cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physiological chemistry of uric acid: Solubility, colloid and ion-binding properties

Abstract 1. 1. In vitro , interactions between common cations (Na + , K + , NH + 4 , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ ) and excess uric acid were examined. 2. 2. Each of these cations reduced the solubility of uric acid over time; the reductions produced by NH + 4 , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ were most rapid and complete. 3. 3. Each of these five cations became incorporated into excess, undissolved uric acid. These ion incorporations apparently did not result in monobasic urate salt formation; the reasons are discussed. 4. 4. Na + and K + exhibit competition for inclusion into excess undissolved uric acid; K + can displace Na + from uric acid in protein free systems, but not when 1% avian plasma is included in the buffer. 5. 5. Under a variety of circumstances, the excess uric acid can be transformed from angular crystals into small spheres or needles. The spheres are similar to those present in avian and reptilian urine, insect fat body and snail kidney. 6. 6. The presence of avian plasma proteins can alter both the final structural form of excess uric acid and the extent to which it can include cations.
A mathematical model for pyrolysis of a solid particle — effects of the heat of reaction

A transient analysis of the effects of the heat of reaction in a solid pyrolysis system is presented. Two cases, one characterizing the heat-transfer-controlled reaction and the other self-sustaining reaction, are analyzed. To carry out the numerical simulation, utilization is made of the volume reaction model which takes into account the simultaneous heat and mass transfer phenomena, and the method of line which utilizes the second order centered finite difference scheme for the spatial discretization. Effects of the heat of reaction on the solid conversion, solid reactant, and fluid product concentration profiles, temperature distribution, enthalpy, and average fluid product concentration in the particle are examined. The results are graphically presented and interpreted. On presente une analyse transitoire de la chaleur de reaction dans un systeme de pyrolyse de solides. On a etudie deux cas, a savoir la reaction contrǒlee par transfert de chaleur et la reaction auto-entretenue. Pour effectuer la simulation numerique, on a employe le modele de reaction en volume, qui tient compte des phenomenes de transfert simultane de chaleur et de masse, ainsi que la methode de ligne qui utilise le systeme de difference finie, centre et de second ordre, pour la discretisation spatiale. On a considere les effets de la chaleur de reaction sur les profils de concentration impliquant la transformation des solides, les reactifs solides et les produits fluides, ainsi que sur la distribution des temperatures, l'enthalpie et la concentration moyenne des produits fluides dans la particule. On presente les resultats sous forme de graphiques et les interprete.
Distinguishing Pancreatic Cancer From Autoimmune Pancreatitis: A Comparison of Two Strategies

Autoimmune pancreatitis is a rare disease which closely mimics pancreatic cancer in its presentation. It is important for clinicians to distinguish one from the other due to vastly different therapeutic and prognostic implications. We compared 2 recently proposed strategies, 1 from Japan and the other from the United States, to distinguish autoimmune pancreatitis from pancreatic cancer. While both strategies have inherent strengths and weaknesses, we believe that the best features of both need prospective validation. The strategy proposed from Japan is simple to use, but is based on a small number of patients and is heavily dependent on imaging criteria. The American strategy while based on a bigger sample of patients is complicated and is most useful in expert hands. Additionally, differences in clinical practice and local preference in the use of certain diagnostic tests need to be considered while adopting either strategy.
Quality of life before reconstructive breast surgery: FA preoperative comparison of patients with immediate, delayed, and major revision reconstruction

BACKGROUND Women undergo breast reconstruction at different time-points in their cancer care; knowing patients' preoperative quality of life (QoL) is critical in the overall care of the patient with breast cancer. Our objective was to describe presurgical QoL among women undergoing immediate, delayed, or major revision breast reconstructive surgery at our institution. METHODS From March 2008 to February 2009, we administered preoperative BREAST-Q questionnaires to women who presented to our institution for breast reconstruction. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare patient cohorts across multiple QoL domains including body image, physical well-being, psychosocial well-being, and sexual well-being. RESULTS Of the 231 patients who presented for preoperative consultation, 176 returned the questionnaire (response rate 76%; 117 from the immediate, 21 from the delayed, and 32 from the major revision reconstruction groups, plus 6 mixed or unknown). The three groups differed significantly (P < 0.05) across four of the six domains: body image (satisfaction with breasts), psychosocial well-being, sexual well-being, and physical well-being of the chest and upper body. The immediate reconstruction group had higher (better) scores than the delayed reconstruction group, which had higher (better) scores than the major revision group. CONCLUSION These data suggest that women presenting for breast reconstruction at different stages of reconstruction have different baseline QoL. Such data may help us better understand patient selection, education, and expectations, and may lead to improved patient-surgeon communication.
Transport of lipids in the blood of the pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg)

