cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in Specialized Cognitive Function Following Changes in Hormone Levels

Abstract Increase of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in men by injection of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) prevented improvement in a spatial orientation test relative to a placebo condition. By contrast, performance on a fluency task was significantly increased after LHRH injection relative to the placebo condition. These data support between-subject results where FSH was negatively correlated with visuospatial skills and positively correlated with fluency. There was no change in cognitive function in males following injection of testosterone. There were also no fluctuations in cognitive function that coincided with hormonal fluctuations of the menstrual cycle in women.
Magnetostatic-mode spectrum of rectangular ferromagnetic particles.

Approximate methods for obtaining the magnetostatic mode spectrum of thin rectangular samples have been known for some time. However, our experimental results from lithographic arrays of submicron Permalloy particles show that these methods perform relatively poorly if the (in-plane) applied field is not large compared to 4\ensuremath{\pi}${\mathit{M}}_{\mathit{s}}$. We present an improved method for finding the spectrum that takes into account both the elliptical character of the mode precession and sample edge effects. We show that the case of an infinite magnetic strip can be reduced to a one-dimensional eigenvalue problem which we solve numerically, yielding insight into the more difficult rectangular case. Effects of the nonuniform demagnetization field on the spatial patterns and frequencies of the modes are also studied.
Neurocognitive correlates of child obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome

This study investigated the neurocognitive correlates of childhood OCD and TS, which are purported to share frontal–striatal dysfunction. Neurocognitive measures tapping frontal–striatal functions such as executive, attention/memory, and visuomotor abilities were administered to three groups of participants, OCD without comorbid TS (OCD), TS without comorbid OCD (TS), and normal controls. Results suggested that OCD group demonstrated deficits in the area of spatial attention relative to healthy controls. The OCD participants demonstrated no cognitive deficits compared to the TS group. TS participants showed trends towards impairments in the areas of response inhibition, divided attention, and cognitive flexibility relative to the OCD and normal control groups. Spatial attention deficits for the OCD group are partially consistent with adult OCD studies indicating deficits in spatial memory. TS findings were less robust and may be construed tentatively as suggestive of executive function deficits. Future re...
ISOL yield predictions from holdup-time measurements

A formalism based on a simple model is derived to predict ISOL yields for all isotopes of a given element based on a holdup-time measurement of a single isotope of that element. Model predictions, based on parameters obtained from holdup-time measurements, are compared to independently-measured experimental values.
A completeness property of some function spaces

It is proved that if X is a sequentially compact Hausdorff space, E a Hausdorff complete uniform space, C(X, E) the space of all E-valued continuous functions on X with C uniformity, C being the class of all compact subsets of X, and H a closed subset of C(X, E) containing a countable union of precompact subsets of C(X, E) as a dense subset, then H is complete.
Antibiotic Use in Sexually Transmissible Diseases

Sexually transmissible diseases (STDs) remain a major health issue worldwide, with approximately 300 million new cases annually. STDs caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, although the susceptibility pattern of many etiologic microbes has changed over the past few decades. Syphilis remains best managed with single-dose benzathine penicillin G. Other single-dose antibiotic regimens for lues are either associated with clinical failure or of uncertain dosage. However, single-dose azithromycin and ceftriaxone are suitable for chancroid. Lymphogranuloma venereum, reemergent as a cause of proctitis, is treated with prolonged courses of doxycycline or minocycline. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole has replaced tetracycline derivatives as preferred treatment for donovanosis in many regions. Parenteral cephalosporins, such as ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, and ceftizoxime, are initial interventions for disseminated gonococcemia. Pending culture results, genital bite wounds (often consisting of deep, painful ulcerations) should be treated with high-dose amoxicillin-clavulanic acid.
Importance of Correlated Motions in Forming Highly Reactive Near Attack Conformations in Catechol O-Methyltransferase

The monomeric protein catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) of rat liver is one of a number of methyl, from AdoMet, transferring enzymes that share a common catalytic domain. As a representative enzyme, COMT has been chosen for molecular dynamic (MD) simulation studies in order to ascertain if there are correlated motions in the ES complex that would be useful in decreasing the energy of activation for the SN2 methyl transfer reaction. Such correlative motions have been found and are discussed. The MD trajectory can also provide insight into the observed preference of meta-O-methylation over para-O-methylation for ionic substrates such as dopamine and norepinephrine. The catechol ring has a tilt of approximately 30° compared to that of the X-ray structure. This directs any substituent at the 5-position of the catecholate ring, which is para to the O-methylation site, into a hydrophobic pocket formed by Trp38 and Tyr200. This pocket accommodates hydrophobic substituents such that para-O-methylation is favore...
The Trouble with Harrison’s ‘The Trouble with Tarski’

