cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Developmentally-regulated sodium channel subunits are differentially sensitive to alpha-cyano containing pyrethroids.

Abstract Juvenile rats have been reported to be more sensitive to the acute neurotoxic effects of the pyrethroid deltamethrin than adults. While toxicokinetic differences between juveniles and adults are documented, toxicodynamic differences have not been examined. Voltage-gated sodium channels, the primary targets of pyrethroids, are comprised of α and β subunits, each of which have multiple isoforms that are expressed in a developmentally-regulated manner. To begin to test whether toxicodynamic differences could contribute to age-dependent deltamethrin toxicity, deltamethrin effects were examined on sodium currents in Xenopus laevis oocytes injected with different combinations of rat α (Nav1.2 or Nav1.3) and β (β1 or β3) subunits. Deltamethrin induced tail currents in all isoform combinations and increased the percent of modified channels in a concentration-dependent manner. Effects of deltamethrin were dependent on subunit combination; Nav1.3-containing channels were modified to a greater extent than were Nav1.2-containing channels. In the presence of a β subunit, deltamethrin effects were significantly greater, an effect most pronounced for Nav1.3 channels; Nav1.3/β3 channels were more sensitive to deltamethrin than Nav1.2/β1 channels. Nav1.3/β3 channels are expressed embryonically, while the Nav1.2 and β1 subunits predominate in adults, supporting the hypothesis for age-dependent toxicodynamic differences. Structure-activity relationships for sensitivity of these subunit combinations were examined for other pyrethroids. Permethrin and tetramethrin did not modify currents mediated by either subunit combination. Cypermethrin, β-cyfluthrin, esfenvalerate and fenpropathrin all modified sodium channel function; effects were significantly greater on Nav1.3/β3 than on Nav1.2/β1 channels. These data demonstrate a greater sensitivity of Nav1.3 vs Nav1.2 channels to deltamethrin and other cyano-containing pyrethroids, particularly in the presence of a β subunit.
Day or Night Activity Recognition From Video Using Fuzzy Clustering Techniques

We present an approach for activity state recognition implemented on data collected from various sensors—standard web cameras under normal illumination, web cameras using infrared lighting, and the inexpensive Microsoft Kinect camera system. Sensors such as the Kinect ensure that activity segmentation is possible during the daytime as well as night. This is especially useful for activity monitoring of older adults since falls are more prevalent at night than during the day. This paper is an application of fuzzy set techniques to a new domain. The approach described herein is capable of accurately detecting several different activity states related to fall detection and fall risk assessment including sitting, being upright, and being on the floor to ensure that elderly residents get the help they need quickly in case of emergencies and ultimately to help prevent such emergencies.
The future of microsensor and microactuator design

Abstract While there have been diverse and astonishing advances in the development of technologies and device concepts for microsensors and microactuators, it is still largely true that the creation of a new device is a research and development project instead of a design project. This paper examines the future of microsensors and microactuators from the perspective of the designer — someone who seeks to take an idea and, with the aid of suitable modeling and simulation tools, create a design for building the device in a specified process which can be expected to work successfully after the first fabrication run.
Membrane processes associated with the osmotic-pulse incorporation of inositol hexaphosphate.

Abstract In previous studies (Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 144, 779–786 (1987); Prog. Clin. Biol. Res. 292, 65–75 (1989)), we showed that inositol hexaphosphate (IHP), when added to erythrocyte membrane ghosts in the range 0.6–2.5 mM, caused a large disruption of skeletal protein-protein interactions as monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance techniques. IHP incorporated into intact cells by an osmotic-pulse method (J. Cell. Physiol. 129, 221–229 (1986)) leads to cells with markedly decreased oxygen affinity. Exposure of the red cells to higher levels of IHP during the osmotic pulse leads to less lysis and more normal cellular indices after healing of the transiently-disrupted membrane (J. Lab. Clin. Med. 113, 58–66 (1989)). In order to determine what effect higher levels of IHP had on skeletal proteins and bilayer lipids of membrane ghosts spin labeling studies were performed. The main findings were: (a) There was a concentration-dependet alteration in skeletal protein interactions. At concentrations greater than 25 mM IHP, the effectiveness of IHP to disrupt skeletal protein interactions was diminished. (b) No apparent alteration of te motion or order of phospholipids or the lipid water interface of intact cells into which IHP was incorporated occurred, suggesting that higher levels of IHP do not alter the physical state of the lipid bilayer.
P-[18F]-MPPF: a potential radioligand for PET studies of 5-HT1A receptors in humans.