Abstract 1. 1. Total lipid concentrations of plasma of C. gigas vary from 4.2–12.5 mg/dl dependent upon nutritional and reproductive condition. Fasting and gonadal maturity both appear to increase plasma lipid. 2. 2. Hemocyte total lipid in fed, reproductively mature oysters in 6.7 mg/dl. 3. 3. Both plasma and hemocyte lipids consist mainly of phospholipid (70–80%), with lesser amounts of the neutral lipid classes: sterol (0.5–1.2%), free fatty acids (0.8–3.8%), triglycerides (2.6–5.5%) and sterol esters (0.2–2.1%). 4. 4. Oyster plasma contains 20 electrophoretically resolvable proteins, including 2 lipoproteins, which were present in very low concentration. 5. 5. When 1-14C-palmitate is fed to oysters, the specific activities of plasma and hemocyte lipids rise over a period of 10 hr and then maintain roughly steady levels. Specific activities of hemocyte and plasma lipids were approximately equal. Free fatty acids attained the highest specific activity of any blood lipid class. 6. 6. By 56 hr after ingestion of 1-14C-palmitate, radioactivity was found in the several lipid classes of tissues having only blood contact with the digestive tract, thus supporting the premise of transport of lipid through the hemolymph.
Conventional Expressions as a Pragmalinguistic Resource: Recognition and Production of Conventional Expressions in L2 Pragmatics

This study investigates the source of second language (L2) learners' low use of conventional expressions—one part of pragmalinguistic competence—by investigating the relationship between recognition and production of conventional expressions in L2 pragmatics. Two tasks—an aural recognition task and an oral production task—were completed by 122 learners of English as a second language with mixed-language backgrounds and 49 native speakers of English divided among peers and teachers. The aural recognition task presented 60 expressions to which participants responded with one of three levels of self assessed familiarity, operationalized as an estimate of how often they hear a given expression (I often/sometimes/never hear this). The computer-delivered production task included 32 scenarios to which participants responded orally. Results show that recognition of conventional expressions is a necessary condition for production but not sufficient. Lower use of conventional expressions by learners may have multiple sources: lack of familiarity with some expressions; overuse of familiar expressions, which subsequently reduces the opportunity to use more targetlike expressions; level of development; and sociopragmatic knowledge.
Consistency of flow equilibrium specification of asset market with transactions theory of demand for money

Abstract The balance sheet identity, as a limiting form of the discrete time household budget constraint, fails to support the IS-LM model. A flow equilibrium model based on conservation principles is consistent with the transactions theory of the money demand.
FROZEN FRENCH‐FRIED POTATOES: DIFFUSION OF MOISTURE WITHIN THE THAWED PRODUCT AND ITS RELATION TO PEFORMANCE DURING FINISH FRYING

When frozen par-fried potatoes are thawed and held at refrigerator temperatures for several hours, they absorb more oil, lose more moisture and give a lower yield of product during finish-frying than if they were not held. It was hypothesized that this change in frying performance results from the diffusion of moisture from the comparatively moist center of a French-fry strip to the outer layers, which had been largely dehydrated during the initial par-frying. The rates of moisture diffusion within French fries at 32, 40 and 50°F were measured and found to be comparable to the rates of the change which causes impaired performance during finish-frying. In both cases the rates increased with increasing temperature. This is suggestive evidence, but not proof, of the truth of the hypothesis.
Relation of water supply to xylem discoloration of potato tubers caused by vine killing

1 In order to determine the relation of water supply to vine killing discoloration, Triumph potatoes were grown under the following conditions: 1) with natural rainfall, 2) with natural rainfall plus irrigation, 3) on elevated soil with natural rainfall, and 4) in one year on elevated soil with natural rainfall but with the soil covered with roofing paper. 2 The treatment producing the most xylem discoloration was elevating the soil and covering it with roofing paper. This was followed by elevating the soil but leaving it uncovered. 3 The years 1948, 1949 and 1950 each had a deficiency of rainfall during August and with the exception of 1948 the expected tuber discoloration was obtained in the normally-treated rows. 4 In 1947 the August rainfall was approximately normal and a departure of +2.75 inches occurred during this month in 1951. The expected low percentage of discoloration was found in the normally-treated rows during each of these years. 5 A low percentage of discoloration occurred in the tubers harvested from the irrigated rows and from the rows where the vines remained until harvest. 6 In most instances, early vine killing caused the most discoloration.
Revitalising the inner city: the USA Experiences

Amidst the sound and fury of a new presidential campaign, one consolation is that national programmes come in for fresh scrutiny. And re-examining the United States urban policy, we are struck with how the pendulum of social policy has swung once more, this time to the inner core of the metropolitan area and to ‘redeveloping the central city’. The programmes for land policies and human settlements have moved around to where they swayed over thirty years ago. “In our end is our beginning,” to paraphrase T. S. Eliot.
The symposium: A neglected source for Plato's ideas on rhetoric

An analysis of the Symposium is one way to supplement the knowledge of Plato's rhetoric obtained from the more familiar Phaedrus and Gorgias. The present investigation provides support for the foll...
The Use of Generalized Reinforcers in Psychotherapy Research

