cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tissue-Specific Localization of Cytochrome P450 Aromatase in the Equine Embryo by In Situ Hybridization and Immunocytochemistry

Estrogen production by the preimplantation equine embryo is presumed to be important in maternal-conceptus communication in the mare. The synthesis of C(18) estrogens from C(19) androgens requires cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450(arom)) in the conceptus, but little information is available on the specific tissue location or potential developmental patterns of expression for the horse. The goal of this research was to localize P450(arom) in the equine conceptus by immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization. Intact blastocyst-stage embryos were collected by nonsurgical flush on Days 12-15 of pregnancy, fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, and paraffin-embedded. Aromatase protein was localized using rabbit anti-human placental aromatase antiserum with a detection system utilizing peroxidase and 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole. For in situ hybridization, tissue sections were incubated with sense or antisense [(35)S]UTP-labeled cRNA probes prepared from equine aromatase cDNA. Aromatase protein and transcript were abundant in the extraembryonic trophectoderm but absent from embryonic ectoderm. No P450(arom) expression was detected in abembryonic endoderm or mesoderm. Aromatase expression was demonstrated in the endoderm beneath the disc (hypoblast). This pattern of P450(arom) expression in the equine blastocyst closely resembles that seen transiently in the porcine embryo, suggesting that regulatory mechanisms conferring tissue specificity may be conserved.
A short,three-component total synthesis of 12-hydroxyeicosa-5,8,14(Z), 10(E)-tetraenoic acid (12-HETE) via the corresponding ketone

Abstract A highly effective synthesis of (±)-12-HETE (1) from the components 2, 3 and 6 is described which employs a new class of cuprate reagents.
HOW DEBT BECAME CARE: CHILD PAWNING AND ITS TRANSFORMATIONS IN AKUAPEM, THE GOLD COAST, 1874–1929

Studies of slavery in Africa have noted the persistence of those relations in different forms, such as pawning, that allow social changes in power, status and wealth to be weathered more gradually. As pawning itself became less frequent, did other kinds of relationship take its place? Some scholars have argued that pawning was folded into marriage and fatherhood; others that there are continuities with fosterage and domestic servant arrangements today. This article examines the question of pawning’s transformations in Akuapem, a region in south-eastern Ghana involved in forms of commercial agriculture that were heavily dependent on slave labour and the capital raised by pawning. Ultimately, it argues that debt became key to fatherhood and fosterage relations between children and adults, changing from a short-term exchange to more lifelong reciprocal relations of care. Des etudes sur l’esclavage en Afrique ont note la persistance de ces relations sous des formes diverses, comme la mise en gage d’etres humains, qui permettent une absorption plus progressive de l’evolution sociale du pouvoir, du statut et de la richesse. A mesure que la mise en gage devenait moins frequente, d’autres formes de relations prenaient-elles sa place ? Des savants ont affirme que la mise en gage etait incorporee dans le mariage et la paternite; d’autres qu’elle persiste aujourd’hui a travers le fosterage et le travail domestique. Cet article examine la question des transformations de la mise en gage dans la region d’Akuapem, dans le Sud-Est du Ghana, ou se pratiquent des formes d’agriculture commerciale fortement tributaires d’une main-d’œuvre esclave et de capitaux issus de la mise en gage. Enfin, l’article affirme que la dette est devenue un element cle des relations de parentalite et de fosterage entre enfants et adultes, passant d’un simple echange a court terme a une relation de soin reciproque s’inscrivant davantage sur la duree de vie.
Interaction of extracellular calcium and magnesium in the regulation of cytosolic calcium and PTH release in dispersed bovine parathyroid cells.

