cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of the brain in juvenile hormone synthesis and oöcyte development: Effects of dietary protein in the cockroach Blattella germanica (L.)

Abstract We demonstrate links between the protein content of diets, food intake, the resultant body mass, juvenile hormone synthesis by the corpora allata, and oocyte maturation in Blattella germanica. Oocyte development and oviposition were suppressed in starved females as well as in females fed deficient artificial diets (low- or high-protein contents). On all diets, as well as in starved females, oocyte growth was significantly potentiated by hydroprene, indicating that the suppressed oocyte growth on deficient diets was largely due to juvenile hormone deficiency. Also, under all dietary treatments, including in starved females, transection of the nervi corporis cardiaci (NCC)-I and II significantly potentiated juvenile hormone biosynthesis, oocyte development and oviposition compared with the respective sham-operated females. These results clearly show that intact nerves are a major route of allatostatic signals from the brain which in turn are regulated by food quality. However, a partial suppression of juvenile hormone synthesis and smaller oocytes in females with denervated corpora allata that were fed protein-deficient diets (starved, 0%, 5%) or high-protein diets (78%) compared with females that were fed normal diets (25%, dog and rat foods) highlights the importance of humoral signals in allata activity. Oocyte size and juvenile hormone biosynthetic rates were also significantly lower in adult females that were fed a 7.5%-protein diet as nymphs compared with females fed a 25%-protein diet. Denervation of the corpora allata resulted in potentiation of their activity, but to significantly lower rates in females that were raised on the low-protein diet as nymphs, further supporting the importance of the nutritional milieu in corpus allatum activation. Both food intake and body mass varied directly with the protein content of the diet, confounding the conclusion that corpus allatum activity was affected by signals related to the dietary protein content. To dissociate food consumption and body mass from corpora allata activity and oocyte growth, 2% trypsin synthesis inhibitor was added to a 7.5%-protein diet. Neither body mass nor total food consumption were changed relative to control females, but oocytes were significantly small on this diet. Together with data showing that oocyte maturation can be induced with hydroprene in protein-deprived or even in starved females, these data argue that signals associated with the protein content of the diet partially lift brain inhibition of the corpora allata.
CL 218-872 pretreatment and intervention block kainate-induced convulsions and neuropathology

Two experiments were conducted to test the antiepileptic properties of CL 218-872, a triazolopyridizine reported to have anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects without accompanying sedative and ataxic effects. In Experiment 1 pretreatment with CL 218-872, a recently synthesized and potent triazolopyridizine, reduced kainic acid-induced convulsions and subsequent neuropathology in rats given ip doses of 25 mg/kg or greater. CL 218-872 at doses of 50 mg/kg or greater was more effective than a high dose of diazepam (20 mg/kg) in blocking status epilepticus-like convulsions and the associated widespread neuropathological sequelae. Moreover, diazepam pretreatment was associated with a higher mortality rate than CL 218-872. In Experiment 2 the efficacy of intervention with 20 mg/kg diazepam was compared with that of 50 mg/kg CL 218-872 in suppressing ongoing convulsions and reducing subsequent brain damage following a convulsant dose of kainic acid. Although CL 218-872 and diazepam were equally effective behaviorally (i.e., in suppressing kainic acid-induced convulsions), CL 218-872 was superior in its ability to reduce subsequent neuropathology, especially in the hippocampus and neocortex. Because kainic acid has been suggested as a model for human status epilepticus, CL 218-872 may be a potentially therapeutic treatment for this disorder.
A Nonequilibrium Approach to Temperature Calibration for Tungsten Filament Atomic Spectrometry

ABSTRACT A nonequilibrium approach to voltamperometric temperature measurement for tungsten filament atomizers was developed to facilitate the transfer of thermal conditions between instruments that possess different power supply regulation modes and filaments. Large differences in the equilibrium and instantaneous temperatures were found during the pyrolysis and atomization steps of cadmium atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) analysis. By using the instantaneous temperature, the pyrolysis and atomization behaviors of cadmium were shown to be equivalent regardless of the power supply regulation mode. The pyrolysis conditions optimized for a 15-V filament were readily and accurately transferred to a 12-V filament by applying the nonequilibrium voltamperometric temperature model.
Interhemispheric subdural hematoma from ruptured aneurysm.

