cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RNA polymerases from a rat hepatoma. Partial purification and comparison of properties with corresponding liver enzymes.

Abstract DNA-dependent RNA polymerases were extracted from the nuclei of the poorly differentiated tumor, Morris hepatoma 3924A, and purified by an initial chromatography on a DEAE-Sephadex column followed by fractionation on phosphocellulose and finally on a second DEAE-Sephadex column. Three major forms of RNA polymerase (IA, IB and II) were resolved chromatographically. Enzymes IA, IB and II eluted from DEAE-Sephadex at 75, 150 and 210 mM (NH4)2SO4, respectively. The specific activities (nmol UMP incorporated/mg protein per 15 min) of polymerases IA, IB and II were 40, 43 and 182, respectively. Concurrently, DNA-dependent RNA polymerases were extracted from normal liver and subjected to similar chromatographic procedures. Upon the final DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, enzymes IA, IB and II eluted at 110, 180 and 210 mM (NH4)2SO4, respectively. The recovery of polymerases IA, IB and II after purification was 0.21, 0.28 and 0.42 unit/mg DNA, respectively, for hepatoma enzymes and 0.07, 0.05 and 0.42 unit/mg DNA for the corresponding liver enzymes. Polymerases IA and IB were insensitive to α-amanitin, whereas polymerase II was at least 95% inhibited at low concentrations of the toxin for enzymes from both liver and tumor. The α-amanitin-resistant enzymes from the tumor had very low (NH4)2SO4 optima (12 mM) as compared to the (NH4)2SO4 optima for liver IA and IB (40 mM). Similarly, polymerase II from the hepatoma had a lower (NH4)2SO4 optima (50 mM) than the corresponding liver enzyme (100 mM). Both liver and tumor polymerases IA and IB utilized native and denatured DNA equally well as template whereas polymerase II from either tissue preferentially utilized denatured DNA as template. All enzymes preferred poly[d(A-T)] over calf thymus DNA; a 2–4-fold stimulation was observed with the synthetic polynucleotide. Spermine stimulated transcription of native DNA by polymerases IA, IB and II from liver and hepatoma. Tumor enzymes IA and IB were stimulated 3- and 4.8 fold, respectively, at the optimal concentration of spermine. Tumor polymerase II was stimulated 6 fold by spermine at the optimal concentration of 5.0 mM, at which concentration polymerases IA and IB were inhibited. A significant stimulation with polyamines was observed only when native DNA was used as the template. Spermine inhibited the transcription of poly[d(A-T)] by the three hepatoma enzymes.
Ischemic preconditioning in rat heart: No correlation between glycogen content and return of function

We tested the hypothesis that glycogen levels at the beginning of ischemia affect lactate production during ischemia and postischemic contractile function.
Fair and smooth scheduling for virtual output queuing switches achieving 100% throughput

Cell scheduling has received extensive attention. Most recent studies, however, focus on achieving a 100% switch throughput under the uniform arrivals. As the demand for quality of service increases, two important goals are to provide predictive cell latency and to reduce the output burstiness. This paper presents a new scheduling algorithm, Worst-case Iterative Longest Port First (WiLPF), which improves the performance of the well-known scheduler Iterative Longest Port First (iLPF) such that both cell latency and output burstiness are well controlled. Simulation results are provided to verify how WiLPF outperforms iLPF.
Comparative studies of DNA cross-linking and cytotoxicity in Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines treated with cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) and L-phenylalanine mustard.

Abstract Three Burkitt9s lymphoma cell lines were studied for their response to cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cis-DDP) and l-phenylalanine mustard (L-PAM) with the objective of relating cytotoxicity to DNA cross-linking in human cells. Cytotoxicity was measured by cell proliferation and colony formation assays. DNA interstrand and DNA-protein cross-linking were measured by alkaline elution. Two of the cell lines showed quantitative agreement between cytotoxicity and DNA cross-linking assays following treatment with cis-DDP or L-PAM. The correlation with DNA-protein cross-linking was not as good as with interstrand cross-linking. With the third cell line, cytotoxicity and interstrand cross-linking were correlated in response to L-PAM but not in response to cis-DDP. When this line was treated with cis-DDP, cross-linking was low, but cytotoxicity was high. This line differed from the other two lines in that, following treatment with either cis-DDP or L-PAM, substantial cell lysis or disruption occurred 12 to 14 hr following treatment. The results are consistent with a general correlation between DNA cross-linking and cytotoxicity in human cells treated with bifunctional agents. An exceptional cell type, however, is described which appears to have a reduced tolerance to certain types of DNA damage, the reduced tolerance being expressed by early cell lysis or disruption.
Ambiguous Bodies: Reading the Grotesque in Japanese Setsuwa Tales

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Michelle Osterfeld Li Year: 2009 Pages: 336 Publisher: Stanford University Press ISBN: 9780804759755 (hard cover).
NTHi induction of Cxcl2 and middle ear mucosal metaplasia in mice.

