cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of metabolic effects of growth hormone by various inhibitors of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase

Abstract When isolated diaphragms of hypophysectomized rats were incubated with bovine growth hormone in the presence of the cyclic nucleotide inhibitors theophylline, quinine and papaverine, the stimulatory effects of the hormone on leucine incorporation into protein, α-aminoisobutyric acid and 3- O -methylglucose transport were suppressed or abolished entirely. The degree of suppression of the hormone effects appeared to correlate with the extent of glycogenolysis caused by the drugs. Thoephylline also rapidly reversed the stimulation of protein synthesis and amino acid and sugar transport produced by growth hormone. When protein synthesis and transport were stimulated by preincubation of the diaphragm with growth hormone, the subsequent addition of theophylline to the medium inhibited the hormonal effects on protein synthesis and sugar transport within 15 min and the effect on amino acid transport within 60 min. These results may mean that the rapid in vitro effects of growth hormone on protein synthesis and membrane transport in rat diaphragm muscle are mediated by a reduction in the cellular level of cyclic AMP or some other nucleotide. Attempts to block the action of growth hormone on 3- O -methylglucose transport by preincubation of the diaphragm with high concentrations (10 mM) of cyclic GMP, cyclic UMP, cyclic TMP and cyclic CMP were unsuccessful. Also an effort was made to mimic the action of growth hormone on sugar transport by incubating the diaphragm with high concentrations of imidazole and histamine, agents known to activate cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. Slight stimulatory effects were obtained, but they could not be correlated with any certainty to the actions of imidazole and histamine on phosphodiesterase. Like growth hormone, insulin also stimulates protein synthesis and amino acid and sugar transport in the isolated rat diaphragm. However, the actions of insulin on these processes were not abolished by theophylline, suggesting some basic difference in the mode of action of these two hormones on protein synthesis and membrane transport in muscle.
Kinetics of nucleoside transport in human erythrocytes. Alterations during blood preservation.

Abstract The transmembrane equilibration of radiolabeled uridine was measured by rapid kinetic techniques in human erythrocytes from freshly drawn blood and in the same cells during conventional storage of the blood as well as in cells from outdated blood. Our results confirm earlier reports that the maximum velocity of uridine equilibrium exchange (Vee) at 25°C is about 30% lower in outdated than fresh red cells, whereas the opposite is the case for the Michaelis-Menten constant for equilibrium exchange (Kee), and that maximum zero-trans efflux (V21zt) is about 4-times greater than maximum zero-trans influx (V12zt) in outdated cells (directional asymmetry), whereas they are about the same in fresh red cells. At 25°C, the nucleoside-loaded carrier of fresh cells moves on the average 6-times more rapidly than the empty carrier, whereas the differential mobility of loaded and empty carrier from outdated cells is about 15-fold. Our results also show that greater efflux than influx in outdated cells is not due to a general leakiness of outdated cells, that the differences in kinetic properties of the transporter developed during the first two weeks of blood storage and that the differences are greatly amplified when transport is measured at 5°C rather than 25°C. At 5°C, the loaded carrier from outdated red cells moves about 325-times more rapidly than the empty carrier and maximum zero-trans efflux exceeds maximum zero-trans influx about 14-times, whereas the transport of fresh cells exhibits directional symmetry just as at 25°C. The changes in kinetic properties of transport induced by temperature and storage are probably related to structural alterations in the plasma membrane and suggest that the operation of carrier is subject to modification by the membrane environment. Other results show that the kinetics of the sugar transport of human red cells is not affected in the same manner by blood storage as those of the nucleoside transporter.
Influence of dietary calcium on bone calcium utilization

In Experiment 1, 10 microCi 45Ca/day were administered to 125 hens for 10 days. Hens were then allocated to five treatments with calcium levels ranging from .08 to 3.75% of the diet. In Experiment 2, hens with morning oviposition times were randomly allocated to 11 treatments that were periods of time postoviposition ranging from 6 hr to 24 hr, in 2-hr increments (Experiment 2). At the end of each 2-hr period, eggs from 25 hens were removed from the uterus. The 18-, 20-, and 22-hr treatments were replicated three times. In Experiment 3, hens were fed either ad libitum or feed was withheld the last 5 or 6 hr before oviposition. In Experiment 4, hens were fed 10 microCi of 45Ca for 15 days to label skeletal calcium. Hens were divided into two groups and fed a .08 or 3.75% calcium diet for 2 days. On the second day, 25 hens fed the 3.75% calcium diet were intubated with 7 g of the same diet containing .5 g calcium at 1700, 2100, 0100, 0500, and 0700 hr. The measurements used were egg weight, shell weight, and 45Ca content of the egg shell. Results indicated a significant linear or quadratic regression of dietary calcium levels on 45Ca accumulation in eggshells and eggshell weight (Experiment 1). As the calcium level of the diet increased, eggshell weight increased and 45Ca recovery decreased. Utilization of skeletal calcium for shell formation ranged from 28 to 96%. In Experiment 2, the rate of shell calcification was not constant throughout the calcification process but varied significantly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Studies On a New Fairy Shrimp From the Playa Lakes of West Texas (Branchiopoda Anostraca, Thamnocephalidae)

