cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of the interaction between PIPKIγ and talin by proline-directed protein kinases

The interaction of talin with phosphatidylinositol(4) phosphate 5 kinase type Iγ (PIPKIγ) regulates PI(4,5)P2 synthesis at synapses and at focal adhesions. Here, we show that phosphorylation of serine 650 (S650) within the talin-binding sequence of human PIPKIγ blocks this interaction. At synapses, S650 is phosphorylated by p35/Cdk5 and mitogen-activated protein kinase at rest, and dephosphorylated by calcineurin upon stimulation. S650 is also a substrate for cyclin B1/Cdk1 and its phosphorylation in mitosis correlates with focal adhesion disassembly. Phosphorylation by Src of the tyrosine adjacent to S650 (Y649 in human PIPKIγ) was shown to enhance PIPKIγ targeting to focal adhesions (Ling, K., R.L. Doughman, V.V. Iyer, A.J. Firestone, S.F. Bairstow, D.F. Mosher, M.D. Schaller, and R.A. Anderson. 2003. J. Cell Biol. 163:1339–1349). We find that Y649 phosphorylation does not stimulate directly PIPKIγ binding to talin, but may do so indirectly by inhibiting S650 phosphorylation. Conversely, S650 phosphorylation inhibits Y649 phosphorylation by Src. The opposite effects of the phosphorylation of Y649 and S650 likely play a critical role in regulating synaptic function as well as the balance between cell adhesion and cell motility.
Gonadotropic activities of the subunits of ovine FSH and LH in the lizard Anolis carolinensis.

The gonadotropic activities of the subunits of ovine LH (CI and CII) and FSH (α and β) were compawed with those of the native LH and FSH molecules in the lizard Anolis carolinensis. Assays of relative potencies were based on the maintenance of testis weight and activity in hypophysectomized adult male lizards kept at 32°C, using 5 or 6 injections of hormones on alternate days. Ovine FSH was considerably more potent than ovine LH as determined in previous studies. The relative potencies of the two subunits of LH (CI and CII) in the lizard was similar to that observed in mammalian bioassay. Both had comparatively low activities, less than 10% of the native LH, CI being slightly more potent. With regard to FSH subunits, the subunit β was more active than α, as in the mammal, but the ratio between their activities was 5-fold greater in the reptile. In general, the relative potency of subunit β in the lizard is considerably higher than in the mammal. Addition of subunit α to β yields a “reconstituted” molecule with greatly increased potency in mammalian biossay, but had essentially no effect on the activity of β in the lizard. It is concluded that virtually all the gonadotropic activity of the ovine FSH molecule measured in the lizard resides in the β-subunit.
Development of outer segments and synapses in the rabbit retina

The peripheral retina of rabbits aged 0 to 60 days was studied by electron microscopy. Ribbon and conventional synaptogenesis was studied with serial sections, and the density of synapses of the inner plexiform layer was measured on large (1,500μm2) montages. Photoreceptor and bipolar ribbon synapses seem to develop similarly in that processes of the prospective dyad or triad contact the presynaptic ribbon-containing terminal one at a time. No statistically significant difference in the lengths of ribbon lamellae was found at 11 and 30 days. Conventional synapses appear to result from the aggregation of synaptic vesicles on one side of junctions that first existed as symmetrical membrane densities without vesicles. The length of the synaptic membrane specialization remains constant between 0 and 30 days. The density of inner plexiform layer conventional synapses remains at a low and roughly constant level from 0 to 9 days, after which there is an abrupt increase to a plateau at about 20 days. After nine days the density of ribbon synapses also increases, with an initially steep time course similar to that of conventional synapses. All subcategories of synapse studied (amacrine-to-amacrine, amacrine-to-bipolar, serial, and reciprocal) participate in the general increase between 9 and 20 days. Functional circuits of the inner plexiform layer thus seem to be assembled primarily during the second and third weeks of life.
Identification of tylosin photoreaction products and comparison of ELISA and HPLC methods for their detection in water.

Tylosin is a widely used macrolide antibiotic for therapeutics and growth promotion in swine, beef cattle, and poultry production. Through various routes such as manure application, emission, inapp...
Renal and hepatic toxicity of monochloroacetanilides in the Fischer 344 rat

