cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional overlap in the cis-acting regulation of the V(D)J recombination at the TCRβ locus

The second exon of lymphocyte antigen receptor genes is assembled in developing lymphocytes from component V, J and, in some cases, D gene segments through the process of V(D)J recombination. This process is initiated by an endonuclease comprised of the Rag-1 and Rag-2 proteins, collectively referred to as Rag. Rag binds to recombination signals (RSs) and catalyzes the pair-wise introduction of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) at recombining gene segments. DNA cleavage by Rag is restricted both by intrinsic features of RSs, as well as the activity of other cis-acting elements, such as promoters and enhancers that regulate the accessibility of gene segments to Rag. In the TCRbeta locus, accessibility of the Dbeta1-Jbeta1 gene segment cluster relies on the function of an enhancer, Ebeta, and a promoter, PDbeta1. Here we demonstrate that deletion of a small genomic region containing five of the six Jbeta1 gene segments, but no known transcriptional regulatory elements, leads to a marked decrease in transcription and rearrangements involving the Dbeta1 and Jbeta1.1 gene segments. Surprisingly, point mutations in the RS of the Jbeta1.1 gene segment not only impact Rag cleavage, but also lead to diminished transcription through the Dbeta1-Jbeta1 gene segment cluster. Our findings demonstrate that cis-acting elements that regulate transcription and accessibility of the TCRbeta locus may functionally overlap with RS sequences, which are known primarily to direct Rag-mediated cleavage.
Position paper on metaphor

My research has focussed mainly on conventional metaphor built into the conceptual system on which our everyday language is based. What I and others have found is that metaphor plays a major role in semantics. It is the means by which domains of experience that are not highly structured on their own terms get structured on the basis of other, highly-structured domains. Domains need structure so that one can reason about them. The major function of metaphor is thus to supply structure in terms of which reasoning can be done. What we have-found is that an enormous amount of our reasoning is metaphorical (see Lakoff, 1986b; Lakoff and Johnson, 1987; Johnson, 1087; Turner, 1987; Holland and Quinn, 1987; and especially Quinn, in preparation).
The role of gastric and postgastric sites in glucose-conditioned flavor preferences in rats

Two experiments examined the role of gastric and postgastric contributions in the development of flavor preferences in rats. During training trials, food-deprived rats consumed, on alternate days, a cue flavor paired with glucose infusions and another flavor paired with water infusions. Preferences were assessed in choice tests between the two cue flavors without infusions. The first experiment compared preferences conditioned to a flavor paired with intraduodenal (ID) glucose infusions to those paired with intragastric (IG) infusions. ID glucose-conditioned preferences were as strong as that of IG glucose. The second experiment examined whether the actions of glucose in the stomach alone were sufficient to condition flavor preferences. Glucose infusions were restricted to the stomach with an inflated pyloric cuff and then removed at the end of 30-min training sessions before the cuff was deflated. Rats trained with this procedure did not develop a reliable flavor preference. Flavor preferences were obtained, however, when the cuff was inflated for 30 min after the end of the daily training sessions, or when the cuff was inflated during the training sessions but then deflated without removing the infused glucose. Both of these procedures allowed at least some of the infused glucose to empty into the intestine. Taken together, the results indicate that information from the stomach is neither necessary nor sufficient to produce glucose-conditioned flavor preferences. Such preferences are reinforced by the intestinal and/or postabsorptive actions of glucose.
Vibrational Energy as a Function of Interatomic Distance in Rare‐Gas Solids. A Universal Relationship

A universal relationship between the reduced vibrational energies and average interatomic distances is derived for rare gas solids within the Lennard-Jones (6-12) interatomic potential model. This relationship is employed to obtain the zero-point energies as well as the zero-pressure heat capacities of the rare gas solids. The overall agreement with the existing data is very good. Eine universelle Beziehung zwischen den reduzierten Schwingungsenergien und den mittleren interatomaren Abstanden wird fur feste Edelgase im Rahmen des interatomaren Lennard-Jones (6-12)-Potentialmodells abgeleitet. Diese Beziehung wird benutzt, um sowohl die Nullpunktsenergien als auch die Warmekapazitaten beim Druck null der festen Edelgase zu erhalten. Die Gesamtabereinstimmung mit den vorhandenen Werten ist sehr gut.
Analysis of the set of trajectories of nonlinear dynamics: Stability under interval initial conditions

For the set of equations of perturbed motion whose solutions satisfy interval initial conditions, we obtain sufficient conditions for the Lyapunov stability and the practical stability of these solutions. The analysis is performed on the basis of locally large scalar Lyapunov functions. As examples, we consider quasilinear and linear nonautonomous systems.
A report from the second Nematostella vectensis research conference

This report summarizes information discussed at the second Nematostella vectensis research conference, which took place on August 27, 2012 in Boston, MA, USA. The startlet sea anemone Nematostella is emerging as one of leading model organisms among cnidarians, in part because of the extensive genome and transcriptome resources that are becoming available for Nematostella, which were the focus of several presentations. In addition, research was presented on the use of Nematostella in developmental, regeneration, signal transduction, host-symbiont, and gene-environment interaction studies.
Instantaneous frequency estimation of polynomial phase signals using local polynomial Wigner-Ville distribution