Abstract Spontaneous aneurysmal rupture usually occurs into the subarachnoid space, producing typical changes on CT scans. Rarely, subdural hematomas may result from aneurysmal rupture. This paper presents two such cases, and discusses the possible mechanism of such an event. A unique case of aneurysmal rupture presenting as an interhemispheric subdural hematoma is included, and the differential CT appearance of subdural versus subarachnoid blood in the interhemispheric fissure is discussed.
Algorithms to generate partially damaged characters and readability study for OCR readers in semiconductor manufacturing

Ever since the character strings on silicon wafers were read using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) cameras, there has been a problem with damaged characters. This problem is due to reflection f...
Weighted exponential regression for characterizing radionuclide concentrations in soil depth profiles

Characterization of radionuclide concentrations in soil profiles requires accurate evaluation of the depth distribution of the concentrations as measured by gamma emissions. Recent studies of 137Cs activity at the Idaho National Laboratory indicate that these data consistently follow exponential trends when the fraction of radioactivity below depth is plotted against depth. The slope of the exponential regression fit is defined as alpha/rho (α/ρ), the depth profile parameter. A weighted exponential regression procedure has been developed to compute a mean α/ρ for a group of related soil samples. Regression results from different areas or from different time periods can be used to compare representative radionuclide concentrations for the specified groupings.
Peptide B induction of bag‐cell activity in Aplysia: Localization of sites of action to the cerebral and pleural ganglia

The bag cells of the marine mollusc Aplysia are model neuroendocrine cells involved in the initiation of egg laying and its associated behaviors, but the natural stimulus triggering bag-cell activity is not known. The atrial gland of A. californica, an exocrine organ in the reproductive tract, contains two structurally related peptides (A and B) which can induce an afterdischarge in vitro, and these peptides can be used to probe the central nervous system for sites where extrinsic excitatory input onto the bag-cell system might occur. These sites were identified in a series of lesion and ablation experiments. The entire central nervous system was removed from an animal and placed in a chamber with two compartments which could be independently perfused, allowing peptides (atrial gland extract or purified peptide B) to be selectively applied to specific regions of the nervous system while bag-cell activity was monitored using extracellular suction electrodes. Afterdischarges were consistently and reliably induced when peptides were applied to the cerebral ganglion, the pleural ganglia, the cerebropleural connectives, or the rostral 10-15% of the pleurovisceral connectives, provided that an intact neuronal pathway connected the site of peptide application with the bag cells. In contrast, afterdischarges were never observed when peptides were selectively applied to the buccal or pedal ganglia and only rarely observed when applied to the abdominal ganglion and caudal pleurovisceral connectives. These results support the hypothesis that bag-cell processes and/or neuron(s) presynaptically excitatory to the bag cells are located in the pleural and cerebral ganglia and narrow the region of the central nervous system where the critical initiator element(s) can be identified.
Gauge symmetries of Yang-Mills fields

Abstract We discuss the concept of gauge symmetries of solutions to the Yang-Mills-Higgs field equations and study the implications of such symmetries for the corresponding linear perturbation equations. We show that, in a spatially closed spacetime, the occurrence of a gauge symmetry implies a linearization instability in the linear perturbation problem. The perturbation equations must be supplemented by nonlinear constraints to exclude spurious solutions. The same phenomenon occurs in Minkowski space if one imposes the super-selection rule which constrains the conserved charges associated with the gauge symmetry genrators to remain fixed under the perturbation. Several examples involving spontaneous symmetry breaking are briefly discussed.
Disrupting the Luxury of Despair: Justice and Peace Education in Contexts of Relative Privilege

Abstract. The Iliff School of Theology established a justice and peace concentration within its curriculum to respond to the challenges of racism, class and economic exploitation, sexism, and militarism by fostering social analysis and attending to the contributions of religious thought and resources to the struggles of social change. Within an institution and with a student body who both tend to be relatively privileged in terms of class and racial or ethnic background, one of the persistent issues in teaching justice and peace studies has been addressing the emergence of guilt, anger, and despair as course content challenges students (and faculty) to relinquish self-understandings, historical understandings of their religious tradition and national context, and inadequate theological and faith formation shaped by dominant narratives that ignore social realities of oppression. This pedagogical challenge has encouraged multiple professors to develop unique pedagogical approaches to educating students about justice issues in this context. This paper will draw on the insights of these approaches, in conversation with literature-based analysis, to describe the temptations students experience when learning about justice and peace in contexts of privilege. This paper also describes the pedagogical practices that emerged in this particular context, and the failures and limitations of these practices for individual and institutional transformation.
Farthest, Faintest detection of a comet

Astronomers searching for small Trans-Neptunian Objects announced on 1 September that they have captured the most distant observation ever made of a comet, and also the faintest comet observation. The object happens to be Halley's Comet, which scientists at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Paranal, Chile, have detected at a heliocentric distance of 28.06 AU.
A novel method to evaluate the performance of pan-sharpening algorithms

