cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endosymbiotic bacteria associated with the intracellular green algae of Hydra viridis

Gram-negative bacteria 4.5–5.5 μm in length and 1.2 μm in diameter are found in gastrodermal cells of three stains of freshwater green hydras,Hydra viridis (Ohio and Carolina from North America, Jubilee strain from England). They are motile via single polar flagella. They were detected in live animals, Jensen stained material, and electron micrographic sections. Bacteria lose motility quickly upon release from hydra cells. Green hydras harbor strain-specific numbers of chlorellae in these cells. Other tissue types lack algae. The chlorella-hydra symbiosis can be disassociated and the partners grown separately; transfer of photosynthate from algae to hydra occurs. Here we report the presence of endocellular bacterial vesicles specifically associated with cells that contain the symbiotic chlorellae. No cells that contained algae and lacked bacteria were seen. Vesicles, especially conspicuous in sexually mature green hydras, are probably produced upon extrusion from the cell. They contain either algae and bacteria or bacteria alone and are often expelled to the surrounding medium via the coelenteron. Bacteria are absent in nerve cells, interstitial cells, nematocysts, mucous cells, sperm, and probably in most of the other cell types that lack algae. They are present in at least one cell type that lacked algae: the columnar ovarian cells. Bacteria were lost in “bleached” hydras, those induced to lose their algae by high intensity light in a solution of DCMU, a standard inhibitor of photosynthesis. They were absent in a fourth strain of green hydra (Connecticut Valley,H. viridis) and inH. fusca andH. littoralis, two freshwater nonsymbiotic hydras. All of the hydra lacking bacteria contain conspicuous lipid droplets in their cells. The presence of large numbers of bacteria has implications for interpretations of metabolic exchange between host and algal symbionts and for extrapolation of metabolic data from strain to strain ofH. viridis.
Carotid body dopaminergic mechanisms are functional after acclimatization to hypoxia in goats

Abstract Ventilatory acclimatization to sustained hypoxia (VASH) is the time-dependent increase in ventilation that occurs during prolonged exposure to hypoxia. We tested the hypothesis that carotid body (CB) dopaminergic mechanisms are down-regulated during VASH, which would allow CB afferent discharge and ventilation to increase beyond the initial response to hypoxia. Domperidone (DOM; 1.0 mg·kg −1 ) was administered intravenously to block CB dopamine (DA) receptors after VASH was complete in awake goats. DOM caused a significant augmentation of the ventilatory response to hypoxia in acclimatized goats, failing to support the hypothesis. We conclude that inhibitory CB dopaminergic function is not significantly reduced following prolonged hypoxia, and that down-regulation of CB dopaminergic mechanisms may not be involved in VASH in the goat.
Ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors : An immunohistochemical study including a comparison of calretinin and inhibin

Because ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors (SCST) are morphologically heterogeneous neoplasms that are relatively infrequently encountered, their diagnosis can be difficult. Immunohistochemical staining may be useful for establishing the diagnosis in problematic cases. We studied 53 ovarian SCSTs to characterize their immunohistochemical staining pattern: 17 adult granulosa cell tumors (AGCTs), 4 juvenile granulosa cell tumors (JGCTs), 3 sex cord tumors with annular tubules (SCTATs), 9 Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors (SLCTs), 10 fibromas, 5 fibrothecomas (FTs), and 5 thecomas. In 8 of the 53 cases, the tissue studied was from a metastatic site. The immunopanel included calretinin, inhibin, WT1, cytokeratin cocktail, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), and cytokeratin 5/6 (CK5/6). The fibromas and FTs were also tested with CD10. The extent of staining was assessed in a semiquantitative fashion and ranked on a scale of 0 through 4+. All of the tumors, except for 1 metastatic SLCT, were positive for calretinin. Forty-five of the cases (85%) stained for inhibin; 1 metastatic AGCT, 3 fibromas, and 4 FTs were negative. WT1 was present in 39 tumors (74%), with expression most prominent in the SLCTs. The cytokeratin cocktail stained 23 of the 53 tumors (43%), whereas just 1 tumor was positive for EMA (1+ in a JGCT). All tumors were negative for CK5/6, and the 15 fibromas and FTs were negative for CD10. We conclude that because cytokeratin is frequently expressed by SCSTs, in particular by granulosa cell tumors, SLCTs, and SCTATs, the inclusion of EMA in a panel may help to exclude epithelial neoplasms. In addition, WT1, present in normal granulosa cells, is expressed by a majority of SCSTs. Finally, these results demonstrate that calretinin is at least as sensitive as inhibin for ovarian SCSTs overall and that it is more sensitive than inhibin for fibromas and FTs.
Endocytosis: Why not wait to deubiquitinate?

