cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human collagen digestion. I: Nature of the digestion kinetics as a function of age and structure

The digestion of human collagen by bacterial collagenase was studied in order to relate collagen structure to the digestion kinetics. The digestion was shown to be first order in collagen and in collagenase on given material from run to run. There was no product inhibition and no enzyme deactivation. However, the rate changed with age, and also within a run as a function of conversion. It was shown that the normalized time (time X enzyme concentration), to reach a given amount of digestion can be plotted as a linear function of the sample age, from 20 to 70 years. The digestion broke down into two regions. The first was a rapid first order region which amounted to about 10% of the collagen. The second region could be graphed as a second order plot to obtain a straight line. This implied that the rate of digestion was functionally second order in collagen; first order in concentration and first order in conversion of collagen.
A Mutated Murine Reduced Folate Carrier (RFC1) with Increased Affinity for Folic Acid, Decreased Affinity for Methotrexate, and an Obligatory Anion Requirement for Transport Function

In an ongoing study of structure-function relationships of the murine reduced folate carrier 1 (RFC1), a glutamate to lysine mutation at amino acid 45 was identified in a methotrexate (MTX)-resistant L1210 clonal variant in which MTX and 5-formyltetrahydrofolate (5-CHO-THF) influx was markedly decreased. The characteristics of the mutated carrier, RFC1-E45K, were studied by cDNA transfection into the murine MTXrA line in which endogenous carrier is not functional. Folic acid influx doubled in the transfectant MTXrA-E45K as compared with L1210 or MTXrA cells; in contrast, MTX and 5-CHO-THF influx was only 14 and 27% that of L1210 cells, respectively. 5-CHO-THF influx in MTXrA-E45K cells was characterized by a 12- and 3.6-fold decrease in influx Vmax and Kt respectively, relative to L1210 cells. The folic acid influx Ki in L1210 cells was more than 50-fold greater than that of MTX based upon inhibition of 5-CHO-THF influx. In comparison, the mutated carrier had comparable affinities for folic acid and MTX in MTXrA-E45K cells due to a 7-fold decrease in the folic acid influx Ki and 7-fold increase in the MTX influx Ki. Transport via native RFC1 is inhibited by a variety of anions in L1210 cells associated with an increase in influx Kt. However, influx of 5-CHO-THF in MTXrA-E45K cells in a HEPES buffer (9 mM chloride) was decreased by 70% due to a 3-fold fall in the Vmax. In the complete absence of chloride (K+-HEPES-sucrose buffer) 5-CHO-THF influx was only 10% that in HBS buffer. 5-CHO-THF influx was restored by addition of chloride, fluoride, or nitrate but not by sulfate, phosphate, or ATP which were all inhibitory over a broad range of concentrations. The data suggest that substitution of a positive for a negative amino acid at position 45 results in the loss of RFC1 mobility in the absence of small inorganic anions that bind to, and neutralize the positive charge on, the lysine residue. Inhibition by higher charged anions may be due to interactions at another carrier site present in both the mutated and wild type carrier. This and other studies suggest that amino acids in the first predicted transmembrane domain play an important role in determining the spectrum of affinities for, and mobility of, RFC1 and is a cluster region for mutations when cells are placed under selective pressure with antifolates that utilize RFC1 as the major route of entry into mammalian cells.
Strategic stability and uniqueness in signaling games

Abstract A class of signaling games is studied in which a unique Universally Divine equilibrium outcome exists. We identify a monotonicity property under which a variation of Universal Divinity is generically equivalent to strategic stability. Further assumptions guarantee the existence of a unique Universally Divine outcome.
Directed Information Graphs: A generalization of Linear Dynamical Graphs

We study the relationship between Directed Information Graphs (DIG) and Linear Dynamical Graphs (LDG), both of which are graphical models where nodes represent scalar random processes. DIGs are based on directed information and represent the causal dynamics between processes in a stochastic system. LDGs capture causal dynamics but only in linear dynamical systems and there are Wiener filtering to do so in a subset of LDGs. This study shows that the DIGs are generalized version of the LDGs and any strictly causal LDGs can be reconstructed through learning the corresponding DIGs.
Biology of Tamarixia radiata (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), Parasitoid of the Citrus Greening Disease Vector Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psylloidea): A Mini Review

Tamarixia radiata (Waterston) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is an ectoparasitoid of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) a citrus pest and vector of huanglongbing (HLB) or citrus greening disease. First described from what is now Pakistan, the parasitoid has been introduced deliberately or inadvertently throughout Asia and the Americas wherever the psyllid now occurs. Interest in T. radiata for biological control of D. citri has grown in response to continued spread of ACP and HLB, and the evident searching and colonization capabilities of the parasitoid. Mass release is seen as a potential strategy to augment area wide management of D. citri, particularly where pesticides are not extensively used. Efficient mass rearing and eventual success of these programs will require the best possible information on biology of T. radiata including life history parameters, host relationships, sensory perception, environmental responses and genetics. Much early literature on T. radiata is in Chinese and therefore inaccessible to those not able to read the language. The present review covers the literature through 2014. The intent is to summarize what is known about biology of T. radiata to aid research efforts, with the objective of contributing to more effective biological control of this pest.
Effects of the dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel antagonist nimodipine on kainic acid-induced limbic seizures.

