micron lines as well as the thickness of underlying thin films. The characterization process consists of three elements: a diffraction measurement apparatus, a model built on calibration data, and a statistical analysis routine that uses the model to correlate empirical data to the unknown parameters of the structure. The measurement technique was evaluated on twenty five wafers fabricated with deliberate deviation in focus, exposure dose, and underlying thin film thickness. Each wafer consisted of developed photoresist lines on an antireflecting layer, placed on layers of polycrystalline silicon on gate oxide on a silicon substrate. Scatterometry was used to simultaneously determine the width and height of the nominal 0.25 micrometers and 0.35 micrometers photoresist lines, as well as the thickness of underlying layers. Comparison of results obtained using reference methods (ellipsometry and scanning electron microscopy) are included.
Coupled Oscillator Dynamics of Vocal Turn-Taking in Monkeys

Summary Cooperation is central to human communication [1–3]. The foundation of cooperative verbal communication is taking turns to speak. Given the universality of turn-taking [4], it is natural to ask how it evolved. We used marmoset monkeys to explore whether another primate species exhibits cooperative vocal communication by taking turns. Marmosets share with humans a cooperative breeding strategy and volubility. Cooperative care behaviors are thought to scaffold prosocial cognitive processes [5, 6]. Moreover, marmosets and other callitrichid primates are very vocal and readily exchange vocalizations with conspecifics [7–11]. By measuring the natural statistics of marmoset vocal exchanges, we observed that they take turns in extended sequences and show that this vocal turn-taking has as its foundation dynamics characteristic of coupled oscillators—one that is similar to the dynamics proposed for human conversational turn-taking [12]. As marmoset monkeys are on a different branch of the evolutionary tree that led to humans, our data demonstrate convergent evolution of vocal cooperation. Perhaps more importantly, our data offer a plausible alternative scenario to "gestural origin" hypotheses for how human cooperative vocal communication could have evolved.
Developmental effects of oxytocin on neural activation and neuropeptide release in response to social stimuli

Previous studies have revealed that the neuropeptide hormone oxytocin (OT) has developmental effects on subsequent social behavior and on mechanisms underlying social behavior such as OT neurons and estrogen receptor α. This suggests that OT might also have developmental effects on neural responses to social stimuli. This was tested in socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) by manipulating OT on the first day of life and then assessing the response to a heterosexual pairing in adulthood. The response to cohabitation was assessed by quantifying neural activation in regions of the brain associated with sociosexual behavior and anxiety using c-Fos immunoreactivity. Additionally, immunocytochemistry was used to label OT and vasopressin neurons and plasma was assayed for both neuropeptides. Treatment effects were evident in females, but not in males. Blockade of OT receptors with an OT antagonist on the first day of life resulted in neural activation of the central amygdala in response to a pairing with a novel male in adulthood. The central amygdala does not normally express c-Fos after a heterosexual pairing in reproductively naive prairie voles. Treatment effects also were observed in vasopressin immunoreactivity in the SON with OT-treated females showing a decrease.
Human brain alpha rhythm: nonlinear oscillation or filtered noise?

The mechanism for generation of the alpha rhythm is controversial. In the current study, analysis in the time and frequency domains revealed that the alpha rhythm recorded from the scalp overlying the human occipital cortex can be entrained to the second or third harmonic of low frequency light flashes. These results support the view that the alpha rhythm is generated by a nonlinear oscillator rather than a narrow-band transmission system acting as a filter.
The Telomerase Database

