cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of Hg2+ on rabbit hepatic and pulmonary solubilized, partially purified N,N-dimethylaniline N-oxidases.

Abstract Solubilization and partial purification of the rabbit pulmonary and hepatic N,N-dimethylaniline N-oxidases were carried out in order to study the effect of Hg2+ in vitro observed previously in the microsomal enzymes. Rabbit lung microsomal N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) N-oxidase activity was stimulated 1.5–2 times by 0.1 mM Hg2+ added in vitro. This concentration of mercury inhibited hepatic microsomal N-oxidase by 50%. Upon solubilization and partial purification of the lung N-oxidase enzyme, stimulation of the N-oxidase activity by 0.1 mM Hg2+ was lost. It was found that the concentration of Hg2+ that would stimulate the partially purified pulmonary N-oxidases was 25 μM or less. Stimulation by 0.1 mM Hg2+ of the partially purified N-oxidase from lung was restored by addition of flavins (FMN or FAD) or a heat-stable (NH4)2SO4 precipitated fraction obtained during the purification of the N-oxidase from solubilized pulmonary or hepatic microsomes. However, addition of the flavins or the solubilized, heat-stable fraction from liver or lung microsomes did not reverse inhibition by 0.1 mM Hg2+ of the N-oxidase in hepatic microsomes or in partially purified preparations from these hepatic microsomes. Kinetic data suggest that flavins and the heatstable factor isolated from microsomes lower the concentration of free Hg2+. The determination of kinetics of Hg2+ inhibition (liver) and activation (lung) with the partially purified N-oxidases showed that the pulmonary and hepatic DMA N-oxidase enzymes are markedly different with respect to their in vitro response to Hg2+. This suggests that the N-oxidases from liver and lung may be different enzymes.
Influence of perception of colorectal cancer risk and patient bowel preparation behaviors: a study in minority populations.

BACKGROUND: Large disparities exist in the utilization rates of screening modalities for colorectal cancer (CRC) in different socioeconomic areas. In this study, we evaluated whether the quality of bowel preparation differed significantly among populations with a high risk of CRC compared with that among the general population after matching for potential confounding factors. METHODS: Hispanic and African American patients who underwent routine screening or surveillance colonoscopies in an outpatient setting between 2003 and 2013 were included in this retrospective study. Patients who underwent colonoscopies for emergent indications and repeat routine screening colonoscopies because of prior history of inadequate bowel preparation were excluded from this study. The patients were divided into three groups: patients having an average risk of being diagnosed with CRC (group 1); patients having a high risk of being diagnosed with CRC because of a personal history of adenomatous polyps (group 2); and patients having a high risk of being diagnosed with CRC because of a family history of CRC in first-degree relatives (group 3). All the patients were given preprocedural counseling and written instructions for bowel preparation. Data on demographic information, method of bowel preparation, quality of bowel preparation, comorbidities, and prescription medications were collected. RESULTS: In all, 834 patients had a "high-risk for CRC" surveillance colonoscopy in view of their personal history of adenomatous polyps and were included in group 2. In total, 250 patients had a "high-risk for CRC" screening colonoscopy in view of their family history of CRC in first-degree relatives and were included in group 3. Further, 1,000 patients were selected to serve as controls (after matching for age, sex and ethnicity) and were included in group 1. Bowel preparation was graded as good, fair, or poor by the endoscopist performing the study. We observed a significantly higher number of good bowel preparations in group 2 and group 3 (P=0.0001) when compared with group 1 (controls) after adjusting for comorbidities and usage of prescription medication that could potentially cause colonic dysmotility. These differences were significant in both Hispanic and African American patients. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that perception of CRC risk significantly influenced the bowel preparation behaviors of patients belonging to minority populations, with a significantly greater number of patients with a high risk of CRC having adequate bowel preparations.
A Durable and Economical NMR Tube Cleaner

An NMR tube cleaner that can be constructed in less than 15 minutes from common, inexpensive materials is described. This apparatus is significantly cheaper than glass versions available from commercial vendors and has proven to be durable and efficient.
Investigating the relationship between the development of abstract reasoning and performance in an introductory programming class

A test of formal (or abstract) reasoning abilities was given to students in an introductory programming course. Based on these results, students were classified at three intellectual development (ID) levels: late concrete, early formal, and late formal. Performance in various aspects of the course was analyzed by these three ID levels. It was found that: (1) ID level did not vary with sex, class level, and previous coursework; (2) the levels of late concrete and late formal are strong predictors of poor and outstanding performance, respectively; and (3) the ID level predicts performance on tests better than performance on programs.
Keypoint descriptor fusion with Dempster-Shafer theory