The purpose of this study was to develop a radiopharmaceutical that could be used to selectively image 5-HT1A receptors with positron emission tomography (PET) No-carrier-added 4-(2′-methoxyphenyl)-1-[2′-(N-2′-pyridinyl)-p-[18F]fluorobenzamido]ethylpiperazine (p-[18F]-MPPF, 2) was synthesized by the nucleophilic substitution of the corresponding nitro precursor 1 with K[18F]/Kryptofix 2.2.2. in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 140°C for 20 min followed by purification with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in 10% yield in a synthesis time of 90 min from end of bombardment (EOB). Specific activity was 1–4 Ci/μM. Biodistribution studies in rats showed that the initial uptake of 2 in the brain was high (0.7% dose/g tissue at 2 min). It was then rapidly eliminated. Rates of elimination were significantly slower in brain regions with high concentrations of 5-HT1A receptors (hippocampus, cortex, and hypothalamus) than in control regions. The maximum hippocampal/cerebellar ratio was 5.6:1 at 30 min postinjection. Uptake values in serotonergic, but not in control, regions were significantly reduced by prior treatment with either (±)-8-OH-DPAT (2 mg/kg, i.v., 5 min prior) or WAY 100635 (1 mg/kg, i.v., 5 min prior). Radioactivity in the femur did not increase with time, suggesting that in vivo defluorination may not be the major route of metabolism. PET studies of 2 in a monkey demonstrated selective uptake and retention of 2 in the hippocampus. The hippocampal/cerebellar ratio was 3:1 at 30 min postinjection. The ratio was reduced to 1:1 by administering (±)-8-OH-DPAT (2 mg/kg, i.v.) 23 min postinjection of 2. Analyses of arterial plasma by HPLC revealed that 20% of radioactivity in the plasma remained as the parent compound 2 at 30 min postinjection. The results suggest that p-[18F]-MPPF may be a useful radioligand for studying cerebral 5-HT1A receptors in humans with PET techniques. Synapse 25:147–154, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
11,12-Epoxy-9,10,11,12-tetrahydro-5,9,10-trihydroxybenzo[b]fluoranthene: Its Role in the Metabolic Activation of B[b]F in Mouse Skin

Abstract The skin tumor-initiating activity of benzo[b]fluoranthene (B[b]F), 9,10-dihydro-5,9,10- and 6,9,10-trihydroxybenzo[b]fluoranthenes (5- and 6-OH-B[b]F-9,10-diols) is reported in the present study. DNA adduct formation with B[b]F and the synthetic reference standards, 9,10-dihydro-9,10-dihydroxybenzo[b]fluoran-thene (B[b]F-9,10-diol), 5-OH-B[b]F-9,10-diol, 6-OH-B[b]F-9,10-diol, and their respective dihydrpdiol epoxides was investigated using 32P-postlabeling analysis with multidimensional TLC and reverse-phase HPLC. These comparative studies indicate that the genotoxicity posed by B[b]F in mouse skin is primarily due to adduct formation from 11,12-epoxy-9,10,11,12-tetrahydro-5,9,10-trihydroxybenzo-[b]fluoranthene (5-OH-B[b]F-9,10-DE) and a guanylic moiety of DNA.
Anomalous Low-Frequency Raman Scattering from Rough Metal Surfaces and the Origin of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Anomalous, low-frequency Raman scattering from localized acoustic vibrations of roughness features on a metal surface are observed. The observed mode frequency shifts with excitation frequency and with the index of refraction of the surrounding medium. The shifts arise from resonant laser excitation of localized dipolar plasmons. This resonant optical coupling is a key to the phenomenon of enhanced Raman scattering from molecules adsorbed on rough metal surfaces.
Transaction Costs: Discussion

Three very different views of the role of transaction costs in computable general equilibrium (CGE) models are presented in these papers. Transaction costs distinguish urban from rural, town from surrounding villages, and even the household from the surrounding world.' In the world of CGE modelers, the costs of trading goods from one domain to another has long been a matter for experimentation, either by explicitly including both domains or by means of closure rules. In either case the exact costs of transacting from one sphere to another are rarely known and these costs are often crucially important for assessing the impact of proposed policies. The papers presented today all take transaction costs seriously. To trade or not to trade, that is the question, at least in L6fgren and Robinson's paper. The beginning point here is de Janvry, Fafchamps, and Sadoulet's corollary of the law of the second best. They examine the consequences of missing markets for household behavior. If there is no market for some inputs (e.g., credit or labor), then the household's response to a price increase for farm output might be quite low: How can one produce more outputs if more inputs are not to be had? The assumption is a missing market, and the consequences of missing one market are then worked out. L6fgren and Robinson take a different tact. There are endogenous transaction costs for the household. Because of these transaction costs, households might decide not to trade, or they might sell labor or agricultural output. The observed lack of trading in markets is seen as an endogenous decision of the household. This gives rise to a very different set of responses: At first, response is as in de Janvry, Fafchamps, and Sadoulet-the household's output does not respond to price increase. But, as price rises high enough to overcome the transaction costs, the price response becomes large. In a nutshell, the observation of missing markets does not doom peasant households to be nonprice responsive. The paper is notable both for its exploitation of new practical software for handling the inequality constraints that come with Kuhn-Tucker conditions and for its economic contribution. When there are transaction costs, the decision to trade is endogenous to the model. Taylor, Yunez-Naude, and Dyer look at a different set of transaction costs-those be-
Simulation of grana stacking in a model membrane system. Mediation by a purified light-harvesting pigment-protein complex from chloroplasts.

