cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The relation between sex drive and sexual attraction to men and women: a cross-national study of heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual men and women.

Recent research suggests that, for most women, high sex drive is associated with increased sexual attraction to both women and men. For men, however, high sex drive is associated with increased attraction to one sex or the other, but not to both, depending on men's sexual orientation (Lippa, R. A., 2006, Psychological Science, 17, 46–52). These findings were replicated in a very large BBC data set and were found to hold true in different nations, world regions, and age groups. Consistent with previous research, lesbians differed from other women in showing the male-typical pattern, that high sex drive is associated with attraction to one sex but not the other. Bisexual women and men were more similar to same-sex heterosexuals than to same-sex homosexuals in their pattern of results. The correlation between same-sex and other-sex attraction was consistently negative for men, was near zero for heterosexual and bisexual women, and negative for lesbians. Thus, same-sex and other-sex attractions were, in general, more bipolar and mutually exclusive for men than for women. The current findings add to evidence that sexual orientation is organized differently in women and men and suggest a biological component to this difference.
Advances in the use of birefringence to measure laser-induced density changes in fused silica

Birefringence mapping of fused silica samples is used to measure density change in the material after exposure to excimer laser radiation. The proper techniques and methods that should be used to perform the exposure of the samples and the analysis of the birefringence results will be discussed. The quantitative analysis of birefringence measurements includes the correct subtraction of the initial birefringence of the sample and the comparison with a theoretical birefringence map calculated for a 1 ppm unconstrained density change under consideration of material and exposure parameters. Proper experimental conditions include the use of samples with low initial birefringence and a round circularly polarized laser beam with top-hat intensity profile.
Wave-front analyzer using a maximum likelihood algorithm

A technique is described wherein the pupil phase profile is obtained from the image irradiance or point spread function. Results of numerical examples are shown that illustrate the procedure on spread functions with large aberrations and on irradiance measurements containing noise.
New Design of the Cochlear Implant Probe with Polycrystalline Diamond Piezoresistive Position Sensors

Polycrystalline diamond (poly-C) was used as a piezoresistive position sensor in a cochlear implant probe for its high piezoresistive sensitivity. Based on previous studies [Spelman, FA, 1999], the 3rd generation cochlear probe with poly-C position sensors were designed and fabricated with several new improvements for compatibility and integration with the Si-based bulk micromachining technology. In-situ doped poly-C film, with a thickness of 2 mum, were grown and patterned on the probe as the piezoresistor. Low contact resistivity between poly-C and metal was achieved using a highly doped poly-C thin interlayer. A piezoresistive gauge factor of 44 was achieved from the poly-C sensor on the probe. The film quality, electrical properties, contact resistance and piezoresistivity of the poly-C sensors were characterized, which demonstrated a successful integration of diamond technology with the silicon based microsystem
Estimation of Central Aortic Pressure Waveform by Mathematical Transformation of Radial Tonometry Pressure Data

Background Central aortic pressures and waveform convey important information about cardiovascular status, but direct measurements are invasive. Peripheral pressures can be measured noninvasively, and although they often differ substantially from central pressures, they may be mathematically transformed to approximate the latter. We tested this approach, examining intersubject and intrasubject variability and the validity of using a single averaged transformation, which would enhance its applicability. Methods and Results Invasive central aortic pressure by micromanometer and radial pressure by automated tonometry were measured in 20 patients at steady state and during hemodynamic transients (Valsalva maneuver, abdominal compression, nitroglycerin, or vena caval obstruction). For each patient, transfer functions (TFs) between aortic and radial pressures were calculated by parametric model and results averaged to yield individual TFs. A generalized TF was the average of individual functions. TFs varied amo...
Home treatment of childhood diarrhea in Punjab villages.

Diarrhea was the main cause of death among pre-school children under surveillance in a combined nutrition and infectious disease control program in Punjab India. Case fatality rates were low (0.7-4.1 deaths per 1000 cases) but incidence was very high averaging 41.0 episodes per 100 children per month. Initial efforts at home treatment with oral fluid were not successful but an intensive training program for supervisors village level workers and mothers resulted in a significant reduction in mortality from diarrhea although the incidence was unchanged. Training emphasized classification of cases into treatment categories according to defined criteria and placing responsibility for treatment of all but the most severe cases in the hands of auxiliaries and mothers.(AUTHOR ABSTRACT)
Enhanced control over selective-area intermixing of In0.15Ga0.85As/GaAs quantum dots through post-growth exposure to radio-frequency plasma