In ‘The Trouble with Tarski’, The Philosophical Quarterly, 48 (1998), pp. 1–22, Jonathan Harrison attacks ‘Tarski-style’ truth theories for both formalized and natural languages, on the grounds that (1) truth cannot be a property of sentences; (2) if it could be, T-sentences would have to be necessary truths, which they are not; and (3) T-sentences are not necessarily true and can even can be false. I reply that (1) cannot be an objection to Tarskian truth theories, since these can be formulated in terms of whatever truth bearers might be. Thesis (2) is unjustified: Harrison's argument for it depends on an equivocation. Thesis (3) is false, since the right-hand side of a T-sentence is a meta-language translation of the object-language sentence described on the left-hand side, and this guarantees its truth. email: boisvert@phil.ufl.edu
Simulation and Gaming Models: Application in Teaching and Extension Programs

Management games are an accepted component of the education and training program for students on the university campus as well as participants in extension workshops. Numerous applications in agriculture and agribusiness can be cited including the use of farm management games (Menz and Longworth; Boehlje, Eidman, Walker), grain merchandising and feed supply management games (Babb and Eisgruber), and, more recently, the use of games in area economic development training (Nelson and Doeksen). Our purpose is to evaluate simulation and gaming as an educational tool with reference to educational objectives and learning styles of individual students. The discussion briefly reviews concepts of educational objectives and learning theory, and then moves to the use of simulation and games as educational aids. Two examples of management gaming are reviewed and critiqued. Finally, issues confronted in evaluating the costs and benefits of using gaming procedures will be briefly discussed.
Quality of life following surgery for congenital cardiac malformations in neonates and infants

The past two decades have witnessed a major shift towards repair of most congenital cardiac malformations during the neonatal or infant periods of life.1 Early anatomic correction or palliation, dramatic improvements in survival, and reduced morbidity due to improvements in perioperative and long-term medical management, have resulted in new populations of children that have reaped the benefits of the best care currently available for treatment of congenital cardiac disease. The impact of the congenital cardiac malformations, however, extends far beyond the walls of the hospital or clinic where we diagnose, treat, and follow our patients. The breakthrough of achieving predictable results with repair or palliation of most lesions during the neonatal and infant periods mandates us to look beyond survival, and to examine the lives our patients lead when they are outside of our care. Our purpose in this review is to discuss the measures of psychosocial outcome that are appropriate for exploration in those neonates and infants who survive cardiac surgery, to explore what is known about the psychosocial outcomes and quality of life for these patients, and what needs exist for future research.
Donor risk index predicts graft failure reliably but not post-transplant infections

Abstract Background: The Donor Risk Index (DRI) is used to predict graft survival following liver transplantation, but has not been used to predict post-operative infections in graft recipients. We hypothesized that lower-quality grafts would result in more frequent infectious complications. Methods: Using a prospectively collected infection data set, we matched liver transplant recipients (and the respective allograft DRI scores) with their specific post-transplant infectious complications. All transplant recipients were organized by DRI score and divided into groups with low-DRI and high-DRI scores. Results: We identified 378 liver transplants, with 189 recipients each in the low-DRI and high-DRI groups. The mean DRI scores for the low- and high-DRI-score groups were 1.14±0.01 and 1.74±0.02, respectively (p<0.0001 for the difference). The mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores were 26.25±0.53 and 24.76±0.55, respectively (p=0.052), and the mean number of infectious complications per patien...
No Disneyland: Biography and Bibliography of Rabbi Shimeon Brisman (1920–2004)

Shimeon Brisman (1920-2004), a Holocaust survivor, lived in Los Angeles from 1954 to 1988. This article focuses first on his efforts to build a strong Jewish Studies collection at the University of California, Los Angeles. These efforts began with the purchase of the stock of a defunct bookstore in Jerusalem in the early 1960s, and they continued through significant and strategic purchases that he made over the following two decades. Brisman, a very private person, is remembered by friends and colleagues, and their recollections reveal glimpses of his personality. Brisman, the scholar, is remembered via an analysis of the three volumes of his series titled "Jewish Research Literature," along with the reviews that the volumes received shortly after their publication. Brisman's contribution to the field of Jewish bibliography was a unique and enduring one.
Ratios of protein fractions to DNA and electrophoretic studies of histones of diploid and polyploid nuclei of rat liver

Abstract Diploid and polyploid nuclei have been isolated from the livers of 3–4-month-old rats. The extent of contamination of each fraction with the other fraction being probably not above 10%, as shown by microscopic counting and analyses of DNA per nucleus. (The average amount of DNA per diploid nucleus was 5.5 pg and per polyploid nucleus was 12.8 pg.) No differences could be established in the ratios of the globulin fraction, total histone, or residual proteins to DNA for the two classes of nuclei. The disc-gel electrophoretic patterns and analyses of histones for amino acids were also the same for diploid and polyploid nuclei.
Effects of streamflow reductions on aquatic macroinvertebrates: linking groundwater withdrawals and assemblage response in southern New Jersey streams, USA

AbstractA comprehensive hydro-ecological investigation was conducted to determine the ecological response of increased groundwater withdrawals from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, an important source of water supply in southern New Jersey, USA. Collocated observations were made of aquatic-macroinvertebrate assemblages and stream hydrologic attributes to develop flow–ecology response relations. A sub-regional transient groundwater flow model (MODFLOW) was used to simulate three plausible high-stress groundwater-withdrawal scenarios which resulted in stream baseflow reductions of approximately 0.12, 0.20, and 0.26 m3 s-1. These reduction scenarios were used to construct flow-alteration ecological response models to evaluate aquatic-macroinvertebrate response to streamflow reduction. For example, flow-alteration ecological response models indicate that if groundwater withdrawals diminish mean annual streamflow from 1.1 to 0.6 m3 s-1, the abundance of intolerant taxa could be reduced by as much as 20%....
Hemodynamic, renal and endocrine effects of atrial natriuretic peptide infusion in severe heart failure

