cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of specific isoforms of protein kinase C in angiotensin II and lipoxygenase action in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells

Abstract Evidence indicates that the lipoxygenase (LO) pathway of arachidonic acid is a key mediator of angiotensin II (AII)-induced aldosterone synthesis in adrenal glomerulosa cells. Although protein kinase C (PKC) may play a role in AII action, the precise PKC isoforms involved and whether LO products can activate PKC is not clear. We therefore evaluated the effect of AII and LO products such as 12- and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) on PKC activation in isolated rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. PKC activity was measured by the phosphorylation of a PKC specific peptide while the PKC isoforms were identified by Western immunoblotting using antibodies that recognize the α, β, γ or ϵ isoforms of PKC. Treatment of the cells for 15 min with AII (10 −8 M) or the LO products 12- or 15-HETE caused a marked increase in PKC activity in membrane fractions with reciprocal decreases in the cytosolic PKC activity. Rat glomerulosa cells expressed only the α, and ϵ isoforms of PKC. AII increased membrane bound levels of both PKC-α and -ϵ (1.9- and 1.5-fold, respectively), whereas the LO products predominantly activated PKC-ϵ. Reciprocal decreases in immunoreactive cytosolic PKC levels were seen. AII-induced aldosterone synthesis was blocked by H-7 and retinal as well as by a PKC-specific pseudosubstrate inhibitor, PKC(19–36). These results suggest that AII and LO pathway-induced actions in the adrenal glomerulosa may be mediated by specific PKC isoforms.
The 35-nucleotide spliced leader sequence is common to all trypanosome messenger RNA's

In Trypanosomatidae the messenger RNA's (mRNA's) that code for the variant surface glycoproteins (VSG's), tubulins, calmodulin, and at least a subset of other proteins contain a common 35-nucleotide leader sequence at their 5' ends. Hybrid-arrested in vitro translation has been used to show that all mRNA's in both African and South American trypanosomes contain this 35-nucleotide sequence. Oligonucleotides complementary to this sequence blocked translation of all trypanosome mRNA's in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system, but did not inhibit translation of mRNA's from other organisms lacking this sequence. An oligonucleotide complementary to the VSG mRNA downstream from the spliced leader sequence arrested only VSG synthesis. Thus, the 35-nucleotide leader sequence is a general feature of all trypanosome mRNA's. The high specificity of oligonucleotides complementary to the spliced leader for their target sequence suggests that analogues permeable to the cell membrane may be useful in the treatment of trypanosomal infections.
Reactivity of Alcohols Toward the Phosphoenzyme Intermediate in the Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatase-Catalyzed Reaction: Probing the Transition State of the Dephosphorylation Step†

In solution phosphate monoesters hydrolyze via a highly dissociative mechanism involving a “loose” or “exploded” metaphosphate-like transition state where bond formation to the incoming nucleophile is minimal and bond breaking between phosphorus and the leaving group is substantial. To better understand how protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) effects catalysis, it is important to determine the nature of the enzymic transition state. PTPases catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters by a two-step mechanism that proceeds through a phosphoenzyme intermediate (E-P). Extensive heavy atom kinetic isotope effect and leaving group dependency studies have provided insights into the nature of the transition state for the first step (E-P formation) of the PTPase reaction. In this paper we have probed the transition state for the low Mr PTPase-catalyzed dephosphorylation step by studying the effect of changing the alcohol basicity on its reactivity toward E-P. The Bronsted βnu: value for the reactions of alco...
Working with human research protections.

Purpose: To provide a primer for novice nurse scientists about the increasingly regulated human research environment. Organizing Constructs: Federal regulations and international guidelines about protection of human research participants are discussed, with particular attention to institutional review boards for human research. Conclusion: Understanding the processes used by institutional review boards to foster ethical human research promotes collaborative interactions and supports compliant research work.
Effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the chemistry of bottom sediments in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, USA

The effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the subsequent unwatering of New Orleans, Louisiana, on the sediment chemistry of Lake Pontchartrain were evaluated by chemical analysis of samples of street mud and suspended and bottom sediments. The highest concentrations of urban-related elements and compounds (e.g., Pb, Zn, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and chlordane) in bottom sediments exceeded median concentrations in U.S. urban lakes and sediment-quality guidelines. The extent of the elevated concentrations was limited, however, to within a few hundred meters of the mouth of the 17th Street Canal, similar to results of historical assessments. Chemical and radionuclide analysis of pre- and post-Hurricane Rita samples indicates that remobilization of near-shore sediment by lake currents and storms is an ongoing process. The effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the sediment chemistry of Lake Pontchartrain are limited spatially and are most likely transitory.
Learning Behaviors from Human Teachers by Generalizing Task-Relevant Features

