cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endothelial prostacyclin production is a late event in granulocyte migration into bovine pulmonary artery intimal explants

Whether migration of granulocytes across pulmonary vascular endothelium in the absence of structural evidence of endothelial injury causes increased production of thromboxane or prostacyclin is not known. Using bovine pulmonary artery intimal explants mounted in Boyden chambers and homologous separated granulocytes, concentrations of thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha in the upper-well fluid were measured by radioimmunoassay over a three-hour period under the following conditions: (1) granulocyte chemotaxis (zymosan-activated plasma in the lower well, granulocytes in the upper well); (2) unstimulated granulocyte migration (serum or plasma in the lower well, granulocytes in the upper well); (3) granulocyte activation without migration (zymosan-activated plasma and granulocytes in the upper well); (4) granulocyte chemotaxis in the absence of endothelium (identical to condition 1 above except that endothelium was scraped from the explant surface); and (5) explants incubated in the absence of granulocytes. Minimal increases in thromboxane B2 concentrations in upper-well fluid occurred under all conditions. In contrast, granulocyte chemotaxis was accompanied by large increases in concentrations of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha evident by two hours of incubation and increasing markedly by three hours, to 524.3 +/- 69.0 ng/mL (m +/- SEM). Unstimulated migration of granulocytes toward serum or plasma and granulocyte activation without migration were accompanied, at three hours, by more modest increases in 6-keto-PGF1 alpha (296.5 +/- 46.4; 128.0 +/- 38.6, and 236.7 +/- 47.0 ng/mL, respectively) and, in the absence of granulocytes or in the absence of endothelium, only minimal increases in this prostacyclin metabolite occurred (137.2 +/- 16.9 and 53.9 +/- 12.6 ng/mL, respectively). The large rises in prostacyclin metabolite occurred at a time when the majority of granulocytes had migrated through the endothelial layer rather than during their adherence or transendothelial passage. We conclude that chemotaxis of granulocytes through pulmonary vascular endothelium causes endothelial production of large amounts of prostacyclin, but this occurs late in the chemotactic process, after granulocytes have transversed the endothelium.
Monitoring Decisions and Frictions at the SEC

I use internet downloads of regulatory filings by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) employees as a novel measure of ex ante SEC monitoring which includes early stage reviews to explore drivers of the SEC’s attention. In addition to responding to cues from the stock market and business media, SEC employees are subject to a variety of institutional and behavioral frictions. SEC employees engage in less monitoring in times of internal reorganization and are less likely to follow up on leads for firms that are assigned to different regional or industry offices, even when those offices are located within the same building. Further, firms with names falling later in the alphabet are less likely to be monitored, indicating that SEC employees use simple heuristics when prioritizing targets. My evidence suggests such frictions have real effects on firm compliance by failing to head off financial reporting problems before they become more serious.
All-Optical Frequency Hopping and Broadcasting in Wavelength-Multiplexed Channels

We demonstrate all-optical routing of wavelength-multiplexed fiber-optic data streams. Utilizing an all-optical frequency processor, we show low-noise broadcasting and carrier-frequency hopping of binary data without optical-to-electrical conversion.
Characterization of UVA-Induced Alterations to Transfer RNA Sequences.

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) adversely affects the integrity of DNA, RNA, and their nucleoside modifications. By employing liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS)-based RNA modification mapping approaches, we identified the transfer RNA (tRNA) regions most vulnerable to photooxidation. Photooxidative damage to the anticodon and variable loop regions was consistently observed in both modified and unmodified sequences of tRNA upon UVA (λ 370 nm) exposure. The extent of oxidative damage measured in terms of oxidized guanosine, however, was higher in unmodified RNA compared to its modified version, suggesting an auxiliary role for nucleoside modifications. The type of oxidation product formed in the anticodon stem–loop region varied with the modification type, status, and whether the tRNA was inside or outside the cell during exposure. Oligonucleotide-based characterization of tRNA following UVA exposure also revealed the presence of novel photoproducts and stable intermediates not observed by nucleoside analysis alone. This approach provides sequence-specific information revealing potential hotspots for UVA-induced damage in tRNAs.
Site-Selective Silver-Catalyzed C–H Bond Deuteration of Five-Membered Aromatic Heterocycles and Pharmaceuticals

Catalytic methods for the direct introduction of hydrogen isotopes into organic molecules are essential to the development of improved pharmaceuticals and to the alteration of their absorption, dis...
Clinical risk scores: a tool to understand bleeding and thrombotic risk

Abstract Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) remains the cornerstone medical therapy in the management of patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The optimal DAPT regimen and duration, however, remains uncertain and depends on a complex risk assessment of both ischemic and bleeding risk, a risk assessment that is often patient specific. The DAPT score, PARIS score, and PRECISE-DAPT score have emerged as the mainstream clinical risk scores to extrapolate large clinical trial results to individual patients. Here we review the evolution of these and other risk scores in the management of DAPT following PCI and offer a perspective on the future of DAPT strategy.
Treaty Override: The False Conflict Between Whitney and Cook