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that extends DNA at the chromosome ends in most eukaryotes. Since 1985, telomerase has been studied intensively and components of the telomerase complex have been identified from over 160 eukaryotic species. In the last two decades, there has been a growing interest in studying telomerase owing to its vital role in chromosome stability and cellular immortality. To keep up with the remarkable explosion of knowledge about telomerase, we compiled information related to telomerase in an exhaustive database called the Telomerase Database (http://telomerase.asu.edu/). The Telomerase Database provides comprehensive information about (i) sequences of the RNA and protein subunits of telomerase, (ii) sequence alignments based on the phylogenetic relationship and structure, (iii) secondary structures of the RNA component and tertiary structures of various subunits of telomerase, (iv) mutations of telomerase components found in human patients and (v) active researchers who contributed to the wealth of current knowledge on telomerase. The information is hierarchically organized by the components, i.e. the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), telomerase RNA (TR) and other telomerase-associated proteins. The Telomerase Database is a useful resource especially for researchers who are interested in investigating the structure, function, evolution and medical relevance of the telomerase enzyme.
The end of the territorially-sovereign state? The case of crime control in the United States

Abstract Numerous commentators argue that the nation-state is an endangered species. External forces of globalization and internal forces of social differentiation, many suggest, are significantly weakening the state's capacity to regulate its subject population within its jurisdictionally-defined space. Such an argument is often made in the specific case of crime control. The spread of international communications networks and the growth of international policing suggest that single-state crime control efforts will increasingly be insufficient, the growth of private security and community-oriented crime reduction efforts suggest that the state is surrendering crime control to other domestic agencies. This paper examines the specific case of crime control in the United States to argue that the putative weakening of the state is not in fact occurring. When examined more closely, suggested evidence of decreased state power vis-a-vis crime turns out, if anything, to demonstrate the opposite. The analysis demonstrates that, in the American case especially, the state remains startlingly relevant when it comes to efforts to combat crime and maintain order. Because police agencies are bureaucratic institutions that must demonstrate their relevance to ensure their continued health, and because the state's broader legitimacy is linked to the provision of security, the public crime control apparatus promises to remain robust for the indefinite future.
Phytoremediation of arsenic and lead in contaminated soil using Chinese brake ferns (Pteris vittata) and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea)

Field and greenhouse experiments were performed to assess the performance of phytoremediation of arsenic and lead from contaminated soil at an EPA Superfund site (Barber Orchard). Chinese Brake ferns (Pteris vittata) were used to extract arsenic. On average, fern shoot arsenic concentrations were as high as 20 times the soil arsenic concentrations under field conditions. It was estimated that 8 years would be required to reduce the acid-extractable portion of soil arsenic to safe levels (40 mg/kg). The effect of soil pH on arsenic extraction was also investigated. Results indicate that increasing soil pH may improve arsenic removal. Indian mustard plants (Brassica juncea) were used under greenhouse conditions to phytoextract soil lead. EDTA was applied to soil and was found to improve lead extraction. When the EDTA concentration was 10 mmol EDTA/kg soil in soil containing 338 mg Pb/kg soil, mustard plants extracted approximately 32 mg of lead. In conclusion, phytoremediation would be a suitable alternative to conventional remediation techniques, especially for soils that do not require immediate remediation.
Size, Mass, and Caloric Content of Particulate Organic Matter in Old-Field and Forest Soils

Particulate organic matter of various size fractions larger than 44 P. in diameter was extracted from old-field and forest soils by flotation in aqueous solutions of magnesium sulfate. Extracted ash-free organic material comprised about 0.6% of the dry weight of both soils and from 15-20% of all the organic matter present in the soils. Particulate organic matter less than 44 V. in size accounted for 70% of the organic matter, the remaining 10-15% being water soluble. In the old-field soil, a direct relationship existed between caloric values and particle sizes with the exception of particles between 44-105 P. in size. Relationships between size and energy content of organic particles in the forest soil were not as clearcut, since several smaller size components in the upper 10 cm of the soil had greater caloric contents than larger sizes. The data are discussed in relation to decomposition processes and heterotrophic production in soil ecosystems.
Volume changes in the mushroom bodies of adult honey bee queens.