Chlorinated anilines are widely used chemical intermediates which have been shown to be nephrotoxicants and hepatotoxicants. A major metabolic pathway for the chloroanilines is via acetylation of the amino group to form chlorocetanilides. The purpose of this study was to examine the hepato- and nephrotoxic potential of the three monochloroacetanilides to determine if N-acetylation is an important biotransformation step for activation or detoxification of the chloroanilines in organ-directed toxicity. In one set of experiments, male Fischer 344 rats (4 rats/group) were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with a chloroacetanilide (CAA) (0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 mmol/kg) or vehicle and renal function monitored for 24 or 48 h. Liver function and tissue morphology also were determined at 24 or 48 h. None of the CAA were marked nephrotoxicants at doses of 0.5 or 1.0 mmol/kg. However, 4-CAA (1.5 mmol/kg) induced an increase in blood urea nitrogen concentration and kidney weight at 24 h and 3-CAA (1.5 mmol/kg) was lethal within 24 h. The decreasing order of in vivo nephrotoxic potential was found to be 4-CAA > or = 3-CAA > 2-CAA. Based on the elevation of ALT/GPT activity at 48 h, the order of hepatotoxic potential was found to be 4-CAA > 3-CAA, 2-CAA. In a second set of experiments, the in vitro effect of the chloroacetanilides on organic ion transport by renal cortical slices was examined. Both 3- and 4-CAA decreased organic ion accumulation at bath concentrations of 10(-5) M or greater, while 2-CAA had no effect at concentrations up to 10(-3) M. These results demonstrate that the order of nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic potential among the chloroacetanilide isomers is different than among the chloroanilines and that the chloroacetanilides were generally less potent as hepatotoxicants or nephrotoxicants than the corresponding chloroaniline. In addition, N-acetylation appears to be a detoxification rather than a bioactivation step in chloroaniline-induced liver or kidney injury.
Mucormycosis: a deadly disease with a new treatment

Mucormycosis (zygomycosis, phycomycosis) is the most acutely fatal fungal infection in humans. It is a rare condition and any one person's experience with the condition is limited to a few cases at most. A patient with advanced rhino-orbitocerebral mucormycosis who survived after debridement and free flap transfer is presented. It is proposed that a free flap may provide the ideal environment for combatting this condition by providing an increased blood supply and an effective delivery system for antimicrobial agents.
Binary mixtures of pyrethroids produce differential effects on Ca2+ influx and glutamate release at isolated presynaptic nerve terminals from rat brain ☆

Abstract Isolated rat brain synaptosomes were used to evaluate the action of pyrethroid mixtures on Ca 2+ influx and subsequent glutamate release under depolarizing conditions. In equipotent binary mixtures at their respective and/or estimated EC 50 s with deltamethrin always as one of the two components, cismethrin, λ-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, esfenvalerate and permethrin were additive and S -bioallethrin, fenpropathrin and tefluthrin were less-than-additive on Ca 2+ influx. In binary mixtures with deltamethrin always as one of the two components, esfenvalerate, permethrin and tefluthrin were additive and λ-cyhalothrin was less-than-additive on glutamate release. Binary mixture of S -bioallethrin and cismethrin was additive for both Ca 2+ influx and glutamate release. Only a subset of pyrethroids ( S- bioallethrin, cismethrin, cypermethrin, and fenpropathrin) in binary mixtures with deltamethrin caused a more-than-additive effect on glutamate release. These binary mixtures were, however, only additive (cismethrin and cypermethrin) or less-than-additive ( S- bioallethrin and fenpropathrin) on Ca 2+ influx. Therefore, increased glutamate release evoked by this subset of pyrethroids in binary mixture with deltamethrin is not entirely occurring by Ca 2+ -dependent mechanisms via their action at voltage-sensitive calcium channels. These results suggest that pyrethroids do not share a common mode of toxicity at presynaptic nerve terminals from rat brain and appear to affect multiple target sites, including voltage-sensitive calcium, chloride and sodium channels.
Lunar transient phenomena (LTP): Manifestations, site distribution, correlations and possible causes

More than 1400 observations of lunar transient phenomena (LTP), encompassing brightenings, darkenings, and gaseous, reddish, and bluish events, are analyzed in an attempt to determine the possible causes of LTP. Hypotheses considered include effects of earth tides on the moon, low-angle illumination, thermal luminescence, UV heating, solar-particle acceleration by the magnetopause of earth's magnetotail, terrestrial magnetotail bow-shock-front turbulence, cathode luminescence due to magnetotail effects, and solar-flare particle bombardment. Analysis are performed in terms of histograms of the number of observations vs. phase of anomalistic period and of number vs. moon's age, percentage of numbers of observed phenomena and percentage of expected numbers as well as their ratios, and albedo behavior over a lunation period of chosen permanent points in ten specific features. The results indicate that different phenomena may have different causes, strong tidal effects are dubious, correlations with sunrise are most frequent, and the distribution of all LTP sites is distinct from that of deep- and shallow-focus moonquake epicenters.
High-Intensity-Discharge Lamp Ballast With Igniter Driven by Dual-Frequency Inverter

An automotive high-intensity-discharge (HID) lamp ballast with an igniter which has a voltage doubler driven by a dual-frequency inverter is proposed. As in a conventional ballast, the proposed implementation consists of a high frequency dc/dc converter and a low frequency dc/ac inverter. However, in this implementation, the inverter is driven at a much higher frequency during the ignition stage, making it possible to use only one large capacitor to store the energy for ignition compared to two large capacitors required in the conventional implementation, resulting in a higher density igniter. Furthermore, to simplify the hardware, a low-cost micro-controller is employed to implement a software-based detection of lamp ignition, lamp status, and to regulate the lamp power. The performance of the proposed igniter, ignition and power controller were evaluated on a 35-W HID lamp ballast.
Utopia and Bureaucracy: The Fall of Rajneeshpuram, Oregon