Keypoint matching is the task of accurately finding the location of a scene point in two images. Many keypoint descriptors have been proposed in the literature aiming at providing robustness against scale, translation and rotation transformations, each having advantages and disadvantages. This paper proposes a novel approach to fuse the information from multiple keypoint descriptors using Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence 1], which has proven particularly efficient in combining sources of information providing incomplete, imprecise, biased, and conflictive knowledge. The matching results of each descriptor are transformed into an evidence distribution on which a confidence factor is computed making use of its entropy. Then, the evidence distributions are fused using Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST), considering its confidence. As a result of the fusion, a new evidence distribution that improves the result of the best descriptor is obtained. Our method has been tested with SIFT, SURF, ORB, BRISK and FREAK descriptors using all possible their combinations. Results on the Oxford keypoint dataset 2] show that the proposed approach obtains an improvement of up to 10 % compared to the best one (FREAK). Novel approach fusing information from multiple keypoint descriptors using the Dempster-Shafer Theory of evidence.Descriptors matches are transformed in evidence distributions assigning a confidence factor using Shannon's entropy.Results on the Oxford keypoint dataset show improvements of up to 10% compared to the best keypoint descriptor.
Triple bonds between molybdenum and tungsten atoms supported by thiolate ligands: (RS)3MM(SR)3

Abstract Toluene solutions of M2(NMe2)6 and mesitylene thiol react at 80°C to yield M2(S-mes)6 compounds (M = Mo and W) with the liberation of HNMe2. Similarly M2(OBut)6 in toluene reacts with mesitylene thiol under reflux to yield M2(S-mes)6 compounds. In all cases the reactions also yield some decomposition products. The compounds M2(SBut)2(NMe2)4 react with mesitylene thiol in hexane at room temperature to give M2(S-mes)6 compounds without significant side reactions. The M2(S-mes)6 compounds are the first examples of compounds containing triple bonds between molybdenum and tungsten atoms supported exclusively by thiolate ligands. Pertinent bond distances (A) and angles (°) are: MM = 2.228(1) (Mo), 2.312(2) (W); MS = 2.325(2) (Mo), 2.32(1) (W); MMS = 96.6(1) (Mo), 97.2(6) (W). The preparations of the new compounds W2(SBut)2(NMe2)4 and W2(OBut)2(S-mes)4 are reported.
Strength and Serviceability of FRP Grid Reinforced Bridge Decks

The research presented in this paper evaluates the flexural performance of bridge deck panels reinforced with 2D fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) grids. Two different FRP grids were investigated, one reinforced with a hybrid of glass and carbon fibers and a second grid reinforced with carbon fibers only. Laboratory measured load-deflection, load-strain (reinforcement and concrete), cracking, and failure behavior are presented in detail. Conclusions regarding failure mode, limit-state strength, serviceability, and deflection compatibility relative to AASHTO mandated criteria are reported. Test results indicate that bridge decks reinforced with FRP grids will be controlled by serviceability limit state and not limit-state ultimate strength. The low axial stiffness of FRP results in large service load flexural deflections and reduced shear strength. In as much as serviceability limits design, overreinforcement is recommended to control deflection violation. Consequently, limit-state flexural strength will be c...
A copia-like transposable element family in Arabidopsis thaliana

The fast generation time, small genome size and extensive genetic map of the crucifer Arabidopsis thaliana have made it the subject of an increasing number of studies in plant molecular genetics. As transposable elements have greatly facilitated genetic analysis in a variety of species, we have attempted to identify an endogenous A. thaliana transposable element. We report here the discovery of a family of such elements, which we refer to as Ta1 elements. Sequence analysis of one such element shows that it is closely related to retrotransposons and integrated retroviral proviruses, being bound by a direct sequence repeat and having an open reading frame with clear sequence similarity to the polyprotein of the Drosophila melanogaster retrotransposon copia. The sequence of an empty target site of a Ta1 element shows that insertion is accompanied by a five-base-pair target-site duplication and that Ta1 has transposed in the period of time since divergence of two races of A. thaliana.
Postindustrial Welfare Policy: Just Say No to Women and Children

Recent changes in welfare policy underscore the continuation of persistent parallel tendencies to promote work by devaluing welfare and privilege the two-parent family over female-headed families. In this way, policy is integrally involved in perpetuating the problems it ostensibly is supposed to be attacking. Both conservatives and liberals have helped to promote this line of policymaking in ways which further threaten the well-being of poor women with children. In the current period, the decline in adequate paying jobs, the deterioration of needed services, and the decrease in the value of public assistance benefits force poor families to rely more than previously on an uneven, unreliable and inadequate system of privatized assistance. These practices are likely to continue the bias in favor of the two-parent family as the route out of poverty and are just as likely to accelerate the trend toward the "femininization of poverty."
Complications of directional coronary atherectomy: Incidence, causes, and management