Abstract Post-growth treatment with a low pressure, CF 4 -plasma is demonstrated to reliably inhibit the interdiffusion of In and Ga atoms in In 0.15 Ga 0.85 As/GaAs self-assembled quantum dot wafer structures subjected to rapid thermal annealing temperatures between 700 °C and 800 °C for a duration of 20 s. Comparative studies of the effects of rapid thermal annealing were made on plasma treated samples and samples that were capped with either 200 nm of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited SiO 2 or 220 nm of thermally deposited TiO 2 prior to plasma exposure, as well as to uncapped, untreated control samples. Room-temperature photoluminescence spectra were acquired using a Ti-Sapphire laser operating at 742 nm as the excitation source. A bandgap differential of 84 meV (94 nm) was measured across a wafer sample annealed at 775 °C, when contrasting sections that were uncapped and treated with the CF 4 -plasma versus sections that were annealed without any treatment to the surface. This was comparable to a sample that was capped with the TiO 2 film, which produced a 73.5 meV (82 nm) variance from the raw, annealed-only sample.
Recent Developments in Transition State Theory

A number of recent developments in classical and quantum transition state rate theory are briefly discussed.
Choline substitution for sodium triggers glutamate and adenosine release from rat hippocampal slices

Substituting choline for sodium resulted in an extracellularly recorded transient depolarization and increased efflux of glutamate and adenosine from rat hippocampal slices. The depolarization was blocked by a combination of NMDA and non-NMDA antagonists, MK-801 (10 microM) and 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX, 50 microM). Adenosine release was blocked by MK-801 alone. These data suggest that glutamate released as a result of the sodium removal acts at NMDA and non-NMDA glutamate receptors to trigger the depolarization and acts at NMDA receptors to trigger adenosine release.
Weekly Low-Dose Carboplatin and Paclitaxel in the Treatment of Recurrent Ovarian and Peritoneal Cancer

Abstract Objectives. Weekly paclitaxel alone has moderate activity in the salvage treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer and is associated with a favorable toxicity profile. Combination paclitaxel and carboplatin is a well-established first-line regimen for ovarian cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate weekly low-dose paclitaxel and carboplatin in recurrent ovarian or peritoneal cancer. Methods. Patients with recurrent ovarian or peritoneal cancer previously treated with between one and four chemotherapeutic regimens were eligible. Patients had measurable or assessable disease defined by clinical exam, radiographic studies, or serum CA-125 greater than 75 U/ml. One cycle of treatment consisted of carboplatin at an area under the curve of 2 and paclitaxel at 80 mg/m 2 on days 1, 8, and 15 on a 28-day cycle. Clinical responses were defined by established criteria. Results. Twenty-nine patients were included in this intent-to-treat study. The median number of prior treatment regimens was 2 (range 1 to 4). The overall response rate was 82.8% (16 complete clinical responses, 8 partial responses). Among 8 platinum-refractory patients, the response rate was 37.5%, while 21 platinum-sensitive patients had a 100% response rate. Median time to progression was 13.7 months among platinum-sensitive patients and 3.2 months among platinum-refractory patients. Overall median time to progression was 11.5 months and median-duration of response was 9.9 months. Hematologic toxicity was common (32% grade 3 neutropenia, no grade 4 neutropenia, 14.2% grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia) and managed by treatment delay, dose reduction of paclitaxel, or discontinuation of carboplatin. Conclusion. Weekly low-dose carboplatin and paclitaxel has significant activity in both platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer with acceptable toxicity that is easily managed by dose adjustment.
Cell-free N-glycosylation in Dictyostelium discoideum: Analysis of wild-type and mutants defective in lipid-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis

N-glycosylation was measured in wild-type cell lysates of Dictyostelium discoideum and in two mutant strains that synthesize a truncated lipid-linked oligosaccharide, Man6GlcNAc2 lacking terminal mannose and glucose residues. Endogenous lipid-linked oligosaccharide (LLO) was transferred to octanoyl-Asn-[125I]Tyr-ThrNH2 by membrane fractions. About 50% of the glycopeptide product remained associated with membranes. Taurocholate and saponin promoted and preserved glycosylation, but NP-40 and Triton X-100 did not. Using this artificial assay, the rate and extent of transfer of the truncated lipid-linked oligosaccharide in extracts of the two mutant strains, HL241 and HL243, was reduced 5-10-fold relative to that of wild-type. The low activity found in the mutant strains appears to result from either reduced affinity of the truncated LLO for the transferase or from its improper topological localization in the membrane. When protein N-glycosylation is measured in living cells it is nearly normal in HL241, but it is 3-4-fold decreased in HL243. Although the results of the in vitro and in vivo assays differ, they are not in conflict. Rather, they suggest that the static in vitro assay may be capable of revealing subtleties in the productive positioning of LLO and the oligosaccharyl transferase. The decrease in glycosylation seen in intact HL243 cells may be a consequence of the pleiotropic effects of the primary mutation rather than a direct result of the altered LLO structure. Genetic analysis showed that the mutation in HL241 is recessive, while the mutation in HL243 is dominant and prevents normal development. Thus, the two mutants share a lesion in lipid-linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis and in cell-free glycosylation, but differ in their in vivo glycosylation. Their primary defects are probably different.
A 768-Channel CMOS Microelectrode Array With Angle Sensitive Pixels for Neuronal Recording