This paper proposes a general method of robotic imitation learning. In this method, robots learn inner common features of demonstrations, which are largely different from each other, by analyzing the similarities among the features of the demonstrations. Adaptive generation methods are related to each feature. At the generation stage, given new task-relevant constraints, robots can generate motion trajectories, which still have the common feature learned from the demonstrations, to achieve the task-goals. This methodology is an opened framework which enables researchers to design features and feature related generation methods according to the application requirements. Three experiments are designed for robots to learn behaviors from human teachers, and the demonstrations given at the teaching stage are largely different from each other. Experimental results are given in this paper to verify the effectiveness of our proposed methodology.
Chronic ethanol consumption leads to disruption of vitamin D3 homeostasis associated with induction of renal 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3-24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1).

Bone loss resulting from chronic ethanol (EtOH) abuse is frequently accompanied by altered vitamin D3 homeostasis. In the current study, we examined EtOH effects in a female rat model in which control or EtOH-containing diets were infused intragastrically. EtOH treatment reduced plasma 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25 (OH)2 D3) coincident with a decrease in renal CYP27B1 (25(OH)D3 1α-hydroxylase) mRNA and an increase in expression of renal CYP24A1 (1,25 (OH)2 D3- 24-hydroxylase). EtOH induction of CYP24A1 occurred as a result of increased transcription and was also observed in vitro in primary cultures of rat renal proximal tubule cells (RPTCs) and in NRK-52E cells. Synergistic induction of CYP24A1 by EtOH in combination with 1,25 (OH)2 D3 was observed. The major EtOH metabolizing enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase-1 and CYP2E1, were induced by EtOH in RPTCs. Inhibition of EtOH metabolism by 4-methylpyrazole inhibited the induction of CYP24A1 mRNA. CYP24A1 mRNA induction in RPTCs was also inhibited by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. CYP24A1 was also induced after hydrogen peroxide treatment, and EtOH treatment of RPTCs resulted in production of reactive oxygen species as measured by flow cytometry using the fluorescent probe dichlorofluorescin acetate. In addition, inhibition of MAPK signaling pathways with the MAPK kinase inhibitor U0126 or the p38 inhibitor SB203580 inhibited EtOH induction of CYP24A1. Our data suggest that EtOH reduces circulating 1,25 (OH)2 D3 concentrations as the result of CYP24A1 induction that is mediated via MAPK activation resulting from renal oxidative stress produced by local metabolism of EtOH via CYP2E1 and antidiuretic hormone-1.
INDEX OF ACCOUNTING RESEARCH ON ASIAN/PACIFIC COUNTRIES: 1965–1990

This paper provides, first, a historical perspective of accounting research relating to Asian/Pacific countries as seen from the vantage of the leading international journal in the United States and, second, a bibliographical data base and index of twenty‐six years of articles on this region of the world. It accomplishes the first objective by presenting a tabular profile of research in international accounting as it pertains to countries in the Asian/Pacific Rim region as shown in articles published in the International Journal of Accounting (formerly, the International Journal of Accounting, Education and Research) and related publications which appeared from 1965 to 1990. The articles are classified according to country, research methodology, subject, and five‐year time periods. The paper accomplishes the second objective by providing an annotated bibliography of 125 articles on Asian/Pacific Rim countries and indices by country and methodology, and subject.
Functional analysis of the role of the median raphe as a regulator of hamster circadian system sensitivity to light.

Abstract The retinohypothalamic tract, a monosynaptic retinal projection to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is the path by which light entrains the circadian system to the external photoperiod. Serotonergic neurons in the mesencephalic median raphe nucleus (MnR) also give rise to a major SCN afferent projection. The present study was designed to determine the extent to which MnR serotonergic projections regulate sensitivity of the circadian rhythm system to light. Serotonergic neurons in the MnR were destroyed by the direct application of the neurotoxin, 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine. Animals in constant darkness were given 5-min white light pulses at circadian time 19. Light intensity varied from 0.0011 to 70 μW/cm 2 . Assessment of rhythm phase response to light by lesioned and control animals revealed that animals lacking the MnR serotonergic projection are considerably more sensitive to light at high irradiances. The results are consistent with behavioral and physiological evidence implicating serotonin as an inhibitory modulator of the effects of light on circadian rhythmicity.
Estimating depth of reasoning in a repeated guessing game with no feedback