This Article explores the conditions under which a U.S. statute overrides an earlier self-executing treaty. Focusing on the often blurred distinction between three types of statute-treaty relationships—reconcilableinconsistencies, textual repugnancies, and conflicts—the Article concludes that, contrary to a common view, there is no contradiction between the 1888 Supreme Court decision in Whitney v. Robertson, stating that in the event of a conflict between a statute and a treaty the later-in-time provision always controls, and the Court’s 1933 decision in Cook v. United States, holding that a later-in-time statute does not override an earlier treaty without a clear expression of congressional intent to override. The Article explains that Cook merely finds no conflict to which Whitney’s later-in-time rule might apply: Together, the two decisions harmoniously stand for the proposition that while typically a later-in-time treaty overrides an earlier repugnant statute, a later-in-time statute overrides an earlier repugnant treaty only if Congress has clearly expressed its intent to override or if not overriding the treaty would render the statute a nullity. Though the Court did not say as much, Cook’s approach is an application of the canon of construction favoring a specific provision over a general one. Reconceptualized this way, Cook cannot be said to give general primacy to treaties over statutes.
Application and Testing of Diagonal, Partial Third-Order Electron Propagator Approximations

Ionization energies and electron affinities are among the most often sought thermochemical data. The importance of electron binding energies is reflected by their presence in a variety of thermodynamic arguments, including thermochemical cycles of acidity and basicity, complexation energies, and oxidation-reduction reactions. Many spectroscopic methods founded on the photoelectric effect, mass spectrometry, electron scattering, and other techniques measure ionization energies and electron affinities. The precision of these experiments in measuring transition energies often contrasts with the paucity of information they generate on accompanying molecular and ionic structures. Computational means of estimating ionization energies and electron affinities therefore provide indispensable corroborative information on structures, especially as the scope of thermochemical and spectroscopic measurements expands. Given the ubiquitous character of molecular orbital concepts in contemporary discourse on electronic structure, ionization energies and electron affinities provide valuable parameters for one-electron models of chemical bonding and spectra. Electron binding energies may be assigned to delocalized molecular orbitals and thereby provide measures of chemical reactivity. Notions of hardness and softness, electronegativity,
Unraveling the Origin of Substituents Effects in π-Stacking Interactions

Non-covalent interactions involving aromatic rings, which include π-stacking, anion-π, and cation-π interactions, among others, are central to modern chemical research. These interactions play vital roles in everything from protein-DNA interactions and the properties of organic electronic materials to stereoselective organocatalyzed reactions. We discuss recent efforts to understand the impact of substituents on the strength of π-stacking interactions through the application of modern tools of computational quantum chemistry. We first provide an account of previous efforts to develop qualitative physical models of these interactions, followed by apparent flaws in these previous models. We then present our local, direct interaction model of substituent effects in π-stacking interactions, and discuss recent extensions of this model based on the examination of electric fields of arenes. We also discuss related misconceptions regarding molecular electrostatic potentials (ESPs), and offer a simpler view of the origin of ESP differences arising from the incorporation of heteroatoms or substituents into aromatic rings. Finally, we conclude with an outlook for future advances in our understanding of π-stacking interactions.
The Disciplined Schooling of the Free Spirit: Educational Theory in Nietzsche's Middle Period

In his article, “Nietzsche’s Zarathustra as Educator,” Haim Gordon argues that Nietzsche’s Zarathustra demonstrates Nietzsche’s views on education. Gordon claims that a Nietzchean educator would have an approach that is “extremely antidogmatic and anti-catechistic.” David Cooper criticizes Gordon’s view in “On Reading Nietzsche on Education,” where he claims, among other things, that Gordon ought not to draw Nietzsche’s views on education from Thus Spoke Zarathustra alone. Cooper points out that Nietzsche directly confronts the issue of education in three works, Schopenhaur as Educator, The Use and Abuse of History for Life, and the series of lectures, “On the Future of our Educational Institutions.” Furthermore, Cooper’s book Authenticity and Learning: Nietzsche’s Educational Philosophy, provides a devastating criticism of Gordon’s contention, a criticism which is directly relevant for this paper. Contrary to the anti-dogmatic educator which Gordon finds in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Cooper notes that, “Nietzsche leaves us in no doubt that the ‘free spirits’ to emerge from a true education will have been submitted to a thoroughly disciplined schooling.”
Pneumococcal Beta Hemolysin Produced Under the Effect of Antibiotics

The relationship between exposure of pneumococci to antibiotics and appearance of beta hemolysis (rather than the usual alpha hemolysis) was studied in 100 isolates. All strains were capable of producing beta hemolysis. This occurred at the edge of inhibition zones produced by methicillin and other antibiotics, but only if grown anaerobically and subsequently exposed to air at reduced temperatures. Autolysis of the pneumococci was necessary for the beta hemolysis to be produced. Beta hemolysis was optimal at pH 6.8; none occurred at pH 7.4. The concentration of red cells influenced the reaction: at 4% the extent of beta hemolysis was drastically reduced, which suggests that the lysin is not an enzyme.
Property Rights : Philosophic Foundations