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a theoretical framework into which a program of systematic investigation in the area of psychotherapy can be fitted. It does not intend to give a specific research design, but rather to raise some broad problems which have to be considered before any basic progress can be made in understanding the therapeutic situation. Despite the ever-increasing number of studies designed to give us information about the processes and results of psychotherapy, there have been few systematic studies reported of attempts to work with human beings to determine what might be the basic variables of the therapeutic situation, nor have there been attempts to manipulate relevant variables in order to determine any degree of relationship between these variables. Although the behavior of the organisms involved in this particular situation has often been "explained," it has rarely been experimented with. Few attempts have been made to isolate any aspects of psychotherapy in a controlled laboratory setting, mainly on the basis of the argument that psychotherapy is such an intricate, complex, subtle relationship that it would be impossible to reproduce it in any rigid experimental situation. To do so, it is argued, would destroy the essence of the therapeutic situation. But until such attempts are made to determine what the relevant variables and parameters are, we cannot even be certain what we are talking about when we refer to "psychotherapy." In pointing out the very real problems of the complexities of psychotherapy we are apt to become lost in the proverbial forest and be unable to see the trees of which it is composed. Miller ( 5 ) has commented that "it is to be expected that the first efforts at an objective, quantitative approach to any intricate matter like the evaluation of process and outcome of various forms of therapy would necessarily seem oversimplified and naive. Relevant variables must be discovered and isolated, methods for measuring them must be devised." Since a certain process, usually termed "psychotherapy" by its practitioners,
Problems with the use of surface reconstructions as indicators of a well-ordered surface

The presence of sharp surface reconstruction or diffraction spots is often taken as an indicator of a well-ordered surface. We present results obtained using transmission electron microscopy in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) which demonstrate that even if the surface is well-ordered and reconstructed, there may be very high defect concentrations just below the surface of the order of 1011-1013 cm-2. The key point is that surface ordering takes place via surface diffusion, but the temperature where this is active are too low to anneal out the near-surface defects through bulk diffusion.
On the torsion of functionally graded anisotropic linearly elastic bars

The torsion of homogeneous, isotropic, linearly elastic cylindrical bars has been the subject of numerous investigations from theoretical, computational and applied viewpoints. It is well known that in this case, the circular shaft is the only one whose cross-section does not involve a warping displacement in the axial direction. For an inhomogeneous, isotropic, circular bar, there is also no warping of the cross-section provided that the shear modulus varies only in the radial direction. For general anisotropic materials, torsion induces bending and vice versa. For those anisotropic materials with at least one plane of elastic symmetry normal to the axial direction, pure torsion is possible. For homogeneous materials of this type and special inhomogeneous materials, it has been shown by various arguments that no warping occurs for bars of particular elliptical cross-section. Here, we provide a unified derivation of the foregoing results. Some discussion of torsional rigidities is also given.
Coordinate regulation of siderophore and diphtheria toxin production by iron in Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

Abstract Iron is an environmental signal which regulates the coordinate expression of genes associated with virulence in many pathogenic bacteria. In response to iron-deprivation, lysogenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae C7(β) synthesizes and secretes diphtheria toxin and siderophore and induces a high-affinity iron uptake system. Diphtheria toxin is encoded by β phage, but genes for siderophore production are encoded on the bacterial chromosome. Diphtheria toxin and siderophore production were shown to be coordinately induced during late logarithmic phase growth of wild-type C7(β) in iron-limited medium. C. diphtheriae mutant C7hm723 produced siderophore and toxin constitutively under low-iron and high-iron conditions, but in mutants HC1, HC3, HC4, and HC5 their synthesis was partially repressed under high-iron conditions. The phenotypes of HC1, HC3, HC4, and HC5 are consistent with their severe defects in iron uptake, but the phenotype of C7hm723 is more likely to be explained by inactivation of the repressor for the iron regulon of C. diphtheriae.
Selective predation favouring cryptic individuals of marine snails (Littorina)

Many gastropods have inherited conspicuous shell colour polymorphisms. A challenging question is, are colour frequencies under selection or is polymorphism owing to random evolutionary processes? The intertidal species Littorina saxatilis (a rock-dweller) and L. obtusata (confined to macroalgae) both have genetically determined shell colour variation. In Iceland, Littorina obtusata are mostly cryptic on brown macroalgae by having brown or yellow shells (~95% of the snails), while Littorina saxatilis often appears conspicuous to the background of dark rocks owing to non-cryptic colours (15–20%). This difference may be due to selective elimination of conspicuously coloured L. obtusata by visual predators, while L. saxatilis, largely living in another habitat, is not under a similarly intense colour selection. To test this hypothesis we increased the frequencies of conspicuous L. saxatilis in experimental populations (from <12 to 55%) and placed these in the seaweed zone, the main habitat of L. obtusata. Fifteen populations were released on isolated spots of seaweed and three of these were covered by net cages to exclude bird predators. One month later, yellow snails had increased in frequency within the patches, and to our surprise the result did not differ between bare and caged patches. This suggests selection favouring a colour that matches the background of fucoid seaweeds by visual predators able to enter the cages. Birds acted as important predators by picking 16% of the experimental snails in the uncaged spots, but were unable to enter the caged spots. However, the bird predation was non-selective with respect to snail colour. For various reasons the most likely predators able to enter the cages were intertidal fish, these were thus responsible for the selection of non-cryptic snails. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 76, 137–144.
Occult hypoperfusion is associated with increased morbidity in patients undergoing early femur fracture fixation.