Abstract Deubiquitination by the Fat facets protein — a regulator of photoreceptor differentiation during Drosophila eye development — has been found to activate endocytosis, while ubiquitination inhibits endocytosis. Surprisingly, this is the opposite effect that ubiquitination has on endocytosis of many plasma membrane proteins.
ACID-BASE CHANGES AND ACETATE METABOLISM DURING ROUTINE AND HIGH EFFICIENCY HEMODIALYSIS IN CHILDREN

To evaluate the acid-base status and plasma acetate levels of children undergoing hemodialysis, we studied 8 children during 11 hemodialysis sessions. During dialysis, the blood bicarbonate fell (20.5±0.7 to 19.6±0.8 mEq/L), the pCO2 fell (33.4±0.8 to 27.5±1.4 mm Hg), and the pH rose (7.42±0.01 to 7.48±0.02). During the hour after dialysis the bicarbonate rose to normal, 23.4±9.7 mEq/L, the pC02 rose to 32.8±0.8 mm Hg, and the pH remained unchanged. The half-life of plasma acetate, measured after dialysis, was 8.7±0.9 minutes. During 5 “high efficiency” dialysis sessions (urea clearance>3.0 ml/min/kg) blood bicarbonate fell 3.2 mEq/L, pCO2 fell 8.7 mm Hg, and plasma acetate rose to 7.51 mM/L, whereas during 6 “routine efficiency” dialysis sessions (urea clearance 1.5 - 3.0 ml/min/kg) bicarbonate rose 1.0 mEq/L, pCO2 fell 3.7 mm Hg, and acetate rose to 3.52 mM/L. At one hour after the end of dialysis blood bicarbonate, pCO2, and plasma acetate concentrations were similar in the two groups. Clinical problems occurred more frequently in the high efficiency group during dialysis but the difference was not significant. The data indicate that 1) dialysis with acetate buffer effectively corrects pre-dialysis metabolic acidosis, 2) although children have a high rate of acetate metabolism, during high efficiency dialysis this rate is exceeded by the influx of acetate, and acid-base abnormalities occur. These abnormalities are transient but may cause clinical problems.
Studies in histoplasmosis. 3. Cross reactions and characterization of Histoplasma and Blastomyces inhibitory factors.

The Histoplasma tissue inhibitory factor HIF has been demonstrated in tissues of hamsters and mice infected with four strains ofHistoplasma capsulatum. A similar HIF has been demonstrated in liver homogenates from hamsters infected withBlastomyces dermatitidis.
Abstract 390: Increased orthotopic pancreatic tumor cell growth in obese mice

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Pancreatic cancer remains one of the eight deadliest cancers due to its late detection and high propensity to metastasize. Increased risk for the development of pancreatic cancer has been associated with obesity, type II diabetes and pancreatitis. The contribution of adipocytes and adipokines to pancreatic cancer progression remains largely unknown and requires further analysis. We hypothesize that increased pancreatic fat compromises the pancreatic microenvironment and increases primary tumor growth as well as metastasis. The condition of non-alcoholic fatty pancreatic disease has been characterized in humans as well as mice and lymph node positive patients were found to have increased pancreatic fat1,2. Adipose secreted cytokines, also known as adipokines, have both been implicated in various aspects of cancer cell survival, growth, and migration. To understand the influence that increased pancreatic fat has on the growth of tumors, both primary and metastatic, we have investigated a high fat diet induced murine model. Male mice fed a 42% fat diet for three months develop increased inter-pancreatic and intra-pancreatic fat as well as acute localized pancreatitis when compared to mice fed a 13% fat diet. To test the affect of pancreatic fat on tumor cells, we used an orthotopic tumor injection model to determine the rate of primary tumor growth and progression to metastasis. Further, we are implementing the use of Panc02-luciferase tagged cells to monitor and measure pancreatic tumor growth over time and to detect the presence of metastases in the liver and/or lungs. Preliminary evidence has confirmed that orthotopic tumors grown in obese mice led to an increased tumor size as well as massive expansion of tumor cells into the interpancreatic fat. In conclusion, increased pancreatic fat promotes the growth of orthotopically implanted murine tumor cells, yet the molecular mechanisms remain undetermined. 1. Mathur, A. et al. J Am Coll Surg. 2009 May;208(5):989-94. 2. Mathur, A. et al. HPB (Oxford). 2007;9(4):312-8. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 390. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-390
Lesion or muscimol in the rostral ventral medulla reduces ventilatory output and the CO2 response in decerebrate piglets

Abstract Developmental abnormalities have been described in the arcuate nucleus of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) victims. The arcuate nucleus has putative homologues in chemosensitive areas of the ventral medulla in animals. We refer to some of these areas collectively as the rostral ventral medulla (RVM). In the RVM of decerebrate piglets 2–15 days of age, we studied the effects of electrolytic lesions (n=7) or microdialysis of muscimol (n=15), a GABAa receptor agonist, on ventilatory output and the response to hypercapnia. Lesions caused a 66.7±17.3% reduction in eupneic phrenic minute activity (MA) and abolished the response to hypercapnia. Muscimol dialysis caused a 32.4±10.4% reduction in MA with a significant downward displacement of the response to hypercapnia with no significant effect on the slope. We conclude that the piglet RVM contains neurons of vital importance in the maintenance of normal breathing and the response to systemic CO2. We hypothesize that dysfunction of homologous regions in the human infant could lead to impaired ability to respond to hypercapnia and could potentially be involved in the pathogenesis of SIDS.
PPTR-1 CounterAkts Insulin Signaling

