cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glucagon induces disaggregation of polymer-like structures of the alpha subunit of the stimulatory G protein in liver membranes

Abstract The hydrodynamic behavior of G alpha s, the alpha subunit of the stimulatory guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein (G protein), in octyl glucoside extracts of rat liver membranes was investigated. As was previously shown for G proteins similarly extracted from brain synaptoneurosomes, G alpha s behaved as polydisperse structures with S values higher than that of heterotrimeric G proteins. At concentrations of guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP[gamma S]) greater than 100 microM, incubation with membranes led to smaller structures having S values in the range of 4-5 S. Incubation of liver membranes with glucagon also caused a marked increase in structures having these S values; glucagon action required the presence of low concentrations of GTP[gamma S] (maximal, 10 microM), was rapid (within 10 sec), and was not observed with vasopressin, angiotensin II, or glucagon-(19-29). When G alpha s in its membrane-bound form was [32P]ADP-ribosylated by cholera toxin and the treated membranes were extracted with octyl glucoside, greater than 35% of the labeled G alpha s was found in material that sedimented through sucrose gradients and contained relatively low levels of immunoreactive G alpha s. Glucagon selectively converted the apparently large molecular weight structures to the 4-5 S structures in the presence of GTP[gamma S], even at 1 mM (the maximal effect of the nucleotide alone), when incubated with the toxin-treated membranes. These findings suggest that the glucagon receptor selectively interacts with polymer-like structures of G alpha s and that activation by GTP[gamma S] results in disaggregation. The role of the beta and gamma subunits of G proteins in the hormone-induced process is not clear since the polymer-like structures extracted with octyl glucoside are devoid of beta and gamma subunits.
Improved Robustness Measures for the Exact Linearization Control of Robots

New and improved bounds are obtained for the stability robustness of robots controlled by exact linearization technique. Uncertainties in the equivalent link masses, Coulomb and viscous friction coefficients and unknown external disturbances are shown to be accommodated to a certain degree by controllers of this type. Uncertainties are both modelled as deterministic and stochastic perturbations. In the deterministic case, uniform ultimate boundedness using both Lyapunov theorems and Gronwall-Bellman inequality and in the stochastic case sample path boundedness using Martingale results can be secured if the bounds given in this paper are not exceeded. We demonstrate the improvement in bounds over the previous ones by analytical means for a general n degree-of-freedom manipulator. Finally, the results are illustrated by using a 2 degree-of-freedom numerical example.
Serotonin mediates suppression of focal epileptiform activity induced by noxious stimulation

Noxious stimulation can suppress epileptic seizures in humans and epileptiform activity in laboratory animals. Using as a model system the focal epileptiform activity (FEA) induced by the pneumophoresis of penicillin, the role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) in suppression of this activity by noxious stimulation was investigated. Drugs known to depress dorsal raphe unit activity, (+/-)-8-hydroxydipropylaminotetralin (DPAT), imipramine, and fluoxetine prevented suppression of FEA induced by noxious stimulation. Desimipramine, which depresses locus ceruleus but not dorsal raphe unit activity, was ineffective in blocking the suppression. Quipazine, an agonist at 5-HT receptors, in part restored the suppression that had been blocked by DPAT or imipramine. Several serotonin antagonists effective at 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 receptors blocked suppression, but an unequivocal determination of the serotonin receptor subtype mediating suppression could not be made. We conclude that 5-HT mediates suppression of FEA induced by noxious stimulation.
CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN HIGHER PLANTS. II. THE DISTRIBUTION OF ALDOLASE IN PLANTS

are principally a kind of modified wood prosenchyma, and the lignified elements form a continuous cylinder in the stele. These cells have unpitted walls, remain alive indefinitely, and divide radially despite the lignified wall. The interfascicular cambium in the rachis of the leaf produces similar elements. There are no parenchymatous wood rays between the lignified elements. Large sieve tube elements are differentiated from vacuolate parenchyma cells in the medullary sheath immediately adjacent to the modified wood prosenchyma. A part of the internal phloem strands have their procambial elements present in the pith as early in ontogeny as those of the external phloem. Additional internal phloem strands may arise from divisions in columns of vacuolate pith-like cells in the medullary tissue. The independent internal phloem strands in the pith of the tomato axis are best interpreted as medullary phloem strands, rather than as portions of bicollateral vascular bundles.
Environmental and substrate material factors' effect on metal lithography corrosion

Monitoring techniques were used to analyze metal lithography corrosion on post-metal etch processes and after solvent processing. Liquid ion chromatography (LIC) techniques were used to monitor the chlorine ion concentration on the wafers following plasma metal etch processing, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques were used to monitor the level of fluorine ions which prevented native oxide growth that protects the metallization from solvent damage. Characterizations were run to identify the significant integrated circuit process factors and environmental conditions that increased the corrosion occurrence or severity above the baseline level. Monitoring of the environmental corrosion risk was done with LIC and air quality monitors. Wafer processing and substrate factors significant to corrosion occurrence were: (1) underlying oxide type, (2) photoresist type, (3) pattern density of the metal geometries, (4) metal etch wafer position, (5) connection to substrate by vias/contacts, (6) humidity, (7) backside condition of the wafer, (8) overetch step chlorine flow, and (9) metal thickness, in increasing significance. Significant reduction in measured corrosive ion levels and observed corrosion defects was obtained with modified processing schemes.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Structure of the lipopolysaccharide antigenic O-chain produced by Salmonella ohio (O:6,7).