Pan-sharpened images are useful in a wide variety of applications. Hence, giving quantitative importance to image quality, depending on the nature of target application, may be required to yield maximum benefit. Current techniques for joint evaluation of spatial and spectral quality without reference do not allow to quantitatively associate importance to the image quality. This work proposes a novel global index based on harmonic mean theory to jointly evaluate the performance of pan-sharpening algorithms without using a reference image. The harmonic mean of relative spatial information gain and relative spectral information preservation provides a unique global index to compare the performance of different algorithms. The proposed approach also facilitates in assigning relevance to either the spectral or spatial quality of an image. The information divergence between the MS bands at lower resolutions and the pansharpened image provides a measure of the spectral fidelity and mean-shift. Mutual information between the original pan and synthetic pan images generated from the MS and pan-sharpen images is used to calculate the relative gain. The relative gain helps to quantify the amount of spatial information injected by the algorithm. A trend comparison of the proposed approach with other quality indexes using well-known pan-sharpening algorithms on high resolution (IKONOS and Quickbird) and medium resolution (LandSat7 ETM+) datasets reveals that the new index can be used to evaluate the quality of pan-sharpened image at the resolution of the pan image without the availability of a reference image.
Regulation of carbon flow through the glyoxylate and tricarboxylic acid cycles in the mitochondria of Turbatrix aceti—I. Coarse and fine controls

1. 1. Subfractionation of Turbatrix aceti mitochondria showed that key gluconeogenic-related enzymes were associated with either the mitochondrial inner membrane or the matrix, not the outer membrane or intermembrane space. 2. 2. Conditions were established for sustained growth of Turbatrix aceti in media with varied carbon sources. 3. 3. Worms grown in the various media exhibited differences in growth rate, lipid content, enzyme specific activity, Km values, and electrophoretic patterns of multiple-form enzymes indicating that coarse control mechanisms operate to regulate carbon flow through the tricarboxylic acid and glyoxylate cycles. 4. 4. Differential effects of metabolites on isocitrate-metabolizing enzymes indicated that rapid, short-term responses of enzymes (fine control mechanisms) are also involved in controlling carbon flux through both cycles.
The placement of 'book divisions' in the "Iliad"

All editions and translations of Homer's Iliad present the epic as a series of twenty-four segments always marked off in the same places. In this respect the Iliad conforms to, and seems even to originate, a practice in which narratives of any considerable length are almost always presented in marked segments, usually called chapters. Similarly, dramas, except very short ones, usually run as a series of acts whose dimensions are determined in the composition (i.e., not afresh with each performance). Acts may be marked by curtains, intermissions or briefer pauses, or other variations in the performance: in ancient Greek drama the segmentation is unmistakeably marked by the placement of choral lyrics (Arist. Poet. 1452b). It is not exactly clear why the chapter and the act should be so indispensable, but authors and audiences alike know intuitively that they are. Yet many scholars since antiquity have believed that the Iliad and the Odyssey originally lacked marked segmentation, and that the now-familiar presentation was imposed upon them later by someone other than their composer(s). Even today, when few scholars see profit in analyzing the Iliad and Odyssey into earlier and later strata, the so-called 'book divisions’ continue to offer a tempting target for analytic criticism.
Importance of overwintered early blight-infected potato vines in Maine

Much has been published on laboratory techniques for induction of sporulation of the potato early blight fungus, Alternaria solani (Ell. and Mart.) Jones and Grout. Douglas and Pavek (2, 3) briefly discuss this work in a report outlining a pure culture method they use to prepare inoculum for field resistance tests. Barclay, et al (1) and Venette and Harrison (9) have used a filter paper method described by Lukens (7) for the purpose. Conversely, early workers such as Folsom and Bonde (4) and Gratz and Bonde (5) favored use of infected vines as their inoculum source. The purpose of the report is to reaffirm the importance of overwintered diseased vines for both natural and artificial dissemination of early blight. Commercial Farms--Maine growers following short rotations and especially those who practice continuous cropping were found to have an increasing problem with early blight. Examination of their fields yielded dead vines carrying spores of the causal fungus. Tests showed that these spores were viable and that they readily produced infection on potato. Spore-trapping--Simple weather vane-type spore traps were used to approximate the time when primary inoculum first appeared (6). As expected, the most frequent trapping of spores occurred in a field having a high incidence of early blight the previous year. Spores were found around the first week in July each year that trapping was conducted. Fungicide Tests--In recent years tests have been conducted in Maine to determine the efficacy of fungicides and application schedules for control of early blight (8). During the course of this work it was found that dried, diseased vines, were an excellent source of primary inoculum. Each year at the conclusion of a field experiment but prior to application of a chemical defoliant, infected vines are collected and dried in the greenhouse. The dried vines are stored in an open shed through the winter. When needed the following year, they are pulverized through a coarse sieve. Inoculum thus prepared is sprinkled on potato foliage in the evening during a period of light rain or when dew is present. This procedure results in heavy and uniform infection provided that the material is distributed evenly.
Dual projections of gonadotropin releasing hormone containing neurons to the interpeduncular nucleus and to the vasculature in the female rat