The serine/threonine kinase Akt is a focal point in signaling pathways that control cell tumorigenesis and insulin resistance. In this issue, Padmanabhan et al. (2009) identify a phosphatase regulatory subunit PPTR-1 that regulates the insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 pathway by counteracting Akt activity in worms and mammalian cells.
Thermal Expansion Behaviro of single-Crystal Zirconia

Thermal expansion was measured for skull-melt-grown undoped single-crystal zirconia as well as for crystals containing 2.8 wt% MgO, 4 wt% CaO, and 3 to 20 wt% Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/. Samples were cycled in air from room temperature to 1500/sup 0/C. The partially stabilized samples experienced a phase transformation which was strongly dependent on the composition and phase structures present; fully stabilized materials exhibited uniform behavior throughout the heating/cooling cycle.
Variance of the MVUE for the Lognormal Mean

Abstract We derive the exact variance of the minimum variance unbiased estimator (MVUE) of the mean of a lognormal distribution. We apply our result to compute the efficiency of the sample mean relative to the MVUE.
Human capital and income taxation in an endogenous growth model

Abstract This paper examines the role of public expenditures on human capital formation using the Becker and Barro (1988) overlapping generations model with endogenous fertility. Here human capital is publicly produced and financed by income tax. In our numerical examples, if the government values the welfare of future generations as much as the dynastic head does, the optimal income tax rate for the financing of education is on the order of six to ten percent.
Pulmonary Function After Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome Associated With Legionnaires' Disease Pneumonia

Two patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by Legionnaires' disease were treated with erythromycin lactobionate, and they survived. Sequential pulmonary function studies and chest roentgenograms were obtained in both patients. Despite previous suggestions that severe fibrosis might complicate the recovery of patients with this disease, both patients had normal lung volumes and only minimal reduction in single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity ten weeks after the onset of the disease. Thus, pulmonary function after ARDS caused by Legionnaires' disease seems to be only minimally disturbed. ( Arch Intern Med 1981;741-742)
Finite-field evaluation of the Lennard-Jones atom-wall interaction constant C 3 for alkali-metal atoms

A finite-field scaling method is applied to evaluate the Lennard-Jones interaction constant ${C}_{3}$ for alkali-metal atoms. The calculations are based on the relativistic single-double approximation in which single and double excitations of Dirac-Hartree-Fock wave functions are included to all orders in perturbation theory.
Rapid 18O analysis of CO2 samples by continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

Continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS) has been shown to minimize sample preparation and reduce the sample size requirements and time for the determination of carbon and nitrogen. An inexpensive CF inlet was developed for the determination of the 18O isotopic abundance in CO2. Initial efforts were hampered by significant exchangeable oxygen within the inlet system, which was minimized by design changes and post-analysis mathematical correction. The system was tested for accuracy in the measurement of 18O abundance in standards and was accurate to 0.04‰ with a precision of 0.03‰. Additional tests were performed using urinary water for the measurement of energy expenditure by the doubly labeled water method and the results agreed to within 1% with those from traditional off-line, dual-inlet IRMS. The CF-IRMS reduced the analysis time to 2 min per sample compared with 15 min for traditional duel-inlet IRMS. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sequence specific cleavage of messenger RNA by a modified ribonuclease H.

Abstract Ribonuclease H (RNase H) is an endonuclease that cleaves only the RNA strand of an RNA-DNA hybrid to produce 5′-phosphate and 3′-hydroxy termini and lacks useful sequence specific recognition properties. A mutant form of the E. coli enzyme has been prepared that is suited for selective chemical modification at a site proximal to the substrate binding region. The chemical derivatization involves the formation of a disulfide linkage to a modified octadeoxyribonucleotide. The conjugate retains only 0.3% of the normal sequence independent RNase H activity demonstrating that substrate recognition can be modulated by a covalent appendage. A β-globin RNA transcript containing a sequence complementary to that of the octadeoxyribonucleotide was cleaved in a catalytic fashion to two products upon treatment with the conjugate. The selectivity in the phosphodiester bond cleavage mediated by the conjugate was found to be different than that displayed by the nonderivatized enzyme. These results demonstrate the potential of semi-synthetic RNase H conjugates for mechanistic studies and their application as RNA targeted diagnostic or therapeutic agents.
The action of dimethyl sulphoxide and DNase on the fine structure of Chironomid salivary gland cells

Abstract Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) has been shown to facilitate the entrance into cells of substances normally excluded by permeability barriers. Treatment of isolated Chironomid salivary glands with DMSO and DNase resulted in destruction of the polytene chromosomes. DNase by itself produced no observable changes in cell morphology, and it is assumed that it is excluded from the cell because of the size of the molecule. Light and electron microscope studies of nuclei digested in situ reveal uniformly distributed, weakly Feulgenpositive material which consisted of fibres and granules. The undigested granules in treated nuclei appear to be mainly ribosomes and messenger RNA-protein complexes. No cytoplasmic effects of DNase were detected, but DMSO produced rather extreme structural alterations. These alterations appeared to be consistent with the uptake of water, and consisted mainly of bloating of membrane-bounded structures. Evidence is presented which indicates that these physical alterations may not seriously affect functions such as RNA synthesis and respiration.
Distributed allocation of mobile sensing agents in geophysical flows

