cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the properties of the multiple metal binding sites in alkaline phosphatase by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance.

Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) of Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase labeled biosynthetically with beta,beta-[gamma-13C]dideuteriohistidine has been used to determine the number and identity of the histidine residues that participate in metal ion coordination at the three classes of binding sites in this dimeric Zn2+ metalloenzyme. Detailed 13C NMR titrations of the apoenzyme with 113Cd2+ and Mg2+, in conjunction with parallel 13 Cd NMR measurements [Otvos, J.D., & Armitage, I.M. (1980) Biochemistry (third of three papers in this issue)], permitted the assignment of four histidine residues as ligands to the "catalytic", or A site, metal ions, two coordinated via their N pi imidazole nitrogens and two via N pi. In addition, a fifth histidyl ligand, coordinated through N pi, was shown to be located at the "structural", or B, sites on the dimer. The "regulatory", or C, sites do not contain histidyl metal ligands. Unambiguous identification of the three histidines coordinated to metal ion via N pi was provided by the observation of resolved 113Cd-13C spin-spin coupling (3J = 12-19 Hz) in their gamma-carbon resonances. Once assigned, the 13C resonances of the five histidyl metal ligands were used to monitor the relative affinities of the A, B, and C sites for Cd2+ and Zn2+. At pH 6.3, Cd2+ was found to bind to the A sites at least 10 times tighter than to the B or C sites, which have roughly equal affinities. In marked contrast, Zn2+ was found to have similar affinities for the A and B sites at both pH 6.3 and 8.0. The affinity of the C sites for Zn2+ and Mg2+ was shown to be at least an order of magnitude lower. The binding constants of all three sites for Cd2+ and Zn2+ are greater than 10(5) M-1. Evidence is also presented that suggests that the A, B, and C sites may be located in close proximity to one another in the monomers.
Effect of alloxan on arginine- and leucine-induced insulin secretion in isolated islets

The insulin secretion by arginine and leucine appears to be mediated through different mechanisms. By using isolated rat islets perifused in vitro, arginine (15 mM) was shown to provoke no active insulin release except for a tiny first phase [l] . Leucine (19 mM), however, stimulated sustained insulin secretion with apparent biphasic pattern [2]. Leucine-induced insulin secretion is dependent on extracellular calcium and its insulinotropic action is associated with an increased uptake of calcium [2]. By adding glucose (8.3 mM) to arginine (15 mM), the insulin secretion was three times above the baseline secretion [I] . Thus, arginine is the most potent glucose dependent ammo acid for stimulating insulin secretion [3]. The object of this communication was to study arginmeand leucine-induced insulin secretion with and without prior exposure to alloxan and further, to clarify the possible difference of alloxan effect on ammo acid-induced insulin secretion.
Automatic image orientation determination with natural image statistics

In this paper, we propose a new method for automatically determining image orientations. This method is based on a set of natural image statistics collected from a multi-scale multi-orientation image decomposition (e.g., wavelets). From these statistics, a two-stage hierarchal classification with multiple binary SVM classifiers is employed to determine image orientation. The proposed method is evaluated and compared to existing methods with experiments performed on 18040 natural images, where it showed promising performance.
Effects of rIL-7 on Murine Bone Marrow NK Precursor Cells

We recently demonstrated that functional NK cells are produced from their precursors in murine long-term bone marrow cultures without the addition of exogenous growth factors. Because IL-7 is known to be produced by bone marrow stromal cells and is a proliferation factor for some immature cells of the B and T cell lineages, we tested whether rIL-7 could support the proliferation or maturation of NK precursor cells. By itself, rIL-7 did not induce NK lytic activity in cultures of unseparated bone marrow cells (BMC), but it did augment the response of unseparated BMC to 50 U rIL-2/ml, with a maximal enhancement at 10 ng IL-7/ml. Depletion experiments demonstrated that the IL-7-induced increase in cytotoxicity was not due to NK precursors, however, but to mature T and NK cells. IL-7 preferentially increased the number of CD8+ cells. Preculture of NK 1.1-depleted BMC with IL-7 did not increase the total number of NK 1.1+ cells or the lytic activity generated from NK precursor cells. However, IL-2-responsive NK lineage cells survived better in IL-7-supplemented medium than in medium alone. Thus, soluble rIL-7 did not expand the NK precursor cell population in vitro but it maintained the viability and subsequent responsiveness to IL-2 of NK precursors.
On the origins of Chota Valley Spanish: Linguistic and sociohistorical evidence

Chota Valley Spanish (CVS) is an Afro-Hispanic dialect spoken in the provinces of Imbabura and Carchi, Ecuador. The structure of CVS is relatively similar to Spanish, even though the conditions that characterized colonial Chota Valley seem — at a first glance — to have been ideal for a creole language to develop: a low white/black ratio, harsh working conditions on sugarcane plantations, massive introduction of African-born workers, and minimal contact with the outside Spanish speaking world (Schwegler 1999: 240; McWhorter 2000: 10–11). Two main hypotheses have been proposed to account for this fact: (a) the Monogenesis Hypothesis (Schwegler 1999); (b) the Afrogenesis Hypothesis (McWhorter 2000).In the present paper, the linguistic and sociohistorical evidence available for CVS is analyzed. Findings indicate that the long assumed creolizing conditions for CVS were not in place in colonial Chota Valley and therefore hypotheses (a) and (b) do not accurately explain the true nature and evolution of this language. The present study suggests that CVS can be better analyzed as the result of intermediate and advanced second language acquisition processes, which do not imply a previous creole stage.
Formation of alpha-methylnorepinephrine as a metabolite of metaraminol in guinea pigs.