The cardiac release and total body and renal clearances and the hemodynamic, renal and endocrine effects of increasing doses of atrial natriuretic peptide were investigated in 12 patients with severe chronic congestive heart failure. Immunoreactive arterial plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide were 10-fold higher than normal and there was no correlation between aortic atrial natriuretic peptide and cardiac filling pressures. The heart released atrial natriuretic peptide into the coronary sinus. The kidney, though a major clearance site, accounted for only 33% of the total body clearance. Administration of 0.3 micrograms/kg per min atrial natriuretic peptide produced significant changes in heart rate (95 +/- 4 to 85 +/- 4 beats/min) and mean arterial (92 +/- 8 to 77 +/- 9 mm Hg), right atrial (13 +/- 3 to 8 +/- 2 mm Hg) and mean pulmonary artery occluded (27 +/- 3 to 14 +/- 3 mm Hg) pressures. Atrial natriuretic peptide increased cardiac index (2.25 +/- 0.18 to 2.83 +/- 0.3 liters/min per m2) and stroke work index (21 +/- 1.5 to 29 +/- 3.4 g/m2), whereas systemic vascular resistance (1,424 +/- 139 to 1,033 +/- 97 dynes.s.cm(-5)) decreased. Infusion of 0.1 microgram/kg per min atrial natriuretic peptide increased urinary flow 128%, fractional excretion of sodium 133% and fractional excretion of potassium 35%. The filtration fraction increased from 29 +/- 2 to 31 +/- 4%. This represented a disproportionate rise in glomerular filtration rate over renal plasma flow. Plasma aldosterone and norepinephrine decreased whereas plasma renin activity remained unchanged. In association with these hemodynamic, excretory and endocrine changes, the urinary excretion of cyclic guanosine monophosphate doubled. Placebo had no effect. These results showed that, despite high circulating levels of atrial natriuretic peptide, administration of this hormone in heart failure is associated with potentially beneficial hemodynamic, renal and endocrine effects.
Concentrative accumulation of prostaglandins in vitro at 7 and 37°C by tissues of normothermic and hibernating woodchucks (Marmota monax)

Abstract 1. 1. Eleven tissues from normothermic and hibernating woodchucks were incubated at 37 or 7°C with [ 3 H]prostaglandins (PGs) A 1 , E 1 , F 1x , [ 3 H]arachidonic acid and/or [ 14 C]sucrose. 2. 2. Choroid plexus, anterior uvea and to a lesser extent, kidney cortex, liver, lung and brown fat showed concentrative PG accumulation at 37°C. White fat and spleen appeared to exclude PGs from their intracellular compartments. 3. 3. With the exception of choroid plexus and kidney cortex of normothermic woodchucks, concentrative [ 3 H]PGE 1 accumulation was significantly less at 7°C. The choroid plexus showed several-fold PG accumulation even at 7°C indicating that PG removal from the brain can continue during hibernation. 4. 4. Concentrative accumulation of PGA 1 and PGE 1 by brown fat suggests that circulating PGs may be involved in the metabolic control of this tissue and hence may play a role in arousal.
By fluctuations in the magnetosheath and azimuthal flow velocity transients in the dayside ionosphere

Most researchers agree that ionospheric convection is controlled by the magnetosheath By and Bz components and by sheath flows. However transient changes in ionospheric flows are nonetheless generally attributed to transient changes in the merging rate. In particular, bursts in the azimuthal flow velocity and associated auroral transients are often associated with Flux Transfer Events (FTEs). We propose a simple but apparently overlooked alternative: ionospheric flow transients are directly driven by changes — abrupt but not necessarily transient — in the magnetosheath flows and fields. For example, an increase in the sheath By component drives faster flows eastward or westward; while a decrease in the magnitude of By leads to a transient propagating largely poleward. It would not be surprising if changing magnetosheath conditions led to changes in merging behavior; but we emphasize that azimuthal flow velocity changes in the ionosphere do not intrinsically imply any change in the merging rate. Changing the merging rate simply alters the number of field lines which are executing the same sequence of motions. In our model, auroral transients are caused by the velocity shears associated with changing convection patterns imposed on the ionosphere by an altered set of magnetosheath conditions. We point out also that many observational difficulties are resolved if merging occurs continuously, and sheath transients directly drive ionospheric transients. For example, auroral transients frequently convect through the pre-existing optical cusp; whereas if there has been no change in the sheath parameters any new merging should not move relative to the equally open cusp field lines. It is because of the variability in the sheath parameters that variability in ionospheric convection is imposed. The sources of such sheath field variability include intrinsic IMF variations; variations created at the bowshock; and compression of the sheath field by a variable plasma pressure.
IMF Essays from a Time of Crisis