Property Rights: Philosophic Foundations, first published in 1977, comprehensively examines the general justifications for systems of private property rights, and discusses with great clarity the major arguments as to the rights and responsibilities of property ownership. In particular, the arguments that hold that there are natural rights derived from first occupancy, labour, utility, liberty and virtue are considered, as are the standard anti-property arguments based on disutility, virtue and inequality, and the belief that justice in distribution must take precedence over private ownership. Lawrence Becker goes on to contend that there are four sound lines of argument for private property that, together with what is sound in the anti-property arguments, must be co-ordinated to form the foundations of a new theory. He therefore expounds a concise but sophisticated theory of property that is relevant to the modern world, and concludes by indicating some of the implications of his theory.
Atom-Photon Interaction Modified by a Microwave Cavity

We present preliminary results on the modification of atomic emission properties in a high Q cavity. A cavity mistuned from an atomic transition will inhibit the absorption and emission rates of that transition.1 A tuned cavity enhances the absorption and emission rates above their free space values. For a cavity with a sufficiently long damping time (high Q), there will be an oscillatory exchange of energy between the atom and the cavity. It is this regime of the atom-cavity interaction that we will discuss in this paper. An article by Haroche2 provides a good background for the theoretical and experimental aspects of this work. Highly excited (Rydberg) states of atoms are well suited to these experiments because they have long lifetimes and large dipole matrix elements between neighboring states with transitions at microwave frequencies. One- and two-photon micromasers 3,4 employing Rydberg atoms in microwave cavities have recently been observed. Collapse and revival of the atom-cavity system, as described by Eberly et al.,5 has been observed in a one-atom maser.6 The experimental system described in this paper employs a different type of cavity from those used in other experiments. We have chosen a “split” cavity design to give us better time resolution and allow us to examine the atom-cavity interaction at short times. The disadvantage of our method is that it is more difficult to achieve high Q in a split cavity. However, we have achieved Q > 107, which is more than sufficient to observe the one-atom oscillations in the cavity.
Detroit's Regional Question

Could metro dynamics, which have long eroded Detroit's economy, have changed so drastically that they now might help stabilize it? Advocates of the new regionalism contend that increasing economic ...
Mandibular and Basilar Skull Fracture Tolerance

The aim of this work is to develop an understanding of the biomechanical mechanisms that result in basilar skull fractures when the head is subject to a mandibular impact. Two experimental studies have been performed in the characterization of the injury mechanism. The first study evaluated the tolerance of the mandible subject to midsymphysis loading on the mental protuberance (chin). The second study assessed the fracture tolerance of the base of the skull subject to direct loading on the temporo-mandibular joint in conjunction with tensile loading imposed locally around the foramen maguum to simulate the effect of the neck. Injuries produced were consistent with clinical observations that have attributed basilar skull ring fractures to mandibular impacts.
Design of accelerated life testing plans under multiple stresses

Accelerated life testing (ALT) using multiple stresses is commonly used in practice to resemble the operating stresses at normal operating conditions and obtain failure observations in a much shorter time. However, to date, there is little research into the theory of planning ALT for reliability estimation with multiple stresses. ALT with multiple stresses can result in a large number of stress-level combinations which presents a challenge for implementation. In this article, we propose an approach for the design of ALT plans with multiple stresses and formulate multistress test plans based on different objectives and practical constraints. We develop a simulated annealing algorithm to efficiently determine the testing plan parameters. We demonstrate the proposed method with examples based on an actual test conducted using three stress types. The obtained optimal test plans are compared with those based on fractional factorial design. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 60: 468–478, 2013
O2 availability modulates transmembrane Ca2+ flux via second-messenger pathways in anoxia-tolerant hepatocytes

Land, S. C., R. H. Sanger, and P. J. S. Smith.O2 availability modulates transmembrane Ca2+ flux via second-messenger pathways in anoxia-tolerant hepatocytes.J. Appl. Physiol. 82(3): 776–783, 1997.—...
Calcium ligation in photosystem II under inhibiting conditions

In oxygenic photosynthesis, PSII carries out the oxidation of water and reduction of plastoquinone. The product of water oxidation is molecular oxygen. The water splitting complex is located on the lumenal side of the PSII reaction center and contains manganese, calcium, and chloride. Four sequential photooxidation reactions are required to generate oxygen from water; the five sequentially oxidized forms of the water splitting complex are known as the Sn states, where n refers to the number of oxidizing equivalents stored. Calcium plays a role in water oxidation; removal of calcium is associated with an inhibition of the S state cycle. Although calcium can be replaced by other cations in vitro, only strontium maintains activity, and the steady-state rate of oxygen evolution is decreased in strontium-reconstituted PSII. In this article, we study the role of calcium in PSII that is limited in water content. We report that strontium substitution or 18OH2 exchange causes conformational changes in the calcium ligation shell. The conformational change is detected because of a perturbation to calcium ligation during the S1 to S2 and S2 to S3 transition under water-limited conditions.
Analysis of metallonucleoside hydrolysis by high-pressure liquid chromatography