We address the synthesis of distributed control policies to enable a homogeneous team of mobile sensing agents to maintain a desired spatial distribution in a geophysical flow environment. Geophysical flows are natural large-scale fluidic environments such as oceans, eddies, jets, and rivers. In this work, we assume the agents have a “map” of the fluidic environment consisting of the locations of the Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS). LCS are time-dependent structures that divide the flow into dynamically distinct regions, and are time-dependent extensions of stable and unstable manifolds. Using this information, we design agent-level hybrid control policies that leverage the surrounding fluid dynamics and inherent environmental noise to enable the team to maintain a desired distribution in the workspace. We validate the proposed control strategy using flow fields given by: 1) an analytical timevarying wind-driven multi-gyre flow model, 2) actual flow data generated using our coherent structure experimental testbed, and 3) ocean data provided by the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) database.
Structural Characterization of the Partially Folded Intermediates of An Immunoglobulin Light Chain Leading to Amyloid Fibrillation And Amorphous Aggregation

Immunoglobulin light chain deposition diseases involve various types of extracellular deposition of light chain variable domains, including amyloid fibrils and amorphous deposits. The decreased thermodynamic stability of the light chain is believed to be the major factor leading to fibrillation. However, the differences in the nature of the deposits among the light chain deposition diseases raise the question of whether the mechanisms leading to fibrillar or amorphous aggregation is different. In this study, we generated two partially folded intermediates of the light chain variable domain SMA in the presence of guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) and characterized their conformations. The more unfolded intermediate formed fibrils most rapidly, while the more native-like intermediate predominantly led to amorphous deposits. The results also show that the monomeric, rather than the dimeric state, was critical for fibrillation. The data also indicate that fibril elongation involves addition of a partially unfolded intermediate, rather than the native state. We postulate that a more highly unfolded intermediate is more suited to undergo the topological rearrangements necessary to form amyloid fibrils than a more structured one and that this also correlates with increased destabilization. In the case of light chain aggregation, it appears that more native-like intermediate conformations are moremore » prone to form amorphous deposits.« less
Optical absorption red and blue shifts in ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles

Abstract Nanoparticles of zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) prepared by both wet- and dry-high-energy ball milling (HEBM), have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface area and pore size distribution (BET) and wavelength-dependent diffuse reflectance and scattering turned into absorption coefficient estimation using the Kubelka–Munk theory. It was found that after 72 h of HEBM, the particle size was decreased from 220 nm for the initial material to 16.5 nm and 9.4 nm for the wet- and dry-milled samples, respectively. The optical absorption analysis revealed that the energy gap is increased (blue shift) for wet-milled and decreased (“anomalous” red shift) for dry-milled samples of ZnFe2O4 as the particle size decreased. The likely origins for the phenomena, namely the blue and red shifts as large as 0.45 eV and 0.14 eV, respectively, are proposed and discussed, and the effects are quantitatively estimated.
Designs for Variance Components Estimation: Past and Present

Summary This article provides (1) a comprehensive coverage of the literature on designs for estimating variance components, and (2) a review of recent applications of such designs in genetics, statistical process control, and quality improvement. In addition, recent methods of estimation of variance components and model forms, other than the linear, are discussed. The latter developments have a direct effect on the choice of design. Some suggested ideas for future research directions are also given.
A comparison of numerical methods for solving large sets of simultaneous equations

Many engineering problems require the numerical solution of several hundred to a few thousand simultaneous equations of the Laplace, Poisson, or Fourier types. These equations occur in the solution of many sci entific problems on heat flow, fluid flow, diffusion, and structural problems, etc. There are many methods available for solving these problems; however, there has been little said about core allocations, execu tion times, and programming difficulty of each method. This paper compares five of the best known methods in terms of core allocation, execution times, and program ming difficulty.
Participation in “Parents Who Care”: Predicting Program Initiation and Exposure in Two Different Program Formats

Predictors of participation and exposure across two formats of a universal prevention program are examined here. Families of 225 8th-grade students, balanced by race (African American and European American) and gender, were assigned to a parent and adolescent group format (PAG) or a self-administered format (SA). Logistic regression showed greater program initiation in SA than in PAG. Hierarchical regression showed only one variable (parent high-risk behavior) to be associated with lower program exposure in the self-administered format. In contrast, demographic variables (e.g., being African American) predicted lower exposure in PAG. Overall, the findings of this study were notable in that most of the variables that have been identified in past research as lowering participation rates were not related to program initiation or level of exposure to either format of Parents Who Care. Further, the self-administered format may be particularly useful to increase program participation for families, even those who are traditionally difficult to reach. Editors' Strategic Implications: The authors make a promising contribution to the literature on program engagement by presenting experimental data highlighting different risk factors for nonparticipation across program formats. Their discussion of barriers will help program designers and practitioners decide on the most appropriate strategies for the dissemination of prevention-related materials to parents.
Full-field characterization of thermal diffusivity in continuous-fiber ceramic composite materials and components

