cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hardness behavior of W. Nr. 1.7709 steel, oil quenched and tempered between 475°C and 575°C

Steel components frequently involve a heat treatment to improve mechanical properties. In order to meet difficult working conditions, several components are hardened by quenching. W. Nr. 1.7709 is a representative structural steel with very low thermal conductivity among EN wrought alloy steels, which is extensively used after hardening and tempering. Although the steelmakers provide technical information about their heat treatment sequence, the tempering diagram of the specific grade has not been designed yet. The present paper analyses the temper resistance of the specific steel after oil quenching and tempering at high temperatures. Samples of identical chemical compositions were accordingly prepared and randomized. Five groups of ten specimens were austenitized at 960°C, hold for 30 minutes and were quenched in oil. They were tempered for two hours at different temperatures between 475°C and 575°C. Specific temperatures are interesting to the heat treaters, as they could allow certain transformations which take place during tempering. Hardness measurements were carried out and statistically processed. The tempering diagram was plotted to the specified temperature range. The influence of tempering temperature on steel hardness was analysed and the resistance to tempering back of the steel was discussed. The tempering diagram is critical for metallurgists as it represents a guide to define the proper tempering parameters so that the hardness predicted according to the mechanical property requirements are obtained.
The Second Formation of Islamic Law: The Hanafi School in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire

The Second Formation of Islamic Law is the first book to deal with the rise of an official school of law in the post-Mongol period. The author explores how the Ottoman dynasty shaped the structure and doctrine of a particular branch within the Hanafi school of law. In addition, the book examines the opposition of various jurists, mostly from the empire's Arab provinces, to this development. By looking at the emergence of the concept of an official school of law, the book seeks to call into question the grand narratives of Islamic legal history that tend to see the nineteenth century as the major rupture. Instead, an argument is formed that some of the supposedly nineteenth-century developments, such as the codification of Islamic law, are rooted in much earlier centuries. In so doing, the book offers a new periodization of Islamic legal history in the eastern Islamic lands.
External Storage of Memes: Culture, Media, Cyberspace

In this chapter, we examine how memes leave the brain and reside outside of human brains. It is this ability of memes to leave the human brain and stay alive, replicate, and evolve that makes memes truly immortal and may form a bridge between carbon-based life forms and other life forms. What leaves the brain as communication is progenies of memes encapsulated in behavior and language. When memes began to spread as imitations, proximity was an important constraint. A consequence of successful communication is replication of the memes conveyed, which may in turn become a parasite of the sender and receiver. The information itself, the meme, now becomes a replicator that coevolves with the brains. Communication simultaneously involves the sender and receiver in two different relationships: first, as conspecifics with potentially divergent genetic and social interests, but also as potential hosts to a more or less robust, parasitic replicator memes with their own evolutionary interests. In the course of this coevolution, parasitic memes have produced specialized memes that serve memes at the expense of genetic and biological interests. With the advent of written language, memes found a permanent niche in scrolls and books. The replication of memes exploded exponentially with electronic media with instant and global distribution and communication. We may be at a stage of a paradigm shift in evolution – from genes to memes. By shedding the dependence on earthbound biology, genes may have achieved the next stage of evolution in the form of memes. Cyberspace is a creation of memes in which only memes can reside! It is a space to which any meme-containing device such as our brains and computers can be attached and it is potentially limitless in size. When memes are freed from the confines of brains that are dependent on gene multiplication, there is less need for the memes to co-opt genes for their purpose. Memetic liberation may thus result in the liberation of gene-based brains from the imperative of memetic replication.
Relationship between Ras pathways and cell cycle control

The ordered execution of the two main events of cellular reproduction, duplication of the genome and cell division, characterize progression through the cell cycle. Cultured cells can be switched between cycling and non-cycling states by alteration of extracellular conditions and the notion that a critical cellular control mechanism presides on this decision, whose temporal location is known as the restriction point, has become the focus for the study of how extracellular mitogenic signalling impinges upon the cell cycle to influence proliferation. This review attempts to cover the disparate pathways of Ras-mediated mitogenic signal transduction that impact upon restriction point control.
Imaging Phonons: Acoustic Wave Propagation in Solids

Preface Prologue 1. Ballistic heat pulses and phonon imaging - a first look 2. Phonon focusing 3. Generation and detection of phonons - experimental aspects 4. Focusing in cubic crystals 5. Acoustic symmetry and piezoelectricity 6. Lattice dynamics 7. Imaging of dispersive phonons 8. Phonon dynamics 9. Bulk scattering of phonons 10. Quasidiffusion and the phonon source 11. Phonon scattering at interfaces 12. Refraction and reflection at solid/solid interfaces - experiment 13. Imaging ultrasound in crystals 14. Imaging surface acoustic waves 15. Interactions of ballistic phonons with electrons Appendices Index.
DIOXYGEN ACTIVATION BY TRANSITION METAL COMPLEXES. ATOM TRANSFER AND FREE RADICAL CHEMISTRY IN AQUEOUS MEDIA