BACKGROUND The presence of persistent occult hypoperfusion (OH) is associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates after trauma. Early femur fracture fixation in trauma patients with multiple injuries is associated with decreased morbidity and mortality. Association of OH and incidence of postoperative complications after intramedullary (IM) fixation in patients with femur fractures was investigated. METHODS A retrospective study design was used. All patients with femur fractures admitted to the trauma service of a Level I trauma center between January 1, 1995, and August 1, 1998, who were older than 18 years of age and who had IM fracture fixation within 24 hours of admission and serum lactate determinations on admission and at proscribed intervals, were included in the study. Patients with lactic acid levels > or = 2.5 mmol/L were determined to have OH. No patients had clinical signs of shock (hypotension, tachycardia, decreased urine output) on transfer to the operating room. Complete resuscitation was defined as a lactic acid level < 2.5 mmol/L. Patients were divided into two groups based on presence/absence of OH determined from the lactic acid level immediately before surgery. The incidence of all postoperative organ complications was recorded, and complication rates were compared between groups. Total hospital costs were also compared. RESULTS One hundred seventy-seven patients with femur fractures were admitted to the trauma service during this period. Seventy-nine patients met initial criteria for inclusion in the study. Further review excluded 32 patients. Occult hypoperfusion was present in 20 patients before early IM fixation (group 2). Twenty-seven patients were completely resuscitated before early IM fixation (group 1). Injury Severity Scores were similar in both groups. Group 2 had 35 complications in 20 patients, and group 1 had 11 complications in 27 patients. A significant difference was found in incidence of postoperative complications in group 1 (20%) versus group 2 (50%). Group 2 also had a significantly higher proportion of postoperative infections than group 1 (72% vs. 28%, respectively) and higher total hospital costs ($46,469 vs. $23,139). CONCLUSION The presence of OH in trauma patients undergoing early IM fixation of a femur fracture is associated with a twofold higher incidence of postoperative complications. Clinical judgment, not surgical dogma, should guide the timing of IM fixation in these patients. Identifying and correcting OH through relatively simple resuscitative measures may be advantageous in reducing morbidity in the patient with multiple injuries.
Life and death in the family: Early parental death, parental remarriage, and offspring suicide risk in adulthood

Early-life parental death (PD) may increase suicide and other mortality risk in adulthood. The potential implications of subsequent remarriage of the widowed parent (RWP) for suicide have not been well examined. Data came from the Utah Population Database for birth cohorts between 1886 and 1960, yielding a sample of N = 663,729 individuals, including 4533 suicides. Cox models showed PD was associated with increased adult suicide risk before age 50, and with increased risk of cardiovascular disease deaths (CVD) for adults of all ages. For females, RWP attenuated the suicide relationship before age 50 (though not statistically significant), but significantly exacerbated it after age 50. RWP had no significant impact for males. Further, for females, PD's positive association with suicide was stronger than with CVD before age 50. These findings reinforce the importance of biological and social mechanisms in linking early-life stressors to adult mental and physical health.
The Winter’s Tale: Faith in Law and the Law of Faith

This essay examines the sort of law that merits faithful submission in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. Specifically, I examine two options as to how Leontes can be king after he realizes that he must live under the law. The first option is to submit to a systematic law of works; the other, quite different option is submission to a law of faith neither normative nor juridical, an option that Shakespeare embraces and that demands neighborly love only. If Shakespeare critiques absolutism, then, he does not do so in order to adopt a clear religious or republican vocabulary. Accordingly, I read the play in the present contexts of Agamben and Badiou, whose Paul is distinctly nonconfessional, and in a Montaignean context rather than that of more systematic early modern thought. Read so, we can see how Shakespeare contributes to thinking about the Pauline legacy, and especially about how The Winter’s Tale presents a Pauline, yet secular — and strikingly unsystematic — method for the cultivation of virtue.
An unusual instance of leukemic infiltrate diagnosis and management of periapical tooth involvement

The clinical course of an adult patient with relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia and leukemic infiltrate periapical to the dentition is described. While the oral symptoms were indicative of pulpal disease requiring dental therapy to resolve the patient's complaint, roentgenographic, dental pulp testing, and histologic analysis revealed extramedullary infiltrate apical to a mandibular molar. The findings developed coincident with relapse of leukemia; the medical and dental testing described above were essential in establishing an accurate diagnosis. While most oral leukemic infiltrates affect the gingiva, in this patient the infiltrate involved periapical tissue which was not clinically observable.
Hedgehog signalling in cancer formation and maintenance.