This paper makes use of local polynomial Wigner-Ville distribution (LPWVD), originally designed for nonparametric instantaneous frequency (IF) estimation of transient signals, to propose a parametric IF estimation for polynomial phase signals (PPSs). Statistical performance such as asymptotic bias and variance of the LPWVD-based parametric IF estimator is derived in closed-form. Based on the analytical results, we extend the statistical efficiency of the Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) for a second-order PPS only to that of the LP-WVD for an arbitrary order, when the IF is estimated at the middle of sample observations. Simulation results verify the analytical performance and comparisons with the polynomial Wigner-Ville distribution (PWVD) show that the LPWVD-based parametric IF estimator can provide better performance.
Ultrastructure of the invasion of Eimeria magna sporozoites into cultured cells.

SYNOPSIS. Monolayers of bovine kidney cells were overlaid with Eimeria magna sporozoites and observed with phase-contrast optics until penetration of the cells by the parasites had begun. Cells and penetrating parasites were fixed with glutaraldehyde and OsO4-containing ruthenium red, dehydrated, and embedded in situ. Cells being penetrated were selected for study in the electron microscope. The lack of intracellular staining with ruthenium red and intact plasmalemmas of cells being penetrated, was accepted as evidence that the sporozoites did not disrupt the plasma membranes. The sporozoite caused invagination of the host cell plasmalemma until the parasite was entirely within the cell, after which the invagination was sealed off by short pseudopodia enclosing the sporozoite within a membrane-lined vacuole inside the cell. Often myelin-forms, apparently of host cell origin, were seen in the space between the sporozoite and the cell.
SURFACE TEMPERATURE AND TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS OF HUMAN TEETH IN SITU

Abstract The surface temperature and temperature gradients of the six maxillary anterior teeth were measured for fourteen human subjects. The teeth were isolated with a rubber dam and a small thermocouple was used to measure temperature. The average surface temperature from all teeth tested was 30.6 °C. The temperatures of similar teeth from the various subjects were closely grouped, with a standard deviation of about 1 °C. Surface temperature decreased in an anterior direction. The palatal surface of each tooth was about 0.4 °C warmer than the labial surface. There was no significant difference between normal teeth and those with non-vital pulps. Temperature fluctuations were observed, and attributed to varying air convection currents. From the pattern of the surface measurements and the temperature gradients, it was concluded that passive conduction from the periodontal tissue is the major source of heat which determines surface temperature, and that tooth circulation and pulp metabolism are relatively unimportant as tooth heat sources.
Faradaic AC Micro-Pumps and Mixers With Orthogonal Electrodes

A new electrolyte AC micro-pump and mixer design based on Faradaic reaction polarization is investigated. The non-uniform AC electric field generated by electrode reaction polarizes the electrode surface, exerts a net electric force on the polarized layer and drives a net AC electro-osmotic flow of the electrolyte on the planar microelectrodes. At large electric potentials (>10V) and frequencies of 100 kHz to 1MHz, the flow direction is shown to be opposite to (previously reported) AC pumps due to capacitive charging. Moreover, the velocity has an exponential dependence on the applied electric potential due to the reaction and is hence an order of magnitude higher than the velocity driven by capacitive charging, which has a quadratic dependence. Theoretical analyses demonstrating the possibility of this Faradaic mechanism and some preliminary experimental results are presented.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Cortical characterization of the perception of intelligible and unintelligible speech measured via high-density electroencephalography.

High-density electroencephalography was used to evaluate cortical activity during speech comprehension via a sentence verification task. Twenty-four participants assigned true or false to sentences produced with 3 noise-vocoded channel levels (1-unintelligible, 6-decipherable, 16-intelligible), during simultaneous EEG recording. Participant data were sorted into higher- (HP) and lower-performing (LP) groups. The identification of a late-event related potential for LP listeners in the intelligible condition and in all listeners when challenged with a 6-Ch signal supports the notion that this induced potential may be related to either processing degraded speech, or degraded processing of intelligible speech. Different cortical locations are identified as neural generators responsible for this activity; HP listeners are engaging motor aspects of their language system, utilizing an acoustic–phonetic based strategy to help resolve the sentence, while LP listeners do not. This study presents evidence for neurophysiological indices associated with more or less successful speech comprehension performance across listening conditions.
Regulation of host RNA levels during baculovirus infection.