Abstract An assessment of complications is essential to the evaluation of directional coronary atherectomy. Major complications—such as death, Q wave myocardial infarction, or the need for emergency bypass surgery to correct acute vessel closure—result from a variety of familiar mechanisms, including dissection, thrombosis, or guiding catheter injury. In addition, unique complications of this device, such as catheter nose cone injury or vascular perforation, may also result in severe ischemia. With prompt recognition of the cause, most ischemic complications can be successfully treated in the catheterization laboratory. Less severe complications, such as femoral vascular injury, also require recognition and appropriate treatment in order to minimize sequelae. Although several large series have now documented that the overall incidence of atherectomy complications appears similar to that reported for conventional balloon angoplasty, no direct comparisons can be made until randomized trials (such as Coronary Angoplasty Versus Excisional Atherectomy Trial [CAVEAT]) are analyzed, to control for potential demographic or lesion-specific influences on complication rates.
Diffusion and the kinetics of adsorption of aliphatic acids and alcohols at the water-air interface☆

Hansen and Wallace (1) and Defay and Hommelen (2) have recently published independent studies of the time-dependent surface tensions of aqueous solutions of aliphatic acids and alcohols. Whereas experimental results in systems studied by both sets of workers appear to be in reasonably close agreement, Hansen and Wallace interpreted their results in terms of a barrier-limited adsorption process, Defay and Hommelen in terms of a diffusion-limited process. A treatment of adsorption kinetics is presented which takes explicit account of the diffusion process without presupposing the absence of an adsorption barrier, a new equation suitable for the treatment of experimental data is derived, and its utility is discussed. It is shown that available data point to a substantial depletion of the subsurface concentration at intermediate times and that the treatment of Hansen and Wallace, presupposing exclusive barrier limitation, cannot be correct. On the other hand, the initial proportionality of spreading pressure to time cannot be explained by an adsorption process limited exclusively by diffusion if it is supposed that the spreading pressure depends on the number of solute molecules in the surface layer in the same manner in the dynamic process and at equilibrium. Two hypotheses are advanced to account for the apparent barrier limitation at low times and diffusional limitation at intermediate times. First, the mechanism of transfer from subsurface to surface may be fast but not infinitely so (small barrier hypothesis). For the linear isotherm it is shown that this hypothesis leads to an adsorption proportional to time at low times, and to that given by diffusion theory with a time lag at long times. Reasons for expecting this behavior to be fairly general are given. Second, adsorption may be exclusively diffusion-controlled, but the concentration depletion near the surface contributes in the initial period of adsorption an effective spreading pressure — nRT, where n is the number of moles of solute per square centimeter in the surface layer. A model giving rise to this correction term is suggested and its plausibility discussed.
Decision points in the management of pediatric septic shock

Abstract Care of the pediatric patient with septic shock demands critical appraisal of numerous clinical and laboratory findings. Many vital decision points commonly are encountered during the course of each patient's disease. The aim of this article is to discuss each major decision point in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric septic shock encountered by the bedside physician with respect to the current medical literature. Decision points reviewed include identification of epidemiological factors; choice of antimicrobial therapy; interpretation of hemodynamic pathophysiology; decision to initiate and the interpretation of invasive monitoring; and therapies for fluid resuscitation, pharmacological support of the circulation, and immunomodulation. Copyright © 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company
Deficiency of enzymes catalyzing the biosynthesis of glycerol−ether lipids in Zellweger syndrome: a new category of metabolic disease involving the absence of peroxisomes

Abstract The Zellweger cerebro-hepato-renal syndrome is a genetic disease characterized by the absence of peroxisomes and deficiency of glycerol–ether lipids in several tissues. We measured the activity of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) acyltransferase, a peroxisomal enzyme with a major role in ether lipid synthesis, in fibroblasts and leukocytes from patients with Zellweger syndrome. Control skin and amniotic-fluid fibroblasts had normal activity of DHAP acyltransferase (0.28 to 0.3 nmol per minute per milligram of protein), whereas fibroblasts from three patients with Zellweger syndrome had deficient actvity (0.013±0.006 nmol per minute per milligram of protein). The activity of the enzyme in leukocytes and levels of plasmalogens (the major class of cellular glycerol–ether lipids) in erythrocytes were also deficient in a patient, but normal levels of leukocyte enzyme and erythrocyte plasmalogens were found in her parents. Other enzymes of the acyl DHAP pathway exhibited alterations in fibroblasts fro...
Direct observation of two-dimensional, dynamic clustering and ordering with colloids.

We describe a system where the dynamics of reversible clustering, ordering, and growth in two dimensions can be directly observed. The system consists of uniform colloidal particles trapped at an air/water interface. We attribute the attraction between particles mainly to pairwise potential with a longer-range van der Waals attraction and a shorter-range, electrostatic repulsion. Surface tension may also contribute as the cluster sizes increase. Reversible dynamics result from the combination of these forces with the disrupting influences of Brownian motion.
Blurring of the Boundary Between Interactive Search and Recommendation