Continuous-fiber ceramic matrix composites (CFCCs) are currently being developed for various high-temperature applications, including use in advanced heat engines. Among the material classes of interest for such applications are silicon carbide (SiC)-fiber-reinforced SiC (SiC{sub (f)}/SiC), SiC-fiber-reinforced silicon nitride (SiC {sub (f)}/Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}), aluminum oxide (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3})-fiber-reinforced Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}{sub (f)}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}), and others. In such composites, the condition of the interfaces (between the fibers and matrix) are critical to the mechanical and thermal behavior of the component (as are conventional mechanical defects such as cracks, porosity, etc.). For example, oxidation of this interface (especially on carbon coated fibers) can seriously degrade both mechanical and thermal properties. Furthermore, thermal shock damage can degrade the matrix through extensive crack generation. A nondestructive evaluation method that could be used to assess interface condition, thermal shock damage, and to detect other ``defects`` would thus be very beneficial, especially if applicable to full-scale components. One method under development uses infrared thermal imaging to provide ``single-shot`` full-field assessment of the distribution of thermal properties in large components by measuring thermal diffusivity. By applying digital image filtering, interpolation, and least-squares-estimation techniques for noise reduction, we can achieve acquisition and analysis times of minutes or less with submillimeter spatial resolution. The system developed at Argonne has been used to examine the effects of thermal shock, oxidation treatment, density variations, and variations in oxidation resistant coatings in a full array of test specimens. Subscale CFCC components with nonplanar geometries have also been studied for manufacturing-induced variations in thermal properties.
Switching kinetics of lead zirconate titanate sub-micron thin-film memories

Abstract We have determined the coercive voltage Ec as a function of thickness d for PZT ferroelectric memories. For thick films (≫ 1μm), Ec ∼ d−1/3 , in accord with the theory of Kay and Dunn [Phil Mag. 7, 2027 (1962)]; for submicron films, Ec ∼ d−4/3 , in accord with Neel's theory for coercive magnetic field Hc in thin magnetic films [J. Phys Radium 17, 250 (1956)]. The switching times and shape i(t) of the displacement current transient were measured vs. temperature and field. They satisfy the theory of Ishibashi and Takagi [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 31, 506 (1971)] and show that domain nucleation is approximately two dimensional. The times τ are very fast (≪100ns at 1.0V drive) and depend upon field E and reduced temperature t = (Tc - T)/TC according to a scaled relationship {Orihara and Ishibashi [Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 24, 902 (1985)]} where x is given by t/E and α is an activation field equivalent to 120 kV/cm at 300K.
Homocysteine-induced endothelial cell injury in vitro: A model for the study of vascular injury

Direct chemical injury to vascular endothelium was determined in vitro by measuring independently cell detachment and release of 51Cr from labeled human endothelial cell monolayers. Homocysteine, a sulfhydryl amino acid, induced specific 51Cr release from endothelial cells in direct proportion to its concentration between 0.1 and 10 mM. The proportion of detached cells during exposure to homocysteine was also directly related to the concentration of homocysteine. In vitro preincubation of homocysteine resulted in a progressive loss of cytotoxicity with no activity persisting after 24 hours. Mercaptoethanol, a sulfhydryl agent similar to homocysteine, also induced endothelial injury in a concentration dependent manner. Penicillamine prevented the homocysteine mediated 51Cr-release at equimolar concentrations (p< 0.001). Catalase also inhibited the sulfydryl injury (90% reduction in 51Cr release at 0.1 mM homocysteine), but superoxide dismutase had no effect, thereby suggesting a role for hydrogen peroxide in mediating injury. Neither homocystine nor methionine, produced cell injury. Human arterial smooth muscle cells were insensitive to homocysteine levels less than 25 mM. These data demonstrate homocysteine-induced endothelial injury in vitro, and suggest that this process may in part be sulphydryl-mediated.
A comparison of the pulmonary effects of 0.5 PPM versus 1.0 PPM sulfur dioxide plus sodium chloride droplets in asthmatic adolescents

The effects of inhaled sulfur dioxide (SO2) on pulmonary function in nine adolescent subjects with extrinsic asthma were studied. The exposure modes, inhaled via a mouthpiece, were (1) 1 mg/m3 sodium chloride solution droplet aerosol (NaCI); (2) 0.5 ppm SO2 + NaCI; or (3) 1.0 ppm SO2 + NaCI. All exposures were at ≥75% relative humidity and ∼22°C. The following pulmonary functional measurements, with the subject seated in a body plethysmograph, were recorded: total respiratory resistance (RT), functional residual capacity (FRC), maximal flow at 50% and 75% expired vital capacity (Vmax50 and Vmax 75), and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). Following 10 min of exposure to either SO2 mode during moderate exercise on a treadmill, statistically significant changes in all pulmonary functional measurements except FRC were seen. There were no statistically significant changes following 10 min of exposure during moderate exercise to the NaCI droplet aerosol alone. Since the average pulmonary changes fol...
IDENTIFICATION OF A MARKER TO ENRICH POPULATIONS OF ENDOCRINE CELL PRECURSORS FROM THE HUMAN FETAL PANCREAS