Abstract The effects of the dihydropyridine Ca 2+ channel antagonist nimodipine on kainic acid-induced seizures were studied in 30 0.5% halothane anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. Each animal received low dose kainic acid 0.5 mg/kg i.v. to allow study of the progression of neuronal excitability and epileptiform activity. Preadministration of nimodipine 1.0 mg/kg i.p. increased the latency but did not prevent kainic acid-induced epileptic activity. For example, the latency from kainic acid administration to the appearance of the first seizure and status epilepticus was 75.6 ± 9.1 min and 85.9 ± 9.4 min in control vs. 117.3 ± 9.3 min and 128.0 ± 8.7 min in the nimodipine group ( P 2+ influx through voltage-dependent L-channel secondary to kainic acid-induced membrane depolarization.
Alcohol dehydrogenase ontogeny and liver maturation in the leopard danio, brachydanio nigrofasciatus

1. 1. The tissue specificity and ontogeny of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) are reported for the leopard danio, Brachydanio nigrofasciatus. 2. 2. Of the seven adult tissues assayed (eye, brain, kidney, liver, ovary, skeletal muscle and stomach), only liver extracts showed ADH activity. 3. 3. The activation of the Adh locus is correlated with the first functioning of liver. It is suggested that the state of liver cell differentiation may be the stimulus necessary for Adh locus expression.
Evaluation of the economic impact of hydrogen production by methane decomposition with steam reforming of methane process

Abstract There has been considerable interest in the development of more efficient processes to generate hydrogen. Currently, steam methane reforming (SMR) is the most widely applied route for producing hydrogen from natural gas. Researchers worldwide have been working to invent more efficient routes to produce hydrogen. One of the routes is thermocatalytic decomposition of methane (TCDM) - a process that decomposes methane thermally to produce hydrogen from natural gas. TCDM has not yet been commercialized. However, the aim of this work was to conduct an economic and environmental analysis to determine whether the TCDM process is competitive with the more popular SMR process. The results indicate that the TCDM process has a lower carbon footprint. Further research on TCDM catalysts could make this process economically competitive with steam methane reforming.
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and associated risk factors in Asian Indians.

Objective This study examined the association between metabolic syndrome, lifestyle behaviors, and perception and knowledge of current health and cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Asian Indians in the US. Method The sample comprised of 143 adult Asian Indians recruited through health fairs for survey and bioclinical measures. Results The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 32%, much higher than other ethnic groups, did not vary by gender but increased with age. Respondents had high physical inactivity and poor knowledge of CVD risk factors. Dietary behavior, age, number of years lived in the US, self-rated physical and mental health and BMI were significant predictors and explained 40.1% of variance in metabolic syndrome score. Poorer physical health status had the greatest predictive influence on metabolic syndrome. Conclusion Asian Indians are a high risk group for CVD.
Detection of human sleep EEG waveforms.

Abstract A method for detecting waveforms occurring in the human sleep EEG (alpha, beta, delta, sleep spindles, and muscle activity) is presented. Design criteria are provided for the waveform detectors, which can be readily constructed from linear and digital integrated circuits or programmed on a minicomputer.
ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF LAND DEGRADATION IN AUSTRALIA

In this article an overview of several economic aspects of land degradation in Australia is presented. The economic rationale for government intervention in land management decisions relating to degradation is explored. Some potential sources of inefficient private land use decisions are identified. However, there are significant difficulties in designing policies which will result in resource allocation decisions superior to market outcomes.
Body mass index-associated differences in response to ovulation induction with letrozole.

Objective To compare occurrence of pregnancy among obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥30) and nonobese (BMI Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Academic reproductive endocrinology and infertility clinic. Patient(s) Ninety women with a variety of infertility diagnoses. Intervention(s) Letrozole (5 mg) on menstrual cycle days 3–7, followed by intrauterine insemination (IUI). Main Outcome Measure(s) Occurrence of pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. Result(s) Ninety women underwent 180 letrozole-IUI cycles. Conception of pregnancy occurred in 10.4% and 18.2% of the BMI Conclusion(s) Our study of 90 women undergoing letrozole-IUI treatment showed greater likelihood of pregnancy in higher-BMI women, although the difference was not significant. Letrozole is an effective ovulation induction agent in higher-BMI women.
Functional changes of the heart during hypothermia; an electrocardiographic and phonocardiographic study.