This paper estimates depth of reasoning in an Iterative Best Response model using data from Weber (2003) ten-period repeated guessing game with no feedback. Different mixture models are estimated and the type (Level-0, Level-1, etc) of each player is determined in every round using the Expectation Maximization algorithm. The matrices showing the number of individuals transitioning among levels is computed in each case. It is found that most players either remain in the same level or advance to the next two levels they were in the previous period. The lowest levels (Level-0 and Level-1) have a higher probability of transitioning to a higher level than Level-2 or Level-3. Thus, we can conclude that subjects, through repetition of the task, quickly become more sophisticated strategic thinkers as defined by higher levels. However, in some specifications the highest levels have a relatively large probability of switching to a lower level in the next period. In general, depth of reasoning increases monotonically in small steps as individuals are subjected to the same task repeatedly.
Filament-level modeling of Kevlar KM2 yarns for ballistic impact studies

Abstract For the past decade, numerical ballistic fabric impact research has centered on homogenized yarn based models. However there has been an increasing emphasis in recent years to study the behavior of woven aramid fabrics at the filament scale to investigate the various deformation and energy dissipating mechanisms at the micron length scale. Such an investigation cannot be accomplished through experimental testing. A large gap still exists between the filament-to-yarn length scales. In this study single yarn transverse impact tests of a Kevlar KM2 yarn are simulated using a finite element analysis. All of the 400 filaments in the yarn are explicitly modeled using 3D solid elements and assigned experimentally characterized material properties. The effects of projectile-yarn and inter-filament friction, and filament material properties on the impact response are studied by considering two scenarios where the filaments are either constrained from spreading laterally during the impact event or are left unconstrained. The packing pattern, filament redistribution, and filament energies are monitored during the impact event. The high degree of model resolution provides invaluable insight into the impact behavior of the ballistic yarn and demonstrates the sensitivity of the impact response to filament friction, material properties, and spreading and redistribution.
Group labelings of graphs

Given a graph Γ an abelian group G, and a labeling of the vertices of Γ with elements of G, necessary and sufficient conditions are stated for the existence of a labeling of the edges in which the label of each vertex equals the product of the labels of its incident edges. Such an edge labeling is called compatible. For vertex labelings satisfying these conditions, the set of compatible edge labelings is enumerated.
Kinematics of the Ursa Major Molecular Clouds

We present a kinematic analysis of the atomic and molecular gas in the Ursa Major molecular clouds. The analysis is based on a new CO survey of the complex made with linear resolution of 0.05 pc and existing H I observations. The clouds lie in projection on an expanding shell of material known as the North Celestial Pole loop. The molecular structure of the complex is dominated by several long (>5 pc) filaments, some of which are both extremely straight and extremely narrow (<0.2 pc across). These filaments are enclosed in a sheath of neutral atomic hydrogen that has a kinematic signature distinct from the surrounding atomic gas. The tips of the filaments are regions of enhanced IRAS 12 and 25 μm emission. We find an offset of up to 4 km s-1 between the centroid velocities of the CO and H I, a large-scale velocity gradient in the gas of ~0.3 km s-1 pc-1, and a similar large-scale gradient in the H I line width. The CO velocity field follows a trend similar to the H I but is much less organized. A weak line width gradient in the CO may also be present. We present a model in which the clouds lie near the surface of the expanding bubble and, after having interacted with the bubble's wind, are now slowly "sliding" down the bubble toward the Galactic plane. This model adequately accounts for the atomic-molecular velocity offset, the velocity gradients, the line width gradient, and the IRAS colors.
Regional haze case studies in the southwestern U.S.—II. Source contributions☆

The contributions of major source types to air quality and visibility in the desert southwestern U. S. near Page, AZ are determined for five distinctly different periods in June, July and December, 1979. The analysis is based on temporal and spatial patterns of parameters observed during 4 weeks of sampling carried out as part of Project VISTTA (1979) and other studies. These patterns are related to known source characteristics and computed air trajectories. An episode of low visibility accompanied by very high concentrations of carbon and potassium is traced to smoke from unusually large wildfires in southern Arizona. The unambiguous chemical and physical signal observed during this period serves to calibrate the emission transport simulation and back trajectory calculations. Three incursions of southern California pollutants throughout the southwest are identified—one in each of the months in which sampling was conducted. A low visibility summer incursion, during which sulfate concentrations increased by about 2μg m−3, followed several days of stagnation in southern California with high sulfate and ozone concentrations. A high visibility summer incursion, during which ozone concentrations increased but sulfate concentrations did not, followed an episode of high ozone and low sulfate concentrations in southern California. Both incursions were accompanied by a pronounced shift toward larger sulfate particle sizes. The bulk of the secondary pollutants observed during both incursions may have been formed in the strongly oxidizing southern California atmosphere.
Development and Evaluation of Application Techniques for Delivery of Nutrients to Contaminated Shoreline in Prince William Sound