Immunofluorescence for gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) in combination with retrograde labeling from the interpeduncular nucleus, as well as from the vasculature confirms that, in the rat, certain GnRH neurons project from the septum-diagonal band to the interpeduncular nucleus. However, about one half of these GnRH neurons also project to fenestrated capillaries as evidenced by uptake and retrograde transport of both peripherally injected Fluoro-Gold and centrally injected rhodamine labeled microspheres. The results indicate that the endocrine effects of GnRH are exerted in part by neurons which simultaneously project to neurohemal contact zones and to areas in the brain which are involved in the regulation of certain behaviors. It is suggested that certain GnRH neurons can directly couple endocrine events with other intracerebral events, such as regulation of lordosis behavior.
Light emitting devices from ionic transition metal complexes

A recent trend in organic light emitting diodes involves the use of ionic transition metal complexes. The complex interplay between ionic and electronic charge involves interesting physics and enables new applications.
Two-dimensional capillary GC/FT-IR

Two-dimensional glass capillary gas chromatography/ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (GC4/FT-IR) is an effective technique for the analysis of very minor sample constituents as well as complex volatile mixtures. The two-dimensional system described here uses multicolumns and, for added separation capability, multiovens with independent temperature control. A fraction or fractions of the sample are transferred from the first column to a second column via a microswitching valve. With this approach, some of the problems routinely encountered with GC/FT-IR with the use of a single chromatographic separation are eliminated. The coupling of high- and low-capacity columns gives an extended working dynamic range for GC/FT-IR. In addition, column switching with repetitive cryofocusing onto the second chromatographic column may be used to enrich trace components prior to spectroscopic analysis.
A patient with X‐linked dyskeratosis congenita presenting with bronchiolitis obliterans requiring lung transplantation and immunodeficiency

Dyskeratosis congenita (DKC) is a syndrome characterized by immunodeficiency, bone marrow (BM) failure, somatic abnormalities, and predisposition to malignancy, resulting from mutations in proteins involved in maintenance of telomeres. Pulmonary fibrosis resulting in respiratory failure is a serious complication affecting approximately 20% of DKC patients. Pediatric pulmonologists should consider this diagnosis in patients with lung fibrosis and concurrent immunodeficiency or BM failure.
Effectiveness of benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid (BPD-MA) and fiberoptic sensor in detecting metastatic neoplasm in lymph nodes in rats

An intensity ration of the photosensitizing agent to the natural fluorescence was used to determine the condition of lymph nodes (normal, inflammatory, or with metastases). Eighty- one Lobund Wistar rats were inoculated with Pollard rat adenocarcinoma cells. After 40 days the rats were injected with 0.75 mg/kg BPD-MA. A helium-cadmium lasers (442 nm) was used for both light delivery ad fluorescence acquisition. Fluorescence spectra were acquired and analyzed by an optical multichannel analyzer 9 EG&G, OMA III). Unbalanced repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done on the mean intensity ratio according to location. Several locations recorded for each rat were modeled as the repeated variable. The fluorescence signal obtained from lymph nodes with metastases indicated high drug amounts, greater than in the skin, tumors, and all other tissues. The lowest fluorescence intensity ratios were observed in the skin. This leads us to the conclusion that the amount of Photofrin porfimer sodium and BPD-MA which localized in the metastatic lymph nodes is higher than in tumor and all other healthy tissues. Among normal lymph nodes there were significant differences according to the site of the node, with the left iliac lymph nodes having higher IR values than either the mesenteric (MC I or MC II) nodes. The geometric means of IR are consistently higher in normal as compared to inflammatory nodes for each location. The optical biopsy needle with laser-induced fluorescence detection and exogenic fluorochrome is a sensitive, novel techniques to localize small boundaries of metastatic neoplasm in lymph nodes.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
IT Progress Indicators: Sense of Progress, Subjective Sense of Time, User Preference and the Perception of Process Duration

Users of information technology (IT) often encounter "progress indicators" during their interactions. These graphics (e.g., progress bars) appear on computing screens as users wait for a task to complete. The purpose of progress indicators is to inform users of the progress being made to complete a task. This study employs two theoretical models from psychological research on human waiting to develop specific hypotheses related to the design of progress indicators: the sense-of-progress and the subjective-sense-of-time frameworks. The results of three experiments indicate that progress indicators exhibiting key characteristics from these frameworks influence user experiences. Experiment 1 revealed that participants preferred a linear progress bar to a cycling progress bar. Experiment 2 revealed that participants preferred a video progress indicator to a cycling progress bar, and judged the process duration to be shorter with the video progress indicator. Experiment 3 revealed that the video progress indicator yielded the best user experience.
Effect of Multiemployer Collective Bargaining on Employer-Provided Health Insurance in the Construction Industry