Abstract During infection of the permissive host insect cell line Spodoptera frugiperda IPLB-SF-21 by the baculovirus Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV), the levels of host actin, histone, and heat shock 70 (hsp70) RNAs are reduced substantially. Reduction of the host RNA levels occurs primarily during a narrow window of the replication process, from approximately 12 to 18 hr postinfection (p.i.), corresponding to the phase in which the extracellular form of the virus buds into the media. A late viral protein appears to be required for this reduction since cycloheximide, an inhibitor of cytosolic protein synthesis, and aphidicolin, an inhibitor of host and viral DNA polymerases, inhibit the reduction of actin and histone RNA levels. A cDNA corresponding to the car☐yl half of the S. frugiperda mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit III (COIII) gene was isolated, sequenced, and characterized. Two differentially regulated mitochondrial transcripts of this gene are observed. The level of the larger of these transcripts, which is dependent on active cytosolic protein synthesis, is reduced during virus infection in a fashion similar to that of the nuclear host genes. The smaller COIII transcript is stable until at least 24 hr p.i. but the level of this RNA eventually declines by 48 hr p.i.
Neurotensin, N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate and β-endorphin modulate [3H]dopamine release from guinea pig nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex and caudate-putamen

Abstract Dopaminergic hyperactivity in nucleus accumbens and dopaminergic hypoactivity in prefrontal cortex are thought to underlie positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, respectively. The caudate putamen is the neuro-anatomical substrate for extrapyramidal side effects resulting from chronic antipsychotic treatment. We sought to identify potential endogenous regulators of dopamine release that might produce differential effects in these brain areas. We tested neurotensin, N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate and beta-endorphin for potential regulation of [3H]dopamine release in these regions of guinea pig brain. All three peptides stimulated dopamine release, above basal activity, at all concentrations tested in the three regions. Neurotensin significantly enhanced and N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate had no significant effect on N-methyl-D-aspartate-stimulated release from all three regions. In contrast, beta-endorphin significantly inhibited N-methyl-D-aspartate-stimulated release in nucleus accumbens and caudate putamen. These results suggest that these neuropeptides may regulate endogenous dopamine release and therefore may be potential therapeutic targets for antipsychotic drug development.
Dissociation of a Surface Bond by Direct Optical Excitation: H-Si(100)

Excitation of the H-Si bond on the $\mathrm{Si}\left(100\right)\ensuremath{-}(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1):\mathrm{H}$ surface at 157 nm leads to the desorption of atomic hydrogen. Quantitative measurement using polarized light shows that the transition dipole moment is oriented at $\ensuremath{\sim}18\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ from the surface normal, in agreement with the H-Si bond direction. This result unambigously establishes the direct photodesorption mechanism. A comparison of the isotope effect in the photodesorption cross section with a time-dependent quantum mechanical simulation reveals an excited-state lifetime of $\ensuremath{\sim}0.4\mathrm{fs}$.
Prediction of Rapid Ductile Crack Extension and Arrest by an Analytical Approach

Under special circumstances a fast propagating crack can be triggered in pipelines by just a small local damage. In order to assess the safety with regard to this type of catastrophic failure, an analytical model was established to describe the process of large ductile tearing mathematically. Using a simplifying kinematical model and the hypothesis that the tearing fracture process is governed by a constant CTOA, the total energy dissipation rate can be quantified and compared to the available fracture energy. Since the Charpy fracture energy KV is often the only available toughness-related material parameter of existing pipelines, the toughness parameters used in the model, particularly CTOA, has to be determined from KV. This was achieved by using the same 2-parameter model of ductile tearing to analyse the fracture process in bending. A closed form relationship was obtained between the minimum pressure required for fast ductile crack propagation and the system and material parameters. It could be shown that rapid ductile tearing requires the hoop stress to exceed a certain limit, which depends on the geometrical parameters of the pipeline and KV of its material. The analysis was verified by comparison of the results with the experimental data of full-scale burst tests available in the literature. Unlike empirical correlations, the derived analytical formula seems to be universally valid, regardless of pipe dimensions or steel grades.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Amphiphilic spectroscopic probes utilizing metal chelates.

The synthesis and initial applications are reported for 1-[p-(pamitamido)-phenyl]ethylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid. The results demonstrate the versatility of this spectroscopic probe molecule, which allows achoice of a particular technique for a particular system as well as use of multiple spectroscopic techniques for complementary information about hydrophobic region in biological systems.
Subcellular alterations in rat liver following hypophysectomy.

Abstract Hypophysectomy causes the following alterations in rat-liver cells: 1. 1. An increased concentration of clumped chromatin (heterochromatin) which is distributed throughout the nucleoplasm. 2. 2. Decrease in cytoplasmic volume. 3. 3. Loss of particulate glycogen after 15 h of fasting. 4. 4. Decrease in amount of smooth endoplasmic reticulum per cell. 5. 5. Decrease in amount and a disorganization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. 6. 6. Decrease in the number of ribosomes and polysomes per cell. 7. 7. A concentration per unit volume of cytoplasm and swelling of mitochondria.
Pharmacological differentiation between the chemotactic factor induced intracellular calcium redistribution and transmembrane calcium influx in rabbit neutrophils

Abstract Nordihydroguaiaretic acid selectively inhibits the chemotactic factor induced stimulation of calcium influx and increase in the steady-state level of cell-associated 45Ca observed in the presence of calcium in rabbit peritoneal neutrophils. On the other hand nordihydroguaiaretic acid does not inhibit the transient decreases in the steady state levels of 45Ca observed either in the presence of low extracellular calcium or of low concentrations of chemotactic factors. These results suggest that nordihydroguaiaretic acid does not affect the intracellular calcium redistribution which is induced by chemotactic factors but rather it inhibits the influx of extracellular calcium which accompanies stimulation.
Radiopharmaceuticals labelled with technetium.