Abstract Metaraminol was metabolized to α-methylnorepinephrine by homogenates from guinea pig liver in vitro , and α-methylnorepinephrine was found in tissues of guinea pigs treated with metaraminol in vivo . The conversion of metaraminol to α-methylnorepinephrine with rat liver homogenates in vitro was low, and no α-methylnorepinephrine was found in metaraminol-treated rats in vivo . α-Methyl-norepinephrine concentrations were measured in liver, heart, spleen, kidney and lung of guinea pigs treated with metaraminol. The ratio of tissue concentrations of α-methylnorepinephrine/metaraminol varied from near 0 in the adrenal glands to greater than 1 in liver at early times, though α-methyl-norepinephrine disappeared from liver at a slightly faster rate than did metaraminol, possibly due to the ability of α-methylnorepinephrine to be metabolized by O-methylation. Iprindole pretreatment reduced the concentration of α-methylnorepinephrine in heart and liver of metaraminol-treated rats but did not alter the depletion of norepinephrine in these tissues. The possibility that α-methylnore-pinephrine is involved in some of the pharmacological effects of metaraminol in guinea pigs is raised.
Excitation cross sections for some of the states of 2p 4 -3p configuration of neon and 4p 4 -5p configuration of krypton

Excitation cross sections for some of the 2p^{4} - 3p upper laser states of neon and 4p^{4} - 5p states of krypton have been calculated by assuming a fast electron strips away one of the bound valence electrons of the neutral atom in a very short time compared to the relaxation of the ion. Exact wavefunctions for the upper laser states of neon II and krypton II in terms of pure LS wavefunctions are found.
Genetic analysis of nonhistone chromosomal protein inheritance in recombinant inbred mouse strains using two-dimensional electrophoresis.

Analysis of hepatic nonhistone chromosomal protein (NHCP) expression in male mice from progenitor strains (C3H/HeN, C57BL/6N), their F1 hybrid (B6C3), and seven recombinant inbred strains (RIs) (B6N×C3N) by high-resolution two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) detected 16 NHCPs whose expression in RIs could be correlated to each other and with strain distribution patterns (SDP) of 20 genetic markers differing in the progenitors. Of the 400+ NHCP spots detected in RI 2D-PAGE maps, 172 were common to progenitors and all RIs. There was a characteristic absence of five NHCPs in one RI, Y. Ten C3H-specific and six C57-specific NHCP inherited in B6C3 also appeared in RIs. The SDP of C3H-specific NHCP 2 matched the SDP of beta-glucuronidase on chromosome 5 and carbonic anhydrase on chromosome 3, and C57-specific NHCP 5 SDP corresponded to that for nonagouti trait on chromosome 2. These 16 NHCP genetic marker inheritance differences detected in RIs add to the 23 previously established genetic marker differences between the progenitors.
Mixed L/sub 2/ and L/sub infinity / problems by weight selection in quadratic optimal control

In an attempt to achieve more realistic control objectives, the weighting matrices in the standard LQI (linear quadratic impulse) problem are usually chosen by the designer in an ad hoc manner. The authors show several optimal control design problems that minimize a quadratic function of the control vector subject to multiple inequality constraints on the output L/sub 2/ norms, L/sub infinity / norms, covariance matrix, and maximum singular value of the output covariance matrix. The solutions of all four of these problems reduce to standard LQI control problems with different choices of weights. It is shown how to construct these different weights. The practical significance of these results in that many robustness properties relate directly to these four entities. Hence the given control design algorithm delivers a specified degree of robustness to both parameter errors and disturbances. The results are presented in the deterministic terms of the LQI controller for the continuous and discrete systems problem, rather than the stochastic LQG (linear quadratic Gaussian). The results are easily transferable to LQG. >
Assessment of disparate structural features in three models of the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme

Three models for the secondary structure of the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) antigenomic self-cleaving RNA element were tested by site-directed mutagenesis. Two models in which bases 5' to the cleavage site are paired with sequence at the 3' end of the element were both inconsistent with the data from the mutagenesis. Specifically, mutations in the 3' sequence which decrease self-cleavage activity could not be compensated by base changes in the 5' sequence as predicted by these models. The evidence was consistent with a third model in which the 3' end pairs with a portion of a loop within the ribozyme sequence to generate a pseudoknot structure. This same pairing was also required to generate higher rates of cleavage in trans with a 15-mer ribozyme, thus ruling out a proposed hammerhead-like 'axehead' model for the HDV ribozyme.
Uniting Postcolonial, Discourse, and Linguistic Theory to Explore Participation of African Americans in Cancer Research as an Effect of Social and Historical Race Relationships