Abstract Salmonella ohio , which belong to Group C 1 (0:6,7) of the Kauffmann—White classification system, produces a smooth lipopolysaccharide which by glycose analysis, methylation, deamination, and 1 H-n.m.r. studies was shown to have an O-polysaccharide chain composed of a repeating hexasaccharide unit having the structure {→2)-[α- d -Glc p -(1→3)]-α- d -Man p -(1→2)-α- d -Man p -(1→2)-β- d -Man p - (1→3)-β- d -Glc p NAc-(1→2)-β- d -Man p -(1→} n .
Sparse Principal Component Analysis

Principal component analysis (PCA) is widely used in data processing and dimensionality reduction. However, PCA suffers from the fact that each principal component is a linear combination of all the original variables, thus it is often difficult to interpret the results. We introduce a new method called sparse principal component analysis (SPCA) using the lasso (elastic net) to produce modified principal components with sparse loadings. We first show that PCA can be formulated as a regression-type optimization problem; sparse loadings are then obtained by imposing the lasso (elastic net) constraint on the regression coefficients. Efficient algorithms are proposed to fit our SPCA models for both regular multivariate data and gene expression arrays. We also give a new formula to compute the total variance of modified principal components. As illustrations, SPCA is applied to real and simulated data with encouraging results.
Volatile trans-2-hexenal, a soybean aldehyde, inhibits Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin production in corn.

: Trans-2-hexenal, a volatile aldehyde, is produced by soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr) and other plants via the lipoxygenase pathway. In vitro tests showed it significantly (P < 0.001) reduced Aspergillus flavus germinating conidial viability at 10 μM, with approximately 95% viability reduction observed at 20 μM. The viability of nongerminated conidia was not reduced. To test the effectiveness of this volatile to prevent fungal growth in stored corn, trans-2-hexenal was pumped intermittently into glass jars containing corn. Experiments were performed to determine the ability of 2 different pump cycle time-courses to prevent A. flavus growth on sterile corn (23% moisture). Intermittently (30-min pumping period) over 7 d, this volatile was pumped through 350 g of corn kernels inoculated with 1 mL of 3 × 104 conidia of A. flavus. Controls consisted of (1) sterile corn, (2) corn inoculated with A. flavus with no pumped air, and (3) corn inoculated with A. flavus with intermittently pumped air. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), viability counts, and aldehyde concentration in the headspace were performed in each experiment. To determine whether an increased time period between volatile pumping would prevent A. flavus growth, a 2nd series of experiments were performed that were similar to the 1st series except that trans-2-hexenal (only) was pumped for a 30-min period every 12 h. Experiments were performed 3 times for each time course. Both experiments showed that intermittent pumping of volatile trans-2-hexenal significantly (P < 0.001) prevented A. flavus growth and aflatoxin B1 production over a 7-d period. Practical Application: Results from this study indicate that intermittent pumping of volatile trans-2-hexenal could be used to protect stored corn from A. flavus growth and aflatoxin contamination.
The Vibroscopic Method for Determination of Fiber Cross-Sectional Area

The elementary theory of the vibroscope, a device for determining mass per unit length of a fiber, is reviewed and the corrections from the simple law due to elasticity are discussed. Various forms of apparatus are described. Comparisons of vibroscope results with results of other methods are given. Agreement is found within the limits of precision of the methods.
ZipA Is Required for FtsZ-Dependent Preseptal Peptidoglycan Synthesis prior to Invagination during Cell Division

Rod-shaped bacteria grow by a repetitive cycle of elongation followed by division, and the mechanisms responsible for these two processes have been studied for decades. However, little is known about what happens during the transition between the two activities. At least one event occurs after elongation ends and before division commences, that being the insertion of new cell wall peptidoglycan into a narrowly circumscribed ribbon around midcell where septation is destined to take place. This insertion does not depend on the presence of the septation-specific protein PBP3 and is therefore known as PBP3-independent peptidoglycan synthesis (PIPS). Here we report that only FtsZ and ZipA are required to generate PIPS in wild-type Escherichia coli. PIPS does not require the participation of other members of the divisome, the MreB-directed cell wall elongation complex, alternate peptidoglycan synthases, the major peptidoglycan amidases, or any of the low-molecular-weight penicillin binding proteins. ZipA-directed PIPS may represent an intermediate stage that connects cell wall elongation to septal invagination and may be the reason ZipA is essential in the gammaproteobacteria.
Elevated CO 2 and O 3 Alter Soil Nitrogen Transformations beneath Trembling Aspen, Paper Birch, and Sugar Maple