The volume of the mushroom bodies of the brains of honey bee queens (Apis mellifera) was estimated using the method of Cavalieri. Tissue sampled was obtained from queens in five different behavioral and reproductive states: 1-day-old virgin queens, 14-day-old virgin queens, 14-day-old instrumentally inseminated queens, 9- to 13-day old naturally mated queens, and 5-month-old naturally mated queens. There were significant volume changes within the mushroom bodies during the first 2 weeks of adult life. The volume occupied by the somata of the intrinsic neuronal population (Kenyon cells) of the mushroom bodies decreased by approximately 30% and the volume of the neuropil of the mushroom bodies increased between 25 and 50%. These volume changes are strikingly similar to those previously reported to occur for worker honey bees switching from hive activities to foraging (Withers, Fahrbach, and Robinson, 1993). However, in this study they were found even in queens that had no flight experience. In addition, queens exhibiting these volume changes were found to have low blood levels of juvenile hormone, while previous studies have shown that foraging worker honey bees have high hormone levels. These results suggest that some aspect of behavioral development common to both the queen and the worker castes is fundamental to protocerebral volume changes early in adulthood in honey bees. If juvenile hormone regulates this process, results from queens suggest that it may play an organizational role.
Social coordination without communication in multi-agent territory exploration tasks

In the recent past, several different methods for coordinating behavior in multi-robot teams have been proposed. Common to most of them is the use of communication to coordinate behavior. For many practical applications, however, communication might not be an option (e.g., because of energy constraints of embedded platforms, limited communication range of wireless transmitters, security risks of potential interception of messages in hostile territory, etc.).In this paper we examine low-complexity, low-cost strategies without communication for coordinated agent behavior. Specifically, we investigate the utility of a "social preference mechanism" and a "pairing mechanism" in territory exploration tasks, where agents have to explore their environment to find and visit k checkpoints, which only count as "visited" when n agents are present at them at the same time. Experimental results indicate that pairing is the better strategy, raising interesting questions about tradeoffs between agent complexity and group size (e.g., whether fewer, more expensive agents with the ability to visit checkpoints individually are a better choice than more less expensive agents).
HLA-C locus antigens in HLA-B27 associated arthritis.

Frequecies of the HLA-C locus antigens, Cw 1, Cw2, Cw3, and Cw4, were determined in 88 patients with spondylitic diseases and 88 matched and 64 B27-positive normal controls. Both Cw1 and Cw2 were significantly increased in B27-positive patients and B27-positive controls as compared to B27-negative patients and matched controls. Cw1 and Cw2 demonstrate strong linkage disequilibrium with B27. Their absence in B27-negative patients suggests disease susceptibility is related to HLA-B.
Mucosal polyamine measurements and colorectal cancer risk

Polyamines are short-chain aliphatic amines required for normal cellular growth that are ubiquitously found in all living tissues. Polyamine content has been shown to correlate with cellular proliferation. Quantitation of polyamines may thus provide a biochemical measure of proliferation in the colorectal mucosa where dysregulated epithelial proliferation is associated with colorectal cancer risk. A case-control study was conducted to validate the hypothesized association between mucosal polyamine measurements and colorectal cancer risk. Polyamines were measured in 4–6 multiple rectal mucosal biopsies from 11 normal control subjects and seven case patients with colon cancer. Compared with the controls, mean polyamine measurements, after adjustment for age and sex, were significantly increased for spermidine (P < 0.003) and spermine (P < 0.017). Subsequent analyses indicated that in controls 1–4 biopsies appeared adequate to characterize an individual. However, mucosal polyamines in the cases exhibited more sampling variability, requiring 4–8 biopsies to achieve an acceptable level of reliability. After adjustment for age and sex, the odds ratios for spermidine and spermine levels, compared to the controls, were 4.8 (95% confidence interval: 1.6–33.7) and 2.3 (1.2–6.3), respectively. The results of this study indicate that increases of mucosal polyamine measurements, after taking the sampling and methodological variability into account, are significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk, and suggest that polyamine measurements in rectal mucosa may play an important role as biomarkers for identifying high-risk individuals and/or for using as intermediate endpoints in prevention trials. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The positioning of ciliary organelles in hypotrich ciliates.