Research on employer provided health insurance has shown that worker characteristics, wages and unionization influence the prevalence of health insurance. Using the SIPP, this research confirms that these factors are also important in the construction industry. However, in this volatile industry populated by small firms, the institution of collectively bargained multiemployer health trust funds provides an additional impetus for the delivery of health insurance by exploiting cross-firm economies of scale in the purchase of health insurance services and reducing the barriers to health insurance created by firm-labor turnover through the creation of cross-employer portable health benefits that do not require multiple probation periods and tolerate spells of unemployment. Additionally, while there is a countercyclical pattern of health coverage in the nonunion sector associated with the shedding of marginal workers and contractors in the downturn, this countercyclical pattern is not present in unionized construction. The greater insurance coverage of marginal unionized workers facilitated by multiemployer trust-fund efficiencies means that the shedding of marginal workers in the downturn does not disproportionately shed workers who are not covered by insurance.
Translucent segregation table test for sand and gravel particle size distribution

An image-based method has been developed for rapidly determining the size distribution of coarse sand and gravel. The system utilizes a back-lit tilting “translucent segregation table” (TST) to segregate the particles by size prior to photographing the specimen from above. Most significantly, the soil particles need not to be detached from each other; they only need to rest on the translucent plate in a single layer. An image-processing method called “watershed segmentation” digitally separates the soil particles so that each one is individually accounted for in the resulting size distribution. A sieve-equivalent particle size, which considers the passage of ellipsoids through square sieve openings, is obtained for every particle in the specimen. Twenty soil specimens were tested by the TST and by sieving. Slight differences between sieve and TST results were observed and explanations for the minor discrepancies were explored. Considering that the TST uses a single camera and just one photograph, it appears to be an attractive clean, rapid, and low-cost alternative to sieving.
Hydrogen isotope effects in the oxidation of labeled formate in vivo.

Abstract A hydrogen isotope effect has been demonstrated in the in vivo oxidation of formate to CO 2 . It has been suggested that this phenomenon may contribute in great part to the hydrogen isotope effects observed in a previous investigation on the in vivo utilization of formate (1).
The cosmic age crisis and the Hubble constant in a non-expanding universe

The present paper outlines a cosmological paradigm based upon Dirac’s large number hypothesis and continual creation of matter in a closed static (nonexpanding) universe. The cosmological redshift is caused by the tired-light phenomenon originally proposed by Zwicky. It is shown that the tired-light cosmology together with continual matter creation has a universal Hubble constant H 0=(512π 2/3)1/6(GC 0)1/3 fixed by the universal rate C 0 of matter creation, where G is Newton’s gravitational constant. It is also shown that a closed static universe has a finite age τ 0=(243π 5/8GC 0)1/3 also fixed by the universal rate of matter creation. The invariant relationship H 0 τ 0=3π 261/2 shows that a closed static universe is much older (≈one trillion years) than any expanding universe model based upon Big-Bang cosmology. It is this property of a static universe that resolves any cosmic age crisis provided that galaxy formation in the universe is a continual recurring process. Application of Dirac’s large number hypothesis gives a matter creation rate C 0=4.6×10−48 gm cm−3 s−1 depending only on the fundamental constants of nature. Hence, the model shows that a closed static universe has a Hubble constant H 0=70 km s−1 Mpc−1 in good agreement with recent astronomical determinations of H 0. By using the above numerical value for H 0 together with observational data for elongated cellular-wall structures containing superclusters of galaxies, it is shown that the elongated cellular-wall configurations observed in the real universe are at least one hundred billion years old. Application of the microscopic laws of physics to the large-scale macroscopic universe leads to a static eternal cosmos endowed with a matter-antimatter symmetry. It is proposed that the matter-antimatter asymmetry is continuously created by particle-antiparticle pair annihilation occurring in episodic cosmological gamma-ray bursts observed in the real universe.
Bayes bandwidth selection in kernel density estimation with censored data

Problems with censored data arise frequently in survival analyses and reliability applications. The estimation of the density function of the failure times is often of interest. Two inherent problems in density estimation for lifetime data are the spill-over at the origin and the smoothing parameter selection. To address these issues, we propose the use of asymmetric kernels (like inverse Gaussian) with bandwidths selected by a Bayes criterion. We show strong pointwise consistency of the density estimator, and for suitable choices of the prior, we show that one can obtain meaningful bandwidths with the same rates of convergence as for the classical asymptotically optimal bandwidths.
Potential effects of climate change on global security