Stanley Fischer Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 2004, 528 pp., $52.00 hardcover ISBN 0-262-06237-2 Stanley Fischer's long-standing eminence as a figure in the economic sciences is not compromised by this...
The dearth of daughter successors in family businesses: Gendered norms, blindness to possibility, and invisibility

Abstract Statistics reveal a dearth of daughters among successors of family business owners. In one of very few empirical studies on the subject of daughters who do not follow in the footsteps of their entrepreneurial fathers, we examined factors that may contribute to daughters’ self-assessments of succession. Findings reveal that daughters’ own blindness to the possibility of succession, often resulting from automatically activated gender norms, impedes their ascendancy. Interviews with daughters who did not pursue executive positions with decision making responsibilities in their family firms, as well as both sons and daughters who did, indicate that daughters may not deliberately consider succession until a critical event motivates them to do so. Additionally, parental support and mentoring for leadership are seen to facilitate daughter succession.
The impacts of China's WTO accession on the Southeast Asian economies: A theoretical analysis

Abstract This paper analyzes China's foreign trade with Southeast Asia and the United States. Using a simple three-country, four-good framework, this paper examines how trade liberalization by China, which is one of the conditions for China's accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO), may affect the trade volumes among China, the United States, and the Southeast Asian (SEA) economies, as well as the prices of the tradable goods in the world market. Possible impacts on the welfare of the SEA economies are also examined.
Time resolved soot particulates in autoignited intermittent spray flames

An attempt has been made to study soot particulates formation at different stages of combustion of simulated diesel sprays by using a new laboratory combustor in which the following two essential characteristics of diesel spray are reproduced: intermittency and autoignition. The combustor is designed so that the fuel is injected by using a diesel fuel injection system into a steadily flowing high temperature air stream resulting in autoignition and combustion. Soot particulates have been collected at different stages of combustion by applying an inert gas quenching technique. The mass of soot particulates, C/H ratio, the microscopic diameter of each particle, the flame temperature and the oxygen concentration in the flame have been obtained. The results indicate that this new technique is a useful tool to obtain the time resolved characteristics of soot particulates in intermittent spray flames. The mass concentration of soot particulates increases during the early stages of combustion, reaches a maximum, after which it decreases near the end of the combustion process. The diameter and C/H ratio of the soot particulates increase with time while their number decreases. The mass concentration rates of formation and oxidation of soot particulates increase with the increase in flame temperature. Adding methanol to diesel fuel has a definite effect on reducing the soot particulates in the flame.
Duplication (20p) in association with thyroid carcinoma.

We report on a girl with short stature, mental retardation, mutism, “coarse” facial appearance, and papillary-follicular thyroid carcinoma. She had dup(20p) derived from a paternal balanced translocation [(12p;20p)]. We speculate that the carcinoma in our patient may be related to the deletion of material from 12p resulting in absence of genetic material normally required for the suppression of thyroid tumorigenesis. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Active Site Residues of Human Brain Hexokinase as Studied by Site-specific Mutagenesis

The truncated gene of hexokinase, mini-hexokinase, starting with methionine 455 and ending at the C terminus was expressed in Escherichia coli. Mini-hexokinase lost its ability to ameliorate inhibition of glucose-6-P-inhibited mini-hexokinase in the presence of phosphate (P(i)). We suggest that the P(i) site either resides in the N-terminal half of hexokinase I or requires the N-terminal portion of the enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis was performed to obtain two mutants of mini-hexokinase: C606S and C628S. Both are thought to be associated with the active site of hexokinase I. These mutants exhibited a 3-fold increase in Km for glucose but no change in either the Km for ATP or the kcat. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra showed no differences among the wild-type or mutant enzymes. These results suggest that Cys606 and Cys628 are not involved in glucose binding directly. The putative ATP-binding site of full-length human brain hexokinase may involve Arg539 and Gly679, and these residues were mutated to Ile. For the mutant R539I, the kcat value decreased 114-fold relative to wild-type hexokinase, whereas the Km values for ATP and glucose changed only slightly. No change was observed in the Ki value for 1,5-anhydroglucitol 6-phosphate. CD spectra showed only a slight change in secondary structure. For the mutant G679I, overexpressed hexokinase is insoluble. We suggest that Arg539 is important for catalysis because it stabilizes the transition state product ADP-hexokinase. Gly679 is probably important for proper folding of the protein.
Preparation and Characterization of Epitaxial Conductive Nb-SrTiO3 Thin Films on Si Substrates

Epitaxial Nb-doped SrTiO3 (001) thin films have been integrated on Si(001) single-crystal substrates with a TiN template layer by radio-frequency (RF) sputtering. The epitaxial growth of Nb-SrTiO3 was achieved in an Ar environment at a substrate temperature of 540°C. The orientation relationship was determined to be simply cube-on-cube as Nb-SrTiO3 (001)[110]||TiN(001) [110]||Si(001)[110]. The deposited Nb-SrTiO3 films show a smooth and featureless surface with roughness below 1 nm. These smooth Nb-doped SrTiO3/TiN/Si films have a conductivity of 500 S/cm and could be promising electrodes for subsequent ferroelectric thin films.
Studies in the History of Probability and Statistics XXXVIII R. H. SMITH, a Victorian interested in robustness

Much recent work on robust estimates of location parameters has been focused upon M-estimators, formulated as weighted averages of the observations. If X1, ..., Xn represent independent measurements, then Beaton & Tukey (1974) and Mosteller & Tukey (1977, Chapters 10, 14H), among others, have considered combining them into a single estimate T of a location parameter by solving for T in the relationship
Distraction osteogenesis and histogenesis in beagle dogs: the effect of gradual mandibular osteodistraction on bone and gingiva.