This article uses a historical framework of postcolonialism; discourse analytic concepts (significance, identity, and relationships); and 5 social and cultural linguistic principles of emergence, positionality, indexicality, relationality, and partialness as a theoretical and methodological triangulation approach to data analysis of focus group discussion. Exemplars of focus group data from a study exploring African American participation in research demonstrate the application of this combined framework as a useful tool for analysis. This approach allows for examination of identity and interaction and generates a more rigorous and complete understanding of how individuals use language to construct identity as participants or nonparticipants in research.
Density Functional Theory Predicts the Barriers for Radical Fragmentation in Solution

[reaction: see text] N-Methoxypyridyl radicals formed by one-electron reduction of the corresponding cationic heterocycles undergo N-O bond cleavage. Experimental activation free energies for a series of these bond fragmentations are compared to corresponding barriers determined from electronic structure calculations. The DFT barriers agree well with those from experiment, being smaller than the latter values by an average value of ca. 1 kcal/mol, for rate constants varying over almost 3 orders of magnitude, or within ca. 3 kcal/mol over 8 orders of magnitude of rate constant. For a model compound, the B3PW91/6-31+G hybrid density functional method is also found to be in good agreement with the MCSCF-MRMP2 method. One of the reactions is found by DFT to have no minimum for the reactant radical, consistent with a truly barrierless reaction.
A Probabilistic Approach to Pricing a Bundle of Products or Services

The authors propose a probabilistic approach to optimally price a bundle of products or services that maximizes seller's profits. Their focus is on situations in which consumer decision making is o...
Control of ordered structure and ductility of (Fe, Co, Ni)3V alloys

This study is directed toward improvement of the ductility of long-range ordered alloys through control of their ordered crystal structure. A series of ordered alloys was prepared with a base composition of Co3V, where Co was partially replaced with Fe and Ni. The stability and structure of the ordered phases in these (Fe,Co,Ni)3V alloys were characterized by various metallurgical methods. The results indicate that the ordered structure in this alloy system can be controlled by adjusting the electron density, and that the L12 type cubic ordered structure (α′) is stable in the alloys with electron density less than 7.888. The phase relation in the cubic ordered alloys depends on the Fe concentration. For the alloys containing 20 pct Fe, the α′ is formed through a peritectoid reaction, namely, α+σ→α′. Tensile tests indicate that the alloys with multilayered hexagonal ordered structure are very brittle, while the alloys with the cubic ordered structure are ductile at room temperature. The ductility of the cubic ordered alloys increases with decreasing Co content. The alloys with <55 pct Co showed dimple type ductile rupture with elongation over 40 pct at room temperature. The correlation of ductility with ordered structure is discussed.
A unique fungal lysine biosynthesis enzyme shares a common ancestor with tricarboxylic acid cycle and leucine biosynthetic enzymes found in diverse organisms.

Fungi have evolved a unique α-amino-adipate pathway for lysine biosynthesis. The fungal-specific enzyme homoaconitate hydratase from this pathway is moderately similar to the aconitase-family proteins from a diverse array of taxonomic groups, which have varying modes of obtaining lysine. We have used the similarity of homoaconitate hydratase to isopropylmalate isomerase (serving in leucine biosynthesis), aconitase (from the tricarboxylic acid cycle), and ironresponsive element binding proteins (cytosolic aconitase) from fungi and other eukaryotes, eubacteria, and archaea to evaluate possible evolutionary scenarios for the origin of this pathway. Refined sequence alignments show that aconitase active site residues are highly conserved in each of the enzymes, and intervening sequence sites are quite dissimilar. This pattern suggests strong purifying selection has acted to preserve the aconitase active site residues for a common catalytic mechanism; numerous other substitutions occur due to adaptive evolution or simply lack of functional constraint. We hypothesize that the similarities are the remnants of an ancestral gene duplication, which may not have occurred within the fungal lineage. Maximum likelihood, neighbor joining, and maximum parsimony phylogenetic comparisons show that the a-aminoadipate pathway enzyme is an outgroup to all aconitase family proteins for which sequence is currently available.
Exploring Mechanisms of Variability and Predictability of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in Two Coupled Climate Models

AbstractMultidecadal variability in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) of the ocean is diagnosed in the NCAR Community Climate System Model, version 3 (CCSM3), and the GFDL Coupled Model (CM2.1). Common diagnostic approaches are applied to draw out similarities and differences between the two models. An index of AMOC variability is defined, and the manner in which key variables covary with it is determined. In both models the following is found. (i) AMOC variability is associated with upper-ocean (top 1 km) density anomalies (dominated by temperature) on the western margin of the basin in the region of the Mann eddy with a period of about 20 years. These anomalies modulate the trajectory and strength of the North Atlantic Current. The importance of the western margin is a direct consequence of the thermal wind relation and is independent of the mechanisms that create those density anomalies. (ii) Density anomalies in this key region are part of a larger-scale pattern that propagates ar...
Paleoecologic and taphonomic potential of deepsea gastropods