Objectives/Hypothesis Chronic otitis media (COM) develops after sustained inflammation and is characterized by secretory middle ear epithelial metaplasia and effusion, most frequently mucoid. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), the most common acute otitis media (OM) pathogen, is known to activate inflammation and mucin expression in vitro and in animal models of OM. The goals of this study were to examine histopathological and expression profiling epithelial effects of NTHi challenge in murine middle ears. Study Design In vitro and in vivo murine model of OM. Methods Weekly transtympanic inoculation of Balb/c mice with 300 μg/ml of NTHi lysates versus saline was performed. Histopathologic analysis was carried out at 4 weeks. Expression microarray analysis was performed at 1 and 7 days. Microarray findings were validated in independent animal samples and in a cultured murine middle ear epithelial cell (mMEEC) line. Results Histopathologic analyses revealed middle ear mucosal thickening after NTHi exposure. Microarray analyses of inflammatory response genes which changed significantly demonstrated that the chemokine Cxcl2 had the largest fold-change, with significantly increased expression at 1 and 7 days after NTHi injection compared to either saline or no-injection (P <0.01). Validation by real-time qPCR revealed similar significantly increased relative mRNA levels for Cxcl2. NTHi lysates were also found to significantly upregulate the transcription of Cxcl2 in mMEEC in a time- and dose-dependent manner (P <0.05). Conclusions Middle ear NTHi challenge in mice leads to chronic epithelial mucosal metaplasia and overexpression of inflammatory mediators, most notably Cxcl2. This finding is parallel to NTHi-mediated pulmonary mucosal metaplasia where Cxcl2 has been identified as an important inflammatory mediator. Level of Evidence N/A. Laryngoscope, 123:E66–E71, 2013
Mapping the interaction of cofilin with subdomain 2 on actin.

Cofilin, a member of the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin family of proteins, is a key regulator of actin dynamics. Cofilin binds to monomer (G-) and filamentous (F-) actin, severs the filaments, and increases their turnover rate. Electron microscopy studies suggested cofilin interactions with subdomains 2 and 1/3 on adjacent actin protomers in F-actin. To probe for the presence of a cryptic cofilin binding site in subdomain 2 in G-actin, we used transglutaminase-mediated cross-linking, which targets Gln41 in subdomain 2. The cross-linking proceeded with up to 85% efficiency with skeletal α-actin and WT yeast actin, yielding a single product corresponding to a 1:1 actin−cofilin complex but was strongly inhibited in Q41C yeast actin (in which Q41 was substituted with cysteine). LC−MS/MS analysis of the proteolytic fragments of this complex mapped the cross-linking to Gln41 on actin and Gly1 on recombinant yeast cofilin. The actin−cofilin (AC) heterodimer was purified on FPLC for analytical ultrace...
A large storage capacity neural network content-addressable memory

A new neural network design is developed and studied for error-correcting content-addressable memory (CAM). Relative to the size of the network, the design enables the storage and error-correcting retrieval of a much larger number of random patterns than has previously been possible. This increase in storage capacity is made possible by using hidden units in an effective manner to assist in the process of storing and retrieving patterns over the visible units. Key components of the design are the Mean-field-theory learning algorithm adapted for CAM (MFT-CAM), an error-correcting retrieval algorithm for use with hidden units, and an architecture that is not fully connected. In the largest simulation of the design to date, a network with 24 visible units and 84 hidden units stored 1,231 random patterns--more than 10 times the number of units in the network and more than 50 times the number of visible units. Simulation times have limited the amount of data available; under the conservative assumption that the number of stored patterns depends linearly on the number of hidden units, the slope is roughly 20 for networks with 24 visible units. In contrast, the theoretical upper bound on the number of random patterns storable in a Hopfield network in twice the number of units in the network. The amount of precision required by the connection weights is investigated. It is found that in certain networks the total number of bits necessary to represent the connection weights is less than the number of pattern bits that can be stored and retrieved. In these networks, not quite all of the training patterns were perfectly learned and not quite all of the stored patterns are perfectly retrievable. Error-correcting CAM can also be performed in MFT networks without hidden units; in this case, the error-correcting performance is shown to be somewhat superior to that of the widely studied Bidirectional-perceptron algorithm. It is shown that the Bidirectional-perceptron algorithm is a special limit of the MFT-CAM algorithm.
Modeling the domestic distribution network for illicit drugs

This paper presents a simple economic model of a drug dealer's decision about how many customers to supply. The model relates the number of customers i.e., the branching factor of the distribution network to a quantity discount factor describing the extent to which prices are marked up from one distribution level to the next and the ratio of selling costs to product costs. Solving the model allows one to infer characteristics of the domestic distribution network from more readily observable characteristics of the markets and, thereby, to gain insight into how drug control interventions might work.
Estimations Lp des coefficients de représentation et opérateurs de convolution

Resume Dans cet article on s'interesse aux estimations L p des coefficients de representation des groups de Lie semi-simples, connexes, de centre fini et aux consequences de ces estimations sur les operateurs de convolution. L'un des resultats les plus frappants que l'on obtient est le suivant: Soit G un groupe de Lie semi-simple, connexe, de centre fini, non-compact; pour tout 1 p μ p qui est un endomorphisme de convolution borne sur L p ( G ), mais non borne sur L r ( G ) pour tout r ≠ p . Dans ce travail on resout aussi quelques problemes dont certains ont ete poses par C. S. Herz et la L p conjecture pour les groupes presque connexes.
Electrospray mass spectrometry of trans-[Ru(NO)Cl(dpaH)2]2+ (dpaH=2,2′-dipyridylamine) and ‘caged NO’, [RuCl3(NO)(H2O)2]: loss of HCl and NO from positive ions versus NO and Cl from negative ions

