cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of airway smooth muscle cyclin D1 transcription by protein kinase C-δ

The precise mechanism by which protein kinase C-δ (PKCδ) inhibits cell cycle progression is not known. We investigated the regulation of cyclin D1 transcription by PKCδ in primary bovine airway smooth muscle cells. Overexpression of the active catalytic subunit of PKCδ attenuated platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-mediated transcription from the cyclin D1 promoter, whereas overexpression of a dominant-negative PKCδ increased promoter activity. A PKCδ-specific pseudosubstrate increased cyclin D1 protein abundance. To determine the transcriptional mechanism by which PKCδ negatively regulates cyclin D1 expression, we transiently transfected cells with cDNAs encoding cyclin D1 promoter 5′ deletions and site mutations in the context of a −66 promoter fragment. We found that the −57 to −52 CRE/ATF2 site functions as a basal level and PDGF enhancer, whereas the −39 to −30 nuclear factor-κB site functions as a basal level suppressor. Further, PDGF and PKCδ responsiveness of the cyclin D1 promoter was maintaine...
Growth Hormone Effects in Chickens

Abstract IN SOME mammalian species growth hormone (somatotrophin) is reported to increase body growth and protein retention as well as to induce hyperglycemia and glycogen deposition (Smith, Gaebler and Long, 1955). Thus far little work has been done to determine its effects in the fowl. Carter and co-workers 1953) injected 2-week-old chicks daily for 5 days with 1 mg. doses of growth hormone (containing traces of ACTH or TSH) and found no consistent effects. Hseih et al. (1952) obtained small increases in body weight and blood sugar of newly hatched chicks when 1 to 3 doses of 5 to 40 mg. of growth hormone were injected into eggs during the latter stages of incubation. Analysis of the latters’ data, however, indicates that the differences observed may not have been statistically significant. Failure of most of the eggs to hatch further complicated the picture. Since these published reports indicate that poultry differ …
Acute Toxicity of Nitrite to Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus: Effect of Salinity

Acute toxicity of nitrite to red drum fingerlings was investigated under static conditions in environments containing 36.0 to 0.6 g/L salinity. The 48 h median lethal concentrations ranged from 85.7 mg/L nitrite-N (36.0 g/L salinity) to 2.8 mg/L nitrite-N (0.6 g/L salinity). Plasma nitrite concentrations increased with exposure time during a 48 h study and exceeded environmental concentrations in fish exposed to 9.1 and 5.1 mg/L nitrite-N (1.4 g/L salinity). During 24 h of exposure, methemoglobin levels increased with increasing environmental nitrite conditions in fish exposed to 3, 6 and 9 mg/L nitrite-N for 24 h (1.4 g/L salinity). The chloride component of salinity was not as effective in preventing nitrite toxicity as in other species of fish, indicating a potential problem for the culture of red drum in low-salinity waters.
Design and Application of Thermostats to the Cooling System of the Internal-Combustion Engine:

The history of the thermostat is shown and the way in which effective engine-coolant temperature control has been obtained through the years.The main reasons for the use of thermostats are as follows:(1)Lower engine wear.(2)Improved thermal efficiency.(3)Requirements of the modern car heater.The basic design requirements for the ideal engine thermostat are then enumerated. The paper discusses how near the modern thermostat comes to these requirements. The poppet type and butterfly type valve are used for thermostats, the advantages and disadvantages of each type being discussed. The main problem is dirt, which becomes trapped in the valve seating, and increases the warm-up time of the cooling system.The design features of the bellows type and wax type thermostat, and the fillings used in the bellows type are discussed. The damping of vibration periods by hydraulic and friction methods are shown. The wax type thermostat has gained popularity because of its insensitivity to pressure when the coolant system ...
Emergency Medical Services Education, Community Outreach, andProtocols for Stroke andChest Pain in North Carolina.

Objective. Prehospital care of stroke andchest pain patients is dependent on adequate emergency medical services (EMS) education andevidence-based protocols. We sought to describe the amount of education offered, community outreach implemented, andprotocols established for stroke andfor chest pain among North Carolina EMS agencies andpersonnel. Methods. A survey was developed to measure EMS system characteristics regarding the prehospital care of stroke andchest pain patients. Each of the 83 primary EMS agencies in North Carolina was asked to participate. Results. Of the 83 agencies surveyed, 72 (87%) responded. Both advanced life support (ALS) andbasic life support (BLS) services were provided by 54% of agencies; 44% offered ALS only and1% offered BLS only. While 89% of the EMS agencies provided stroke education to EMS personnel and96% chest pain education to EMS personnel in the previous two years, the median hours devoted to stroke was one-half that for chest pain (6.0 vs. 12.0 hours, respectively). In...
Dissolving an epistemological puzzle of time perception