Bathyal gastropods, characteristic of island arc settings, are commonly represented in Cenozoic deposits. They provide an excellent basis for paleoecological and paleoenvironmental studies of the deepsea. We predict the following based on a review of the Cenozoic literature and our examination of deepsea gastropods (>200 m): 1) Taphonomic processes affecting gastropod shells may be comparable between bathyal zones and shallow water environments, 2) death assemblages from bathyal habitats may be subject to the same time-averaging processes (e.g., census and within-habitat time-averaging) as in shallower water, and 3) complex ecological interactions, such as predation and epi- and endobiosis can commonly affect large, deepsea gastropods (e.g., the archaeogastropods, Bathybembix and Gaza)
High rate of prostate symptoms among Ariaal men from Northern Kenya

BACKGROUND To determine the prevalence and possible determinates of symptomatic benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in a subsistence population, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) was administered to men among the Ariaal, a group of pastoral nomads in Northern Kenya. MATERIALS AND METHODS Subjects were 56 nomadic and 62 settled men with estimated ages between 22 and 96. Anthropometric measures included height, percentage body fat, waist circumference, and six skinfolds. Saliva samples for the assay of testosterone were also obtained, as was information about common health complaints. RESULTS Rates of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) were extremely high compared to those reported in industrialized societies with 49% of the men classified as having moderate to severe symptoms. The level of LUTS was higher among nomads compared to settled males, and increased with age in both sub-populations. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that suprailliac and trunk skinfold thickness, and report of fever and chest cough were significant and positive predictors of moderate to severe LUTS. When controlled for suprailliac skinfold thickness and other health symptoms, height was also a significant and negative predictor of moderate to severe LUTS. Salivary testosterone was not a predictor of LUTS. Prostate quality of life was strongly related to LUTS, with presence of chest cough as an additional predictor. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that rates of BPH may be high in subsistence populations, as a function of poor nutritional status, both short term and long term. As such, they support a role for energetic balance in the development of BPH, though the potential effects of diet or immune function cannot be ruled out. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cobalt-poly(amido amine) superparamagnetic nanocomposites

Abstract Metallic cobalt–dendrimer nanocomposites were prepared using generation 5 poly(amido amine) dendrimers with primary amino termini. Cobalt loading of ∼ 38 atoms per dendrimer was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Magnetic properties of the cobalt–dendrimer nanocomposites were investigated across the temperature range from 2 to 300 K by SQUID magnetometry. Magnetization as a function of temperature and applied field strength was studied in zero field cooled samples. Magnetization–demagnetization curves (hysteresis loops) were also acquired at temperatures between 10 and 300 K. These results clearly indicate superparamagnetism for the nanocomposites with a characteristic blocking temperature of ∼ 50 K.
Advanced dielectrics for passivation of InSb

A combination of Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma, electrochemical, and chemical growth process were examined to synthesize dielectric surface passivation layers on InSb. The material properties of ECR-grown SiO[sub x]N[sub y] on InSb at temperatures from 30[degrees]C to 250[degrees]C were investigated. Composition analysis was done using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and elastic recoil detection (ERD). The electrical quality of the passivation layer was characterized with capacitance-voltage (CV) measurements on metal-insulator-semiconductor structures over the frequency range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz. Sulfided layers, Si[sub 3]ON[sub 2] on InSb, and sulfided layers capped with S[sub 3]ON[sub 2] all exhibited good C-V properties consistent with interface state densities on the order of 10[sup 11]/cm[sup 2]-eV, and flatband voltages of magnitude less than 1 V. The difference in adhesion of Si[sub 3]N[sub 4] on InSb and the adhesion of Si[sub 3]ON[sub 2] on InSb was described in terms of the strength of the bonding at the dielectric-InSb interface. This work is the first to demonstrate passivation of an InSb surface with high-quality ECR silicon oxynitrides grown at room temperature.
Comparison of the In Vitro Cytotoxicity of Hydroxylamine Metabolites of Sulfamethoxazole and Dapsone