This paper presents a CMOS sensor array with a 768 low-noise recording sites for neural recording with 2048 intercalated angle-sensitive pixels for optical read-out. The array is highly scalable because of electrode-level digitization with serial data stream-out. The front-end amplifiers use chopping to reduce flicker noise and achieve an input-referred noise of 4.1 μVrms over a 3.6 kHz bandwidth while occupying an area of only 800 μm2. Digitization is performed using a distributed ramp ADC that samples every sensor site at 10 kHz. The electrodes have a 50 μm pitch and are plated with platinum to increase the interface capacitance and ensure biocompatibility. The sensor array is used to refocus a lenless image and to record neural spiking and local field potentials from a mouse olfactory bulb slice.
Forward modeling the kinematic sequence of the central Himalayan thrust belt, western Nepal

The Himalayan thrust belt is often cited as an example of a thrust system that propagated from hinterland to foreland; however, this kinematic sequence is not well documented, and the process of formation of the thrust belt has not been well supported. This study uses forward modeling and timing data to reveal a detailed view of the evolution of the central Himalayan thrust belt from the footwall of the South Tibetan detachment system southward to the Main Frontal thrust. By using a reasonable configuration of undeformed stratigraphy, the surface deformation in western Nepal can be dynamically reproduced, confirming that the cross sections from which the undeformed sections were derived are viable and propagated from hinterland to foreland. In addition, this study yields detailed step-by-step reconstructions of three cross sections and is the first of its kind in any thrust belt system. These detailed views are useful for understanding and bracketing erosion data, the basin sediments, and geodynamic models. Modeling shortening estimates are between 495 and 733 km from the Main Frontal thrust to the South Tibetan detachment system, and are within the range predicted for shortening in western Nepal obtained from balanced cross sections (485–743 km). Thus, the Himalayan thrust belt in western Nepal is essentially a forward-propagating thrust belt from hinterland to foreland, with minor out-of-sequence (
A Preschool Child is Becoming

To emerge as a personality within the span of time between three and five years is no small accomplishment! During these stages a child begins to discover who he is, what he is like and how he can relate to others. Appropriately enough for these stages of growth, he clings to egocentricity (“me-ness”) and a new-found confidence while he concurrently begins to. relate to others. The wavering between the “me-me” part of him and the “you have some” (relating to others) part of him is evident. It is important that the child be helped through these natural stages—and not lose face—in order that he maintain stability. It is equally important that he accept realistic limitations set by adults.
César Vallejo and the Stones of Darwinian Risk

Cesar Vallejo's short story, "Los caynas" (1923), relates a tale of species mutation, of men who become apes. The story, however, is something more than the reflection of the positivist interpretation of Darwinian theory. It can be read as a critique of Positivism's pseudo-scientific ideals or as a version of the Oedipal drama in which the son encounters and rejects his ape father. The ambivalence raises the question of whether Vallejo's Darwinism is to be read literally or ironically as well, as marking an antinomy present throughout his writing between the human subject's immersion in the species and the possibility of a collective humantransformation. This article is available in Studies in 20th Century Literature: http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol14/iss1/3 Cesar Vallejo and the Stones of Darwinian Risk Christiane von Buelow Smith College All were victims of one common obsession, one identical idea-zoological, grotesque, pitiable, a phenomenal absurdity: they thought themselves monkeys and lived as such.' The young man who narrates Cesar Vallejo's short story "Los caynas" (1923) is shocked and terrified when he enters the house of a village family to find that those living there more closely resemble monkeys than they do humans. The narrator recoils from the howling and shrieking acrobatics of a woman whose "anthropoid image" is at once mechanical, child-like and bestial. This "regressive zoological obsession" comes as the third and final manifestation of what the narrator vaguely calls "the mysteries of reason [that] become thorns and well up in the closed and stormy circle of a fatal logic" (58, 52). Earlier episodes anticipate this singular species regression with an oblique, mysterious. logic. A young man named Urquizo from the same village family falls prey to a peculiar form of madness: he boasts to those assembled at a bar that his horse has the extraordinary capacity to defy gravity and ride inverted, hooves pointing upward. Meeting Urquizo in the street one day, the narrator accidentally slips and bumps into him and evokes the angry protest, "Are you mad?" This last episode of "seeing things in reverse" appears to the shaken narrator as a "more transcendent [madness], nothing less than a ratiocination" (53). The madman's psychic projection and the very certainty with which he insists on his own sanity threaten to overwhelm the secure boundaries of rationality within which reality is recognizable. Reason and madness are in danger of reversing positions, of exchanging places. And, Vallejo implies, these sensory and psychic reversals or inversions proceed according to a deterministic
A systematic method for obtaining state equations using MNA

Previously known methods for obtaining state and output equations were based on the graph theoretic approach. The formulation of circuit equations using modified nodal analysis is straightforward and easy to implement in computer formulation. Even if paper and pencil methods are used, for simple circuits, the equations can be obtained by inspection. A simple and systematic method for obtaining state equations using the modified nodal analysis approach is presented.
Oxygen ion conduction and structural disorder in conductive oxides