Une nouvelle espece d'Anostraca a ete decouverte dans les etangs temporaires de la partie centrale de l'ouest du Texas. Elle a ete nommee Branchinella sublettei. Une description de cette nouvelle espece a ete presentee, ainsi que des commentaires sur sa vie, sur son ecologie et sur ses rapports taxonomiques avec des especes similaires.
High-Energy Cine-Radiographic Experiment

A cine radiographic technique is being developed by using an inert rocket motor to simulate a burning rocket motor. Because of radiation attenuation in the object and safety considerations for the equipment in an actual test, a high-energy, high-intensity x-ray source was chosen. The source is a 10-MeV linear accelerator with an output of up to 2,500 R/minute at 1 m and a maximum pulse repetition rate of 240/s. Various fluorescent intensifying converter screens are being evaluated. The image from the screen is amplified electronically and recorded on a high-speed camera. This camera gives an output signal which synchronizes the linear accelerator pulse with the camera frame. The images obtained thus far are only crude representations of a resolution gage and a thickness gage superimposed on the object image.© (1979) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Yield of Gamma-Rays and Neutrons from the Proton Bombardment of Fluorine

The excitation function of gamma-rays produced by the proton bombardment of fluorine has been extended from 2.1 to 5.4 Mev with a resolution of 0.1 percent. 17 new resonances were observed with maxima at 2.32, 2.51, 2.63, 2.80, 3.02, 3.19, 3.49, 3.92, 4.00, 4.29, 4.49, 4.57, 4.71, 4.78, 4.99, 5.07, and 5.20 Mev. The ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{19}(p,n){\mathrm{Ne}}^{19}$ threshold was determined to be 4.253\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005 Mev, and the neutron yield in the forward direction was extended to 5.3 Mev. Maxima occur at 4.29, 4.46, 4.49, 4.57, 4.62, 4.71, 4.78, 4.99, 5.07, and 5.20 Mev. The ${\mathrm{Ne}}^{19}$-${\mathrm{F}}^{19}$ mass difference was calculated from the threshold measurement to be ${0.00349}_{9}$ amu.
Residual stresses in polymers and their effect on mechanical behavior

Plates of bisphenol-A polycarbonate and poly(methyl methacrylate) have been quenched in ice water from temperatures slightly above their glass transition temperatures. Residual stresses are thus created, Measurement of these residual stresses has been accomplished by the “layer removal” method and the stress distributions through the thickness are presented. Compressive stresses, approximately 3000 psi, exist at the surface while tensile stresses-of at least 1000 psi exist in the interior. It is shown that these residual stresses can influence the notched Izod impact strengths for polycarbonates. The mechanism is thought to be suppression of craze initiation in advance of the notch due to the presence of residual compressive stresses for specimens notched prior to quenching. In the case of poly(methyl methacrylate), it is shown that compressive residual stresses at the surface can cause plastic yielding to occur in bending experiments resulting in permanent deformation and greater energy absorption.
A route to high surface area, porosity and inclusion of large molecules in crystals

One of the outstanding challenges in the field of porous materials is the design and synthesis of chemical structures with exceptionally high surface areas. Such materials are of critical importance to many applications involving catalysis, separation and gas storage. The claim for the highest surface area of a disordered structure is for carbon, at 2,030 m2 g(-1) (ref. 2). Until recently, the largest surface area of an ordered structure was that of zeolite Y, recorded at 904 m2 g(-1) (ref. 3). But with the introduction of metal-organic framework materials, this has been exceeded, with values up to 3,000 m2 g(-1) (refs 4-7). Despite this, no method of determining the upper limit in surface area for a material has yet been found. Here we present a general strategy that has allowed us to realize a structure having by far the highest surface area reported to date. We report the design, synthesis and properties of crystalline Zn4O(1,3,5-benzenetribenzoate)2, a new metal-organic framework with a surface area estimated at 4,500 m2 g(-1). This framework, which we name MOF-177, combines this exceptional level of surface area with an ordered structure that has extra-large pores capable of binding polycyclic organic guest molecules--attributes not previously combined in one material.
The Internet as Cultural Form: Technology and the Human Condition in China

Raymond Williams’ work on television as a cultural form offers a theoretical basis for overcoming technological determinism in the study of the Internet. The Internet in China exerts social and political influences through the cultural forms it enables and then only when these forms respond to the human condition. Chinese Internet culture consists of new cultural forms that emerge out of the interactions between Internet and society and that are the products of both cultural tradition and innovation.
Specific heats of fast-quenched Au-Ni alloys