There may be places in Oregon that are more isolated from their centers of population -towns like Wagontire, Lonerock, and Remote-but Rajneeshpuram is hard enough to reach. The drive from Portland to its site in the central basin of the John Day River covers 175 miles. The hundred square miles of Rajneesh properties spanned two counties. The offices of Jefferson County were seventy miles away in Madras, population 2,235 in 1987. The offices of Wasco County were ninety miles distant in The Dalles, population 10,265. A circle of a hundred miles circumference centered on Rajneeshpuram embraces only one town of more than 1000 residents and one additional town of more than 500. Between 1981 and 1985, followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh built a substantial utopia in the solitude of eastern Oregon. The instant community promised spiritual reassurance, material comfort, and opportunities for worldly achievement for a population that was officially planned for 3,700 and sometimes projected to reach the tens of thousands.1 It also offered the chance to build a carefully planned new city. At its peak in 1984, Rajneeshpuram housed between 2,000 1. City of Rajneeshpuram, Comprehensive Plan (Rajneeshpuram, Ore.,
Magnetic relaxation in annealed, amorphous, Co61B39 thin films

Abstract Reversible, log-time relaxation in the magnetic properties of annealed, sputtered, amorphous, Co61B39 thin films over a post-anneal time span of 0.1 to 8000 h is reported on. Changes in the 2.0 to 200 MHz complex permeability spectra, and the magnetic hysteresis were measured for several annealing temperatures and time periods. TEM micrographs indicate that the irreversible changes in the magnetic anisotropy of the as-deposited state produced by the initial anneal are due to changes in nanoscale morphological features. The film coercivities and anisotropies of annealed films relaxed toward values smaller than the as-deposited values with a single, but different, exponential time constant over the entire time span. The reversibility between the relaxed state and subsequent anneal states appears to depend on the relaxation of atomic scale processes unobservable by in-situ, TEM microscopy at a magnification of 100 000 X.
Relative volume-average murine tumor blood flow measurement via deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

A deuterium NMR spectroscopic method to determine relative tumor blood flow (TBF) by measuring the increase in tumor HOD concentration after intravenous injection of 100 μl D2O (0.9% NaCl) is presented. An integration approach analogous to that validated for positron emission tomographic measurement of cerebral blood flow was implemented. Computer simulations indicated that integration from 30 to 120 s minimizes the sensitivity of the uptake integral to the shape of the arterial input function, which cannot be assessed in each mouse, while maintaining both a nearly linear relationship between TBF and the integral and high NMR signal-to-noise. A strong positive linear correlation was observed between the uptake integral and TBF measured by D2O clearance in both untreated tumors (n = 19; P < 0.001) and tumors after hyperthermia (n = 16; P < 0.001). This method can measure relative TBF in tumors with heterogeneous blood flow and is ideally suited to concurrent or interleaved measurement of TBF and metabolism via multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. © 1991 Academic Press. Inc.
Partial characterization of in vivo chemotactic activity: Comparison to human C5a☆

Abstract Spontaneous eosinophil chemotactic activity (SECA) can mediate the directed movement of human eosinophils and neutrophils. 1 Preliminary characterization of SECA has been carried out. SECA is nondialyzable and heat-stable (56 °C, 30 min). Chromatography on Sephadex G-75 demonstrated that SECA had elutional and functional properties similar to C5a (prepared from endotoxin-activated normal sera). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) with the use of 15% bisacrylamide gels of lyophilized, chemotactically active column fractions demonstrated a single protein band of identical electrophoretic mobility from either SECA or C5a preparations. Enzymatic hydrolysis with carboxypeptidase B, a known inhibitor of CSa activity, significantly decreased chemotactic activities of C5a and SECA. The addition of purified anti-C5 to either SECA or C5a significantly inhibited chemotactic activity. SECA is naturally occurring chemotactic activity identical to human C5a. Thus C5a may be an important source of in vivo chemotactic activity in various inflammatory disorders.
The Effect of Crystal Contact Forces on Protein Intramolecular Dynamics

Increasingly time resolved X-ray crystallography and solid state NMR have been employed to characterize dynamics. In the advent of X-ray free electron sources at Stanford (LCLS), and Hamburg (European XFEL) there is a strong push to extend time-resolved measurements. A persistent question for these techniques however, is how the crystal contact forces may strongly perturb these dynamics from those in vivo. While some theoretical studies have indicated that the crystal contact perturbation is minor[1], other calculations suggest it is significant[2]. Surprisingly there have been few studies to actually determine from the data what the effects are. Given the enormous effort currently underway for extending crystal phase dynamics measurements, it is imperative to determine how the crystal contact forces affect large scale motions necessary for function. Here we show how anisotropic optical measurements in the extreme infrared (10-100 cm-1) using the technique of Crystal Anisotropy Terahertz Microscopy (CATM) can quantify the effect [3], by measuring the perturbation of the global motions for a given symmetry group. Chicken egg white lysozyme (CEWL) is used as a benchmarking model. Calculations and measurements are performed for tetragonal and monoclinic symmetry groups, for which B-factor measurements indicate that there is a significant difference in the motional constraint arising from the crystal geometry.1. Hafner, J. and W.J. Zheng, Optimal modeling of atomic fluctuations in protein crystal structures for weak crystal contact interactions. Journal of Chemical Physics, 2010. 132(1).2. Hinsen, K., Analysis of domain motions by approximate normal mode calculations. Proteins: Structure, Function, and Genetics, 1998. 33(3): p. 417-429.3. Acbas, G., K.A. Niessen, E.H. Snell, and A.G. Markelz, Optical measurements of long-range protein vibrations. Nat Commun, 2014. 5.
Alcohol Problems of Employee Assistance Program Populations