SYNOPSIS It is commonly observed in hypotrichs that new ciliary rudiments arise directly from or in close juxtaposition to certain pre-existing ciliary elements. Oral primordia often are initiated near specific cirri, cirral rudiments frequently arise as a result of the disaggregation of certain old cirri, and new dorsal ciliature is formed within pre-existing ciliary rows. In the first 2 situations it has been demonstrated experimentally that neither the old ciliature in question nor the specific cortical site marked by that ciliature is essential for the appearance of the new cirral rudiment. The experimental analysis done thus far suggests that the positions of oral and cirral primordia are determined by interacting gradients established in relation to certain reference points. The nature of the reference points is not fully elucidated; in some cases at least these points appear to be more closely related to topographic features of the cell than to specific pre-existing cortical structures. In the dorsal ciliary rows of Euplotes new ciliary units are formed usually and perhaps invariably in close proximity to old ones, and are generally oriented along the axis of the pre-existing row. The result is a tendency to perpetuate the preexisting row number across cell generations. Changes in row number, however, can occur as a result of occasional formation of new units at right angles to the row, a process that is much enhanced in certain homozygous segregants (basal body deficient). The optimal row number (stability range) as well as the number of ciliary units are under genic control. In addition, the spatial pattern of distribution of ciliary units among rows is invariant in all of the material examined. This pattern is presumed to result from an underlying field whose geometry is independent of both the number of units and the number of rows.
OBSERVATIONS ON TEXTURE MEASUREMENT OF RAW CUCUMBERS WITH THE FRUIT PRESSURE TESTER

Raw fruit of a ‘firm’ (Explorer) and a ‘soft’ (Green F) cucumber cultivar were puncture tested with the Magness-Taylor fruit pressure tester (FPT) manually, and also with the FPT or only FPT tip mounted in the Instron. Puncture-values for flesh only were 70–75 % of those for intact fruit. Neither the cucumber size (1–2.5 in. diam) nor the test speed (5–50 cm min-1) appreciably affected the puncture test values.
Multiparameter models and statistical uncertainties

Abstract When more than one parameter is found by a least-squares calculation, the statistical uncertainties of the parameters are generally interdependent. If the uncertainty of one such parameter is quoted as a confidence interval based on the standard error estimate of that parameter and the Student t-statistic, this interval tends to be an underestimate. A suggestion is made to quote more conservative parameter uncertainties as the extreme points on the 95% joint confidence ellipsoid and it is shown that these joint parametric uncertainties are easily calculated from the standard error estimates. Both linear and nonlinear multiple regression are discussed. Nonlinear parameter uncertainties are found after an iterative search for the minimum sum-of-squares of residuals; searches by the Gauss and simplex methods are considered. A joint parametric uncertainty calculation is illustrated by a four-parameter nonlinear regression involving a pH potentiometric titration.
Automated Conflict Avoidance in Multi-user CAD

The NSF Center for e-Design, Brigham Young University (BYU) site has re-architected Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools enabling multiple users to concurrently create, modify and view the same CAD part or assembly. This technology allows engineers, designers and manufacturing personnel to simultaneously contribute to the design of a part or assembly in real time, enabling parallel work environments within the CAD system. Such systems are only as robust as their methods for managing conflicts (i.e. simultaneous edits of the same feature by multiple users). A heavy-handed conflict prevention would limit collaborative freedom. This paper discusses an automated feature reservation method which prevents multiple users from simultaneously editing the same feature. The method is implemented in a commercial CAD system. Results show that this methodology prevents data inconsistency that results from feature/self conflicts. This system prevents CAD modeling conflicts, while providing an agile user experience within t...
Transversely isotropic sequentially laminated composites in finite elasticity