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses dioxygen activation by transition metal complexes and atom transfer and free radical chemistry in aqueous media. The term "metal-activated oxygen" refers to metal complexes containing an O 2 -derived ligand, such as superoxo, hydroperoxo, peroxo, or oxo. Among the metals, chromium, cobalt, and rhodium have been the most essential in the research. The stability facilitates the handling and characterization of these compounds by a variety of techniques including, in some cases, X-ray crystallography. The "active site" -for example, partially reduced oxygen, appears as an end-on superoxo, hydroperoxo, or oxo group. The stability facilitates the handling and characterization of these compounds by a variety of techniques including, in some cases, X-ray crystallography. The reactions of transition metal superoxides with reducing and oxidizing metal complexes are also discusses in the chapter. A mechanistic point that is especially relevant to the design of drugs for removal/isomerization of peroxynitrite deals with the formation of freely diffusing NO 2 , itself an undesirable species in biological environments.
AUTOREF: a deductive database for automatic referee selection

Abstract A central function in processing papers submitted for publication is that of finding suitable referees. Referees should be knowledgeable, have sufficient time, and be thorough and prompt in their reviews. Sometimes, specific knowledge, such as a known conflict of interest, will have a bearing on the process. While the record-keeping associated with submissions is often automated, the referee selection process is still done manually. We describe a prototype deductive database named AUTOREF, implemented in PROLOG, that can provide automated assistance in this selection process. AUTOREF strives to find the best referees, failing which, it progressively relaxes requirements to find the most suitable available ones. As a last resort, it goes into manual code. The editorial activities supported by AUTOREF are generic, and could be customized for most specific requirements. Automated assistance for referee selection might further improve quality and efficiency of the editorial process.
Optimization of stochastic uncertain systems: large deviations and robustness

This paper is concerned with an abstract formulation of stochastic uncertain control systems, in which the pay-off is described by the relative entropy between the nominal measure and the uncertain measure, while the uncertain measures satisfy certain energy inequality constraints. The control seeks to maximize the minimum of the relative entropy impacted by the uncertain measure. This formulation leads to connections between minimax games arising in robust control of uncertain systems and Large Deviations theory through the so-called rate functional. In particular, certain monotonicity properties of the optimal solution are discussed, while relations to the well-known Cramer's theorem of large deviations are introduced.
Comparative maturation of cynomolgus monkey oocytes in vivo and in vitro.

In vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes followed by fertilization in vitro (IVF) and embryo transfer offers an alternative to conventional IVF treatment that minimises drug administration and avoids ovarian hyperstimulation. However, the technique is less efficient than maturation in vivo. In the present study, a non-human primate model was used to address the hypothesis that the number of oocytes is increased and their nuclear and cytoplasmic maturity after IVM are improved when maturation is initiated in vivo by priming with hCG. Young, adult cynomolgus monkeys were given recombinant human (rh) gonadotropins to stimulate the development of multiple follicles, and oocytes were aspirated 0, 12, 24, or 36 h after injection of an ovulatory dose of rhCG. The nuclear status of oocytes was determined at the time of recovery and after culture for a total elapsed time of 40–44 hours after hCG. Priming with hCG significantly increased the number of oocytes harvested, especially after delaying aspiration for 24 h or longer. Nuclear maturation after the full period in culture was also enhanced by priming: 71.5, 83.6, and 94.6% of oocytes collected at 0, 12, and 24 h hCG had progressed to MII by the end of the culture period, compared to 87.8% of oocytes that were retrieved at 36 h. A large proportion of oocytes reaching the MII stage had either or both abnormal spindles (>40%) and misaligned chromosomes (>60%), judging by immunofluorescence microscopy, but these abnormalities were independent of culture time. The mitochondria were evenly distributed throughout the cytoplasm at all stages of maturation. Importantly, there was no microscopic evidence that the duration of culture had any injurious effects on the cells. In conclusion, the evidence supports this non-human primate as a model for human IVM and the practice of priming with hCG to promote developmental potential.
process for photo-oxidation of waterborne hazardous substances — C1C6 chlorinated hydrocarbons

This paper presents results from the first phase development of the H2O2VisUV process for photo-oxidation of waterborne hazardous substances. The technology is generally applicable to numerous situations requiring removal of hazardous substances from: (a) groundwater; (b) drinking water; (c) chemical process water; (d) leakage contamination; and (e) wastewater. However, the first phase research focused attention on drinking water contaminants. The compounds investigated, C1C6, were: tetrachloromethane, tetrachloroethene, dichloroethane, dichloroethene, trichloroethane, trichloroethene and benzene. Dark (no VisUV) oxidation rates and photo-oxidation rates were determined; the latter rate constants were 104–105 greater than dark reaction values. The VisUV photons produce oxidizing free radicals from H2O2 and H2O, and excited state species or free radicals from the reactant compound. The experimental work was conducted in a photochemical batch stirred tank reactor, with 100 W and 450 W mercury vapor lamps, covering the VisUV range, 578.0-222.4 nm. A mathematical model was used to analyze the results and obtain the rate constants. Also, the rate constants were successfully correlated by a molecular composition structure (MCS) model, which permits estimation of rate constants for other C1C6 chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds.
A theoretical framework for fish-eddy interactions