Search and recommendation engines are increasingly more intelligent. They have become more personalized and social as well as more interactive. No longer just offering ten blue links, search engines have increasingly been integrated with task and item recommenders directly, for example, to offer news, movie, music, and dining suggestions. Vice versa, recommendation systems have increasingly became more search-like by offering capabilities that enable users to tune and direct recommendation results instantly. As the two technologies evolve toward each other, there is increasingly a blurring of the boundary between these two approaches to interactive information seeking. On the search side, this is driven by the merging of question answering capabilities with search, led by systems like Google Now and Apple Siri that move search toward intelligent personal assistants. On the recommendation side, there has been a merging of techniques from not just keyword search but also faceted search, along with user-based and item-based collaborative filtering techniques and other more proactive recommenders. This blurring has resulted in both critical re-thinking about not just how to architect the systems by merging and sharing backend components common to both types of systems, but also how to structure the user interactions and experiences.
Subtraction and the solution of open sentence problems

Abstract This paper is concerned with the processes used by children in solving open sentence problems of the form x + u = y (Type 1) and u + x = y (Type 2). Three models for reaction times to these problems are proposed. The first assumes they are solved by an incrementing process, the second assumes a decrementing process, while the third assumes that the subject increments or decrements, depending on which is quickest. Two experiments designed to evaluate these models are reported. It is shown, by means of a series of regression analyses that the third model gives the best account of the success latencies to Type 1 problems. This model predicts that times will be a linear function of the minimum of x and y − x. It is also shown that none of the models give an adequate account of the latency data for Type 2 problems. Some possible reasons for this difference are discussed, together with some evidence that indicates that Type 1 problems and ordinary subtraction problems are solved by the same process.
Diagnosis and neonatal resection of right atrial angiosarcoma

Malignant cardiac tumors are extremely rare in children. This report describes the neonatal diagnosis and surgical resection of a malignant right atrial angiosarcoma.
Urologic Agents for Treatment of Bladder Dysfunction in Neurologic Disease

Bladder dysfunction, which is commonly associated with neurologic disorders, can present in myriad ways, from complete retention of urine to total urinary incontinence. The multiple options for treating neurogenic bladder dysfunction range from minimally invasive lifestyle changes to major surgical interventions. Interventions may be driven by patient-reported nuisance or by medical necessity, as in the case of impaired compliance with associated upper urinary tract compromise. Pharmacologic treatment has long been the mainstay in the management of bladder dysfunction, particularly for overactive bladder symptoms [1]. While there are many different medications for overactive bladder dysfunction, most are in the category of antimuscarinics. Each medication has a slightly different side effect profile, which may be important in the drug selection process [2]. When these are not tolerated or are ineffective, beta agonists, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, and the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)-B agonist baclofen can be added or substituted. For difficulty emptying, alpha adrenergic antagonists can be used [3]. Intravesical options are also available for overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. The most common is botulinum toxin, which works by decreasing the activity of the detrusor smooth muscle, thereby decreasing OAB symptoms [4]. Percutaneous nerve stimulation may also be used [5•].
Solar terminator wave in a Mars general circulation model

[1] A solar terminator wave (TW) is found in high-resolution general circulation model (GCM) simulations of Mars' atmosphere. In the horizontal plane at 160 km the wave fronts follow the westward-moving dusk terminator, exhibit a horizontal wavelength of order 1800–3600 km, and are oriented about 10°–30° with respect to the terminator. The disturbance originates in the lower atmosphere due to dust absorption of solar radiation, propagates upward with an effective vertical wavelength of order 60 km, and increases in amplitude as the assumed dust distribution extends further away from the surface. The TW density amplitudes for low and elevated dust layers (both with opacities = 1.0) are of order ±15–20% and ±30% at 160 km. Temperature and wind perturbations for the former case are of order ±10–20K and ±30–75 m/s. The Mars TW shares many common features with a TW recently observed in Earth's thermosphere and simulated with a terrestrial GCM.
Clinical benefits of thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction

The value of coronary artery reperfusion resulting from pharmacologically induced fibrinolysis in patients with evolving myocardial infarction has been rigorously evaluated. Improved left ventricular function and even more impressive improvements in survival rates have been demonstrated consistently in controlled studies. Benefit is related to the restoration of myocardial blood flow. Maximal benefit is achieved with early and sustained restoration of coronary artery patency. Benefits observed during initial hospitalization are sustained for at least 1 year in the majority of patients, even without subsequent mechanical revascularization. To date, analysis of subgroups has not identified a population of patients with evolving infarction that should routinely be excluded from consideration for thrombolysis. As with many potent pharmacologic agents, activators of the fibrinolytic system are associated with a degree of risk whenever they are administered to a patient. Therefore, patients must be assessed carefully prior to initiating treatment, especially for potential bleeding hazards, and appropriate follow-up evaluation and concomitant therapy needs to be planned. However, given the overwhelming body of data now available regarding its benefits and relative safety, thrombolysis should be considered as conventional therapy for patients with acute evolving myocardial infarction (AMI).
Brain neoplasms: epidemiology, diagnosis, and prospects for cost-effective imaging

Currently, the literature lacks a solid body of research on decision and cost-effectiveness analysis of imaging strategies for adults and children suspected of having a brain neoplasm. This article describes the epidemiology and clinical presentation of brain neoplasms, reviews current diagnostic strategies, highlights gaps in the literature on decision and cost-effectiveness analysis, and suggests directions for future research.
Batch sedimentation in an impulsively heated system