Isolation of the endocrine cell precursors from the human fetal pancreas is important for the understanding of islet cytodifierentiation. The progenitor cells, from which all four islet endocrine cell types arise, are present within the epithelium ol the fetal pancreatic duct. Following enzymatic digestion and culture of the fetal pancreas WG obtained cell clusters resembling islets but with a high content of undifferentiated cells. Histochemical staining revealed very high acid β-galaclosidase activity in most cells within the clusters. After transplantation into athymic nude mice, the clusters gave rise to tissue rich in differentiated endocrine cells. The histochemical finding of high acid β-galactosidase activity was confirmed by direct measurement of lysosomal enzyme activities. In addition, we found that the expression of acid β-galactosidase was developmentally regulated, peaking at 18-24 weeks gestation and declining to low levels in adult islets. Using a fluorogenic β-galactosidase substrate, we were able to enrich for a subpopulation of cells high in acid β-galactosidase activity with flow cytometry. Evidence identifying these cells as potential islet cell precursors included, besides the transplantation experiments, the colocalization in vitro of lyrosine hydroxylase, a known marker of embryonic islet cells. Thus, our results indicate that high acid β-galactosidase activity serves as a marker to enrich populations of endocrine cell precursors.
On the shot effect of p-n junctions

Noise measurements on two p-n junctions, biased in the forward direction, have been carried out between 1 kc and 64 kc for a wide range of currents (0–1000 μA). Several other properties of the junction which might help in interpreting our noise data were also measured. Both junctions were almost identical.
Mitigation of errors in pair distribution function analysis of nanoparticles

Information on the size and structure of nanoparticles can be obtained via analysis of the atomic pair distribution function (PDF), which is calculated as the Fourier transform of X-ray/neutron total scattering. The structural parameters are commonly extracted by fitting a model PDF calculated from atomic coordinates to the experimental data. This paper discusses procedures for minimizing systematic errors in PDF calculations for nanoparticles and also considers the effects of noise due to counting statistics in total scattering data used to obtain the PDF. The results presented here demonstrate that smoothing of statistical noise in reciprocal-space data can improve the precision of parameter estimates obtained from PDF analysis, facilitating identification of the correct model (from multiple plausible choices) from real-space PDF fits.
From Civil Rights to Economic Security: Bayard Rustin and the African-American Struggle for Full Employment, 1945-1978

(2007). From Civil Rights to Economic Security: Bayard Rustin and the African-American Struggle for Full Employment, 1945-1978. International Journal of Political Economy: Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 63-74.
Reciprocal intronic and exonic histone modification regions in humans

While much attention has been focused on chromatin at promoters and exons, human genes are mostly composed of intronic sequences. Analyzing published surveys of nucleosomes and 41 chromatin marks in humans, we identified histone modifications specifically associated with 5' intronic sequences, distinguishable from promoter marks and bulk nucleosomes. These intronic marks were spatially reciprocal to trimethylated histone H3 Lys36 (H3K36me3), typically transitioning near internal exons. Several marks transitioned near bona fide exons, but not near nucleosomes at exon-like sequences. Therefore, we examined whether splicing affects histone marking. Even with considerable changes in regulated alternative splicing, histone marks were stable. Notably, these findings are consistent with exon definition influencing histone marks. In summary, we show that the location of many intragenic marks in humans can be distilled into a simple organizing principle: association with 5' intronic or 3' exonic regions.
A finite difference scheme for solving a three-dimensional heat transport equation in a thin film with microscale thickness

Heat transport at the microscale is of vital importance in microtechnology applications. The heat transport equation is different from the traditional heat diffusion equation since a second-order derivative of temperature with respect to time and a third-order mixed derivative of temperature with respect to space and time are introduced. In this study, we develop a finite difference scheme with two levels in time for the three-dimensional heat transport equation. It is shown by the discrete energy method that the scheme is unconditionally stable. The three-dimensional implicit scheme is then solved by using a preconditioned Richardson iteration, so that only a tridiagonal linear system is solved each iteration. Numerical results show that the solution is accurate. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Involvement of sigma receptors in the behavioral effects of cocaine: evidence from novel ligands and antisense oligodeoxynucleotides

Pharmacological and molecular biological tools were used to validate the involvement of sigma receptors in the actions of cocaine. Radioligand binding studies demonstrated significant levels of sigma receptors in the brain and heart, where cocaine interacts preferentially with the sigma(1) subtype. In behavioral pharmacological studies using mice, nine novel sigma receptor antagonists significantly attenuated cocaine-induced convulsions, while structural analogs with weak interactions with sigma receptors were ineffective. In contrast to the protection provided by the antagonists, a classical sigma receptor agonist exacerbated the convulsive effects of cocaine. The antagonists also attenuated cocaine-induced lethality, with the best compound protecting against death even when administered as a post-treatment. At doses where the antagonists had no effect on baseline locomotor activity, they significantly attenuated the locomotor stimulatory effects of cocaine, suggesting their ability to block the psychomotor as well as the toxic effects of cocaine. To further validate that the anti-cocaine effects were achieved by interfering with cocaine's access to sigma receptors, antisense oligodeoxynucleotides against sigma(1) receptors were shown to attenuate the convulsive and locomotor stimulatory effects of cocaine. Together, the studies support the involvement of sigma receptors, particularly the sigma(1) subtype, in the behavioral effects of cocaine.
Field Relevance of the New Car Assessment Program Lane Departure Warning Confirmation Test