Abstract Defect-free crystals do not conduct ions. Increasing disorder initially translates into enhanced atomic transport. Heavily defective crystals, however, often exhibit successively lower levels of atomic diffusivity as the defect level is increased. This dilemma may be addressed by considering that highly disordered solids tend towards order. Interesting insights may be obtained by considering compounds with related structures which can be induced to go through order-disorder transitions either by change in temperature or composition. A number of such systems will be considered including materials with structures related to the fluorite and perovskite structures. The significance of these considerations on the application of such materials in solid state electrochemical devices will also be addressed as are the key contributions made by Arthur S. Nowick and co-workers towards our understanding of defect-dopant interactions in such systems.
SPATIAL SIGNATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HETEROGENEITY, DISPERSAL, AND COMPETITION IN SUCCESSIONAL GRASSLANDS

The fate of individual plants is strongly influenced by their spatial context (e.g., their location relative to competitors or environmental gradients). Recent theoretical developments indicate that spatial structure in plant communities arises as an outcome of environmental heterogeneity, intra- and interspecific competition, and localized dispersal. Furthermore, each of these forces is predicted to leave a signature on the spatial and temporal pattern within the community. We track the development of spatial structure in successional grasslands in southern California for five years, using a series of large-scale field experi- ments. We compare the observed changes in spatial structure to the predictions of a spatially explicit model of plant competition in heterogeneous landscapes. We conclude that envi- ronmental heterogeneity led to the development of aggregation in the first year at scales of 1-2 m. Over time, aggregation was detectable at distances greater than 4 m, and species become segregated as a result of competition and localized dispersal. Large-scale distur- bances (fire) homogenized the community by decreasing the level of aggregation and seg- regation. In contrast, disturbance by pocket gophers and ground squirrels increased local- scale heterogeneity by creating annual-dominated aggregates. The speed with which spatial structure develops in seemingly homogeneous environments illustrates the importance of incorporating spatial context in empirical studies and models of plant community dynamics.
Thin Film Rheology and Tribology of Confined Polymer Melts: Contrasts with Bulk Properties

A modified Surface Forces Apparatus was used for making rheological and tribological measurements of thin fluid films, and polybutadiene (PBD) of Mw ≈ 7000 was studied in detail. At low shear rates, PBD exhibits bulklike properties in films thicker than about 200 nm. In thinner films (200−20 nm), the shear viscosity ηeff and moduli G‘ and G‘‘ become quantitatively modified from those of the bulk. However, a sinusoidal input still produces a sinusoidal output, and a modified WLF representation remains applicable to such films. On entering the tribological regime (film thickness <30 nm) polybutadiene exhibits highly nonlinear behavior and yield points, indicative of phase transitions to “glassy” or “solidlike” states. Other features are (i) a shift of the slip plane, (ii) an additional normal force component, and (iii) the emergence of new scaling relationships for ηeff, G‘, G‘‘, and the friction force F as a function of frequency, sliding speed, and other system parameters.
Organization and Management Theory

This article presents reviews of several books including, “Formal Organizations: A Comparative Approach,” by P. M. Blau and W. R. Scott, “A Behavioral Theory of the Firm,” by Richard M. Cyert and James G. March and “The Casual Texture of Organizational Environments, Human Relations,” vol. 18, by F. E. Emery and E. L. Trist.
Masqueraders of angioedema and urticaria

Objectives Reading this article will remind the reader that some patients presenting with complaints of urticaria and angioedema may not have urticaria or angioedema at all, but may have other causes, often unusual, sometimes treatable. It will also increase the reader's ability to recognize masqueraders of angioedema, urticaria, and facial swelling thought to be angioedema. Data Sources Data for this article come mainly from the authors' personal experiences and selected references to illustrate points made in the article. Study Selection The criteria used are patients and articles from the authors' experiences that illustrate the point of this article that patients presenting with urticaria and angioedema may have other diseases and some of these are treatable. Results The objectives will be met by patient presentations plus pertinent literature review. Conclusions Some patients presenting as angioedema and urticaria have swelling and skin lesions attributable to other causes. Although they are uncommon, they are sometimes treatable. Not all patients referred to an allergist for angioedema have angioedema.
Fluorescence Temperature Measurements: Methodology for Applications to Process Monitoring