The Hedgehog signalling pathway is essential for numerous processes during embryonic development. Members of this family of secreted proteins control cell proliferation, differentiation and tissue patterning in a dose-dependent manner. Although the overall activity of the pathway is diminished after embryogenesis, recent reports show that the pathway remains active in some adult tissues, including adult stem cells in the brain and skin. There is also evidence that uncontrolled activation of the pathway results in specific types of cancer.
An Operational Hybrid Computing System Provides Analog-Type Computation with Digital Elements

A computing technique is described which employs several computing elements to solve algebraic, transcendental and integro-differential equations operational-digital. Information between the different computing elements is carried in the form of pulse-width signals. Each computing elements employs only digital circuits, but in an analog fashion. The proposed hybrid technique overcomes the accuracy limitations of the conventional analog technique and the analog-digital interface problems of the various digital techniques, while it retains many of the advantages of both the analog and the digital technique. In general, hybrid operational computing elements are insensitive to environmental, component tolerances and power supply changes, have small size, small weight and minimum power consumption (only one supply voltage required) and can be instrumented with 100 per cent integrated circuits. Although the proposed hybrid technique has no basic accuracy limitation it will operate most economically with accuracies below one part in 105. Similarly, it is not practical to operate with repetition frequencies in excess of 10 kc. Maximum accuracy can be had only at very low repetition rates, while maximum speed can be had only at very low accuracy, since the product of repetition rate and accuracy is a constant for a certain quality of digital circuits. Finally, the inherent storage capability and the ease with which pulse-width signals can be switched facilitates sequential operation of hybrid operational computing elements. Therefore, cost, size and weight can be drastically reduced if bandwidth can be sacrificed.
Regulatory evolution through divergence of a phosphoswitch in the transcription factor CEBPB

There is an emerging consensus that gene regulation evolves through changes in cis-regulatory elements and transcription factors. Although it is clear how nucleotide substitutions in cis-regulatory elements affect gene expression, it is not clear how amino-acid substitutions in transcription factors influence gene regulation. Here we show that amino-acid changes in the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-β (CEBPB, also known as C/EBP-β) in the stem-lineage of placental mammals changed the way it responds to cyclic AMP/protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) signalling. By functionally analysing resurrected ancestral proteins, we identify three amino-acid substitutions in an internal regulatory domain of CEBPB that are responsible for the novel function. These amino-acid substitutions reorganize the location of key phosphorylation sites, introducing a new site and removing two ancestral sites, reversing the response of CEBPB to GSK-3β-mediated phosphorylation from repression to activation. We conclude that changing the response of transcription factors to signalling pathways can be an important mechanism of gene regulatory evolution.
Dermoid Cyst of the Floor of the Mouth

A case of a dermoid cyst of the floor of mouth affecting a 19 years old male will be discussed. The macroscopic and histologic findings used for diagnosis will be covered. The typical features of this type of cyst will also be reviewed including radiographic and histologic findings. Discussion will include etiology and usual presentation, as well as treatment.
The replisome uses mRNA as a primer after colliding with RNA polymerase

Replication forks are impeded by DNA damage and protein-nucleic acid complexes such as transcribing RNA polymerase. For example, head-on collision of the replisome with RNA polymerase results in replication fork arrest. However, co-directional collision of the replisome with RNA polymerase has little or no effect on fork progression. Here we examine co-directional collisions between a replisome and RNA polymerase in vitro. We show that the Escherichia coli replisome uses the RNA transcript as a primer to continue leading-strand synthesis after the collision with RNA polymerase that is displaced from the DNA. This action results in a discontinuity in the leading strand, yet the replisome remains intact and bound to DNA during the entire process. These findings underscore the notable plasticity by which the replisome operates to circumvent obstacles in its path and may explain why the leading strand is synthesized discontinuously in vivo.
Comparison of phosphorus distribution and cycling between adjacent native semidesert shrub and cultivated grass-dominated ecosystems

P concentrations at several soil profile depths and for various plant parts were monitored over most of one year in adjacent native semidesert shrub and cultivated crested wheatgrass ecosystems. When multiplied by appropriate soil bulk densities and phytomass values, it was possible to calculate P mineralomasses in these two ecotessera. Knowledge of new to old growth ratios allowed estimation of P turnover. Although there was greater P in the vegetation of the native stand, the tissues lived longer and decomposed less rapidly than those in the grass stand that has been established in a portion of the original shrub dominated semidesert. The grass stand showed higher net primary productivity and had a much higher fraction of phytomass that is consumable by livestock. There was thus, at least a five-fold greater turnover of P in the tilled and seeded system. The introduced grasses are also withdrewing more P from the soil reserves. Whether nutrient export from the systems could lead to long-term declines in productivity will require further monitoring and experimental effort.
Potential γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) drug interactions through blood-brain barrier transport inhibition : A pharmacokinetic simulation-based evaluation