Robin Le Poidevin (2007) claims that we do form perceptual beliefs regarding order and duration based on our perception of events, but neither order nor duration are by themselves objects of perception. Temporal properties are discernible only when one first perceives their bearers, and temporal relations are discernible only when one first perceives their relata. The epistemic issue remains as to whether or not our perceptual beliefs about order and duration are formed on the causal basis of an event’s objective order and duration. Le Poidevin raises this issue in the form of an epistemological puzzle of time perception, from which he derives the claim that the order and duration of events do not causally contribute to our perceptual beliefs about them. Since his view is motivated by a causal truthmaker principle for grounding knowledge, it also holds that perceptual beliefs about temporal features must be caused by the features themselves in order to count as knowledge. Given these theoretical commitments, there is a puzzle concerning how such perceptual beliefs could constitute knowledge of temporal properties. In response to Le Poidevin, I argue for an account according to which order and duration are objects of perception, causally contribute to our perceptual beliefs about them, and such beliefs are capable of counting as knowledge. I conclude by showing that, on my alternative account, the epistemological puzzle dissolves and his own solution to it fails.
Transient behavior of particle densities and electron temperatures in a decaying argon arc at atmospheric pressure

Abstract We present a spectroscopic study in a decaying argon plasma arc at atmospheric pressure. After performing an Abel-inversion of the measured side-on intensities, the emissivities for selected Ar I and Ar II spectral lines were obtained at a 0.1 mm axial distance from the cathode tip. The initial intensity increase with time of the Ar I emission lines when the arc is extinguished was localized to the cathode region and could be reasonably well explained by assuming PLTE. This is in contrast to numerous studies in which the intensity jump is interpreted in terms of non-equilibrium conditions and a kinetic temperature is deduced from these data. Data from the Ar I 7635.11 A line are compared with PLTE predictions; the small observed deviation from PLTE is attributed to the decrease of resonance-radiation absorption after extinguishing the arc.
Comparison of Weekend Versus Weekday Consumption in Adolescents

Text: This study compared the intake of energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, protein, fiber, sodium, calcium, fruit, vegetable, high fat vegetable, milk, and sweetened beverage consumption on the weekend versus the weekday of adolescents by gender, ethnicity, and diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Seventyone (71) adolescents age 10-17 years old with type 2 diabetes and a community sample were recruited and completed two 24-hour dietary recalls. ANOVA was utilized to analyze the hypotheses with a significance level set at p 0.05. Adolescents consumed a significantly higher intake of calcium, fruit, and milk on the weekday versus the weekend (p 0.029, p 0.002, and 0.022, respectively). There was no significant difference between intake by gender or ethnicity on the weekend versus the weekday for any of the nutrients. Type 2 diabetics consumed significantly more percent total fat and less percent total carbohydrate on the weekday versus weekend (p 0.035 and 0.009, respectively). Dietary intake was generally more nutritionally sound on the weekday compared to the weekend.
Sensitivity analysis of upwelling thermal radiance in presence of clouds

Total upwelling radiance at the top of the atmosphere is evaluated theoretically in the presence of clouds. The influence of cloud heights, thicknesses and different cloud covers on the upwelling radiance is also investigated. The characteristics of the two cloud types considered in this study closely correspond to altocumulus and cirrus with the cloud emissivity as a function of its liquid water (or ice) content. For calculation of the integrated transmittance of atmospheric gases such as, H2O, CO2, O3, and N2O, the Quasi Random Band (QRB) model approach is adopted. Results are obtained in three different spectral ranges and are compared with the clearsky radiance results. It is found that the difference between the clearsky and cloudy radiance increases with increasing cloud height and liquid water content. This difference also decreases as the surface temperature approaches the value of the cloud top temperature.
Kinetic Pathway for the Slow to Fast Transition of Thrombin EVIDENCE OF LINKED LIGAND BINDING AT STRUCTURALLY DISTINCT DOMAINS

Abstract The kinetic pathway for the Na+-induced slow → fast transition of thrombin was characterized. The slow form was shown to consist of two conformers in a 3:1 ratio (E S2:E S1) at 5 °C, pH 7.4, Γ/2 0.3. E S2 binds Na+ 3 orders of magnitude faster than doesE S1. The small molecule active site-directed inhibitor L-371,912, and the exosite I binding ligand hirugen, like Na+, bind selectively to E S2 and induce the slow → fast conversion of thrombin. The slow → fast transition is limited by the rate of conversion ofE S1 to E S2 (k∼28 s−1 at 5 °C). Replacement of Arg-221a or Lys-224 at the Na+ binding site with Ala appears to selectively alter the slow form and reduce the apparent affinity of the mutants for Na+ and L-371,912. This replacement, however, has little effect on the affinity for the inhibitor in the presence of saturating concentrations of Na+. The kinetically linked ligand binding at the Na+ binding site, exosite I, and the active site of thrombin characterized in the present study indicates the basis for the plasticity of this important enzyme, and suggests the possibility that the substrate specificity and, therefore, the procoagulant and anticoagulant activities of thrombin may be subject to allosteric regulation by as yet unidentified physiologically important effectors.
Stability analysis of a variable-speed wind turbine