Abstract The positive ion electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of trans-[Ru(NO)Cl)(dpaH)2]Cl2 (dpaH=2,2′-dipyridylamine), obtained from the carrier solvent of H2O–CH3OH (50:50), revealed 1+ ions of the formulas [RuII(NO+)Cl(dpaH)(dpa)]+ (m/z=508), [RuIIICl(dpaH)(dpa−)]+ (m/z=478), [RuII(NO+)(dpa)2]+ (m/z=472), [RuIII(dpa)2]+ (m/z=442), originating from proton dissociation from the parent [RuII(NO+)Cl(dpaH)2]2+ ion with subsequent loss of NO (17.4% of dissociative events) or loss of HCl (82.6% of dissociative events). Further loss of NO from the m/z=472 fragment yields the m/z=442 fragment. Thus, ionization of the NH moiety of dpaH is a significant factor in controlling the net ionic charge in the gas phase, and allowing preferential dissociation of HCl in the fragmentation processes. With NaCl added, an ion pair, {Na[RuII(NO)Cl(dpa)2]}+ (m/z=530; 532), is detectable. All these positive mass peaks that contain Ru carry a signature ‘handprint’ of adjacent m/z peaks due to the isotopic distribution of 104Ru, 102Ru, 101Ru, 99Ru, 98Ru and 96Ru mass centered around 101Ru for each fragment, and have been matched to the theoretical isotopic distribution for each set of peaks centered on the main isotope peak. When the starting complex is allowed to undergo aquation for two weeks in H2O, loss of the axial Cl− is shown by the approximately 77% attenuation of the [RuII(NO+)Cl(dpaH)(dpa)]+ ion, being replaced by the [RuII(NO+)(H2O)(dpa)2]+ (m/z=490) as the most abundant high-mass species. Loss of H2O is observed to form [RuII(NO+)(dpa)2]+ (m/z=472). No positive ion mass spectral peaks were observed for RuCl3(NO)(H2O)2, ‘caged NO’. Negative ions were observed by proton dissociation forming [RuII(NO)Cl3(H2O)(OH)]− in the ionization chamber, detecting the parent 1− ion at m/z=274, followed by the loss of NO as the main dissociative pathway that produces [RuIIICl3(H2O)(OH)]− (m/z=244). This species undergoes reductive elimination of a chlorine atom, forming [RuIICl2(H2O)(OH)]− (m/z=208). The ease of the NO dissociation is increased for the negative ions, which should be more able to stabilize a RuIII product upon NO loss.
Simultaneous kinetic resolution of chiral propylene oxide and propylene glycol in a continuous reactive distillation column

Abstract Traditionally kinetic resolutions are conducted by batch processing to recover one of the desired enantiomers of the racemate, while the product formed by the resolution is discarded due to its low purity. However, chiral materials are economically valuable and simultaneously conducting the reaction and separation, using reactive distillation, allows for both a reactant enantiomer and a product enantiomer to be recovered in high enantiomeric excess and yield. A feasible design of a continuous reactive distillation column is presented which performs a simultaneous kinetic resolution of racemic propylene oxide to produce both enantiomerically-pure propylene oxide and propylene glycol.
Maternal hypoglycemia: is it associated with adverse perinatal outcome?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if maternal hypoglycemia is associated with adverse perinatal outcome, particularly low birth weight. STUDY DESIGN: In this prospective study, all patients after 24 weeks’ gestation were screened for gestational diabetes using 50 gm of glucola (oral) followed by a 1-hour plasma glucose measurement and hypoglycemia was defined as ≤88 mg/dl. RESULTS: In these 426 women the mean (± SD) 1-hour plasma glucose value was 99.8 ± 22.7 mg/dl. Of these, 16 were diagnosed with gestational diabetes and 46 were lost to follow-up leaving 364 patients; 116 with hypoglycemia and 248 with euglycemia. Women with hypoglycemia weighed less at the beginning of pregnancy and at delivery, but total weight gain during pregnancy was similar between both groups. There was no difference between groups in maternal symptomatology, birth weight, or the rate of fetal growth restriction. CONCLUSION: Hypoglycemia on the 1-hour glucola screen is not predictive of fetal growth restriction or other adverse perinatal consequence.
Incidence and predictors of seizures in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Summary: Purpose: To determine cumulative incidence and predictors of new-onset seizures in mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with a cohort followed prospectively. Limited information is available on the incidence of seizures, and no reports exist of seizure predictors in AD patients. Methods: Mild AD patients were prospectively followed at 6-month intervals to estimate incidence of unprovoked seizures, compare age-specific risk of unprovoked seizures with population norms, and identify characteristics at baseline (demographics, duration and severity of AD, physical and diagnostic test findings, and comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions) influencing unprovoked seizure risk. Review of study charts and medical records supplemented coded end-point data. Results: The cumulative incidence of unprovoked seizures at 7 years was nearly 8%. In all age groups, risk was increased compared with a standard population, with an 87-fold increase in the youngest group (age 50‐59 years) and more than a threefold increase in the oldest group (age 85+ years). In multivariate modeling, independent predictors of unprovoked seizures were younger age [relative risk (RR), 0.89 per year increase in age; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.82‐0.97], African-American ethnic background (RR, 7.35; 95% CI, 1.42‐37.98), more-severe dementia (RR, 4.15; 95% CI, 1.06‐16.27), and focal epileptiform findings on electroencephalogram (EEG) (RR, 73.36; 95% CI, 1.75‐3075.25). Conclusions: Seizure incidence is increased in people starting with mild-to-moderate AD. Younger individuals, African Americans, and those with more-severe disease or focal epileptiform findings on EEG were more likely to have unprovoked seizures. Key Words: Alzheimer’s disease—Seizures— Cumulative incidence—Predictors—Prospective cohort.
Ground-To-Space Optical Power Transfer