Background: No study has systematically evaluated the effect of distraction osteogenesis on the gingival tissues. Therefore, this study was designed to analyze the newly formed bone and gingiva during the consolidation period of mandibular osteodistraction using standard histologic techniques. Methods: Seventeen skeletally mature male beagle dogs underwent 10 mm of bilateral interdental mandibular lengthening. After distraction, the regenerates were allowed to consolidate for 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks, then the animals were sacrificed and tissues harvested for analysis. Results: Mineralization began at the host bone margins at the end of the distraction period, followed by a progressive increase in bone surface area, with a concomitant decrease in fibrous tissue. The gingiva initially underwent mild inflammatory and reactive changes during distraction and during the first few weeks of consolidation. The rate of bone formation gradually increased from the end of distraction to the fourth week of consolidation, at which time it remained constant until sometime before the eighth week, when it tapered off slightly as remodeling began. From the second through the eighth week of consolidation, regenerative changes and neohistogenesis were seen in the gingival tissues. Conclusions: Osteodistraction has the potential to drastically decrease the total treatment time for alveolar bone augmentation prior to dentoalveolar implant placement since the regenerate bone rapidly mineralizes within approximately 8 to 10 weeks after the distraction period and the gingiva responds favorably to increased length by regeneration rather than by degeneration. Although the results appear favorable, similar data should be evaluated in human clinical trials.
Legal and ethical issues surrounding dementia

Adults have the right to make choices about whether or not to accept health care and professionals must obtain consent before providing care. However, some people who require care are unable to give informed consent because of incapacity. It is important that staff act legally when caring for vulnerable people.
Telomere Length Reprogramming in Embryos and Stem Cells

Telomeres protect and cap linear chromosome ends, yet these genomic buffers erode over an organism's lifespan. Short telomeres have been associated with many age-related conditions in humans, and genetic mutations resulting in short telomeres in humans manifest as syndromes of precocious aging. In women, telomere length limits a fertilized egg's capacity to develop into a healthy embryo. Thus, telomere length must be reset with each subsequent generation. Although telomerase is purportedly responsible for restoring telomere DNA, recent studies have elucidated the role of alternative telomeres lengthening mechanisms in the reprogramming of early embryos and stem cells, which we review here.
Sharp inequality for randomly stopped sums of independent non-negative random variables☆

Abstract In this paper we shall prove a moment inequality which in a special case yields the following result E ∑ k= 1 τ ξ k p ≤ 2 p− 1 E ∑ k= 1 τ' ξ k p , 1 ≤ p
Ecological consequences of shelter sharing by leaf-tying caterpillars

A wide variety of insect herbivores construct and inhabit leaf shelters (ties, rolls, folds, and webs). Shelter construction can lead to a high rate of secondary occupation by other arthropods, including other species of constructors. The consequences for the inhabitants of secondarily occupying these shelters are currently unknown. In this study, we conducted field experiments to examine the fitness consequences (survival and attack by natural enemies) for caterpillars that (i) occupy a shelter with conspecifics vs. occur singly; and (ii) establish a new shelter vs. colonize a pre-existing one. In addition, we conducted factorial laboratory experiments to test the hypothesis that caterpillars sharing shelters with conspecifics might have reduced construction costs (a potential benefit of shelter-sharing or secondary occupation). Larvae of Psilocorsis quercicella Clemens (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) placed in white oak [Quercus alba L. (Fagaceae)] leaf ties alone or in groups of three had equal likelihood of survival from natural enemies. This same caterpillar species, however, had a higher disappearance rate when placed in pre-existing leaf ties than when placed in newly formed ones, suggesting a potential cost of secondary colonization. A similar experiment with a closely related species [Psilocorsis cryptolechiella (Chambers)], however, failed to detect a cost of secondarily occupying shelters made on beech, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (Fagaceae). In the laboratory experiment, we found no evidence of shelter-sharing benefits; rather larvae reared in shelters in groups of three had lower pupal mass (and thus lower potential fecundity) than larvae reared singly, suggesting a cost of shelter sharing. Moreover, groups of larvae forced to repeatedly construct new shelters tended to have reduced survival relative to the other treatment, suggesting that energetic constraints are more likely to reduce fitness when larvae cohabit shelters. Taken together, these results indicate that the common phenomenon of shelter sharing by leaf-tying caterpillars has either neutral or negative effects for the occupants. The fact that these leaf-tying caterpillars actually share shelters may simply reflect limited availability of oviposition sites.
Statistical Interpretation of Pollution Data from Satellites