The natural habitats of fishes are characterized by water movements driven by a multitude of physical processes of either natural or human origin. The resultant unsteadiness is exacerbated when flow interacts with surfaces, such as the bottom and banks, and protruding objects, such as corals, boulders, and woody debris. There is growing interest in the impacts on performance and behavior of fishes swimming in “turbulent flows”. The ability of fishes to stabilize body postures and their swimming trajectories is thought to be important in determining species distributions and densities, and hence resultant assemblages in various habitats. Understanding impacts of turbulence on fishes is also important as human practices modify water movements, and as turbulence-generating structures ranging from hardening shorelines to control erosion, through designing fish deterrents, to the design of fish passageways become common. A new theoretical framework is proposed to quantify fish-eddy interactions. Dimensionless parameters are derived based on a common element: eddy circulation. A set of variables defines the flow field whereas a second set quantifies fish characteristics as an embedded body in the flow. By comparing both sets of variables, different regimes are predicted describing fish responses to a wide range of physical perturbations.
Elastic electron scattering at large momentum transfer

A review is given of elastic electron scattering at large momentum transfer (Q2 > 20 fm−2) from nuclei with A ≤ 4. Recent experimental results are reviewed and the current problems in our interpretation of these results are pointed out. Some questions for future experiments are posed, and a preview of possible future measurements is presented.
Curriculum-Based Developmental Assessment: Congruence of Testing and Teaching.

Curriculum-based assessment (CBA) provides the most direct means for assessing and monitoring child program progress. Numerous CBA instruments are becoming available to the school psychologist for ...
Effects of Metallicity on the Rotational Velocities of Massive Stars

Recent theoretical predictions for low-metallicity massive stars predict that these stars should have drastically reduced equatorial winds (mass loss) while on the main sequence, and so should retain most of their angular momentum. Observations of both the Be/(B + Be) ratio and the blue-to-red supergiant ratio appear to have a metallicity dependence that may be caused by high rotational velocities. We have analyzed 39 archival Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), high-resolution, ultraviolet spectra of O-type stars in the Magellanic Clouds to determine their projected rotational velocities V sin i. Our methodology is based on a previous study of the projected rotational velocities of Galactic O-type stars using International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) short-wavelength prime (SWP) camera high-dispersion spectra, which resulted in a catalog of V sin i values for 177 O-type stars. Here we present complementary V sin i values for 21 Large Magellanic Cloud and 22 Small Magellanic Cloud O-type stars based on STIS and IUE UV spectroscopy. The distribution of V sin i values for O-type stars in the Magellanic Clouds is compared to that of Galactic O-type stars. Despite the theoretical predictions and indirect observational evidence for high rotation, the O-type stars in the Magellanic Clouds do not appear to rotate faster than their Galactic counterparts.
Alternative Litigation Financing and Anti-Commodification Norms

This paper considers a non-consequentialist argument raised by opponents of alternative litigation financing (sometimes called third-party litigation financing). The objection is that, apart from any effect that this method of funding might have on litigation rates, settlement incentives, or the lawyer-client relationship, something is intrinsically wrong with allowing a third party (not a litigant, the lawyer, or a liability insurer) to invest in a litigated claim. Somehow the participation of third-party funders transforms a non-market good into a commodity. This is a familiar form of argument, made familiar in legal scholarship by the work of Margaret Radin, and recently advanced by Michael Sandel in his critique of market modes of valuing various human goods. My argument here is that, first of all, opponents of third-party funding have not made the commodification objection with any real rigor and, second, if they were to make it rigorously, the most promising way to flesh it out would be using an expressive account of values. On an expressive approach, the argument would be that alternative litigation finance somehow manifests an inappropriate attitude toward the civil justice system. An expressivist might contend, for example, that in a tort lawsuit there is an intrinsically relational quality to a cause of action, which gives rise to agent-relative reasons which create obligations for wrongdoers to rectify harms. Allowing third parties to invest in these claims manifests the wrong type of attitude toward rights-based, relational values, by implying that the victim's rights are fungible with money. The trouble with that argument, however, is that the tort system includes practices such as insurance and settlement which depart from a strictly agent-relative understanding of the normative basis of tort liability. Other tort doctrines, such as the recoverability of damages for emotional distress and the enforceability of advance contractual waivers of liability, similarly exhibit the commodifying tendency to which opponents of alternative litigation finance object. Moreover, the anti-commodification is only an argument that works with a corrective justice approach; most opponents of alternative litigation finance are probably not committed corrective justice (or civil recourse) theorists. On a welfarist or consequentialist account of the tort system, third-party funding seems acceptable from the get-go, since all doctrines are evaluated in terms of their efficiency. While this paper does not endorse the anti-commodification critique of alternative litigation finance, it aims to show what a non-strategic anti-commodification argument would look like.
La Virgen de Guadalupe as Surrogate Mother in San Juan Atzingo1