Abstract A general expression for the energy-density function of sequentially laminated composites is derived. For the class of neo-Hookean composites in the limit of small deformations well-known results for linear transversely isotropic composites are recovered. However, it is shown that under large deformations these composites are not isotropic. Transversely isotropic composites are obtained with sequentially-coated composites in which the next rank composite is constructed by lamination of the previous composite with thin layers of the matrix phase. The transverse behavior of this sequentially-coated composite is neo-Hookean with shear modulus in the form of the Hashin–Shtrikman bounds for the corresponding class of linear composites. Comparison of the behaviors of these composites with recent estimates for transversely isotropic composites reveals good agreement up to relatively large deformations and volume fractions of the inclusion phase.
Plasma-wakefield acceleration of a positron beam

Plasma-wakefield excitation by positron beams is examined in a regime for which the plasma dynamics are highly nonlinear. Three dimensional particle-in-cell simulations and physical models are presented. In the nonlinear wake regime known as the blowout regime for electrons, positron wakes exhibit an analogous "suck-in" behavior. Although analogous, the two wakefield cases are quite different in terms of their amplitudes, wavelengths, waveforms, transverse profiles, and plasma density dependence. In a homogenous plasma, nonlinear positron wakes are smaller than those of the corresponding electron case. However, hollow channels are shown to enhance the amplitude of the positron wakes.
Gonadotropic Activity of Ant. Pituitary of the Finback Whale

SummaryThree samples of acetone dried whale anterior pituitary and 40% alcohol extracts thereof were assayed in normal and hypo-physectomized female rats. In the first sample, only the presence of FSH could be demonstrated, no interstitial cell stimulating, luteinizing, antagonistic or thyrotropic activity was observed at the dose levels employed. Samples II and III showed the presence of both FSH and ICSH, concurrently with luteinizing, antagonistic and thyrotropic activity. Sample II was also tested for adrenotropic activity and it was found that this factor was present. The gonado-tropic activity of 40% alcohol extracts of samples II and III is of the same order as that of similar preparations obtained from sheep and pig pituitary. The absence or presence of the multiple properties of the LH (ICSH) factor agrees with our assumption that they are due to one principle only.
Fibroblast growth factor homologous factor 1B binds to the C terminus of the tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channel rNav1.9a (NaN)

In this study we demonstrate a direct interaction between a cytosolic fibroblast growth factor family member and a sodium channel. A yeast two-hybrid screen for proteins that associate with the cytoplasmic domains of the tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channel rNa(v)1.9a (NaN) led to the identification of fibroblast growth factor homologous factor 1B (FHF1B), a member of the fibroblast growth factor family, as an interacting partner of rNa(v)1.9a. FHF1B selectively interacts with the C-terminal region but not the other four intracellular segments of rNa(v)1.9a. FHF1B binds directly to the C-terminal polypeptide of rNa(v)1.9a both in vitro and in mammalian cell lines. The N-terminal 5-77 amino acid residues of FHF1B are essential for binding to rNa(v)1.9a. FHF1B did not interact with C termini of two other sodium channels hNa(v)1.7a (hNaNE) and rNa(v)1.8a (SNS), which share 50% similarity to the C-terminal polypeptide of rNa(v)1.9a. FHF1B is the first growth factor found to bind specifically to a sodium channel. Although the functional significance of this interaction is not clear, FHF1B may affect the rNa(v)1.9a channel directly or by recruiting other proteins to the channel complex. Alternatively, it is possible that rNa(v)1.9a may help deliver this factor to the cell membrane, where it exerts its function.
Composite Hydrogels for Sustained Release of Therapeutic Agents

The goal of this research is to develop a composite hydrogel system for sustained release of therapeutic agents. The hydrogel composites were prepared by embedding drug‐loaded, biodegradable poly (DL‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles in semicrystalline hydrogels of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The gels were physically cross‐linked by the formation of the crystallites. The presence of the crystallites and the composite nature of the structure were confirmed by using differential scanning calorimetry and ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy. The distribution of microparticles in the hydrogel matrix was evaluated by using confocal laser scanning microscopy with coumarin‐6 as a fluorescence marker. The numbers of particles in the hydrogel matrix increased along the scanning depth, indicating uneven distribution. The release behavior of a model therapeutic agent, hydrocortisone, was evaluated, and the hydrogel composite system provided for better control of release than the microparticles and hydrogels alone. The addit...
Mixed Gas Helium/Argon Low-Power/Reduced-Pressure ICP as a Tunable Ionization Source for the Mass Spectrometric Detection of Organotin Compounds