Nitrogen cycling in northern temperate forest ecosystems could change under increasing atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3 as a result of quantitative and qualitative changes in plant litter production. At the Aspen Free Air CO2–O3 Enrichment (FACE) experiment, we previously found that greater substrate inputs to soil under elevated CO2 did not alter gross N transformation rates in the first 3 years of the experiment. We hypothesized that greater litter production under elevated CO2 would eventually cause greater gross N transformation rates and that CO2 effects would be nullified by elevated O3. Following our original study, we continued measurement of gross N transformation rates for an additional four years. From 1999 to 2003, gross N mineralization doubled, N immobilization increased 4-fold, but changes in microbial biomass N and soil total N were not detected. We observed year-to-year variation in N transformation rates, which peaked during a period of foliar insect damage. Elevated CO2 caused equivalent increases in gross rates of N mineralization (+34%) and NH 4 + immobilization (+36%). These results indicate greater rates of N turnover under elevated CO2, but do not indicate a negative feedback between elevated CO2 and soil N availability. Elevated O3 decreased gross N mineralization (−16%) and had no effect on NH 4 + immobilization, indicating reduced N availability under elevated O3. The effects of CO2 and O3 on N mineralization rates were mainly related to changes in litter production, whereas effects on N immobilization were likely influenced by changes in litter chemistry and production. Our findings also indicate that concomitant increases in atmospheric CO2 and O3 could lead to a negative feedback on N availability.
Development and evaluation in an ex vivo rat model of a technique for the endoscopic assessment of mucosal defense in man.

We evaluated, in an ex vivo rat model, two electrodes suitable for use in man for the endoscopic assessment of luminal and juxtamucosal pH in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Luminal and mucosal pH measurements were performed under stereomicroscopic control in the exposed stomach of the anesthetized rat, using 0.5-mm and 1-mm immersion depth electrodes in the presence of various luminal pH values and after pre-exposure to the mucolytic agent N-acetylcysteine. Both electrodes consistently recorded lumen-to-mucosa pH gradients in the gastric corpus and antrum, the neutralizing zone being located over the surface of the mucosa. These gradients were dissipated on mucosal exposure to a highly acid luminal fluid and after pre-treatment with N-acetylcysteine. These studies indicate that these microelectrodes do, indeed, reliably record lumen-to-mucosa pH gradients and suggest that this method may prove a useful tool for the investigation of mucosal protection in man. Discrepancies between the size of the electr...
Characterization of usp XVIII content uniformity plan

Abstract Tablets—The requirements are met if the content of each of not less than 9 of the tablets is within the limits of 85 percent and 115 percent of the average of the tolerances specified in the potency definition in the monograph, and if the content of none of the tablets falls outside the limits of 75 percent and 125 percent of that average.
Ab initio absorption spectra of CdSe clusters

Ab initio absorption spectra for ${\mathrm{Cd}}_{n}{\mathrm{Se}}_{n}$ clusters $(1l~nl~8)$ are calculated using an adiabatic time-dependent density functional formalism within the local density approximation (LDA). We find that the calculated spectra differ significantly from those computed using a simple LDA approach. In particular, they correct for the well-known underestimate of the absorption gap in time-independent density functional theory. The calculated spectra exhibit a variety of features that can be used for comparison against future experimental investigations. In addition, we find a correlation between the highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gap, the optical gap, and the cluster binding energy.
Adenovirus-mediated transfer of the CFTR gene to lung of nonhuman primates: toxicity study.

ABSTRACT In preparation for human trials of gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF), we performed a preclinical study of gene transfer into the lungs of baboons. Recombinant adenovirus vectors containing expression cassettes for human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and Escherichia coli β-galactosidase (lacZ) were instilled through a bronchoscope into limited regions of lung in 14 baboons. A detailed accounting of the extent, distribution, and duration of gene expression is contained in a companion article (Engelhardt et al., 1993b). In this article, we report the results of toxicity studies in which clinical laboratory tests, chest radiographs, and necropsy studies were used to detect adverse effects. The only adverse effect noted was a mononuclear cell inflammatory response within the alveolar compartment of animals receiving doses of virus that were required to induce detectable gene expression. Minimal inflammation was seen at 107 and 108 pfu/ml, but at 109 and more prominentl...
Simple formulas calculate cloud droplet concentration

Droplets in clouds form on atmospheric aerosols known as cloud condensational nuclei. More than 90% of cloud droplets nucleate within a few tens of meters above the base of clouds, where the air is supersaturated. The microphysical processes of drop formation within this thin layer above the cloud base determine the structure of the entire cloud, which can be 10–14 kilometers deep. Cloud structure in turn determines the cloud's effects on local and global weather and climate, so the accurate representation of droplet nucleation processes is important for modeling atmospheric processes on scales from single clouds to global scales. However, even with advanced supercomputers, cloud models cannot simulate the small-scale processes in the thin layer above the cloud base, so analytical solutions are needed.
Filiform polyposis in a child with Crohn's disease