Recreational abuse or overdose of γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) results in dose-dependent central nervous system (CNS) effects including death. As GHB undergoes monocarboxylic acid transporter (MCT)-mediated transport across the blood–brain barrier (BBB), one possible strategy for the management of GHB toxicity/overdose involves inhibition of GHB BBB transport. To test this strategy, interactions between GHB and MCT substrates (salicylic acid or probenecid) were simulated. Competitive, noncompetitive and uncompetitive inhibition mechanisms were incorporated into the GHB–MCT substrate interaction model for inhibitor dosing either pre-, concurrent or post-GHB administration. Simulations suggested that salicylic acid was the better candidate to limit GHB accumulation in the CNS. A time window of effect (> 10% change) was observed for salicylic acid pre- and post-administration, with maximal transport inhibition occurring within 12 hr of pre- and 2 hr of post-administration. Consistent with the prediction that reduced GHB brain concentrations could translate to decreased pharmacodynamic effects, a pilot study in rats showed that the pronounced GHB sedative/hypnotic effects (24.0 ± 6.51 min; n = 4) in the control group (1.58 mmol/kg GHB plus saline) were significantly (p < 0.05) abrogated by salicylic acid (1.25 mmol/kg) coadministration.
COMPARISON OF PERCEIVED RISK TAKING IN GROUPS AND IMPLICATIONS DRAWN FROM THE RISKY-SHIFT PARADIGM

Risk-taking attitudes were investigated from the standpoint of differential primary group associations (family, friends, and mixed relations). The inquiry was designed to test implications emerging from the risky-shift paradigm in a social setting where potential choices regarding health and safety could be taken by the subject. Significant differences were observed between family and friendship patterns of association. Since age and sex previously were significant, these variables were included as possible intervening factors in the design. Age proved significant and changed risk factors associated with family and friendship, while sexual differences were not significant.
Pure orientation filtering: A scale-invariant image-processing tool for perception research and data compression

A method is described for scale-invariant segregation of image structure solely on the basis of orientation content. This kind of image decomposition is an unexplored image-processing method that is complementary to the well-explored method of filtering in spatial frequency bands; the latter technique is rotation-invariant, whereas the former technique is scale-invariant. The complementarity of these two approaches is explicit in the fact that orientation and spatial frequency are orthogonal variables in the two-dimensional Fourier plane, and the filters employed in the one method depend only on the radial variable, whereas those employed in the other method depend only on the angular variable. The biological significance of multiscale (spatial frequency selective) image analysis has been well-recognized and often cited, yet orientation selectivity is a far more striking property of neural architecture in cortical visual areas. In the present paper, we begin to explore some coding properties of the scale-invariant orientation variable, paying particular attention to its perceptual significance in texture segmentation and compact image coding. Examples of orientation-coded pictures are presented with data compression to 0.3 bits per pixel.
Visualization: Reducing speech anxiety and enhancing performance

This study was designed to determine if visualization could be used to enhance public speaking performance as well as reduce speech anxiety, and how visualization techniques compared with other interventions. The study compared a no treatment group with a standard visualization group and with a performance visualization group. Both forms of visualization reduced negative thinking, state CA, and trait CA. However, those receiving performance visualization displayed fewer disfluencies, less rigidity, and less inhibition than did the control or standard visualization groups. Meta‐analysis was used to compare these data with previous research. Results revealed that standard and performance visualization were generally more effective than other interventions for reducing self reported negative thinking and state CA. Performance visualization also was found to be more effective for reducing observed rigidity than other procedures. These results are the bases for the discussion.
Reactions of methanol and water over carbide-modified Mo(110)

Abstract The reactions of methanol and water over clean and carbide-modified Mo(1 1 0) have been studied using temperature-programmed desorption, high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy. The product selectivity of methanol on unmodified Mo(1 1 0) is 84% toward complete decomposition and 16% toward the production of CO. After the Mo(1 1 0) surface is modified by carbon, the complete decomposition pathway decreases to 63%, with the remaining methanol dissociating to produce CO. The absence of a reaction pathway to produce methane on the C/Mo(1 1 0) surface is distinctly different from that on the C/W(1 1 1) and C/W(1 1 0) surfaces. On Mo(1 1 0), the amount of H2O undergoing dissociation is determined to be 0.25 molecules per Mo atom. Upon carbon modification, the activity of water decreases slightly to 0.20 molecules per Mo atom. These results indicate that the C/Mo(1 1 0) surface is more active toward the dissociation of H2O than either C/W(1 1 1) or C/W(1 1 0). Overall, the comparison of the current study to our previous investigations on C/W(1 1 1) and C/W(1 1 0) provides insights into the possible role of molybdenum carbides as promoters for tungsten carbide electrocatalysts in methanol fuel cell applications.
T lymphocytes to IDO+ cells: check.