Abstract Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) has become the standard for separating heavy oil from tar sands. The separation process requires massive amount of heat to reduce the viscosity of the suspending fluid thereby increasing sedimentation rates of the solid component. The goal of this paper is to provide analytical data generated by both experiments and theoretical studies for the effects of initial particle concentration and impulsive heating temperature on mass and energy transport in a model heavy oil-sand suspension. Experiments are performed using a viscous-suspending liquid of kinematic viscosity ν = 1000 cSt with particle concentrations ϕ 0 = 0.20 , 0.40 and 0.50 (volume/volume), and temperature range 100 ° C T plate 250 ° C . CCD imaging is used to observe and study the settling phenomenon. Numerical simulations are performed to model thermal behavior in the highest concentration limits, where one concentration front is observed. For this regime the system of equations contains a concentration model that does not include concentration gradients, which is a departure from the classic Kynch theory for low ϕ 0 ( Kynch, 1952 ). The experiments and computational results are in good agreement for a large ϕ 0 suggesting that our simplified concentration model may be appropriate for impulsively heated high concentration sedimentation studies that are relevant to SAGD.
Effects of Estradiol on Cocaine Self-Administration and Cocaine Discrimination by Female Rhesus Monkeys

The ovarian steroid hormone, estradiol, enhances the reinforcing and locomotor activating effects of cocaine in rodents under some conditions. The present study evaluated the acute effects of estradiol benzoate (E2b) on cocaine self-administration and cocaine discrimination in female rhesus monkeys. Cocaine self-administration (0.10 mg/kg/inj., i.v.) was maintained on a fixed-ratio (FR) 30 schedule of reinforcement, and monkeys had access to cocaine during one 2-h session each day. E2b in a cyclodextrin vehicle (0.00001– 0.01 mg/kg, i.m.) was administered 30 min before test sessions conducted twice each week. Cocaine doses were administered in an irregular order during each dose–effect curve determination (0.001–0.3 mg/kg/inj.). Blood samples were collected after test sessions to determine 17b-estradiol levels. Banana-flavored food pellets were available on an FR 30 schedule in three 1-h sessions each day. Five monkeys were trained to discriminate cocaine (0.18 mg/kg, i.m.) from saline in a two-key food-reinforced procedure, and the effects of pretreatment with E2b in cyclodextrin and in sesame oil were studied. Acute administration of E2b did not consistently alter the cocaine self-administration or drug discrimination dose–effect curves in comparison to saline control treatment. Females also did not selfadminister E2b (0.00001–0.10 mg/kg, i.v.) above saline levels. Finally, E2b (0.0001–0.01 mg/kg, i.m.) did not substitute for cocaine in monkeys trained to discriminate cocaine from saline. Taken together, these data suggest that over the dose range studied, estradiol administration does not consistently alter the abuse-related effects of cocaine in female rhesus monkeys. Neuropsychopharmacology (2008) 33, 783–795; doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1301451; published online 16 May 2007
Effect of spatial wind gradients on airplane aerodynamics

An account is given of the results of recent studies of the effect of a spatially sheared wind field on airplane aerodynamics; the wind shear was computed by a modified vortex-lattice computer program, and characterized through the formulation of wind shear aerodynamic coefficients. The magnitude of the aerodynamic effect was demonstrated by computing the change in conventional wing/tail configuration aerodynamics for a fixed flight path through a simulated microburst. A substantial portion of the control authority of the aircraft may be required to counteract the wind shear-induced forces and moments in the microburst environment; both aperiodic and oscillatory instabilities may be generated by shear-dependent dynamic modes.
Raman Cell for Corrosive Liquids

This paper describes a Raman cell which has proved to be satisfactory for studying extremely reactive substances—for example, iodine pentafluoride and iodine heptafluoride. Other workers who have studied samples which are reactive to glass or quartz have relied upon the use of conventional cylindrical tubes made of more resistant glasses, such as aluminum phosphate1 or translucent thin-wall tubes of Kel-F.2 We have constructed a cell, which is shown in partially exploded view in Fig. 1.
Computing method for sound propagation through a non‐uniform jet stream

Understanding the principles of jet noise propagation is an essential ingredient of systematic noise reduction research. High‐speed computer methods offer a unique potential for dealing with complex real‐life physical systems, whereas analytical solutions are restricted to sophisticated idealized models. The classical formulation of sound propagation through a jet flow was found to be inadequate for computer solutions, and a more suitable approach was needed. Previous investigations selected the phase and amplitude of the acoustic pressure as dependent variables requiring the solution of a system of nonlinear algebraic equations. The nonlinearities complicated both the analysis and the computation. A reformulation of the convective wave equation in terms of a new set of dependent variables is developed, with special emphasis on its suitability for numerical solutions on fast computers. The technique is very attractive because the resulting equations are linear in nonwaving variables. The computer solution to such a linear system of algebraic equations may be obtained by well‐defined and direct means which are conservative of computer time and storage space. Typical examples are illustrated and computational results are compared with available numerical and experimental data.
The Geostationary Carbon Process Mapper

