cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Divalent metal ions enhance DOPAL-induced oligomerization of alpha-synuclein

Abstract Parkinson disease (PD) features profound striatal dopamine depletion and Lewy bodies containing abundant precipitated alpha-synuclein. Mechanisms linking alpha-synucleinopathy with the death of dopamine neurons remain incompletely understood. One such link may be 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL). All of the intra-neuronal metabolism of dopamine passes through DOPAL, which is toxic. DOPAL also potently oligomerizes alpha-synuclein and alpha-synuclein oligomers are thought to be pathogenic in PD. Another implicated factor in PD pathogenesis is metal ions, and alpha-synuclein contains binding sites for these ions. In this study we tested whether divalent metal ions augment DOPAL-induced oligomerization of alpha-synuclein in cell-free system and in PC12 cells conditionally over-expressing alpha-synuclein. Incubation with divalent metal ions augmented DOPAL-induced oligomerization of alpha-synuclein (Cu2+ > Fe2+ > Mn2+), whereas monovalent Cu1+ and trivalent Fe3+ were without effect. Other dopamine metabolites, dopamine itself, and metal ions alone or in combination with dopamine, also had no effect. Antioxidant treatment with ascorbic acid and divalent cation chelation with EDTA attenuated the augmentation by Cu2+ of DOPAL-induced alpha-synuclein oligomerization. Incubation of PC12 cells with L-DOPA markedly increased intracellular DOPAL content and promoted alpha-synuclein dimerization. Co-incubation with Cu2+ amplified (p = 0.01), while monoamine oxidase inhibition prevented, L-DOPA-related dimerization of alpha-synuclein (p = 0.01). We conclude that divalent metal ions augment DOPAL-induced oligomerization of alpha-synuclein. Drugs that interfere with this interaction might constitute a novel approach for future treatment or prevention approaches.
Social media competitive analysis and text mining: A case study in the pizza industry

Abstract Social media have been adopted by many businesses. More and more companies are using social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to provide various services and interact with customers. As a result, a large amount of user-generated content is freely available on social media sites. To increase competitive advantage and effectively assess the competitive environment of businesses, companies need to monitor and analyze not only the customer-generated content on their own social media sites, but also the textual information on their competitors’ social media sites. In an effort to help companies understand how to perform a social media competitive analysis and transform social media data into knowledge for decision makers and e-marketers, this paper describes an in-depth case study which applies text mining to analyze unstructured text content on Facebook and Twitter sites of the three largest pizza chains: Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza and Papa John's Pizza. The results reveal the value of social media competitive analysis and the power of text mining as an effective technique to extract business value from the vast amount of available social media data. Recommendations are also provided to help companies develop their social media competitive analysis strategy.
11B MAS NMR spectroscopic study of structural relaxation, aging, and memory effect at the atomic scale in a borosilicate glass.

Relaxation kinetics of boron coordination environments in a borosilicate glass in response to temperature jumps has been monitored using 11 B magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. The relaxation time scale of the BO 4 /BO 3 ratio is found to be closely comparable with those of the bulk properties, namely, refractive index and viscosity, showing a close connection with one another. Samples partially equilibrated at a low temperature, when subjected to a positive temperature jump, display an initial rapid decrease followed by an increase in the BO 4 /BO 3 ratio. This reversal in the trend of the variation of the BO 4 /BO 3 ratio has been interpreted to be the signature of a memory effect, and the implications are discussed within the framework of the potential energy landscape model of glassy dynamics.
Circulation in the eastern North Pacific: results from a current meter array along 152°W

Abstract Data from four, 2–3 year long current meter records, at 28°N, 35°N, 39°N and 42°N, along 152°W in the eastern North Pacific, are used to describe the variability found in mesoscale period ( 200 days) motions. Energy in the mesoscale energy band of 40–200 day periodicity is found in the upper ocean at each location, generally decreasing to the north and with depth. The long period flow is not coherent among these locations. Record length mean velocities at 3–4 separate depths were used to provide estimates of reference level velocities for vertical profiles of geostrophic currents derived from historical hydrographic data. The vertical profile of measured east-west vertical shear agrees well with the geostrophically computed value; the north-south measured vertical shear is not in as good agreement. Assuming a vorticity balance of fwz=βv, and with w(z=0) as the Ekman pumping, the vertical velocity profiles were also calculated at 28°N and 42dgN. Using these three-dimensional referenced vertical profiles of mean currents, an examination of the mean advection of density in the thermocline revealed significant residuals in the net three-dimensional advection of density (or heat and salt) above 850 m at 28°N and above 240 m at 42°N. These results are relatively independent of the reference level velocities.
A study of the foundations of ethical decision-making of physicians.