T HE inhabitants of San Juan Atzingo, an Ocuilteca village in southcentral Mexico, look upon God as a demanding, fear-inspiring figure. Though God provides, he also punishes; He protects but He must be obeyed. The San Juanero considers himself a pawn subject to whatever fate is decreed. "Primero Dios ... If God is willing ... If God permits . . ." is the ubiquitous phrase which places ultimate responsibility for human actions squarely upon God's shoulders.
The NRAO VLA Sky Survey

?????The NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) covers the sky north of J2000.0 ? = -40? (82% of the celestial sphere) at 1.4 GHz. The principal data products are (1) a set of 2326 4? ? 4? continuum cubes with three planes containing Stokes I, Q, and U images plus (2) a catalog of almost 2 ? 106 discrete sources stronger than S ? 2.5 mJy. The images all have ? = 45'' FWHM resolution and nearly uniform sensitivity. Their rms brightness fluctuations are ? ? 0.45 mJy beam-1 ? 0.14 K (Stokes I) and ? ? 0.29 mJy beam-1 ? 0.09 K (Stokes Q and U). The rms uncertainties in right ascension and declination vary from 1'' for the N ? 4 ? 105 sources stronger than 15 mJy to 7'' at the survey limit. The NVSS was made as a service to the astronomical community. All data products, user software, and updates are being released via the World Wide Web as soon as they are produced and verified.
Effect of heat on frog sciatic nerve determined by X-ray diffraction

Abstract Low-angle X-ray diffraction patterns have been recorded from frog sciatic nerves in Ringer's solution after heat treatment from 20 to 80°C. The X-ray patterns were obtained from the heat treated specimens after cooling to room temperature. The normal X-ray pattern of frog sciatic nerve in Ringer's solution with d=171 A was maintained from 20 to 58°C. Above 58°C, a new high temperature pattern based on a repeat period of d⋍435 A was recorded from the nerve in Ringer's solution. The physical state of nerve myelin after heat teratment at a temperature ⩾58°C has been identified as the anomalous swollen state. Anomalous swelling takes place in units of four membranes.
Determination of collision-induced dissociation mechanisms and cross-sections in organophosphorus compounds by atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Nineteen organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) of the generic classes (dialkyl alkyl′-phosphonates (twelve compounds) and tri-alkyl phosphates (seven compounds) were investigated by atmospheric pressure ionization (API) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). All OPCs showed consistent and comparable collision-induced dissociation (CID) pathways allowing for a generalized scheme for dissociation. When the alkyl groups are equal to or larger than ethyl, CID mechanisms are dominated by McLafferty rearrangements and neutral losses are stable molecules in all cases except cleavage of PC or OC bonds to form alkyl fragment ions. CID cross-sections for the OPCs were determined with excellent reproducibility and a good correlation was found with a simple model. Inferences with respect to ionic structures were made from observed trends in the cross-section measurements. Limitations in API-MS/MS instruments of this design are found in the energy distribution of the ionization and ion sampling events.
A cGMP-gated cation channel in depolarizing photoreceptors of the lizard parietal eye

Rods and cones of the two vertebrate lateral eyes hyperpolarize when illuminated, a response generated by a cyclic GMP cascade leading to cGMP hydrolysis and consequently the closure of cGMP-gated, non-selective cation channels that are open in darkness. Lizards and other lower vertebrates also have a parietal (third) eye, which contains ciliary photoreceptors that under dark-adapted conditions depolarize to light instead. Depolarizing light responses are characteristic of most invertebrate rhabdomeric photoreceptors, and are thought to involve a phosphoinositide signalling pathway (see, for example, refs 7-9). Surprisingly, we have found in excised membrane patches a cGMP-gated channel that is selectively present at high density on the outer segment (the presumptive light-sensitive part) of the parietal eye photoreceptor. Like the light-activated channel of the cell, it is non-selective among cations. Inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) had no effect on the same membrane patches. These findings suggest that the photoreceptors of the parietal eye, like rods and cones, use a cGMP cascade and not an InsP3-mediated pathway for phototransduction, but in this case light increases cGMP. A unifying principle of evolutionary significance emerges: that phototransductions in various ciliary photoreceptors, whether hyperpolarizing or depolarizing, uniformly use a cGMP cascade and a cGMP-gated channel to generate the light response, although there are rich variations in the details.
Simultaneous Envelopes for Multivariate Linear Regression

We introduce envelopes for simultaneously reducing the predictors and the responses in multivariate linear regression, so the regression then depends only on estimated linear combinations of X and Y. We use a likelihood-based objective function for estimating envelopes and then propose algorithms for estimation of a simultaneous envelope as well as for basic Grassmann manifold optimization. The asymptotic properties of the resulting estimator are studied under normality and extended to general distributions. We also investigate likelihood ratio tests and information criteria for determining the simultaneous envelope dimensions. Simulation studies and real data examples show substantial gain over the classical methods, like partial least squares, canonical correlation analysis, and reduced-rank regression. This article has supplementary material available online.
Activities of superoxide dismutases and NADPH oxidase in neutrophils obtained from asthmatic and normal donors.