This paper examines the elastomechanical stability of a four-bladed wind turbine over a specific rotor speed range. Stability modes, frequencies, and dampings are extracted using a specialized modal processor developed at NREL that post-processes the response data generated by the ADAMS simulation code. The processor can analyze a turbine with an arbitrary number of rotor blades and offers a novel capability of isolating stability modes that become locked at a single frequency. Results indicate that over a certain rotor speed range, the tower lateral mode and the rotor regressive in-plane mode coalesce, resulting in a self-excited instability. Additional results show the effect of tower and nacelle parameters on the stability boundaries.
Brand Choice, Purchase Incidence, and Segmentation: An Integrated Modeling Approach

The authors develop an approach to market segmentation based on consumer response to marketing variables in both brand choice and category purchase incidence. The approach reveals segmentation as w...
On Empathy, Optimism, and Beautiful Play at the First African World Cup

Football as art? Football as culture? The 2010 World Cup supplied an aesthetically galvanizing spectacle and a global performance of South African identity.
Microtubule reassembly in vitro of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus sperm tail outer doublet tubulin.

Abstract Strongylocentrotus purpuratus outer doublet microtubules were prepared by extraction of sperm tail axonemes with 0.6 m -KCl. Sonication of the outer doublet microtubules in 5 m m -2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulphonic acid, 1 m m -ethyleneglycol-bis-(β-aminoethyl ether) N,N′-tetraacetic acid, 1 in m -MgSO4 (pH 6.7) solubilized up to 35% of the outer doublet protein, depending on the power input, in a manner which was non-selective for either subfiber. Tubulin comprised 75 to 85% of the total solubilized protein in a 200,000 g supernatant obtained from the sonicated suspension. Colchicine-binding assays demonstrated that the tubulin was largely in a native form (KA = 106, liters mole−; 0.74 mole of colchicine bound per mole of tubulin at infinite concentration of colchicine). Microtubule self-assembly from the 200,000 g supernatants in the absence of added seeds or glycerol was quantitated by light-scattering at 350 nm. The critical protein concentration for assembly was 0.55 mg ml−1 at 37 °C and the reaction occurred optimally in the presence of 2 m m -GTP and 150 m m -KCl. The solubilized outer doublet tubulin formed singlet microtubules upon reassembly under our in vitro conditions. The authenticity of the microtubules was verified by both negative stain and thin-section electron microscopy. Polymerization was prevented by colchicine and podophyllotoxin, and depolymerization occurred rapidly on cooling the microtubules to 0 °C. The susceptibility of the reassembled microtubules to low temperature suggested that they could be “recycled” by the warm assembly-cold disassembly procedure developed for vertebrate brain (Borisy et al., 1974). Twice recycled outer doublet tubulin was devoid of high molecular weight microtubule-associated proteins, as judged by gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. However, trace amounts (less than 5%) of intermediate molecular weight material was visible on heavily overloaded gels. The function of this material is uncertain, but it is not chemically equivalent to the tau factor of vertebrate brain (Weingarten et al., 1975), since it cannot be separated from the tubulin by phosphocellulose adsorption. In addition, phosphocellulose-treated tubulin reassembled to the same extent as untreated tubulin, suggesting that the reassembly of outer doublet tubulin does not require the protein equivalents of brain microtubule-associated proteins or tau factor. If accessory proteins are required for the reassembly of outer doublet tubulin, they are not removed by phosphocellulose under the conditions employed, and they must comprise less than 5% of the total protein.
Synthesis of the all-syn C35–C39 stereopentad of etnangien by the γ-hydroxybutenolide approach

The synthesis of the all-syn C35–C39 stereopentad of etnangien has been achieved using the asymmetric aldol reaction of a γ-hydroxybutenolide (5-hydroxy-4-methylfuran-2(5H)-one) as the key step in the five-step synthesis. The reaction of the titanium enolate of (S)-4-isopropyl-3-propionyl-2-oxazolidinone with 5-hydroxy-4-methylfuran-2(5H)-one gave good yields and diastereoselectivity of corresponding lactone, which was converted into a lactone with an all-syn stereotriad.
Synthesis and analytical properties of micrometric biosensing lipobeads

This paper describes the preparation for the first time of lipobead-based micrometric fluorescence biosensors and the optimization of their analytical properties. The study focused on the well-established urea biosensors as a model system. Fluorescence-sensing lipobeads were prepared by coating carboxyl-functionalized silica microspheres with phospholipids. The enzyme urease and the pH indicator fluorescein-5-thiosemicarbazide were then attached covalently to the phospholipid membrane of the lipobeads. Urease converts urea to ammonia, which results in a pH increase in the analyte solution and to a urea concentration-dependent increase in the fluorescence intensity of the sensing lipobeads. Previous fluorescence-sensing lipobeads were synthesized by coating polystyrene particles with a phospholipid membrane. The membrane was physically attached to the particles and the fluorophores were entrapped in the membrane. In this study, we prepared improved fluorescence-sensing lipobeads by utilizing covalent chemistry to bind the phospholipid membrane to the silica particles and the fluorophores to the membrane. This led to improvement in the stability of the newly developed urea-sensing lipobeads compared to previously developed miniaturized fluorescence biosensors.
Differential effects of D- and L-amphetamine on the sleep of depressed patients.