Abstract An isolated light-harvesting pigment-protein complex contains polypeptides which bind chlorophyll a and b . The individual complexes can be purified from detergent-solubilized membranes. The isolated light-harvesting complex, when dialyzed to remove detergents, was examined by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. The material consisted of planar sheets of 80-A subunits which interacted via an edge-to-edge contact. Addition of cations caused the planar light-harvesting complex sheets to become tightly appressed in multilamellar stacks, with distinct subunits still visible within each lamellar sheet. A transition of particle organization from random to crystalline occurred in parallel with the cation-induced lamellar association. Treatment of the dialyzed light-harvesting complex subunits with low levels of the proteolytic enzyme trypsin removed a 2000 molecular weight segment of the major polypeptide of the light-harvesting complex and blocked all subsequent cation-induced changes in structural organization of the isolated light-harvesting complex lamellar sheets. To gain further evidence for mechanisms of cation effects upon the organization of the light-harvesting complex in native membranes, the light-harvesting complex was incorporated into uncharged (phosphatidylcholine) lipid vesicles. The protein complexes spanned the lipid bilayer and were arranged in either a random pattern or in hexagonal crystalline lattices. Addition of either monovalent or divalent cations to ‘low-salt’ (20 mM monovalent cation) vesicles containing light-harvesting complex caused extensive regions of membrane appression to appear. It is concluded that this cation-induced membrane appression is mediated by surface-exposed segments of the light-harvesting complex since (a) phosphatidylcholine vesicles themselves did not undergo cation-induced aggregation, and (b) mild trypsin digestion of the surface-exposed regions of the light-harvesting complex blocked cation-induced lamellar appression. The particles in the appressed vesicle membranes tended to form long, linear arrays of particles, with occasional mixed quasi-crystalline arrays with an angular displacement near 72°. Surface-mediated interactions among light-harvesting complex subunits of different membranes are, therefore, related to changes in structural organization and interaction of the particles within the lipid phase of the membrane. Numerous previous studies have implicated the involvement of the light-harvesting complex in mediating grana stocking in intact chloroplast membranes. The data presented herein provide a simulation of the membrane appression phenomena using a single class of chloroplast-derived membrane subunits. The data demonstrate that specific surface-localized regions of the light-harvesting complex are involved in membrane-membrane interactions.
The marine record of deglaciation of the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica since the Last Glacial Maximum

Abstract The marine geological record of the glacial-retreat history of the South Shetland Islands is derived from the integration of seismic data, core lithofacies, radiocarbon ages and geomorphological data from two study areas. On the northern shelf, we present one of the first published multibeam bathymetric images of the seafloor. This new image combined with descriptions of new and existing short sediment cores and high-resolution seismic data from the continental shelf north of King George Island are used to map a grounding zone wedge that marks the minimum seaward extent of the South Shetland Ice Cap during the Last Glacial Maximum. Seismic data, multibeam bathymetry, and sediment cores from Maxwell Bay, on the opposite side of King George Island, are used to provide further spatial constrains on the history of grounding and retreat of the ice cap along the southern margin of the South Shetland Islands. During the Last Glacial Maximum the South Shetland Ice Cap extended onto the outer continental shelf, some 50 km north of its present location. The ice grounded on the shelf in troughs in present water depths of almost 400 m. It had a minimum thickness of ∼570 m and was also grounded in the deepest part of fjords and straits between the islands. To the south, the ice cap extended seaward of the mouths of fjords and straits to the steep northern boundary of the Bransfield Strait. Sediment eroded from the fjords and straits was deposited in prominent fans that extend into the Bransfield Strait and show evidence for an ice shelf that covered the Bransfield Strait during the Last Glacial Maximum. A long drill core (SHALDRIL) in Maxwell Bay and several jumbo piston cores yielded carbonate material used to constrain the timing and spatial extent of glacial retreat within Maxwell Bay. The oldest glacimarine sediments in the fjord date back to ∼14.1 to ∼14.8 ka and suggest an initial deglaciation earlier than most previous studies of the South Shetland Islands. Upper Maxwell Bay was ice free by 9.1 ka and most of Maxwell Bay proper was ice free by 5.9 ka except for the smaller tributary fjords of Maxwell Bay. These smaller tributary fjords were ice free by 1.7 ka, but may have been ice free earlier but reoccupied by a neoglacial advance that ended approximately 1.7 ka.
Brain calcification in hypoxic-ischemic lesions: An autopsy review