A study of physicians and medical students was conducted to determine the various philosophical positions they hold with respect to ethical decision-making in medicine and their epistemological presuppositions in relationship to the subjective-objective controversy in value theory. The study revealed that most physicians and medical students tend to be objectivists in value theory, i.e., believe that value judgements are knowledge claims capable of being true or false and are expressions of moral requirements and normative imperatives emanating from an external value structure or moral order in the world, but that most physicians and medical students are inconsistent in the philosophical foundations of their medical ethical decision-making, i.e., in decision-making regarding values they tend to hold beliefs which are incompatible with other beliefs they hold about values. The study also revealed that most physicians and medical students think more emphasis should be placed upon medical ethics in medical education.
Binary paradigm and systolic array implementation for residue arithmetic

The problem of residue, or modular, arithmetic is fundamental to symbolic and algebraic computation, coding theory and applications, as well as to error-free arithmetic computations. This paper describes novel algorithms that can lead to efficient hardware for arithmetic operations in residue domains. One of the main achievements is in allowing the flexibility of changing moduli. The technology of systolic array has been used to implement one of the most representative operations, the modular multipler. It is shown that a linear systolic array can compute N modular products in time O(N) with constant number of cells.
Improving the acquisition and retention of science material by fifth grade students through the use of imagery interventions

This study examined the effect of imagery interventions for the presentation of novel science vocabulary to fifth grade learners. Eighty-nine students from two schools in Long Island participated in this study and were randomly assigned to four different instructional interventions: a Picture Presentation method, in which a word was paired with a picture; an Image Creation—No Picture method, in which the participants were told to create an image of the word and draw it on paper; an Image Creation—Picture method, in which the students were presented with the picture and then told to draw it; and a Word Only method, which involved the simple verbal presentation of the word. Results demonstrated that students in the imagery intervention groups (Picture Presentation, Image Creation—No Picture, and Image Creation—Picture) scored higher on the outcome measures at both immediate and delayed recall. It was also shown that the deeper the students processed the “to be learned” vocabulary words, the higher they scored on the outcome measures. Based on the mean outcome measure scores at both time points, students in the Image Creation—Picture intervention scored the highest, followed by the students in the Image Creation—No Picture intervention, those in the Picture Presentation intervention, and finally the Word Only intervention students. Such a study has implications as to the most effective way to integrate science and literacy and successfully present novel concepts in the classroom.
The border-land of epilepsy—Revisited

In his 1907 book, The Border-land of Epilepsy , William R. Gowers1 wrote in the Preface that he “kept a special list of all cases which seemed to be in the border-land of epilepsy- near it, but not of it… [w]hen these cases were collected and classified, their comparison and study revealed a large number of unfamiliar facts and many instructive lessons, throwing light on the nature of the affections, and on their relation to epilepsy, and on questions of practical diagnosis.” Depression, or at least depressed moods in people with epilepsy, was not on Gowers's list but should now be added to the border-lands as it is near it, but not of it too. Epilepsy specialists often recognize the connection between depression and epilepsy, as depression is more common in their selected population with the most intractable epilepsy; yet the magnitude of the problem of depression in epilepsy is probably not as well-recognized by general neurologists and primary care physicians.
Stable and Radiogenic Isotope Systematics in Epidote Group Minerals

Epidote minerals (the epidote group together with the orthorhombic polymorph zoisite) occur in a wide range of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary lithologies. Although often present in only small quantities, epidote group minerals can nonetheless be used to generate important quantitative constraints on processes such as regional metamorphism, deep-seated pluton emplacement and uplift, hydrothermal fluid flow, and sedimentary provenance (e.g., Zen and Hammarstrom 1984; Brandon et al. 1996; Cartwright et al. 1996; Keane and Morrison 1997; Spiegel et al. 2002). Petrologic studies on epidote group minerals formed by these and other processes are reviewed in Bird and Spieler (2004), Grapes and Hoskin (2004), Enami et al. (2004), and Schmidt and Poli (2004). In this chapter, stable and radiogenic isotope studies of epidote group minerals will be reviewed. Although stable and/or radiogenic isotope data exist for epidote group minerals from a number of different geologic settings, such data have produced particularly important insights into 1) fluid flow associated with variable grades of metamorphism, particularly ultra-high-pressure (UHP) metamorphism, 2) intrusion of deep-seated plutonic systems, 3) the nature of hydrothermal alteration in geothermal systems, 4) age relations in hydrothermal systems, and 5) sedimentary provenance. Based on the chemical composition of naturally occurring epidote minerals, oxygen, hydrogen, and chlorine stable isotopes all have the potential to be important petrogenetic indicators in systems involving epidote minerals. Oxygen is present in epidote minerals bound in isolated TO4 tetrahedra, T2O7 groups, and in the hydroxyl site as both OH− and O−2. Hydrogen and chlorine are present in the hydroxyl site as OH− and Cl−, respectively, although Cl− is present in only very small quantities (Frei et al. 2004). To date, oxygen and hydrogen isotope systematics have been studied both …
Localization of a moving dipole source underwater using an artificial lateral line