ABSTRACT The application of nutrients to assist and accelerate naturally occurring biodegradation processes was studied at field scale on contaminated shoreline in Prince William Sound as part of the effort to recover from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Selection of fertilizer forms and means to apply the nutrients comprised a major part of the evaluation project. Liquid and solid forms of nutrients were tested. New and innovative application technology was investigated for use under field conditions. Ease of application and cost-effective technology were important selection criteria. Worker protection and environmental-effect concerns served to modify the selection of application technology. Details of application technology selection are presented, difficulties with application and areas for potential research are discussed. Projections for development of application technology to subsurface deposits of stranded oil are made.
Immune function across generations: integrating mechanism and evolutionary process in maternal antibody transmission

The past 30 years of immunological research have revealed much about the proximate mechanisms of maternal antibody transmission and utilization, but have not adequately addressed how these issues are related to evolutionary and ecological theory. Much remains to be learned about individual differences within a species in maternal antibody transmission as well as differences among species in transmission or utilization of antibodies. Similarly, maternal-effects theory has generally neglected the mechanisms by which mothers influence offspring phenotype. Although the environmental cues that generate maternal effects and the consequent effects for offspring phenotype are often well characterized, the intermediary physiological and developmental steps through which the maternal effect is transmitted are generally unknown. Integration of the proximate mechanisms of maternal antibody transmission with evolutionary theory on maternal effects affords an important opportunity to unite mechanism and process by focusing on the links between genetics, environment and physiology, with the ultimate goal of explaining differences among individuals and species in the transfer of immune function from one generation to the next.
Calyceal compression in renal transplantation. Its value in assessment of rejection.

Abstract Forty-eight excretory urograms were performed on 20 patients with renal transplantation. Markedly narrowed, compressed calyces were seen in 16 of 7 patients one week post-transplant, during normal postoperative courses. The calyceal compression sign was not found to be of pathologic significance in the immediate postoperative period. Following the immediate postoperative period, compressed calyces were seen in all 14 urograms performed during rejection episodes. This condition was never seen on urograms performed when patients were doing well clinically. Thus, the significance after the immediate postoperative period indicated rejection.
Edge cracking in high strength steels

A study has been made of the sheared edge ductility of a series of coldroll gage high strength steels. It is found that inclusion shape control is beneficial, especially for steels with tensile strengths ranging from 345 to 550 MPa (50 to 80 ksi). Edge ductility is increased for all the materials when the quality of the edge is improved; this involves removing the heavily coldworked sheared region either by machining, trimming (repunching), or a heat treatment which results in the recrystallization of the edge. Following a heat treatment, the steels with no inclusion shape control have hole expansion values similar to those observed in materials with inclusion shape control before heat treatment. It is suggested that for the steels with the stringer type inclusions, low edge ductility will be exhibited when fracture initiates in the deformed shear edge region and propagates along the inclusionferrite interface. The elimination of this coldworked region makes crack initiation more difficult and, thus, there is greater ductility. A tempering study of dualphase steels suggests that the hard martensite islands play a similar role to the stringer type inclusions in reducing sheared edge elongation. It was also observed that the load to punch out a disc is proportional to both the thickness and the tensile strength of the material.
EPOP - Toward the realization of an Electric Propulsion Orbital Platform

This paper describes the results of a feasibility study for an Electric Propulsion Orbital Platform (EPOP), whose primary objective is to provide an instrumented platform for testing electric propulsion devices in space. It is anticipated that the first flight, EPO-1, will take place on the Shuttle-deployed Wake Shield Facility in 1996, and will be designed around a modified version of a commercial 1.8 kW hydrazine arcjet system, to be operated on gaseous hydrogen propellant. Specific subsystems are described, including the arcjet system, the propellant and power systems, and the diagnostics systems. Also, system engineering and integration issues are discussed.
Negative Magnetoresistance in Impurity Conduction

Negative magnetoresistance is observed at 4.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K in Cd-doped $p$-type GaAs, vapor deposited $n$-type GaAs, and P-doped $n$-type Ge. In $n$-type GaAs prepared by Czochralski or horizontal-Bridgman techniques, samples with carrier concentrations less than about ${10}^{16}$ show negative magnetoresistance at 4.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K which goes through a maximum at fields less than 10 000 G and becomes positive at high fields. At concentrations greater than ${10}^{16}$ there is no clear indication of a maximum at fields up to 20 000 G. The ratio of longitudinal to transverse magnetoresistance in the impurity conduction range is a function of temperature and field, but at 1.4\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K it exceeds 0.9 both for negative magnetoresistance at low fields and for positive magnetoresistance at high fields. The over-all trends of the data on GaAs and other materials require two competing processes to account for the magnetoresistive behavior. One of these is the effect of the magnetic field in reducing orbital overlap which has been demonstrated by Sladek and Keyes on $n$-Ge and $n$-InSb. A competing process which could operate in the "hopping" region of impurity conduction might be an increase in the population of a set of states of higher energy and mobility than the ground states due to a reduction in the energy separation between them.
Preferential phenotypic association linked with cooperation in paper wasps