In previous publications, we described a technique based on fluorescence spec- troscopy to monitor resin temperature during processing. The method consists of using optical fiber sensors to monitor fluorescence from a fluorescent dye that has been doped into the processed resin. Temperature is derived from temperature- induced changes in the fluorescence spectrum. In practice, a temperature calibration function is obtained from the temperature dependence of the ratio of fluorescence intensities at two wavelengths. In this paper, we address several experimental design issues: (a) the supportive role of fluorescence anisotropy measurements to the measuring concept, (b) the experimental setup used for noncontact measurements during capillary rheometry testing, and (c) molecular-level environmental issues that arise during reactive processing and temperature profiling. We find that fluores- cence anisotropy of the dye bis(2,5-tert-butylphenyl)-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide (BTBP) is independent of shear rate up to 250 s -1 , implying that isotropic orientation of the dye is maintained as the matrix resin undergoes dynamic shear flow, i.e. the calibration function made under quiescent conditions applies to dynamic shear flow conditions. Using this technique in a noncontact application to monitor tem- perature of the extrudate from a capillary rheometer required an optical design that neutralized the focusing attributes of the cylindrical extrudate. Application to reactive processing is complicated by changes in polarization that accompany the reaction, and, in some cases, produce wavelength shifts in the fluorescence spectrum. We overcome these effects by using a dye that yields a calibration independent of the polarization effects and by averaging over a large dataset to reduce measurement uncertainty. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:898-908, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Providing Dental Current Awareness to Faculty and Residents

Providing a current awareness service to patrons has long been a concern of many health sciences librarians. Dental librarians have a unique challenge in providing current awareness to patrons as the literature has not always been available in a timely manner through traditional systems. This article will discuss the evolution of current awareness systems, the issues facing dental librarians with regard to providing dental current awareness, and how the Wilson Dental Library addressed those issues.
Coordinated induction of the c-jun gene with genes encoding quinone oxidoreductases in response to xenobiotics and antioxidants

Abstract Xenobiotics and antioxidants induce expression of detoxifying enzymes including NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), NRH:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO2), and glutathione S -transferase Ya (GST Ya), presumably to provide protection to cells against electrophilic and oxidative stress. Antioxidant response elements (AREs) have been found in the promoter regions of the various detoxifying enzyme genes. An ARE is required for basal expression and induction of the various detoxifying enzyme genes in response to xenobiotics and antioxidants. In this study, we demonstrated that exposure of cells to xenobiotics [e.g. β-naphthoflavone (β-NF)] and antioxidants [e.g. tert -butyl hydroquinone ( t -BHQ)] also induced the expression of the proto-oncogene c- jun . The induction of c- jun gene expression followed kinetics similar to the induction of NQO1 and NQO2 genes with respect to the level and time of exposure. Sequence analysis of the c- jun gene promoter revealed the presence of an ARE between nucleotides -538 and -514. The c- jun ARE was highly homologous to the AREs from genes encoding NQO1, NQO2, and GST Ya. Constructs containing the c- jun ARE and 1.7 and 4.5 kb of the c- jun promoter ligated to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene, upon transfection in human hepatoblastoma (Hep-G2) cells, expressed the CAT gene, which was inducible with β-NF and t -BHQ. Band shift assays indicated binding of two specific nuclear protein complexes with the c- jun gene ARE. The faster running c- jun gene ARE–nuclear protein complex was specifically competed out by unlabeled NQO1 and GST Ya gene AREs. These results suggest that c- jun gene expression is coordinately induced and regulated with detoxifying enzyme genes in response to xenobiotics and antioxidants. The results also suggest involvement of an ARE-mediated mechanism of induction of c- jun gene expression. However, a comparison of fold induction of endogenous c- jun gene and transfected c- jun promoter/ARE-CAT constructs indicated involvement of another ARE upstream of the 4.5-kb promoter and/or additional mechanisms such as stabilization of c-Jun RNA in response to exposure to xenobiotics and antioxidants.
A sense of belonging: colonial Indian cofradías and ethnicity in the Valley of Lima, Peru.

With the Spanish conquest came racial miscegenation, depopulation, forced relocation, and migration, which resulted in the implosion of many ethnic (as well as linguistic) distinctions among the Indian peoples. Facilitating this implosion was a European-invented label “indio,” which eliminated—philosophically, juridically, and legally—virtually all ethnic differences. Yet it bestowed upon the Indian peoples a separate existence. In the Peruvian Andes, Indians themselves during rebellious episodes contributed to this ethnic leveling when they called for pan-Andean unity or the return of the pax incaica . To be sure, numerous Indian groups did not entirely loose their distinct identities, and the ethnic implosion itself varied in time and space. Ethnic differences could be maintained through the upkeep of cultural and racial traits, such as in dress, language, marital patterns, or territorial and social boundaries. In large measure, the leveling or disappearance of precontact ethnicities occurred at a faster rate in the urban environments where Indians from rural areas took up residence, or in any region where Spanish culture or non-Indian peoples predominated. There, the invented “indio” or new ethnicity was the viable alternative and thus stronger, while the autochthonous base and ethnic distinctions remained weaker. This weakness differentiated urbanized Indians from their rural counterparts who sustained their links to the past far longer.
Tumor line dependent interactions of irradiation and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum in the multicellular tumor spheroid system☆