Motivated by the lateral line system of fish, arrays of flow sensors have been proposed as a new sensing modality for underwater robots. Existing studies on such artificial lateral lines (ALLs) have been mostly focused on the localization of a fixed underwater vibrating sphere (dipole source). In this paper we examine the problem of tracking a moving dipole source using an ALL system. A nonlinear estimation problem is formulated based on an analytical model for the moving dipole-generated flow field, which is subsequently solved with the Gauss-Newton method. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated with simulation results.
Hamstring anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using femoral cross pin fixation

Abstract Surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with bone-patella tendon-bone (BPTB) graft hasbecome the most commonly performed procedure for the unstable cruciate-deficient knee. The use of BPTB has been complicated by chronic anterior knee pain, loss of extension, patella tendon rupture, and patella fractures. The TransFix technique uses a double-looped semitendinosis and gracilis (DLSG) graft that is stronger than BPTB, and has less graft site and operative morbidity. This technique uses cross-pin femoral fixation and tibial interference screw fixation in the tibia that allows immediate weight bearing and an aggressive rehabilitation program. Results are equal to those previously reported for BPTB.
Alternating permutations and binary increasing trees

Abstract In [3], Foata and Schutzenberger prove that the binary increasing trees are equinumerous with half of the alternating permutations considered by Andre [1]. In this paper we present a direct recursive proof of this fact, and then exhibit a natural bijection between the two families. In the process a second class of permutations, which forms a main concern of Foata and Schutzenberger's paper, is encountered in a natural setting.
Heat Transfer in Rocket Nozzles Using High-Temperature Hydrogen Propellant with Real Property Variations

Coupled radiative and convective heat fluxes in high temperature hydrogen propellant rocket nozzles with shape and temperature variations
Echoencephalographic observation of brain edema induced by irradiation

Serial echoencephalographic examinations were carried out in 5 patients who received radiotherapy for cerebral metastases. The site of cerebral metastasis was accurately determined by echoencephalography in 4 of the 5. The degree of midline shift was increased by irradiation, being greatest in the immediate and 6-hour post-irradiation periods. It was less marked at 24 hours. A small dose of 50 rads seemed to increase cerebral edema to a significant degree. Corticosteroids helped to control symptoms of increased intracranial pressure and to return the echo to the normal position.
Ultra-fast laser absorption and ablation dynamics in wide-band-gap dielectrics

The highly nonlinear laser–matter interaction conditions produced by high-intensity amplified ultra-fast laser pulses have proven to be beneficial in the processing of normally transparent wide-band-gap dielectric materials. This article presents experimental studies of the ultra-fast laser absorption process in three wide-band-gap dielectrics: fused silica, calcium fluoride, and sapphire. Time-resolved measurements of the probe transmissivity and reflectivity show both the formation of dense free-electron plasma at the surface due to nonlinear absorption of the laser pulses and rapid structural damage on the order of a few picoseconds. Pump–probe data with intense pump and probe pulses was also correlated to atomic force microscopy measurements of the ablated volume. It was observed that the material removal peaked near zero delay between the pulses and decreased within a temporal separation of about 1 ps.
Irradiation-enhanced and -induced mass transport

Irradiation can be used both to enhance diffusion, that is, to increase the rate at which equilibrium is attained, as well as to induce nonequilibrium changes. The main factors influencing whether irradiation will drive a material toward or away from equilibrium are the initial specimen microstructure and geometry, the irradiation temperature, and the primary recoil spectrum. This paper summarizes known effects of irradiation temperature and primary recoil spectrum on mass transport during irradiation. In comparison to either electron or heavy-ion irradiation, it is concluded that relatively low-energy, light-ion bombardment at intermediate temperatures offers the greatest potential to enhance the rate at which equilibrium is attained. The greatest departures from equilibrium can be expected from irradiation with similar particles at very low temperatures.
Affective media and wearables: surprising findings

Over a decade ago, I suggested that computers will need the skills of emotional intelligence in order to interact with regular people in ways that they perceive as intelligent. Our lab embarked on this journey of 'affective computing' with a focus on first enabling computers to better understand and communicate human emotion. Our main tools have been wearable sensors (several which we created), video, and audio, coupled with signal processing, machine learning and pattern analysis of multimodal human data. Along the way we encountered several surprises. This talk will highlight some of the challenges we have faced, some accomplishments, and the most surprising and rewarding findings. Our findings reveal the power of the human emotion system not only in intelligence, in social interaction, and in everyday media consumption, but also in autism, epilepsy, and sleep memory formation.
TRAM1 is involved in disposal of ER membrane degradation substrates.