Abstract The ready availability and ideal nuclear properties of 99mTc has led to its widespread use for imaging purposes. In general the localization of the present radiopharmaceuticals is based on the ability of an organ to remove foreign substances from the blood. Further application of this ideal nuclide seems related to the development of methods to label biologically active molecules or drugs in such a way as not to interfere with their desired in vivo behaviour. However, directly binding the 99mTc to these molecules may prevent the expected distribution (except in the case of large molecular weight proteins and cells) by altering the critical functional groups. Therefore the synthesis of derivatives containing a chelating group to bind the technetium is suggested as a possible solution to the problems associated with direct labelling. This could result in a molecule with similar biological properties to the parent molecule. But before useful derivatives of biologically active molecules and drugs can be prepared, extensive study of the chemistry of 99mTc is needed.
The STAR/Maxi-KH domain protein GLD-1 mediates a developmental switch in the translational control of C. elegans PAL-1.

Translational control is an essential mechanism of gene control utilized throughout development, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying translational activation and repression are poorly understood. We have investigated the translational control of the C. elegans caudal homolog, pal-1, and found that GLD-1, a member of the evolutionarily conserved STAR/Maxi-KH domain family, acts through a minimal pal-1 3′ UTR element to repress pal-1 translation in the distal germline. We also provide data suggesting that GLD-1 may repress pal-1 translation after initiation. Finally, we show that GLD-1 represses the distal germline expression of the KH domain protein MEX-3, which was previously shown to repress PAL-1 expression in the proximal germline and which appears specialized to control PAL-1 expression patterns in the embryo. Hence, GLD-1 mediates a developmental switch in the control of PAL-1 repression, allowing MEX-3 to accumulate and take over the task of PAL-1 repression in the proximal germline, where GLD-1 protein levels decline.
Kinetics and mechanism of olefin epoxidation with aqueous H2O2 and a highly selective surface-modified TaSBA15 heterogeneous catalyst.

The reaction kinetics of cyclohexene epoxidation using aqueous H2O2 oxidant and the highly selective epoxidation catalyst BucapTaSBA15 were studied. The reaction was determined to be first-order in Ta(V) surface coverage. The reaction rate exhibited saturation with respect to increasing concentrations of cyclohexene and H2O2. An Eley−Rideal mechanism and rate equation may be used to describe the epoxidation kinetics, which are similar to those for Ti(IV)SiO2-catalyzed epoxidations. The observed kinetics may also be modeled by a double-displacement mechanism typically associated with saturation enzyme catalysts. In addition, 1H NMR spectroscopy was employed to investigate H2O2 decomposition by BucapTaSBA15 and the unmodified TaSBA15 catalysts. Little decomposition occurred over the surface-modified material, but the unmodified material catalyzed a 30% conversion of H2O2 after 6 h. UV−visible absorbance and diffuse reflectance UV−visible (DRUV−vis) spectroscopy were used to investigate the structure of the ...
Monoclonal antibody ELISA for cotinine in saliva and urine of active and passive smokers

The value of a monoclonal antibody-based ELISA for measuring cotinine in saliva and urine of active and passive smokers was assessed. Cotinine (mean +/- SEM) was detected in all 26 saliva (392 +/- 74 ng/ml) and 27 urine (4264 +/- 508 ng/mg creatinine; 2566 +/- 364 ng/ml) samples from smoking parents, but in only two of 36 salivas and one of 37 urines from nonsmokers (P less than 0.001). Similarly, mean cotinine levels in 30 salivas (4.67 +/- 1.10 ng/ml) and 33 urines (35.5 +/- 8.8 ng/mg creatinine; 25.3 +/- 8.1 ng/ml) from passively exposed children were significantly higher (P less than 0.001) than in fluids of 36 unexposed children. Children's levels showed a strong correlation (P less than 0.001) with the number of cigarettes smoked in the home, but only when data from nonsmoking households were included in the analysis. In adult smokers there was a positive correlation between salivary and urinary cotinine (P = 0.002) and a close relationship between urinary cotinine and cigarettes smoked per day (P = 0.066). The ELISA gives a reliable quantitative measure of cotinine as an indicator of active and passive exposure to tobacco smoke. However, correlations with cotinine can be overestimated if large numbers of nonsmokers are included in the comparison.
High temperature matter and neutrino spectra from microscopic black holes

The spectrum of neutrinos produced by the outflow of high temperature matter surrounding microscopic black holes is calculated for neutrino energies between 1 GeV and the Planck energy. The results may be applicable for the last few hours and minutes of a microscopic black hole's lifetime.
Birds can overcome the cardenolide defence of monarch butterflies in Mexico