The science is clear that climate change is one of the most important issues facing humanity. The changing climate is already affecting humanity and our economies in many ways. These effects will increase as the climate continues to change, and the effects are expected to increase dramatically over the coming decades. Climate-related hazards exacerbate other stressors, often with negative outcomes for livelihoods, especially for people living in poverty. Climate change can amplify existing stresses and vulnerabilities among populations and existing threats to security and can indirectly increase risks of violence and violent conflict. This paper is aimed at examining the changes occurring to the Earth’s climate, what additional changes in climate are likely to occur over the coming decades, and how climate change could affect global security.
Electrocautery-induced fire during adenotonsillectomy: report of two cases

We describe two cases of flash fires in the oropharynx, secondary to electrocautery during adenotonsillectomies. We believe that in both cases, the leak around the uncuffed endotracheal tubes raised the oxygen concentration in the oropharynx. Cuffed endotracheal tubes provide many advantages, and their use should strongly be considered during adenotonsillectomy in children when electrocautery is to be used.
Computational Methods for Measuring the Free Energy of Folding in the Ribosomal Exit Tunnel

As a protein is synthesized in the ribosome, the nascent peptide chain, starting from the peptidyl transferase center (PTC), elongates along the ribosomal exit tunnel, which is ∼10-20A in diameter and ∼100A long. It has been shown that proteins can partially fold inside the exit tunnel and that the ribosome can stabilize the native secondary structure of proteins. However, the mechanism for this stabilization is not yet known at the atomic scale. To determine this mechanism, one can contrast the free energy of α-helix formation in water and in the ribosomal exit tunnel using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. To determine the free-energy landscapes in water, we employed two computational methods - umbrella sampling (US) and adaptive biasing forces (ABF) - on various polyalanine-containing peptides, using the end-to-end distance of the polyalanine sequence as our reaction coordinate. Since this reaction coordinate does not produce a 1-to-1 correspondence to helical content, successive constraints were added to the simulations, and the changes in the free energy upon addition of each set of constraints were examined. We also applied extended ABF using the helical content of the polyalanine sequence as a reaction and compared the results with the end-to-end distance coordinate. Finally, we used these computational methods to calculate the free-energy landscape along the entire ribosomal exit tunnel with polyalanine-containing sequences placed at different locations.
Application of a second-moment turbulence closure to heat and mass transport in thin shear flows—I. Two-dimensional transport

Abstract The paper presents developments of a second-moment approximation to turbulent convection in which the turbulent heat fluxes themselves form the subject of a set of transport equations. Closure at this level avoids the need to prescribe the turbulent Prandtl number which is the principal empirical uncertainty in simpler treatments. Applications are reported of heat transfer in a variety of free shear flows and boundary layers. While fairly successful overall agreement is achieved, the model does not fully account for the observed variations of turbulent Prandtl number from one free shear flow to another and equally gives rather inaccurate predictions downstream of a short heated patch in a wall.
Investigation of Drying Stresses on Proteins during Lyophilization: Differentiation between Primary and Secondary-Drying Stresses on Lactate Dehydrogenase Using a Humidity Controlled Mini Freeze-Dryer

This article describes the design, performance testing, and application of a controlled humidity mini-freeze-dryer in studying the physical stability of lactate dehydrogenase during lyophilization. Performance evaluation of the mini-freeze-dryer was conducted with tests, namely water sublimation, radiation heat exchange, lowest achievable temperature, and leak testing. Protein stability studies were conducted by comparing protein activity at various stages of lyophilization with the initial activity. The shelf and condenser temperature were stable at <-40 degrees C, wall temperature was within 2 degrees C of the shelf temperature, and the leak rate was small. The chamber pressure was controlled by the ice on the condenser and the product temperature during sublimation was equal to the shelf temperature. Addition of Tween 80 prevented activity loss in solution and after freeze-thaw. No activity loss was observed after primary-drying even in absence of lyoprotectants and with collapse of cake structure. Five percent (w/w) sucrose concentration was required to achieve full stabilization. In conclusion, performance testing established that the mini-freeze-dryer was suitable for mechanistic freeze-drying studies. Secondary-drying was the critical step for protein stability. The concentration of sucrose required to stabilize the protein completely was several orders of magnitude higher than that required to satisfy the direct interaction requirement of the protein.
Incorporation of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine into the DNA of Bacillus subtilis phage PBS2 and its radiobiological consequences