Abstract We have compared the effects of cis-platinum and/or X-rays on the growth of two mammary carcinoma lines as multi-cellular tumor spheroids (MTS): MDA-361, an adenocarcinoma derived from a human cerebral metastasis, and MCa-11, a radiation-induced mammary carcinoma of the BALB/c mouse. While MDA-361 is more sensitive,to cis-platinum than is the MCa-11 line, the reverse holds true for radiation sensitivity. Combined treatment with the two agents (±up to four hours) failed to demonstrate a synergistic effect in the MDA-361 line, but did so in the MCa-11 line. Similar studies conducted with other agents and MTS lines indicate that the presence or absence of synergism and its extent is not species or tumor-type dependent, but rather is a function of the physiologic characteristics of the MTS line being considered.
Concerning the solution composition of the normant reagent. New THF soluble methyl copper(I)ate complexes by reaction of “CH3MgBr” and (CH3)2Mg with cuprous bromide

Abstract The composition of the Normant reagent in THF has been studied resulting in the identification of the species in solution as halogen-free copper-magnesium “ate” complexes of type Cu m Mg n Me ( m +2 n ( m = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6; n = 1, 2).
Thermal Conductivity and Thermoelectric Power of Vanadium-Substituted Bi-Based (2223) High-Tc Superconductor as a Function of Temperature

Superconducting samples with nominal composition Bi1.3V0.3Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3Oδ are prepared by the solid state reaction method. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, DC electrical resistivity, critical current density, AC magnetic susceptibility, thermal conductivity and thermoelectric measurements. The room temperature X-ray diffraction pattern of the sample indicated the presence of large amount of Bi-(2223) phase along with minor amount of Bi-(2212) phase. The standard four-probe technique is applied to measure DC electrical resistivity in the temperature range from 300 to 77 K. The onset temperature Tc (onset) and zero resistivity critical temperature Tc (R=0) are found to be 112±1 K and 106±1 K, respectively. The low field AC magnetic susceptibility is also measured as a function of temperature. Thermal conductivity and thermoelectric power of large disc-shaped cylindrical samples are measured as a function of temperature from 300 to 77 K. The increase in thermal conductivity is observed below and above Tc (R=0). The estimation of the resistivity change due to scattering by phonons and impurities has been discussed.
Poisson's ratios of auxetic and other technological materials

Poisson's ratio, the relation between lateral contraction of a thin, linearly elastic rod when subjected to a longitudinal extension, has a long and interesting history. For isotropic bodies, it can theoretically range from +1/2 to -1; the experimental gamut for anisotropics is even larger. The ratio is positive for all combinations of directions in most crystals. But as far back as the 1800s, Voigt and others found that negative values were encountered for some materials, a property now called auxeticity. Here we examine this property from the point of view of crystal stability and compute extrema of the ratio for various interesting and technologically important materials. Potential applications of the auxetic property are mentioned.
Connections between the Pu–Ga phase diagram in the Pu-rich region and the low temperature phase transformations

Abstract Significant progress has been made in recent years regarding the equilibrium phase diagram of the Pu–Ga system. For decades, researchers outside of the former Soviet Union considered the δ phase in Pu–Ga alloys to be in the state of thermodynamic equilibrium down to low temperatures. Recently, decades of experimental work in Russia have been published that indicate the existence of a eutectoid decomposition of the metastable δ phase to α phase and Pu3Ga. Phase diagram calculations by a number of researchers have predicted this eutectoid transformation as well. In this work, we review the experimental and calculated phase diagrams and also comment on the expected consequences of the IIIrd law of thermodynamics with respect to the form of the delta phase field. Assembled data from the literature on the martensite start (MS) and reversion (RS) temperatures for the δ → α′ transformation as a function of Ga content are used to consider the possible trend of the T0 line describing the equivalence of the free energies of the α and δ phases in the phase diagram. It is suggested that in order to reconcile the need for the existence of a driving force for both the compositionally variant eutectoid reaction, as well as a compositionally invariant martensitic transformation in a Pu—2 at.% Ga alloy, the actual T0 line may lie higher than that indicated by the present thermodynamical modeling.
Amylase secretion by rabbit parotid gland. Role of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP.

Abstract Amylase secretion and changes in the levels of cyclic AMP and GMP were studied in rabbit parotid gland slices incubated in vitro with a variety of neurohumoral transmitters, their analogs and inhibitors. Cyclic GMP levels increased 8-fold 5 min after exposure to carbachol (10−4 M), without a change in cyclic AMP levels; amylase output also rose. These effects were completely inhibited by muscarinic blockade with atropine, but were unaffected by α-adrenergic blockade with phenoxybenzamine. Epinephrine (4 · 10−5 M) produced a rapid increase in the levels of both cyclic nucleotides and in amylase release. The increase in cyclic GMP level was inhibited by previous exposure of the slices to phenoxybenzamine, while the cyclic AMP rise was prevented by the β-blocking agent, propranolol. Pure α-adrenergic stimulation with methoxamine (4 · 10−4 M) produced modest elevations in cyclic GMP content and amylase output, effects blocked by pre-treatment of slices with either atropine or phenoxybenzamine. At a concentration of 4 · 10−6 M, isoproterenol (a β-agonist) failed to affect cyclic GMP levels, but promptly stimulated increases in cyclic AMP levels, and after a short lag, amylase secretion. At a higher dose (4 · 10−5 M) isoproterenol produced elevations in the levels of both nucleotides. The carbachol-induced effects on cylcic GMP content and amylase release were greatly potentiated by the addition of isoproterenol (4 · 10−6 M). These data strongly suggest that cholinergic muscarinic agonists and α-adrenergic agonist stimulate amylase output in rabbit parotid gland by mechanisms involving cyclic GMP. The atropine-sensitive intracellular events effected by α-stimulation may be dependent upon endogenous generation of acetylcholine. Both cyclic nucleotides seem to be required for the early rapid secretion of amylase. The unique responses achieved by the combination of carbachol and isoproterenol suggest that isoproterenol may increase the sensitivity of this issue to the effects of cholinergic stimuli.
The Role of Friends in Predicting Loneliness Among Older Women Living Alone