The differential incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADR) between trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and dapsone might be explained, in part, by differences in the inherent toxicity of the hydroxylamine metabolites of sulfamethoxazole and dapsone. To test this hypothesis, the in vitro cytotoxicities of sulfamethoxazole hydroxylamine, dapsone hydroxylamine, and monoacetyldapsone hydroxylamine were compared using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy volunteers. After 3 hr of exposure to hydroxylamine metabolites, PBMC were washed thoroughly to remove residual hydroxylamine, and viability was assessed 16 hr later by determination of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) conversion. A concentration-dependent toxicity was observed with each hydroxylamine metabolite. While dapsone hydroxylamine and monoacetyldapsone hydroxylamine were not significantly different, both showed significantly greater cytotoxic potency than sulfamethoxazole hydroxylamine (P < 0.05). This differential potency was not a function of differential stability in aqueous medium and was maintained over time. The effects of red blood cells (RBC), impermeable RBC "ghosts," and RBC lysate on hydroxylamine-induced cytotoxicity were determined using a two-compartment dialysis system. Amelioration of hydroxylamine-dependent cytotoxicity occurred when RBC were included in PBMC incubations. This apparent detoxifying effect was markedly greater using RBC lysate in comparison with impermeable "ghosts" (P < 0.05). No difference in detoxification was observed between sulfamethoxazole hydroxylamine and monoacetyldapsone hydroxylamine. Differences in the inherent cytotoxicity of their hydroxylamine metabolites do not appear to explain the differential incidence of ADR between trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and dapsone.
Value conflict and development: the struggle of the professional Zairian woman

The ultimate reality in culture change… hinges on the fact that corresponding institutions in two cultures satisfy analogous needs in different ways and with different techniques; but in the process they have to use the same human and natural resources: land, capital, labor, politically organized force, the impulses of human reproduction, and also the standardized emotions, values and loyalties specific to each culture. – Bronislaw Malinowski, Dynamics of Culture Change (New Haven, 1945), p. 71.
The highly eccentric detached eclipsing binaries in ACVS and MACC

Next-generation synoptic photometric surveys will yield unprecedented (for the astronomical community) volumes of data and the processes of discovery and rare-object identification are, by necessity, becoming more autonomous. Such autonomous searches can be used to find objects of interest applicable to a wide range of outstanding problems in astronomy, and in this paper we present the methods and results of a largely autonomous search for highly eccentric detached eclipsing binary systems in the Machine-learned All-Sky Automated Survey Classification Catalog. 106 detached eclipsing binaries with eccentricities of e ≳ 0.1 are presented, most of which are identified here for the first time. We also present new radial-velocity curves and absolute parameters for six of those systems with the long-term goal of increasing the number of highly eccentric systems with orbital solutions, thereby facilitating further studies of the tidal circularization process in binary stars.
A Kantian care ethics suicide duty

Standard arguments for a duty to die or to commit suicide generally rely upon contractarian or other form of justice or the Principle of Beneficence. Even though some of these arguments might appear deontological, there is an explicit or implicit consequentialist common thread in all of them in which utility of some sort is maximized only through the taking of one's own life. Hence, most arguments for a suicide duty are consequentialist in nature. There are a number of relatively unexplored deontological arguments that make plausible cases for the mandatory taking of one's own life. For example, although Kant is widely thought to prohibit all suicides, a careful reading of his work can show a plausible case based on the Categorical Imperative. If it is necessary to preserve the individual's moral life, then everyone could will the generalized maxim governing the situation as a law of nature. Unfortunately, Kant's argument is weakened by his poor understanding of moral psychology. To strengthen Kant's case, care-relationship ethics can be combined with the argument to produce a plausible case that people are obligated to kill themselves if a number of criteria are satisfied.
CROSS‐VALIDATION OF A PROPORTIONAL ITEM RESPONSE CURVE MODEL

In a previous research study, factor analyses of TOEFL section item correlations (phi-coefficients) yielded a single factor in each section. This result is consistent with the assumption that, within sections, the item response curves are proportional, a possibility not previously suggested or explored in item response theoretical studies. One potential use to the TOEFL program is that this assumption could serve as a basis for simpler equating methods than are now being used. Use of the assumption entails estimating fewer parameters and the computations could be simpler than with current methods. Other anticipated benefits are that it could reduce the chances of error in calibrating items and would permit the use of smaller equating samples, which would in turn allow pretest evaluation of substantially more items for possible operational use. To increase the body of data evaluating the model, a cross-validation study was undertaken in which PIRC, 3PL, and a modified Rasch model were used to predict item scores of selected examinees on selected items. The study also compared predicted half-test scores with actual scores for each method. These comparisons were made using varying amounts of data to calibrate the items and calculate scores for the examinees in accordance with different estimation sample sizes. Surprisingly, the accuracy of predictions made by the models was approximately the same, and the estimation sample size appeared to make little difference. Further research in terms of randomization trials on the current data set and self-equatings similar to those conducted by Hicks (1984) is discussed.
Effect of Lubricants on Tensile Strengths of Tablets

AbstractThe effect of concentration of lubricant on the axial and radial tensile strengths of tablets was determined for four directly compressible pharmaceutical materials: anhydrous lactose, aspirin, microcrystalline cellulose, and dibasic calcium phosphate dihydrate. The lubricants investigated were: hydrogenated vegetable oil, magnesium stearate, polyethylene glycol 4000, stearic acid, and talc. For plastic materials the tensile strengths were reduced as the concentration of the lubricant was increased. For brittle material the tensile strength was not changed significantly as the concentration of lubricant was increased.
Oxalate induced expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in HK-2 cells involves reactive oxygen species