Abstract Dextro (d-) and levo (1-) amphetamine produced different EEG sleep changes in depressed patients. Each patient received placebo or one of the isomers (30 mg base) at 7:25 a.m. in a double blind fashion. The patients were studied under two conditions: without treatment with lithium carbonate and with treatment with lithium carbonate (0.9–2.1 gm/day beginning a minimum of 10 days before study). Both isomers reduced REM sleep and the proportion of total sleep spent in REM (the REM%). No REM rebound was observed on the night following REM suppression. Only d-amphetamine delayed sleep onset and reduced Total sleep time, NREM sleep time, and Sleep Efficiency. The same changes were observed with and without lithium carbonate treatment.
The eigenvalue spectra in Z(2)⊗Z(2) and SU(2)⊗SU(2) fermion-Higgs models

Abstract We present an analysis of the eigenvalue spectra of the Dirac operator M and related operators M1 and M † M in an SU(2)⊗SU(2) and in aZ(2)⊗Z(2) fermion-Higgs model. We see different behaviour in different regions of the phase diagram and for local vs hypercubic Yukawa coupling. A Wilson-Yukawa coupling is also studied in the SU(2) model. The troublesome crossover region in the quenched approximation for models with local Yukawa coupling is shown to be associated with the development of zero modes in M. This occurs in the symmetric phase for both SU(2) and Z(2) models, but persists into the broken (ferromagnetic) phase for the Z(2) model. As expected, the zero modes are suppressed, at least on small volumes, when dynamical fermions are included.
Phylogenetic implications of the microbody-lipid globule complex in zoosporic fungi

Chytridiomycetous fungal zoospores contain a unique and intricate association of organelles, the 'microbody-lipid globule complex' (MLC). The spatial arrangement of organelles in the MLC appears important in the utilization of lipid globules for energy, but in addition, the structural association of organelles in the MLC reveals phylogenetic trends within this diverse group of organisms. Variations in the structure of the MLC correlate well with current phylogenetic concepts of aquatic fungi, yet suggest new relationships among these posteriorly uniflagellate zoospores. Based upon the organization of organelles in the MLC, 4 basic patterns of MLCs can be recognized, and these correspond to the 4 orders of Chytridiomycetes. The MLC in its simplest form consists of a microbody appressed to the edge of a lipid globule. In more highly organized MLCs, mitochondria subtend the microbody and a cisterna surmounts one side of the lipid globule. The organization and structure is still more complex in other MLCs where ER is elaborated into a tubular network of membranes or where small microbodies or mitochondria fuse into 'giant' organelles. The structural organization of the MLC provides an additional criterion by which the phylogeny of awuatic fungi can be evaluated.
Observation of dipolar emission patterns from isolated Eu3+:Y2O3 doped nanocrystals: new evidence for single ion luminescence

Abstract We report results of emission pattern imaging experiments from single Eu3+:Y2O3 nanocrystals (3–12 nm size) designed to provide new insight on the luminescence dynamics of isolated rare-earth doped nano-phosphors. We observe dipolar emission patterns that are characteristic of single quantum emitters whose orientation appears fixed on the measurement time scale. We also show that the luminescence from single nanoparticles is linearly polarized, also characteristic of single quantum system behavior. Taken in combination with dynamical observations of blinking and discrete photobleaching, these experiments provide strong evidence for single ion luminescence, and confirm the dipolar nature of the optical transitions of Eu3+ in inorganic crystals.
What it Means to be Christian: The Role of Religion in the Construction Of Ethnic Identity and Boundary Among Second-Generation Korean Americans

Despite a rich body of literature on the role of ethnic religion in immigrant communities, there has been relatively little attention paid to the role and impact of ethnic religion on the second generation. This is due partly to the earlier dominance of the assinlationist paradigm, which, based mostly on the experiences of the "old" turn-of-the-century European immigrant groups, tended to postulate a second-generation rejection of religion and ethnicity. Drawing on an ethnographic study of KoreanAmerican Christians in Chicago, this study seeks to reexamine the role of ethnic religion for the second gVneration in the context of a contemporary non-white ethnic group. Contrary to earlier views, findings from Korean-American church-goers suggest that when an ethnic group is faced with a strong sense of social marginalization believed to arise from its racial status, the ethnic church can play a dominant role in the group's quest for identity and sense of belonging. This paper shows the ways in which the Korean ethnic church, more specifically the evangelical Protestant church, plays a role in the construction and maintenance of second-generation Korean ethnic identity and boundary. Serving as a primary site of the cultural reproduction of the second generation, the Korean ethnic church supports the development of the group's defensive and often highly exclusive ethnic identity in two key ways; first, through a general institutional transmission of Korean culture and second, by the way a set of core traditional Korean values are legitimized and sacralized through their identification with conservative Christian morality and worldview. In demonstrating how ethnic religion can remain highly salient for the second generation under certain situational contexts, this study illuminates the need to rethink the previous views regarding ethnic religion and the second generation, as well as the nature of second-generation ethnicity.
Relationship between Concentrations of Ruminal Nucleic Acids and Excretion of Purine Derivatives by Sheep