The increasing use of hypothermia by surgeons has awakened the interest of physiologists and cardiologists in the effects of lowering body temperature upon the heart. In spite of a numerous literat...
Urban Industrial Land Redevelopment and Contamination Risk

Abstract This study examines the role of contamination risk on urban industrial redevelopment in the City of Chicago. The theoretical framework is the myopic optimal redevelopment rule which states that the redevelopment of an urban parcel will occur when the parcel's value through conversion to a new use, net of construction costs, exceeds the value of the same parcel continuing in its current use. Contamination liability is modeled as a land demolition cost that is capitalized into bid value. Assuming that the magnitude of this land demolition cost is a function of the a priori probability of contamination, the effects of contamination risk on land value and on the probability of redevelopment are estimated.
The use of computed tomography in evaluating chest wall pathology

Forty-nine patients with chest wall lesions were evaluated by computed tomography (CT) and conventional radiography. Computed tomography was found to be indispensable for detecting and precisely localizing these lesions. It revealed unsuspected bone destruction and lung, pleural, and mediastinal involvement, as well as invasion of the spinal canal. In more than two thirds of the patients, CT provided additional information of clinical importance in management and, in one third, treatment was altered or the surgical approach modified because of the CT findings. Computed tomography is an essential diagnostic modality in evaluating chest wall lesions.
A review of spectroscopic methods for characterizing microbial transformations of minerals

Over the past decade, advances in surface-sensitive spectroscopic techniques have provided the opportunity to identify many new microbiologically mediated biogeochemical processes. Although a number of surface spectroscopic techniques require samples to be dehydrated, which precludes real-time measurement of biotransformations and generate solid phase artifacts, some now offer the opportunity to either isolate a hydrated sample within an ultrahigh vacuum during analysis or utilize sources of radiation that efficiently penetrate hydrated specimens. Other nondestructive surface spectroscopic techniques permit determination of the influence of microbiological processes on the kinetics and thermodynamics of geochemical reactions. The ability to perform surface chemical analyses at micrometer and nanometer scales has led to the realization that bacterial cell surfaces are active sites of mineral nucleation and propagation, resulting in the formation of both stable and transient small-scale surface chemical heterogeneities. Some surface spectroscopic instrumentation is now being modified for use in the field to permit researchers to evaluate mineral biotransformations under in situ conditions. Surface spectroscopic techniques are thus offering a variety of opportunities to yield new information on the way in which microorganisms have influenced geochemical processes on Earth over the last 4 billion years.
Who Goes Who Stays: An Assessment of the Effect of a Freshman Mentoring and Unit Registration Program on College Persistence:

We present an evaluation of a freshman block registration and mentoring program at a major state university. In an effort to improve retention, the University initiated a freshman block registratio...
Agonist-induced hump current production in heterologously-expressed human α4β2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Aim: To characterize the functional and pharmacological features of agonist-induced hump currents in human α4β2–nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). Methods: Whole-cell and outside-out patch recordings were performed using human α4β2–nAChR heterologously expressed in stably-transfected, native nAChR-null subclonal human epithelial 1 (SH-EP1) cells. RT–PCR was used to test the mRNA expression of transfected nAChR. Homology modeling and acetylcholine (ACh) docking were applied to show the possible ACh-binding site in the channel pore. Results: The rapid exposure of 10 mmol/L ACh induced an inward current with a decline from peak to steady-state. However, after the removal of ACh, an additional inward current, called “hump” current, reoccurred. The ability of agonists to produce these hump currents cannot be easily explained based on drug size, charge, acute potency, or actions as full or partial agonists. Hump currents were associated with a rebound increase in whole-cell conductance, and they had voltage dependence-like peak currents induced by agonist action. Hump currents blocked by the α4β2–nAChR antagonist dihydro-β-erythroidine were reduced when α4β2–nAChR were desensitized, and were more pronounced in the absence of external Ca 2+ . Outside-out single-channel recordings demonstrated that compared to 1 μmol/L nicotine, 100 μmol/L nicotine reduced channel current amplitude, shortened the channel mean open time, and prolonged the channel mean closed time, supporting an agonist-induced open-channel block before hump current production. A docking model also simulated the agonist-binding site in the channel pore. Conclusion: These results support the hypothesis that hump currents reflect a rapid release of agonists from the α4β2–nAChR channel pore and a rapid recovery from desensitized α4β2–nAChR.
Interlaminar shear stresses around an internal part-through hole in a laminated composite plate

Abstract The equilibrium/compatibility method, which is a semi-analytical post-processing method, is employed for computation of hitherto unavailable through-thickness variation of interlaminar (transverse) shear stresses in the vicinity of the bi-layer interface circumferential re-entrant corner line of an internal part-through circular cylindrical hole weakening an edge-loaded laminated composite plate. A C o -type triangular composite plate element, based on the assumptions of transverse inextensibility and layer-wise constant shear-angle theory (LCST), is utilized to first compute the in-plane stresses and layer-wise through-thickness average interlaminar shear stresses, which serve as the starting point for computation of through-thickness distribution of interlaminar shear stresses in the vicinity of the bi-layer interface circumferential re-entrant corner line of the part-through hole. The same stresses computed by the conventional equilibrium method (EM) are, in contrast, in serious error in the presence of the bi-layer interface circumferential re-entrant corner line singularity arising out of the internal part-through hole, and are found to violate the interfacial compatibility condition. The computed interlaminar shear stress can vary from negative to positive through the thickness of a cross-ply plate in the neighborhood of this kind of stress singularity.
Integrated piezoelectrically driven acousto-optic modulator