Abstract A number of ammine complexes of transition metals in the platinum group exhibit antitumor and mutagenic activities, which probably result from in vivo metal ion coordination to nucleic acids. Coordination at N-7 purine sites on nucleic acids may induce depurination through a general acid-catalyzed cleavage of the sugar-purine bond. This possibility was tested by observing the hydrolysis of [dGuo)(NH3)5Ru]3+ under physiological conditions. Since multiple products result from this reaction, a high-pressure liquid chromatography technique was developed for separating various ammineruthenium(III) complexes with purine, pyrimidine, and nucleoside ligands. Using this technique it was possible to identify and follow the relative concentrations of several of the hydrolysis products. These data were used to develop a preliminary reaction scheme for the decomposition of (dGuo)(NH3)5Ru(III). The net rate constant (1.8 × 10−6 s−1) for the disappearance of this complex yields an upper limit for the rate of metal-induced sugar hydrolysis. While the half-life ( 5 days 1 2 days ) for the sugar hydrolysis reaction is substantially shorter than that for the free nucleoside under the same conditions, it cannot be concluded that this represents a major contribution to the mutagenicity of Ru(III) complexes.
Quantitative Tissue Characterzation Based on Pulsed-Echo Ultrasound Scans

This paper describes a novel technique for estimating ultrasonic attenuation coefficients. The technique first employs a histogram analysis to estimate the number of tissues present and then utilizes a maximum likelihood criterion to assign attenuation values, thus producing an image of attenuation. Simulated B-scan data and clinical B-scan data are used to illustrate the method. The results show that images representing an intrinsic tissue parameter can be produced when the basic model is valid.
Proposed few-optical cycle laser-driven particle accelerator structure

We describe a transparent dielectric grating accelerator structure that is designed for ultrashort laser pulse operation. The structure is based on the principle of periodic field reversal to achieve phase synchronicity for relativistic particles; however, to preserve ultrashort pulse operation it does not resonate the laser field in the vacuum channel. The geometry of the structure appears well suited for application with high average power lasers and high thermal loading. Finally, it shows potential for an unloaded gradient of $10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}/\mathrm{m}$ with 10 fs laser pulses and the possibility to accelerate ${10}^{6}$ electrons per bunch at an efficiency of 8%. The fabrication procedure and a proposed near term experiment with this accelerator structure are presented.
Associative image analysis: a method for automated quantification of 3D multi-parameter images of brain tissue

Brain structural complexity has confounded prior efforts to extract quantitative image-based measurements. We present a systematic 'divide and conquer' methodology for analyzing three-dimensional (3D) multi-parameter images of brain tissue to delineate and classify key structures, and compute quantitative associations among them. To demonstrate the method, thick ( approximately 100 microm) slices of rat brain tissue were labeled using three to five fluorescent signals, and imaged using spectral confocal microscopy and unmixing algorithms. Automated 3D segmentation and tracing algorithms were used to delineate cell nuclei, vasculature, and cell processes. From these segmentations, a set of 23 intrinsic and 8 associative image-based measurements was computed for each cell. These features were used to classify astrocytes, microglia, neurons, and endothelial cells. Associations among cells and between cells and vasculature were computed and represented as graphical networks to enable further analysis. The automated results were validated using a graphical interface that permits investigator inspection and corrective editing of each cell in 3D. Nuclear counting accuracy was >89%, and cell classification accuracy ranged from 81 to 92% depending on cell type. We present a software system named FARSIGHT implementing our methodology. Its output is a detailed XML file containing measurements that may be used for diverse quantitative hypothesis-driven and exploratory studies of the central nervous system.
Effects of short-term Western diet on cerebral oxidative stress and diabetes related factors in APP × PS1 knock-in mice

A chronic high fat Western diet (WD) promotes a variety of morbidity factors although experimental evidence for short-term WD mediating brain dysfunction remains to be elucidated. The amyloid precursor protein and presenilin-1 (APP x PS1) knock-in mouse model has been demonstrated to recapitulate some key features of Alzheimer's disease pathology, including amyloid-beta (Abeta) pathogenesis. In this study, we placed 1-month-old APP x PS1 mice and non-transgenic littermates on a WD for 4 weeks. The WD resulted in a significant elevation in protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation in the brain of APP x PS1 mice relative to non-transgenic littermates, which occurred in the absence of increased Abeta levels. Altered adipokine levels were also observed in APP x PS1 mice placed on a short-term WD, relative to non-transgenic littermates. Taken together, these data indicate that short-term WD is sufficient to selectively promote cerebral oxidative stress and metabolic disturbances in APP x PS1 knock-in mice, with increased oxidative stress preceding alterations in Abeta. These data have important implications for understanding how WD may potentially contribute to brain dysfunction and the development of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
Careers, contingencies, and locus of control among White college women