Abstract We examined the effects of varying the extracellular magnesium (Mg 2+ ) concentration at different extracellular calcium (Ca 2+ ) concentrations on cytosolic Ca 2+ and PTH release in dispersed bovine parathyroid cells using the fluorescent, Ca 2+ -sensitive dye QUIN-2. Raising extracellular Mg 2+ from 0.5 to 5 mM produced significant ( p 2+ from 228 ± 13 to 306 ± 15 nM at 0.5 mM extracellular Ca 2+ and from 199 ± 9 to 299 ± 19 nM at 1.0 mM extracellular Ca 2+ . The concentration of extracellular Mg 2+ which produced half of the maximal increase in cytosolic Ca 2+ was significantly higher, however, at 0.5 mM than at 1.0 mM extracellular Ca 2+ [3.3 ± 0.16 ( n = 5) vs. 2.0 ± 0.08 mM Mg 2+ ( n = 6), p 2+ (5 mM) was associated with a similar inhibition of PTH release at 0.5 and 1.0 mM Ca 2+ [67 ± 2% ( n = 4) and 59 ± 5% ( n = 7), respectively], but half-maximal inhibition of secretion occurred at a higher Mg 2+ concentration with 0.5 than with 1.0 mM Ca 2+ [3.5 ± 0.43 ( n = 4) vs. 2.0 ± 0.21 mM ( n = 5), respectively, p 2+ concentrations (⩽ 10 −6 M), 5 mM Mg 2+ had little or no effect on either cytosolic Ca 2+ or PTH release. At 10 mM extracellular Mg 2+ with ⩽ 10 −6 M Ca 2+ , PTH release was inhibited 55 ± 3% ( n = 6). There was only a transient increase in calculated cytosolic Ca 2+ at 10 mM Mg 2+ in 4 of 6 experiments, however, possibly due to quenching of the fluorescence of QUIN-2 by increased intracellular Mg 2+ concentrations. This latter possibility is supported by the observation that high extracellular Mg 2+ (5 mM) reduced the cytosolic Ca 2+ measured with high (2 mM) extracellular Ca 2+ concentrations from 646 ± 68 nM ( n = 13) at 0.5 mM Mg 2+ to 392 ± 38 nM ( n = 8) at 5 mM Mg 2+ . Thus, at physiological levels of extracellular Ca 2+ (0.5 and 1 mM), the close correspondence between the effects of extracellular Mg 2+ on cytosolic Ca 2+ concentration and PTH release provides further evidence for a role for cytosolic Ca 2+ in the regulation of parathyroid function by Mg 2+ . Moreover, the marked decrease in the potency of Mg 2+ in modifying PTH release and cytosolic Ca 2+ at very low extracellular Ca 2+ concentrations suggests that Mg 2+ may increase cytosolic Ca 2+ , at least in part, through uptake of extracellular Ca 2+ .
Single unit activity in the frontal eye fields of unanesthetized monkeys during eye and head movement.

Single unit activity in the frontal eye field was investigated in unanesthetized monkeys during eye and head movement. Two types of cells (I and II) were found. Type I fired during voluntary saccadic movement occuring in a given direction and also during the fast phase of optokinetic and vestibular nystagmus. Cells of this type were silent during smooth pursuit movement and the slow phase of nystagmus. It was found that the firing pattern of Type I cells was maintained irrespective of head movement.
Better one or two

As the largest terrestrial lens, the atmosphere produces myriad interesting effects, but perhaps none so fabled as the green flash. And yet, for all of its stories, its description is recent. Any society can that can construct structures like the Pyramids or Stonehenge for astronomical purposes must surely have observed the green flash, yet it was not described in writing until 1836 when Captain George Back on the HMS Terror wrote about seeing it while on an expedition to the Arctic ( Meinel, Meinel, Sunsets, Twilights, and Evening Skies , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983 ). Later, the phenomenon was mythologised when Jules Verne wrote of it in a book entitled Le Rayon Vert . He described a controversial Norse legend regarding the phenomenon which states that anyone who witnesses a green flash will always be true “in matters of the heart.” Little evidence, however, exists that this indeed was a Norse legend. Nevertheless, the green flash is legendary and many suspect that it does not actually exist, that it is an afterimage. This suspicion is belied by the two images on the cover showing different aspects of the same phenomenon. A camera cannot record an afterimage, and furthermore, the phenomenon has also been witnessed at dawn …
Development Of Model-Based Fault-Identification Systems On Microcomputers

The development of Model-Based Production-Rule Analysis Systems for the identification of faults in Engineering Systems is discussed. Model-Based systems address the modelling of devices based on knowledge about their structure and behavior in contrast to Rule-Based systems which use rules based solely on human expertise. The exposed methodology uses the Fault-Tree Analysis technique for problem representation to generate Goal-Trees simulating the behavior of system components. Application of the methodology to a Knowledge-Base for the identification of the dominant accident sequences, consequences, and recommended recovery and mitigation actions for a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) is demonstrated. The accident sequences were generated using probabilistic risk analysis methods and analyzed with the Transient Reactor Analysis Code (TRAC). The Analysis System uses a backward-chaining deduction-oriented antecedent-consequent logic. Typical case results are given, and the aspects of using the methodology for Fault-Identification are discussed.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Documented Chondral Injuries About the Knee in College Football Players: 3-Year National Football League Combine Data

Purpose To evaluate the incidence and risk factors for knee cartilage injury in elite college football players invited to attend the US National Football League (NFL) Scouting Combine over a 3-year period. Methods All players entering the NFL Scouting Combine (National Invitational Camp) from 2005 through 2007 were evaluated. "At-risk" knees underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the results were evaluated for chondral injuries. Results During the 3-year period reviewed, a total of 980 players were available for analysis, and a total of 516 players' knee MRI scans were obtained (53% of all players at the Combine). The total number of full-thickness chondral injuries evident on MRI was 197 (20.1%) among all players, or 38.2% of the players who had an MRI scan. Of the players, 30 (3.06% of all players at the Combine, or 5.8% of the players who had an MRI scan) had isolated medial compartment full-thickness chondral injuries, 41 (4.2%, or 7.9%) had isolated lateral compartment full-thickness chondral injuries, 48 (4.9%, or 9.3%) had patellofemoral compartment full-thickness chondral damage, and 78 (7.96%, or 15.1%) had full-thickness chondral injuries in more than 1 compartment. Conclusions The epidemiologic and risk assessment data presented in this study offer a cross-section of a young and elite athletic population who were "prescreened" at the NFL Combine over a 3-year period and judged to have at-risk knees. The total number of full-thickness chondral injuries evident on MRI was 197 (20.1%) among all players, or 38.2% of the players who had an MRI scan: 30 players (3.06%, or 5.8%) had an isolated medial compartment full-thickness chondral injury, 41 players (4.2%, or 7.9%) had an isolated lateral compartment full-thickness chondral injury, 48 players (4.9%, or 9.3%) had isolated patellofemoral compartment full-thickness chondral damage, and 78 players (7.96%, or 15.1%) had full-thickness chondral injuries in more than 1 compartment. Level of Evidence Level IV, diagnostic study.
Development of a sensitive porcine granulosa cell bioassay for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