Calcification of ischemic lesions in a child's brain is well recognized by pathologists; however, clinicians and radiologists usually associate cerebral calcification with infections, particularly the TORCH organisms. We illustrate this phenomenon in a 5-month-old infant with extensive, calcified, multicystic encephalomalacia without evidence of a cerebral infection. In order to ascertain the incidence of cerebral calcification in pure hypoxic-ischemic lesions, we retrospectively analyzed 486 consecutive autopsies. Ninety-nine patients had histologic evidence of cerebral hypoxic-ischemic lesions and hypoxia or ischemia. Thirty-nine of these patients displayed microscopic calcification; 23 patients had slight, 12 had minor, and 4 had prominent calcifications. Prominent calcification lesions were large enough to be detected by routine radiologic methods. Correlations between degree of calcification and the underlying disease process and between the gestational age and the length of survival were not statistically significant. This study illustrates the very frequent occurrence of brain calcification in ischemic brain lesions in children. It is necessary to include this diagnosis in the differential diagnosis of cerebral calcification.
The proline-, glycine-, glutamic acid-rich pink-violet staining proteins in human parotid saliva are phosphoproteins

Abstract The major proteins in human parotid saliva, isolated in Fractions II–V following chromatography on Sephacryl S-200, DEAE-Sephadex A-50, or CM cellulose, contain 6 moles of phosphate per mole of protein, the phosphate probably bound to the protein via an ester linkage. This phosphate represents greater than 90% of the protein-bound phosphate in human parotid saliva. Neither purified gustin nor amylase, the two other major proteins in human parotid saliva, contain phosphate.
Consent (assent) for research with pediatric patients

Objectives : To discuss the unique terms and conditions relative to the assent of children and the consent of their parents for research participation, to describe the capabilities of children as they influence understanding of and willingness to participate in research, and to discuss issues related to research participation. Data Sources : Research articles, review articles, clinical experience, and government policies. Conclusions : The participation of children in research is complex. Developmental limitations, the imbalance of power between children and adults, and, in some cases, their compromised health status can influence the willingness of children to participate in clinical research. Implications for Nursing Practice : Health care providers and researchers must be aware of the need of children to have full disclosure and clear descriptions about research in age-appropriate language. Obtaining a child's agreement to participate in research should be carefully planned and implemented.
Balance testing of concussion patients using dual-task interference

Objective To compare the diagnostic utility of balance testing (BT) with a dual-task cognitive challenge to concussion symptom scores (SS). Design Observational clinical trial. Setting Concussion clinic, Sioux Falls, SD, USA. Subjects 18 subjects (12–20 years) diagnosed with a concussion, examined within 10 days of injury and seen for ≥4 visits; 26 healthy, age- and gender-matched controls (BT evaluated 2X). Outcome Measures SS and BT from each clinical visit. Postural stability (AMTI force platform) assessed by velocity (V) of movement and 95% ellipse area (EA) during four BT conditions: eyes open (O), eyes open+cognitive challenge (recite the months of the year backwards; OC), eyes closed (C), and eyes closed+cognitive challenge (CC). Results Concussed group: all tests were abnormal at visit one, with progressive improvement of SS over four visits (mean=35.7, 31.4, 18.5, 10.6) and progressive resolution of postural stability (1.0 SD±normative mean). By visit two, V had resolved in all four conditions; however, all four conditions were still abnormal when measured as EA. By visit three, EA for O, OC, and C tasks returned to normal, while the CC task remained abnormal. By visit four, all BT means had returned to normal. Conclusions Improvements in postural stability coincide (though resolve earlier) with reductions in SS. Although more variable, SS and EA were, more sensitive to abnormality than V. Further validation of this novel methodology may help to establish BT as an effective tool in concussion management and research. Competing interests None.
Serial lateral hypothalamic destruction with various interlesion intervals

Abstract Mature male or female albino rats sustained unilateral lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) destruction, and 30, 60, or 90 days later, sustained destruction of the intact contralateral LHA, thereby producing bilateral LHA destruction (serial 30, 60, and 90). Other rats sustained either simultaneous bilateral LHA destruction (one-stage), two lesions of the same LHA separated by 60 days (multistage), or unilateral LHA damage followed 60 days later by thalamic-hippocampal damage on the side of the brain opposite the original LHA lesion (thalamic). After brain damage, food and water intakes, body weight, and sensorimotor behaviors were measured. The multistage and thalamic rats displayed only minor and short-term deficits on the variables measured. The one-stage bilateral LHA rats were adipsic and aphagic, and displayed body weight loss, sensory neglect, hypoactivity, and gastric pathology. The serial rats (30-, 60-, and 90-day interlesion intervals) also displayed severe and persistent deficits. The serial rats were equivalent to the one-stage rats for duration of adipsia-aphagia, body weight loss, sensory neglect, hypoactivity, and gastric pathology. The results show that bilateral LHA destruction sustained in two operations (separated by 30, 60, or 90 days) produced behavioral deficits equivalent to deficits produced when the LHA was bilaterally destroyed in a single operation.
Project pattern: A methodology for determining relevance in complex decision-making