ABSTRACT Alcohol problems of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) participants who are self-referred are more likely to be female, and less likely to have measurable alcohol problems than are employer-referred participants. Using the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), a population of 206 clients of an EAP were screened for self-reported drinking patterns. The MAST was determined to be an excellent adjunct to the EAP and especially useful with employer-referred clients, who were more likely to have alcohol problems. The mean score on the MAST for self-referred clients was 4.47±7.86 (“borderline”) as opposed to employer-re-ferred clients whose mean score was 10.36± 12.32 (“likely alcoholism”).
Time-Progressive Dynamic Assessment of Abrupt Cable-Breakage Events on Cable-Stayed Bridges

AbstractAlthough long-span bridges are usually designed with sufficient structural redundancy, particular concerns arise about the abrupt breakage of bridge cables, which may cause progressive failure such as zipper-like collapse. The time-progressive nonlinear dynamic analysis approach is proposed to investigate the abrupt cable-breakage event of a cable-stayed bridge. Compared with existing studies, the proposed methodology focuses on the simulation of cable loss scenarios in a more realistic manner through incorporating stochastic moving traffic loads, dynamic bridge–vehicle interactions, and associated dynamic initial states of the abrupt cable-breakage event. Several important issues associated with the proposed simulation methodology, such as the finite-element modeling option of cable breakage, different initial states of cable breakage, nonlinearity, and traffic loads, are investigated through a prototype bridge example. Finally, the response envelopes in terms of moments and stresses along the wh...
The measurement of biological age

One of the objectives of gerontological research is to achieve, reproducibly and at will, a verifiable discrepancy between the chronological and biological age of organisms. To accomplish this, the experimenter must be in a position to measure biological age independently. In theory, this can be done in the three ways: by actuarial analysis of large populations, assessment of overall morbidity, or observation of chronic degenerative changes that can be actually measured or graded according to a scale. Of these three approaches, only the last appears to be promising in experimental research. However, not all progressive degenerative changes represent practically useful parameters of biological age. Criteria for their evaluation are presented, and their theoretical prerequisites as well as concrete applications discussed. In a more general way, one has to be aware that biological age is a statistical entity. It cannot be directly observed but only inferred from quantifiable epiphenomena, and is, as such, not measurable like temperature or weight.
Renal Involvement in Essential Mixed Cryoglobulinemia

Essential mixed cryoglobulinemia (EMC) is infrequently recognized in this country. We report studies performed in six patients with EMC evaluated by us over the last 6 years. Purpura was present in three patients and glomerulonephritis in all. Two patients had chronic hepatitis B infection. Positive cryoglobulins and C1q binding, hypocomplementemia (especially low C4), positive rheumatoid factor titer, and negative anti-DNA antibodies were characteristic laboratory findings. The cryoprecipitate had strongly positive rheumatoid factor activity and contained a monoclonal IgM, kappa type in one of the two patients evaluated. The predominant lesion by renal biopsy was mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis type I; electron microscopy revealed typical fibrillar structures in four cases. The above-mentioned features help distinguish EMC from other forms of glomerulonephritis.
Hydraulic Residence Times for the Laurentian Great Lakes

The Laurentian Great Lakes comprise one of the major water resources of North America. For many water quality studies the hydraulic residence times or replacement times of the Great Lakes serve as measures of how quickly water quality will change in response to changes in contaminant loadings. The residence time for a conservative substance represents the average time a conservative substance which remains dissolved in the water spends in a lake. The hydraulic residence times of conservative substances for the Great Lakes are relatively long ranging, from close to 200 years for Lake Superior to a little over 2 years for Lake Erie. A major reduction of 38 years was found in the residence time for Lake Michigan (62 years as compared with the 100 year value previously reported) due to the consideration of flow exchange between Lakes Michigan and Huron. This indicates that Lake Michigan may respond much faster to reductions in contaminant loadings than previously expected. Because of their low ratio of volume to outflow, only Lakes Erie and Ontario are affected by normal climatic variations of less than 20 years in duration. Extreme lake level conditions over the period of 2 to 8 years can also significantly affect the residence times of Lakes Erie and Ontario. Thus high levels in the early 1970s may have contributed to the improvement of water quality in Lake Erie. Existing diversions and potential global warming appear to have no significant effect on residence times.
A dislocation density based strain gradient model