Purpose: Our objective was to develop a sensitive in vitro bioassay for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) that does not require the housing of animals in a research facility.
The differential actions of cortisol on the accumulation of α-lactalbumin and casein in midpregnant mouse mammary gland in culture

Abstract The dose-response relationship between cortisol and the accumulation of the two milk proteins, casein and α-lactalbumin, was studied in organ culture of mammary gland from midpregnant mice. The accumulation of casein was low in culture with insulin but was enhanced by the further addition of prolactin. Further increases in casein were effected by the addition of cortisol in increasing concentrations up to 3 × 10 −6 M, which was optimal for the accumulation of this protein. The content of α-lactalbumin in explants was similarly low in culture with insulin alone, but, in contrast, was increased to a maximal level by the addition of insulin and prolactin. The addition of cortisol up to 3 × 10 −8 M with insulin and prolactin did not further increase the level of α-lactalbumin; in fact, at concentrations above 3 × 10 −7 M the steroid caused progressive inhibition of the accumulation of this protein in cultured explants. Studies of the appearance of casein and α-lactalbumin in incubation medium during organ culture revealed the presence of substantial amounts of these milk proteins. During the first 2 days of culture with insulin, prolactin and 3 × 10 −6 M cortisol, the amount of α-lactalbumin in culture medium was almost equal to the level found in tissue, whereas in the presence of 3 × 10 −8 M cortisol, or in the absence of exogenous steroid, over 70% of total α-lactalbumin was retained in tissue. The observed difference in the amount of α-lactalbumin in culture medium can, however, only partially account for the inhibitory effect of high doses of cortisol on the accumulation of α-lactalbumin in cultured mammary explants. In contrast to α-lactalbumin, the relative amount of casein in culture medium containing insulin and prolactin was smaller—19% of total casein synthesized—and was further reduced to 16% and 11% of the total in the presence of 3 × 10 −8 M and 3 × 10 −6 M cortisol, respectively. The above results indicate that cortisol exerts dose-dependent differential actions on the accumulation of casein and α-lactalbumin in mouse mammary epithelium in vitro.
Sonication of antibiotic spacers predicts failure during two-stage revision for prosthetic knee and hip infections.

Background Periprosthetic joint infection is a leading cause of failure after two-stage reimplantation. One cause of relapse may be persistent subclinical infection. Difficulty exists in detecting biofilm-forming infections. Sonication disrupts biofilm and has led to higher rates of positive intraoperative cultures.
The postnatal development of glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament triplet proteins in rat brain stem.

Cytoskeletal preparations containing both the glial fibrillary acidic protein and the neurofilament triplet proteins were prepared from brain stems of rats at different ages and the individual peptides separated in polyacrylamide gels. Stained peptide bands were quantitated as the area under peaks generated by densitometric scanning. Peak areas were converted to grams of protein based on total gel dye binding and total protein applied to the gels. Between 5 and 30 days, the concentration of the peptide (g of peptide/mg of tissue protein) of apparent molecular weight 51,000 (corresponding to the glial fibrillary acidic protein), increased 3 fold. The corresponding increase in total concentration of the three peptides corresponding to the neurofilament proteins was 4.5 fold. However, the increase in concentration of the individual neurofilament peptides was each different. Very little of the apparent molecular weight 210,000 neurofilament peptide was present at 5 days and its concentration increased 11 fold by 30 days compared to about 3.5 fold for the other two neurofilament peptides. These results are in general agreement with studies using immunological techniques and the methods have the advantages of using readily available techniques and allowing the simultaneous comparison of both neuronal and glial specific filaments during development.
Optimizing Chemotherapeutic Strategies for Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas are a heterogenous mix of histology, as well as clinical presentation, and outcome and remain a challenging group of diseases to treat. Because of difficulty and variability in diagnosis, improvements in diagnostic technology, and changing classification systems over time, the interpretation of studies is complicated. In addition, the response to current treatments and long-term outcome is generally poor. This review outlines these problems and discusses the current status of treatment strategies, including the disappointing results with standard anthracycline-based therapy as well as experience with modifications to CHOP (cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone); increasing dose intensity; antimetabolites; and T-cell-targeted therapies. We conclude with a description of a new agent, pralatrexate, including the preclinical and early clinical experience as well as a description of a large phase II prospective trial. Because of the relative rarity of this group of diseases, large-scale prospective clinical trials are difficult to implement. New treatment strategies are needed if we hope to improve patient outcomes.
Endocrine disruptors : Challenges for environmental research in the 21st century