Numerical planning techniques are rapidly gaining in popularity, urged on by the tremendously increasing complexity of modern decision-making at high government and industrial levels. One of the most promising methodologies, originally intended as an advanced development planning aid, has been developed by Honeywell, Inc. Project PATTERN (Planning Assistance Through Technical Evaluation of Relevance Numbers), staffed from several company divisions by experts representing the corporate technical knowledge, produced a two-volume “scenario” which provides the descriptive material on which value judgments are made and a comprehensive “relevance tree” which records the collective value judgments of the company's representatives on thousands of individual decisions and shows how present-day technology deficiencies are ultimately related to our national objectives of military and scientific preeminence. The “relevance tree,” along with the assigned numerical values on the relevance of each of its elements, has been programmed on computers at several of the company's plants throughout the country to aid in local advanced development program decision-making within the charter of each plant. Provision is made for continually revising the judgments and updating the technology tree.
Who is at risk for prolonged and postterm pregnancy

Objective The objective of the study was to examine risk factors for postterm (gestational age ≥ 42 weeks) or prolonged (gestational age ≥ 41 weeks) pregnancy. Study Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all term, singleton pregnancies delivered at a mature, managed care organization. The primary outcome measures were the rates of pregnancies greater than 41 or 42 weeks' gestation. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to control for potential confounding and interaction. Results Specific risk factors for pregnancy beyond 41 weeks of gestation include obesity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-1.37), nulliparity (aOR, 1.46; 95% CI 1.42-1.51), and maternal age 30-39 years (aOR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.10) and 40 years or older (aOR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.12). Additionally, African American, Latina, and Asian race/ethnicity were all associated with a lower risk of reaching 41 or 42 weeks of gestation. Conclusion Our findings suggest that there may be biological differences that underlie the risk for women to progress to 41 or 42 weeks of gestation. In particular, obesity is a modifiable risk factor and could potentially be prevented with prepregnancy or interpregnancy interventions.
A New Synthesis of Aromatic Dithioesters

Abstract In 1931, Schonberg et al. reported that phenyllithium reacts with 4,4,5,5-tetraphenyl-1,3-dithiolane (1) in ether to give tetraphenylethylene (2); 1 lithium thiophenoxide was later detected as a second product of this reaciton.2 Many years later, Seebach commented upon the instability of 1,3-dithiolane anions, and suggested the following fragementation mechanism for Schonberg's reaction.3
Reactions of epoxy-1,1,2-trichloroethane with nudeophiles

Epoxy-1,1,2-triehloroethane (1) was synthesized by the autuoxidation of trichloroethylene and was characterized. It was shown to react readily with 2-mercaptobenzirnidazole (2), 1 -melhyl-2-mercaptoimidazole (3), p-nitrolhiophenol (4), and 3,4-dichlorolhiophenol (5) forming 2-chloro-2-(benzirnidazole-2-thio)acelie acid (6), 2-ehloro-2-(1-methylirnidazole-2-thio)aeetic acid (characterized as methyl ester (8)), 2-chloro-2-(4-nitrolhiothiophenoxy)-4-nilrophenylthioaeetate (9), and 2-chloro-2-(3,4-dichlorothiophenoxy)-3,4-dichlorophenylthioaeetale (10), respectively. Base hydrolysis of 9 yielded 2,2-di(4-nilrothiophenoxy)acetie acid (11). Adducl 9 decomposed on silica gel yielding p-nitrophcnyldisulfide (12).
Cluster Analysis of the Northern Hemisphere Wintertime 500-hPa Height Field: Spatial Patterns

Abstract Hierarchical cluster analysis based on the method of Ward is performed on the Northern Hemisphere wintertime 10-day low-pass-filtered 500-hPa height field, using the NMC operational analyses for the period 1946–85. Input data are gridded fields at 5-day intervals, a total of 702 maps, each with 445 grid points. The measure of similarity between maps is the squared height difference, averaged over all grid points; that is, the squared “distance” between the maps in multidimensional phase space. The closest two of the 702 maps are merged to form a cluster that, in subsequent calculations, replaces the maps from which it was formed. This procedure (modified slightly, to deal with the differing numbers of maps in the clusters) is repeated 701 times until all the maps have been merged to form a single cluster whose centroid corresponds to the climatological mean map. The two clusters involved in the final merger, the pair of smaller clusters that merged to form each of them, and so on, are represented...
Purification and properties of invertases extractable from Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae mycelia.

Abstract Suspensions of washed mycelia of the fungus Phytophthora megasperma Dreschs. var. sojae A. Hildbrand (Pms) catalyze the hydrolysis of sucrose. This is β-fructofuranosidase (invertase) since sucrose and raffinose (Gal p α1-6-Glc p α1-β2Fru f ) serve as substrates, whereas maltose and 4-nitrophenyl-α- d -glucopyranoside do not. The invertase was extracted from frozen mycelia of Pms race 1 and from race 3 by a combination of mechanical disintegration and treatment with 10 m m dithiothreitol at 40 °C for 1 h. Each of the invertases was purified 156- to 192-fold in yields of 21 to 35% by a combination of procedures which included binding the enzyme to and releasing it from an activated-thiol Sepharose gel. The purified enzymes from both sources give similar isoelectric focusing gel patterns with at least five discrete protein bands in the p I range of 3.6 to 4.2. All of the bands stain positively for glycoprotein and sucrose-hydrolyzing activity. The purified enzymes have protein to carbohydrate ratios of 3.2. Analysis of carbohydrate composition by gas chromatography of the alditol acetates revealed the presence of mannose and glucose as the major components along with smaller amounts of galactose. The proportions of mannose and glucose differ significantly in Pms-1 and Pms-3 preparations. No amino sugars were detected. The pH optimum for the purified enzymes is 6.2 and the K m for sucrose is 1.8 ± 0.3 m m . Although several lines of evidence indicated that the extracted mycelial invertase contains sulfhydryl groups, the free sulfhydryl groups are not essential for activity. Iodoacetamide is not inhibitory and p -chloromercuribenzoate is not inhibitory at 10 μ m or lower concentrations; Cu(NO 3 ) 2 in the range of 1 μ m to 1 m m actually stimulated the activity. The properties of these enzymes are significantly different from those of the invertases purified from the culture fluids of these same races ( E. Ziegler and P. Albersheim, 1977, Plant Physiol. , 59 , 1104–1110).
On the possible geometric structure of baryons