The low-temperature specific heats of liquid-quenched Au-Ni alloys containing between 20 and 52 at % Ni have been measured using ac calorimetry techniques. The specific heats of alloys near the critical composition for ferromagnetism (42–44 at % Ni) contain an anomalous contribution, similar to that observed in Cu-Ni alloys, seen as a significant upturn below 6 K in plots ofC/T vs.T2. The anomalous contribution can be interpreted in terms of a magnetic cluster contribution, which is independent of temperature above 2 K. The magnitude of the cluster contribution is greatest at the critical composition, and is 2–3 times larger than the cluster contribution for Cu-Ni alloys. This suggests that these liquid-quenched Au-Ni alloys contain a greater concentration of magnetic clusters than the Cu-Ni alloys. The average cluster moment is therefore smaller, since the saturation magnetizations are comparable.
Morphology of Particles in Size-Fractionated Na- Montmorillonites

Electron microscopy of particles in size fractions (0·5–1·0 μ, 0·1–0·5 μ, 0·05–0·1 μ and < 0·05 μ e.s.d.) obtained by centrifugation of Na-saturated montmorillonites from Wyoming (two samples); Chambers, Arizona; and Fayette County, Texas, has shown details of particle morphology. The finest fraction of each montmorillonite consists predominantly of very thin, separate flakes whereas all coarser fractions, totalling 80 per cent or more by weight of the samples studied, are composed of microaggregates. For all the samples, preferred orientation is best developed in specimens formed from flakes of the finest fractions. Microaggregates are stable in dilute suspension although they swell to give large interlayer spacings, but can be disrupted into smaller, thinner flakes by ultrasonic vibration. Differences in dispersion behavior between separate flakes and microaggregates are not due to differences in interlayer charge or chemical composition, which are very small between fractions of each sample, but are thought to be due to the interlocking of flakes in microaggregates during crystal growth, which prevents their complete separation in dilute suspension.
Biochemical Characterization of an Invariant Histidine Involved in Escherichia coli DNA Topoisomerase I Catalysis

An invariant histidine residue, His-365 in Escherichia coli DNA topoisomerase I, is located at the active site of type IA DNA topoisomerases and near the active site tyrosine. Its ability to participate in the multistep catalytic process of DNA relaxation was investigated. His-365 was mutated to alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartate, glutamate, and glutamine to study its ability to participate in general acid/base catalysis and bind DNA. The mutants were examined for pH-dependent DNA relaxation and cleavage, salt-dependent DNA relaxation, and salt-dependent DNA binding affinity. The mutants relax DNA in a pH-dependent manner and at low salt concentrations. The pH dependence of all mutants is different from the wild type, suggesting that His-365 is responsible for the pH dependence of the enzyme. Additionally, whereas the wild type enzyme shows pH-dependent oligonucleotide cleavage, cleavage by both H365Q and H365A is pH-independent. H365Q cleaves DNA with rates similar to the wild type enzyme, whereas H365A has a slower rate of DNA cleavage than the wild type but can cleave more substrate overall. H365A also has a lower DNA binding affinity than the wild type enzyme. The binding affinity was determined at different salt concentrations, showing that the alanine mutant displaces half a charge less upon binding DNA than an inactive form of topoisomerase I. These observations indicate that His-365 participates in DNA binding and is responsible for optimal catalysis at physiological pH.
Rotation spectrum of methyl alcohol

Abstract The rotation spectrum of methanol vapor has been measured from 50 to 457 cm −1 . Combining these data with the work of Borden and Barker provides an accurate map of the spectrum to 625 cm −1 together with some provisional observations between 695 and 860 cm −1 . The primary purpose of the theoretical discussion is to identify the observed lines and subsequently, through combination relations, to establish the rotational energy levels of the molecule. These levels may be labeled by the quantum number n , τ, K , and J . n corresponds roughly to a vibration in the hindering potential field and τ designates the three types of levels resulting from the threefold potential. J gives the total angular momentum and K its component along the molecular symmetry axis. The method of analysis consisted first in calculating the rotational levels using the barrier height and the moments of inertia established through earlier investigations of the microwave spectrum. The intensities of the lines occurring within the region of experimental observation were calculated. The resulting predicted spectrum when compared with the observed spectrum allowed a considerable number of identifications to be made but revealed deviations due to centrifugal force effects. These latter were then calculated and ultimately a very satisfactory fit was obtained. The rotational levels were then determined for n = 0, 1, 2, and 3 and for K = 0 through 10. The accuracy is estimated to be of the order of a few tenths of a wave per centimeter. The small discrepancies between these observed levels and the calculated levels (taking account of centrifugal distortion) are discussed and it is concluded that the hindering potential must be sinusoidal in form with an accuracy of better than one percent.
Lifetime difference in Bs mixing: Standard Model and beyond

Abstract We present a calculation of 1 / m b 2 corrections to the lifetime differences of B s mesons Δ Γ B s in the heavy-quark expansion. We find that they are small to significantly affect Δ Γ B s and present the result for lifetime difference including non-perturbative 1 / m b and 1 / m b 2 corrections. We also analyze the generic Δ B = 1 New Physics contributions to Δ Γ B s and provide several examples.
The Subjective Dates of Natural Events in Very-Long-Term Memory