The Geostationary Carbon Process Mapper (GCPM) is an earth science mission to measure key atmospheric trace gases and process tracers related to climate change and human activity. The measurement strategy delivers a process based understanding of the carbon cycle that is accurate and extensible from city to regional and continental scales. This understanding comes from contiguous maps of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), carbon monoxide (CO), and chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) collected up to 10 times per day at high spatial resolution (∼4km × 4km) from geostationary orbit (GEO). These measurements will capture the spatial and temporal variability of the carbon cycle across diurnal, synoptic, seasonal and interannual time scales. The CO2/CH4/CO/CF measurement suite has been specifically selected because their combination provides the information needed to disentangle natural and anthropogenic contributions to atmospheric carbon concentrations and to minimize key uncertainties in the flow of carbon between the atmosphere and surface since they place constraints on both biogenic uptake and release as well as on combustion emissions. Additionally, GCPM's combination of high-resolution mapping and high measurement frequency provide quasi-continuous monitoring, effectively eliminating atmospheric transport uncertainties from source/sink inversion modeling. GCPM uses a single instrument, the “Geostationary Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GeoFTS)” to make measurements in the near infrared spectral region at high spectral resolution. The GeoFTS is a half meter cube size instrument designed to be a secondary “hosted” payload on a commercial GEO satellite. NASA and other government agencies have adopted the hosted payload implementation approach because it substantially reduces the overall mission cost. This paper presents a hosted payload implementation approach for measuring the major carbon-containing gases in the atmosphere from the geostationary vantage point, to affordably advance the scientific understating of carbon cycle processes and climate change.
When is an Out-of-Body Experience (Not) an Out-of-Body Experience? Reflections about Out-of-Body Phenomena in Neuroscientific Research

In recent years there has been an increased interest in the study of out-of-body experiences (obes) by cognitive and neuro-scientists. Nowadays, far-reaching claims regarding the uncovering of the neural mechanisms and pathways, as well as the mystery of obes in the anthropological and historical record are on offer. In this article the implicit assumption that obes are much better understood and that real progress has been made are questioned on the basis of the definitional and conceptual problems that still haunt this area of research. It is suggested that progress will only be registered once the spectrum of out-of-body phenomena (obp) is recognized and attention is paid to the neurocultural complexity of distinct instances of obes.
Retrograde Traffic Out of the Yeast Vacuole to the TGN Occurs via the Prevacuolar/Endosomal Compartment

A large number of trafficking steps occur between the last compartment of the Golgi apparatus (TGN) and the vacuole of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . To date, two intracellular routes from the TGN to the vacuole have been identified. Carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) travels through a prevacuolar/endosomal compartment (PVC), and subsequently on to the vacuole, while alkaline phosphatase (ALP) bypasses this compartment to reach the same organelle. Proteins resident to the TGN achieve their localization despite a continuous flux of traffic by continually being retrieved from the distal PVC by virtue of an aromatic amino acid–containing sorting motif. In this study we report that a hybrid protein based on ALP and containing this retrieval motif reaches the PVC not by following the CPY sorting pathway, but instead by signal-dependent retrograde transport from the vacuole, an organelle previously thought of as a terminal compartment. In addition, we show that a mutation in VAC7 , a gene previously identified as being required for vacuolar inheritance, blocks this trafficking step. Finally we show that Vti1p, a v-SNARE required for the delivery of both CPY and ALP to the vacuole, uses retrograde transport out of the vacuole as part of its normal cellular itinerary.
Addressing Information Needs to Support Sustainable Agriculture Policies

Policy makers are more willing to adopt changes when the benefits of the change are clearly documented. The 1977 National Resources Inventory (NRI) and the dramatic changes it helped bring about is an example of the power of information in facilitating environmental policy innovation for agriculture. Multibillion-dollar conservation programs now address soil erosion in the United States in a relatively strategic and technically sophisticated way. This greater integration between farm policy and environmental policy has had an impact on commodity policies for agriculture, which have been modified in an attempt to avoid barriers to sustainable agriculture crop rotations. However, identifying the benefits of sustainable farming systems presents a greater research challenge than the soil conservation studies that used the NRI. The rewards for policy-oriented ecological research are great because many opportunities remain for U.S. and world agriculture to become more supportive of environmental and ecological ...
Silica Structures Templated on Fibers of Tetraalkylphosphonium Salt Gelators in Organogels