This study examines the role of friends in predicting loneliness among 53 women age 65 and older who live alone. It was hypothesized that friends would be more important in predicting loneliness for those participants who did not have family living in close proximity than for those who had family nearby. However, this was not the case: Self-reported close friends were important for women living alone, regardless of whether they had family living locally. Nurses may want to use these findings to encourage older women to make social connections, even if they live close to their family.
Desialylation of human apolipoprotein E decreases its binding to human high-density lipoprotein and its ability to deliver esterified cholesterol to the liver☆☆☆

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) plays a significant role in the delivery of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol to the liver via the apoB/E receptor. The roles of the apoE sialylation status in its association with HDL and in the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) function of HDL have not been well defined. Furthermore, long-term ethanol treatment impairs apoE sialylation and leads to its decreased content in HDL. Therefore, we investigated the association of either sialo apoE (SapoE) or desialo apoE (DSapoE) with HDL and its effect on the RCT function of HDL. The dextran sulfate precipitation method showed that [125I]DSapoE binding to HDL was 27.3% (P < .02) to 35.5% (P < .001) lower versus [125I]SapoE. Scatchard analysis of the specific binding data showed that [125I]SapoE had 11.2 times more affinity for HDL than [125I]DSapoE based on size-exclusion chromatography (Kd = 89.7 v 1,010 nmol/L). Similarly, [125I]HDL had 4.5 times more affinity for SapoE compared with DSapoE based on solid-phase binding (Kd = 21.9 v 104.4 nmol/L). Furthermore, esterified cholesterol uptake from reconstituted HDL particles (rHDLs) by HepG2 cells increased over basal uptake up to 153% when rHDLs contained SapoE, versus only 37% with DSapoE. Enzymatic resialylation of DSapoE completely resotred its HDL-binding and RCT properties, identical to those of SapoE. It is therefore concluded that desialylation of apoE decreases its binding to plasma HDL, leading to an impaired RCT function.
Cardiovascular physiology: an overview.

C ARDIAC PHYSIOLOGY will be discussed in a stepwise fashion. The events occurring during a single cardiac contraction will be described and the importance of stroke volume, as the mechanical product of such a contraction, and its determinants will be reviewed. The relationship between cardiac output and the peripheral circulation will also be analyzed by the use of ventricular function curves.
The first functional demonstration of optical virtual concatenation as a technique for achieving terabit networking

The optical virtual concatenation (OVC) function of The Terabit LAN was demonstrated for the first time at the iGrid 2005 workshop in San Diego, California. The TERAbit-LAN establishes a lambda group path (LGP) for an application where the number of lambdas/L2 connections in a LGP can be specified by the application. Each LGP is logically treated as one end-to-end optical path, so during parallel transport, the LGP channels have no relative latency deviation. However, optical path diversity (e.g. restoration) can cause LGP relative latency deviations and negatively affect quality of service. OVC hardware developed by NTT compensates for relative latency deviations to achieve a virtual bulk transport for the Electronic Visualization Laboratory's (EVL) Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment application.
Vertebrate exploitation of pulsed marine prey: a review and the example of spawning herring

Short-term bursts of prey availability occur in many ecosystems and have potential important consequences for both predator biology and ecosystem function. Examples of prey ‘pulses’ in marine ecosystems include spawning runs of several anadromous and marine fishes, horseshoe crab spawning, and salmonid juvenile outmigrations, which are exploited by numerous species of vertebrate predators. In a few cases, the fitness or demographic consequences of such predator–prey interactions are known or inferred, but too often that information remains unknown. We explored the extent of temporal and spatial variation in one example of a pulsed marine resource: the spawning of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii). Spawning herring provide a rich, aggregated resource to which dozens of species of vertebrate predators often exhibit strong numerical responses. However, the spawning events are often variable in both time (annual differences of several to many weeks) and space (both regional and more local differences in size and timing of events). Such variability must affect more mobile predators less than area-restricted predators, and thus its effect would vary not only among species but also within species, depending on constraints of the predator life history. Unpredictability of the prey concentrations, whatever their proximate causes, may contribute to maintenance of metapopulations of prey such as herring, if unpredictability lessens the impact of predation.
The Dynamics of Articular Leukocyte Trafficking and the Immune Response to Self Heat-Shock Protein 65 Influence Arthritis Susceptibility