This research explores the problem of how people determine the time of public events, such as the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan or the Three-Mile Island accident. According to what here is called the accessibility principle, the subjective dates of these events depend in part on the amount that can be recalled about them: The more known, the more recent the event will seem. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrate this effect when subjects estimate explicit dates for important news stories of the 1970s and 1980s. The same effect appears in Experiment 3 for subjects who rate the recency of less known events drawn from a single week. Accessibility also contributes to the amount of time needed to compare the subjective date of an event (e.g., the Jonestown suicides) to an explicitly presented date (e.g., November 1979), as shown in Experiment 4. The accessibility principle for time estimation can be conceived as one of a related group of retrieval-based inferences that plays a part in judgments of frequency and probability and judgments about the falsity of a putative fact.
Temperature dependence of surface conductance and a model of vicinal (interfacial) water

Abstract Data are reported for the temperature dependence of the total conductivity of aqueous solutions in Pyrex capillaries of varying diameter (ranging from 5–2000 μm). From these data the contribution due to surface conductance has been extracted and the total conductances of the capillaries have been analyzed in terms of a model consisting of water with bulk-like attributes and a region of differently structured water near the interface. The model treatment provides estimates of the thickness of the vicinal, locally structured water at the solution/glass interface. The thickness of the modified water layers appears to range from 0.05 to 0.2 μm.
Isolation, purification and characterization of infectious hypodermal and hematopoetic necrosis virus (IHHNV) from penaeid shrimp

A protocol was developed for the isolation and purification of the infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) of penaeid shrimps. Cesium chloride-banded virus obtained from three sources of infected shrimps was found to have a buoyant density of 1.33 g/cm3. Also, electron microscopical studies employing negative stain revealed isometric particles having a size of 19 +/- 1 nm. Colorimetric analysis of its nucleic acid type indicated that these particles contain only RNA.
Improved Electrospray Ionization Efficiency Compensates for Diminished Chromatographic Resolution and Enables Proteomics Analysis of Tyrosine Signaling in Embryonic Stem Cells

Characterization of signaling pathways in embryonic stem cells is a prerequisite for future application of these cells to treat human disease and other disorders. Identification of tyrosine signaling cascades is of particular interest but is complicated by the relatively low levels of tyrosine phosphorylation in embryonic stem cells. These hurdles correlate with the primary limitations of mass spectrometry-based proteomics; namely, poor detection limit and dynamic range. To overcome these obstacles, we fabricated miniaturized LC-electrospray assemblies that provided ∼15-fold improvement in LC-MS performance. Significantly, our characterization data demonstrate that electrospray ionization efficiency compensates for diminished chromatographic performance at effluent flow rates below Van Deemter minima. Use of these assemblies facilitated quantitative proteomics-based analysis of tyrosine signaling cascades in embryonic stem cells. Our results suggest that a renewed focus on miniaturized LC coupled to ultra...
Consistency of Age Reporting on Death Certificates and Social Security Records among Elderly African Americans

This paper investigates the quality of age data among African Americans in two sets of government documents extensively used to study health and mortality among the elderly in the United States, namely vital statistics and Medicare/Social Security data. The analyses reveal significant inconsistencies in age reporting in the two sources. A linkage of records to a third data source, the U.S. Censuses of 1900, 1910, and 1920, reveals that Social Security data provide a superior source of age information among elderly African Americans, although the quality of data at the highest ages in this source is also suspect. Analyses of factors associated with consistency of age reporting in the two sources identify birth record availability and literacy to be key influences. The authors conclude that studies involving elderly African Americans should institute independent age verification procedures at the baseline interview in order to draw accurate conclusions about age-related processes among this population subgroup.
Parathyroid adenoma in patients with Graves' disease: a report of 21 cases.

Graves’ disease (GD) is frequently associated with mild hypercalcemia. The hypercalcemia may be due to the activation of osteoclastic bone resorption caused by the excess thyroid hormone. In some cases of GD, the hypercalcemia can be attributable to concomitant parathyroid diseases. In this study, 21 patients with a history of GD developed parathyroid adenoma based on histology, intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) monitoring, and other clinical features. There were 11 patients with a history of radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) for GD. The latency time of RAI was from 12 to 41 years. The case cohort was divided into two groups: patients with (group GR: 11 patients) and patients without a history of RAI (group G: 10 patients). Mean age of patients in group GR was 54.8 years compared to 62.2 years of group G (P = 0.08). There were no statistically significant differences regarding the parathyroid weight, serum calcium, and pre- and post-parathyroidectomy PTH levels. There was no histopathologic difference between the two groups. In conclusion, we report 21 cases of parathyroid adenoma in patients with Graves’ disease. There may be a possible link between GD patients with a RAI history and an increased risk of parathyroid adenoma. The parathyroid adenomas showed no clinicopathological differences between GD patient with and without a history of RAI.
The Expanding Minkowski Space