PURINES can be synthesized in the animal body from glycine, serine, aspartic acid, glutamine, formate and respiratory carbon dioxide, but they are also derived from dietary and cellular nucleoprotein. Recent work with cattle1 and sheep2 has shown that purine derivatives (uric acid and allantoin in urine) are quantitatively important end-products of these ruminants when they are fed on diets with a high-energy, low-protein content and when the animals are in either N equilibrium or slight positive balance. With such diets protein is utilized very efficiently. It is well known that efficiency of protein utilization in the ruminant depends on the catabolic and synthetic activities of the rumen micro-organisms. For high efficiency, the breakdown products of dietary protein and other nitrogenous compounds must be rapidly synthesized into microbial protein in the rumen3. This evidence suggests that most of the allantoin and uric acid excreted by ruminants may be derived from nucleic acids of rumen micro-organisms. Some support for this suggestion has been reported by Blaxter and Martin4, who showed that after ruminal infusion of casein (which is free of purine and pyrimidine bases) slightly more allantoin was excreted than after abomasal infusion of the same quantity of casein.
Personal Value Influences on Consumer Product Class and Brand PReferences

Summary Four hypotheses were tested which relate to values as basic criterion variables for market segmentation, and a fifth hypothesis was tested regarding the usefulness of values in enriching market segmentation. The research investigated market segmentation procedures at two levels—product class preference and brand preference within a class—for three products: automobiles, underarm deodorants, and weekend recreation activities. The Rokeach value scale was sent to 830 consumer panel members. Several months later each third of the panel received a one-product survey concerning class and brand choice criteria, beliefs, preferences, intentions, and past behavior. Consumer value structures were found to be linked to the importance of choice criteria for product classes and brands. Value structures were not found to relate to product class and brand preferences or intentions. The preference and intention variables may be too far removed cognitively from values for segmentation based on them to be effective.
Use of prescription and nonprescription medications and supplements by cancer patients during chemotherapy: questionnaire validation.

Background. Cancer patients take medications for coexisting disease and self-medicate with over-the-counter drugs (OTCs). A complete analysis of the use of prescription drugs, OTCs, and supplements during cancer treatment has never been done.Methods. The study developed and validated a self-administered questionnaire on the use of concomitant medications by patients undergoing treatment with chemotherapy. The questionnaire listed 510 prescription medications, OTCs, and supplements (including vitamins, minerals, and herbs). Fifty-two subjects completed the questionnaire while visiting the infusion clinic to receive chemotherapy. On a subsequent visit the subjects brought their medications to the clinic and a pharmacist reviewed their completed questionnaire.Results. Ninety-six percent of the subjects reported taking prescription medications within 3 days prior to chemotherapy, 71% reported taking OTCs and 69% reported use of supplements. The subjects took an average of 5.5 (range 0—13) prescription drugs, ...
System Effectiveness Models: An Annotated Bibliography

A state-of-the-art survey on system effectiveness models is presented. A variety of system effectiveness models dealing with military and space systems have been developed by the US Air Force, Army, and Navy. Each model has different attributes in its definition of system effectiveness. This survey classifies these attributes and definitions and presents their relationship to system effectiveness. Attributes included are reliability, availability, operational readiness, repairability, maintainability, serviceability, design adequacy, capability, dependability, human performance, and environmental effects. The system effectiveness models and their computer codes are also classified and reviewed.
Unconstrained H∞ predictive control with H∞ prediction: single‐input–single‐output case

Does the replacement of the quadratic (H2) predictor by the worst-case (H∞, or cumulative minimax) predictor robustify the predictive control laws? The present work provides a partial answer to this question, positive for the examples considered, representative of three broad classes of systems. The H∞ prediction is demonstrated to be a powerful and convenient tool for frequency shaping of the gain of the closed-loop complementary sensitivity function, capable of robustifying the closed loop for systems with different stability properties. The H∞-optimal k-step ahead predictor is derived for an unstable single-input–single- output CARMA model. A BIBO unstable filter for the disturbance rejection is obtained using the internal model principle and included into the closed loop, and the H∞ predictor is applied to the combination of this filter with the plant. The sum over a finite horizon of the current and the predicted tracking error and control signal power spectral densities (PSDs) is decomposed into two parts, one induced by the worst-case predicted disturbance and the other—by the known future reference input. A two degrees of freedom algorithm, referred to as the multi-step closed-loop polynomial H∞ predictive control law, is obtained that minimizes the peaks of the PSD of the first part and the integral on the unit circle of the PSD of the second. It is demonstrated on several systems that H∞ prediction introduces a very intuitive tuning knob in the form of the prediction horizon capable of setting a trade-off between the steady-state disturbance rejection perfor mance in terms of the output error variance and the closed-loop robustness, however the efficacy of the knob strongly depends on the stability properties of the system and its inverse. The trade-off becomes less pronounced or completely disappears when the H∞ predictor is replaced by the quadratic one. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification of Specific Relaxin-Binding Cells in the Human Female