This study examined social-psychological antecedents of the sex type of occupational preferences and expectations of White college women. High sex-role contingency orientation (SRCO)—attitudes and explanations for occupational choices which reflect a primary and explicit concern with marriage and family—was associated with expectations and preferences for occupations in which females predominate and with the tendency to have more traditionally feminine expectations than preferences.
Single Molecule Enzymology

We use single molecule force-clamp techniques to study the activity and chemical mechanisms of oxidases and oxidoreductase enzymes. In this approach the length of an extending protein is measured while the pulling force is actively kept constant with a feedback loop. Using the force-clamp technique we have investigated the force-dependency of protein folding, unfolding and of chemical reactions. For example, using various types of force pulses we can drive a single substrate protein to well defined extended states and monitor the reduction of its disulfide bonds by thioredoxin enzymes, with sub-Angstrom resolution (1). By varying the pulling force on the substrate we can also identify different chemical mechanisms of reduction. Using maximum likelihood techniques we have resuscitated ancient thioredoxin enzymes, going back billions of years. We have studied the activity of our resuscitated enzymes using our single molecule techniques in an effort to observe the evolution of the chemical mechanisms of reduction over time(2). Finally, we have used these single molecule techniques to study the activity of oxidases such as PDI and DsbA, and of glutharedoxin(3). Our results demonstrate that single molecule force-spectroscopy techniques provide an entirely novel and powerful approach to study enzymes, at an unprecedented resolution. These experiments show that force-clamp AFM probes dynamic rearrangements within an enzyme's active site, which cannot be resolved by any other current structural biological technique. We anticipate that these studies will be extended to a wide range of other enzymes.1.Wiita et al, (2007) Probing the chemistry of thioredoxin catalysis with force. Nature, 450:124-7.2.Perez-Jimenez, et al, (2011). Single-molecule paleoenzymology probes the chemistry of resurrected enzymes. Nat Struct Mol Biol, 18(5): 592-596.3.Kosuri, P et al, (2012). Protein folding drives disulfide formation. Cell, in press
Color-to-grayscale conversion with color clustering and significance criteria

An image processing algorithm is presented that adaptively converts color images to grayscale. The intent of the conversion is to preserve color information that is traditionally lost by the conversion process. The conversion produces high-contrast grayscale representations with enhanced color discriminability. A web-based psychometric study confirms that the algorithm is mostly preferred over traditional algorithms. The algorithm employs a multi-stepped approach that includes color clustering, 3-dimensional partitioning, and simulated annealing.
The Predictive Sample Reuse Method with Applications

Abstract An account is given of a recently devised method of prediction based on sample reuse techniques. It is most useful in low structure data paradigms that involve minimal assumptions. A series of applications demonstrating the technique is presented.
Outcomes of auto-SCT for lymphoma in subjects aged 70 years and over

The safety and efficacy of auto-SCT for lymphoma in older patients is not well established, particularly in those ≥70 years old. We performed a retrospective analysis comparing 17 auto-SCT recipients ≥70 years old with 39 recipients aged 65-69 years. Hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index (HCT-CI) scores were similar in both groups. Nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was increased in patients aged 70 years and older (hazard ratio (HR) 6.04, P=0.0029), and OS was decreased (HR 1.98, P=0.082). 1-year NRM was 35% in patients aged ≥70 years vs 8% in those aged 65-69 years (P=0.017). The incidence of in-hospital falls was higher in those aged ≥70 years (29 vs 8%, P=0.047). In a secondary exploratory analysis, we found that the occurrence of in-hospital falls was strongly associated with inferior OS (HR 3.36, P=0.0023) and NRM (HR 4.60, P=0.009) among all patients of aged 65 years and older. We conclude that auto-SCT is feasible in older patients but that mortality rates appear increased in those over age of 70 years. In-hospital falls were correlated with higher mortality, and prevention of falls may improve outcomes. Susceptibility to falls may indicate underlying frailty and should be explored prospectively as a means of selecting older patients for auto-SCT.
Enhanced dopamine D1 and BDNF signaling in the adult dorsal striatum but not nucleus accumbens of prenatal cocaine treated mice.