Under the common relativistic velocity composition law the relativistically admissible velocities form a weakly associative-commutative group (WACG) rather than an ordinary group. A study of the resulting abstract WACG led to the development of a method of constructing other concrete WACGs, two of which are presented here. Due to their similarity to the standard Lorentz transformation group and to its associated weakly associative-commutativegroup of velocities, the presented two WACGs provide a nonstandard Lorentz transformation acting on a nonstandard, expanding Minkowski time-space. The resulting nonstandard Lorentz group, in turn, may be used to test some basic ideas concerning special theory of relativity and its underlying Minkowski space.
Major depression in hospitalized medically ill older men: Documentation, management, and outcome

Fifty-three hospitalized elderly men with medical illness were diagnosed with major depressive disorder and followed up for a mean of 2.3 months. Documentation and management of the depression by medical housestaff during the followup period were examined. There was no note of depression in the medical records of 44% of depressed patients, and depression was on the active problem list of only 32%. Followup and management plans for the depression after discharge were documented in 29%. No form of treatment was prescribed for 44% of depressed patients. Outcomes were determined by psychiatric evaluation at the end of the followup period. Of the 33 patients still alive and evaluated at followup, 64% had persistent depression, 18% improved, and 18% were in complete remission. No baseline patient sociodemographic or health characteristic, including severity of depression, was significantly related to improvement. Likewise, neither extent of documentation nor treatment implemented by housestaff was a significant predictor of outcome. We conclude that serious clinical depression in medically ill older patients may persist for a considerable period after hospital discharge and neither detection nor current management strategies appear to have a major impact on outcome.
Intergroup Schadenfreude: motivating participation in collective violence

People who identify strongly with their social groups frequently experience pleasure when they observe threatening out-group members’ misfortunes: a phenomenon termed intergroup Schadenfreude. Though people are generally averse to harming others, they may learn to overcome this aversion via the consistent pairing of subjective pleasure with out-group pain, thereby lowering the barrier to participating in collective violence. In neuroimaging studies, intergroup Schadenfreude is associated with engagement of ventral striatum (VS), a brain region involved in reinforcement-learning. In these experiments, VS activity predicts increased harm and decreased help toward competitive out-group members. Experiencing this pleasure-pain association in intergroup contexts is particularly pernicious because it can generalize to people who are merely affiliated with a threatening out-group, but have done nothing to provoke harm.
The ethics of a proposed study of hematopoietic stem cell transplant for children with “less severe” sickle cell disease

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is the only cure for sickle cell disease (SCD). HSCT using an HLA-identical sibling donor is currently an acceptable treatment option for children with severe SCD, with expected HSCT survival >95% and event-free survival >85%. HSCT for children with less severe SCD (children who have not yet suffered overt disease complications or only had mild problems) is controversial. It is important to consider the ethical issues of a proposed study comparing HLA-identical sibling HSCT to best supportive care for children with less severe SCD. In evaluating the principles of nonmaleficence, respect for individual autonomy, and justice, we conclude that a study of HLA-identical sibling HSCT for all children with SCD, particularly hemoglobin SS and Sβ(0)-thalassemia disease, is ethically sound. Future work should explore the implementation of a large trial to help determine whether HSCT is a beneficial treatment of children with less severe SCD.
Ferroelectric domain switching dynamics with combined 20 nm and 10 ns resolution

High speed piezo force microscopy (HSPFM) is employed to investigate ferroelectric domain nucleation and growth of an exposed PZT film. Twenty nanometer spatial and 10 ns temporal resolution is achieved using a pump:probe methodology, allowing area switching and individual domain dynamics to be monitored. Two complementary investigations are performed, mapping switching in either a single 2 μm × 2 μm area for 4.2 V pulses with durations ranging from 20 to 60 ns, or for 10 ns pulses with amplitudes varying from −4 to −4.7 V. In this manner, nascent domains, as well as long-term growth, are efficiently quantified with substantial statistical significance due to the hundreds of images that can reasonably be acquired in a practical experimental session. The switching mechanism, areal switching rate, domain nucleation time, and domain wall velocity are each clearly independent of pulse width. In contrast, these parameters are strongly influenced by increasing pulse heights, including a faster switching rate, shorter nucleation times, and additional nucleation sites. This suggests a spatially and energetically heterogeneous landscape of activation energies for domain reversal sites, only some of which can therefore participate in switching with weak pulses but many of which are activated for strong pulses. These quantitative results, and the spatial, temporal, and statistical benefits provided by HSPFM combined with pump:probe techniques, have important implications for determining ultimate switching speeds, ideal device geometries, and optimal materials selection and processing.
EFFECT OF 5-FLUOROURACIL ON POLIOVIRUS GROWTH.