In this issue of Blood , Sorensen et al observe a functional indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)–specific CD8+ T-cell population in humans.[1][1] IDO-specific CD8+ T cells are capable of killing IDO+ cells. Given that IDO expression is induced in physiologic and pathologic immune responses, and
In situ Raman spectroscopy of MgSiO3 enstatite up to 1550 K

Significantly reduced detection of thermal radiation in gated spectroscopy allowed us to measure the Raman scattering of natural enstatite up to 1550 K at 1 bar. The intrinsic anharmonicity, a i = [(∂ln v i )/(∂ T )] V , of the Raman-active modes in orthoenstatite (OEn) was obtained from temperature ( T ) shifts of vibrational frequencies measured in this study combined with previous high-pressure ( P ) Raman scattering data. Although the a i values of the lattice modes of OEn are similar to those for forsterite (Fo), the Si-O stretching modes have significantly lower intrinsic anharmonicity in OEn than in Fo, suggesting that the connectivity of the SiO 4 tetrahedra plays an important role in mode anharmonicity. At the phase transition at 1500 K, a doublet related to the stretching vibration of bridging O atoms in the SiO 3 chains becomes a singlet, and a doublet related to the stretching vibration of non-bridging O atoms remains as a doublet, consistent with the expected spectral change for a phase transition from OEn to protoenstatite. Two intense, low-frequency modes of OEn show a strong nonlinear decrease in frequencies with heating that cannot be explained solely by thermal expansion. This may indicate the reorganization of the structure around Mg atoms and unkinking of the SiO 3 chains at temperatures well below the phase transition.
Estrogen Dendrimer Conjugates that Preferentially Activate Extranuclear, Nongenomic Versus Genomic Pathways of Estrogen Action

Estrogenic hormones are classically thought to exert their effects by binding to nuclear estrogen receptors and altering target gene transcription, but estrogens can also have nongenomic effects through rapid activation of membrane-initiated kinase cascades. The development of ligands that selectively activate only the nongenomic pathways would provide useful tools to investigate the significance of these pathways. We have prepared large, abiotic, nondegradable poly(amido)amine dendrimer macromolecules that are conjugated to multiple estrogen molecules through chemically robust linkages. Because of their charge and size, these estrogen-dendrimer conjugates (EDCs) remain outside the nucleus. They stimulate ERK, Shc, and Src phosphorylation in MCF-7 breast cancer cells at low concentrations, yet they are very ineffective in stimulating transcription of endogenous estrogen target genes, being approximately 10,000-fold less potent than estradiol in genomic actions. In contrast to estradiol, EDC was not effective in stimulating breast cancer cell proliferation. Because these EDC ligands activate nongenomic activity at concentrations at which they do not alter the transcription of estrogen target genes, they should be useful in studying extranuclear initiated pathways of estrogen action in a variety of target cells.
Reduced model of the evolution of the polarization states in wavelength-division-multiplexed channels

We have developed a reduced model of the evolution of the polarization states of the channels in a wavelength-division-multiplexed system that follows only the Stokes parameters for each channel. We apply this model to demonstrating that the expected repolarization of polarization-scrambled signals is small. We verify our results by comparing them with numerical simulations with realistic parameters.
A high-speed pyramid image coding algorithm for a VLSI implementation

A nonseparable pyramid method based on a wavelet expansion is developed for image coding. It achieves high compression rates and at the same time allows a very efficient algorithmic implementation. In particular it uses only two additions and a shift (division by 2) for each image pixel during coding or decoding. Because the operations needed are mostly independent of each other and have a high degree of regularity, it is also possible to design very-large-scale integration (VLSI) hardware to perform this operation using an array of simple basic cells. For a typical 513*513 image one can achieve a peak signal-to-noise ratio of 30 dB with an entropy of 0.133 b/pixel. Transmitted coefficient values can be encoded with pulse code modulation to allow for simpler hardware while still requiring only 0.385 b/pixel, giving a very simple overall coding system. >
Activation of Endothelial Cells in Conduit Veins of Dogs With Heart Failure and Veins of Normal Dogs After Vascular Stretch by Acute Volume Loading