During the past 10 years, there has been a worldwide decline in the use and human exposure to many chemicals, including pesticides and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). However, a new generation of chemicals that have endocrine disrupting (ED) potential have emerged. Their presence in the environment and concomitant levels in humans are prevalent, although the sources of these contemporary-use industrial chemicals are not entirely identified. They include the phthalates, alkylphenols, brominated diphenyl ethers, and perfluorinated organics (PFOCs). The alkylphenols, especially bisphenol A, are potent EDs. Levels vary by geography, race/ethnicity, age and gender, and human health effects are just beginning to be assessed. This article discusses the toxicology, human exposure, and potential health effects of EDs that are likely to be important in the 21st century.
Childhood Development after Cochlear Implantation (CDaCI) study: design and baseline characteristics.

AbstractChildren with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss face communication challenges that influence language, psychosocial and scholastic performance. Clinical studies over the past 20 years have supported wider application of cochlear implants in children. The Childhood Development after Cochlear Implantation (CDaCI) study is the first longitudinal multicentre, national cohort study to evaluate systematically early cochlear implant (CI) outcomes in children. The objective of the study was to compare children who have undergone cochlear implantation, with similarly aged hearing peers across multiple domains, including oral language development, auditory performance, psychosocial and behavioural functioning, and quality of life. The CDaCI study is a multicentre national cohort study of CI children and normal hearing (NH) peers. Eligibility criteria include informed consent, age less than 5 years, pre- or post-lingually deaf, developmental criteria met, commitment to educate the child in Englis...
A Duality Between Strings and Fivebranes

Not only does the heterotic string admit a heterotic fivebrane as a soliton but the heterotic fivebrane admits as a soliton a heterotic string. This provides further evidence that the two theories may be dual descriptions of the same physics, with the strong coupling regime of one theory described by the weak coupling regime of the other. To illustrate this, we show how the energy-momentum tensor of the quadratic Yang-Mills action associated with the string reduces to that of an elementary fivebrane, and how the energy-momentum tensor of the quartic Yang-Mills action associated with the fivebrane reduces to that of an elementary string.
Pulmonary crystal-storing histiocytosis and extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma associated with a fibroleiomyomatous hamartoma☆

Crystal-storing histiocytosis (CSH) is a rare disorder occurring in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases, predominantly in cases of multiple myeloma and low-grade B-cell lymphoma. To the best of our knowledge, only three cases of pulmonary CSH have been reported in the English literature and one of them was associated with a low-grade B-cell lymphoma (immunocytoma). We document a case of a 59-year-old man with bilateral lung masses in which a right middle lobe pulmonary lobectomy specimen showed CSH associated with an extranodal marginal-zone B-cell lymphoma. A single nodule showing features of fibroleiomyomatous hamartoma was present in a wedge biopsy specimen from the left lung. Two nodules within the right middle lobe were composed of sheets of histiocytic cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm resembling striated muscle cells. In addition, there were nodular aggregates and a more diffuse infiltrate of small slightly atypical centrocyte-like lymphocytes, as well as bronchial lymphoepithelial lesions. Immunohistochemistry performed on paraffin-embedded sections demonstrated that the histiocytic cells were immunoreactive with the KP-1 (CD68) antibody while the lymphocytic infiltrate was CD20 positive, co-expressed for CD43, and was negative for CD3, CD5, and CD10. Genotypic analysis demonstrated the presence of an immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene rearrangement, indicating the presence of a monoclonal B-cell population. These features were consistent with pulmonary CSH associated with extranodal marginal-zone lymphoma of baltoma type.
Evidence for a dual mechanism of gastric motor responses to intravenously administered endothelin-1 in anesthetized rats.

Abstract We have recently reproted that endothelin-1 (ET-1), administered intracisternally or microinjected into the DVC of rats, increases gastric motor function via vagal pathways. To determine whether circulating ET-1 acts peripherally or centrally to alter gastric motility, ET-1 (30 and 300 pmol/kg) was administered intravenously in α-chloralose anesthetized rats, while monitoring intragastric pressure, gastric motility, heart rate and blood pressure. Endothelin-1, at a dose of 300 pmol/kg, increased intragastric pressure, stimulated pyloric circular muscle contractile activity, and increased arterial pressure. When ET-1 (300 pmol/kg) was administered after bilateral vagotomy at midcervical level, a marked gastric motor inhibition with an increase in arterial blood pressure were observed. We conclude that the gastric motor effects of circulating ET-1 are a result of central excitatory and peripheral inhibitory actions of the peptide.
Microstructure of Dental Amalgam