Abstract Strain gradients play a vital role in the prediction of size-effects in the deformation behavior of metals at the micrometer scale. At this scale the behavior of metals strongly depends on the dislocation distribution. In this paper, a dislocation density based strain gradient model is developed aiming at predictions of size-effects for structural components at this scale. For this model, the characteristic length is identified as the average distance of dislocation motion, which is deformation dependant and can be determined experimentally. The response of the model is compared to the strain gradient plasticity model of Huang et al. [Huang, Y., Qu, S., Hwang, K.C., Li, M., Gao, H., 2004. A conventional theory of mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity. Int. J. Plasticity 20, 753–782]. It is shown that the present strain gradient model, which only requires a physically measurable length-scale, can successfully predict size effects for a bar with an applied body force and for void growth.
Economic Development Without Pre-Requisites: How Bolivian Firms Met Strict Food Safety Standards and Dominated the Global Brazil-Nut Market

Brazilian firms used to dominate the brazil nut (BN) market to such an extent that the product still carries the country’s name. Presently, 77% of all BNs are processed and exported by Bolivia, a country with far fewer resources than its neighbor. This paper analyzes the impact of EU regulations on the global BN market. It finds that Bolivian producers prevailed because they joined forces to revamp their manufacturing practices and meet EU sanitary standards despite continued mutual mistrust. In contrast, Brazilian producers have been unable to work cooperatively and lost access to the European market entirely.
Shallow Doping in Silicon

In recent years liquid-state diffusion by laser melting has been instituted in device manufacture; and annealing of doped polysilicon and ion implantation damage by various lasers and incoherent radiation sources have been investigated. Continuous wave (CW) laser annealing was shown to be superior in the reduction of polysilicon sheet resistance due to increase in grain size. Incoherent radiation sources appear to be practical for dopant activation with mimimum redistribution. The conventional furnace technology continues to play an important role while new technologies are introduced to complement it. These various technologies for shallow doping (> 1 µm) in silicon are reviewed in terms of cost, throughput, special process requirements, dopant activation, dopant profile shift, and device characteristics.
Comparison of MS/MS Methods for Characterization of DNA/cisplatin Adducts

The development of activation/dissociation techniques such as ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD), infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD), and electron transfer dissociation (ETD) as alternatives to collision induced dissociation (CID) has extended the range of strategies for characterizing biologically relevant molecules. Here, we describe a comprehensive comparison of CID, IRMPD, UVPD, ETD, and hybrid processes termed ETcaD and ET-IRMPD (and analogous hybrid methods in the negative mode NETcaD and NET-IRMPD) for generating sequence-specific fragment ions and allowing adduction sites to be pinpointed for DNA/cisplatin adducts. Among the six MS/MS methods, the numerous products generated by the IRMPD and UVPD techniques resulted in the most specific and extensive backbone cleavages. We conclude that IRMPD and UVPD methods generally offer the best characteristics for pinpointing the cisplatin adduction sites in the fragment-rich spectra.
Metabolic Changes During Cold Acclimation and Deacclimation in Five Bermudagrass Varieties: II. Cytokinin and Abscisic Acid Metabolism

Bermudagrasses (Cynodon spp.) grown in the U.S. transition zone and other regions with a similar climate undergo cold acclimation in fall and deacclimation in spring. Physiological mechanisms of cold acclimation and deacclimation associated with freezing tolerance and spring green-up are not well documented. This study investigated changes in cytokinin (t-zeatin riboside [t-ZR]) and abscisic acid (ABA) during cold acclimation and deacclimation in five bermudagrass entries in growth chambers. One ecotype (GA-851) and four cultivars (Patriot, Riviera, Tifway, and Princess-77) were subjected to cold acclimation at 8/4°C (day/night) for 28 d and then deacclimation at 10/5, 21/7, 23/8, and 26/14°C for either 3 wk (standard deacclimation) or 1 wk (fast deacclimation treatment). Stolon t-ZR content declined while ABA content increased during cold acclimation. Patriot and Riviera had higher levels of stolon ABA relative to Princess-77 at the end of cold acclimation. During deacclimation, t-ZR increased as the temperature increased to 26/14°C, while ABA declined as the temperature increased from 10/5 to 21/7°C. Patriot, GA-851, and Tifway had higher levels of t-ZR relative to Riviera and Princess-77. Abscisic acid level during cold acclimation may be associated with freezing tolerance, while cytokinin level during deacclimation may be associated with rate of spring green-up of bermudagrass. The results suggest that selection and use of entries with higher levels of ABA during cold acclimation and cytokinin during deacclimation could improve bermudagrass winter survival and spring green-up in transition zone climates.
On the Metric Perturbations of the Reissner-Nordstrom Black Hole

The two pairs of one-dimensional wave equations which govern the odd and the even-parity perturbations of the Reissner–Nordstrom black hole are derived directly from a treatment of its metric perturbations. The treatment closely parallels the corresponding treatment in the context of the Schwarzschild black hole.
FRICTION INDEX AND PRESSING CHARACTERISTICS OF SPHERICAL STAINLESS-STEEL POWDER AND OXIDIZED COPPER POWDER*