PMN obtained from asthmatic subjects demonstrate a heightened respiratory burst with increased superoxide generation compared to normals. This enhanced superoxide anion generation could be secondary to increased activity of the respiratory burst NADPH oxidase or diminished metabolism of superoxide via superoxide dismutase (SOD). The two forms of SOD expressed in PMN, CuZnSOD expressed constitutively in the cytosol and inducible mitochondrial MnSOD, were investigated in asthmatics. Resting ?MN from asthmatics (N = 9) contained significantly less MnSOD activity compared to controls (0.46 ± 0.16 vs. 0.79 ± 0.17 units/107 PMN, respectively;P=0.0002). As several cytokines including interleukins (IL) -1, -4, and -6 as well as granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) enhance the PMN respiratory burst and are synthesized in the asthmatic lung, their effects on PMN MnSOD activity were assayed. In contrast to its effects on lymphocytes, both IL-1 and IL-6 significantly inhibited in a dosedependent fashion the induction of MnSOD in PMN from normals (0.42 ± 0.12 and 0.45 ± 0.05 units/107 PMN, respectively, at 10 units/ml of each cytokine;P=0.02 compared to resting cells) but failed to further modulate MnSOD production in asthmatic PMN. IL-4 and GM-CSF had no effect on MnSOD production, and TNF effects could not be studied because of its effects on cell viability. There were no differences in the activity of CuZnSOD (N=9) or NADPH oxidase (N = 4) in the two groups. Inhibition of MnSOD activity in PMN secondary to cytokine exposure in the asthmatic lung could explain, at least in part, the increased generation of superoxide from PMN obtained from asthmatics. This would promote the presence and severity of inflammation in the asthmatic lung. These data further support a role for IL-1 and IL-6 in allergic inflammation.
The role of proton-bridged intermediates in promoting hydrogen-deuterium exchange in gas-phase protonated diamines, peptides and proteins

Abstract The role of proton-bridged intermediates in gas-phase hydrogen-deuterium exchange is illustrated with a series of diamines, peptides and proteins. Proton-bridged intermediates account for the relatively high reactivity of protonated and multiply protonated species when the deuterating reagent (such as CH 3 OD) is significantly less basic than the conjugate base of the protonated species. The absence of these intermediate greatly diminishes the rate of exchange. The rate constants are determined as apparent ( k apparent ) and site specific ( k site ) for the diamines. The effects of ring size, stereochemistry and proton affinity are explored. The presence of proton-bridged intermediates in peptides and proteins is facilitated by the presence of lysine residues. Lysine residues, when found in high proportion, increase the rates of hydrogen-deuterium exchange for the peptide or protein.
Oscilloscope Patterns of Damped Vibrations of Quartz Plates and Q Measurements with Damped Vibrations

The first part of the paper describes a method of obtaining a picture of the damped vibrations of a quartz-plate resonator which occur when the excitation is removed by short-circuiting the electrodes between which the quartz plate lies. The build-up of vibrations after the short-circuit is removed is also shown. The quartz plate is short-circuited by means of a rotating commutator, and the resulting damped short-circuit current is caused to give a stationary damped-wave pattern on the cathode-ray-oscilloscope screen. Photographs of the patterns are easily obtained. Some interesting effects, such as variation of electrode air gap and pressure, are observed, and a few examples are shown. Since the damping or the Q of a circuit may be readily determined from the formula S = 1/n log A 1 /(A n+1 ) applied to n decaying amplitudes from A 1 to A n+1 the logarithmic decrement is readily found. The Q is also readily found since it is related to the reciprocal of δ. Amplitudes A 1 and A n+1 may be measured on the screen or photograph of the pattern for determination of δ or Q, but a more satisfactory method of measurement of these quantities was developed, incorporating a form of the commonly used momentary contactor, such as is sometimes used in the determination of wave form of an alternator. The speed of the contactor provides a ready determination of the number of vibrations from A 1 to A n+1 . A working formula [equation (3)] is developed for rapid measurements of Q of the quartz plate.
Regulation of plant growth with triacontanol

Triacontanol (TRIA) is synthesized by plants and is a component of most biological material. New formulations of TRIA have shown activity with femtomolar doses. Exogenous applications of TRIA regulate directly or indirectly several physiological and biochemical processes. Many studies have shown that TRIA can increase the yield of crops but the results have not been sufficiently consistent in the U.S. to recommend its use commercially. Several experiments suggest TRIA, a metabolite of TRIA, or a secondary messenger, moves rapidly in plants after initial application. Additionally, several enzymes relating to carbohydrate metabolism increase in activity following TRIA treatment. Warm temperatures before foliar applications improved the plants response to TRIA. Many compounds have an antagonistic effect on the response of plants to TRIA. The most significant are phthalate esters which commonly occur in water and the research environment. TRIA has elicited many growth responses in plants with a rapidity not s...
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the near real-time diagnosis of brain trauma in rats