Filiform polyps were demonstrated radiographically in a seven year old child with granulomatous colitis. Most previous reports have been in adult subjects. These slender projections of colonic mucosa and submucosa have a characteristic radiographic appearance on barium enema. It is important to recognize the condition as being benign.
Two distinct cell attachment sites in entactin are revealed by amino acid substitutions and deletion of the RGD sequence in the cysteine-rich epidermal growth factor repeat 2.

Abstract The basement membrane glycoprotein, entactin, has previously been shown to promote cell attachment and chemotaxis. We have constructed a panel of glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins that encompasses the four major structural domains of entactin, G1, G2, E, and G3. These proteins have been synthesized in bacteria and purified by affinity chromatography. The connecting stalk of entactin, E, which contains four cysteine-rich EGF homology repeats and the integrin receptor RGD recognition sequence, has been modified by deletion of the RGD sequence and substituting glutamic acid for aspartic acid. Attachment assays reveal that the RGD sequence is one of the major cell attachment sites in entactin and that this sequence is recognized by the αβ3 integrin receptor. Analysis of cell attachment on mutant forms of full-length entactin expressed in the baculovirus expression system revealed a second attachment site that was independent of the RGD sequence. This second site was localized to a peptide of 39 amino acid residues in the second globular G2 domain of entactin. This peptide represents a cysteine-rich EGF repeat. Inhibition of cell attachment by anti-integrin receptor antibodies indicates that the second attachment site is recognized by a member of the β1 family of integrin receptors, possibly α3β1.
Causes of Road and Bridge Construction Claims: Analysis of Colorado Department of Transportation Projects

AbstractRoad and highway construction projects are plagued by unanticipated conditions and changes, which cause claims and cost overruns due to diverse causes. This study identified a set of project factors that might affect the rate of claim occurrence in different projects and used data from Colorado Department of Transportation projects to test the potential causes of claims to assess which project management attributes are most likely to lead to claims. A total of 780 projects were selected from a data set of 1,060 projects completed in a time window from 1997 to 2012. These showed 213 claims within a subset of 62 claim-contained projects. Results showed that delays are the main cause of claims in the projects studied and are more important than the effects of added items and change orders. The study also showed that projects with fixed completion date schedules are more susceptible to claims than projects with more flexible schedules. Actions indicated are for transportation project planners to adopt...
THE STOCK RETURN PERFORMANCE OF CORPORATIONS THAT ARE PARTIALLY OWNED BY OTHER CORPORATIONS

A corporation may acquire minority ownership in another corporation and then attempt to exert control, either by monitoring management or by coopting management and transferring wealth to itself. A sample of fifty-one corporations that have had a corporate partial owner for at least five years is matched against a nonpartially owned control group. Risk-adjusted monthly stock returns of partially owned firms are significantly lower than those of control group firms, supporting the wealth transfer hypothesis. Firms with Victor Posner-controlled partial owners perform worse than other partially owned firms.
Desmoplakin expression and distribution in cultured rat bladder epithelial cells of varying tumorigenic potential

The expression and distribution of the desmosomal plaque proteins, desmoplakins (DPs) I and II, were studied in nontumorigenic (RBE-8) and a series of tumorigenic (AY34, R-4909, SS-24B, RBTCC-8, and 804G) rat bladder epithelial cell lines. These cell lines ranged from slow-growing papillary transitional cells (AY34) to rapidly metastatic carcinoma cells (RBTCC-8). DPs I and II were shown by immunoblotting and Northern analysis to be present in nontumorigenic RBE-8 cells as well as in all of the tumorigenic cell lines, albeit in differing amounts. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed striking differences in DP distribution, corresponding in general with increases in tumorigenic potential. Whereas DPs of normal RBE-8 cells and less tumorigenic AY34 cells were localized predominantly at cell interfaces, the more tumorigenic lines exhibited a high proportion of DP in the form of cytoplasmic dots, a distribution reminiscent of that seen in epithelial cells maintained in low levels of extracellular calcium. In 804G cells, which represented the most extreme example of this phenomenon, the majority of DPs were organized as cytoplasmic dots. Electron microscopy revealed intermediate filament (IF)-associated spots in the cytoplasm as well as an elaborate array of IF-associated plaques at the cell-substratum interface. The IF-associated spots in the cytoplasm reacted with anti-DP antibody in immunogold labeling experiments while those at the cell-substratum did not react. In more dense cultures of 804G cells, certain cells stratified and expressed increased amounts of DP followed by the induction of new keratins including those of the skin type. Decreasing extracellular calcium resulted in a rearrangement of DP in each cell line; staining at cell-cell interfaces disappeared and was replaced with a pattern of cytoplasmic dots. These results demonstrate a possible relationship between desmosome assembly and/or maintenance and tumorigenic potential.
Development of novel therapeutic strategies that target HIF-1