ER quality control consists of monitoring protein folding and targeting misfolded proteins for proteasomal degradation. ER stress results in an unfolded protein response (UPR) that selectively upregulates proteins involved in protein degradation, ER expansion, and protein folding. Given the efficiency in which misfolded proteins are degraded, there likely exist cellular factors that enhance the export of proteins across the ER membrane. We have reported that translocating chain-associated membrane protein 1 (TRAM1), an ER-resident membrane protein, participates in HCMV US2- and US11-mediated dislocation of MHC class I heavy chains (Oresic, K., Ng, C.L., and Tortorella, D. 2009). Consistent with the hypothesis that TRAM1 is involved in the disposal of misfolded ER proteins, cells lacking TRAM1 experienced a heightened UPR upon acute ER stress, as evidenced by increased activation of unfolded protein response elements (UPRE) and elevated levels of NF-κB activity. We have also extended the involvement of TRAM1 in the selective degradation of misfolded ER membrane proteins Cln6M241T and US2, but not the soluble degradation substrate α1-antitrypsin nullHK. These degradation model systems support the paradigm that TRAM1 is a selective factor that can enhance the dislocation of ER membrane proteins.
Energy, ropelength, and other physical aspects of equilateral knots

Abstract Closed macromolecular chains may form physically knotted conformations whose relative occurrence and spatial measurements provide insight into their properties and the mechanisms acting upon them. Under the assumption of a degree of structural homogeneity, equilateral spatial polygons are a productive context within which to create mathematical models of these knots and to study their mathematical and physical properties. The ensembles, or spaces, of these knots are models of the settings within which the knots evolve in ways determined by a physical model. In this paper we describe the mathematical foundation of such models as well as such spatial, geometric, statistical, and physical properties of the configurations as mathematical energies, thickness and ropelength, average crossing number, average writhe, and volumes and surfaces areas of standard bodies enclosing the knots. We present methods with which the energy and ropelength are optimized within the families of spatially equivalent equilateral configurations. Numerical results from our implementation of these methods are shown to illustrate connections between the physical measurements and spatial characteristics of the optimized knot configurations. In addition, these data suggest potentially new connections involving their spatial properties.
Complex evolution of the Erzincan Basin (eastern Turkey)

Abstract Two new tectonic models are presented to explain the pull-apart opening of the Erzincan Basin. Our field studies indicated that the Erzincan Basin is not a typical rhombic pull-apart basin; instead it has a rather complex, single- or two-stage pull-apart opening mechanism. The basin was initially formed as a result of a 4 km wide releasing stepover and a 15° divergence angle between segments 1 and 2 of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) along which the westward tectonic escape of the Anatolian Block has been taking place. The single stage model refers to the partitioning of the transtensional deformation by coeval normal and strike-slip displacements on parallel-trending faults which remained since their initiation. The two-stage model infers that the basin opening was modified later by the formation of the left-lateral Ovacik Fault which caused fragmentation of the Anatolian Block. The two-stage pull-apart basin opening mechanism accounts for the observed geometry of the Erzincan Basin. The present day geometry of the basin indicates that there had been 35 ± 5 km of right-lateral displacement along the NAFZ and 5 ± 2 km of left-lateral displacement along the Ovacik Fault.
Moving beyond “police-community relations” and “the police and society”: Community-oriented policing as an academic course

This practice note focuses on the new policing paradigm, community-oriented policing. I discuss why the past academic subject of “police-community relations” and the more contemporary “police and society” should be updated in criminal justice programs, explain why it is an important area of study and provide a current assessment of community-oriented policing as an academic course. I also describe an approach for developing and teaching a course in community-oriented policing. Included are an assessment of course content; potential references including books, videos and Internet sites; and active learning strategies.
Reply [to “Comment on ”Precipitation research’”]

We regret any impression that the Committee on Precipitation believes that precipitation is easy to measure or that gage catch errors are insignificant. As J.C. Rodda correctly points out, gage catch errors can be quite large, depending on precipitation type, winds, gage siting, and orifice height. Furthermore, it is not an uncommon practice to ignore the deficiencies of gage measurements or at least to give them too little consideration. In spite of these facts, it is true that the error characteristics of remotely sensed estimates of precipitation are not well known and that the identification of appropriate error models for remotely sensed estimates is an area of research which deserves encouragement.
Employment and health status changes among women with fibromyalgia: a five-year study.