The availability of active safety systems, such as Lane Departure Warning (LDW), has recently been added as a rating factor in the U.S. New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). The objective of this study is to determine the relevance of the NCAP LDW confirmation test to real-world road departure crashes. This study is based on data collected as part of supplemental crash reconstructions performed on 890 road departure collisions from the National Automotive Sampling System, Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS). Scene diagrams and photographs were examined to determine the lane departure and lane marking characteristics not available in the original data. The results suggest that the LDW confirmation test captures many of the conditions observed in real-world road departures. For example, 40% of all single vehicle collisions in the dataset involved a drift-out-of-lane type of departures represented by the test. Also, the median total departure velocity for vehicles was 78.9 kph, which is close to the 72.4 kph (45 mph) specified in the LDW test. However, there are some aspects of real-world road departures not included in the test. For example, the test is performed in daylight yet nearly half of all road departure crashes (42%) occurred in the dark. Furthermore, the LDW test is only performed on straight road segments, which corresponds to 48% of real-world departures. The departure speed specified in the LDW test is 0.5 m/s (1.1 mph) whereas the mean lateral departure speed in real world crashes was 4.3 m/s (9.5 mph). Of the examined cases, the LDW test is applicable to approximately 23% of no maneuver road departures, which corresponds to 9% of all single vehicle collisions. Including dark lighting conditions and curved road segments would increase the applicability to 65% of no maneuver departures and 26% of all single vehicle collisions. These results can be applied to the design of future LDW performance tests. Language: en
The association of spiritual care providers' activities with family members' satisfaction with care after a death in the ICU*

OBJECTIVES Spiritual distress is common in the ICU, and spiritual care providers are often called upon to provide care for patients and their families. Our goal was to evaluate the activities spiritual care providers' conduct to support patients and families and whether those activities are associated with family satisfaction with ICU care. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Three hundred fifty-bed tertiary care teaching hospital with 65 ICU beds. SUBJECTS Spiritual care providers and family members of patients who died in the ICU or within 30 hours of transfer from the ICU. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Spiritual care providers completed surveys reporting their activities. Family members completed validated measures of satisfaction with care and satisfaction with spiritual care. Clustered regression was used to assess the association between activities completed by spiritual care providers and family ratings of care. Of 494 eligible patients, 275 family members completed surveys (response rate, 56%). Fifty-seven spiritual care providers received surveys relating to 268 patients, completing 285 surveys for 244 patients (response rate, 91%). Spiritual care providers commonly reported activities related to supporting religious and spiritual needs (≥ 90%) and providing support for family feelings (90%). Discussions about the patient's wishes for end-of-life care and a greater number of spiritual care activities performed were both associated with increased overall family satisfaction with ICU care (p < 0.05). Discussions about a patient's end-of-life wishes, preparation for a family conference, and total number of activities performed were associated with improved family satisfaction with decision-making in the ICU (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Spiritual care providers engage in a variety of activities with families of ICU patients; several are associated with increased family satisfaction with ICU care in general and decision-making in the ICU specifically. These findings provide insight into spiritual care provider activities and provide guidance for interventions to improve spiritual care delivered to families of critically ill patients.
The influence of actuation parameters on in vitro testing of nasal spray products

ABSTRACT Nasal spray drug products are normally characterized via measurement of shot weight, spray pattern, plume geometry, and droplet size distribution (DSD). In this project, the actuation parameters, such as stroke length, actuation velocity, and actuation acceleration, were investigated to ascertain how they affect nasal spray characteristics. Pfeiffer nasal spray pump units filled with water were used in the study. Actuation parameters were adjusted using an electronic automated actuation system, SprayVIEW™ NSx. Spray pattern and plume geometry measurements were carried out using a high speed optical spray characterization system, SprayVIEW™ NSP, and DSD analysis was performed using a Malvern 2600 laser diffraction system. Our results show that different actuation parameters affect the nasal spray characteristics in different ways and to different degrees. Among all the actuation parameters, stroke length and actuation velocity have significant effects on the nasal spray characteristics, while the other actuation parameters have little, if any, effect. Compared to spray pattern, plume geometry and DSD, shot weight provides very little characterization information. The findings from this work suggest that, for in vitro bioavailability (BA) and bioequivalence (BE) studies of nasal spray products, the actuation parameters, stroke length, and velocity must be carefully selected. Spray pattern, plume geometry, and DSD appear to provide critical data for assessment of nasal pump performance.
Improved calculation of the muonic-helium Lamb shift

Several small, previously uncalculated contributions to the 2s/sub 1/2/-2p/sub 3/2/ splitting S/sub 1/ in muonic /sup 4/He are calculated, and previously calculated contributions are verified. The improved theoretical result is 1817.5 +- 0.6 + 0.4 /sup 1/2/-106.2 + 1.4 /sup 3/2/ approx. = 1527.3-102.6( - 2.80) meV, where is the mean-square charge radius of /sup 4/He in fm/sup 2/. Using the most recent value of the rms charge radius we get S/sub 1th/ = 1527.1 +- 4.2 meV, in excellent agreement with the experimental result S/sub 1exp/ = 1527.5 +- 0.3 meV.
Effect of early solvent evaporation on the mechanism of the spin‐coating of polymeric solutions