Abstract A phenomenological model of baryons based on a geometrical arrangement of the constituent quarks is investigated. The spectra corresponding to the rotation of a range of possible structures are presented and compared. A qualitative comparison with the observed resonances for the N, Δ and Λ particles indicates that the model can be compatible with the data if, for even the lowest spins, one quark is relatively removed from the remaining pair.
Dystrophic Muscle in Mice Chimeric for Expression of α5 Integrin

α5-deficient mice die early in embryogenesis (Yang et al., 1993). To study the functions of α5 integrin later in mouse embryogenesis and during adult life we generated α5 −/−;+/+ chimeric mice. These animals contain α5-negative and positive cells randomly distributed. Analysis of the chimerism by glucose- 6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) assay revealed that α5 −/− cells contributed to all the tissues analyzed. High contributions were observed in the skeletal muscle. The perinatal survival of the mutant chimeras was lower than for the controls, however the subsequent life span of the survivors was only slightly reduced compared with controls (Taverna et al., 1998). Histological analysis of α5 −/−;+/+ mice from late embryogenesis to adult life revealed an alteration in the skeletal muscle structure resembling a typical muscle dystrophy. Giant fibers, increased numbers of nuclei per fiber with altered position and size, vacuoli and signs of muscle degeneration–regeneration were observed in head, thorax and limb muscles. Electron microscopy showed an increase in the number of mitochondria in some muscle fibers of the mutant mice. Increased apoptosis and immunoreactivity for tenascin-C were observed in mutant muscle fibers. All the alterations were already visible at late stages of embryogenesis. The number of altered muscle fibers varied in different animals and muscles and was often increased in high percentage chimeric animals. Differentiation of α5 −/− ES cells or myoblasts showed that in vitro differentiation into myotubes was achieved normally. However proper adhesion and survival of myoblasts on fibronectin was impaired. Our data suggest that a novel form of muscle dystrophy in mice is α5-integrin-dependent.
Synaptic circuit remodelling by matrix metalloproteinases in health and disease

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are extracellularly acting enzymes that have long been known to have deleterious roles in brain injury and disease. In particular, widespread and protracted MMP activity can contribute to neuronal loss and synaptic dysfunction. However, recent studies show that rapid and focal MMP-mediated proteolysis proactively drives synaptic structural and functional remodelling that is crucial for ongoing cognitive processes. Deficits in synaptic remodelling are associated with psychiatric and neurological disorders, and aberrant MMP expression or function may contribute to the molecular mechanisms underlying these deficits. This Review explores the paradigm shift in our understanding of the contribution of MMPs to normal and abnormal synaptic plasticity and function.
Splitting of the near infrared absorption bands of Sm3+ in POCl3:SnCl4, POCl3:ZrCl4 and POCl3:TiCl4

Abstract The near infrared absorption spectra of Sm3+ in POCl3:SnCl4, POCl3:ZrCl4 and POCl3:TiCl4 consist of a series of bands, attributed to the 6H5/2 → 6FJ transitions. Each one of these absorption bands is split into three components. The extent of splitting differs slightly from state to state. For each component of the 6F-multiplet the splitting decreases gradually from POCl3:SnCl4 to POCl3:ZrCl4 and POCl3:TiCl4. Energy differences between adjacent components of the near infrared absorption bands vary from a maximum of 166 cm−1 to a minimum of 123 cm−1. The band half-widths of the corresponding components vary from 86 to 120 cm−1. At lower temperatures the intensity of the high energy component increases whereas the intensity of the entire absorption band envelope, associated with each component of the 6F-multiplet, remains almost constant. The splitting observed is attributed to the Stark splitting of the 6H5/2-state of Sm3+ into three components, in conjunction with appropriate Stark splitting of the states of the 6F-multiplet.
Deep sequencing study of the MTHFR gene to identify variants associated with myelomeningocele.