Objective To assess changes in health status of women with fibromyalgia (FM) over 5 years and determine whether baseline employment status influences health outcomes adjusting for other baseline factors. Methods Two hundred eighty-seven women with FM were recruited from a national sample of rheumatologists and interviewed by phone at baseline and annually for 4 years. Data were collected on pain, fatigue, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (M-HAQ) scores, demographic characteristics, and employment status. At the end of the study, 211 participants remained. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling techniques. Bootstrap methods adjusted for the cluster sampling. Results The participants' mean ± SD age was 47 ± 11 years, their mean ± SD education level was 14 ± 2 years, 90% were white, 50% employed, 64% married, and their median household income was ≥$50,000. Mean ± SD scores at baseline were 57.2 ± 24 for pain, 75.4 ± 22 for fatigue, 22.9 ± 13 for depression, and 0.73 ± 0.5 for the M-HAQ. Multilevel modeling indicated that all health status measures declined significantly over time except for pain. Rates of change varied from −1.22 for fatigue to −0.03 for the M-HAQ. Except for pain, patients who were employed at baseline had better health status over time. The employment and time interaction was not significant, indicating that health status changed at the same rate regardless of employment status. Other significant factors were age and income. Conclusion Employed women with FM have better health status at baseline and maintain that advantage over time. Employment does not seem to provide a protective health benefit.
Linear programming on an electronic analogue computer

A GREAT deal of attention has been given in recent years to the computational aspects of linear programming. The reason for this development lies in the applications of the problem to such fields as operations research, game theory, logistics, military tactics, and others. The object of this paper is to present a method for performing linear programming on an analogue computer containing only standard components. The size of the problem that can be solved is limited by the number of computing amplifiers available and by the number of inputs to each amplifier. The method is unusually flexible because the computer constantly seeks new solutions as the parameters of the problem are varied.
Thermodynamics of some perfluorocarbon gases in water

The solubilities of CF4 and C2F6 gases in H2O and D2O in the temperature range of 5 to 30°C at 5° intervals and C3F8 and c-C4F8 gases in H2O over the temperature ranges of 5 to 15°C and 5 to 30°C, respectively, have been determined. From the solubility data various thermodynamic quantities for the process of dissolution have been derived. These data were compared with our results of applying the scaled-particle theory to gain an insight into the various thermodynamic processes accompanying the gas dissolution. One of our conclusions is that the “hydrophobicity” of the perfluorocarbons is greater than that of the corresponding alkanes.
Three models of integration and the Estonian/Russian reality

Abstract This paper provides a framework for evaluation of Estonia's integration program that the government approved in 2000. It differentiates three “integration” processes that the literature has identified: (1) integration in which Russians and Estonians meld into a common new culture, though predominantly Estonian; (2) assimilation of Russians into Estonian culture; and (3) integration into a common external framework as part of an expanded EU. Relying upon a review of the Estonian and Russian-language press since 2000 and a new survey of 9th year students and their parents conducted in 2002, the paper offers a fourth model of integration in which two integration processes — Russians integrating into Estonian society and both Russians and Estonians integrating into an English-speaking Europe — are taking place simultaneously. Furthermore, the data show that the Estonian government program is reinforcing rather than altering these integration processes.
Interleukin-6 Induces Hepcidin Expression Through STAT3

Iron homeostasis is maintained through meticulous regulation of circulating hepcidin levels. Hepcidin levels that are inappropriately low or high result in iron overload or iron deficiency, respectively. Although hypoxia, erythroid demand, iron, and inflammation are all known to influence hepcidin expression, the mechanisms responsible are not well defined. In this report we show that the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) directly regulates hepcidin through induction and subsequent promoter binding of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). STAT3 is necessary and sufficient for the IL-6 responsiveness of the hepcidin promoter. Our findings provide a mechanism by which hepcidin can be regulated by inflammation or, in the absence of inflammatory stimuli, by alternative mechanisms leading to STAT3 activation.
Linkage for platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity: results from a replication sample.

Background: Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) degrades catecholamines in presynaptic nerve endings and is also active in platelets. There is evidence to suggest that platelet MAO-B activity level is controlled by a major genetic locus distinct from the structural gene on the X chromosome. To expand on a prior report, new linkage analyses for platelet MAO-B activity have been performed on the previously analyzed sample (designated the initial sample), on a new sample of families (the replication sample), and on the combined sample. These families were recruited as part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Methods: The initial sample consists of 105 extended families providing 1002 nonindependent (412 independent) sib pairs that have been phenotyped for MAO activity and genotyped. The replication sample of 157 extended families contains 608 nonindependent (309 independent) phenotyped and genotyped sib pairs. Analyses were conducted using Haseman-Elston based regression on sib pairs and variance component analysis on extended pedigrees, and the importance of cigarette smoking and gender as covariates of platelet MAO-B activity was taken into account. Results: Regions on chromosomes 2, 9, and 12 indicated consistent evidence for linkage across the two distinct datasets by at least one analysis method. Under Haseman-Elston regression of independent sib pairs, only the chromosome 2 region gave lod scores above 1 in both the initial and replication samples. Using all possible pairs, unweighted, for the regression, chromosome 12 gave lod scores above 1 in both samples. For variance component analysis, only the chromosome 9 region gave lod scores above 1 in both samples. Conclusions: The consistency across datasets of these findings is encouraging. In particular, variance component analysis of extended pedigrees supports a potential linkage of MAO-B activity to chromosome 9, with a lod over 3 at 115 cM near D9S261 in the combined sample. Sib-pair regression supports this finding with modest lod scores in the region. Suggestive linkage to chromosomes 2 and 12 from sib-pair analysis is only weakly supported by variance component analysis.
The Residual Effect of Diethylstilbestrol on Fat Finish in Turkeys