Numerous studies have been done in the past to identify the phases present in dental amalgam. Both metallographic and X-ray diffraction techniques have been used.-' Most researchers now presume that dental amalgam consists mainly of three phases. The original particle is an alloy of Ag, Sn, Cu, and sometimes Zn; the major portion is the compound Ag3Sn, which is often referred to as Py. After amalgamation, a portion of the original particle is left; in addition, an Ag2Hg3 (,yi) phase and a Sn-Hg (Y2) phase form. Schmitt' and Wing2 have described the Py and yi phases in the microstructure. However, the 72 phase has not been identified metallographically, except by pointing out voids where apparently a phase was present. Other phases have been proposed, but their existence has not been established. Although Cu may be present in the alloy in a proportion as high as 6 per cent, this element has not been identified in the structure. Wing2 and Crowell' both have postulated that a dark or gray etch-resistant area which appears in the alloy particles may be a Cu-Sn phase. Since the polishing methods which have been used in the past are not consistent, we developed a standard procedure for metallographic polishing which does not erode the 7Y2 areas. In addition, an etching solution was developed which reveals all the phases in amalgam without etching out the more reactive phases. After examination of various microstructures, a typical microstructure was defined. Then the three major phases were identified in the structure. Further work in this area will depend on a more positive identification of the phases and of the elements present.
Self-structure and self-change: Applications to psychological treatment

This article applies a dynamic model of self-structure to self-change during psychological treatment. At the outset of treatment, many individuals may have a negative compartmentalized self-structure. That is, a wide range of perceived negative attributes may be closely linked to each other within their important self-aspect categories. During treatment, these individuals may develop an evaluatively integrative structure for self-beliefs in which negative beliefs are more closely associated with positive ones to mitigate their impact. When individuals leave treatment, they may either retain their integrative self-structures (and, possibly, a more realistic view of self) or they may revert to positive compartmentalization (an easy and efficient self-structure that minimizes access to any negative self-beliefs). This model illustrates the inherent flexibility in strategies of self-organization and their implications for clinical research.
Modelling paper as a two-dimensional elastic-plastic stochastic network

Abstract Stochastic two-dimensional elastic–plastic network models are used to represent the inelastic deformation behavior of well-bonded paper. Linear kinematic hardening is employed with an initial non-zero back stress to represent anisotropic fiber yield. Network models are used to simulate simple monotonic tension and simple cyclic tension of paper materials. The performance of the models is compared to experimental results and found to perform reasonably well. The results suggest that interfiber bonding must be explicitly accounted for to adequately describe the material. Some discrepancy between the model and experimental cyclic tension results is believed to be due to time-dependent strain recovery in the material which is not represented in the network models. Experimental results are also presented which show that simple tension failure in these materials occurs along a line of localized deformation in a majority of the samples. This line is generally observed to form immediately prior to failure and is oriented at a well-defined angle with respect to the loading direction.
Forcing and biological impact of onset of the 1992 El Niño in central California

The physical, chemical and biological effects related to onset of the 1992 El Nino in central California are described. Oceanic Kelvin waves link atmospheric events in the western equatorial Pacific and onset of temperature and primary productivity anomalies. The perturbations observed off California, with a deeper thermocline and nutricline reducing the supply of nutrients and regulating productivity, are similar to those observed along the coast of Peru during El Nino.
A very low temperature vibration isolation system

Very low temperature refrigerators are a significant source of low frequency vibrational and acoustic noise, which is a serious challenge to research using high sensitivity mechanical oscillators, or to high resolution scanning tunneling microscopes. We describe the design and operation of a vibration isolation system which is used at very low temperatures. The system consists of four masses suspended one below the other from the base of the refrigerator, on a series of springs. Eddy current dissipation is used to damp the motion, and thermal contact is made through an annealed copper ribbon. The plate which holds the experimental apparatus can be held rigidly in position, or released, by use of clamps actuated with superfluid4He.
Reflection and transmission at dimensional boundaries

An inhomogeneous Kaluza-Klein compactification of a higher dimensional spacetime may give rise to an effective 4D spacetime with distinct domains having different sizes of the extra dimensions. The domains are separated by domain walls generated by the extra dimensional scale factor. The scattering of electromagnetic and massive particle waves at such boundaries is examined here for models without warping or branes. We consider the limits corresponding to thin (thick) domain walls, i.e., limits where wavelengths are large (small) in comparison to wall thickness. We also obtain numerical solutions for a wall of arbitrary thickness and extract the reflection and transmission coefficients as functions of frequency. Results are obtained which qualitatively resemble those for electroweak domain walls and other ordinary domain walls for 4D theories.
Differential responses of the promoters from nearly identical paralogs of loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) ACC oxidase to biotic and abiotic stresses in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Promoters from an ACC oxidase gene (PtACO1) and its nearly identical paralog (NIP) (PtACO2) of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) were recovered from genomic DNA using PCR amplification. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants harboring genetic constructs from which β-glucuronidase (GUS) expression was driven by the full-length (pACO1:GUS, pACO2:GUS) or truncated (pACO1-1.2:GUS, pACO2-1.2:GUS) loblolly pine ACC oxidase gene promoters displayed distinctive patterns of expression for the different promoter constructs. Both full-length promoter constructs, but not those using truncated promoters, responded to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and wounding. Both pACO1:GUS and pACO1-1.2:GUS responded to pathogen attack, while neither version of the pACO2 promoter responded to infection. In the inflorescence stalks, the full-length pACO1 promoter construct, but not the truncated pACO1-1.2:GUS or either pACO2 construct, responded to bending stress. When flowering transgenic Arabidopsis plants were placed in a horizontal position for 48 h, expression from pACO2:GUS, but not the other constructs, was induced on the underside of shoots undergoing gravitropic reorientation. The expression pattern for the pACO2:GUS construct in transgenic Arabidopsis was consistent with what might be expected for a gene promoter involved in the compression wood response in loblolly pine. Although near complete sequence identity between PtACO1 and PtACO2 transcripts prevented quantitation of specific gene products, the promoter expression analyses presented in this study provide strong evidence that the two ACC oxidase genes are likely differentially expressed and responded to different external stimuli in pine. These results are discussed with respect to the potential functional differences between these two genes in loblolly pine.
Hepatic complications of total parenteral nutrition