Oxalate is a toxic end product of metabolism largely because of its propensity to crystallize and form calcium oxalate, which is insoluble at physiologic pH and often deposits at very unfortunate sites, notably the kidneys. In the current study, we investigated the oxalate-induced injury and up-regulation of monocyte-chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in HK-2 cells, a proximal tubular epithelial cell line derived from normal human kidney. The cells were exposed to oxalate ions for different lengths of time. The culture media was tested for LDH release, a cell injury marker. mRNA was isolated from the cells and subjected to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The data showed that oxalate exposure resulted in cell injury in a time and concentration dependent manner. The MCP-1 mRNA increased following exposure to oxalate and was reduced upon treatment with free radical scavengers, catalase and superoxide dismutase. These data support the importance of reactive oxygen species in the induction of expression of MCP-1 in renal epithelial cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report of MCP-1 expression and its upregulation by oxalate exposure in HK-2 cells.
Training for the management of urban growth

This paper is in response to a request from the Director, UN Centre for Housing, Building and Phituring in connection with an Ad Hoc Meeting of Experts to be held at Enschede, Netherlands. The purpose of the meeting is to advise the Centre on the development of a training programme directed especially to professionals dealing with low-income settlements. The paper has been prepared in two parts: First covering what the Economic Development Institute (EDI) of the World Bank has been doing in the field of urban growth and what it plans to do in the near future. The second part responds to the points included in the Centre’s Aide Mtmoire.
Local Industrial Structures and Female Entrepreneurship in India

We analyze the spatial determinants of female entrepreneurship in India in the manufacturing and services sectors. We focus on the presence of incumbent female-owned businesses and their role in promoting higher subsequent female entrepreneurship relative to male entrepreneurship. We find evidence of agglomeration economies in both sectors, where higher female ownership among incumbent businesses within a district-industry predicts a greater share of subsequent entrepreneurs will be female. Moreover, higher female ownership of local businesses in related industries (e.g., those sharing similar labor needs, industries related via input-output markets) predict greater relative female entry rates even after controlling for the focal district-industry’s conditions. The core patterns hold when using local industrial conditions in 1994 to instrument for incumbent conditions in 2000-2005. The results highlight that the traits of business owners in incumbent industrial structures influence the types of entrepreneurs supported.
Use of the range in the statistical evaluation of a biological assay.

Abstract The statistical formulas used in the biological assay of digitalis, ouabain, and tubocurarine chloride in U. S. P. XIV are explained and short‐cut procedures developed. These simplified procedures are based upon the principle that for the number of animals usually employed in the assays, the range (the highest value minus the lower value) is as good an index to the standard error as the standard deviation and is much more easily calculated.
Distribution and grounding issues involved in naval ship integration of an electric gun system

The authors review the options available for industrial AC and DC systems, and how portions of these standards have been applied in developing the ground architecture for a shipboard electrothermal chemical gun system. They review shipboard practices and philosophy for low-voltage systems and project how this philosophy will lead to the selection of a grounding architecture for an electric gun system. The shipboard standards for routing dedicated, redundant, and survival distribution systems are also reviewed. >
Correlated Birkeland current signatures from the Triad and MAGSAT magnetic field data

Transverse magnetic disturbances associated with Birkeland currents have been measured by the Magsat and TRIAD spacecraft, whose orbits were nearly coplanar from November to mid-December, 1979. A comparison of data received when the satellites were over the TRIAD/Chatanika receiving station shows that 75% of magnetic disturbance measurements are similar in shape and magnitude, with TRIAD peak disturbances being on average 7% larger than those of Magsat. This discrepancy is lower than measurement uncertainties due to baselines and calibration. During periods of higher Kp, despite time separations of as much as 45 min, better agreement is found in the large-scale and well-defined field-aligned current signatures.
Determination of converter control algorithms for brushless doubly-fed induction motor drives using Floquet and Lyapunov techniques

This paper presents a method of analyzing the stability of brushless doubly-fed machines (BDFM) in the synchronous mode of operation. Unlike the stability analysis of conventional induction and synchronous machines for which the linearized state equations are time-invariant, the linearized state equations of the BDFM are time-varying and, consequently, their eigenvalue analysis cannot be performed directly. However, since the system matrix of the linearized equations is a periodic function of time, the generalized theory of Floquet can be applied to transform the time-varying system of equations into an equivalent set of equations with a constant system matrix. Eigenvalue analysis can then be employed to analyze the stability characteristics of given equilibrium points. Investigation into the stability of a proof-of-concept BDFM in the synchronous mode of operation using the transformed linearized model shows good correlation between theoretical and experimental results. In addition, the possibility of designing a BDFM drive with inherent open-loop stability over the entire speed range is demonstrated. Finally, under stable steady state synchronous operation, power converter control methods are discussed and it is shown that scalar control methodologies similar to those for induction motor drives can be applied to the BDFM. >
Achieving Atomicity for Web Services Using Commutativity of Actions

Web Services enable the creation of complex business activities through the cooperation of independently developed software programs. However, Web Ser- vices incur the risk of long delays and locked data when using the classical distributed transaction strategy, and the risk of inconsistency when using the compensating trans- actions strategy. If the benefits of Web Services are to be fully realized, a better strategy must be employed. In this paper we describe an extended transactions strategy that can be used in conjunction with existing Web Services infrastructures, and that is compatible with existing business practices. The strategy exploits local transactions and commutativity of local actions at each data item to achieve global atomicity for business activities.
β-Carotene vs. retinyl acetate for the baby pig and the effect upon ergocalciferol requirement.