This paper presents a new type of acousto-optic modulator based on the conjunction of a piezoelectric contour mode resonator (CMR) with a photonic whispering gallery mode resonator (WGMR). The monolithic device fabricated in aluminum nitride (AlN) exhibits the coupling of piezoelectrically-generated lateral vibrations into a traveling-wave photonic ring resonator in a fully-integrated platform with electrodes directly patterned on the CMR body. We demonstrate the optical sensing of a piezoelectrically actuated mechanical mode at 654 MHz, enabling new possibilities for MEMS-based RF-photonics applications or new degrees of control of phonon-photon interactions in the field of optomechanics.
Optical Properties in the Visible of Overfire Soot in Large Buoyant Turbulent Diffusion Flames

Nonintrusive measurements of the optical properties of soot at visible wavelengths (351.2-800.0 nm) were completed for soot in the overfire region of large (2-7 kW) buoyant turbulent diffusion flames burning in still air at standard temperature and pressure, where soot properties are independent of position and characteristic flame residence time for a particular fuel. Soot from flames fueled with gaseous (acetylene, ethylene, propylene, and butadiene) and liquid (benzene, cyclohexane, toluene, and n-heptane) hydrocarbon fuels were studied. Scattering and extinction measurements were interpreted to find soot optical properties using the Rayleigh-Debye-Gans/polydisperse-fractal-aggregate theory after establishing that this theory provided good predictions of scatter-ing patterns over the present test range. Effects of fuel type on soot optical properties were comparable to experimental uncertainties. Dimensionless extinction coefficients were relatively independent of wavelength for wavelengths of 400-800 nm and yielded a mean value of 8.4 in good agreement with earlier measurements. Present measurements of the refractive index function for absorption. E(m), were in good agreement with earlier independent measurements of Dalzell and Sarofim and Stagg and Charalampopoulos. Present values of the refractive index function for scattering, F(m), however, only agreed with these earlier measurements for wavelengths of 400-550 nm but otherwise increased with increasing wavelength more rapidly than the rest. The comparison between present and earlier measurements of the real and imaginary parts of the complex refractive index was similar to E(m) and F(m).
Making Molecular Borromean Rings. A Gram-Scale Synthetic Procedure for the Undergraduate Organic Lab.

Borromean rings (BRs) have long fascinated scholars of all disciplines for their wide cultural appeal and unique topology. Undergraduate students are no exception and so we have modified our published experimental procedure for the synthesis of molecular BRs to turn it into a lab instruction experiment suitable for undergraduate students to pursue in an organic chemistry laboratory course. Herein, we describe a procedure that requires seven 4-hour blocks of time to allow an undergraduate student to prepare the molecular BRs on a gram-scale in 90% yield. Just as important as engaging students in the BRs is the fact that the making of the molecular BRs incorporates several important, yet nonetheless overlooked, areas of chemistry. They include synthetic organic, physical organic, inorganic and metallo-organic chemistry, supramolecular, and dynamic covalent chemistry, all packaged up under the same umbrella in one project.
Detection of air in helium filled thermal conduction modules

Two thermal conductance techniques for detecting air contamination in a helium-filled thermal conduction module (TCM) used to package silicon chips are described. A silicon majority carrier thermistor was used to detect as little as 15% air contamination in a container filled with helium. The technique directly measured the internal cooling ability of the package. Both a static test and a transient test were developed. The transient test is shown to be independent of the thermistor packaging. The technique did not require any modification to a TCM. Most importantly, the technique directly measured the cooling ability of the fill gas. The measurement could be performed simply and routinely after assembly, or on return from the field. >
A decision support system for face-to-face groups

Several recent trends have converged to make the concept of Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) important at this time. This paper describes the design, development, and testing of one GDSS tool as an initial step toward building a compre hensive system. A network of microcomputers was used to implement this tool, then the author studied its use by a large number of groups in a controlled laboratory setting. The GDSS proved to have some beneficial impacts on the group process as well as on the final product (decision) for the groups using the computers, as compared to groups using a booklet, or groups with no help. Suggestions for future experimental inves tigations are offered, as well as potential techniques for impro ving and expanding the GDSS.
Severity of HIV-associated neuropathy is associated with plasma HIV-1 RNA levels