Abstract One approach to the problem of increasing the efficiency of turkey meat production is to reduce the length of the growing period without sacrificing an acceptable degree of fat finish. Synthetic female sex hormones have attracted considerable attention as a method of accomplishing this objective. Unfortunately treatment of large type turkeys approaching market maturity frequently interferes with normal sexual behavior, and does not always improve fat finish at this age (Lorenz, 1953). Several investigators have reported shortening the finishing period in turkeys using subcutaneous diethylstilbestrol pellet implantations (Robblee et al., 1951) and orally administered dianisylhexene (Davis and Thayer, 1948). Several commercial growers in Massachusetts engaged in the production of large type turkey fryers by means of diethylstilbestrol implantation claimed an improved finish at all stages following treatment. They marketed turkeys treated at 9–12 weeks of age as fully finished birds several weeks earlier than non-treated birds. It is interesting …
Soil carbon pools and world life zones

Soil organic carbon in active exchange with the atmosphere constitutes approximately two-thirds of the carbon in terrestrial ecosystems1,2. The relatively large size and long residence time of this pool (of the order of 1,200 yr) make it a potentially important sink for carbon released to the atmosphere by fossil fuel combustion; however, in many cases, human disturbance has caused a decrease in soil carbon storage3,4. Various recent estimates place the global total of soil carbon between 700 (ref. 2) and 2,946 × 1015 g (ref. 5) with several intermediate estimates: 1,080 (ref. 1), 1,392 (ref. 6), 1,456 (ref. 3), and 2,070 × 1015g (ref. 7). Schlesinger's3 estimate seems to be based on the most extensive data base (∼200 observations, some of which are mean values derived from large studies in particular areas) and is widely cited in carbon cycle studies. In addition to estimating the world soil carbon pool, it is important to establish the relationships between the geographical distribution of soil carbon and climate, vegetation, human development and other factors as a basis for assessing the influence of changes in any of these factors on the global carbon cycle. Our analysis of 2,700 soil profiles, organized on a climate basis using the Holdridge life-zone classification system8, indicates relationships between soil carbon density and climate, a major soil forming factor. Soil carbon density generally increases with increasing precipitation, and there is an increase in soil carbon with decreasing temperature for any particular level of precipitation. When the potential evapotranspiration equals annual precipitation, soil carbon density9 is ∼10 kg m−2, exceptions to this being warm temperate and subtropical soils. Based on recent estimates of the areal extent of major ecosystem complexes9,10 which correspond well with climatic life zones, the global soil organic carbon pool is estimated to be ∼1,395 × 1015g.
Comparison of the Standard Mmpi and the Mini-Mult in a University Counseling Center

One hundred ten undergraduates were administered the standard Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory which was scored for the standard profile and for a shortened version of the same inventory. The study was designed to explore the usefulness of a short version of the MMPI in a university counseling center. Correlations were obtained between corresponding scales on both forms for males and females separately. Although Pearson product-moment correlations for both sexes were statistically significant, they were not of the magnitude to predict scale scores on one form from the other. In addition, an examination of the profiles suggested that the short version could not provide clinical data comparable to those of the standard form. Implications for further research were made.
Multiple fully stressed designs of steel frame structures with semi-rigid connections

A fully stressed design of a frame structure, in which each member is performing to its maximum safe level under at least one loading case, is a common goal in structural design. When multiple fully stressed designs are possible, the designer must make some decisions regarding the desired load path because the outcome of the iterative fully stressed design computation depends upon the initial starting design selected. When steel frame structures are modelled as having semi-rigid beam-to-column connections, the connection flexibility has a significant impact on the nature and diversity of potential fully stressed designs. This paper presents a computational study of how the variety of potential fully stressed designs is affected by connection flexibility. A numerical algorithm, which combines the stress ratio method and Newton's method to avoid problems associated with each method when used alone, is applied to generate sets of distinct fully stressed designs as connection flexibility is varied. It is found that as the connections become increasingly flexible, the variety of fully stressed designs diminishes. Load paths that are efficient with rigid connections are not realizable with semi-rigid connections because of limited bending moment transfer capacity and, consequently, limited alternate load paths. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Slave Revolt Across Borders