Abstract Poliovirus grown in the presence of 8.5 × 10−2 M 5-fluorouracil (FU-virus) was twice as sensitive to UV light as virus propagated in the absence of drug. Growth curves of control and FU-virus were indistinguishable. The virus-producing capacity of cells infected with either control or FU-virus exhibited increased resistance to UV light 3 hours following infection. However, cells infected with normal virus showed a higher degree of UV resistance than cells infected with FU-virus. The relative resistance to UV irradiation of poliovirus infectious centers was less marked when 5-FU was present in the medium during the eclipse period. Treatment of cells with drug before infection did not alter their susceptibility to poliovirus nor reduce the virus yield. The experiments suggest synthesis of RNA soon after poliovirus infection.
A thermodynamic consistent damage and healing model for self healing materials

Thermodynamics of the damage and the healing processes for viscoplastic materials is discussed in detail and constitutive equations for coupled inelastic-damage-healing processes are proposed in a thermodynamic consistent framework. Small deformation state is utilized and the kinematic and the isotropic hardening effects for the damage and healing processes are introduced into the governing equations. Two new yield surfaces for the damage and healing processes are proposed that take into account the isotropic hardening effect. The computational aspect for solving the coupled elasto-plastic-damage-healing problem is investigated, and the mechanical behavior of the proposed polymeric based self healing system is obtained. Uniaxial compression tests are implemented on a shape memory polymer based self healing system and the damage and the healing are captured by measurement of the changes in the modulus of elasticity. It is concluded that the proposed constitutive equations can model the damage and healing effectively and the mechanical behavior of a shape memory polymer based self healing system can be precisely modeled using this formulation.
Fast Fourier transforms for finite inverse semigroups

Abstract We extend the theory of fast Fourier transforms on finite groups to finite inverse semigroups. We use a general method for constructing the irreducible representations of a finite inverse semigroup to reduce the problem of computing its Fourier transform to the problems of computing Fourier transforms on its maximal subgroups and a fast zeta transform on its poset structure. We then exhibit explicit fast algorithms for particular inverse semigroups of interest—specifically, for the rook monoid and its wreath products by arbitrary finite groups.
Past reproductive success affects future habitat selection

Correlational studies have shown that an individual's past reproductive success often increases its breeding site fidelity (i.e., the tendency to return to a previously occupied location), suggesting that individuals use their reproductive experience to assess habitat quality. However, the causality of the relationship between reproductive success and site fidelity is still uncertain. In a field experiment, the effect of mating success on site fidelity was isolated from potential confounding variables in a territorial dragonfly, the eastern amberwing (Perithemis tenera). The experiment controlled for site quality, intrinsic characteristics of males, previous territorial experience at the site, arrival order, and territorial evictions. Males that were prevented from mating were much more likely to change sites the following day than control males that were allowed to mate. This result was not affected by age, the amount of time a male spent on the site, or mortality. These results imply that individuals use their own reproductive success to assess the quality of the habitat. The benefit to an individual of using its reproductive success to determine habitat quality is discussed relative to other sources of information.
Effects of Electroosmotic Flow on Ionic Current Rectification in Conical Nanopores

The effects of electroosmotic flow (EOF) on the ionic current rectification (ICR) phenomenon in conical nanopores are studied comprehensively with use of a continuum model, composed of Nernst−Planck equations for the ionic concentrations, the Poisson equation for the electric potential, and Navier−Stokes equations for the flow field. It is found that the preferential current direction of a negatively charged nanopore is toward the base (tip) under a relatively high (low) κRt, the ratio of the tip radius size to the Debye length. The direction also changes with the charge polarity of the nanopore. The EOF effect on the ionic current rectification ratio in a conical nanopore becomes noticeable at an intermediate κRt and surface charge density of the nanopore, meanwhile increasing significantly with the applied voltage.
Controllability and observability grammians for balancing linear singularly perturbed systems

In this article we present a method to obtain an improved balancing transformation for linear singularly perturbed (SP) systems. First, an algorithm which utilizes the Chang transformation is introduced. The algorithm is used to obtain the exact controllability and observability Grammians (identical under balanced coordinates) of a linear system. The exact Grammians obtained in terms of reduced order Lyapunov/Sylvester equations corresponding to slow and fast subsystems are then used to construct the improved balanced realization of the SP system. A case study is provided at the end of the article to demonstrate the difference between the algorithm present in current literature and the method we develop.
Lorenz bar repair of pectus excavatum in the adult population: should it be done?

Background Although extensive literature exists on the Lorenz bar repair of pectus excavatum (PE) in pediatric patients, few data examine this repair in adults or compare long-term outcomes in adults with the pediatric population. We identified the preoperative characteristics, postoperative complications, and outcomes of adult patients undergoing Lorenz bar repair of PE who had bar removal and compared these outcomes with a pediatric population undergoing the same procedure. Methods A retrospective review (1997 to 2006) of patients undergoing primary repair of PE with a Lorenz bar identified 107 individuals aged older than 18 and 137 patients aged 6 to 14, of whom 52 and 80 had their bar(s) removed, respectively. These latter patients were the focus of analysis. Data collected included demographics, preoperative symptoms, operative characteristics, and postoperative outcomes. Results The median (interquartile range, IQR) age and pectus index of adult patients (81% men) at the time of repair was 23 (18 to 30) years and 3.8 (3.5 to 4.3), respectively. In 2 adults (3.9%), PE recurred after bar removal, and 6 (11.6%) required surgical revision for bar displacement or upper sternal depression. These rates of complications were similar to those found in children undergoing Lorenz bar repair of PE at our institution. Conclusions Lorenz bar placement to correct PE in adults can be performed safely and effectively, with rates of bar displacement, sternal depression, recurrence, and reoperation that are not statistically different than those found in a younger pediatric population.
Role of cyclophilin D-dependent mitochondrial permeability transition in glutamate-induced calcium deregulation and excitotoxic neuronal death