Twenty-four pigs were used in a study to compare the utilization of dietary fermentation o-carotene with retinyl acetate by the baby pig and todetemine whether Carotene has a rachitogenic effect which may increase the vitamm T?e quirement. Purified isolated-soy diets containing 2.5, 6.25 or 12.5 Mgof ergocalciferol/ kg and containing either 8 mg/kg of fermentation S-carotene or 688 L/kg of retlnvl acetate were used in a 5-week feeding period. Total liver vitamin A storage of p?Â« receiving preformed vitamin A was about twice that of pigs receiving fi-carotene (2 4 mg vs. 1.2 mg). Neither bone composition nor strength were greatly affected hv source of yitamin A activity. In this experiment 0-carotene did not increase the need for ergocalciferol above that normally required by baby pigs fed a soy protein diet containing retinyl acetate. * p*uiein oiet
Prediction of the disulfide-bonding state of cysteine in proteins

The bonding states of cysteine play important functional and structural roles in proteins. In particular, disulfide bond formation is one of the most important factors influencing the three-dimensional fold of proteins. Proteins of known structure were used to teach computer-simulated neural networks rules for predicting the disulfide-bonding state of a cysteine given only its flanking amino acid sequence. Resulting networks make accurate predictions on sequences different from those used in training, suggesting that local sequence greatly influences cysteines in disulfide bond formation. The average prediction rate after seven independent network experiments is 81.4% for disulfide-bonded and 80.0% for non-disulfide-bonded scenarios. Predictive accuracy is related to the strength of network output activities. Network weights reveal interesting position-dependent amino acid preferences and provide a physical basis for understanding the correlation between the flanking sequence and a cysteine's disulfide-bonding state. Network predictions may be used to increase or decrease the stability of existing disulfide bonds or to aid the search for potential sites to introduce new disulfide bonds.
Temperature regulation of the cryptococcal phenoloxidase

Melanin formation at 37 degrees C has been proposed as a virulence factor in Cryptococcus neoformans. However, whereas catecholamine uptake is maintained at this temperature, phenoloxidase, which catalyses the oxidation of catecholamine to melanin, is severely decreased in most wild type strains cultivated at 37 degrees C.
Target blood pressure for patients with type 2 diabetes is difficult to achieve in the setting of a busy diabetes clinic.

Background Target blood pressure control in patients with type 2 diabetes should be 130/85mmHg or less; however, it is not clear how achievable this target is in clinical practice.
Note on the Overtraining Extinction Effect

The function describing resistance to extinction in a runway has been shown to be increasing-decreasing nonmonotone over a wide range of amounts of acquisition training. The decreasing arm of this function is termed the overtraining extinction effect {OEE). Rather curiously, the phenomenon has generally failed to obtain in bar-pressing situations (Harris & Nygaard, 1961; Perin, 1942; Porter & Hug, 1965; Williams, 1938), although one bar-pressing study (Tombaugh, 1967), unique in chat highly valued rewards and a discrete-trial technique were used, did obtain the effect. However, it is well established in runway experiments (Birch, Ison, & Sperling, 1960; Clifford, 1964; Ison, 1962; North & Stimmel, 1960; Siege1 & Wagner, 1963; Theios & Brelsford, 1964; Wagner, 1963), and from an analysis of several of these experiments, Wilton 8: Strongman (1967) have ventured the hypothesis that the highest point in the function relating resisrance to extinction to amount of rewarded training is itself a function of reward magnitude, or reward value, the peak shifting to the left with higher values. The nonmonotone relation of which the OEE is a part has been analyzed by Birch (1961, pp. 186-187) in terms of the S-R frustration theory of Spence ( 1956, 1960) and Amsel ! 1958). This analysis assumes that experimental extinction following continu~usly rewarded acquisition training in a runway involves either one or two fzctors, depending on the amount of acquisition training. These are conditioned anticipation of the goal, or conditioned incentive motivation, and conditioned anticipation of frustration from nonreward. Following small amounts of training, resistance to extinction is an increasing function of incentive motivation alone. Since this factor is assumed to enhance goal-approach responding end to be a negatively accelerated, increasing function of the amount of rewarded training, the first, increasing arm of the nonmonotone relation is attributed solely to the extinction of conditioned incentive motivation. Following larger amolrnts of training, extinction of approach responding is assumed to involve two fzctors. This recalls the assumption that frustration from nonreward requires some minimal amount of anticipation of the goal for its occurrence. Both conditioned frustration from nonreward and conditioned incentive motivation become involved in extinction if acquisition training has
Note on Nonsymmetric Finite Differences for Maxwell's Equations