Relaxin is secreted during pregnancy, but it has no verified effects in humans. The objective of the present study was to identify the cells containing specific relaxin-binding sites in the uterine cervix, vagina, uterus, mammary glands, mammary nipples, and term placenta in the human. The uterine cervix, vagina, and uterus were obtained from hysterectomy specimens. Mammary glands and nipples were obtained after modified radical mastectomy. Placenta was obtained after normal delivery. Tissue samples were cut into slices (0.5-3 cm3), frozen in liquid nitrogen, and cryosectioned (8 microm). Cells that bind relaxin were identified by sequential application of biotinylated porcine relaxin probe, antibiotin immunoglobulin G conjugated to 1 nm colloidal gold, and silver enhancement for signal amplification. Relaxin bound with specificity to epithelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and blood vessels in the cervix, vagina, uterus, and mammary nipples; to epithelial cells and blood vessels in the mammary glands; and to skin of the mammary nipples. In addition, relaxin bound to individual cell types within the term placenta (amnion epithelium, syncytiotrophoblasts, blood vessels), and to sebaceous glands within the nipples. We conclude that the specific relaxin-binding cells probably contain relaxin receptors. Identification of putative relaxin receptors may provide insight into physiological and/or therapeutic roles of relaxin in the human.
Survey and interpretation of pre-exponentials of conductivity

The pre-exponential A in the Arrhenius expression for the conductivity has been examined for a wide variety of solid electrolytes, including glasses, some of which show the mixed alkali effect. In this survey we compare the experimental value of A to a reference value A ref , calculated under the assumption that all carriers are free to migrate. There are three categories observed, according to whether A = A ref A A ref or A > A ref , each having a different theoretical interpretation. Cases involving A > A ref involve an association or trapping energy and have been previously incorrectly interpreted as showing a high activation entropy. In addition, we have examined the validity of the Meyer-Neldel rule, according to which In A varies linearly with activation energy for a family of related ionic conductors. This rule is not usually obeyed, but an interpretation is given for it when it is obeyed.
Invasive aspergillosis in children with hematologic malignancies.

The respiratory tract is the most common system affected by aspergillosis in children with hematologic malignancies. However, Aspergillus spp. tend to invade blood vessels, resulting in systemic dissemination to multiple organs including, but not limited to, the brain, bones, liver, kidneys, and skin. Because early diagnosis and treatment are critical to the patient’s outcome, a high index of suspicion should be maintained in children with hematologic malignancies who are neutropenic and have prolonged fever that is unresponsive to systemic antibacterials. Several diagnostic modalities should be used simultaneously in order to establish the diagnosis in an expeditious manner. Detailed radiographic evaluations with plain radiographs, and CT scans of the chest, sinuses, brain, and other organs should be performed as soon as clinical suspicion is raised. Detection of circulating antigens, such as galactomannan and 1,3-β-glucan, and polymerase chain reaction appear promising in aiding in the diagnosis. A definitive diagnosis requires both a positive culture from a sterile site and evidence of tissue damage demonstrated by imaging studies or microscopic evaluations of sites of infection. Because the mortality rate is very high, empiric systemic antifungal therapy with amphotericin B, or one of its lipid formulations, should be initiated while laboratory investigations to substantiate or refute the diagnosis are continued. Surgical intervention is associated with a high mortality rate but may be of benefit in children with localized disease.
Pirouetting in chiral [2]catenanes

One of the best known classes of mechanically interlocked molecules is the category of [2]catenanes, which exhibit donor-acceptor interactions between the 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) units in a crown ether and the bipyridinium units in the tetracationic cyclophane, cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT4+). In order to gain an in-depth understanding and appreciation of the stereochemistry and dynamic behavior of these [2]catenanes, chiral analogues—having both the DNP ring, which is capable of displaying planar chirality, and the axially chiral binaphthol (BINAP) moiety (as both enantiomers and as the racemic modification), in a crown ether, in addition to the CBPQT4+ cyclophane—have been synthesized using a template-directed protocol. Dynamic 1H NMR spectroscopy shows that (i) the presence of immutable axial chirality, arising from the BINAP moiety in the crown ether component, leads to no induction of diastereoselectivity—the chiral catenanes exist as a mixture of diastereoisomers in solution at low temperatures in the approximate ratio of 1:1, (ii) the barrier (ΔGcD) to the interconversion between these two diastereoisomers is 7.9 ± 0.1 kcal mol−1 at 171 K, and (iii) no induction of diastereoselectivity is observed upon the addition of a chiral solvating agent to the chrial catenanes. The pattern of behavior in the variable temperature 1H NMR spectra and the low ΔTGcD value indicates that the dynamic process involving the interconversion between these two diastereoisomers is one of a pirouetting nature. Of the four possible diastereoisomers, only two, (R)-(pR/pS) or (S)-(pR/pS), are shown to exist in solution.
The Evolving Role of Advanced Practice Nurses in Surgery

ABSTRACT Health care reform has created many opportunities for advanced practice nurses and for OR nurses who want to go beyond traditional circulating and scrub roles. This article will briefly differentiate between expanded and advanced nursing practice and offer a definition and conceptual model for the surgical arena. Literature will be reviewed related to development, evaluation, and practice issues of the emerging role of the surgical advanced practice nurse. AORN J 67 (May 1998) 998-1009.
The child's concept of proportionality: a re-examination.