Introduction Adjuvant arthritis (AA) shares several features with human rheumatoid arthritis, and it can be induced in the Lewis (LEW) rat but not the Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat (both RT.1l) by immunization with heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). We set out to unravel the mechanisms underlying the differential susceptibility to AA of these MHC-compatible rat strains.
Mechanistic alteration in micellar peptide esterolysis reactions

Abstract Buffer or CTACl-catalyzed basic cleavages of Z - D - or L -AA- L -Pro p -nitrophenyl esters proceed mainly via intramolecular cyclization to diketopiperazines. These reactions are more facile with DL than with LL substrates.
Electromagnetic distributions demonstrating asymmetry using a spectral-domain dyadic Green's function for ferrite microstrip guided-wave structures

An anisotropic dyadic Green's function is used in a theoretical formulation for finding the behavior of the surface currents and electromagnetic fields of nonreciprocal structures. Dispersion diagrams, surface current, magnetic- and electric-field distributions, and Poynting-vector distributions are then found for microstrip structures containing a multilayered medium including a ferrite material layer. Such structures can variously be used as isolators, magnetostatic wave generators, or other devices relying upon nonreciprocal action. Calculations are done using a fast solver anisotropic Green's function spectral-domain computer code. Asymmetry in the surface current, electric and magnetic fields, and Poynting-vector distributions is found, demonstrating explicitly the effect of the nonreciprocity of the ferrite layer.
Sex recognition and mate choice by male western toads,Bufo boreas☆

Abstract In field-based choice experiments, we examined sex recognition and mate choice in male western toads, Bufo boreas . When given a simultaneous choice between a male and a female of equal size, males did not discriminate between the sexes and attempted to amplex a male or a female with equal frequency. When a test male clasped a stimulus male, the stimulus male uttered a release call that caused the test male to release the stimulus male. Male–male amplexus never lasted more than 3 s, but male–female amplexus was tenacious and prolonged. Furthermore, males discriminated between gravid females that differed in body size, choosing larger gravid females over smaller ones, but they did not discriminate between gravid females or non-gravid females of equal size. In choice tests that excluded chemical cues, males jumped more frequently towards large females than small ones. Given that females are significantly larger than males, selecting larger individuals as potential mates increases the probability that males amplex with a female.
Asthma, inhaled oxidants, and dietary antioxidants.

The possible influence of dietary antioxidants, especially vitamin C, on the increasing prevalence of asthma is explored. Vitamin C intake in the general population appears to correlate with asthma, suggesting that a diet low in vitamin C is a risk factor for asthma. Epidemiological studies show associations among oxidant exposure, respiratory infections, and asthma in children of smokers. Symptoms of ongoing asthma in adults appear to be increased by exposure to environmental oxidants and decreased by vitamin C supplementation. There is evidence that oxidants produced endogenously by overactive inflammatory cells contribute to ongoing asthma. Vitamin C is the major antioxidant substance present in the airway surface liquid of the lung, where it could be important in protecting against both endogenous and exogenous oxidants. Nitrogen oxides are exemplary of oxidants that could arise from both endogenous and environmental sources, which are protected against by vitamin C, and that may be important in causation and propagation of asthma
The Effect of Various Prostaglandins and a Prostaglandin Synthetase Inhibitor on Rat Anterior Pituitary Cyclic AMP Levels and Hormone Release in Vitro

(U)Prostaglandins E-1, E2,F-1alpha or F-2 alpha significantly increased the release of GH, with a parallel increase in intracellular cAMP concentrations, while they only protentiated HE-stimulated TSH release. (2) None of the prostaglandins examined consistently effected either the basal or HE-altered release of LH,FSH or prolactin. (3) The prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor, indomethacin, inhibited GH and TSH release and, at high doses of the drug, inhibited prolactin release. In contrast, the drug appeared to potentiate both He and sLRF-stimulated gonadotropin release. It had no significant effect on intracellular cAMP concentration.
Social Media Activism in Response to the Influence of Political Parody Videos on YouTube

Grounded in scholarship on both the perceptual and behavioral components of the third-person effect, the present experimental study examined the effects of perceived impact of political parody videos on self and on others, by varying the perceived intent of the video producer and perceived level of exposure. Building on previous research on the behavioral consequences of such presumed influence, we tested a hierarchical regression model to show how perceived influence on others predicted individuals’ willingness to engage in social media activism (i.e., corrective actions). Results demonstrated that participants in our study showed greater perceived influence of the political parody video when it was presented by a source of highly persuasive intent than by a source of low persuasive intent. Unlike our prediction for the effect of perceived exposure, we did not find the effect of perceived level of exposure on the presumed influence on others. Finally, the results of a hierarchical regression analysis sho...