The detection of sever brain trauma remains difficult when employing traditional methods in part due to the pathophysiological complexity of the condition. Current brain trauma detection includes schemes that require bulky, expensive equipment to deduce regional cerebral blood flow. These methods are difficult to use in conjunction with patients requiring ongoing intensive care and constant monitoring. Our previous studies have shown that surface- enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with silver colloids has the ability to measure physiological concentrations of in vivo brain analytes linked to brain trauma using short scan times. More recently, after implementing a damage model for ischemia in rats, an ex vivo analysis of brain microdialysis samples shows a correlation between SERS spectral features and the occurrence and location of known localized ischaemia. A near real-time measurement system could provide relevant clinical information in anticipation of surgical or pharmaceutical interventions for severely head injured patients.
Decentralized targeting of an antipoverty program

Abstract Developing country governments often delegate authority over the targeting of antipoverty programs to community organizations, while retaining control over how much goes to each community. We offer a theoretical characterization of the information structure in such programs and the interconnected behavior of the various players. Our model motivates an econometric specification for explaining distributional outcomes. Results for Bangladesh's Food-for-Education (FFE) Program indicate that within-village targeting improved with program size, lower land inequality, less remoteness, fewer shocks, and less private redistribution. There is no sign that the center took account of village attributes conducive to reaching the poor.
Molecular Epidemiologic Investigation of Campylobacter coli in Swine Production Systems, Using Multilocus Sequence Typing

Multilocus sequence typing of 151 Campylobacter coli isolates from swine reared in conventional (n = 74) and antimicrobial-free (n = 77) production systems revealed high genotypic diversity. Sequence type (ST) 1413 was predominant and observed among ciprofloxacin-resistant strains. We identified a C. coli ST 828 clonal complex consisting of isolates from both production systems.
Retinoblastoma Protein Expression Facilitates Chromatin Remodeling at the HLA-DRA Promoter

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II genes encode a series of heterodimeric cell surface glycoproteins that bind peptide antigen. The MHC class II/peptide complex is bound by the T-cell receptor of CD4(+) T cells, thereby stimulating an immune response. The MHC class II genes are coordinately regulated by conserved promoter elements and are inducible by IFN-gamma. Furthermore, IFN-gamma induction of the MHC class II genes in solid human tumor lines requires retinoblastoma protein (Rb). In vivo footprinting analyses of the HLA-DRA gene, which encodes the heavy chain subunit of the human MHC class II molecule, HLA-DR, revealed that Rb facilitates occupancy of multiple HLA-DRA promoter elements. Detecting the effect of Rb on HLA-DRA promoter occupancy in vivo required IFN-gamma treatment. However, use of a variation on the in vivo footprinting technique, nuclei footprinting, which assays for promoter occupancy in isolated nuclei, revealed that expression of Rb facilitates promoter occupancy even in the absence of IFN-gamma. These results indicate that expression of Rb leads to modification of the chromatin environment of the HLA-DRA promoter independently of transcription.
Treatment of an acting-out adolescent girl: An interpersonal experience

The current emphasis on psychotherapy as an interpersonal or intersubjective experience is highly relevant to clinical work with adolescents. This paper presentes and discusses the treatment of an acting out adolescent girl from the perspective of the two-person relationship, emphasizing the interaction between the patient's dynamics and the therapist's responses.
Increased procollagen mRNA levels in scleroderma skin fibroblasts.

Procollagen messenger RNA activity in scleroderma and normal skin fibroblasts was measured using a cell-free translation assay. Radioactive translation products were fractionated by electrophoresis and the ratio of procollagen to total incorporation was determined from densitometric scans of gel fluorograms. In 4 scleroderma cell lines 1.78% (± 0.10) of incorporated [ 35 S]-methionine was in procollagen, compared to 1.00% (± 0.20) in 5 normal controls, These values are consistent with previously reported increases in the rates of collagen synthesis obtained with intact cells and show that most if not all of the increase can be explained on the basis of elevated translatable procollagen messenger RNA in scleroderma fibroblasts.
Asymptotic Approximations for Systems Incorporating Fractional Derivative Damping

Viscoelastic constitutive relationships incorporating fractional derivatives have been previously shown to be extremely useful in describing the frequency dependent behavior of common damping materials. However, the implementation of such models in the analysis of damped mechanical systems is somewhat complicated by the fact that polynomial equations with noninteger order exponents must be solved. This paper develops accurate approximations from which the damping factor and damped natural frequency of such systems may be obtained by evaluating relatively simple algebraic expressions.
Biocatalysed acidification and metal leaching processes in sediments of polluted urban streams