Objective: To determine if there is an association between plasma HIV-1 RNA levels and severity of HIV-associated distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DSP). Design: Substudy of AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 291, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of recombinant human nerve growth factor for the treatment of painful DSP. Methods: Two-hundred and thirty-six subjects had plasma HIV-1 RNA load assayed at baseline. Mean and maximum neuropathic pain was assessed once daily by the Gracely Pain Scale. Other measures included subjects' global pain assessment and quantitative sensory tests (QST). These values were correlated with baseline HIV-1 RNA levels. Results: Among 168 subjects with detectable plasma HIV-1 RNA, there was a significant correlation between plasma HIV-1 RNA and the severity of maximum and global pain, and toe cooling thresholds. Maximum and global pain assessment correlated with plasma HIV-1 RNA in individuals with detectable viral load (r, 0.162 and 0.194; P= 0.04 and 0.01, respectively). Conclusions: There is an association between plasma HIV-1 RNA levels and the severity of pain and QST results in HIV-associated DSP. Further studies are needed to determine if aggressive use of antiretroviral drugs, including the use of dideoxynucleosides, may be of benefit to prevent or improve peripheral neuropathy.
High frequency radiation from truncated arrays of filamentary sources on a dielectric slab

Previously explored radiation phenomenologies pertaining to individual line sources on a dielectric slab and to finite arrays of line sources in free space are combined to synthesize and parametrize radiation from finite line source arrays located on a dielectric slab surface. From rigorous analysis and subsequent high frequency asymptotics for the prototype periodic case with linear interelement phasing, the authors obtain an observable-based parametrization (OBP) which connects features in reference data with structural features of the (slab)-(line array) configuration via wave processes with different physical content. The OBP is derived by applying the Poisson summation formula to collectively restructuring leads to fields which are parametrized in terms of Floquet mode (FM) beams, slab-guided leaky modes (LM) peaked by phase matching to the truncated FM, and edge diffractions from the ends of the truncated array. The OBP algorithm is validated by comparison with numerical reference data, and the parametrization provides choices for design and classification.
Down-regulation of cytoplasmic PLZF correlates with high tumor grade and tumor aggression in non–small cell lung carcinoma

There are currently no effective prognostic biomarkers for lung cancer. Promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF), a transcriptional repressor, has a role in cell cycle progression and tumorigenicity in various cancers. The expression and value of PLZF in lung carcinoma, particularly in the subclass of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), has not been studied. Our aim was to study the immunohistochemical expression of PLZF in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma and correlate the alteration of PLZF expression with tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, tumor stage, and overall survival. A total of 296 NSCLCs being mounted on tissue microarray (181 adenocarcinomas and 91 squamous cell carcinomas) were investigated. Moderate to strong expression of PLZF was found in the cytoplasm of all the nonneoplastic respiratory epithelium and most (89.9%) well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. The proportions of moderately differentiated, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, and paired lymph node adenocarcinoma metastases that demonstrated negative or only weak PLZF reactivity were 75.6%, 97.2%, and 89.9%, respectively. The expression of PLZF in squamous cell carcinoma was mostly weak or absent and significantly lower than that in adenocarcinoma of the same grade (P < .0005). The loss of cytoplasmic PLZF strongly correlated with high tumor grade and lymph node metastasis in both squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (P < .0001). Down-regulation of PLZF also correlated with higher tumor stage and shorter overall survival (P < .05). These results support a prognostic value for loss of cytoplasmic PLZF expression in the stratification of NSCLC and a possible role of cytoplasmic shift and down-regulation of PLZF in the pathogenesis of NSCLC.
A Maximum Likelihood Method for Estimating Genome Length Using Genetic Linkage Data

The genetic length of a genome, in units of Morgans or centimorgans, is a fundamental characteristic of an organism. We propose a maximum likelihood method for estimating this quantity from counts of recombinants and nonrecombinants between marker locus pairs studied from a backcross linkage experiment, assuming no interference and equal chromosome lengths. This method allows the calculation of the standard deviation of the estimate and a confidence interval containing the estimate. Computer simulations have been performed to evaluate and compare the accuracy of the maximum likelihood method and a previously suggested method-of-moments estimator. Specifically, we have investigated the effects of the number of meioses, the number of marker loci, and variation in the genetic lengths of individual chromosomes on the estimate. The effect of missing data, obtained when the results of two separate linkage studies with a fraction of marker loci in common are pooled, is also investigated. The maximum likelihood estimator, in contrast to the method-of-moments estimator, is relatively insensitive to violation of the assumptions made during analysis and is the method of choice. The various methods are compared by application to partial linkage data from Xiphophorus.
Isolation of Proteins from Plant Material

SUMMARY Proteins were extracted with a yield of up to 90% from wheat flour and finely powdered untoasted soya flour, with a 3M urea solution at 4°C. The urea-extracted protein contained, on hydrolysis, higher amounts of ammonia than a commercial soya protein isolate. Amino acid analysis by ion-exchange chromatography of soya proteins isolated with 3M urea showed that, on an ammonia-free basis, the urea-extracted proteins were comparable to a commercial soya protein isolate. Both had an amino acid composition comparable to that of a commercial solvent-extracted 50y0-protein soya meal. The urea-extracted proteins from wheat flour and soya flour retained their functional properties in bread-making. Extraction with 3M urea was lowered in coarsely ground soya meals and was reduced substantially by heat-treatment of soya products. Dispersibility in 3M urea at 4°C was found to be a useful parameter to evaluate the extent of heat damage to plant proteins.
Novel Mechanisms Responsible for Postmenopausal Hypertension