AbstractThis article examines examples of slave revolt, legal abolition, and post-emancipation developments in the nineteenth-century Americas. This study’s specific concern is with the transmission and nature of slave revolt and abolition in one area, which inspired slave self-emancipation in other places and related ramifications. The author pursues connections between slaves seeking freedom and colonial states as well as the first black republic’s responses to these expectations. This study explains the intersection between slaves’ original desire for freedom and the impact of external factors. Slave revolt is broadly defined as both collective rebellion and smaller acts of self-emancipation. Borders are delineated as national boundaries on land and at sea as well as between states in federal territories. The article has three aims: (1) to expand the spatial and temporal dimensions of the “common-wind” approach to slave revolt studies beyond Haiti as well as the Age of Revolution; (2) to reveal connect...
The synthesis of metal coordination polymers using lessons learned from monomeric Werner complexes: chromium(III) β-diketone polymers

Abstract Whereas the synthesis of linear metal coordination polymers that are soluble in organic solvents has proven quite difficult to achieve, such polymers can be prepared using the chemical intuition gained from the reactions of simple Werner coordination complexes. The problems of (1) keeping conjugated metal coordination systems from precipitating before the attainment of long polymer chains, (2) obtaining long metal coordination polymer chains with inert metal ions that do not react fast enough to allow long chains through normal substitution reactions, and (3) obtaining inert metal coordination polymeric chains from labile metal ions have all been solved by standard coordination chemistry reactions. This paper details some methods we have used to overcome these problems plus it reports new chromium(III) polymers that are obtained in deference to problem (2) above. Whereas Fourier-transform nuclear magnetic resonance studies of end groups do not allow molar mass measurements for these paramagnetic systems, viscosity comparisons with analogous cobalt(III) coordination polymers, where FTNMR results are obtainable, indicate that the number-average molar masses of these chromium(III) systems are of the order of 15,000.
Effect of anoxia on sugar transport in avian erythrocytes

Abstract 1. 1. Simple anoxia, without additon of metabolic poisons, was found to stimulate carrier-mediate sugar transport. 2. 2. Development of an anoxic stimulation of transport immediately followed changes in intracellular levels of low and high energy intermediates, suggesting a role for these compounds as regulators of transport. 3. 3. Adenine and ATP were the only metabolites found to alter transport rates, when they were added exogenously. Adenine partially inhibited the anoxic stimulation of transport while ATP stimulated sugar entry in both aerobic and anerobic cells. 4. 4. Neither monovalent nor divalent cations were absolutely required for the development of the faster rate of transport in anoxic cells.
Explaining Labor Weakness in Post-Communist Europe: Historical Legacies and Comparative Perspective

With expansion of the European Union (EU), the transformation of industrial relations in Eastern Europe becomes increasingly important. Studies on labor relations in post-communist countries have flourished in recent years, yet these studies have not reached a consensus on what they seek to explain. Is labor in post-communist societies weak or (in some countries) strong? And strong or weak compared to what? To the extent labor is weak, what would explain this weakness? This study demonstrates that labor is indeed a weak social and political actor in post-communist societies, especially when compared to labor in Western Europe. The article examines a number of hypotheses that have been proposed to explain labor’s weakness, concluding that the institutional and ideological legacies of the communist period best explain this overall weakness. Because labor in post-communist societies more resembles American-style flexibility than the European “social model,” the ability to extend the European model to new EU ...
Normal Spectral Emissivity of Platinum in the Red and in the Green in Vacuum and Helium

The spectral emissivity of platinum for λ = 0.645 μm and λ = 0.546 μm. has been measured by using a De Vos blackbody in ultrahigh vacuum and in helium. Changes in emissivity brought about by heat treatment and changing ambiences, are illustrated and discussed and the results are compared with previously published data. The emissivities determined turned out to be appreciably lower than the measurements of previous investigators. The determined values for 1100 < T(K) < 1800 are for 0.645 μm between 0.237 and 0.249 in vacuum, and between 0.185 and 0.290 in helium; and for 0.546 μm between 0.250 and 0.312 for vacuum and between 0.219 and 0.321 in helium.
Three faces of Chinese modernity: nationalism, globalization, and science

This article addresses three facets of modernity that are signified by slogans and spatial settings in Beijing, China. The research was conducted as a preliminary study of the communication process in the course of globalization and nationalism reflected in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This article uses some photographs and observations to analyze symbolic meanings of slogans and spaces from Beijing in summer 2007, a year before the Games. Since slogans in China have a long tradition, the repeated usages of slogans and their relations to the spatial settings might signify strong messages to promote governmental orientations. This article explores slogans on Tiananmen Square in relation to the political space, a huge sign displaying the motto of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Wangfujing district in relation to the economic space, and slogans in an old and poor district under a redevelopment project. The article posits that these three slogans and spaces reflect three different facets of Chinese moder...
Bradykinin-regulated interactions of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway with the endothelial nitric-oxide synthase.