Sediments of fluvial streams are a sink for pollutants such as heavy metals and organic recalcitrant compounds. In anoxic conditions, sulphide generation and alkalinisation cause precipitation of heavy metals. The redox potential of the system could change to higher values, mainly owing to oxygen exposition generated by anthropogenic disturbances of the sediment such as dredging operations. Knowledge about the mechanisms involved is fundamental to assess the risk of acid generation and rise in heavy metals bioavailability. In this paper, the characterisation and assessment of acidification risk of sediments of a contaminated stream near Buenos Aires was carried out by static and kinetic assays. Speciation of heavy metals was determined after metal sequential extraction procedure. Also, re-suspension of sediments assay in batch mode, with and without Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans inoculum, was carried out to assess the chemical changes that occur at oxygen exposure, verifying the acidification and heavy metal release processes.
Relaxation of Volume and Index of Refraction in Pressure‐Compacted B2O3 Glass

Relaxation processes were studied in bulk B2O3 glasses compacted under hydrostatic pressures up to 21 kbars at room temperature. Measurements of room-temperature density and refractive index at 1 atm revealed that (1) more than one ordering parameter is required to describe observed time-dependent volumetric behavior and (2) the refractive index is not a single-valued function of density, so that the Lorentz-Lorenz equation must be modified to account for changes in molecular configuration.
Abstract A23: Cell autonomous and nonautonomous activities of heat shock factor 1 support tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis

The heat-shock response is a powerful transcriptional program which acts genome-wide, not only to restore the normal protein folding through the induction of heat shock proteins (HSP), but to re-shape global cellular pathways controlling survival, growth and metabolism. In mammals, this response is regulated primarily by the Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1) transcription factor. We have previously shown that HSF1 plays a fundamental role in tumorigenesis, by promoting the survival and malignance of tumor cells, both in tissue culture and in mouse models of cancer [1]. Recently we demonstrated that HSF1 exerts its role by activating a unique transcriptional program in the cancer cells, that is distinct from the one activated during heat shock [2]. In breast cancer and several other types of carcinoma, we found that high HSF1 protein levels and activation of the HSF1-dependent transcriptional program are associated with poor clinical outcome [3]. Here we show that HSF1 is activated not only in the tumor cells, but also in the stromal cells infiltrating the tumor. Examining human patient samples, we find immunohistochemical evidence for activation of HSF1 in the stroma. Using mouse xenograft models and in vitro co-culture we show that HSF1 in the stroma supports tumor cell growth. Finally, expression profiling and analysis of the DNA binding pattern of HSF1 in tumors and in cell culture indicates that stromal HSF1 supports tumorigenesis by activating a unique, stroma-specific transcriptional program. Taken together, our data suggests that HSF1 acts in the cancer cells and in the stroma to activate distinct, yet complimentary transcriptional programs that will facilitate tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. References 1. Dai, C., et al., Heat shock factor 1 is a powerful multifaceted modifier of carcinogenesis. Cell, 2007. 130(6): p. 1005-18. 2. Mendillo, M.L., et al., HSF1 drives a transcriptional program distinct from heat shock to support highly malignant human cancers. Cell, 2012. 150(3): p. 549-62. 3. Santagata, S., et al., High levels of nuclear heat-shock factor 1 (HSF1) are associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2011. 108(45): p. 18378-83. Citation Format: Ruth Scherz-Shouval, Sandro Santagata, Martina Koeva, Luke Whitesell, Susan Lindquist. Cell autonomous and nonautonomous activities of heat shock factor 1 support tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Invasion and Metastasis; Jan 20-23, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A23.
The Basal Inhibition in Hydra may be Mediated by a Diffusing Substance

The decay, following basal disk removal, of the disk-mediated inhibition of disk formation in hydra is as slow as would be expected, were the inhibition mediated by a diffusing substance. When a hydra's size is changed, either by adding or by removing mass, the inhibition intensity changes in the manner expected if the vehicle of the inhibition is a substance diffusing from the disk and destroyed by all the cells of the body.
A gene for familial juvenile polyposis maps to chromosome 18q21.1.

Familial juvenile polyposis (FJP) is a hamartomatouspolyposis syndrome in which affected family members develop upper and lower gastrointestinal juvenile polyps and are at increased risk for gastrointestinal cancer. A genetic locus for FJP has not yet been identified by linkage; therefore, the objective of this study was to perform a focused genome screen in a large family segregating FJP. No evidence for linkage was found with markers near MSH2, MLH1, MCC, APC, HMPS, CDKN2A, JP1, PTEN, KRAS2, TP53, or LKB1. Linkage to FJP was established with several markers from chromosome 18q21.1. The maximum LOD score was 5.00, with marker D18S1099 (recombination fraction of .001). Analysis of critical recombinants places the FJP gene in an 11.9-cM interval bounded by D18S1118 and D18S487, a region that also contains the tumor-suppressor genes DCC and DPC4. These data demonstrate localization of a gene for FJP to chromosome 18q21.1 by linkage, and they raise the possibility that either DCC or DPC4 could be responsible for FJP.
Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation Facilitates Tracheal Extubation After Laryngotracheal Reconstruction in Children