The NIMBUS-G environmental monitoring satellite has an instrument (a gas correlation spectrometer) onboard for measuring the mass of a given pollutant within a gas volume. The present paper treats the problem: How can this type measurement be used to estimate the distribution of pollutant levels in a metropolitan area. Estimation methods are used to develop this distribution. The pollution concentration caused by a point source is modeled as a Gaussian plume. The uncertainty in the measurements is used to determine the accuracy of estimating the source strength, the wind velocity, diffusion coefficients and source location.
Scalar imaging velocimetry measurements of the velocity gradient tensor field in turbulent flows. I. Assessment of errors

The concept of flow field velocimetry based on scalar imaging measurements [Phys. Fluids A 4, 2191 (1992)] is here formulated in terms of an integral minimization implementation, where the velocity field u(x,t) is found by minimizing weighted residuals of the conserved scalar transport equation, along with the continuity condition and a smoothness condition. We apply this technique to direct numerical simulation (DNS) data for the limiting case of turbulent mixing of a Sc=1 passive scalar field. The spatial velocity fields u(x,t) thus obtained demonstrate good correlation with the exact DNS fields, as do the statistics of the velocity and the velocity gradient fields. The results from this integral minimization implementation also show significant improvement over those from the direct inversion technique reported earlier. These results are shown to be largely insensitive to noise at levels characteristic of current fully resolved scalar field measurements.
Operating Experience with the Polarized Electron Gun at SLAC

During the two years of operation of the SLAC Polarized Electron Gun (PEGGY), the electron intensity delivered to the target has increased from 7 x 10/sup 7/ e/sup -//pulse to 1 x 10/sup 9/ e/sup -//pulse. The polarization is 0.85 with no measurable degradation caused by acceleration through the linear accelerator. The predominant cause of downtime is replenishment of lithium, which now averages 43 hours. The lifetime of a lithium load is about 175 hours.
Two Structures of a Thiazolinyl Imine Reductase from Yersinia enterocolitica Provide Insight into Catalysis and Binding to the Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Module of HMWP1

The thiazolinyl imine reductase from Yersinia enterocolitica (Irp3) catalyzes the NADPH-dependent reduction of a thiazoline ring in an intermediate for the formation of the siderophore yersiniabactin. Two structures of Irp3 were determined in the apo (1.85 A) and NADP(+)-bound (2.31 A) forms. Irp3 is structurally homologous to sugar oxidoreductases such as glucose-fructose oxidoreductase and 1,5-anhydro-d-fructose reductase, as well as to biliverdin reductase. A homology model of the thiazolinyl imine reductase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PchG) was generated. Extensive loop insertions are observed in the C-terminal domain that are unique to Irp3 and PchG and not found in the structural homologues that recognize small molecular substrates. These loops are hypothesized to be important for binding of the nonribosomal peptide synthetase modules (found in HMWP1 and PchF, respectively) to which the substrate of the reductase is covalently attached. A catalytic mechanism for the donation of a proton from a general acid (either histidine 101 or tyrosine 128) and the donation of a hydride from C4 of nicotinamide of the NADPH cofactor is proposed for reduction of the carbon-nitrogen double bond of the thiazoline.
Adrenocortical Effects of Oral Estrogens and Soy Isoflavones in Female Monkeys

The goal of this study was to evaluate the long-term adrenocortical effects of premenopausal oral contraceptives (OC) and postmenopausal conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) and soy isoflavones in a female cynomolgus monkey model. Half of the animals received a triphasic OC for a period of 26 months, after which all monkeys were ovariectomized and randomized to one of three diet groups for 36 months: 1). isoflavone-depleted soy protein (control) (n = 54); 2). soy protein with isoflavones (129 mg/d equivalent) (SPI+) (n = 56); or 3). isoflavone-depleted soy protein with CEE (0.625 mg/d equivalent) (n = 59). In the premenopausal phase, OC treatment resulted in significantly higher cortisol (F) and lower dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, and testosterone relative to intact controls. In the postmenopausal phase, CEE treatment resulted in significantly higher basal F and lower dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, and testosterone when compared with control and SPI+ diets. Serum F and androgens in the SPI+ group did not differ significantly from the control group. The SPI+ group had significantly lower adrenal weight than either control or CEE groups, and this effect was localized primarily to the zona fasciculata region of the adrenal cortex. These findings suggest that long-term estrogen treatment may contribute to an androgen-deficient and hypercortisolemic state.
Wine Is for Drinking, Water Is for Washing: Student Opinions About International Exchange Programs

When Penny Barend, a 3rd-year hospitality management student at Northern Arizona University, arrived in Italy for a year of studies at the American International University in Florence, she did so with an open mind. Peers, parents, and professors had told her that this was going to be the best experience of her life and that living and studying in Italy were going to be very different from living and studying in Arizona. Different, she had been told, is not better or worse—it is just different. When she sat down for dinner with her host family on her very first night, she asked for some water with her meal, a common request in the United States. Yet, the response she got from a 75-year-old Italian was not what she had expected: “Wine is for drinking, water is for washing,” he said. With this, she was welcomed to the world of living and studying abroad, and this incident stuck with her and became the theme of her valedictorian speech at her graduation cere
The relation between hydrogen‐ion concentration and encystment in Didinium nasutum