Using laser radiation as the energy input to a rocket, it is possible to consider the transfer of large payloads economically between low initial orbits and higher energy orbits. In this paper we will discuss the results of an investigation to use a ground-based High Energy Laser (HEL) coupled to an adaptive antenna to transmit multi-megawatts of power to a satellite in low-earth orbit. Our investigation included diffraction effects, atmospheric transmission efficiency, adaptive compensation for atmospheric turbulence effects, including the servo bandwidth requirements for this correction, and the adaptive compensation for thermal blooming. For these evaluations we developed vertical profile models of atmospheric absorption, strength of optical turbulence (CN2), wind, temperature, and other parameters necessary to calculate system performance. Our atmospheric investigations were performed for CO2, 12C18O2 isotope, CO and DF wavelengths. For all of these considerations, output antenna locations of both sea level and mountain top (3.5 km above sea level) were used. Several adaptive system concepts were evaluated with a multiple source phased array concept being selected. This system uses an adaption technique of phase locking independent laser oscillators. When both system losses and atmospheric effects were assessed, the results predicted an overall power transfer efficiency of slightly greater than 50%.
New Role for Cdc14 Phosphatase: Localization to Basal Bodies in the Oomycete Phytophthora and Its Evolutionary Coinheritance with Eukaryotic Flagella

Cdc14 protein phosphatases are well known for regulating the eukaryotic cell cycle, particularly during mitosis. Here we reveal a distinctly new role for Cdc14 based on studies of the microbial eukaryote Phytophthora infestans, the Irish potato famine agent. While Cdc14 is transcribed constitutively in yeast and animal cells, the P. infestans ortholog is expressed exclusively in spore stages of the life cycle and not in vegetative hyphae where the bulk of mitosis takes place. PiCdc14 expression is first detected in nuclei at sporulation, and during zoospore formation the protein accumulates at the basal body, which is the site from which flagella develop. The association of PiCdc14 with basal bodies was supported by co-localization studies with the DIP13 basal body protein and flagellar β-tubulin, and by demonstrating the enrichment of PiCdc14 in purified flagella-basal body complexes. Overexpressing PiCdc14 did not cause defects in growth or mitosis in hyphae, but interfered with cytoplasmic partitioning during zoosporogenesis. This cytokinetic defect might relate to its ability to bind microtubules, which was shown using an in vitro cosedimentation assay. The use of gene silencing to reveal the precise function of PiCdc14 in flagella is not possible since we showed previously that silencing prevents the formation of the precursor stage, sporangia. Nevertheless, the association of Cdc14 with flagella and basal bodies is consistent with their phylogenetic distribution in eukaryotes, as species that lack the ability to produce flagella generally also lack Cdc14. An ancestral role of Cdc14 in the flagellar stage of eukaryotes is thereby proposed.
An analysis of Alfvén radius based on sunspot number from 1749 to today

The Solar Probe Plus mission now under construction will provide the first in situ measurements from inside the orbit of Mercury. The most critical part of that mission will be measurements from inside the Alfven radius where the Alfven speed exceeds the wind speed and the physics of the solar wind changes fundamentally due, in part, to the multidirectionality of wave propagation. In this region waves from both sunward and antisunward of the observation point can effect the local dynamics including the turbulent evolution, heating, and acceleration of the plasma. While the location of this point can change with solar wind conditions, we ask the question of whether there is a systematic dependence on the solar cycle that moves the average Alfven radius to different locations depending upon solar activity. We show that the average Alfven radius is correlated with the sunspot number and moves systematically from ∼ 15 at solar minimum to 30 RS at solar maximum. The analysis shown here does not predict movement of the Alfven radius during the recent protracted solar minimum. We project the average Alfven radius backward and forward in time using the monthly sunspot record to attempt a better understanding of the historical record and predict the behavior of this point during the coming solar cycle.
A technique for verifying centric relation at the established vertical relation.