Total parenteral nutrition is now widely used in the treatment of nutritional depletion. Among problems that persist in the use of this technique, the development of hepatic abnormalities has received increasing attention. In this review, the current understanding of the pathogenesis and management of liver injury during short-term total parenteral nutrition is summarized. These complications include fatty liver, cholestasis, and nonspecific triaditis. The experience with hepatic complications during long-term total parenteral nutrition is also reviewed. Evidence that progressive liver injury develops in some patients requiring lifelong total parenteral nutrition raises a serious dilemma for both patients and physicians. Better understanding of the pathogenesis is required before appropriate treatment can be prescribed.
The preferred habit of a tetragonal inclusion in a cubix matrix

Abstract The preferred crystallographic habit of a plate-like precipitate in a cubic matrix is determined by minimizing the elastic strain energy of the precipitate under the conditions that 1. the precipitate and matrix behave as linear elastic media, 2. the difference between their elastic constants may be neglected, 3. the transformation strain is tetragonal, and 4. the elastic strain energy dominates the surface energy in determining the preferred habit. It is shown that the preferred habit plane is necessarily of type {hok} if the matrix has negative elastic anisotropy (Δ = c11 − c12 − 2c44 0. In both cases the normal to the habit plane varies systematically with the tetragonality of the transformation strain according to relations which are found analytically and confirmed by numerical computation. The predictions of the model are compared with experimental evidence for the cases of G P zones in Al-Cu and Cu-Au, Fe4C precipitates in α-Fe and β-VH0.45 precipitates in vanadium, with encouraging results.
A high-resolution, multi-channel, over-sea-ice seismic reflection survey over the Mackay Sea Valley, Granite Harbor, Antarctica

In the austral summer of 2007, 20.5 km of high-resolution over-sea-ice seismic reflection data were collected in the Granite Harbor region of southern McMurdo Sound over the Mackay Sea Valley. The goal of the survey was to image thin pelagic sediment deposited in the Mackay Sea Valley after the Last Glacial Maximum. A generator–injector air gun was lowered beneath the sea ice through holes drilled by an auger drill system. The recording system was a 60 channel snow streamer with vertically oriented gimbaled geophones spaced 25 m apart. Unique problems in the over-sea-ice seismic reflection survey—noise from the ice column flexing and timing delays caused by trapped air at previous shot points—were overcome to improve the quality of the seismic data. The Mackay Sea Valley survey produced seismic data with a vertical resolution of 6.3 m. The processed seismic data show pelagic sediment thickness of up to 50 m within the Mackay Sea Valley with some locations showing possible older sediments beneath the pelagic sediment layer.
Reducing Particulate Matter and Oxides of Nitrogen Emissions from Heavy-Duty Vehicles: The Urban Bus Case

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments mandated stricter emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles. One category of heavy-duty vehicles, urban transit buses, constitutes a highly visible source of pollutant emissions and must meet even more stringent standards. In response, engine manufacturers have produced diesel engines that produce virtually no black smoke and emit several times less particulate matter (PM) than older engines. The tighter PM emissions standards that apply to urban transit buses only were found to be cost-effective ($4,600 to $6,300 per Mg of PM reduced) compared with other control strategies. The Urban Bus Retrofit/Rebuild Program was found to be somewhat less cost-effective ($6,900 to $42,000 per Mg). Both of these programs could be extended to other heavy-duty vehicles. However, the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) in transit buses was found to have a costeffectiveness of $0.9 million to $1.8 million per Mg of PM. Replacing older diesel engines with low-emission diesels is the most ...
Maintaining hand and improving fire resistance of cotton fabric through ultrasonication rinsing of multilayer nanocoating