Animals can influence their social environment by preferentially associating with certain conspecifics. Such preferential association has gained increasing theoretical attention, as it may influence social evolution and population dynamics. However, relatively little empirical work has examined the occurrence of preferential association and its effects on cooperative group formation. Here, we test the factors associated with cooperative group formation in Polistes dominulus nest-founding queen wasps. P. dominulus are a good system to study preferential association, as foundresses can nest alone or in groups and group membership is flexible. We found that both social and environmental factors were associated with partner choice. First, facial patterns were associated with cooperation. Wasps with more similar facial patterns were more likely to cooperate than wasps with less similar facial patterns. This preferential phenotypic association fits the theoretical criteria for the evolution of tag-based cooperation. Season was also associated with cooperation; wasps on early-season nests were more likely to cooperate than wasps on late-season nests. High levels of aggression by nest owners during initial interactions were also correlated with lower probabilities of subsequent cooperation, suggesting that nest owners have some control over group membership. Other factors including body weight, weight similarity and nest productivity were not linked with cooperation. Overall, multiple factors influence cooperation in paper wasps, including facial pattern similarity. The occurrence of preferential phenotypic association in paper wasps is quite interesting and may influence the evolution of cooperation and population divergence in this group.
Diseconomies of endogenous technological change in the globalizing continuous improvement firm

Abstract This paper is a contribution to the body of literature on the Japanese management techniques known as kaizen, or continuous improvement technologies. The topic is introduced with a brief review of the findings of several studies on kaizen and the experience of Japanese firms in transferring the kaizen technologies abroad, followed by an analysis of the process of endogenous technological change within the context of continuous improvement. It is argued that global versions of the CIF are subject to unique systemic problems, including: (1) a persistent increment to the cost of maintaining standardized processes; (2) a reduction in the rate of improvement creation due to a loss of synergism; (3) an increase in the time required to implement improvements, and reduced effectiveness of installed improvements; and (4) a likelihood that some improvements will fail to enhance customer value in markets other than the ones in which they originate. The widely varying experiences of the Japanese CIFs in transferring the continuous improvement technologies abroad are attributed, at least in part, to these internal systemic weaknesses of the global CIF. Furthermore, it is concluded that the strategic advantage of a globally dispersed CIF is reduced below that of a geographically concentrated CIF.
Spontaneous "Cabibbo" suppression

We demonstrate the possibility of a unified weak-electromagnetic gauge scheme in which the suppression of strangeness-changing weak amplitudes arises by spontaneous breakdown of an SU(3) symmetry.
Are Property Rights Problematic

Although perhaps not terribly informative, Maurice Cranston is never theless correct: "By definition, a liberal is a man who believes in liberty . . . . 'M At the core of every liberal theory is some case for individual liber ty; liberals may disagree about the nature of this case, but there is little doubt that liberal theory is freedom-centered.2 Liberals have character istically understood private property as complementing and safeguard ing freedom insofar as personal holdings define a sphere within which their holder enjoys the protected liberty to act as he may see fit. Viewed from a different perspective, however, the complementarity of property rights and liberty is problematic. In a well-known essay, Alan Gibbard observes:
Effects of alloying elements on elastic properties of Ni3Al by first-principles calculations

Abstract The effects of alloying elements (Cr, Hf, Pt, Y and Zr) on the elastic constants of Ni3Al have been investigated using first-principles calculations within the generalized gradient approximation. The results are compared with the theoretical and experimental data in the literature and analyzed based on volume changes, electron density and pure alloying element's properties. The calculated enthalpies of formation are used to determine the site preference. It is found that the shear modulus decreases with the additions of alloying elements due to the expansion of the equilibrium volume, wherein Y has the largest effect. It is also observed that the bulk modulus of Ni3Al alloys is strongly related to the total molar volume and electron density, and that the solute atom with high bulk modulus tends to give high bulk modulus of Ni3Al. Based on the calculated results, the change rates of elastic constants due to each alloying element in Ni3Al have been obtained. Our calculations show that Hf prefers the Al sublattice with a negative change rate of the Young's modulus of Ni3Al, agreeing well with measurements. The predicted Young's modulus of IC 218 alloy shows a good agreement with available experimental data.
Strong-field terahertz optical mixing in excitons

Driving a double-quantum-well excitonic intersubband resonance with a terahertz (THz) electric field of frequency ω T H : generated terahertz optical sidebands ω=ω T H z +ω N I R on a weak near-infrared probe. At high THz intensities, the intersubband dipole energy which coupled two excitons was comparable to the THz photon energy. In this strong-field regime, the sideband intensity displayed a nonmonotonic dependence on the THz field strength. The oscillating refractive index which gives rise to the sidebands may be understood by the formation of dressed states that oscillate with the same periodicity as the driving THz field.
Nanocavities, Artificial Atoms, and Photons: Quantum Optics in the NanoWorld