Abstract Blocks of porcelain teeth are used for making positive identification of errors in coincidence between centric relation and centric occlusion with a minimum amount of chair-time. The large occlusal surfaces of the 33 ° porcelain block teeth afford a greater tactile stimulus to the dentist as the incline planes of porcelain pass over each other. 2 The time involved is greatly diminished, because the teeth are mechanically fastened together with metal so the entire block of teeth is set in a single operation. This allows sterilization without mixing up the teeth. No matter what technique or philosophy of occlusion a dentist follows for recording centric relation, he must continually strive to prove his records to be wrong as he records the centric relation. He must not simply accept what he has done.
Self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement in children's learning: A test of a multistage self-regulation model

The relative contribution of self-monitoring, criterion-setting, self-evaluation,and self-reinforcement components in the Kanfer self-regulation model were examined in a simple learning task. First-grade children were pretested and trained in one or a combination of components suggested by the model. On the post-test, subjects differentially improved as a function of the components on which they received training. Criterion-setting was shown to be a critical component in that subjects trained in this component significantly improved; those not trained in this stage of the model showed no significant improvement; and subjects trained in criterion-setting and additional components showed no further significant gains.
Does potassium fertilizer form, source, and time of application influence potato yield and quality in the Columbia Basin?

Potassium (K) fertilizer form (liquid or granular), source (chloride or sulfate), and time of application (preplant or in-season) were evaluated for effects on potato tuber yield and quality in Washington’s Columbia Basin. Potato yield and quality did not respond positively to potassium fertilizer although pre-plant soil-test K values were in the range where adding K fertilizer is recommended in the current (1999) Washington guidelines. In one of three years, total tuber yield was reduced with inseason fertilization with potassium chloride and with 75% in-season liquid K application. While the results were inconsistent over growing seasons, a few of the in-season, liquid K fertilizer treatments resulted in a significant reduction in percent marketable yield. Thus, the study results uphold the current practice of using granular K fertilizers pre-plant. In addition, the results of this study strongly indicate that K source does not affect tuber specific gravity. The limited response of yield and quality factors to K fertilizer on sites that Washington’s current soil-test and K fertilizer guidelines indicate should be K responsive suggest that further research is needed to fine tune the guidelines
Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and its relationship with diabetic nephropathy

Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and its relationship with diabetic nephropathy. Previous studies have shown that the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of vascular disease in non-diabetic patients. The present study was conducted on 509 NIDDM patients who underwent a screening test to determine their ACE genotype for the Appropriate Blood Pressure Control in Diabetes (ABCD) Trial. Various baseline indices were correlated with the three ACE polymorphisms. The genotype was determined through polymerase chain reaction amplification of the angiotensin-converting enzyme polymorphism. The univariate relationship between the presence of the DD genotype with nephropathy as measured by urinary albumin excretion (UAE), and a history coronary artery disease (CAD) was then examined. Finally, a multiple model for each UAE and CAD was created so as to determine the independent effects of the presence of the DD genotype on each diabetic complication. Univariately, the presence of the DD genotype was associated with diabetic nephropathy. Furthermore, in a multiple model predicting diabetic nephropathy, the presence of the DD genotype was independently associated with diabetic nephropathy (odds ratio = 2.8, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 5.5) but not CAD. Thus, the ACE DD genotype in 509 non-Hispanic white NIDDM patients in a metropolitan area in the U.S. was independently associated with the presence of diabetic nephropathy and, therefore, may be potentially used as a marker for NIDDM patients at risk for developing diabetic nephropathy.
Tribes and Cultural Resource Management in the Mid-Columbia River Region: A Look into the Future

We have been fortunate over the last few years to work alongside Native Americans in conducting cultural resource management activities. These experiences have helped us appreciate the importance of cultural resources to the Indian people. We are convinced that Native Americans must be directly involved in cultural resource management activities for two main reasons: they understand the cultural resources in ways that non-Indians probably never can, and because these sites are an integral part of their past, present, and future, they care more about them than non-Indians do. Thus, if the resources are to be protected and made available to future generations of Native Americans, Native Americans must take an active role in managing the resources.
Thermal Barrier Coatings

If you've flown in a turbine-powered aircraft recently, you almost certainly flew in a plane that used thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in the engines. What's more, if the plane you rode in used current generation turbine engines, the TBCs were included as a part of the initial engine design. This represents a significant change from relatively recent thinking, when TBCs were considered a "Band-Aid" solution to thermal management problems in turbines. The vast change in attitude is the result of one overriding factor: TBCs work.
Nationwide Research in Cattle Reproduction. A Review

Summary This paper reviews the present trends in research on dairy cattle reproduction in the United States. Gaps in our knowledge are pointed out and suggestions made for work to fill them. A major need is for further work on the study of lifetime reproductive efficiency and the effects of management practices on it. The influence of heredity on the incidence of absolute sterility needs more study. In the field of infectious diseases, search should be pressed for unknown factors, especially for viruses and other sub-bacterial organisms. Little is known about male infertility. In artificial breeding, the role of the semen plasma needs elucidation. It is an open question whether disease affects fertilization of eggs or early embryonic mortality. Some progress is being made, at last, in mapping the early development of the calf. Timing of service for the greatest fertility should be related to ovulation time more closely than is possible at present. The problem of ovulation control, involving the neuroendocrine mechanism, should receive much more attention. Radioactive tracers should be used in the study of sex-steroid hormone metabolism. "Functional sterility" is still an obscure field that needs further investigation.
Costae of Tritrichomonas foetus: purification and chemical composition

The costa is an intracellular organelle common to all trichomonads. Costae from Tritrichomonas foetus have been purified by a method which involves lysis of T. foetus with the heat-stable hemolysin produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, followed by differential centrifugation. Analysis of the purified costae demonstrated that the organelle is composed of 95 percent carbohydrate and 5 percent protein. The carbohydrate moiety, probably a polysaccharide, consisted of glucose (95 percent), mannose (0.4 percent), glucosamine (1.4 percent), ribose (0.6 percent), and an unidentified sugar (2.6 percent). The kinetosomal complex was attached to the costa after initial lysis of cells but was separated from the costa during purification.
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes modulates GABA receptor activity of rat retinal neurons.