INTRODUCTION: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are congenital anomalies caused by a combination of genetic and environmental influences. A defect below the head region resulting in protuberance of meninges and nervous tissue is termed myelomeningocele (MM). MM, the most common NTD compatible with survival, occurs in approximately 1 in 1000 births worldwide. Maternal preconceptional and periconceptional folate supplementation reduces the risk of NTDs by up to 70%. A key enzyme in folate metabolism is 5, 10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). OBJECTIVES: Sequence the 12 exons of the MTHFR gene among 96 subjects with MM to identify variants potentially contributing to the disease trait. METHODS: Exons were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and the products were sequenced with the Sanger method to reveal sequence variants compared to MTHFR reference sequences. Association of variants was examined by Fisher's test. RESULTS: A novel variant c.171+3G>T was identified in intron 1 in one affected subject. The variant was not found in the subject's unaffected mother's DNA, and the unaffected father's DNA was unavailable. We found significant differences in allele frequencies for seven SNPs in MM subjects compared with ethnically matched reference populations reported in the single nucleotide polymorphism database. CONCLUSION: We identified a novel variant c.171+3G>T in the MTHFR gene that potentially affects splicing in an affected subject. In addition, we observed five SNPs (rs13306561, rs2274976, rs2066462, rs12121543, and rs1476413) in the MTHFR gene not previously shown to associate with MM. The current study provides additional evidence that multiple variations in the MTHFR gene are associated with MM. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An integrated system framework for fuel cell-based distributed green energy applications

The environmental pollution and diminishing conventional fuel sources and global warming problems make it more attractive for considering renewables as alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind and micro hydro, etc. Recent advances in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies further facilitate these energy options to supply electrical power to various communities. Hydrogen fuel cell systems coupled with renewable energy sources stand out as a promising solution. This paper presents an integrated system framework for fuel cell-based distributed energy applications. Five components are included in this framework: a physical energy system application, a virtual simulation model, a distributed coordination and control, a human system interface and a database. The integrated system framework provides a means to optimize system design, evaluate its performance and balance supplies and demands in a hydrogen assisted renewable energy application. It can either be applied to a distributed energy node that fulfills a local energy demand or to an energy-network that coordinates distributed energy nodes in a region, such as a hydrogen highway. The proposed system framework has been applied in the first phase of our multi-phases project to investigate and analyze the feasibility and suitability of hydrogen fuel assisted renewable power for a remote community. Through integration with an available renewable energy profile database, the developed system efficiently assists in selecting, integrating, and evaluating different system configurations and various operational scenarios at the application site. The simulation results provide a solid basis for the next phase of our demonstration projects.
Pheromones in Stored Product Insect Trapping and Pathogen Dissemination

The generally restricted habitats of stored product insects provide an ideal situation for control attempts with pheromones and pathogens. Problem areas can be located and monitored with traps containing pheromones and insecticides and controls can be applied in localized areas. The method is economical, effective and reduces the hazards involved with blanket application of pesticides. Another method that promises to be successful utilizes pheromones in an inoculation device that contains a pathogen. The insects that are attracted become contaminated with the pathogen and may subsequently spread it throughout the population. In this way the pathogen will be spread to a multitude of population niches. Preliminary studies have indicated that few, if any, insects survive the infection, that the disease is highly contagious and that males will become inoculated with spores in pheromone-pathogen baited inoculation devices and will transmit the spores by contact to females.
Magnetic separations: From steel plants to biotechnology

Magnetic separations have for decades been essential processes in diverse industries ranging from steel production to coal desulfurization. In such settings magnetic fields are used in continuous flow processes as filters to remove magnetic impurities. High gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) has found even broader use in wastewater treatment and food processing. Batch scale magnetic separations are also relevant in industry, particularly biotechnology where fixed magnetic separators are used to purify complex mixtures for protein isolation, cell separation, drug delivery, and biocatalysis. In this review, we introduce the basic concepts behind magnetic separations and summarize a few examples of its large scale application. HGMS systems and batch systems for magnetic separations have been developed largely in parallel by different communities. However, in this work we compare and contrast each approach so that investigators can approach both key areas. Finally, we discuss how new advances in magnetic materials, particularly on the nanoscale, as well as magnetic filter design offer new opportunities for industries that have challenging separation problems.
GaAs/AlGaAs traveling-wave electro-optic modulators

A GaAs/AlGaAs traveling wave Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator with novel slow wave electrodes was fabricated on undoped epitaxial layers. Using appropriate electrode engineering velocity matching with matched impedance and low microwave loss was achieved. Device had a measured electrical bandwidth greater than 40 GHz at 1.55 micrometer. The measured bandwidth at 1.3 micrometer was 37 GHz. The mechanism limiting the bandwidth was identified as phase velocity matching rather than group velocity matching.
Investigation into the structure–activity relationship of novel concentration dependent, dual action T-type calcium channel agonists/antagonists

This paper describes the synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of straight chain analogs of a compound (1) that was previously synthesized in our research program. These compounds, which are T-type calcium channel antagonists, exhibits potent anti-proliferative activity against a variety of cancer cells. A structure-activity relationship of these analogs against a variety of cancer cells has provided insight into a logical pharmacophore for this series of compounds. Furthermore, this series of compounds has presented itself as a set of novel, concentration dependent, dual action agonists/antagonists for the T-type calcium channel.
Development of cleft palate induced by 6‐aminonicotinamide late in rat gestation