Blood pressure increases in many women after menopause. Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanisms responsible for the postmenopausal increase in blood pressure are yet to be elucidated. Various humoral systems have been proposed to play a role in postmenopausal hypertension, such as changes in estrogen/androgen ratios, increases in endothelin and oxidative stress, and activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). In addition, obesity, type II diabetes, and activation of the sympathetic nervous system are common in postmenopausal women and may also play important roles. However, progress in elucidating the mechanisms responsible for postmenopausal hypertension has been hampered by the lack of a suitable animal model. The aging female spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) exhibits many of the characteristics found in postmenopausal women. In this review, some of the possible mechanisms that could play a role in postmenopausal hypertension are discussed, as well as the characteristics of the aged female SHR as a model to study.
Overconfidence in warfare.

Lord David Owen's analysis of hubris and nemesis in heads of government (JRSM November 2006)1 is a valid and useful set of medical insights into a topic of literally life and death importance. But we also need to ask why overconfident men—and it is mainly men—rise to power so often, and yet also then make so many political and military blunders.2 Evolutionary psychology is the effort to identify those universal human behaviours that adapted us to the environment in which we evolved—primarily a world of small competing clans of hunters and gatherers.3 In such a world, where conflict was frequent (in preliterate societies, adult mortality from warfare is rarely less than 10% and can rise to 50% or more4) overconfidence could have been adaptive. The ability to bluff an enemy into submission and genuine optimism in the face of heavy adverse odds may well have been promoted by natural selection.5 In Iraq, Bush and Hussein both showed a similar lack of reality (Hussein was convinced the Americans would never invade and that if they did his forces would win, while Bush is quoted as ‘relentlessly optimistic’ and convinced the postwar occupation ‘would resemble the American liberation of Germany and Japan’).6 Democracies need to be led by intelligent, curious, analytical, and cautious leaders of either sex. Unfortunately, our political systems (and especially the US system of primaries to select presidential candidates) tend to select overconfident men. The first step in overcoming this danger is correct diagnosis, and the JRSM is to be congratulated on beginning this process.
Prevention of adhesions to polypropylene mesh.

Abstract Background Polypropylene mesh used to repair abdominal wall hernias routinely induces dense adhesions if there is direct contact between the mesh and the viscera. Adhesions may lead later to difficult reoperation, intestinal obstruction, or enteric fistula. Study design A 2.5-cm square defect was surgically created in the rat abdominal wall and replaced with: 1) polypropylene mesh, 2) Sepramesh (SM), or 3) SM plus Seprafilm. Each group included 20 animals. Adhesion area as a percent of the mesh surface was subjectively quantitated by means of laparoscopy and at sacrifice. Evaluations varied from 7 to 28 days after mesh placement. Tissues were harvested at intervals for scanning electron microscopy. Results Adhesions were complete by day 7, with no change in area thereafter. Adhesion-free mesh surfaces were found on scanning electron microscopy to be carpeted with mesothelial cells from day 5 on. Polypropylene mesh alone induced adhesions in all rats (20/20). The mean area involved was 92%. With SM, 9 of 20 were adhesion-free. The mean area was 15%. When Seprafilm was added to SM, minimal adhesions developed in 5 of 20 rats, the mean area being 2%. Four of the five were single point omental attachments. Conclusions 1) Sepramesh alone reduces polypropylene mesh adhesions by roughly three-quarters. 2) Sepramesh plus Seprafilm nearly eliminates such visceral adhesions. 3) Mesothelial cell coverage of polypropylene mesh confers adhesion resistance.
Protein Subcellular Relocalization in the Evolution of Yeast Singleton and Duplicate Genes

Gene duplication is the primary source of new genes, but the mechanisms underlying the functional divergence and retention of duplicate genes are not well understood. Because eukaryotic proteins are localized to subcellular structures and localization can be altered by a single amino acid replacement, it was recently proposed that protein subcellular relocalization (PSR) plays an important role in the functional divergence and retention of duplicate genes. Although numerous examples of distinct subcellular localizations of paralogous proteins have been reported, it is unknown whether PSR occurs more frequently after gene duplication than without duplication. By analyzing experimentally determined and computationally predicted genome-wide protein subcellular localization data of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and two other fungi (Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Kluyveromyces waltii), we show that even singleton genes have an appreciable rate of relocalization in evolution and that duplicate genes do not relocalize more frequently than singletons. These results suggest that subcellular relocalization is unlikely to have been a major mechanism for duplicate gene retention and functional divergence at the genomic scale.
Varicella-associated Arthritis Occurring Before the Exanthem Case Report and Literature Review

Varicella-associated arthritis represents an uncommon complication of varicella in children. In 20 previously reported cases, three were documented to be bacterial in origin. Viral isolation from synovial fluid was attempted in seven others, and varicella was isolated in just two. In all previous case reports, the arthritis occurred after or coincident with the onset of varicella. The current case is one in which joint involvement preceded the clinical onset of varicella. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility that varicella may manifest as an acute arthritis, even in the absence of the typical exanthem.
Visual Environmental Impairment Scan (V.E.I.S.)