Bacillus subtilis cells, infected with phage PBS2 and grown in synthetic medium supplemented with 50 µg [2- 14 C]5-fluorodeoxyuridine/m1., yield progeny phage in which their normal DNA constituent, deoxyuridine, has been replaced by 5-fluorodeoxyuridine as evidenced by (1) a buoyant density increase of the phage DNA in CsCl from 1·722 (normal DNA) to 1·737 to 1·745 g/cm 3 , and (2) 14 C incorporation from [2- 14 C]5-fluorodeoxyuridine specifically into this “heavy” DNA fraction with quantitative recovery of [2- 14 C]5-fluorouracil from perchloric acid digests of the DNA. [2- 14 C]5-Fluorodeoxyuridine incorporation data indicate that the replacement of 1 mole % of uracil by 5-fluorouracil is accompanied by an approximately 0·6 mg/cm 3 increase in the buoyant density of the DNA. Similar replacement of 1 mole % of uracil in PBS2 DNA by thymine (i.e., methylation of DNA) should result in a density decrease of 0·34 mg/cm 3 . Although its DNA contains no thymine, the PBS2 phage can undergo host-cell reactivation, since the ultraviolet sensitivity of PBS2 phage plated on non-host reactivating strains of Bacillus subtilis is greater than that for the same phage plated on wild-type strains. 5-Fluorodeoxyuridine incorporation into the PBS2 DNA enchances the ultraviolet sensitivity of the phage.
THE EXPERT WITNESS IN UNITARY HEARINGS: THE SIX GREEN FACTORS AND SPATIAL-DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE

Brown v. Board of Education was conceived in a time of judicial activism and a demographic context that reflected two nations, one white and one black. Forty years after Brown, the legal climate an...
Preimplantation exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) affects embryo transport, preimplantation embryo development, and uterine receptivity in mice

Abstract To investigate the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on embryo and uterine factors in embryo implantation, timed pregnant C57BL6 females were treated subcutaneously with 0, 0.025, 0.5, 10, 40, and 100 mg/kg/day BPA from gestation days 0.5–3.5. In 100 mg/kg/day BPA-treated females, no implantation sites were detected on day 4.5 but retention of embryos in the oviduct and delayed embryo development were detected on day 3.5. When untreated healthy embryos were transferred to pseudopregnant females treated with 100 mg/kg/day BPA, no implantation sites were detected on day 4.5. In 40 mg/kg/day BPA-treated females, delayed implantation and increased perinatal lethality of their offspring were observed. Implantation seemed normal in the rest BPA-treated groups or the female offspring from 40 mg/kg/day BPA-treated group. These data demonstrate the adverse effects of high doses of BPA on processes critical for embryo implantation: embryo transport, preimplantation embryo development, and establishment of uterine receptivity.
Cardiovascular mortality in schizophrenia: defining a critical period for prevention.

Abstract Objective Better understanding of the temporal development of cardiovascular risk will permit more targeted prevention of premature cardiovascular mortality in schizophrenia. Methods The sample for this analysis was drawn from referrals (between 2006 and '11) to an early psychosis clinic based in a U.S. urban community mental health center. 76 individuals with schizophrenia who were young (mean 22.4 years, SD 4.8), early course (median duration of illness 31 weeks) and with minimal prior antipsychotic exposure (median 2 weeks) were compared to age-, gender-, and race-matched peers drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (2007–'08). Measures of cardiovascular risk at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year are reported. Results While indistinguishable from peers at entry, patients suffered pervasive adverse trajectories of cardiovascular risk factors over the subsequent year. 16 of 44 initial non-smokers became nicotine dependent and none of 32 entering smokers quit. 17 patients transitioned to overweight (BMI 25–29.9, n = 3) or obese (BMI > 30, n = 14) categories, while only 24 of 38 (63%) sustained normal weight over one year. Similar adverse trends in blood pressure, lipids, and fasting glucose led to an increase in prevalence of metabolic syndrome (1.31% to 5.26%). 10-year cardiovascular risk estimates showed a small and significant increase although remaining in the low risk ( Conclusions The early emergence of obesity and smoking in younger schizophrenia samples provides a rational focus for primary prevention of premature cardiovascular mortality. The first year of treatment constitutes the beginning of a critical period for such preventive efforts.
Implementation and study of a digital staircase pulse width modulator

This paper describes a digital implementation of a staircase modulation technique, which eliminates low order harmonics and produces at the same time a high fundamental voltage component using a moderately low switching frequency. It also presents some interesting results from a comparative study between the staircase modulator and the widely known sinusoidal modulator performed on a simulated pwm induction motor drive.
Macular Serous Exudation in Patients With Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Cytomegalovirus Retinitis

Central visual loss in cytomegalovirus retinitis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) occurs in two forms: direct macular tissue destruction and secondary involvement as part of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. We treated 32 patients (35 eyes) with macular exudation that caused reversible visual loss and initially manifested as neurosensory retinal detachment and lipid exudates. Of 35 eyes, 25 showed papillary or peripapillary active retinitis and ten showed retinitis 1,500 to 3,000 μm from the fovea. Of 23 eyes with reduced vision that were followed up until healing of the retinitis and resolution of subretinal fluid and lipid exudates, 22 (96%) showed visual improvement with anticytomegalovirus treatment. Our findings suggest that macular exudation is a reversible cause of visual loss in patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis.
High-Resolution 3D Reconstruction of a Dynamin Mutant, K44A, in its Super-Constricted State