Previous work from our group and others utilizing animal models have demonstrated long lasting structural and functional alterations in the meso-cortico-striatal dopamine pathway following prenatal cocaine treatment. We have shown that prenatal cocaine treatment results in augmented D1 -induced cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cocaine-induced immediate-early gene expression in the striatum of adult mice. In this study we further examined basal as well as cocaine or D1-induced activation of a set of molecules known to be mediators of neuronal plasticity following psychostimulant treatment, with emphasis in the dorsal striatum (Str) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) of adult mice exposed to cocaine in utero. Basally, in the striatum of prenatal cocaine treated (PCOC) mice there were significantly higher levels of a number of the transcription factors studied. Following acute administration of cocaine (15 mg/kg, i.p.) or D1 agonist (SKF 82958; 1 mg/kg, i.p.) there were significantly higher levels of Ser133 P-CREB, Thr34 P-DARPP-32, and Thr202/Tyr204 P-ERK2 in the Str, that were significantly augmented in PCOC mice. In sharp contrast, in the NAc of those mice, we found increased P-CREB and P-ERK2 in PSAL mice, a response that was not evident in PCOC mice. Examination of Ser 845 P-GluA1 revealed increased levels in PSAL mice, but significantly decreased levels in PCOC mice in both the Str and NAc following acute administration of cocaine or D1 agonist. We also found significantly higher levels of the BDNF precursor, pro-BDNF and one of its receptors, TrkB in the Str of PCOC mice. These results suggest a persistent up-regulation of molecules critical to D1 and BDNF signaling in the Str of adult mice exposed to cocaine in utero. These molecular adaptations may underlie components of the behavioral deficits evident in exposed animals and a subset of exposed humans, and may represent a therapeutic target for ameliorating aspects of the prenatal cocaine-induced phenotype.
Micro-macropore model for sorption of water on silica gel in a dehumidifier

Abstract A mathematical model for laminar flow through a duct of an isothermally maintained dehumidifier and for simultaneous diffusion and absorption of water vapor into a desiccant was formulated as an integral equation. The macro-micro pore model for the desiccant was fitted to transient experimental data for isothermal adsorption of water on a silica gel sheet with an average deviation of four percent. The data could not be explained by the conventional Rosen model which considers diffusion in the macropores only. A Graetz type analysis of experimental data showed that the mass transfer in the channel could be approximated by constant mass transfer coefficients which agreed with the asymptotic Nusselt numbers for the laminar Graetz problems. However, the corresponding mass transfer coefficients for the desiccant are highly time dependent. Hence a more complicated model is required.
The Effects of Increasing Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer on Water Quality, Primary Production, Zooplankton, and Sunshine Bass, Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis, Fingerling Production

Abstract Sunshine bass, Morone chrysops× M. saxatilis, fingerling culture ponds were fertilized over a six-week period with a combination of organic (rice bran at 472 kg/ha) and inorganic (liquid 9-27-0 NPK at 216.2 kg/ha) fertilizers, and at two, three, and four times that rate to determine if survival and growth of fry could be improved. Shortly after fry were stocked at four days of age, one of their first natural foods, rotifers, became progressively more abundant as fertilizer application increased. Ponds receiving increased amounts of fertilizer also had increased amounts of crustacean zooplankton: copepoda nauplii, copepods, and cladocerans, which also are important natural foods for sunshine bass fingerlings. Even though increased amounts of fertilizer resulted in increased concentrations of natural feed, fingerling survival decreased from a mean of 47% for the base level fertilizer treatment to 15.4% for ponds receiving four times as much fertilizer. Increased fertilizer application adversely aff...
Evaluation of the aerobic biodegradation of trichloroethylene via response surface methodology.

Abstract Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the effect of additives for enhancing the aerobic biodegradation of trichloroethylene (TCE). The parameters investigated include the initial TCE concentration, addition of extra bacteria, use of toluene as an inducer and hydrogen peroxide as terminal electron acceptor (TEA). Without additive, degradation efficiencies of ≥ 80% were obtained for TCE concentrations
Ideal probabilistic earthquake prediction

Abstract The state-of-the-art in earthquake prediction can be displayed graphically, and compared with the ideal, in terms of the estimated probability of earthquake occurrence in the next unit of time, as a function of time before the earthquake.
Determination of paraquat in sunflower seeds by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Abstract The herbicide paraquat was determined with extracts from 1-g samples of sunflower seeds. The liquid chromatography procedure utilized a microparticle (10 μm) C 18 reversed-phase column and isocratic elution with 27% acetronitrile in water, 10m M in the sodium salt of octanesulfonic acid. Eluted paraquat was detected at 254 and 280 nm and quantitated by paraquat internal standard peak height ratios. This procedure provided linear working curves over the concentration range of 0–20 μg/g of paraquat. Recovery of paraquat varied fom 89–101%, with an average recovery of 93%. Good agreement was obtained in the comparison of results of the described procedure with those from a well established UV procedure.
Osteoporosis and osteopenia in men with eating disorders

The occurrence of eating disorders and related deficiencies in bone mineral density are well established in women. However, we provide evidence that eating disorders are as common in men as in women, and are perhaps more severe.
In vitro activity of sparfloxacin and three other fluoroquinolones against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Fluoroquinolones are variably active against methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE). The purpose of this study was to test the in vitro susceptibility of 50 isolates each of MRSA and MRSE to four of the new fluoroquinolones — sparfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and norfloxacin — and to see if resistance could be induced in five susceptible strains of each species by serial passage with increasing concentrations of drug. A standard microdilution technique was used to determine minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of each drug for each isolate. Agar dilution plates were also prepared containing concentrations of drug varying from one-half of the reported MIC to 128 times the reported MIC, and microorganisms persisting were serially passaged. Initially, 98 % of the strains of MRSA were susceptible to the fluoroquinolones. MBCs were essentially identical to MICs. Similarly, 96 % of the strains of MRSE were susceptible. Following exposure to increasing concentrations of each fluoroquinolone, resistance appeared to emerge less rapidly to sparfloxacin and ofloxacin than to norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin.
ECS and one-trial learning: Retrograde amnesia or disinhibition?