Activity of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is increased in human cancers as a result of the physiological induction of HIF-1alpha in response to intratumoural hypoxia and as a result of genetic alterations that activate oncogenes and inactivate tumour suppressor genes. In many cancer types, increased HIF-1alpha expression is associated with increased risk of patient mortality. HIF-1 plays important roles in every major aspect of cancer biology through the transcriptional regulation of hundreds of genes. The efficacy of many novel anticancer agents that target signal transduction pathways may be due in part to their indirect inhibition of HIF-1. Several novel compounds with anticancer activity have been shown to inhibit HIF-1 and may be useful as components of individualised multidrug therapeutic regimens chosen based on molecular analyses of tumour biopsies.
Recurrent Initiation: A Mechanism for Triggering p53 Pulses in Response to DNA Damage

DNA damage initiates a series of p53 pulses. Although much is known about the interactions surrounding p53, little is known about which interactions contribute to p53's dynamical behavior. The simplest explanation is that these pulses are oscillations intrinsic to the p53/Mdm2 negative feedback loop. Here we present evidence that this simple mechanism is insufficient to explain p53 pulses; we show that p53 pulses are externally driven by pulses in the upstream signaling kinases, ATM and Chk2, and that the negative feedback between p53 and ATM, via Wip1, is essential for maintaining the uniform shape of p53 pulses. We propose that p53 pulses result from repeated initiation by ATM, which is reactivated by persistent DNA damage. Our study emphasizes the importance of collecting quantitative dynamic information at high temporal resolution for understanding the regulation of signaling pathways and opens new ways to manipulate p53 pulses to ask questions about their function in response to DNA damage.
Attitudes and practices of pediatric oncology providers regarding fertility issues.

Purpose Given the higher survival rates of childhood cancer, health care providers must be aware of the side effects of cancer therapies to educate patients and provide appropriate interventions to reduce cancer-related morbidity. To understand the current practices and attitudes in a pediatric hematology/oncology clinic, health care providers were surveyed regarding fertility issues pertinent to their patient care. Participants and Instruments In this study, 93.8% (30/32) health care providers in one pediatric hematology/oncology department completed a 44-item survey assessing knowledge, current practices, obstacles to current practices, perceptions of patient differences, and improvements to future practice. Results The majority of health care providers were aware of the adverse effects of alkylating agents (90.7%) and of abdominal and pelvic radiation (100.0%) on fertility. However, only half were aware of gender differences in gonadotoxicity (50.0%) or knowledgeable of current research and technology in fertility preservation (53.3%). While only 34.6% of providers currently consulted with specialists, nearly all (92.8%) indicated a desire to do so in the future, but 64.3% indicated difficulties in finding proper facilities and specialists for their patients. Almost all (96.6%) agreed that providers and patient families need more information regarding the effects of cancer therapy on fertility. Conclusions Surveyed pediatric oncology providers considered fertility to be an important issue for childhood cancer patients and desired more resources regarding effects on fertility and fertility preservation. Greater communication needs to be established between pediatric oncology providers and specialists in reproductive medicine and endocrinology to ensure adequate professional collaboration and patient referrals. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007;48:80–85. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Head-Free Gaze Shifts Provide Further Insights Into the Role of the Medial Cerebellum in the Control of Primate Saccadic Eye Movements

This study examines how signals generated in the oculomotor cerebellum could be involved in the control of gaze shifts, which rapidly redirect the eyes from one object to another. Neurons in the caudal fastigial nucleus (cFN), the output of the oculomotor cerebellum, discharged when monkeys made horizontal head-unrestrained gaze shifts, composed of an eye saccade and a head movement. Eighty-seven percent of our neurons discharged a burst of spikes for both ipsiversive and contraversive gaze shifts. In both directions, burst end was much better timed with gaze end than was burst start with gaze start, was well correlated with eye end, and was poorly correlated with head end or the time of peak head velocity. Moreover, bursts accompanied all head-unrestrained gaze shifts whether the head moved or not. Therefore we conclude that the cFN is not part of the pathway that controls head movement. For contraversive gaze shifts, the early part of the burst was correlated with gaze acceleration. Thereafter, the burst of the neuronal population continued throughout the prolonged deceleration of large gaze shifts. For a majority of neurons, gaze duration was correlated with burst duration; for some, gaze amplitude was less well correlated with the number of spikes. Therefore we suggest that the population burst provides an acceleration boost for high acceleration (smaller) contraversive gaze shifts and helps maintain the drive required to extend the deceleration of large contraversive gaze shifts. In contrast, the ipsiversive population burst, which is less well correlated with gaze metrics but whose peak rate occurs before gaze end, seems responsible primarily for terminating the gaze shift.
Getting physical to fix pharma