Single injections (8 mg/kg maternal body weight) of the niacin antimetabolite 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) given to rats on the morning of the fifteenth day of gestation resulted in 100% palatal abnormalities within 24 to 48 hours. Fasting rats for a period of seven or eight days, more than simulating the weight loss observed in 6-AN treated animals, resulted in young without palatal abnormalities. Simultaneous injection of an equal dosage of nicotinamide prevented the maternal and embryonic effects of the antimetabolite. Intralitter variability in normal palatal closure, similar to the interlitter variation, was observed in embryos of the same chronological age. Retardation in palatal shelf movement appeared to be the initial underlying morphological mechanism giving rise to the abnormal palates. Twenty-four hours after 6-AN injection embryonic and placental weights were significantly reduced; the incidence of full open palate was double that observed in untreated rats. Forty-eight hours following treatment palatal shelves had moved to the horizontal position dorsal to the tongue; failure of fusion was apparent. Further alterations in the morphogenesis of the abnormal palates were secondary to partial or complete failure of shelf fusion, complicated by a dorsally protruding tongue and underdeveloped mandible. The sensitivity of palatal closure between days 15 to 17 of gestation and the rapidity with which shelf movement can be delayed and modified by metabolic procedure in the rat is noteworthy.
Exchange interaction in quantum rings and wires in the Wigner-crystal limit

We present a controlled method for computing the exchange coupling in correlated one-dimensional electron systems based on the relation between the exchange constant and the pair-correlation function of spinless electrons. This relation is valid in several independent asymptotic regimes, including the low-electron-density case, under the general condition of a strong spin-charge separation. Explicit formulas for the exchange constant are obtained for thin quantum rings and wires with realistic Coulomb interactions by calculating the pair-correlation function via a many-body instanton approach. A remarkably smooth interpolation between high- and low-electron-density results is shown to be possible. These results are applicable to the case of one-dimensional wires of intermediate width as well. Our method can be easily generalized to other interaction laws, such as the inverse distance squared one of the Calogero-Sutherland-Moser model. We demonstrate excellent agreement with the known exact results for the latter model and show that they are relevant for a realistic experimental setup in which the bare Coulomb interaction is screened by an edge of a two-dimensional electron gas.
The RADARSAT Geophysical Processor System: Quality of Sea Ice Trajectory and Deformation Estimates

Abstract NASA's RADARSAT Geophysical Processor System (RGPS) uses sequential synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images to track the trajectories of some 30 000 points on the Arctic sea ice for periods of up to 6 months. Much of the Arctic basin is imaged and tracked every 3 days. The result is a highly detailed picture of how the sea ice moves and deforms. The points are initially spaced 10 km apart and are organized into four-cornered cells. The area and the strain rates are calculated for each cell for each new observation of its corners. The accuracy of the RGPS ice tracking, area changes, and deformation estimates is needed to make the dataset useful for analysis, model validation, and data assimilation. Two comparisons are made to assess the accuracy. The first compares the tracking performed at two different facilities (the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and the Alaska SAR Facility in Fairbanks, Alaska), between which the primary difference is the operator intervention. The error sta...
Joint Sampling Distribution Between Actual and Estimated Classification Errors for Linear Discriminant Analysis

Error estimation must be used to find the accuracy of a designed classifier, an issue that is critical in biomarker discovery for disease diagnosis and prognosis in genomics and proteomics. This paper presents, for what is believed to be the first time, the analytical formulation for the joint sampling distribution of the actual and estimated errors of a classification rule. The analysis presented here concerns the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classification rule and the resubstitution and leave-one-out error estimators, under a general parametric Gaussian assumption. Exact results are provided in the univariate case, and a simple method is suggested to obtain an accurate approximation in the multivariate case. It is also shown how these results can be applied in the computation of condition bounds and the regression of the actual error, given the observed error estimate. In contrast to asymptotic results, the analysis presented here is applicable to finite training data. In particular, it applies in the small-sample settings commonly found in genomics and proteomics applications. Numerical examples, which include parameters estimated from actual microarray data, illustrate the analysis throughout.
An evolutionary approach to ecosystem functioning

The more diversified in habits and structure the descendants of our carnivorous animal became, the more places they would be enabled to occupy. What applies to one animal will apply throughout all time to all animals… So it will be with plants. It has been experimentally proved, that if a plot of ground be sown with several distinct genera of grasses, a greater number of plants and a greater weight of dry herbage can thus be raised. The same has been found to hold good when first one variety and then several mixed varieties of wheat have been sown on equal spaces of ground. Hence, if any one species of grass were to go on varying, and those varieties were continually selected which differed from each other in at all of the same manner as distinct species and genera of grasses differ from each other, a greater number of individual plants of this species of grass, including its descendants, would succeed in living on the same piece of ground.