Flocks of black-backed orioles (Icterus abeillei Lesson) and black-headed grosbeaks (Pheucticus melanocephalus Swainson) eat several hundred thousand monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus L.) in the dense overwintering colonies in central Mexico, and in 1979 were responsible for over 60% of the butterfly mortality at several sites1. Such predation is unusual because, during larval development the aposematically coloured monarch butterfly sequesters cardenolides from its milkweed foodplants (Asclepiadaceae)2,3. These bitter-tasting heart poisons cause vomiting in 12 species of birds in 9 families (refs 4–9, and L. P. Brower, unpublished observation), although the domestic chicken, Japanese quail, hedgehog, mouse and sheep8,10,11 have been shown to be insensitive to their emetic effects. Extensive predation of monarch butterflies by birds has never been observed except in Mexico. We report here that the Mexican butterflies are weakly emetic, and that taste discrimination by orioles and cardenolide insensitivity of grosbeaks allow these birds to feed freely on monarch butterflies.
Theorizing about Dialogic Moments: The Buber-Rogers Position and Postmodern Themes

Dialogue has become a pivotal concept within contemporary human studies, yet few theorists explore its temporal dimension. Is dialogue an extended state of high quality mutuality? Or does it exist in important yet ephemeral moments of human meeting? This article reports on the contributions to communication theory that emerge from a close reading of a metadialogic conversational "text "-the landmark 1 957 meeting of Martin Buber and Carl Rogers. Although most commentators have described Buber and Rogers as disagreeing sharply, we argue that a coherent Buber-Rogers position emerged from their dialogue. Buber and Rogers, in their informal theoretical collaboration, theorize that mutuality-and, by extension, dialogue-is possible in role-unequal relationships in moments of meeting. We then discuss how this Buber-Rogers position prefigured the contemporary cultural tenor of postmodernism. Although not postmodernists themselves, Buber and Rogers helped to shape an intellectual climate in which key postmodern themes could flourish.
VEIN WALL REMODELING AFTER DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS: DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HEPARIN AND DOXYCYCLINE

OBJECTIVE Venous thrombus resolution sets up an early intense inflammatory reaction, from which vein wall damage results. Tissue response to injury includes matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activation and extracellular matrix protein turnover. This study sought to determine the effect of exogenous MMP inhibition and its potential attenuation of early vein wall injury.
The blood of Abel and the branches of sin: Genesis A, Maxims I and Aldhelm's Carmen de uirginitate

The Old English Genesis A, in a moralizing expansion of the biblical narrative, describes how sin sprouted and spread in evil branches from the blood of the murdered Abel:Critical discussion of this passage has reflected a basic disagreement about the presence of allegory in the poem. Bernard F. Huppe finds three levels of meaning in the passage:Literally, the descendants of Cain, born after his sins, are a progeny of affliction, because they perished in the Flood. Symbolically, they are children of affliction because they dwell in the City of Babylon, of which Cain is the spiritual founder. In its moral significance Cain's sin represents the earthly beginning of all mortal, Babylonian sin …
Properties of the limit shape for some last-passage growth models in random environments

Abstract We study directed last-passage percolation on the planar square lattice whose weights have general distributions, or equivalently, queues in series with general service distributions. Each row of the last-passage model has its own randomly chosen weight distribution. We investigate the limiting time constant close to the boundary of the quadrant. Close to the y -axis, where the number of random distributions averaged over stays large, the limiting time constant takes the same universal form as in the homogeneous model. But close to the x -axis we see the effect of the tail of the distribution of the random environment.
Enhanced platelet aggregation, high homocysteine level, and microvascular disease in diabetic muscle infarctions: implications for therapy.

Muscle infaction is a rare complication in patients with diabetes mellitus, probably because of the rich vascular supply of this tissue. We describe a patient with type 1 diabetes who had infarction of the muscles in her right thigh. We report, for the first time, that the patient, in addition to an advanced microvascular disease in the muscle, had increased plasma total homocysteine levels and increased platelet aggregation. These pathologies might have a synergistic effect on the development of this rare complication and should be treated aggrssively to prevent further episodes.
Kinetics of formation of fibrin oligomers. II. Size distributions of ligated oligomers