Thin films of environmentally benign polyelectrolytes, cationic chitosan (CH) and anionic poly(sodium phosphate) (PSP), were deposited on cotton fabric via layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly to reduce flammability. This CH–PSP nanocoating promotes charring of the cotton, rendering the fabric self-extinguishing. The coated fabric was rinsed in an ultrasonication bath between deposition steps to improve the softness (i.e., hand) of the coated fabric. Ultrasonication is believed to remove weakly adhered polyelectrolyte, preventing the fabric from becoming stiff, while improving anti-flammable behavior at a given coating weight. At 17 bilayers, only 9.1 wt% was added to the cotton, yet the coated cotton consistently passed vertical flame testing. Electron microscopy provides evidence of intumescence and confirms the cleaner deposition afforded by ultrasonication. The reduction in peak heat release rate and total heat release, as measured by micro cone calorimetry, were 73 and 81 % respectively, which is a new benchmark in LbL flame retardant coating on cotton. The mechanical properties of the fabric were measured using the Kawabata evaluation system, which showed that ultrasonication rinsing significantly improved the hand. The ability to render cotton fabric self-extinguishing, while maintaining a soft hand, marks a major milestone in the development of these environmentally-benign nanocoatings.
Lipid transfer protein binding of unmodified natural lipids as assessed by surface plasmon resonance methodology.

Abstract A new approach for analyzing lipid–lipid transfer protein interactions is described. The transfer protein is genetically engineered for expression with a C-terminal biotinylated peptide extension (AviTag). This allows protein anchoring to a streptavidin-coated chip for surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based assessment of lipid binding. Sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP-2), involved in the intracellular trafficking of cholesterol, fatty acids, and other lipids, was selected as the prototype. Biotinylated SCP-2 (bSCP-2) was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity by mutated streptavidin (SoftLink) affinity chromatography, and confirmed by mass spectrometry to contain one biotin group at the expected position. Intermembrane [ 14 C]cholesterol transfer was strongly enhanced by bSCP-2, demonstrating that it was functional. Using bSCP-2 immobilized on a Biacore streptavidin chip, we determined on- and off-rate constants along with equilibrium dissociation constants for the following analytes: oleic acid, linoleic acid, cholesterol, and fluorophore (NBD)-derivatized cholesterol. The dissociation constant for NBD–cholesterol was similar to that determined by fluorescence titration for SCP-2 in solution, thereby validating the SPR approach. This method can be readily adapted to other transfer proteins and has several advantages over existing techniques for measuring lipid binding, including (i) the ability to study lipids in their natural states (i.e., without relatively large reporter groups) and (ii) the ability to measure on- and off- rate constants as well as equilibrium constants.
Bridging the theory-practice gap in corporate finance: A survey of chief financial officers

Abstract The primary objective of this article is to assess general research opinions, barriers to using sophisticated financial management decision-making techniques, and the understanding, utilization, and research preferences of practicing financial managers. Data is gathered through a mail survey of the CFOs of the Fortune 500 largest industrial companies and Forbes 200 best small companies. Overall the respondents appear to have little interest in the current state of academic research in corporate finance and in utilizing finance professors as paid or unpaid internal consultants. They do express a desire to know more about many financial decision methods, suggesting that existing academic research can be better explained and operationalized. There is also some indication that new academic research is desired in some areas. There is a need for more dialogue between finance practitioners and academics to establish how communications with practitioners can be improved and to assess how practitioners might effectively learn more about financial decision methods that they deem important. Economic necessity and the increased competition for resources in academia provide an incentive for academic institutions and finance professors to become more responsive to the specific research preferences of practitioners.
Contributions of a Local Health Examination Survey to the Surveillance of Chronic and Infectious Diseases in New York City

Objectives. We sought to evaluate the contribution of the New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC-HANES) to local public health surveillance.Methods. Examination-diagnosed estimates of key health conditions from the 2004 NYC-HANES were compared with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004 national estimates. Findings were also compared with self-reported estimates from the Community Health Survey (CHS), an annually conducted local telephone survey.Results. NYC-HANES estimated that among NYC adults, 25.6% had hypertension, 25.4% had hypercholesterolemia, 12.5% had diabetes, and 25.6% were obese. Compared with US adults, NYC residents had less hypertension and obesity but more herpes simplex 2 and environmental exposures (P < .05). Obesity was higher and hypertension was lower than CHS self-report estimates (P < .05). NYC-HANES and CHS self-reported diabetes estimates were similar (9.7% vs 8.7%).Conclusions. NYC-HANES and national estimates differed for key...
For sale by owner: When to use a broker and how to price the house

By using a broker, the owner of a house can speed up his search for buyers but must pay a percentage of the sale price as a commission. Nonstationarities inherent in the housing market may make it optimal to market a house “by-owner” at the outset and to retain a broker only if the house remains on the market later in the selling season. This article investigates the optimal sequence of asking prices within the by-owner phase, within the broker phase, and at the transition between the two phases. The asking price declines within each phase but may jump up at the transition to cover part of the commission. The model implicity determines the demand for broker services as a function of the commission rate. When estimated, it may be useful in investigations of price fixing among brokers.
Tetralogy of Fallot with Coexisting Type II Aortopulmonary Window

An infant had a coexisting tetralogy of Fallot and type II aortopulmonary window between the ascending aorta and the right pulmonary artery in which the communication acted as a palliative systemic-pulmonary shunt. Surgical repair is described, and the appropriate literature is reviewed.
Effects of Temperature and Sugar Maple Pollen on Oviposition and Longevity of Pear Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