In the present study we tested the hypothesis that the cyclophilin D-dependent (CyD) mitochondrial permeability transition (CyD-mPT) plays an important role in glutamate-triggered delayed calcium deregulation (DCD) and excitotoxic neuronal death. We used cultured cortical neurons from wild-type C57BL/6 and cyclophilin D-knockout mice (Ppif(-/-)). Induction of the mPT was identified by following the rapid secondary acidification of mitochondrial matrices monitored with mitochondrially targeted pH-sensitive yellow fluorescent protein. Suppression of the CyD-mPT due to genetic CyD ablation deferred DCD and mitochondrial depolarization, and increased the survival rate after exposure of neurons to 10 microM glutamate, but not to 100 microM glutamate. Ca(2+) influx into Ppif(-/-) neurons was not diminished in comparison with WT neurons judging by (45)Ca accumulation. In both types of neurons, 100 microM glutamate produced greater Ca(2+) influx than 10 microM glutamate. We hypothesize that greater Ca(2+) influx produced by higher glutamate rapidly triggered the CyD-independent mPT in both WT and Ppif(-/-) neurons equalizing their responses to supra-physiologic excitotoxic insults. In neurons exposed to moderate but pathophysiologically-relevant glutamate concentrations, an induction of the CyD-mPT appears to play an important role in mitochondrial injury contributing to DCD and cell death.
Application of a cell-mapping method to optimal control problems

Abstract The cell-mapping method previously used to study the global behaviour of strongly non-linear systems is extended to optimal control problems. Approximate optimal control results are extracted from the family of controlled mappings by a systematic search. Provisions are made to account for rigid barriers to flow in the continuum state space. A method of implementation is also proposed, which involves linear interpolation of the discrete optimal controls.
Comparative survival of Salmonella typhimurium DT 104, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in preservative-free apple cider and simulated gastric fluid.

Abstract This study compared the survival of three-strain mixtures (ca. 107 CFU ml−1 each) of Salmonella typhimurium DT104, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in pasteurized and unpasteurized preservative-free apple cider (pH 3.3–3.5) during storage at 4 and 10°C for up to 21 days. S. typhimurium DT104 populations decreased by 7.0 log10 CFU ml−1 decrease) after 14 days at 4°C in unpasteurized cider. In related experiments, when incubated in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.5) at 37°C, S. typhimurium DT104 and L. monocytogenes were eliminated (5.5–6.0 log10 CFU ml−1 decrease) within 5 and 30 min, respectively, whereas E. coli O157:H7 concentrations decreased only 1.60–2.80 log10 CFU ml−1 within 2 h.
Social-norms interventions for light and nondrinking students.

Social-norms approaches to alcohol prevention are based on consistent findings that most students overestimate the prevalence of drinking among their peers. Most interventions have been developed f...
Confronting The Urgent Challenge Of Diabetes: An Overview

The rising tide of diabetes has an unacceptable human and societal toll. Rates of all major forms of diabetes are increasing at enormous individual and societal cost: 8.3 percent of the US populati...
A hydroxyl radical–like species oxidizes cynomolgus monkey artery wall proteins in early diabetic vascular disease

Recent evidence argues strongly that the marked increase in risk for atherosclerotic heart disease seen in diabetics cannot be explained by a generalized increase in oxidative stress. Here, we used streptozotocin to induce hyperglycemia in cynomolgus monkeys for 6 months and tested whether high glucose levels promote localized oxidative damage to artery wall proteins. We focused on three potential agents of oxidative damage: hydroxyl radical, tyrosyl radical, and reactive nitrogen species. To determine which pathways operate in vivo, we quantified four stable end products of these reactants -- ortho-tyrosine, meta-tyrosine, o,o'-dityrosine, and 3-nitrotyrosine -- in aortic proteins. Levels of ortho-tyrosine, meta-tyrosine, and o,o'-dityrosine, but not of 3-nitrotyrosine, were significantly higher in aortic tissue of hyperglycemic animals. Of the oxidative agents we tested, only hydroxyl radical mimicked this pattern of oxidized amino acids. Moreover, tissue levels of ortho-tyrosine and meta-tyrosine correlated strongly with serum levels of glycated hemoglobin, a measure of glycemic control. We conclude that short-term hyperglycemia in primates promotes oxidation of artery wall proteins by a species that resembles hydroxyl radical. Our observations suggest that glycoxidation reactions in the arterial microenvironment contribute to early diabetic vascular disease, raising the possibility that antioxidant therapies might interrupt this process.
Photothermal Imaging and Measurement of Protein Shell Stoichiometry of Single HIV-1 Gag Virus-Like Nanoparticles