Abstract A partial replication and extension of Bruner and Kenney's (1966) study of the concept of proportionality was run with 5- and 7-year-old children. Experimental Ss were given preliminary training to facilitate their understanding of the task and their attention to the relevant cues. Training effectively altered the performance of both the 7- and 5-year-old E groups although only the older group was shown to possess the proportionality concept as measured by the criterion task. The results demonstrated the importance of avoiding verbal ambiguity in the investigation of nonverbal cognitive competence.
Neomycin Inhibition of Hormone-Stimulated Smooth Muscle Contractions in Myometrial Tissue

These studies sought to determine the effects of neomycin, a phospholipase C inhibitor, on hormone-stimulated myometrial contractions. For these studies, computer digitalized in vitro isometric contraction data were analyzed for changes in contractile activity in response to oxytocin and aluminum fluoride with and without neomycin. Neomycin (1-5 mM) produced dose-related inhibition of oxytocin and aluminum fluoride-stimulated myometrial contractions. This neomycin effect was apparent within 2-3 minutes of addition and was completely reversible, with resolution of its inhibitory effects within 6-8 minutes of washout. This study is the first to demonstrate the functional effect of neomycin inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway in myometrial smooth muscle tissue.
Constant pH replica exchange molecular dynamics in biomolecules using a discrete protonation model.

A constant pH replica exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) method is proposed and implemented to improve coupled protonation and conformational state sampling. By mixing conformational sampling at constant pH (with discrete protonation states) with a temperature ladder, this method avoids conformational trapping. Our method was tested and applied to seven different biological systems. The constant pH REMD not only predicted pKa correctly for small, model compounds but also converged faster than constant pH molecular dynamics (MD). We further tested our constant pH REMD on a heptapeptide from the ovomucoid third domain (OMTKY3). Although constant pH REMD and MD produced very close pKa values, the constant pH REMD showed its advantage in the efficiency of conformational and protonation state samplings.
Total Synthesis of (±)-Rhazinal Using Novel Palladium-Catalyzed Cyclizations

A concise synthesis of (±)-rhazinal that hinges on novel oxidative Heck cyclizations and palladium-catalyzed direct couplings is described. An X-ray structure of N-MOM-rhazinal, which provides insight into the conformation of the strained 9-membered lactam ring, is described.
Enhancing activity of rat tissue extracts for induction of lambda prophage by L-azaserine

We studied the effect of rat tissue extracts on induction of lambda prophage in Escherichia coli (λ) by L-azaserine. Hepatic and pancreatic extracts, primarily the cytosolic fraction, markedly increased the rate of induction. Hepatic extracts from lipotrope-deficient rats were somewhat more active than extracts from normal rats. The enhancing activity in normal rat hepatic cytosol was partially characterized. It reduced by about one-half the dose of azaserine required for a given purpose. The enhancement was increased by preincubating the bacterial cells with cytosol; cells retained the effect after cytosol was removed. Enhancing activity was inhibited strongly by the amino acids phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine; to lesser extents by leucine, methionine, and serine; and not at all by proline or glutamine. It was eliminated by dialysis of the cytosol and reduced by omission of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) from the reaction mixture. Heating the cytosol to 60°C or 80°C or varying the pH of the reaction mixture from 6 to 8 had no significant effect. Treating the cytosol with trypsin appeared to release an inhibitor of the activity. Glutathione, cysteine, and β-mercaptoethanol also enhanced X induction by azaserine, but the cytosolic activity was not affected by the thiol-inactivating compound diethylmaleate (DEM). The results suggest that factors in cytosol interact with bacterial cells to facilitate transport of azaserine into the cells, primarily through the aromatic amino acid transport system. A small molecule, not a free thiol compound, appears to be involved. It may serve to establish reducing conditions protective for azaserine, the probable mechanism of action of sulthydryl compounds.
Consequences and Detection of Misspecified Nonlinear Regression Models

Abstract Under general conditions given here, the least squares estimator for the parameters of a misspecified nonlinear model converge strongly to the parameters of a (weighted) least squares approximation to the true model. With additional conditions, the least squares estimator is asymptotically normal. A new, specification-robust estimator of the covariance matrix is obtained, which simplifies to the usual estimator when the model is correct up to an independent additive error. The properties of the approximation and the covariance estimator are exploited to yield new tests for model misspecification. These results are applied to two examples in economics.
Carbamoylation, inhibition of glutathione reductase and chemopotentiation of nitrosoureas by misonidazole