A laboratory bioassay was conducted to test the effects of temperature and the availability of Acer saccharum Marshall pollen on adult female Taeniothrips inconsequens (Uzel) longevity and oviposition. Over a range of temperatures (8-20°C), a diet that included pollen significantly increased T. inconsequens adult longevity, total oviposition, and oviposition rate compared with diets that included no pollen. For diets with and without pollen, adult longevity significantly decreased with increasing temperature. However, the decrease in total oviposition and oviposition rate with increasing temperatures was only marginally significant. The importance of these 3 factors in determining the population dynamics of T. inconsequens in sugar maple stands is discussed.
Evaluating children's mental health service systems: An analysis of critical behaviors and events

A lack of studies which evaluate system change by tracking client outcomes is noted in the children's mental health area. This deficit may be a result of the inability of researchers to define outcomes and to draw conclusions about which measures reflect the efficacy of services and service delivery systems. This paper reviews five social validation surveys which examined children's mental health outcome measures. Based on the results of the five surveys, a model of critical behaviors and events is presented. This model will assist evaluators and researchers in understanding which critical events and behaviors should be measured to assess the impact of community-based mental health services for children.
Measurement and prediction of dynamic temperatures in unsymmetrically cooled glass windows

Semitransparent materials such as glass have many applications in high-temperature environments such as supersonic aircraft canopies and spacecraft windows. At elevated temperatures, the energy transfer within semitransparent materials is dominated by radiation, making both the prediction and measurement of internal temperatures substantially more difficult than for opaque substances. Experimental measurement of the dynamic internal temperature distribution in soda-lime glass plates cooling from an initial temperature of about 550 C was carried out. The boundary conditions on the plates were established using the laboratory ambient for the front surface and employing a radiant heater at the rear surface. The surface and internal plate temperatures were measured using thermocouples fused in the glass. The temperature data are compared to predictions obtained from the solution of the transient energy equation where the internal radiative transfer has been accounted for using rigorous radiative transfer theory. The predicted and measured temperatures, the experimental method, the process used to fuse the thermocouples in the test plates, and the formulation of the energy equation for semitransparent materials are discussed. 18 refs.
Crossed elastic cut versus three particle unitary cut as determinants of low energy scattering

Abstract We examine the relative importance of the crossed elastic cut and the three particle unitarity cut for π+-p scattering in the charged scalar static model. This is done by comparing four approximate solutions for the scattering amplitude in which different singularities of the amplitude are retained: (1) The Born pole and the elastic unitarity cut are present. (2) The Born pole, the crossed elastic cut and the elastic unitarity cut are present. (3) The Born pole and both the elastic and three particle unitarity cuts are present. (4) The Born pole, a second pole representing the crossed elastic cut, and both the elastic and three particle unitarity cuts are present. In the channel we study all three dynamical singularities—Born pole, crossed elastic cut, and three particle unitarity cut—are attractive at low energy. We find that for strong coupling, and particularly at higher energies, production has a decidedly greater effect on scattering than does crossing. We also find that the coupling strength required to produce a π+ − p bound state at threshold is reduced when either the crossed elastic cut or three particle unitarity cut is present. The reductions effected by the two singularities are comparable, and about twice as much reduction occurs when both singularities are reatained.
Acid rain policy in Canada and the United States: Attitudes of citizens, environmental activists, and legislators

Abstract Acid rain is an international problem for Canada and the United States. Acid from factories and electric generating plants in Michigan falls on Ontario, killing fish in its lakes. This article evaluates the attitudes of ordinary citizens, environmental activists and state or provincial legislators in Michigan and Ontario. Based on a survey of 1076 citizens, 1238 activists, and over a hundred legislators, it finds that all groups favored forceful government action to control the acid rain. Canadians were more supportive than Michiganders.
Single Frequency Network measurement for digital video network

Single Frequency Network (SFN) is widely deployed for digital video systems, not only for classical Single Input Single Output (SISO) systems like DVB-T, but also for the latest Multiple Input Single Output (MISO) DVB-T2 system. In this paper, we propose one scheme to measure the echo power and echo delay accurately in an SFN with OFDM technology, for both pre-echoes and post-echoes, even with long delay which may be outside guard interval (GI) of an OFDM symbol. The measurement results would be used for network optimization. Lab and field tests are carried out to verify the algorithm for both SISO DVB-T SFN and MISO DVB-T2 SFN. Also results for SISO-SFN and MISO-SFN measurement are compared, which is helpful for DVB-T2 network deployment.
Triboluminescence of triclinic crystals

Abstract The triboluminescence spectra of organic molecular crystals belonging to the triclinic crystal system are obtained. The triboluminescence originates from excited states of the organic moieties and from nitrogen. When the crystals are subjected to rapid mechanical strain, the triboluminescence first increases as a function of the square of the time and then decays exponentially with the square of the time. The integrated triboluminescence intensities span five orders of magnitude. Triboluminescence activity is observed only from crystals belonging to the piezoelectric PI space group. The mechanism of the mechanically induced population of the excited state is discussed.