Powerful technologies allow the synthesis and testing of large numbers of new compounds, but the failure rate of pharmaceutical R&D remains very high. Greater understanding of the fundamental physical chemical behaviour of molecules could be the key to greatly enhancing the success rate of drug discovery.
Superoxide dismutase: Fluctuations in the structure and solvation of the active site channel studied by molecular dynamics simulation

The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in water is carried out for a total of 23 ps. The simulation system is a 26 A sphere centered at the active site of SOD, including 1602 atoms from SOD and 1761 water molecules. There is no gross deviation from the x-ray structure for the average MD structure. The structure and potential fluctuations around the active site are examined. The results provide new insight to the interactions between SOD and its substrate superoxide.
Radioactivity Synchronized Fluorescence Enhancement using a Radionuclide Fluorescence-Quenched Dye

We demonstrate the first evidence of radioactivity-synchronized fluorescence quenching of a near-infrared light-emitting dye by a radionuclide, 64Cu, and subsequent fluorescence enhancement upon 64Cu decay to the daughter isotopes 64Ni and 64Zn. The dynamic switch from high radioactivity and low fluorescence to low radioactivity and high fluorescence is potentially useful for developing complementary multimodal imaging and detection platforms for chemical, environmental, and biomedical applications as well as for unraveling the mechanisms of metal-induced dynamic fluorescence changes.
Climate variability and change in the United States: potential impacts on vector- and rodent-borne diseases.

Diseases such as plague, typhus, malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever, transmitted between humans by blood-feeding arthropods, were once common in the United States. Many of these diseases are no longer present, mainly because of changes in land use, agricultural methods, residential patterns, human behavior, and vector control. However, diseases that may be transmitted to humans from wild birds or mammals (zoonoses) continue to circulate in nature in many parts of the country. Most vector-borne diseases exhibit a distinct seasonal pattern, which clearly suggests that they are weather sensitive. Rainfall, temperature, and other weather variables affect in many ways both the vectors and the pathogens they transmit. For example, high temperatures can increase or reduce survival rate, depending on the vector, its behavior, ecology, and many other factors. Thus, the probability of transmission may or may not be increased by higher temperatures. The tremendous growth in international travel increases the risk of importation of vector-borne diseases, some of which can be transmitted locally under suitable circumstances at the right time of the year. But demographic and sociologic factors also play a critical role in determining disease incidence, and it is unlikely that these diseases will cause major epidemics in the United States if the public health infrastructure is maintained and improved. Key words: dengue fever, encephalitis, global warming, hantavirus, leptospirosis, Lyme disease, malaria, plague, vectorborne diseases. — Environ Health Perspect 109(suppl 2):223‐233 (2001). http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/suppl-2/223-233gubler/abstract.html
Recent developments in epitaxial IV–VI films

Abstract Recent developments in the growth of pure IV–VI compounds as epitaxial films and their alloys are reviewed. Critical assessment of five methods is presented. It is concluded that the most promising methods involve sublimation and vapor transport. The properties of the films can be better explored using some recent galvano-chemical processes involving the sorption of H and O 2 . It is concluded that epitaxial films have developed sufficiently so that device development using these materials is to be expected in the next two or three years.
Electromechanical coupling of lead zirconate titanate nanofibres

This Letter reports on the fabrication of piezoelectric nanofibres and the demonstration of voltage generation from them by performing three-point bending with a dynamic mechanical analyser (DMA). Partially aligned lead zirconate titanate (PbZr 52 Ti 48 O 3 , PZT) nanofibres were fabricated using a sol-gel electrospinning process. The diameters of the PZT nanofibres were tuned from 50 to 150-nm by changing the concentration of the sol-gel in the precursor. The nanofibres consist of nanocrystalline grains with an average grain size of 10-nm. A voltage generation device based on PZT nanofibres was fabricated by simply applying conductive silver paste to serve as electrodes. The output voltages from the nanofibres under different strains were recorded using a data acquisition (DAQ) card and Labview ® . The output voltage increased with intensified, applied strain; and the highest value of the output voltage was 0.17 V. From the output voltage, the piezoelectric voltage coefficient, g 33 , was estimated as 0.0354 m 2 /C. The principle of the voltage generation is caused by the strain-induced piezoelectric effect. The results reveal that PZT nanofibres have great potential for nanosensor, nanoactuator and nanogenerator applications.
Yeats's country and “Yeats Country”: conceptualizing literary spaces