Quantitative and qualitative mass spectrometric results have been obtained for organotin compounds introduced into a mixed gas He/Ar low-power/reduced-pressure (LP/RP) inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Molecular fragmentation of 10 mg kg-1 of tetraethyltin (TET), introduced by gas chromatography (GC), with respect to pressure and mixed gas composition of the LP/RP-ICP was observed. Detection limits for the organotin compounds introduced into an LP/RP-He/Ar ICP at the pressure producing the optimum analyte signal were in the low picogram range. The source demonstrated
Response of turnips to chronic doses of ozone in open-top field chambers

Turnips Brassica rapa L., were exposed to chronic doses of ozone (O3) by adding different amounts of O3 for 7 h a day to non-filtered air in open-top field chambers. One cultivar (Tokyo Cross) was tested in 1979 and four cultivars (Tokyo Cross, Shogoin, Purple Top White Globe and Just Right) in 1980. Ambient levels of O3 usually did not affect shoot or root weight in either year. In 1979, seasonal mean O3 levels greater than ambient caused greater percentage growth decreases of Tokyo Cross plants grown in the ground than for plants grown in 3·8 litre pots. In 1980, 7 h a day exposures from 20 October to 14 November to levels as high as 0·16 ppm caused some chlorosis on a few of the oldest leaves of all cultivars. No O3 was added from 15–17 November because the weather was cold, overcast and rainy. Exposures to O3 concentrations of 0·09 or 0·11 ppm for 3·5 h on the afternoon of 18 November caused severe foliar necrosis on all expanded leaves of all cultivars. The Weibull survival function was used to predict root weight decreases at different seasonal 7 h a day mean O3 levels using 0·025 ppm O3 as the control. Predicted percentage root weight losses for the four cultivars combined at seasonal O3 levels of 0·04, 0·06 and 0·08 ppm were 7, 24 and 47%, respectively.
The Interplay between Cell Motility and Proteolysis in the Establishment of Brain Metastasis

Cells actively respond to the mechanical signals received from the extracellular matrix (ECM) milieu. Reciprocally, cells can also modify the chemical and physical composition of the ECM via coordinated motility and proteolysis. Tumor cells actively remodel their microenvironment during colonization of distant organs. Here, we sought to understand the mechanisms that allow for successful brain metastasis. Using 3D in vitro models, we determined that there are phenotypic differences between brain tropic cells and those that metastasize to other organs. We visualized the morphogenetic program of the cells to determine if a specific type of cell motility is necessary for successful colonization.
Detection of motion through susceptibility fields in two-dimensional exchange diffusive–MASS experiments

Abstract We show that the off-diagonal coherence peaks in two-dimensional Fourier transform NMR spectroscopy of fluids contained in porous media undergoing magic angle sample spinning (MASS) arise from amplitude modulation of the fluid’s magnetization. The amplitude modulation originates from the combined effect of MASS and the molecular diffusion through the inhomogeneous magnetic fields created by the susceptibility contrasts in the porous medium. The magnitude of the off-diagonal peaks provides information on the porous medium’s structural length scales, which give rise to correlation length scales of the magnetic susceptibility.
Development of a Folate Receptor (FR)-Targeted Indenoisoquinoline Using a pH-Sensitive N-Ethoxybenzylimidazole (NEBI) Bifunctional Cross-Linker