Abstract Background The venous endothelium is a key regulator of central blood volume, organ perfusion, and hemostasis in heart failure (HF). We previously reported activation of the inflammatory/oxidative program in venous endothelial cells collected from decompensated HF patients. The underlying causes are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that the pro-inflammatory state of HF and vascular strain associated with congestion can activate the endothelial inflammatory/oxidative and hemostatic programs. Methods and Results We studied 6 normal (NL) dogs (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] >50%, central venous pressure [CVP] = 8 ± 2 mm Hg) and 6 dogs with HF (LVEF ∼30%, CVP 8 ± 2 mm Hg) produced by intracoronary microembolizations. Normal dogs were studied at baseline and 1 hour after fluid load to a target CVP ≥20 mm Hg. Endothelial cells were scraped from jugular veins; mRNA expression was analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The endothelial inflammatory/oxidative and hemostatic programs were significantly activated in HF dogs compared with NL. In NL dogs, fluid load significantly activated the endothelial inflammatory/oxidative and hemostatic programs, and, concurrently, caused a significant increase in plasma neurohumoral indices to levels that approached those of HF dogs. Conclusions The pro-inflammatory state of HF and vascular strain associated with congestion can both activate venous endothelial cells in dogs in a manner consistent with that seen in HF patients.
Where the Dove Calls: The Political Ecology of a Peasant Corporate Community in Northwestern Mexico

Where the Dove Calls: The Political Ecology of. Peasant Corporate Community in Northwestern Mexico. Thomas L. Sheridan. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1988
3D polycrystalline microstructure reconstruction from FIB generated serial sections for FE analysis

Abstract This paper develops a comprehensive methodology for generating realistic 3D polycrystalline microstructures followed by discretization into a 3D tetrahedral mesh for finite element (FE) analysis. With input data on crystallographic orientations for a series of grain sections, created by a dual beam focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (DB-FIB) system, the reconstruction method uses primitives in CAD modeling based on hierarchical geometrical representation. It involves steps of data cleanup, interface point identification, parametric polynomial and NURBS function based surface patch reconstruction, generalized cell-decomposition, geometric defeaturing and gap-overlap removal. The implementation of the entire procedure is done with the user-programming facilities of a commercial CAD package Unigraphics NX3. The reconstruction algorithms are validated with various error criteria. Subsequently, a finite mesh generator is developed to consistently discretize the reconstructed polycrystalline domain into a finite element mesh with resolution control that is necessary for meaningful computational analysis in microstructure–property evaluation. The mesh generator is enriched with mesh quality improvement and degree of freedom reduction tools.
Genetics of Sex Determination and the Improvement of Biological Control Using Parasitoids

Diploid males are known to occur in several braconid and ichneumonid species. These diploid males are the result of a single-locus, sex-determination mechanism. Heterozygotes at this sex locus develop into females, whereas hemizygotes (haploids) and homozygotes (diploids) develop into males. Diploid males have a low fertility and their frequency drastically increases with small populations or inbreeding. The implications of this sex-determining mechanism for the use of parasitoids in biological control are explored. Production of diploid males leads to male-biased sex ratios and can reduce rates of establishment and population growth. Taxa in which a single-locus sex determination has been found (e.g., Ichneumonidae and Braconidae) often experience extreme male-biased sex ratios in mass rearing and have been more difficult to establish than taxa with other modes of sex determination (e.g., Chalcidoids). The effect of laboratory rearing on the number of sex alleles, frequency of diploid males, and population growth rates is explored by computer simulation. Methods of rearing and release that can enhance the number of sex alleles and the establishment of parasitoids are discussed. Furthermore, additional small-scale releases may enhance the effectiveness of already established populations by increasing number of sex alleles and the rate at which their population grows.
Technology Insight: recanalization with drugs and devices during acute ischemic stroke.

Revascularization has a pivotal role in ischemic stroke therapy, and strokes involving small blood vessels respond well to intravenously administered thrombolytic drugs. Large-vessel strokes carry higher morbidity and mortality than small-vessel strokes, and are less amenable to thrombolytic approaches. In this Review, Wade Smith assesses recent data indicating that recanalization of large vessels can be achieved using mechanical clot retrieval devices.
Patterning Functional Proteins with High Selectivity for Biosensor Applications

In this article, two-dimensional hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) micropatterns were generated on glass substrates using photolithographic techniques for the assembly of functional proteins. The non-HMDS patterned areas were backfilled with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) silane to reduce the nonspecific protein adsorption. The hydrophobic methyl-terminated HMDS monolayer was verified to be favorable for physical protein adsorption with bovine serum albumin (BSA). The PEG-silane derivatized surface significantly reduced the BSA nonspecific binding by 97% compared to the pristine glass substrate so that high patterning selectivity was achieved. A universal streptavidin template was generated using preadsorbed biotinylated BSA on HMDS surface to sequentially bind additional biotinylated antibodies. Using this patterning strategy, the biotinylated goat anti-mouse (biotin-GAM) antibodies can be specifically recognized by the fluorescently labeled mouse immunoglobulin G, which indicated that the immobilized biotin-GAM ...
Synthesis and biological activity of 2-adamantanone oxime carbamate derivatives.

The synthesis of a number of new 2-adamantanone oxime carbamate derivatives (7a-h) is described. When tested in the carrageenin-induced rat paw edema assay, some of the compounds exerted moderate anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, the title 2-adamantanone oxime carbamates showed in vitro antifungal activity against yeast and systemic mycoses and dermatophytes.