Phosphonium cations (18nRP+) consisting of three or four n-octadecyl chains and R = PhCH2 or CmH2m+1 (m = 1−5 or 12) when n = 3 and with iodide, bromide, chloride, fluoride, or perchlorate anions are used to gelate and polymerize solutions of 2−10 wt % tetraethyl orthosilicate in ethanol, benzene, tetrahydrofuran, and dimethyl sulfoxide using acid or base catalysis and under hydrolytic or nonhydrolytic conditions. These are the simplest low-molecular-mass organic gelator structures of which we are aware that have been able to template silica. The silica objects that are obtained after the hydrolytic sol−gel process include porous, spherulitic, and tubular objects in the size range of several micrometers to tens of nanometers. Their specific shapes and sizes depend on the specific conditions of the hydrolytic sol−gel process, including the nature of the catalyst. The electrostatic interaction between silicate intermediates and gelator strands is the driving force for templating. The template effect is stro...
Sterilization of bioreactor media on the basis of computer calculated thermal input designated asF 0

Industrial fermentation media are normally sterilized with steam to destroy the indigenous microbial population prior to inoculation with a specific microorganism. Because biological validation of each sterilization cycle is impractical, an ‘overkill’ approach is commonly employed on the basis that alteration of heat-sensitive nutrients is less detrimental than survival of indigenous microbes. However, the heat destruction of microbes is known to be a probability function amenable to calculation. A computer has been programmed to calculate the on-line heat input asF 0 values during sterilization of media in stirred bioreactors. The accumulation ofF 0 values is then announced verbally to bioreactor operators by a communications controller with voice synthesizer.
Assessment of congenital bony nasal obstruction by 3-dimensional CT volume rendering

The nature and extent of congenital bony nasal obstruction is best determined by X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging. Three-dimensional volume rendering of CT images provides an integrated perspective that can assist in clinical decision making and in operative planning. Clinical cases of choanal atresia and pyriform aperture stenosis are reviewed with their images. The authors propose this modality as an evolving standard for imaging of congenital bony nasal obstruction.
Fluorine and hydrogen nitrate: rotational barriers and resonance structures☆

Abstract While the magnitudes of the rotational barriers for HONO2 and FONO2 have been known for over 20 years, the conformation of FONO2 has been established as planar only recently. The larger rotational barrier for FONO2 (42 kJ/mole vs. 32 for HONO2) seems counter-intuitive in light of the easily rationalized planarity of the HONO2 and the controversial planarity of FONO2. To provide insight into this phenomenon, the rotational barriers in HONO2 and FONO2 have been investigated using ab initio molecular orbital calculations including correlation. The calculated barriers agree well with the experimentally determined values. An explanation is offered for the relative and absolute magnitudes of the barriers.
Degradable networks formed from multi-functional poly(vinyl alcohol) macromers: comparison of results from a generalized bulk-degradation model for polymer networks and experimental data

Abstract Experimental and theoretical approaches were used to understand the degradation behavior of networks formed from the chain polymerization of multi-functional macromers. A typical experimental mass loss profile and theoretical model are presented and discussed to illustrate the various regions of erosion. Specifically, the degree of connectivity of the network was shown to influence the percent mass loss at reverse gelation, and the percent cyclization was shown to influence the overall shape of the mass loss profile. Finally, the theoretical predictions of mass loss were compared to experimental data for macromers with variations in their molecular weight and degree of functionality (i.e. variations in the initial network crosslinking density). Changes in the volumetric swelling ratio and compressive modulus were measured with time to obtain the degradation kinetic constant for each macromer system, ranging from 1.5×10 −4 min −1 to 3.0×10 −5 min −1 . Results demonstrate that the theoretical predictions capture the mass loss profiles of all three systems, and as the crosslinking density of the initial network was decreased the overall time for complete degradation of the gels was also decreased.
Acid-activated insulin-like growth factor binding protein protease activity of cathepsin D in normal and malignant prostatic epithelial cells and seminal plasma.

In this study, we demonstrate insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) acid proteolysis in conditioned media (CM) from normal and malignant primary cultures of prostatic epithelial cells, prostatic cell lines, and in seminal plasma. We further demonstrate the absence of such activity in CM from prostatic stromal cells. Radio-labeled IGFBPs (1–6) were incubated with various acidified CM and seminal plasma. None of these media showed IGFBP proteolytic activity at neutral pH, but all CM from prostatic epithelial cells (PC-E) demonstrated strong IGFBP proteolysis at acidic pH. No acid-activated proteolysis was observed in the CM from stromal cell cultures. In order to ascertain the role of cathepsin D, anti-cathepsin antibodies were used to immunodeplete the media of the selected enzymes prior to incubation with IGFBPs. Depletion of cathepsin D greatly reduced the proteolytic activity of the PC-E CM. Additionally, purified cathepsin D yielded a digestion pattern identical to that produced by prostatic cell CM and seminal plasma, following acidic incubation with IGFBP-3. Remarkably, the proteolytic pattern generated by seminal plasma, when incubated with IGFBP-3 at neutral pH, corresponded to that produced by prostate-specific antigen (PSA), demonstrating the interpolation of both neutral and acid proteases from prostate cells into seminal plasma. In conclusion, prostatic epithelial cells secrete acid-specific IGFBP protease(s) related to cathepsin D. Although no significant statistical difference was observed in the degree of acid-specific proteolysis in the media from normal versus malignant primary epithelial cell cultures, physiologicalcharacteristics of the malignant state might facilitate increased cathepsin D activity. We suspect this proteolysis may play a role in prostatic cell proliferationand invasive tumor growth. J. Cell. Physiol. 171:196–204, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Nuclear polyhedrosis virus infection ofPseudoplusia includens [Lep.: Noctuidae] larvae: Effect on post larval stages and transmission