This Communication describes the synthesis and evaluation of a folate-conjugated drug delivery system (DDS) that incorporates an acid-sensitive N-ethoxybenzylimidazole (NEBI) bifunctional linker and a novel imidazole-containing indenoisoquinoline. Indenoisoquinolines are a class of TOP1 inhibitors that exhibit broad anticancer activity. Here, we examined whether a DDS that comprised an indenoisoquinoline attached to a folate moiety could help target activity to cancer cells that naturally overexpress the folate receptor (FR), thereby increasing the specificity of these compounds. Evaluation of the DDS revealed an 11-fold increased toxicity in folate receptor (FR)-overexpressing cells compared to in FR-knockdown cancer cells. Microscopy studies demonstrate enhanced internalization and localization of the DDS in acidic lysosomal compartments of FR-overexpressing cells, supporting a receptor-mediated mechanism for uptake and activation. Together with control experiments, the results support that the cytotoxic activity of this DDS is dependent on both the presence of the folate group as well as the presence of the acid-sensitive hydrolyzable group. This work represents the first example of a cell receptor-targeted indenoisoquinoline, which could help pave the way for the use of this class of compounds in anticancer therapy.
Expression of cell adhesion molecules in an established and characterized new human renal cell cancer line, CCF-RC7

In order to investigate the importance of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a cell line, designated as CCF-RC7, was established from a human RCC of the clear cell type. CCF-RC7 was passaged over 50 times in vitro for 3 1/2 years. The cell line has an epithelial morphology and a doubling time of 30 h, forming colonies in soft agar with an average efficiency of 10.4% and producing clear cell tumors in athymic nude mice. CCF-RC7 cells have an aneuploid-hypotetraploid karyotype with a modal chromosome number of 82 and rearrangements in chromosomes 9, 12 and 14. Immunohistochemical and flow immunocytometric analyses revealed high expression of ICAM-1 (CD54), and Hermes antigen (CD44), which was significantly upregulated by cytokine and PMA treatment. VLA-4 was expressed on approximately 20% of tumor cells and could not be altered by cytokine or PMA stimulation. High expression of sialyl Lewis X was also demonstrated by immunohistological examination. This newly characterized cell line will serve as a useful model for the study of CAMs during hematogenous metastasis and host defense mechanisms in human RCC.
Mass spectrometric sequencing of proteins. The structure of subunit I of monellin

The amino acid sequence of subunit I of the sweet protein monellin has been completed by gas chromatographic mass spectrometry. A partial acid hydrolyzate was converted to the corresponding mixture of Nω-trifluoroethyl-polyamino alcohol-trimethylsilyl ethers and a total of 55 di- to hexapeptides were identified which could be assembled to a polypeptide chain of 44 amino acids.
An exact solution to the spatial evolution of a carrier and a pair of side-bands in a cubically nonlinear medium

Abstract The propagation of an amplitude modulated signal consisting of a carrier and a single side-band pair in a cubically nonlinear, nondispersive medium is solved exactly using the coupled mode approach. No approximation of undepletion is introduced. We show in the most general conditions the existence of a periodic exchange of energy between the carrier and the side-bands. Other forms of solutions are also found to exist. The steady state solution of the problem is necessarily introduced for a better understanding of the process of energy exchange.
Possible Path of Entry of Cations into Plant Cells

IN a previous publication1 some data were presented which were interpreted as indicating that Rb+ ions move through the plasmalemma of barley root cells on a chain of fixed, negative sites of a macromolecule which probably make up part of a charged pore. The results suggested that this passage of Rb+ through the membrane could be slowed down by less mobile ions like Na+ or Ca++. It was suggested, as a corollary, that if such be the case, the movement of a slow ion on such sites could be accelerated by a fast ion. To test this possibility, absorption rates of sodium-24 in the presence of a fast ion, such as K+, were compared with those in the presence of a slower ion like Na+.
Luminescence properties of highly purified acetophenone

Abstract Acetophenone is found to exhibit no prompt fluorescence at the 10−6 quantum yield level when purified by fractional distillation and a double GC preparation. The emission observed is primarily room temperature, solution phosphorescence and the solvent blank. A classical analysis of 77 K phosphorescence data supports and n→π∗ triplet assignment with polar solvents and a π→π∗ assignment with very non-polar solvents.
CT and MR Imaging of Progressive Dural Involvement by Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis

We present a patient with progressive dural calcifications, thickening, and enhancement presumably related to the development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). Head CT demonstrated progressive dural calcifications, whereas MR imaging demonstrated progressive dural thickening and enhancement during a 3-year period in which the patient received several gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging studies. To the best of our knowledge, dural calcifications are the only described intracranial finding of NSF.
Imaging and localized spectroscopy of 13C by polarization transfer

The biological applications of 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy are well known ( 1-5). Recently, there was evidence (6-9) suggesting that the citrate peak in the 13C spectrum may be useful as a marker for human prostate cancer. It was found in human prostate that the citrate concentration is small in the normal gland, negligible in ma lignant tumors (8)) and increased markedly in tissues with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) (8, 9). Wh ile this evidence suggests citrate as possibly a specific marker for ma lignant prostatic tumor and BPH, it also underscores the problem in applying NMR spectroscopic techniques without localization under in vivo conditions where prostatic ma lignancy is often, if not always, accompanied by BPH. There are two possible solutions to the above problem. One is through mu ltidimensional chemical-shift imaging ( 10, I I ) and the other, localized spectroscopy. For carbon, either one of these two approaches presents many challenging problems. F irst, one must deal with the problem of low sensitivity and long T1. Second, because carbon has a low y, one needs four times as much gradient strength in imaging or localization of carbon as that of hydrogen. Third, since carbon has large chemical shifts, it is often difficult to separate the spatial from the spectral information. By using polarization transfer techniques, such as INEPT ( 12,13) or DEPT ( 14,15), the problems associated with low y nuclei, such as carbon, are converted into those of protons which are much easier to solve. Recently this idea was exploited by Norris et al. ( 16)) who applied a one-dimensional ISIS sequence ( 17) on the protons for the localization of carbon. In this Communication, we will demonstrate an alternative technique of carbon selection based on the idea ment ioned above and the conventional p lane excitation method commonly used in proton imaging. In this scheme, plane selection of carbon is obtained by selective proton enhancement. We will also demonstrate that one can gain a similar type of enhancement in carbon imaging by applying phase encoding on the proton, instead of the carbon, polarization. We shall call this an indirect spinwarp method. F igure 1 shows the method of localization of carbon by selective enhancement through excitation of hydrogen. The RF section of the pulse sequence in F ig. 1 is a DEPT sequence with a shaped proton 7r/2 pulse. Since the phase-cycl ing scheme of the DEPT sequence is so designed that only the proton-enhanced nuclei are observed
Evolution of Brains and Behavior for Optimal Foraging: A Tale of Two Predators

Star-nosed moles and tentacled snakes have exceptional mechanosensory systems that illustrate a number of general features of nervous system organization and evolution. Star-nosed moles use the star for active touch—rapidly scanning the environment with the nasal rays. The star has the densest concentration of mechanoreceptors described for any mammal, with a central tactile fovea magnified in anatomically visible neocortical modules. The somatosensory system parallels visual system organization, illustrating general features of high-resolution sensory representations. Star-nosed moles are the fastest mammalian foragers, able to identify and eat small prey in 120 ms. Optimal foraging theory suggests that the star evolved for profitably exploiting small invertebrates in a competitive wetland environment. The tentacled snake’s facial appendages are superficially similar to the mole’s nasal rays, but they have a very different function. These snakes are fully aquatic and use tentacles for passive detection of nearby fish. Trigeminal afferents respond to water movements and project tentacle information to the tectum in alignment with vision, illustrating a general theme for the integration of different sensory modalities. Tentacled snakes act as rare enemies, taking advantage of fish C-start escape responses by startling fish toward their strike—often aiming for the future location of escaping fish. By turning fish escapes to their advantage, snakes increase strike success and reduce handling time with head-first captures. The latter may, in turn, prevent snakes from becoming prey when feeding. Findings in these two unusual predators emphasize the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for understanding the evolution of brains and behavior.