Human fibrinogen was treated with thrombin in the presence of fibrinoligase (Factor XIIIa) and calcium ion at pH 8.5, ionic strength 0.45, and the ensuing polymerization was interrupted at various time intervals (t) both before and after the clotting time (tc) by solubilization with a solution of sodium dodecylsulfate and urea. Aliquots of the solubilized protein were subjected to gel electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels after disulfide reduction by dithiothreitol and on agarose gels without reduction. The degree of γ-γ ligation was determined from the former and the size distribution of ligated oligomers, for degree of polymerization x from 1 to 10, from the latter. In some experiments, thrombin was inhibited, after partial polymerization, by p-nitrophenyl-p′-guanidinobenzoate. From these, it was concluded that for thrombin concentration ⩽0.013 units/mL and fibrinoligase ⩾30 mg/L, oligomer assembly is rapid compared with peptide A release and ligation is rapid compared with assembly. Under these conditions, the theory of the first paper of this series describes rather well the time dependences of the degree of γ-γ ligation, the weight fractions of monomer and small oligomers, and the number- and weight-average degrees of polymerization after solubilization of the staggered overlapped assemblies, each of which splits to give two strands of end-to-end ligated oligomers. The theory assumes that the second A peptide is released by thrombin more rapidly than the first by a factor q, which, from the experimental data, is determined to be 16. The subsequent assembly into staggered overlapped oligomers follows the statistics of linear polycondesation taking into account the presence of both difunctional and monofunctional combining units. For higher thrombin or lower fibrinoligase concentrations, ligation fails to keep pace with oligomer assembly, and the size distributions after solubilization show a higher proportion of very small and a lower proportion of larger ligated oligomers, owing to separation of the staggered overlapped assemblies into smaller fragments.
The Effect of Driver Age and Experience on Risk Assessment and Risk Prediction

Of the 35,000 drivers and passengers who died in traffic crashes each year between 1975 and 1998, older adults (65 and older) accounted for 10% of all fatalities in 1975 and 17% in 1998. Such drivers will account for a projected 27% by 2015. In addition, the number of older drivers will increase two-thirds by the year 2030. These facts present a threat to the safety of the motoring public. It is hypothesized that older adults have such a high crash rate because they are less likely to recognize risks than experienced, middle-aged drivers. An experiment on an advanced, fixed-base driving simulator was designed and performed to test this hypothesis. Participants' eye movements were tracked throughout each drive. It is inferred that drivers are not aware of risks that could potentially materialize at a particular area of the roadway when they fail to direct their gaze at such areas. However, contrary to our hypothesis, the older drivers were just as likely to recognize the risks as the middle-aged drivers.
Physiological responses of onion plants to UV irradiation at 0°C

Prolonged exposure of Allium leaves to UV light (2537 ) at low temperature induced moisture loss, breakdown of chlorophylls a and b, and of protochlorophyll. Visible light was not effective in reversing the damage. UV also caused increases in peroxidase activities in both the leaves and roots of onion plants, even though the roots were never exposed to UV light. Catalase and pyruvate kinase were inhibited as a result of UV irradiation of the leaves, while both enzymes exhibited a marked increase in the unexposed roots.
Natural Convection in a Rectangular Porous Cavity With One Permeable Endwall

Etude theorique et experimentale des courants bidimensionnels de convection dans une cavite rectangulaire remplie d'un milieu poreux sature avec une paroi permeable permettant la decharge et la recharge du liquide saturant
Effective Placement of Axial-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device into Large Animal Model of Ischemic Heart Failure

Introduction: Implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) had been used as a temporary support in end-stage heart failure (HF) patients. Additionally, LVADs had recently been proposed as a potential destination therapy for patients unable to receive heart transplantation. However, availability of large animal model of HF suitable for LVADs is very limited. We have developed minimally-invasively induced sheep model of ischemic HF that can serve as a pre-clinical tool to investigate left ventricular (LV) support devices. Methods: All animals were use in accordance with 1991 revision of ‘‘Guiding Principles in the Care and Use of Animals’’ (American Physiological Association). Adult sheep (N 5 21, 53 6 4Kg) have been repeatedly (2.9 6 0.4 injections/animal) microembolized (ME) using 90mm polystyrene beads selectively applied trough catherter based access into left circumflex coronary artery. The animals were weekly echocardiogramed to assess ejection fraction (EF) and repeated ME was performed until EF was ! 35% for two consecutive weeks. Randomly selected sheep (N 5 5) were than survived for 52 weeks to establish long term changes in EF, left ventricular end-systolic area (LVESA-cm) and left ventricular end-diastolic area (LVEDA-cm). Subsequently, adult sheep (N 5 6, 78 6 3 Kg) with established HF underwent placement of axial-flow LVAD while avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass. All animals were given anticoagulation and anti-platelet therapy. Results: Animals (N 5 16) that survived at minimum of two MEs developed HF at 4 weeks following the last beads injection (LVEF was 52 6 8% at baseline vs. 34 6 7% at 4 weeks). In 5 animals that survived 52 weeks LVEF dropped to 28 6 5% (p ! 0.05), LVESA increased from 6.5 6 3 at baseline to 20 6 4 and LVEDA increased from 13.6 6 5 to 28 6 5 (both p ! 0.05). All animals that underwent LVAD placement survived surgical procedure. HF hearts were than partially supported with the LVAD for 13 days (range 8 to 17 days). A typical ‘‘working speed’’ support progressed from 6,000 rpm to 10,880 6 120 rpm. Two animals were sacrificed due to cloth formation in the pump. No animal developed infection during the course of study. All other animals were sacrificed with functional pumps. Conclusion: Proposed animal model of ischemic HF is a reliable tool for evaluation of cardiac assist devices.
Does the meniscus exist in the elbow joint in children