The year 1991 saw Dublin named as a “European Capital of Culture”; 1991 was also the year that the Dublin Writers' Museum found a permanent home in numbers 18 and 19 Parnell Square. Currently, there are 12 other attractions in Dublin designed to draw tourists interested in Dublin's literary history. What does it mean for a nation to capitalize on its literary production? Failte Ireland, currently responsible for marketing Ireland to tourists, seeks not to create the artifice of an “authentic” Ireland, but to allow tourists to experience on a more personal level what Ireland has produced. The increasing emphasis on cultural production over cultural difference belies the extent to which contemporary tourists struggle with the issue of authenticity. As Erik Cohen shows, the desire for authenticity forms a central part of the tourist experience. Considering the tourist from this perspective, my project analyzes tourist sites related to literary figures in both Ireland and St Petersburg, Russia. Exploring this...
On the Convergence of Innis's International Political Economy and Sebald's Novels

In his paper "On the Convergence of Innis's International Political Economy and Sebald's Novels" Joseph S. Pinter contributes to the development of an area of scholarship on Harold A. Innis and Canadian political economy which deals with issues of representation, landscape, and memory. Pinter draws attention to a specific aspect of Innis's approach to political economy and focuses on ways in which Innis was able to represent fundamental aspects of the settlement process in Canada. Pinter argues that Innis focussed on landscape as a basic element in the European experience of North America (US and Canada) that, in turn, enabled Innis to trace the elements of Canadian economic development in a specific manner, in a way receptive to the influences of landscapes as an autonomous factor in evolution, i.e., not necessarily and always tied to staples of production and transport. The purpose is to argue for an inherent plasticity within the context of International Political Economy (IPE) that enables one to look at landscape as an independent element in economic development. It is this plasticity that makes IPE capable of appropriating aspects of the work of the novelist W.G. Sebald: in looking for convergences between the work of Innis and Sebald, Pinter seeks to bring out the centrality of landscapes in Innis's work and thought. Joseph S. Pinter, "On the Convergence of Innis's International Political Economy and Sebald's Novels" page 2 of 10 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 10.1 (2008):
Estradiol enhances brain glucose uptake in ovariectomized rats

Abstract This study was designed to investigate the effects of 17β-estradiol benzoate (E 2 B) on brain glucose uptake and transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Both a time- and dose-response evaluation of the effect of E 2 B on glucose uptake in the central nervous system (CNS) were conducted. E 2 B, in doses ranging from 1 to 100 μg/kg body weight, was injected subcutaneousy at 2 to 24 h prior to evaluation. The 4h time point and 10 μg/kg dose of E213 produced the most widespread increases in glucose uptake. Six regions responded to E213 with elevated glucose uptake by as much as 120% when compared to oil-treated controls. We then evaluated the effects of E213 on transport of glucose across the BBB. E 2 B significantly increased the extraction of labeled sugar across the BBB by 40% without affecting extraction of the internal standard. Collectlvey, these studies indicate that physiological levels of estradiol (E 2 ) may play an important role in modulating cerebral glucose homeostasis.
Composition and microstructure of acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers by pyrolysis-photoionization mass spectrometry

The composition and microstructure of acrylonitrile−butadiene copolymers ranging from 19 to 51 wt % acrylonitrile were determined by pyrolysis-photoionization mass spectrometry. The high molecular weight samples chosen for this study (Mw > 100 000) are relatively insoluble and therefore difficult or impossible to quantitatively characterize by NMR. A simple model based upon the average number of acrylonitrile units in a group of oligomers having the same total number of monomers but variable amounts of acrylonitrile and butadiene was found to give an accurate and precise determination of the copolymer composition. In addition, Bernoullian and first-order Markovian models were used to interpret the mass spectral data. Although the copolymer compositions calculated from each model agreed quantitatively with the reported compositions, the Markovian model gave slightly more precise fits to the mass spectra. Number-average sequence lengths were also determined from the Markovian model. The acrylonitrile sequen...
Some observations on the typology of linguistic theories

Gilles Fauconnier & Eve Sweetser (eds.), Space, worlds, and grammar. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 1996. 355 Pp.Masayoshi Shibatani & Sandra Thompson (eds.), Grammatical constructions: their form and meaning. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996. Pp. xvii+345.Several years ago a volume of articles appeared called The view from Building 20 (Hale & Keyser 1993). As suggested by the title, the contributions reflected trends guiding the theoretical paradigm pre-eminently associated with MIT. After reading this collection, a colleague quipped that she wondered how well the view from Building 20 accorded with the broad research world beyond it. In this connection, the two books under review represent perspectives on language analysis which encourage one to pause and consider the present theoretical landscape in linguistics, and, less directly, the role of linguistics within modern cognitive science. Among their other merits, both books provide a rich and useful illustration of some of the perspectives on language analysis outside of Building 20. In doing so, they also help to define a more interesting research landscape than that usually characterized as an opposition between ‘formalists’ versus ‘cognitive/functionalists’.
Private technological capabilities as products of national innovation systems: Four ways of looking at the state

This article proposes to view the state in four ways: as organization, fisc, system of rules, and normative order. This approach leads towards a comprehensive understanding of the impact of public policy on the technological capabilities of a nation's private firms. The typology covers both intended and unintended interactions between the public and private sectors that produce private technological capabilities. The typology opens the way to a fuller incorporation of organizational, legal, and cultural variables into science and technology policy studies. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Quality Control Measurement of an Engineering Productivity Index

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.]Organizations have difficulty measuring the productivity of their engineers because their work output is cognitive. Quality control charts were used to measure cognitive indexes of a group of engineers. ..
Conventional and surgical endodontic retreatment of a maxillary lateral incisor with unusual anatomy.