Treatment ofPseudoplusia includens (Walker) larvae in either the 4th, 5th or 6th stage with a nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) did not affect the weight or sex ratio of surviving pupae. Pupal mortality was low but increased with the dosage of the NPV larvae had received. Also, mortality of pupae from larvae treated in the 5th or 6th stage was higher than from larvae treated in the 4th stage. Adult longevity was not affected by the virus. Fecundity and egg viability were reduced following most treatments of 6th stage larvae but not 4th or 5th stage larvae. Adults exposed to NPV at 3 dosages during the 6th larval stage were released in cages on soybean. Some of the progeny succumbed to NPV infection. Progeny mortality increased over a 7 week period of adult release, but did not differ significantly between treated and untreated groups by the end of the 7 week period.
Author Reply: Comments by Reisenzein and Stephan

At the empirical center of James’s theory of emotion is the prediction that people induced to act emotionally will report feeling the corresponding emotion. While the research more or less inspired by James is complex, it is also large. Reisenzein and Stephan (2014) identify a number of problems in this literature, but we think, on balance, the research supports James’s hypothesis. At a minimum, there are literally hundreds of studies showing that people induced to act as if they felt an emotion, an attitude, or a judgment report those feelings. Critics of James’s theory are left with the task of accounting for these findings.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, leading to muscular atrophy, progressive loss of muscle control, paralysis, and death. This is a review of the ALS Association web site. The site continues to provide ALS patients and caregivers with current resources for managing life with ALS, and it provides researchers and health care professionals with access to evidence-based information on the latest scholarship and guidelines for the most effective therapies and treatments for ALS. The ALS Association web site remains an authoritative resource for anyone seeking quality information about ALS.
The effect of pumiliotoxin-B on the excitability of bullfrog sympathetic neurons.

The effects of the alkaloid pumiliotoxin-B were investigated on neurons from bullfrog paravertebral ganglia using current-clamp techniques. Pumiliotoxin-B (2 μM) induced repetitive action potential discharge or bursting pacemaker activity in response to a single stimulus. The toxin had no significant effect on the mean resting potential or action potential characteristics of single action potentials evoked prior to the action potential discharge onset. During the action potential discharge, action potential threshold and afterhyperpolarization amplitude were decreased. In the presence of pumiliotoxin-B, single action potentials were followed by a depolarizing afterpotential. Pumiliotoxin-B still induced action potential discharge in Ca2+-free or Cd2+-containing solutions. Brief superfusion with a Na+-free or tetrodotoxin-containing solution abolished the pumiliotoxin-B-induced action potential discharge prior to the blockade of directly elicited single action potentials. These solutions decreased or abolished the depolarizing afterpotential. Pumiliotoxin-B increases membrane excitability and can induce a stimulation-dependent action potential discharge which appears to result from a tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+-sensitive potential.
Protein configuration changes in the photolysis of rhodopsin. I. The thermal decay of cattle lumirhodopsin in vitro.

Abstract The thermal processes following illumination of vertebrate rhodopsin which terminate in metarhodopsin, generally thought to embody the neural trigger reaction, have been investigated. No changes in pH or in titratable sulfhydryl groups accompany either the prelumirhodopsin to lumirhodopsin or lumirhodopsin to metarhodopsin conversions. On flash illumination with white light the kinetics of the lumirhodopsin to metarhodopsin, like those of the prelumirhodopsin to lumirhodopsin conversion, are consistent with three forms of lumirhodopsin, which most likely involve different isomeric forms of the prosthetic chromophore, decaying to metarhodopsin by concurrent first-order processes. However, unlike the prelumirhodopsin to lumirhodopsin conversions which have small entropies of activation for all 3 forms, the lumirhodopsin to metarhodopsin conversions have pronounced negative entropies of activation in the case of the two dominant forms suggesting that this process may compensate for some significant chemical event accompanying or directly following the primary photochemical process.
Asymmetric dependence in house prices: evidence from USA and international data

This paper models co-movements in house prices using a copula-based approach that allows for asymmetric contemporaneous and dynamic dependence between prices in different locations. The models consider both US co-movements across different census divisions and international co-movements across different OECD countries. Results show evidence of strong contemporaneous tail dependence among US census divisions, indicating that extreme price movements in different areas tend to happen in tandem. On the international level, by contrast, results find almost no evidence of contemporaneous or dynamic linkages in house price movements between different countries. These results hold important implications for informing upon risk embedded in mortgage backed securities.