A procedure is described for accumulating data on the friction index and compression ratio of a copper powder at different stages of oxidation and of screened fractions of a stainless-steel powder. The dimensionless and nameless powder property, friction index divided by the compression ratio, was constant under certain conditions for a regular series of size fractions of stainless-steel powder. Calculations were made of the coefficient of compression and the limiting value of the degree of volume change by the method due to Kawakita.
Estimation of Aerodynamic Stability Derivatives for Space Launch System and Impact on Stability Margins

This paper describes the techniques involved in determining the aerodynamic stability derivatives for the frequency domain analysis of the Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle. Generally for launch vehicles, determination of the derivatives is fairly straightforward since the aerodynamic data is usually linear through a moderate range of angle of attack. However, if the wind tunnel data lacks proper corrections then nonlinearities and asymmetric behavior may appear in the aerodynamic database coefficients. In this case, computing the derivatives becomes a non-trivial task. Errors in computing the nominal derivatives could lead to improper interpretation regarding the natural stability of the system and tuning of the controller parameters, which would impact both stability and performance. The aerodynamic derivatives are also provided at off nominal operating conditions used for dispersed frequency domain Monte Carlo analysis. Finally, results are shown to illustrate that the effects of aerodynamic cross axis coupling can be neglected for the SLS configuration studied
The electrohydrodynamic deformation of drops suspended in liquids in steady and oscillatory electric fields

When an electric field is applied to a drop suspended in another liquid the drop deforms. The relation between the applied field and the mode and magnitude of the deformation have been studied extensively. Nevertheless, Torza, Cox & Mason (1971) found that quantitative agreement between the leaky dielectric theory (Taylor 1966) and experiment is quite poor. Here we describe results from a new series of experiments. Drops suspended in weakly conducting liquids were deformed into spheroids with both steady and oscillatory fields. Drop deformation, interfacial tension, and the electrical properties of the fluids were measured for each system to provide a definitive test of the theory. The agreement between the leaky dielectric model and our results for drop deformations in steady fields is much improved over previous results, although discrepancies remain for some systems. Drop deformations in oscillatory fields consist of steady and oscillatory parts because of the quadratic dependence on the field strength. Measurements of the steady part at 60 Hz, where the oscillatory deformation is negligible, are in excellent agreement with the theory. The effects of frequency on the steady deformation were studied by measuring oblate deformations at a series of frequencies and field strengths; the agreement with theory is good. Finally, the time-dependent total deformation was measured under conditions where both parts of the deformation are commensurate. Good agreement was found between the measured and predicted maximum and minimum deformations. Nevertheless, only a small range of fluid properties could be studied owing to the need to avoid droplet sedimentation.
Relationship of morphological variables to rubber production in guayule

The objective of this study was to find measurable characters to aid the plant breeder in predicting both rubber percentage and rubber yield of guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray). A field of 234 guayule breeding lines was harvested by clipping in February 1986. Forty-two of these lines were selected for further evaluation on the basis of superior regrowth, rubber content and yield. These 42 lines were reharvested in February 1987. Nineteen variables were evaluated including percent rubber and resin, rubber and resin yield (g/plant), plant height (cm), width (cm), and volume (m3), fresh and dry weight (kg/plant), percent dry weight, stem number, mean stem diameter (cm), total and mean stem circumference (cm), total and mean stem area (cm2), total stem circumference/total stem area (cm-1), and regeneration at two dates. Dry weight (kg/plant) had the best correlation to rubber yield (r=0.85), and plant volume best predicted dry weight (r=0.83). These variables did not correlate as highly with percent rubber. The best statistical regression model for percent rubber included four variables, fresh and dry weight, percent dry weight, and plant volume. This model accounted for 51% of the variation. In comparison, the best regression of rubber yield had an R2=0.85 for plant height and width, volume, and dry weight.
Factors affecting the flocculation of bacteria by chemical additives.

Pure bacterial cultures can be flocculated by a variety of chemical flocculants. Flocculation of bacteria will assist in their recovery, especially where the cells themselves are of interest, as in microbial protein production. Studies with several genera of bacteria indicate that the mechanism of flocculation is highly complex. Such interacting variables as temperature, ionic environment, physiological age, flocculant, bacterial genus, and surface shear have been observed. Jar test experiments with washed cells indicate that many of the variables are related to the release by the cell of proteins, nucleic acids, or polysaccharides. When released, these polymers may increase the required dosage of flocculant for recovery as in the case of E. coli, or the dosage may decrease as it does for Lactobacillus.
Repeated restraint stress exerts different impact on structure of neurons in the lateral and basal nuclei of the amygdala