Neural deficits suggestive of involvement of the GABA signaling pathway can often be detected early in the course of diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness in the United States. To examine in greater detail the nature of the neuronal changes associated with hyperglycemia, we investigated GABA receptor activity on retinal bipolar cells in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats; cells from age-matched normal rats served as controls. Patch-clamp recordings from isolated rod-bipolar cells revealed that diabetes enhanced the whole cell currents elicited by GABA. Responses of the GABAC receptor, the predominant GABA receptor on rat rod bipolar cells, exhibited a greater sensitivity to GABA, larger maximum current responses, slower response kinetics, and a smaller single channel conductance among diabetic cells relative to those recorded from normal controls. Compared with the properties of homomeric ρ1 and heteromeric ρ1ρ2 receptors formed in a heterologous expression system, these results suggested that there was a greater contribution from the ρ1 subunit in the GABAC receptor-mediated response of diabetic cells. The levels of mRNA, measured with real-time RT-PCR, were consistent with this finding. There was a significant enhancement in the ratio of ρ1/ρ2 subunit expression in the retina of diabetic animals, although the levels of GABA ρ1 subunit expression were comparable in diabetic and normal retinas. Taken together, the results suggest that diabetes modifies the subunit composition of the GABAC receptor on retinal neurons, most likely through its effect on the efficacy of gene transcription.
Coupled reactions in hemoglobin. Heme-globin and dimer-dimer association.

Five different human hemoglobins were used to test the postulate that dissociation of hemoglobin (Hb) tetramers into αβ dimers and dissociation of heme from globin are linked reactions. Spectrophotometric measurements of the initial rate of heme transfer from Hb to serum albumin were made over a 3000-fold range of Hb concentration and yielded the heme-globin dissociation rate constant for tetramers and that for dimers. The tetramer-dimer dissociation constant (K4,2) could then be calculated from the rate constant at intermediate concentrations. The values obtained for the five hemoglobins, spanning a 250-fold range in K4,2, were in good agreement with those found by direct methods. The relation between this new linkage reaction of hemoglobin and the classical ones, such as the reciprocal relation between the binding of oxygen and protons, is discussed briefly.
Neuroanatomical Phenotypes In The Reeler Mouse

Abstract The reeler mouse ( Reln ) has been proposed as a neurodevelopmental model for certain neurological and psychiatric conditions and has been studied by qualitative histochemistry and electron microscopy. Using magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM), we have quantitated for the first time the neuromorphology of Reln mice at a resolution of 21.5 μm. The neuroanatomical phenotypes of heterozygous and homozygous mutant Reln mice were compared to those of wild type (WT) littermates using morphometry and texture analysis. The cortical, hippocampal, and cerebellar phenotypes of the heterozygous and homozygous mutant Reln mice were confirmed, and new features were revealed. The Reln rl/rl mice possessed a smaller brain, and both Reln rl/+ and Reln rl/rl mice had increased ventricles compared to WT controls. Shape differences were found between WT and Reln rl/rl brains, specifically in cerebellum, olfactory bulbs, dorsomedial frontal and parietal cortex, certain regions of temporal and occipital lobes, as well as in the lateral ventricles and ventral hippocampus. These findings suggest that certain brain regions may be more severely impacted by the Reln mutation than others. Gadolinium-based active staining demonstrated that layers of the hippocampus were disorganized in Reln rl/rl mice and differences in thickness of these layers were identified between WT and Reln rl/rl mice. The intensity distributions characteristic to the dorsal, middle, and ventral hippocampus were altered in the Reln rl/rl , especially in the ventral hippocampus. These differences were quantified using skewness and modeling the intensity distributions with a Gaussian mixture. Our results suggest that structural features of Reln rl/rl brain most closely phenocopy those of patients with Norman–Roberts lissencephaly.
Friendship Between States

Although a substantial philosophical literature exists on the concept of ‘friendship’ and its connections to politics, the possibility that groups such as states could be friends has largely been ignored. This is puzzling since the description of political communities as friends is one that goes back to Thucydides. Moreover, contemporary international politics is replete with references to the concepts of ‘friend’ and ‘friendship’. This article argues that international friendships provide powerful reasons for minimally just states to engage in other-regarding conduct. Drawing on an Aristotelian account of self-interest for inspiration, it is suggested that the same reasons that justify a state’s self-regard also justify its regard for other states. These reasons rest on whether the basic institutions of a state – one’s own or another’s – are minimally just. States, solely because of their character, have reason to enter into different levels of friendship. Those different relationships in turn generate different expectations regarding consultation, security and respect for autonomy.
Reaction of platinum(II) diamine and triamine complexes with selenomethionine.