Abstract Experiments were designed to determine whether carbamoylation-related inhibition of glutathione reductase (GR) was involved in the previously reported correlation between nitrosourea carbamoylating activity (defined by the extent of binding to L-lysine) and the magnitude of Misonidazole (MISO) chemopotentiation. The extent to which 12 different nitrosoureas (NUs) inhibited GR activity in extracts of EMT-6/Ro cells was determined and compared to the magnitude of chemopotentiation realized when each was combined with MISO for the treatment of EMT6/Ro cells in vitro . No correlation was observed between glutathione reductase inhibition and the potentiation of nitrosourea cytotoxicity by MISO in vitro , suggesting that inhibition of GR was not involved in the mechanism of MISO chemopotentiation. Furthermore, when the original correlation was re-examined with the inclusion of additional chemopotentiation data for four hydroxylated analogs of CCNU, including two which possess little or no lysine-carbamoyladng activity but which were significantly enhanced by MISO, a correlation between carbamoylation and the magnitude of MISO chemopotentiation could not be established. From these studies we conclude that NU-carbamoylating activity is not the prime determinant of interaction between MISO and the NUs.
A model for transient electronic velocity with overshoot

Abstract Differential coupled equations are employed in order to model the transient behavior of electrons in the presence of an electric field. It is possible to approximate the differential equation for the energy by a simpler form which can be parametrized. It is shown that with a suitable choice of the energy parameters the scattering rate as a function of energy can be obtained. The electronic velocity overshoot at short time is investigated with different choices of the above parameters. Numerical results for the transient velocity obtained by a Runge-Kutta scheme are plotted vs time. Our model obtains a favorable agreement with a sophisticated approach as well as with Monte Carlo simulations for a two-dimensional semiconductor heterojunction.
Immunotherapy for Primary Brain Tumors: No Longer a Matter of Privilege

Immunotherapy for cancer continues to gain both momentum and legitimacy as a rational mode of therapy and a vital treatment component in the emerging era of personalized medicine. Gliomas, and their most malignant form, glioblastoma, remain as a particularly devastating solid tumor for which standard treatment options proffer only modest efficacy and target specificity. Immunotherapy would seem a well-suited choice to address such deficiencies given both the modest inherent immunogenicity of gliomas and the strong desire for treatment specificity within the confines of the toxicity-averse normal brain. This review highlights the caveats and challenges to immunotherapy for primary brain tumors, as well as reviewing modalities that are currently used or are undergoing active investigation. Tumor immunosuppressive countermeasures, peculiarities of central nervous system immune access, and opportunities for rational treatment design are discussed.
Synthesis of some trifluoroethyl-substituted derivatives of aniline

Abstract A new procedure is presented for the preparation of N-trifluoroethylanilines by reaction of the appropriate aniline with ethyl trifluoroacetate or trifluoroacetic anhydride, followed by reduction with diborane in tetrahydrofuran. Yields are high unless the aniline carriers a carboyxl, carbonyl, olefin, or o-nitro substituent. several new N-substituted trifluoroacetamides and trifluoroethylanilines are reported.
A liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of obatoclax in human plasma

We describe a selective and highly sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-collision induced dissociation-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-CID-MS/MS) assay for the pan-antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family inhibitor, obatoclax, in human plasma. Fifty μL plasma specimens were prepared by addition of extraction solution consisting of Mobile Phase A (10mM ammonium formate (aq) titrated to pH of 3.0 with formic acid): Mobile Phase B (100% methanol) (20:80, v,v) and internal standard followed by centrifugation. HPLC separations were performed on a Waters, YMC-Pack™, ODS-AQ™ S-3 analytical column with LC mobile phase A and B. Linearity and sensitivity was assessed over a linear range of 0.04-25ng/ml at eleven concentrations. The lower limit of quantification for obatoclax was 0.04ng/mL. The intra-day precision based on the standard deviation of replicates of quality control (QC) samples ranged from 0.9 to 5.1% and the accuracy ranged from 98.9 to 106.8%. Stability studies performed replicate sets of QC samples (0.1ng/mL, 2.5ng/mL, and 15ng/mL) showed that obatoclax in human plasma was stable at room temperature for 24h as well as at -80°C for 1m and 2y. Stability was also demonstrated after 3 freeze/thaw cycles (RT to -80°C). The analytical method showed excellent sensitivity, precision, and accuracy. This method is robust and has been successfully employed in a Children's Oncology Group Phase 1 Consortium study of obatoclax in children with cancer.
Classroom-based Interventions and Teachers' Perceived Job Stressors and Confidence: Evidence from a Randomized Trial in Head Start Settings.

Preschool teachers’ job stressors have received increasing attention but have been understudied in the literature. We investigated the impacts of a classroom-based intervention, the Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP), on teachers’ perceived job stressors and confidence, as indexed by their perceptions of job control, job resources, job demands, and confidence in behavior management. Using a clustered randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, the CSRP provided multifaceted services to the treatment group, including teacher training and mental health consultation, which were accompanied by stress-reduction services and workshops. Overall, 90 teachers in 35 classrooms at 18 Head Start sites participated in the study. After adjusting for teacher and classroom factors and site fixed effects, we found that the CSRP had significant effects on the improvement of teachers’ perceived job control and work-related resources. We also found that the CSRP decreased teachers’ confidence in behavior management and had no statistically significant effects on job demands. Overall, we did not find significant moderation effects of teacher race/ethnicity, education, teaching experience, or teacher type. The implications for research and policy are discussed.