Quantum dots coupled to genetic photonic-crystal-nanocavities offer unprecedented control over light-matter interaction on-chip at the single photon level. I will review recent results in this field, which provide the foundations for transformative photonic quantum technologies. Article not available.
Comparative performance analysis of directed flow control for real-time SCI

Abstract The distributed nature of routing and flow control in a register-insertion ring topology complicates priority enforcement for real-time systems. Two divergent approaches for priority enforcement for ring-based networks are reviewed: a node-oriented scheme called preemptive priority queue and a ring-wide arbitration approach dubbed TRAIN. This paper introduces a hybrid protocol named directed flow control that combines node- and ring-oriented flow control to yield greater performance. A functional comparison of the three protocols as implemented on the scalable coherent interface is presented, followed by performance results obtained through high-fidelity modeling and simulation.
Biology of Pseudoligosita plebeia (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), an Egg Parasitoid of Homalodisca spp. (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Collected From Northwestern Mexico as a Potential Biocontrol Agent of H. vitripennis in California

ABSTRACT Pseudoligosita plebeia (Perkins) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) is a candidate biological control agent targeting the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), in California. Little is known about the biology of P. plebeia. Here we report the results of laboratory studies describing the longevity of P. plebeia adults provided alternative food resources, their ability to parasitize H. vitripennis eggs of different ages, lifetime offspring production when provided steady access to excess host eggs, and levels of mature ovarian eggs present when wasps were held without access to hosts. P. plebeia is a gregarious parasitoid, with up to six adults emerging from a single H. vitripennis egg. When provided with honey and water, water alone, or no food or water, P. plebeia adult females lived an average of 64.1, 2.3, and 2.0 d, respectively. P. plebeia were able to successfully parasitize all ages of H. vitripennis eggs (1–8 d old), with higher parasitism in...
Changes in homeowner preferences for housing density following 11 September 2001

This study analyses data gathered from surveys conducted immediately before and after 11 September, 2001, that elicit respondents’ preferences for neighbourhood attributes using a conjoint analysis instrument administered via mail to two randomly selected, mutually exclusive samples of homeowners in Franklin County, Ohio. Sample demographics and income variables were similar. It is found that, prior to 11 September 2001, respondents react to an array of neighbourhood characteristics; the estimated utility model fits the data well. For the data collected after 11 September 2001, only housing density and park availability attributes are significant explanatory variables in the estimated utility model.
On a partial converse of the montessus de Ballore theorem in Cn

The present paper has developed from a talk presented at the Summer Seminar on Complex Analysis in Trieste, Italy, July 1980. In that talk some basic results relating to Montessus de Ballore theorem in C” were discussed. The main result of the present paper is a “partial converse” of the Montessus de Ballore theorem in C”. The motivation for this result originated from a paper of Walsh 151. A modified version of the Montessus de Ballore theorem is also presented. Section 2 of this paper gives notations, definitions, and some properties of rational approximants in 6”. Section 3 deals entirely with questions of convergence leading to the main result. Throughout the paper, nonhomogeneous polynomials in C” are employed in the construction of the rational approximants in C”.
Bone marrow cell transplantation in clinical perspective

The deficit in left ventricular performance in an ischemically damaged heart is characterized by depletion of functioning cardiomyocytes. The problem is accentuated by the inadequate intrinsic repair mechanism of the heart. Recent progress in regenerative medicine has paved way for an outside intervention to support the limited on-going reparative process in the heart through transplantation of cells with myogenic and/or angiogenic potential. The functional plasticity of bone marrow derived stem cells has been exploited for cardiac repair. The early experiences in proof-of-concept animal studies and phase-1 clinical trials have been encouraging and suggest the safety, feasibility and potential of this approach. We critically review the literature in depth to elucidate the progress in this field together with discussion of the problems and controversies that need to be addressed in order to fully exploit the potential of bone marrow stem cell transplantation with clinical relevance.
Effects of density and mutual solubility of a CO2-brine system on CO2 storage in geological formations: "Warm" vs. "cold" formations