The authors report a case of meniscus at the elbow joint in a 15-month-old infant causing a limitation of elbow extension. Histological examination demonstrated that this tissue was not a synovial fold or a chondroid metaplasia of the synovial fold. As a meniscus does not appear at any stage of the embryological evolution of the elbow joint, it has been concluded that the presence of the meniscus can be considered as an abnormal condition. The French version of this article is available in the form of electronic supplementary material and can be obtained by using the Springer Link server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00276-002-0094-7.
Government Preferences and Public Forest Harvesting: A Second-Best Approach

Around the world governments own forest capital stocks and can harvest them for revenue or provide public goods from preserving them. This article examines how government preferences for revenue generation and public goods provision affect policy choices. Many instances are found where governments might exploit public forests at the expense of public goods. This is most likely when budget pressures are severe, or when the government prefers revenue generation to nontimber benefits provision. In particular, budget-constrained governments are more likely to exploit public harvests to raise revenues and subsidize the forest sector, especially when revenues are increasing in public harvesting. Public harvesting should also influence tax choice. The results shed light on current forest policy debates and can be used to predict behavior of developed and developing country governments facing external pressures.
A note on September eleventh: the Arabization of terrorism

Abstract In the wake of September eleventh, attention to terrorism and an accurate portrayal of Arab-Islamic “immigrant” groups has been all but nonexistent. Notwithstanding, among those at greatest risk for repercussions are peaceful immigrants who follow Islam weary of Sociologists’ inability to differentiate them from terrorists, i.e., Arabization. Subsequently, based upon the definition of political terrorism as organized violence, Shultz developed a typology of political terrorism to fill the void. That typology includes three categories and four variables germane to terrorist acts. Such efforts to study terrorism must remain consistent and viable without interruption from unpredictable violence to sustain the integrity and prestige of Sociology.
Condom type may influence sexual behavior and ejaculation and complicate the assessment of condom functionality.

Abstract Background Studies that evaluate condom effectiveness are affected by factors related to how the condom was used, and these factors may not be consistent between different types of condoms. Also, subjective assessments of the sexual act may be unreliable. Study Design We performed a secondary data analysis of a randomized crossover trial of male and female condoms among 108 couples. Results Self-reported duration and activeness of coital acts were significantly different for uses of the male condom compared to uses of the female condom. Fewer individuals reported ejaculation occurring with the female condom. Reliability of self-reports of ejaculation compared to a biological marker of semen detected inside the used male and female condoms was not strong. Conclusions We found that sexual behaviors appear to differ by the type of condom used for the coital act. Studies should consider sexual behavior when evaluating condom effectiveness. Furthermore, studies would be strengthened by the use of a biological marker of semen to determine whether ejaculation, and therefore a true risk of exposure, occurred.
Design and Implementation of a Studio-Based General Chemistry Course.

Most students taking general chemistry courses do not intend to pursue careers in chemistry; in fact, they are more likely to end up in positions where they fund, write, or vote for chemical research and policies. Our profession continues to ask how we can teach students scientific reasoning skills and chemical understanding in general chemistry that they are able to take beyond the classroom into their everyday lives. The emerging answer at this university is the studio teaching method, which incorporates the â€œbest teaching and learning practicesâ€ recommended by chemical education research within an integrated lecture–lab technology-intensive environment. The design, implementation, and pedagogical rationale of studio general chemistry are described.
Absence of coenzyme Q10 as an intrinsic component of aldehyde oxidase

Abstract Many investigators have purified an aldehyde oxidase from mammalian livers, and described reactions of this enzyme with diverse substrates. Coenzyme Q 10 was unambiguously identified and found present in some of these enzyme preparations. It was considered that coenzyme Q 10 might participate in the functionality of this enzyme, but the validity of the intrinsic association of coenzyme Q 10 was questioned. We have similarly purified aldehyde oxidase from rabbit livers. No coenzyme Q 10 could be detected under controlled conditions for detecting the presence of coenzyme Q 10 . It is concluded that coenzyme Q 10 may be a contaminant of some aldehyde oxidase preparations, and that it is not intrinsic for the functionality of this enzyme.
Dynamic viscoelastic properties of processed soft denture liners: Part I—Initial properties