The effect of solvent evaporation on spun-on polymer thickness is investigated. Film thickness is shown to be proportional to spin speed raised to the negative of a constant, b. This constant is specifically considered. Of particular interest is the short initial period during spin coating signified by a rapid increase in solution viscosity, but where solvent diffusion in solution is not yet significant. Many previous theories have suggested the existence of a single value for b dependent only upon environment and spin coating system. Here, a single polymer dissolved in five pure solvents is examined. The polymer is Thermid IP-600 (National Starch and Chemical Co.), an isoimide precursor. The solvents considered are n-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethyl formamide, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, and 2-methoxyethyl ether. Spin Speed ranges from 0.6 to 7.0 kRPM and spin time is held at 15 s. It is shown that b varies from 0.97 for n-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone to 0.57 for 2-tncthoxycthyl ether. An empirical relation describing the behavior of b for this particular polymer and spin conditions used is b = [(MW)s(Pvap)s]/[(MW)n(Pvap)n]−0.1, where (MW)s and (MW)n are the molecular weights of the solvent and of n-butyl acetate, respectively and where (PVaP)s and (Pvap)n are the vapor pressure of the pure solvent and the vapor pressure of n-butyl acetate, respectively.
INHIBITION OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES, SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM AND ESCHERICHIA COLI 0157:H7 ON BEEF MUSCLE TISSUE BY LACTIC OR ACETIC ACID CONTAINED IN CALCIUM ALGINATE GELS

A method of applying organic acids contained in a calcium alginate gel was tested for inhibiting bacteria contaminating sterile lean beef tissue surfaces. Treated samples were incubated at 5C under controlled moisture conditions for up to 7 days and viable populations of the pathogens determined. For counts of L. monocytogenes, recovered on tryptic soy agar, alginate/lactic acid treatment reduced the log10 counts 1.8 units vs 0.96 for acid treatment without alginate. With acetic acid, log10 reductions were 1.51 vs 2.33 for the alginate/acetic acid vs acetic acid treatment alone. S. typhimurium was reduced 2.11 log10 units vs 1.11 for alginate/lactic acid and acid treatments alone, respectively. The same trend held for E. coli 0157:H7, although the reduction was considerably less, 0.74 log10 reduction vs 0.5 for alginate/lactic acid application vs acid alone. Both Gramnegative organisms were less inhibited by acetic acid treatments.
Gas chromatographic instrumentation for the analysis of aerosols and gases in Titan's atmosphere.

Instrumentation presently being developed by NASA for the collection and analysis of organic gases and aerosols in Titan's atmosphere is described together with the results of the preliminary experiments. For the aerosols, stepwise pyrolysis was shown to be a suitable method for preparing complex organic material for gas chromatography (GC), and a pyrolysis-gas chromatograph was developed and successfully used to analyze a simulated Titan aerosol. Atmospheric gases will be collected by a low-pressure gas sampling system using large-volume sample loops and analyzed by GC. The results of preliminary studies using a 20 cu cm sampling system and a very sensitive metastable ionization detector showed that hydrocarbon components at the 10 ppb level can be detected. Studies are in progress on shortening the overall analysis time by improving the pyrolysis system, the gas sampling system, and the associated gas chromatograph. Further development of the gas sampling system is planned to ensure rapid collection of samples adequate for analysis by GC over the entire range of pressures to be encountered during the probe's descent.
Evaluation of Paintball, Mark–Resight Surveys for Estimating Mountain Goat Abundance

Abstract We evaluated mark–resight estimates of mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) abundance using paintball marks at Seven Devils and Black Mountain, Idaho, USA. We marked mountain goats with recreational paintball equipment fired from a helicopter. Blue-violet dye marks were difficult to distinguish from dark, soiled areas on goats, while orange, yellow, and red oil-based paint marks were easily recognized, highly visible, and persisted for at least 71 days. Marking rates varied with equipment function and pilot effectiveness and ranged between 6.3 and 14.6 goats marked/hour of flight time. Precision of abundance estimates was reasonable with mark samples ≥51% of N. We analyzed a 3-occasion survey at Black Mountain using Program MARK to determine the likelihood and magnitude of potential sources of bias. Model Mb, which allows a behavioral response to capture, was best supported by the data, while model Mt, which allows time-varying capture probabilities, had reasonable support. The pattern of time-va...
Colonial Hangover: The Case of the CFA:

At first glimpse, the Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) could be seen as an extraordinary example of the kind of economic and political leadership developed nations could establish in Africa. Dig deeper and the relationship France keeps with her former colonies shows evidence of chronic and endemic problems. By concentrating on the economic and geo-political gains the CFA has brought for the countries involved, this paper offers a pertinent evaluation of the nature, purpose and relevance of such Community, in light of two antagonistic theories of international relations: Pluralistic Security Communities and Dependency Theory.