Chronic stress exacerbates and can induce symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders. Chronic stress causes amygdala hyperactivity, which may contribute to these detrimental effects. One potential mechanism for amygdala hyperactivity is an increase of excitatory drive after stress. Excitatory inputs to the amygdala predominantly synapse upon dendritic spines, and repeated stress has been demonstrated to increase dendritic spines in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). However, the BLA is comprised of several nuclei, including the lateral nucleus (LAT) and the basal nucleus (BA), which exert functionally distinct roles in amygdala-dependent behaviors. Furthermore, while an increase of dendritic spines can impart significant functional ramifications, a shift of spine distribution can also exert significant impact. However, differences in the effects of repeated stress on LAT and BA have not been examined, nor differential effects on spine distribution. This study examined the effects of repeated restraint stress on dendritic structure of principal neurons from the LAT and BA in Golgi-stained tissue. This study found that repeated stress increased spine number in LAT and BA, but in very distinct patterns, with proximal increases in LAT neurons and non-proximal increases in BA neurons. Furthermore, repeated stress increased dendritic length in the BA, but not the LAT, leading to a global change of spine density in BA, but a focal change in LAT. These distinct effects of repeated stress in the LAT and BA may exert significant functional effects on fear behavior, and may underlie differences in the effects of repeated stress on acquisition, contextual modulation and extinction of fear behavior.
Acid unit modifications of 1,2,4,5-substituted hydroxyacetophenones and the effect on in vitro and in vivo LTB4 receptor antagonism

7-[4-Acetyl-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyphenoxy)propoxy]-3,4-dihydro-8-propyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-carboxylic acid sodium salt 7 (LY247826) and several 7-[3-(4-acetyl-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyphenoxy)propoxy)-2-propylphenoxy] acetic acid analogues were prepared as LTB4 receptor antagonists. When compared with LY255283 and SC-41930, these antagonist showed improved in vitro LTB4 receptor antagonism and/or in vivo activity.
STRESS AND CONSUMMATORY BEHAVIOR IN THE ALBINO RAT.

This study investigated the relationship between intense chronic stress and body weight changes. Variations in food and water consumption, urine volume, and BMR were also observed. Twelve rats were subjected to tone-shock pairings 20 hr. daily for 22 days. Twelve rats received only one shock; 12 rats received neither shock nor tone; and 12 rats served as home-cage controls. Animals subjected to the tone-shock condition manifested a significant body weight loss, an inhibition of food and water intake, and a reduced urine volume, as compared to other treatment groups. Prolonged intense stress is instrumental in initiating a loss in body weight due to inhibition of consummatory behavior which is concurrent with a significant anti-diuresis.
A pocket-sized metabolic analyzer for assessment of resting energy expenditure

Summary Background & aims The assessment of metabolic parameters related to energy expenditure has a proven value for weight management; however these measurements remain too difficult and costly for monitoring individuals at home. The objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of a new pocket-sized metabolic analyzer device for assessing energy expenditure at rest (REE) and during sedentary activities (EE). The new device performs indirect calorimetry by measuring an individual's oxygen consumption (VO 2 ) and carbon dioxide production (VCO 2 ) rates, which allows the determination of resting- and sedentary activity-related energy expenditure. Methods VO 2 and VCO 2 values of 17 volunteer adult subjects were measured during resting and sedentary activities in order to compare the metabolic analyzer with the Douglas bag method. The Douglas bag method is considered the Gold Standard method for indirect calorimetry. Metabolic parameters of VO 2 , VCO 2 , and energy expenditure were compared using linear regression analysis, paired t -tests, and Bland–Altman plots. Results Linear regression analysis of measured VO 2 and VCO 2 values, as well as calculated energy expenditure assessed with the new analyzer and Douglas bag method, had the following linear regression parameters (linear regression slope LRS 0 , and R-squared coefficient, r 2 ) with p = 0: LRS 0 (SD) = 1.00 (0.01), r 2 = 0.9933 for VO 2 ; LRS 0 (SD) = 1.00 (0.01), r 2 = 0.9929 for VCO 2 ; and LRS 0 (SD) = 1.00 (0.01), r 2 = 0.9942 for energy expenditure. In addition, results from paired t -tests did not show statistical significant difference between the methods with a significance level of α = 0.05 for VO 2 , VCO 2 , REE, and EE. Furthermore, the Bland–Altman plot for REE showed good agreement between methods with 100% of the results within ±2SD, which was equivalent to ≤10% error. Conclusion The findings demonstrate that the new pocket-sized metabolic analyzer device is accurate for determining VO 2 , VCO 2 , and energy expenditure.
Antifouling Polymer Membranes with Subnanometer Size Selectivity

Membranes that deliver nanoscale size selectivity are desirable for applications ranging from water treatment to molecular separations. Here we describe polymer thin film composite membranes coated with amphiphilic graft copolymers consisting of a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) backbone and poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (POEM) side chains, PVDF-g-POEM. Transmission electron microscopy and thermal analysis reveal that these materials molecularly self-assemble into bicontinuous nanophase domains of semicrystalline PVDF, providing structural integrity, and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), providing selective transport channels of defined size. PVDF ultrafiltration membranes coated with PVDF-g-POEM wet instantaneously and reject >99.9% of emulsified oil from a 1000 ppm oleic acid/triethanolamine/water microemulsion feed at 66 psi without fouling. Their molecular sieving capability is demonstrated through separation of like-charged organic dyes varying in molecular dimensions by several angstroms. Thicker films ...
ABH antigens and bone marrow transplantation.