Aim To describe conventional and surgical endodontic treatment of a maxillary right lateral incisor with an unusual root dilaceration and to discuss the treatment outcome. Summary Root dilacerations refer to severe curvature or angulations that may occur anywhere along the length of a root. This anatomical deviation may present an unfavourable outcome if clinicians fail to recognize the difficulties. The following case report describes conventional and surgical endodontic treatment of a maxillary right lateral incisor with an unusual root dilaceration. Key learning points • Root morphology may present a challenge for clinicians during root canal treatment. • Clinicians should be aware of the importance of surgical endodontics and be familiar with microsurgery principals and techniques.
The Techniques of Teletraining—New Enhancements:

In this era of technology-based training and education, audio and video teletraining has become an effective tool for Distance Education. This article describes the potential benefits of teletraining, needs assessment for teletraining decisions, and the teletraining design techniques to deliver complex training systems and educational programs to enhance distance learning in remote education/training sites in a cost-effective manner.
Process Definition Spreadsheet for Run Card Creation

Retention and dissemination of microfabrication process knowledge is a challenge for most university clean room facilities. Many new graduate student researchers arrive with little or no microfabrication experience and do not possess an understanding of the effects of process variables. For these researchers, well-documented standardized processes give a solid starting point to learn the steps they need to build their devices. To address the need for better communication of standard fab processes, a process definition spreadsheet has been created. This spreadsheet gives researchers the ability to select processes, vary inputs, generate recipe parameters, and view deposition and etch rates for standard processes. It also allows the creation and printing of run cards that can be carried into the clean room for reference during tool set up. Available processes include photolithography, deposition, etch, and packaging. Each process contains an integrated drop-down list of corresponding equipment, and each tool contains a drop-down list of associated materials. The spreadsheet is available to download through a website link and is manually updated whenever new process information is available. The data in the Excel-based spreadsheet is maintained by part-time student employees who perform regular process runs and take associated measurements. The results are verified by full-time engineering staff before being entered into the process spreadsheet. Initial researcher feedback is very positive, with 40% of users who responded to an anonymous survey using the software at least once per week, and the deposition process drop-down list being the most frequently accessed section. The spreadsheet has had the unexpected benefit of helping staff be more aware of current process results and problems. A web-based upgrade is currently under development that will include enhancements such as links to process charts and up-to-date results obtained from the researcher measurements through a Coral database. The new system will use a database to store process-related information. A group of computer science students is doing the design and the development of the new web app for a class project.
Dehn surgery along torus knots

Abstract In this paper we show that any Rochlin invariant one homology 3-sphere obtained by Dehn surgery on a torus knot has infinite order in the homology cobordism group of oriented homology 3-spheres.
Experimental tests of a single‐photon calorimeter for x‐ray spectroscopy

Tests have been made of a nondispersive spectroscopic x‐ray detector which operates by measuring the temperature rise following absorption of a single photon. We have observed thermal pulses from 6‐keV x‐rays, and have resolved the different amplitudes resulting from Mn Kα and K β events. This device was assembled to make quantitative tests of theoretical calculations of the properties of such detectors, and its high heat capacity does not allow it to attain the very high resolution predicted for detectors made by more sophisticated, but still straightforward, techniques. Both the measured resolution of 270‐eV full width at half maximum (FWHM) and the absolute amplitude of the response are consistent with predictions. Nonthermal effects in the thermistor limit the precision of this comparison to about 30%.
Development of Localized Deformation in AA 2024-O

An experimental study is presented to (1) quantify the rate-sensitive mechanical response and (2) examine the localized deformation behavior under an applied temperature gradient in the alloy AA 2024. Isothermal flow stresses are obtained at temperatures from ―100°C to 495°C and strain rates from 10 ―2 /s to 10 ―5 /s using routine compression tests and a novel cyclic test, which expedites the characterization. The material displays two distinct kinetic responses with both being amenable to localization phenomena. The lower temperaturelhigh strain rate regime displays a rate-insensitive yield with Stage III/IV work hardening. At higher temperature/low strain rates, a rate-sensitive response with little work hardening is observed. In order to relate the material constitutive behavior to the development of localized deformation, a temperature gradient test is performed wherein temperature differences of approximately 30°C are enforced between the top and bottom surfaces of a cylindrical compression test specimen. Deformation heterogeneity developed in the two distinct regimes of material response is illustrative of warm and hot working conditions typical of industrial processes, such as rolling.