Abstract This investigation attempted to determine if the effect of a single ECS on one trial learning was due to disruption of a memory trace or to disinhibition. By varying the baseline rate of bar pressing on which one trial learning (foot shock) was superimposed, it was demonstrated that one ECS caused a decrement in retention if baseline rate is low but not if it is high. The data suggest that ECS in this procedure causes disinhibition rather than disruption of a memory trace.
The effect of hypoxia on neurohypophyseal hormone release in fetal and maternal sheep.

Summary: The effect of hypoxemia on arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) release was investigated in the chronically catheterized fetus and ewe. During 30 min of 10% maternal oxygen delivery, mean (±SEM) arterial Po2 decreased from 105 ± 10.6 to 48 ± 3.5 mm Hg in the ewe and from 21 ± 1.3 to 12 ± 0.8 mm Hg in the fetus (each P < 0.001). Arterial Pco2 decreased from 35 ± 44 to 29 ± 1.0 mm Hg in the ewe, whereas fetal Pco2 decreased from 43 ± 2.3 to 35 ± 3.5 mm Hg (P < 0.05). Blood pH increased from 7.44 ± 0.03 to 7.56 ± 0.04 in the ewe (P < 0.01) and from 7.36 ± 0.004 to 7.40 ± 0.006 in the fetuses (P < 0.01). Baseline mean AVP levels were identical in ewes and fetuses (0.7 ± 0.1 µ μ U/ml). After 30 min of hypoxia, plasma AVP levels remained unchanged in the ewes (0.9 ± 0.1), but increased dramatically in the fetuses (47 ± 21 µ μU/ml) (P < 0.001). There was a highly significant correlation between the duration of hypoxia and log fetal AVP concentrations (r=0.85). The log fetal plasma AVP also was inversely correlated to the log fetal Po2 values (=0.83). Mean baseline fetal and maternal plasma OT levels were 2.6 ± 0.5 µ μU/ml and 2.2 ± 0.5 µ μU/ml, respectively. After 30 min of hypoxia fetal and maternal OT values were 2.9 ± 0.8 µ μU/ml (not significant).
Do Responsible Contractor Policies Increase Construction Bid Costs

Beginning in 2000, some school districts in Ohio required contractors to incorporate health insurance coverage, among other items, into their bids. Such responsible contractor policies (RCPs) are controversial because they may raise costs. This study sheds empirical light on the controversy. We estimate construction bid costs using data on elementary school projects bid in Ohio from 1997 to 2008, some of which were covered by an RCP and others of which were not. The results indicate that once we account for variation in geographic location of schools, RCPs exert no statistically discernible impact on construction bid costs.
Pharmacologic Regulation of Biogenic Amine Transporters in Neuroblastoma Cells and Primary Placental Cells |[diams]| 340

The placenta is a unique nonneuronal tissue which expresses biogenic amine transporters that are otherwise only expressed in neuronal tissue. There has been limited investigation of the regulation of biogenic amine transporters. It has been shown that uptake inhibitors like cocaine or antidepressants cause an increase in serotonin (SERT) and norepinephrine (NET) transporter expression in the central nervous system in vivo. In cell culture, increased intracellular cyclic AMP or protein kinase A activity have been shown to increase serotonin transport. The mechanism for this increase is both transcriptional and posttranslational. The purpose of our studies was to examine the mechanisms for regulation of the NET in neuronal and placental cells. We used SK-N-SH cells, a human neuroblastoma cell line, and primary placental cells isolated after collagenase digestion and density gradient centrifugation. Uptake of tritiated norepinephrine was determined after treatment with a variety of pharmacologic agents. Norephrine (NE) alone had a time and dose dependent effect. Short term exposure to 1μM NE caused a modest increase in uptake. Longer exposure or higher doses decreased uptake by 15-30%. SK-N-SH cells treated with 10-100 μM Forskolin, 1-10mM dBcAMP or 10-100 nM phorbol ester (TPA) showed a significant decrease in uptake. Primary placental cells showed a similar biphasic response NE and similar, though less pronounced, regulation by the same pharmacologic agents. We conclude: 1) Neuroblastoma cells and primary placental cells take up norepinephrine by a transporter-dependent uptake mechanism. 2) Norepinephrine has a time-and dose-dependent effect on uptake. 3) Inhibition of norepinephrine uptake is mediated in part by cyclic AMP and protein kinase C. Speculation: Our previous results demonstrate that placental norepinephrine clearance is vital to fetal homeostasis and that chronic intrauterine stress results in a significant decrease in norepinephrine transport. The mechanisms identified here help to explain this decrease in norepinephrine clearance and the pathogenesis of the exaggerated effects on the fetus of drugs, such as cocaine, which block catecholamine transport.
Activation of mouse sperm phosphatidylinositol-4,5 bisphosphate-phospholipase C by zona pellucida is modulated by tyrosine phosphorylation