Coping with sensory loss is the bane of the elderly. Each day the population over age 65 increases by 1500 people (Kutza, 1961). Many of these individuals will suffer visual acuity loss to between 20/25 and 20/70. This may be due to age-related macular degeneration or because they are waiting for cataract surgery. All too often older persons give up favorite acitivties and necessary tasks because these activities have become difficult to perform.
A scalable high-performance I/O system

A significant weakness of many existing parallel supercomputers is their lack of high-performance parallel I/O. This weakness has prevented, in many cases, the full exploitation of the true potential of MPP systems. As part of a joint project with IBM, we have designed a parallel I/O system for an IBM SP system that can provide sustained I/O rates of greater than 160 MB/s from collections of compute nodes to archival disk and peak transfer rates that should exceed 400 MB/s from compute nodes to I/O servers. This testbed system is being used for a number of projects, first it will provide a high-performance experimental I/O system for traditional computational science applications, second it will be used as an I/O software and development environment for new parallel I/O algorithms and operating systems support, and third it will be used as the foundation for a number of new projects designed to develop enabling technology for the National Information Infrastructure. This report describes the system under development at Argonne National Laboratory, provides some preliminary performance results, and outlines future experiments and directions. >
High-diagnosability online built-in self-test of FPGAs via iterative bootstrapping

We develop a novel on-line built-in self-test (BIST) technique for testing FPGAs that has a very high diagnosability, even in presence of clustered faults, a fault pattern for which previous BIST methods proved ineffective. Unlike previous BIST methods which unrealistically assume that the test circuitry used for testing PLBs is fault-free, our method, via an iterative bootstrapping process, first finds this fault-free test circuitry and then starts testing the PLBs. Also, unlike previous methods, our fault detection process does not require any unrealistic assumptions of fault-free status of some components or the existence of only some fault patterns (and the exclusion of others) in the FPGA. Our adaptive fault diagnosis process is more time efficient than its previous counterparts as it does not require testing of all the PLBs of a faulty BIST area, and its design is simpler in the sense that it does not require multiple modifications of the testing area for its implementation. We also analyze the probability of correct diagnosis in the presence of multiple faults. Our BIST technique gives excellent fault coverage and fault latency results, and supports the theoretical analysis.
Women and Power: Toward a Theory of Effectiveness

This paper develops a theory of sex-role stereotyping and power use in terms of how people interact in daily life situations. Power use is proposed to be affected by sex-role stereotypes on three major dimensions: direct-indirect, concrete-personal, and competent-helpless. It is demonstrated that women have less access, in reality and in expectations, to concrete resources and competence, leaving them with indirect, personal, and helpless modes of influence. Power use is examined in terms of sex-role stereotypes, and data are presented which support the hypothesis that people expect males and females to use different bases of power.
New frontiers in business intelligence

Business intelligence (BI) software is a collection of decision support technologies for the enterprise aimed at enabling knowledge workers such as executives, managers and analysts to make better and faster decisions. The past two decades have seen explosive growth, both in the number of products and services offered and in the adoption of these technologies by industry. This growth has been fueled by the declining cost of acquiring and storing very large amounts of data arising from sources such as customer transactions in banking, retail as well as in E-businesses, RFID tags for inventory tracking, email, query logs for websites, blogs and product reviews. Enterprises today collect data at a finer granularity which is therefore of much larger volume. Businesses are leveraging their data assets aggressively by deploying and experimenting with more sophisticated data analysis techniques to drive business decisions and deliver new functionality such as personalized offers and services to customers. Today, it is difficult to find a successful enterprise that has not leveraged BI technology for their business. For example, BI technology is used in manufacturing for order shipment and customer support, in retail for user profiling to target grocery coupons during checkout, in financial services for claims analysis and fraud detection, in transportation for fleet management, in telecommunications for identifying reasons for customer churn, in utilities for power usage analysis, and in E-business for identifying customers who are likely to respond to a product catalog mailing campaign.
The origin of erythropoietin in rats with transplants of an adrenal cortical carcinoma.