Abstract The fluid properties of CO 2 injected into geological formations for subsurface storage are strongly affected by the specific formation conditions of pressure, temperature and salinity. Specifically, these conditions affect fluid solubility and density; we investigate their effects on subsurface CO 2 storage efficiency. We compared several common equations-of-state (EOS) and solubility models; their accuracy and applicability are briefly discussed. We also evaluated the effects of gaseous/supercritical CO 2 phase density and mutual solubility, including H 2 O solubility in CO 2 . Results suggest that disparities in phase density estimates by different EOS typically do not translate to large disparities in simulation results because of the low solubility of H 2 O in gaseous/supercritical CO 2 . However, more experimental studies on the solubility of H 2 O in CO 2 are needed, especially at high pressures and temperatures. Simulation results also suggest that formations at higher temperatures are less efficient for CO 2 storage than equivalent formations at lower temperatures. We evaluated aqueous- CO 2 solution density at a broad range of pressure and temperature conditions using different equations-of-state. Results indicate that CO 2 -dissolution in brine at high temperatures (>120 °C) may reduce mass density to values lower than the original brine density, nullifying the primary advantage of the dissolution trapping mechanism. This concept, equal density temperature, is proposed here for the first time. In certain scenarios with temperatures greater than the equal density temperature, CO 2 can exsolve (escape the aqueous phase) and be subject to buoyancy-driven migration (and potential escape from the formation) associated with separate phase CO 2 . Simulation results are very sensitive to the density models selected. Predictions of CO 2 -enriched brine migration using different models can yield contradictory results.
The active management of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Purpose of review To review the literature regarding the active management of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Recent findings There has been an increasing trend toward the active management of cholestasis of pregnancy. This trend exists because clinicians have yet to discover adequate solutions to avert the morbidities and mortalities associated with the disorder. It is believed that early intervention by induction of labor before the 38th week of gestation will decrease the incidence of intrauterine fetal demise associated with cholestasis of pregnancy. It is also believed that treating the clinical symptoms of cholestasis with 2-5 ursodeoxycholic acid will improve maternal symptoms, facilitate the prolongation of pregnancy, and possibly improve fetal outcomes. Summary The current literature encourages the induction of labor between 37-38 weeks' gestation in order to reduce the incidence of stillbirth in women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. The most widely used medication for both the treatment of maternal pruritus and the elevations in maternal liver enzymes associated with cholestasis of pregnancy is 2-5 ursodeoxycholic acid. Neither mode of practice has been subjected to randomized clinical trials.
Psychogenic Movement Disorders Diagnosis and Management

Psychogenic movement disorders (PMDs) are best defined as hyper- or hypo-kinetic movement disorders, often associated with gait disorders, that cannot be directly attributed to a lesion or dysfunction of the nervous system and which are derived in most cases from psychological or psychiatric causes. There are a variety of PMDs including tremor, dystonia, parkinsonism, gait disorders and, even, unusual forms including paroxysmal dyskinesias. As has been recognised in the recent literature, PMDs cannot be strictly classified into clearly defined psychiatric disorders such as somatoform, dissociative or conversion disorders. In this review, we discuss the diagnosis of various PMDs (including hyper- and hypo-kinetic disorders; and current evidence for underlying comorbid disorders) and the current therapeutic approach to them. The therapy of PMDs is not well established, is very challenging to the clinician, and a better outcome can be achieved in the setting of a team approach involving movement disorders specialists, psychiatrists and therapists who specialise in cognitive-behavioural techniques. Current pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to treatment focus on therapy of underlying comorbid psychiatric and psychological issues, although compliance is a major concern.
Influence of salinity of ammonia excretion rates and tissue constituents of euryhaline invertebrates

Abstract 1. 1. Transfer from 100% to 50% sea water increases ammonia excretion in Macoma inconspicua, Nephtys caeca, Strongylocentrotus drobachiensis, Eupentacta quinquesemita and Pagurus sp.; among prosobranchs, only Littorina sitchana increases significantly. 2. 2. Free amino acids decrease in 50% sea water for M. inconspicua and N. caeca; among prosobranchs, only L. sitchana decreases significantly. 3. 3. Water movements cause lowered tissue molarity in Thais emarginata in 75% sea water; water and salt movements cause raised tissue molarity in 150% sea water. 4. 4. Respiration is identical in 50% and 100% sea water for N. caeca. Respiration and depletion of stored food are greater in 100% sea water for M. inconspicua.
Optical reflectance and transmittance of photonic polycrystalline structures from living organisms

Scales from specific weevils, longhorns and butterflies have been shown to internally contain a photonic structure that can be described as the agglomeration of photonic crystallites. Usually, the same local photonic structure is found in all crystallites, with different orientations. This distribution is investigated by analysing a large amount of fractured scales. The visual effects produced by fractioning the photonic-crystal into the aggregation of reoriented photonic crystallites can be, for increasing disorder, (1) the loss of iridescence and the loss of metallicity for diffuse coloration, (2) the loss of coloration.
HSV-1 latency: thymidine kinase requirement and the round-trip theory.