Many cellular responses to the occupancy of membrane receptors include the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol-4,5 bisphosphate (PIP2) by phospholipase C (PLC) and the subsequent generation of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG). In the gamete interaction system, sperm respond to binding to the egg's extracellular matrix, the zona pellucida (zp), by exocytosis of the acrosome in a process known as the acrosome reaction (AR). Under physiological conditions, zp binding stimulates ARs only after sperm have undergone a final maturation phase, known as capacitation. One of the zp glycoproteins, ZP3, serves as the ligand for sperm plasma membrane receptors and as the trigger for this regulated exocytosis. Both phosphoinositide-linked and tyrosine kinase-mediated pathways participate in the signalling cascade triggered by sperm-zp interaction. This paper reports that stimulation with solubilized zp increased PIP2-PLC enzymatic activity from mouse sperm. ZP3 is the zp component responsible for this stimulation. The effect was abolished by tyrphostin, suggesting that zp activation of PLC was mediated by tyrosine phosphorylation and that gamma was the PLC isoform involved. We show the presence and distribution of PLC gamma 1 in mouse sperm. Immunostaining studies indicate that PLC gamma 1 is restricted to the sperm head. Sperm capacitation induced translocation of PLC gamma 1 from the soluble to the particulate fraction. These data suggest that PLC gamma 1 constitutes a component in the cascade that couples sperm binding to the egg's extracellular matrix with acrosomal exocytosis, a regulated secretory response upon which fertilization depends absolutely.
Multi-sensor event detection under temporal correlations with renewable energy sources

Sensor networks have major applications in environmental monitoring, relief operations, surveillance, health-care and defense. Future sensor networks would comprise of sensing devices with energy harvesting capabilities from renewable energy sources such as solar power. Multiple sensor nodes deployed in the region of interest would collaborate to achieve a global objective, such as detection of application specific events. This paper focuses on the design of efficient algorithms for multi-sensor activation in order to optimize the overall event detection probability. The recharge-discharge dynamics of the individual rechargeable sensor nodes, along with temporally correlated nature of event occurrences makes the optimal multi-sensor event detection question very challenging. We formulate the dynamic multi-sensor event detection question in a stochastic optimization framework, and design efficient sensor activation algorithms. Particularly, we analyze certain classes of threshold activation policies and show that they achieve near-optimal performance when the threshold is chosen carefully. Specifically, we show that a time-invariant threshold policy, which attempts to maintain a fixed number (appropriately chosen) of sensors active at all times, is optimal in absence of temporal correlations. Moreover, the same energy-balancing time-invariant threshold policy approaches optimality in presence of temporal correlations as well, albeit under certain limiting assumptions. Through simulation studies, we compare the performance of this time-invariant policy with energy-balancing correlation-dependent policies, and observe that although the latter perform better, the performance difference is rather small.
Ripped to death

An old puzzle in the field of cell death was solved recently: the mysterious embryonic lethality of animals deficient in caspase-8 or Fas-associated death domain (FADD), proteins involved in a pathway of apoptosis. This lethality is caused by a failure to develop the yolk sac vasculature rather than a lack of apoptosis. Remarkably, development is rescued by ablation of either of two receptor interacting serine-threonine kinases (RIPKs). Despite being well known cell killers, caspase-8 and FADD act together to block RIPK-mediated necrosis. To manifest this newly elucidated pro-survival function, FADD and caspase-8 depend on FLIP Long , a catalytically inactive caspase-8 homolog. In this review, the mechanism by which RIPK necrotic death is inhibited by this trio is discussed, as well as how RIPKs might themselves mediate cell death.
X-ray diffraction study of the in-plane structure of an organic multilayer (“langmuir—blodgett”) film

Abstract Using X-ray diffraction at glancing angles, we find that in Langmuir—Blodgett films of lead stearate the lead atoms form plane arrays identical to one set of planes in a bulk crystal, but with little correlation between the planes. The resulting system of two-dimensional layers is similar in its static structure to an ideal smectic-B liquid crystal
A Study of Test Speededness As a Potential Source of Bias in the Quantitative Score of the Admission Test for Graduate Study in Business.

Minority and majority groups were administered a special quantitative section of the Admission Test for Graduate Study in Business (ATGSB) under varying time conditions to determine if increasing the time allotted for the test would eliminate any bias that may exist due to an irrelevant speed factor. By a commonly employed definition, the special section was found to be moderately speeded for all candidates under normal time conditions. Neither the main effects due to time condition nor the interaction between the ethnic and time factors was statistically significant, suggesting that increasing the time per item does not reduce any bias that may exist in the test. Although a substantial proportion of minority group scores fell at or below the chance level, these appeared to retain fairly high levels of reliability.