Numerical solution methods for discretizing second derivatives are available (for exam-ple, centered ﬁnite differences in space and Nystr¨om or St¨ormer methods in time). Thesemethods may have advantages in accuracy and stability over their ﬁrst-derivative counter-parts. However, the imposition of boundary conditions is more difﬁcult in the second-orderformulation.
Using a high-fidelity patient simulator with first-year medical students to facilitate learning of cardiovascular function curves

Students are relying on technology for learning more than ever, and educators need to adapt to facilitate student learning. High-fidelity patient simulators (HFPS) are usually reserved for the clinical years of medical education and are geared to improve clinical decision skills, teamwork, and patient safety. Finding ways to incorporate HFPS into preclinical medical education represents more of a challenge, and there is limited literature regarding its implementation. The main objective of this study was to implement a HFPS activity into a problem-based curriculum to enhance the learning of basic sciences. More specifically, the focus was to aid in student learning of cardiovascular function curves and help students develop heart failure treatment strategies based on basic cardiovascular physiology concepts. Pretests and posttests, along with student surveys, were used to determine student knowledge and perception of learning in two first-year medical school classes. There was an increase of 21% and 22% in the percentage of students achieving correct answers on a posttest compared with their pretest score. The median number of correct questions increased from pretest scores of 2 and 2.5 to posttest scores of 4 and 5 of a possible total of 6 in each respective year. Student survey data showed agreement that the activity aided in learning. This study suggests that a HFPS activity can be implemented during the preclinical years of medical education to address basic science concepts. Additionally, it suggests that student learning of cardiovascular function curves and heart failure strategies are facilitated.
Genesis of Suicide Terrorism

Contemporary suicide terrorists from the Middle East are publicly deemed crazed cowards bent on senseless destruction who thrive in poverty and ignorance. Recent research indicates they have no appreciable psychopathology and are as educated and economically well-off as surrounding populations. A first line of defense is to get the communities from which suicide attackers stem to stop the attacks by learning how to minimize the receptivity of mostly ordinary people to recruiting organizations.
Helminth Infection Impairs Autophagy-Mediated Killing of Bacterial Enteropathogens by Macrophages

Autophagy is an important mechanism used by macrophages to kill intracellular pathogens. The results reported in this study demonstrate that autophagy is also involved in the macrophage killing of the extracellular enteropathogen Citrobacter rodentium after phagocytosis. The process was significantly impaired in macrophages isolated from mice chronically infected with the helminth parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus. The H. polygyrus-mediated inhibition of autophagy was Th2 dependent because it was not observed in macrophages isolated from helminth-infected STAT6-deficient mice. Moreover, autophagy of Citrobacter was inhibited by treating macrophages with IL-4 and IL-13. The effect of H. polygyrus on autophagy was associated with decreased expression and processing of L chain protein 3 (LC3), a key component of the autophagic machinery. The helminth-induced inhibition of LC3 expression and processing was STAT6 dependent and could be recapitulated by treatment of macrophages with IL-4 and IL-13. Knockdown of LC3 significantly inhibited autophagic killing of Citrobacter, attesting to the functional importance of the H. polygyrus-mediated downregulation of this process. These observations reveal a new aspect of the immunosuppressive effects of helminth infection and provide mechanistic insights into our earlier finding that H. polygyrus significantly worsens the in vivo course of Citrobacter infection.
Stochastic multicriteria decision problems with multilevels of hierarchy

This paper develops a solution method to obtain hierarchical noncooperative equilibria of a class of stochastic decision problems with more than two levels of hierarchy (in decision making), and wherein the decision makers (DM's) have access to nested dynamic information. In particular, we consider the three-person three-criteria quadratic decision problems wherein DM1 has access to the static observations and the controls of the other two DM's (in addition to his own static observation of the state of nature), and DM2 has access to the static observation and the control of DM3 (in addition to his own static observation). First, DMI announces his strategy and enforces it on both DM2 and DM3, and then DM2 announces his strategy and dictates it to DM3. Assuming that all three DM's are rational decision makers striving to minimize their expected costs, we first introduce the notion of hierarchical equilibrium for this decision problem, and then present a method for obtaining equilibrium strategies which exhibit the following feature: the equilibrium strategy of DM1 forces the other two DM's to act in such a way as to minimize jointly his expected cost function, while that of DM2 forces DM3 to minimize jointly the expected cost function of DM2 under the declared equilibrium strategy of DM1. An explicit derivation is given, in this framework, which leads to strategies that are linear in the dynamic part of the information available to DM1 and DM2. These strategies are, however, nonlinear functions of the static part of the information, even if the underlying statistics are Gaussian.