Abstract Activation of the bradykinin B2 receptor in endothelial cells initiates a complex array of cellular responses mediated by diverse signaling pathways, including stimulation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade and activation of the endothelial isoform of nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS). Several protein kinases have been implicated in eNOS regulation, but the role of MAP kinases remains less well understood. We explored the interactions between eNOS and components of the MAP kinase pathway in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). Using co-immunoprecipitation experiments, we isolated eNOS in a complex with the MAP kinases extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) as well as the protein kinases Raf-1 and Akt. Within minutes of adding bradykinin to BAEC, the eNOS-Raf-1-ERK-Akt heteromeric complex dissociated, and it subsequently reassociated following more prolonged agonist stimulation. Bradykinin treatment of BAEC led to the activation of ERK, associated with an increase in phosphorylation of eNOS; phosphorylation of eNOS by ERKin vitro significantly reduced eNOS enzyme activity. Evidence for the direct phosphorylation of eNOS by MAP kinase in BAEC came from “back-phosphorylation” experiments using [γ-32P]ATP and ERK in vitro to phosphorylate eNOS isolated from cells previously treated with bradykinin or the MAP kinase inhibitor PD98059. The ERK-catalyzedin vitro 32P phosphorylation of eNOS isolated from BAEC treated with bradykinin was significantly attenuated compared with untreated cells, indicating that bradykinin treatment led to the phosphorylation of ERK-sensitive sites in cells. Conversely, eNOS isolated from endothelial cells pretreated with the MAP kinase inhibitor PD98059 showed increased ERK-promoted phosphorylationin vitro. Taken together, our results suggest that bradykinin-induced activation of ERK leads to eNOS phosphorylation and enzyme inhibition, a process influenced by the reversible associations of members of the MAP kinase pathway with eNOS.
The role of DNA synthesis inhibition in the cytotoxicity of 2',2'-difluoro-2'-deoxycytidine.

Cytotoxicity from the anticancer drug 2′,2′-difluoro-2′-deoxycytidine (dFdCyd) has been correlated with its incorporation into DNA. However, cytotoxicity may also result from inhibition of DNA synthesis, due to either (1) dFdCyd diphosphate-mediated inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase, or (2) direct inhibition of DNA polymerases by the 5′-triphosphate of dFdCyd (dFdCTP). To elucidate the role of DNA synthesis inhibition in the cytotoxicity of dFdCyd, we compared dFdCyd to hydroxyurea (HU), a ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor, and aphidicolin, an inhibitor of DNA polymerases, in the U251 and D54 human glioblastoma cell lines. Sensitivity to dFdCyd, HU, and aphidicolin were determined using a colony formation assay. The effects of these drugs on DNA synthesis were measured by dual parameter flow cytometry, while the effects on nucleotide pool levels were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. HU and aphidicolin elicited substantially less cytotoxicity than the multi-log killing with dFdCyd. When used at equitoxic concentrations (24-h IC50 values), dFdCyd and HU decreased purine dNTP pools primarily, but dFdCyd was less effective than HU. dFdCyd had decreased dATP by about 80% after 4–12 h, and required 8–24 h to decrease DNA synthesis by 50%. In contrast, HU rapidly depleted dATP by >98% within 2 h, which resulted in >90% inhibition of DNA synthesis. Aphidicolin at a concentration similar to its Ki values for DNA polymerases (1 μM) decreased DNA synthesis by >70% within 2 h. However, this decreased cell survival by only 10% (U251 cells) and 40% (D54 cells). These results demonstrate that HU and aphidicolin produced a more rapid and profound inhibition of DNA synthesis than dFdCyd, but resulted in significantly less cytotoxicity. This suggests that inhibition of DNA synthesis accounted for less than one log of the multi-log cytotoxicity observed with dFdCyd, whereas incorporation of dFdCTP into DNA is a more lethal event.
Androgen Regulation of Hypothalamic Neurons Containing Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone in a Cichlid Fish: Integration with Social Cues

Reproduction in vertebrates is regulated by internal signals such as hormone levels and by external signals such as social interactions. In an African cichlid fish, Haplochromis burtoni, the effect of social interactions is evident in the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis of males. Territorial males, characterized by aggressive and reproductive activity, have significantly larger hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-containing neurons and larger testes than nonterritorial males. Furthermore, a switch in the social status of an adult male causes a corresponding change in GnRH neuron size and testis size. Here we show that the GnRH-containing neurons in the hypothalamus of adult territorial males are also influenced by gonadal hormones. Castration of territorial males caused GnRH neurons to increase in size. This neuronal hypertrophy in castrated animals was prevented either by testosterone (T) or 11-ketotestosterone (KT) treatment. Estradiol (E2) treatment did not reduce GnRH cell size in castrated animals. These results suggest that androgens reduce the size of GnRH cells through negative feedback. Since E2 had no effect, androgen influence on GnRH cell size appears to be independent of aromatization. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the setpoint for hypothalamic GnRH cell size is determined by social cues and that this setpoint is maintained by negative feedback from gonadal androgens.