This research evaluated the dynamic viscoelastic properties of 12 laboratory-processed soft denture liners. Specimens, 1.4×3×40 mm, were prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions. Five specimens of each material were tested under applied strain frequencies of 1, 5, or 10 Hz and temperatures of 23°C and 37°C. The values at 37°C and 1 Hz were judged most important because they closely approximate the service environment; therefore material comparisons were made for these conditions. Samples were tested with a custom-made dynamic viscoelastometer. The statistical significance of the results was tested by ANOVA and Scheffe's intervals test. Large differences in the storage modulus (elastic stiffness) were found. One acrylic resin, Verno-Soft, showed significantly higher storage moduli than the other materials. The viscous behavior of the materials was reflected by the loss modulus; here large differences were also found. Verno-Soft again exhibited much higher values than all of the other materials. Three other acrylic resins (Super Soft, Soft-Pak, and Justi Soft) also showed significantly higher loss moduli than the other materials. Significant differences were found in the damping factor between many of the materials. Most of the acrylic and vinyl resins had higher damping factors than the silicone and polyphosphazine rubbers. The values of the storage moduli, loss moduli, and the damping factor were affected by temperature and by applied strain frequency with some materials.
Factors Affecting Broiler Breeder Performance 6. The Relationship of Premolt Performance to Postmolt Performance

Abstract Two experiments were designed to study the relationship of pre-and postmolt reproductive performance of broiler breeders. Body weight loss during feed withdrawal and body weight gain to the onset of production were assessed in relationship to postmolt performance. Results obtained from this study indicate that flock performance during postmolt was relative to premolt performance in traits such as egg production, specific gravity, and egg weight Significant correlation coefficients were observed between premolt and postmolt performance of individuals within a flock. Percentage weight loss and weight gain during the molt process were negatively correlated with body weight at the onset of molt. Body weight at the beginning of molt was negatively correlated with postmolt egg production as well as premolt egg production. Body weight at the end of molt and at the onset of postmolt egg production was not related to postmolt reproductive performance.
Considering Risk Within Net Present Value: Calculations for Government Projects

The vision for space includes Shuttle retirement by 2010 and development of new launch vehicles; however, budget increases are not projected. To control costs additional insight into cost factors early in the system life cycle is needed. This article reports on a new launch vehicle upper-stage engine trade study where insight into cost factors was gained by using net present value and applying a set of risk factors to incorporate the risks inherent to key system life cycle phases. A matrix is presented that provides a general framework for assessing these risk levels. This approach shows the effects of various cost factors on the system cost and requires modest resource expenditures for the analysis itself.
Understanding the genetic architecture of a quantitative trait in gymnosperms by genotyping haploid megagametophytes

The gymnosperms are a group of plants characterized by a haploid female gametophyte (megagametophyte). With the function of bearing the female gametes and nourishing the developing embryo, the megagametophyte has provided a simple way to understand the genetics of gymnosperm species using biochemical or genetic markers. In this paper, a quantitative genetic approach is proposed to study the genetic architecture of a quantitative trait in gymnosperms by taking advantage of the megagametophyte and the concept of average effect of a gene. Average effect describes the value associated with an allele carried by an individual and transmitted to its offspring. Through the genetic dissection of the average effect and genetic variance associated with a gamete carrying candidate genes, this approach can provide estimates of basic population genetic parameters, such as additive, dominant and epistatic effects, allelic frequencies and linkage disequilibrium. The candidate genes, known through their major mutant phenotype, have been reported in gymnosperms. An example for a candidate gene affecting lignin biosynthesis was applied to demonstrate the statistical procedures of the approach and its advantage. The conditions upon which the approach can be effectively used are discussed.
Smart Subsidies for Conservation

Protecting threatened biodiversity hotspots in densely populated areas requires the creation of landscape-scale contiguous reserves and corridors to support viable species popula tions and ecological processes (e.g., Cincotta, Wisnewski, and Engelman 2000; Margules and Pressey 2000). Creating contiguous pro tected areas cannot be accomplished, however, without the voluntary cooperation of private landholders. Their cooperation is more likely if they are compensated for financial losses, e.g., U.S. Conservation Reserve Program (Innes, Polasky, and Tschirhart 1998; Farraro and Kiss 2002). We explore how a smart subsidy can be used to create contiguous habitat volun tarily. The smart subsidy creates an explicit network externality between neighboring landowners by paying an additional agglom eration bonus when they retire land adjacent to other conserved parcels, both their own and their neighbors (Parkhurst et al. 2002; Parkhurst and Shogren 2007; Warziniack, Shogren, and Parkhurst 2007; Drechsler et al. 2007). The choice of the word "smart" is not meant as a pejorative term that implies that other subsidies are somehow "dumb." Rather, the choice follows the tradition set in the ex perimental economics literature on "smart" markets, in which the exchange institution is designed "smart" to account for interdepen dencies between traders in water and elec tricity markets (see McCabe, Rassenti, and Smith 1991). These markets provide feedback on physical constraints (e.g., congestion) to buyers and sellers, which then allows them to increase efficiency of trades beyond that usually attainable by the market itself. Simi larly, the smart subsidy accounts for the biolog ical connection across landowners otherwise not explicitly addressed in typical incentive schemes. We use experimental economic methods to test bed the smart subsidy proposal relative to two standard policy options, compulsion, and a standard fixed-fee subsidy. The point of our exercise is to illustrate the potential for such an interlinked subsidy scheme for habitat con servation. Our results support the general no tion that the smart subsidy outperforms both alternative policies at creating the desired con tiguous habitat reserve for the same costs.