The present study used the rabbit iontophoresis model to examine the thymidine kinase (TK) requirement for HSV-1 latency, and test the round trip theory of latency with emergent phenotypic mutations of the HSV-1 TK negative (TK−) inoculating strain. The results demonstrated repeated induced ocular shedding of latent HSV-1 in 14–100% of rabbits. The TK phenotype of recovered tear film following spontaneous shedding and repeated iontophoresis induction was thymidine Kinase negative in 90% of eyes. Sequential shedding of TK−virus from the same eye over time was demonstrated in 21% of eyes in 33% of rabbits. We conclude that TK is not an absolute requirement for the establishment or reactivation of latent HSV-1 in the rabbit model. The round trip theory of latency was not supported as TK+ isolates and syncytial variants of the TK−inoculating strain which were recovered at the ocular surface after the initial iontophoresis could not be demonstrated following subsequent trials of iontophoresis.
Knowledge-Based Antenna Pattern Interpolation

We examine the problem of interpolating antenna radiation patterns from a small number of measurements and propose an algorithm to perform the interpolation when naive methods fail, often due to multipath corruption of the pattern. This algorithm exploits constraints on the antenna's underlying design to avoid ambiguities but is sufficiently general to address many different antenna types. A theoretical basis for the robustness of this algorithm is developed, and its performance is verified in simulation using a number of popular antenna designs and with a controlled laboratory experiment.
The effect of thermal stress on the marginal seal of cast gold full crowns.

Crowns fabricated for 40 extracted mandibular molars were allotted into four experimental groups. Microleakage was evident in all groups and apparently had multifactorial causes.
DEM integrity monitor experiment (DIME) flight test results

This paper discusses flight test results of a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) integrity monitor. The DEM Integrity Monitor Experiment (DIME) was part of the NASA Synthetic Vision System (SVS) flight trials at Eagle-Vail, Colorado (EGE) in August/September, 2001. SVS provides pilots with either a Heads-down Display (HDD) or a Heads-up Display (HUD) containing aircraft state, guidance and navigation information, and a virtual depiction of the terrain as viewed 'from the cockpit'. SVS has the potential to improve flight safety by increasing the situational awareness (SA) in low to near zero-visibility conditions to a level of awareness similar to daytime clear-weather flying. This SA improvement not only enables low-visibility operations, but may also reduce the likelihood of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). Because of the compelling nature of SVS displays high integrity requirements may be imposed on the various databases used to generate the imagery on the displays even when the target SVS application does not require an essential or flight-critical integrity level. DIME utilized external sensors (WAAS and radar altimeter) to independently generate a 'synthesized' terrain profile. A statistical assessment of the consistency between the synthesized profile and the profile as stored in the DEM provided a fault-detection capability. The paper will discuss the basic DIME principles and will show the DIME performance for a variety of approaches to Runways 7 and 25 at EGE. The monitored DEMs are DTED Level 0, USGS with a 3-arcsec spatial resolution, and a DEM provided by NASA Langley. The test aircraft was a Boeing 757-200.
On bifurcation from infinity

Suppose F: Iw x E -+ E where E is a real Banach space, F is continuous, and F possesses a simple curve ?Z of zeros: {(h(a), u(a)) j ~11 E I = (a, b) C Iw}. If there exists ol EI such that in every neighborhood of (h(E), u(s)), F has zeros not on %?, then (h(c), U(E)) is said to be a bifurcation point for F with respect to %?. Bifurcation phenomena occur in many parts of physics and have been intensively studied. See e.g. [I]. It is often the case in applications that F(h, u) = u (ALU + H(A, u)) w h ere L is a compact linear operator and H: [w x E -+ E is compact with H = o(l/ u 11) at u = 0 uniformly on bounded X intervals. The zeros ‘# = ((X, 0) 1 X E [w} of F are then called the line of trivial solutions of
The Endocrinologist's Version of the Betty Crocker™ Cookbook

Abstract Endocrine and Metabolic Testing Manual. Third Edition By Robert F. Dons. Boca Raton, CRC, 1998, $79.95 (304 pages), ISBN 0-8493-76060-8
Calcium regulation in vascular smooth muscle contractility

The contractile activity of vascular smooth muscle is regulated by control over the cytoplasmic calcium concentration. The intracellular calcium receptor is calmodulin, which, through stimulation of myosin light chain kinase, can activate 2 different contractile states. The calcium is supplied from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the extracellular space; a minor component is supplied from the inner surface of the plasmalemma. The main intracellular messenger responsible for the transduction of receptor occupation and calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum is IP3 and, to a lesser extent, calcium itself. The superficial location of the sarcoplasmic reticulum in vascular smooth muscle makes it the logical area for control of calcium entry due to calcium leak or through either or both types of calcium channel. The sarcoplasmic reticulum, therefore, acts as a "superficial calcium buffer barrier" and is probably the major system controlling free cytoplasmic calcium concentration in vascular smooth muscle.