Summary. We studied the role of ABH antigens in determining graft outcome in 104 patients who received HLA-identical bone marrow transplants for aplastic anaemia and acute leukaemia. ABH compatibility had no significant effect on incidence of graft rejection or graft-versus-host disease. Fifteen recipients had pre-transplant antibodies against donor ABH antigens. In 14, large volume plasma exchange and transfusion of donor-type erythrocytes was successful in reducing the antibody titre to low or undetectable levels. In one patient, plasma exchange was unsuccessful and red cells were removed from the marrow inoculum by unit gravity sedimentation. This approach prevented transfusion reaction, and permitted engraftment of all haematopoietic cell lines despite persistently elevated antibody titres. Parallel in vitro studies revealed that antibodies to ABH antigens failed to inhibit the growth of progenitor cells committed to both granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-C) and erythroid (BFU-E) development. These findings indicate that ABH-antigens are not clinically important transplantation antigens and suggest that ABH antigens are not operationally present on hematopoietic stem cells.
Cascaded traveling-wave phase-sensitive optical parametric amplifiers

We demonstrate a two-stage system of cascaded traveling-wave phase-sensitive optical parametric amplifiers, achieving 10 dB second-stage amplification (5 dB deamplification) on top of the amplification (deamplification) provided by the first stage.
Information-theoretic approaches to SVM feature selection for metagenome read classification

Graphical abstractDisplay Omitted Highlights? We find that feature selection improves performance of metagenomic taxonomic classification with SVMs. ? The mRMR information theoretic method is the best feature selection method, especially for the phylum level. ? Using feature selection with 9mers does not improve over 6mer feature selection. AbstractAnalysis of DNA sequences isolated directly from the environment, known as metagenomics, produces a large quantity of genome fragments that need to be classified into specific taxa. Most composition-based classification methods use all features instead of a subset of features that may maximize classifier accuracy. We show that feature selection methods can boost performance of taxonomic classifiers. This work proposes three different filter-based feature selection methods that stem from information theory: (1) a technique that combines Kullback-Leibler, Mutual Information, and distance information, (2) a text mining technique, TF-IDF, and (3) minimum redundancy-maximum-relevance (mRMR). The feature selection methods are compared by how well they improve support vector machine classification of genomic reads. Overall, the 6mer mRMR method performs well, especially on the phyla-level. If the number of total features is very large, feature selection becomes difficult because a small subset of features that captures a majority of the data variance is less likely to exist. Therefore, we conclude that there is a trade-off between feature set size and feature selection method to optimize classification performance. For larger feature set sizes, TF-IDF works better for finer-resolutions while mRMR performs the best out of any method for N=6 for all taxonomic levels.
Global Women's Health: Progress toward Reducing Sex-Based Health Disparities

Though sex-based health disparities are a global reality, nowhere are they greater than in resource-poor nations. Women and girls in developing nations lack basic health care and they face debilitating and life-threatening health issues that have long since been controlled or eradicated elsewhere. The list includes maternal mortality, obstetric fistulas, female genital cutting, HIV/AIDS, malaria in pregnancy, and cervical cancer. Because these girls and women have less access to education and employment and are societally encouraged to marry early and bear many children, they suffer from higher rates of illiteracy, fertility, morbidity, and mortality. These social and economic conditions directly affect the health and well-being of these women, their children, their families, and their communities. In 2000, the United Nations established 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)2: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting sexual equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality rates; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development (1). (Table 1) By 2005 it was clear that some nations were on track, while others were struggling. Relief was given to countries that were heavily indebted, and funds were given to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the African Development Bank to help refocus efforts to reach the MDGs. In 2010, the United Nations set a deadline for all nations to achieve all 8 goals by 2015. View this table: Table 1. The MDGs.a Three MDGs are highly relevant to women's health. MDG3, promoting sexual equality and empowering women, specifically stipulates eliminating sex-based disparities in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015. MDG5, improving maternal health, targets a 75% reduction in maternal mortality. MDG6, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, aims to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other …
Variability in academic research data management practices: implications for data services development from a faculty survey

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how knowledge of local research data management (RDM) practices critically informs the progressive development of research data services (RDS) after basic services have already been established. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was distributed via e-mail to all university faculty in the fall of 2013, and was left open for just over one month. The authors sent two reminder e-mails before closing the survey. Survey data were downloaded from Qualtrics survey software and analyzed in R. Findings – In this paper, the authors reviewed a subset of survey findings that included data types, volume, and storage locations, RDM roles and responsibilities, and metadata practices. The authors found that Oregon State University (OSU) researchers are generating a wide variety of data types, and that practices vary between colleges. The authors discovered that faculty are not utilizing campus-wide storage infrastructure, and are maintaining their own stor...
What should be our human capital investment policy

This paper considers the magnitude of the human capital investment required to offset the increase in the inequality in labour earnings in the US economy since 1979. It considers the ineffectiveness of government training policies, the effectiveness of private sector training and the conflict between economic efficiency and the work ethic. It also considers revisions of the tax code. The importance of the distinction between the long view and the short view in analysing human resource policies is emphasised.