SummaryRats bearing a transplantable adrenal cortical carcinoma showed the following features: elevated levels of an erythropoietic factor in the serum 2–4 weeks after tumor transplantation; no increase in erythropoietic factor in the serum 2 months after transplantation; significant levels of an erythropoietic factor in saline extracts made of both the young and the old tumor tissue; and no significant reduction of erythropoietic factor in the serum or tumor 48 hr after nephrectomy of the tumor bearing rats. This evidence indicates that the site of production of the erythropoietic factor is the tumor itself. Several features of the active tumor extracts. primarily its inactivation by neuraminidase, supports the contention that the eryth-ropoietically active material in these rats is erythropoietin.
Cinema Studies/Jewish Studies, 2011–2013

In an era of massive university budget cuts and pervasive malaise regarding the future of the humanities, cinema and media studies continue to be a growth industry. Many academic fields have been paying increasing attention to film, in terms of both curriculum development and research. Jewish studies is no exception. Since 2011, a boom in publications has included a range of new books that deal with Jews on screen, Jewish themes in cinema, and the construction of Jewish identity through film. To assess what these recent titles contribute to Jewish cinema studies, though, requires assessing the parameters of the field—and that is no easy task. The definition of what belongs is as elastic as the boundaries of Jewish identity and as perplexing as the perennial question, who is a Jew? Consequently, the field is wildly expansive, potentially encompassing the many geographical locales where films on Jewish topics have been produced as well as the multiple languages and cinematic traditions within which such films have emerged. At issue are not just numerous national cinemas, but also transnational productions and international histories. Yiddish film, for instance, was produced in Poland, the Soviet Union, the US, Argentina, and other places as well. Compounding the challenge of assessing the field of Jewish film is the fact that Jewish studies overlaps with Holocaust studies, itself a vast enterprise that has grown dramatically over the past two decades. A simple WorldCat search, restricted to scholarly books from respectable academic presses, turns up dozens of titles on cinema and the Holocaust published since the year 2000. Not surprisingly, the long-standing debates on “what is Jewish literature?” have morphed into controversy over “what is Jewish cinema”?
Nuclear Acoustic Resonance of Mn 55 in Antiferromagnetic RbMn F 3

An intense frequency-dependent absorption of ultrasound in antiferromagnetic RbMn${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$ has been observed and attributed to resonant phonon coupling to the manganese nuclear spins. At 4.2 K, the maximum resonant absorption using longitudinal waves at $\ensuremath{\nu}=650$ MHz was much greater than 40 dB/cm and was accompanied by a dispersion (shift in acoustic velocity) of greater than 1%. Both the field-dependent and field-independent modes, with the electronic spins in a flopped configuration, have been studied. The observed nuclear acoustic resonance absorption and dispersion are well accounted for by the magneto-elastic theory of Fedders. A semiclassical model of the magneto-elastic theory, which agrees in most respects with that of Fedders, is described. It is shown further that this model can be extended to explain the coupling of ultrasound to the nuclear spins of magnetic atoms (e.g., ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{55}$ in MnTe) and nonmagnetic atoms (e.g., ${\mathrm{F}}^{19}$ in RbMn${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$) in other antiferromagnets.
Surgical gastrointestinal anomalies including diaphragmatic hernia: Does type of anomaly affect neurodevelopmental outcome?

Objective To describe short-term neurodevelopmental outcome of infants operated on for congenital anomalies (CA) and assess the impact of type of CA on the outcome. Study Design From 2008 to 2010 newborns operated on for CA were enrolled in a cross-sectional follow-up study including three distinct groups: infants of 6 months (group A), infants of 12 months (group B), and children of 24 months (group C). Each group was divided into five subgroups: (1) esophageal atresia; (2) congenital diaphragmatic hernia; (3) midgut malformations; (4) abdominal wall defects; (5) colorectal malformations. Each group of patients underwent a neurodevelopmental evaluation with Bayley III. Results In all, 150, 156, and 84 babies were enrolled in groups A, B, and C, respectively. Mean (standard deviation) Mental Scale score was 94.65 (8.75), 98.76 (11.03), and 100.60 (12.04) in groups A, B, and C. Mean (standard deviation) Motor Scale score was 96.89 (11.62), 99.23 (14.83), and 103.60 (12.90) in groups A, B, and C. No significant differences were found among the five subgroups considered. Conclusion Regardless of type of malformation, short-term neurodevelopmental outcome of children with gastrointestinal anomalies including diaphragmatic hernia falls within normal range, suggesting that neither being born with a CA nor its type is per se a risk factor for neurodevelopmental delay.
Geodesics on Regular Polyhedra with Endpoints at the Vertices

In a recent work of Davis et al. (2016), the authors consider geodesics on regular polyhedra which begin and end at vertices (and do not touch other vertices). The cases of regular tetrahedra and cubes are considered. The authors prove that (in these cases) a geodesic as above never begins at ends at the same vertex and compute the probabilities with which a geodesic emanating from a given vertex ends at every other vertex. The main observation of the present article is that there exists a close relation between the problem considered in Davis et al. (2016) and the problem of classification of closed geodesics on regular polyhedra considered in articles (Fuchs and Fuchs, Mosc Math J 7:265–279, 2007; Fuchs, Geom Dedic 170:319–333, 2014). This approach yields different proofs of result of Davis et al. (2016) and permits to obtain similar results for regular octahedra and icosahedra (in particular, such a geodesic never ends where it begins).