Virus life stages often constitute a complex chain of events, difficult to track in vivo and in real-time. Challenges are associated with spatial and time limitations of current probes: most viruses are smaller than the diffraction limit of optical microscopes while the entire time scale of virus dynamics spans over 8 orders of magnitude. Thus, virus processes such as entry, disassembly, and egress have generally remained poorly understood. Here we discuss photothermal heterodyne imaging (PHI) as a possible alternative to fluorescence microscopy in the study of single virus-like nanoparticle (VNP) dynamics, with relevance in particular to virus uncoating. Being based on optical absorption rather than emission, PHI could potentially surpass some of the current limitations associated with fluorescent labels. As proof-of-principle, single VNPs self-assembled from 60 nm DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles (DNA-Au NPs) encapsulated in a Gag protein shell of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) were image...
A comparison of the Ranson, Glasgow, and APACHE II scoring systems to a multiple organ system score in predicting patient outcome in pancreatitis.

Abstract Background Systems for evaluating acute pancreatitis are useful in hospitalized patients. Traditional systems of evaluation are well established but might be outdated. We propose a Multiple Organ System Score (MOSS) containing data that are more consistently collected and which are accurate in predicting patient outcome. Methods A retrospective chart review of 49 patients was completed. We determined if the physician obtained all of the variables necessary to calculate Ranson, Glasgow, or APACHE II scores, if these scores were predictive of patient outcome in the form of length of hospital stay (LOS), and if new, more frequently evaluated variables could be used. Results None of the patients could be assigned complete scores. According to Spearman rank correlation, both Glasgow and MOSS showed correlation with patient outcome when APACHE II and Ranson did not. Conclusions Although larger studies should be performed, the MOSS is useful in predicting outcomes of patients with acute pancreatitis.
Acute effects of resistance exercise on muscle protein synthesis rate in young and elderly men and women

Muscle mass and function are improved in the elderly during resistance exercise training. These improvements must result from alterations in the rates of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown. We determined the rate of quadriceps muscle protein synthesis using the in vivo rate of incorporation of intravenously infused [13C]leucine into mixed-muscle protein in both young (24 yr) and elderly (63-66 yr) men and women before and at the end of 2 wk of resistance exercise training. Before training, the fractional rate of muscle protein synthesis was lower in the elderly than in the young (0.030 +/- 0.003 vs. 0.049 +/- 0.004%/h; P = 0.004) but increased (P < 0.03) to a comparable rate of muscle protein synthesis in both young (0.075 +/- 0.009%/h) and elderly subjects (0.076 +/- 0.011%/h) after 2 wk of exercise. In the elderly, muscle mass, 24-h urinary 3-methylhistidine and creatinine excretion, and whole body protein breakdown rate determined during the [13C]leucine infusion were not changed after 2 wk of exercise. These findings demonstrate that, during the initial phase of a resistance exercise training program, a marked increase in quadriceps muscle protein synthesis rate occurs in elderly and young adults without an increase in the rate of whole body protein breakdown. In the elderly, this was not accompanied by an increase in urinary 3-methylhistidine excretion, an index of myofibrillar protein breakdown.
An experimental study of the efficiency of unanimity rule and majority rule

Scholars traditionally claim that unanimity rule is more capable of producing Pareto optimal outcomes than majority rule. Dougherty and Edward (Public Choice 151(3):655–678, 2012) make the opposite claim assuming proposals are either random, sincere, or strategic. We test these competing hypotheses in a two-dimensional framework using laboratory experiments. Our primary results suggest: (1) majority rule enters the Pareto set more quickly than unanimity rule, (2) majority rule leaves the Pareto set at the same rate as unanimity rule, and (3) majority rule is more likely to select a Pareto optimal outcome than unanimity rule at the end of the game.
Generalization Error and the Expected Network Complexity

For two layer networks with n sigmoidal hidden units, the generalization error is shown to be bounded by O(E 1/K) + O((EK)d/N log N), where d and N are the input dimension and the number of training samples, respectively. E represents the expectation on random number K of hidden units (1 ≤ K ≤ n). The probability Pr(K = k) (1 ≤ k ≤ n) is determined by a prior distribution of weights, which corresponds to a Gibbs distribution of a regularizer. This relationship makes it possible to characterize explicitly how a regularization term affects bias/variance of networks. The bound can be obtained analytically for a large class of commonly used priors. It can also be applied to estimate the expected network complexity EK in practice. The result provides a quantitative explanation on how large networks can generalize well.
A User-Friendly Formulation of the Newtonian Dynamics for the Coupled Wing-Body System in Insect Flight

We establish a user-friendly matrix formulation of the Newtonian dynamics for the free flight of an insect. In our formulation, we can easily change the number of insect wings, prescribe either the kinematics of each wing relative to the body or the torque on each wing exerted by the body, and allow for the dependence of fluid force and torque on acceleration. The implementation of the formulation is straightforward.