Abstract We have reacted [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl, [Pt(en)(D 2 O) 2 ] 2+ , and [Pt(Me 4 en)(D 2 O) 2 ] 2+ [Me 4 en = N , N , N ′, N ′-tetramethylethylenediamine] with selenomethionine (SeMet). When [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl is reacted with SeMet, [Pt(dien)(SeMet- Se )] 2+ is formed; two Se–CH 3 resonances are observed due to the different chiralities at the Se atom upon platination. In a reaction of [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl with an equimolar mixture of SeMet and Met, the SeMet product forms more quickly though a slow equilibrium with approximately equal amounts of both products is reached. [Pt(Me 4 en)(D 2 O) 2 ] 2+ reacts with SeMet to form [Pt(Me 4 en)(SeMet- Se )(D 2 O)] 2+ initially but forms [Pt(Me 4 en)(SeMet- Se , N )] + ultimately. One stereoisomer of the chelate, assigned to the R chirality at the Se atom, dominates within the first few minutes of reaction. [Pt(en)(D 2 O) 2 ] 2+ forms a variety of products depending on reaction stoichiometry; when one equivalent or less of SeMet is added, the dominant product is [Pt(en)(SeMet- Se , N )] + . In the presence of excess SeMet, [Pt(en)(SeMet- Se ) 2 ] 2+ is the dominant initially, but displacement of the en ligand occurs leading to [Pt(SeMet- Se , N ) 2 ] as the eventual product. Displacement of the en ligand from [Pt(en)(SeMet- Se , N )] + does not occur. In reactions of K 2 PtCl 4 with two equivalents of SeMet, [Pt(SeMet- Se , N ) 2 ] is formed, and three sets of resonances are observed due to different chiralities at the Se atoms. Only the cis geometric isomers are observed by 1 H and 195 Pt NMR spectroscopy.
Theoretical Studies of the Properties and Solution Chemistry of AnO22+and AnO2+Aquo Complexes for An = U, Np, and Pu

The structures and vibrational frequencies of UO2(H2O)52+, NpO2(H2O)52+, and PuO2(H2O)52+ corresponding to An(VI) oxidation states and UO2(H2O)5+, Np(H2O)5+, and Pu(H2O)5+ corresponding to An(V) have been calculated using density functional theory (DFT) and relativistic effective core potentials (RECPs). The resulting structures are compared to EXAFS solution studies, and the Raman and IR vibrational frequencies of the actinyl unit are compared to experimental studies in solution. Free energies for reactions in solution are computed by combining thermodynamic free energies in the gas phase with a dielectric continuum model to treat solvent effects. The hydrolysis reaction of UO2(H2O)52+ to form UO2(H2O)4(OH)+ and the reactions for removing or adding a water to the first shell in UO2(H2O)52+ are examined using this approach. Multiplet and spin−orbit effects not included in a single-configuration DFT wave function are incorporated by model spin−orbit CI calculations. PuO2q+ is used as a model for the aquo c...
Direct Measurement of Photoinduced Charge Separation Distances in Donor−Acceptor Systems for Artificial Photosynthesis Using OOP-ESEEM

The distance over which two photogenerated charges are separated in electron donor−acceptor systems for artificial photosynthesis depends on the structure of the system, while the lifetime of the charge separation and, ultimately, its ability to carry out useful redox chemistry depend on the electronic coupling between the oxidized donor and reduced acceptor. The radical ions produced by charge separation are frequently delocalized over the π systems of the final oxidized donor and reduced acceptor, so that there is often significant uncertainty as to the average distance between the separated charges, especially in low dielectric constant media, where the Coulomb attraction of the ions may be significant and the charge distribution of the ions may be distorted, so that the average distance between them may be shorter than that implied by their chemical structures. The charge separation distances between photogenerated radical ions in three donor−acceptor molecules having different donor−acceptor distance...
Book Review: The Empty Tank: Oil, Gas, Hot Air, and the Coming Global Financial Catastrophe

The Empty Tank: Oil, Gas, Hot Air, and the Coming Global Financial Catastrophe, by Jeremy Leggett. Random House, 2005. ISBN 1-4000-6527-5.
Cooperative target pursuit by multiple UAVs in an adversarial environment

This paper presents the development of a cooperation strategy for multiple UAVs to pursue a target moving in an adversarial environment where threat exposure should be minimized, and obstacles and restricted areas should be avoided. A probabilistic approach is used to model the adversarial environment. A cost function is defined to quantify placement of UAVs around the target in formation in terms of threat exposure level and distance to the target. The cost function is used to develop a cooperation strategy for a team of UAVs to follow the target such that the total threat exposure of the team and the average distance to the target throughout the pursuit are minimized according to the weighting coefficients specified. The cooperation strategy has the feature of collision avoidance as well as data-fusion-based estimation of the target trajectory based on noisy measurements. Simulation results have demonstrated that the cooperation reduces the risk of losing the target during the pursuit while avoiding obstacles and restricted areas. Further, the UAVs guided by the cooperation strategy can follow the target closer without increasing the total threat exposure level as compared to cases where the UAVs pursue the target without cooperation.
Scale Dependency of Hydraulic Conductivity Measurements