Tracheal extubation after laryngotracheal reconstruction in children may be complicated by postoperative tracheal edema and pulmonary dysfunction. The replacement of a tracheal tube in this situation may exacerbate the existing injury to the tracheal mucosa, complicating subsequent attempts at tracheal extubation. We present two cases where noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation was employed to treat partial airway obstruction and respiratory failure in two children following laryngotracheal reconstruction. Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation served as a bridge between mechanical ventilation via a tracheal tube and spontaneous breathing, providing airway stenting and ventilatory support while tracheal edema and pulmonary dysfunction were resolved. Under appropriate conditions, noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation may be useful in the management of these patients.
Improving Mass Spectrometer Sensitivity Using a High-Pressure Electrodynamic Ion Funnel Interface

We report on a new electrodynamic ion funnel that operates at a pressure of 30 torr with no loss of ion transmission. The enhanced performance compared with previous ion funnel designs optimized for pressures of <5 torr was achieved by reducing the ion funnel capacitance and increasing the RF drive frequency (1.7 MHz) and amplitude (100–170 V peak-to-peak). No degradation of ion transmission was observed for pressures from 2 to 30 torr. The ability to operate at higher pressure enabled a new tandem ion funnel mass spectrometer interface design that can accommodate a greater gas load (e.g., from an ESI source). When combined with a multicapillary inlet, the interface provided more efficient introduction of ions, resulting in a significant enhancement in mass spectrometer sensitivity and detection limits.
Neonates Support Lymphopenia-Induced Proliferation

Abstract T cells expand without intentional antigen stimulation when transferred into adult lymphopenic environments. In this study, we show that the physiologic lymphopenic environment existing in neonatal mice also supports CD4 T cell proliferation. Strikingly, naive CD4 T cells that proliferate within neonates acquire the phenotypic and functional characteristics of memory cells. Such proliferation is inhibited by the presence of both memory and naive CD4 T cells, is enhanced by 3-day thymectomy, is independent of IL-7, and requires a class II MHC-TCR interaction and a CD28-mediated signal. CD44 bright CD4 T cells in neonates have a wide repertoire as judged by the distribution of Vβ expression. Thus, lymphopenia-induced T cell proliferation is a physiologic process that occurs during the early postnatal period.
Read all about it: the over-representation of breast cancer in popular magazines.

Background. While women are far more likely to develop and die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) than breast cancer, research has shown that they markedly overestimate their personal risks of breast cancer and underestimate their CVD risks. The source of this disparity is not yet known, although increased media attention to breast cancer relative to CVD has been suggested to play a role. The purpose of the present study was to provide a first critical test of this possibility. Two hypotheses were tested: (a) the number of breast cancer articles would be greater than the number of CVD articles; and (b) this disparity in coverage would increase over the years. Methods. A web-based search engine was used to quantify all breast cancer and cardiovascular disease articles (keyword search) in 73 popular magazines on a annual basis for a 10-year interval (1990–1999). Results. Consistent with study hypotheses, breast cancer articles outnumbered CVD articles, and this disparity widened over the years (P < 0.0001). This disparity was not limited to specific magazine categories (e.g., women's interest). Conclusions. Over-representation of breast cancer vis-a-vis CVD is pervasive in popular magazines. Future research should investigate how such disparities in the media may influence risk perceptions, adoption of preventive health behaviors, and compliance with screening guidelines.
Abraham’s Purchase of Ephron’s Land in Anthropological Perspective

Despite considerable and illuminating work on the ancient Near Eastern legal background of the story of Abraham’s purchase of Ephron’s land in Genesis 23, several narrative peculiarities have not been satisfactorily explained. The theme of Sarah’s burial receives a curiously uneven treatment in the chapter. It is mentioned seven times by the characters during their discussions about the land, but the narrator almost completely glosses the act of burial itself. Does this jarring repetition, so integral to the negotiations, serve some legal purpose? Although exchange of consideration—400 shekels of silver—takes place between Ephron and Abraham only, Abraham is said to have acquired the land from Ephron and from the Bnei Heth. How are the rights of the Bnei Heth in the transferred land best understood? The characters pay great attention to status and its accompanying formalities. Is their performance mere politeness, or does status have some inherent connection to the validity of the transaction? I sketch here a generalized model for land tenure put forward by anthropologist Max Gluckman. Citing several ancient Near Eastern land transfer texts, I show how Gluckman’s model clarifies the system of land rights assumed by Genesis 23 and sheds light on these three puzzling features of the narrative.
Structure of the porcine LH- and FSH-releasing hormone. I. The proposed amino acid sequence

Summary The complete amino acid sequence of porcine LH- and FSH- releasing hormone has been provisionally determined by the use on a micro-scale of the combined Edman-dansyl procedure coupled with the selective tritiation method for C-terminal analysis. These procedures were used directly on the digestion products of LH-RH with chymotrypsin and thermolysin, without separation of the fragments. Additional data were provided by high resolution mass spectral fragmentation of LH-RH. On the basis of these results, we propose the following decapeptide sequence for LH-RH: (pyro)Glu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH2.