Experiments designed to ascertain the effect of hydrogen-ion concentration on encystment in Didinium were carried out by depriving didinia of food in mixtures of spring water and buffer solutions whose hydrogen-ion concentrations varied from pH 5.0 to pH 9.6, and by counting the number of didinia which encysted and the number which remained active and ultimately died of starvation. The maximum percentage of encystment was attained between pH 6.4 and 8.4, the range in hydrogen-ion concentration which is also most favorable for the growth of didinia; within this range the encystment rate was practically constant and was about 52 per cent. The solutions having hydrogen-ion concentrations between pH 6.4 and 5.0, the acid death limit of the race of Didinium used in the experiments, and between pH 8.4 and 9.6, the alkaline death limit, inhibited encystment, the more injurious solutions producing the greater decrease in encystment rate. The results indicate that the limits of hydrogen-ion concentration within which Didinium can live are practically the same as those found by Crane for Paramecium (approximately pH 5.0 to pH 9.6). They indicate further that concentrations of hydrogen ions which are unfavorable for the growth of didinia do not facilitate encystment and, in general, that changes in hydrogen-ion concentration are of little importance in inducing encystment in Didinium.
Series elasticity and actuator power output

In this investigation we put forth a simple model to quantify the capacity of series elasticity to increase peak power output from an actuator. Using a linear bandwidth limited force source, we show how series spring stiffness and source stroke length effect power output to an inertial load. We show that an appropriate spring constant increases the peak power delivered to the inertial load over a limited stroke. The series elasticity changes the actuator operating point along its force-velocity curve and therefore effects the actuator work output over a fixed stroke length. For single shot motions, the peak power can increase by a factor of radic2 for appropriate series spring stiffness. We also present an example of how this work relates to human ankle function and it implies for the design of robotic or prosthetic ankles
Significance of Findings on Electroreception for General Neurobiology

Electroreceptors and their central pathways belong to the octavolateral system and offer many contrasts and similarities to lateral line, auditory, and vestibular reception. Some of the contrasts are based on the presumption that electroreception involves no mechanical steps in transduction, whereas the other octavolateral modalities are mechanical but may involve an electrical step in transduction. The finding that electroreceptors work as voltmeters and govern transmitter release by small changes in membrane potential raises a question that goes beyond these closely related modalities: Is it possible that some other sensory or central cells also come under the influence of weak extracellular fields? Among the phenomena of general neurobiological interest that are particularly obvious or accessible in electric sense cells are ultrastructural changes in ribbon synapses with activity; tight junctions around sense cells far from their equator, causing asymmetrical voltage drops across apical and basal membranes; loss of stereocilia and variations in kinocilia; absence of centrifugal nerve fibers to the sense cells; resonance of receptors at their best excitatory frequency—and the plastic alteration of such individual tuning, in development and with hormones; a variety of receptor types in respect to the way the afferent axon encodes stimulus parameters; and lifelong addition of sense cells to a presumably fixed number of afferent axons.
Bioenergetics and the epigenome: Interface between the environment and genes in common diseases

Extensive efforts have been directed at using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify the genes responsible for common metabolic and degenerative diseases, cancer, and aging, but with limited success. While environmental factors have been evoked to explain this conundrum, the nature of these environmental factors remains unexplained. The availability of and demands for energy constitute one of the most important aspects of the environment. The flow of energy through the cell is primarily mediated by the mitochondrion, which oxidizes reducing equivalents from hydrocarbons via acetyl-CoA, NADH + H(+), and FADH(2) to generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The mitochondrial genome encompasses hundreds of nuclear DNA (nDNA)-encoded genes plus 37 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-encoded genes. Although the mtDNA has a high mutation rate, only milder, potentially adaptive mutations are introduced into the population through female oocytes. In contrast, nDNA-encoded bioenergetic genes have a low mutation rate. However, their expression is modulated by histone phosphorylation and acetylation using mitochondrially-generated ATP and acetyl-CoA, which permits increased gene expression, growth, and reproduction when calories are abundant. Phosphorylation, acetylaton, and cellular redox state also regulate most signal transduction pathways and activities of multiple transcription factors. Thus, mtDNA mutations provide heritable and stable adaptation to regional differences while mitochondrially-mediated changes in the epigenome permit reversible modulation of gene expression in response to fluctuations in the energy environment. The most common genomic changes that interface with the environment and cause complex disease must, therefore, be mitochondrial and epigenomic in origin.
Electrochemical reduction of 1,3-dihalopropanes at carbon cathodes in dimethylformamide

Cyclic voltammograms for the reduction of 1,3-dibromo-, 1,3-diiodo-, 1-bromo-3-chloro-, 1-chloro-3-iodo-, and 1-bromo-3-iodopropane at glassy carbon electrodes in dimethylformamide containing tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate exhibit single irreversible waves corresponding to two-electron cleavage of a carbon-halogen bond. Controlled-potential electrolyses of each of the five starting materials at reticulated vitreous carbon cathodes result in the formation of cycloropane as the predominant product; in addition, small amounts of propylene and traces of propane are observed
Regulation of Bovine Adipose Tissue Metabolism During Lactation. 6. Cellularity and Hormone-Sensitive Lipase Activity as Affected by Genetic Merit and Energy Intake