The hydraulic conductivity of five stratigraphic units in a carbonate aquifer has been measured with slug, pressure, and pumping tests, and with two calibrated digital models. The effective test radii range from less than one to greater than 10,000 meters. On log-log plots hydraulic conductivity increases approximately linearly with test radius to a range between 20 and 220 meters, but thereafter, it is constant with scale. The increase in magnitude of hydraulic conductivity is similar to scaling effects reported at seven additional sites in a variety of geologic media. Moreover, the increase in magnitude correlates with an increase in variance of log-hydraulic conductivity measured at successively greater separation distances. The rate of increase in both parameters, and particularly the range, have characteristic values for different pore systems. The larger ranges are consistently present in units with greater secondary porosity. Therefore, scaling effects provide a qualitative measure of the relative importance of secondary and primary permeability, and they can potentially be used to distinguish the dominant type of pore system.
Linker-Gating Ring Complex as Passive Spring and Ca2+-Dependent Machine for a Voltage- and Ca2+-Activated Potassium Channel

Ion channels are proteins that control the flux of ions across cell membranes by opening and closing (gating) their pores. It has been proposed that channels gated by internal agonists have an intracellular gating ring that extracts free energy from agonist binding to open the gates using linkers that directly connect the gating ring to the gates. Here we find for a voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated K+ (BK) channel that shortening the linkers increases channel activity and lengthening the linkers decreases channel activity, both in the presence and absence of intracellular Ca2+. These observations are consistent with a mechanical model in which the linker-gating ring complex forms a passive spring that applies force to the gates in the absence of Ca2+ to modulate the voltage-dependent gating. Adding Ca2+ then changes the force to further activate the channel. Both the passive and Ca(2+)-induced forces contribute to the gating of the channel.
Genetic structure of populations of Ostertagia ostertagi

Most genetic work to distinguish strains of parasitic helminths focuses on searching for genetic markers to correlate with phenotypes of interest, but in this study genetic diversity among individual Ostertagia ostertagi adults is partitioned into components within and between populations. Restriction fragment polymorphism data on mitochondrial DNA from ten individual worms from each of five different parasite populations are analyzed. Three of these populations are characterized by arrested larval development (hypobiosis) over the summer months, and the other two by hypobiosis over the winter months. Sequence divergence is scored by the presence or absence of 37 different restriction sites. Although the populations are genetically differentiated with respect to the timing of hypobiosis, greater than 98% of the total mitochondrial DNA sequence diversity is partitioned within a single population, and the geographic distribution of individual mitochondrial DNA haplotypes suggests high gene flow among populations. Further, estimates of within-population mitochondrial DNA diversity are five to ten times greater in O. ostertagi than typical estimates reported for species in other taxa.
Coplanar switching of polarization in thin films of vinylidene fluoride oligomers

Switching characteristics of vinylidene fluoride oligomer thin films with molecular chains aligned normal to the substrate and exhibiting a preferential in-plane polarization have been investigated using coplanar geometry of inter-digital electrodes via high-resolution piezoresponse force microscopy. It has been shown that in-plane switching proceeds via non-180° rotation of dipoles mediated by non-stochastic nucleation, expansion, and coalescence of domains. As-grown multidomain configuration is found to be strongly pinned aided by charged domain walls, and the electrically induced (in-plane) mono-domain states relax to the as-grown state. The observed coercive field (approximately 0.6 MV/m) is two to three orders of magnitude smaller than that for the oligomer films with out-of-plane polarization. It is suggested that the low steric hindrance to the rotation of molecular dipoles gives rise to the observed low coercive field.
A non-BRICHOS SFTPC mutant (SP-CI73T) linked to interstitial lung disease promotes a late block in macroautophagy disrupting cellular proteostasis and mitophagy.

Mutation of threonine for isoleucine at codon 73 (I73T) in the human surfactant protein C (hSP-C) gene (SFTPC) accounts for a significant portion of SFTPC mutations associated with interstitial lun...
Electron transport-linked ubiquinone-dependent recycling of alpha-tocopherol inhibits autooxidation of mitochondrial membranes.

Abstract The objective of this study was to elucidate the antioxidative roles of coenzyme Q (CoQ) and α-tocopherol in mitochondrial membranes by determining whether CoQ directly scavenges peroxyl- and alkoxyl-radicals or indirectly regenerates α-tocopherol during autooxidation of mitochondrial membranes. A comparison of the interaction between α-tocopherol and CoQ during autooxidation was made between bovine and rat heart mitochondria, which differ ∼15-fold in their α-tocopherol content. Autooxidation of both bovine and rat heart mitochondria resulted in the formation of thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances and protein carbonyls; however, the differences in the autooxidizability of mitochondria between rat and bovine heart mitochondrial membranes were relatively minor. Supplementation of rat heart mitochondria with succinate caused reduction of CoQ to ubiquinol while α-tocopherol concentration remained unaffected during autooxidation. In contrast, in the absence of succinate, CoQ was present in the oxidized form (ubiquinone) and the mitochondrial membranes were depleted of α-tocopherol. CoQ concentrations remained unchanged over time irrespective of the presence or absence of succinate. In the absence of succinate, autooxidation of bovine SMPs, supplemented with different amounts of α-tocopherol, was inversely related to the amount of α-tocopherol, whereas in the presence of succinate autooxidation was greatly reduced. Results of this study indicate that during autooxidation of mitochondria, α-tocopherol acts as the direct radical scavenger, whereas ubiquinol regenerates α-tocopherol.