Subcutaneous adipose tissue cell size and density and hormone-sensitive lipase activity were determined during late pregnancy and first lactation in Holstein heifers. Animals were daughters of bulls with either +791 (high line) or +390 (low line) kg Predicted Difference (1974 base) for milk. Each line consumed either a 71%: 29% (high energy) or a 36%:63% (low energy) barley concentrate and alfalfa hay diet from 0 to 140 d lactation. Heifers fed the low energy ration ate 33% less NE1 and produced 20% less milk with 52.7% greater milk fat percentage during 28 to 140 d of lactation than heifers fed the high energy ration. Prepartum, animals of the high line had similar adipocyte volume and density to low line animals. However, during early lactation, high line animals had a greater decrease in volume and a larger increase in density than low line animals. There was a delayed recovery of volume in high line, compared with low line animals in late lactation. Adipocyte volume also was decreased by dietary energy restriction. Hormone-sensitive lipase activity was similar in both genetic lines prepartum and increased in all groups at 60 d postpartum. Animals of high line or fed low energy rations had increased activity per gram during early, but not later, lactation. Activity per cell and per milligram cytoplasm protein increased in all groups in early lactation and were highest in high line animals fed the low energy ration.
Energy dynamics and growth of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from the Central Valley of California during the estuarine phase and first ocean year

The greatest rates of energy accumulation and growth in subyearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) occurred during the first month following ocean entry, supporting the importance of thi...
Characterization of Bradykinin B2 Receptors in Adult Myocardium and Neonatal Rat Cardiomyocytes

Abstract Specific [ 125 I-Tyr 8 ]bradykinin (BK) binding was observed on myocardial membranes from adult guinea pigs, dogs, rats, and rabbits that was displaced by unlabeled BK with an IC 50 between 0.1 and 30 nmol/L. In the adult guinea pig ventricular myocardium, which displays both high- and low-affinity binding, guanosine 5′- O -(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPγS; 100 μmol/L) eliminated high-affinity binding and reduced total specific [2,3-prolyl-3,4- 3 H( N )]BK ([ 3 H]BK) binding by >60%. Agonist competition binding to rat myocardial membranes was characterized as being of one affinity for BK in the nanomolar range, and it was not altered by GTPγS. Saturation binding studies with [ 125 I-Tyr 8 ]BK and [ 3 H]BK, performed on cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes, revealed a single class of BK binding sites with a K d and B max of 0.24±0.04 nmol/L and 18.4±1.1 fmol/mg protein, respectively (≈1500 receptors per cell). In competitive binding assays, unlabeled BK, Hoe 140 (a specific BK B 2 receptor antagonist), and des-Arg 9 ,[Leu 8 ]BK (a BK B 1 receptor antagonist) displaced [ 125 I-Tyr 8 ]BK with an IC 50 of 4.3, 0.041, and 307 nmol/L, respectively. In the presence of 100 μmol/L GTPγS, [ 3 H]BK binding to myocyte membranes was reduced by 40%, but the IC 50 did not change. Cardiac fibroblasts, evaluated in parallel to the myocytes, contain a single class of [ 3 H]BK binding sites (248±72 fmol/mg) with a 130-fold lower relative affinity (32.4±11.3 nmol/L) than that determined in rat cardiomyocytes. BK stimulated the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP 3 ) production by cardiomyocytes, which reached a maximum after 20 seconds of stimulation and increased from a baseline of 138.4±23.2 pmol/mg protein to 1020.7±75.9 pmol/mg with 1 μmol/L BK (EC 50 =15.3 nmol/L). The effect was significantly blocked by 1 μmol/L Hoe 140. The IP 3 response by cardiomyocytes was fourfold greater and sixfold more sensitive than that by cardiac fibroblasts (EC 50 =92.3 nmol/L). These data suggest the presence of high-affinity BK B 2 receptors on cardiomyocytes, which are functionally coupled via a G protein to the production of IP 3 .
Texture segmentation on two high-performance computers

An implementation of a texture segmentation algorithm on two high-performance computers, the Connection Machine CM-2 and the Convex mini-supercomputer, is presented. Texture segmentation is the process of identifying regions with similar texture and separating regions with different textures and is one of the early steps towards identifying surfaces and objects in an image. A segmentation algorithm is described which first extracts texture tokens from the input image, then computes the Voronoi tessellation of the extracted tokens and measures shape features (moments of area) of the resulting Voronoi polygons. Feature similarity is used to obtain an initial labeling of texture tokens as interior or border with four quantized directions. This labeling is then refrained using probabilistic relaxation labeling. The computation of the Voronoi tessellation and the probabilistic relaxation labeling process, which are highly data-parallel procedures, are discussed. Substantial speedups were obtained over a sequential (Sun-4/280) implementation. >