Dynamin assembles around the necks of budding vesicles during clathrin-mediated endocytosis and membrane trafficking in the cell. Upon GTP hydrolysis, dynamin constricts the neck, leading to membrane fission. We have previously shown that the presence of GTP drives dimerization of opposing GTPase domains in assembled dynamin polymers. This evokes a power stroke in the structure, which mediates membrane fission. Exactly how fission occurs in still unclear. Failure of dynamin to hydrolyze GTP results in block of endocytosis in the cells. To further elucidate the role of GTP hydrolysis during dynamin-mediated fission, we examined a GTP hydrolysis mutant, K44A. Here, we show that in the presence of GTP, K44A tubulates liposomes and constricts the underlying lipid to an extent far exceeding what was previously observed with other dynamin mutants. Sedimentation assays further show that, unlike wt dynamin, K44A-decoration of the lipid tube persists in the presence of GTP even after 30 minutes of incubation. In addition, we solved the 3D structure of K44A super-constricted tubes using cryo-electron microcopy and images processing methods. The 3D map revealed an inner diameter of ∼4 nm, a diameter predicted to be sufficient for spontaneous membrane fission. We have further docked the crystal structures of individual dynamin domains into our 3D map and the best fit for the GTPase domain is in the GTP state and not the GDP/AlFx transition state. This suggests that GTP binding, and not GTP hydrolysis, drives constriction of the dynamin polymer into a super-constricted pre-fission state. Following constriction, the GTP-hydrolysis-driven power-stroke may then ultimately lead to disassembly of the polymer, resulting in membrane fission.
A Character Theoretic Condition for F(G) > 1

ABSTRACT If G is a nontrivial finite group with the property that χ (1) 2 divides bi| G | for all irreducible (complex) characters χ , then G has a nontrivial normal abelian subgroup. #Communicated by A. Turull.
n+209Bi mean field between -20 and 60 MeV.

New measurements of differential elastic neutron scattering for {sup 209}Bi at energies between 7.5 and 24.0 MeV are presented along with new measurements of {sigma}{sub {ital T}} up to 60 MeV. These data, taken together with earlier measurements at lower energy, provide a very large data set for testing and extending the dispersive optical-model analysis. The dispersion correction to the optical model has been obtained from the scattering and total cross-section data. The potential is extrapolated to negative energy for comparison with bound-state properties. A very good description of all of the data is obtained from {minus}20 to +60 MeV. The present analysis suggests somewhat less depletion of the Fermi sea in this mass region than has been obtained from electron-scattering data and from other recent treatments of the dispersion correction to the optical model.
Young Adults’ Recollections of Parental Rejection and Self-Reported Aggression: The Mediating Roles of Insecure Adult Attachment and Emotional Dysregulation

We examined the relationship between young adults’ perceptions of parental rejection and endorsement of aggression. A structural model was developed and tested in which the mediating roles of insecure adult attachment and emotional dysregulation were examined in a large sample of college students (N = 541). Results indicated that perceived father and mother rejection had indirect effects on self-reported aggression via insecure adult attachment and emotional dysregulation. Insecure adult attachment also mediated the relationships between perceived mother (full mediation) and father (partial mediation) rejection and emotional dysregulation. Both emotional dysregulation and insecure adult attachment had direct effects on aggression in the final model; however, insecure adult attachment had a considerably stronger effect. Analyses also revealed no gender differences among the study variables in the structural model. It is concluded that parental relationships, attachment security, and emotional functioning may play integral roles in young adult aggressive behavior. Implications and future research are discussed.
Shallow Bathymetric Mapping via Multistop Single Photoelectron Sensitivity Laser Ranging

We discuss the optimization of components in a single-wavelength airborne laser bathymeter that is intended for a low-power unmanned aerial vehicle platform. The theoretical minimum energy requirement to detect the submerged sea floor in shallow (<; 5 m) water using a low signal-to-noise ratio (LSNR) detection methodology is calculated. Results are presented from tests of a prototype light detection and ranging (LiDAR) instrument that was developed by the University of Florida, Gainesville. A green wavelength (532 nm), 100-beamlet, low-energy (35-nJ/beamlet), short-pulse (480 ps) laser ranging system was operated from a low-altitude (500-m) aircraft, with a multichannel sensor that is capable of single photoelectron sensitivity and multiple stops. Data that were collected during tests display vertical structure in shallow-water areas based on fixed threshold crossings at a single-photon sensitivity level. A major concern for the binary detection strategy is the reliable identification and removal of noise events. Potential causes of ranging errors related to photomultiplier tube afterpulsing, impedance mismatching, and gain block overdrive are described. Data collection/processing solutions based on local density estimation are explored. Previous studies on LSNR performance metrics showed that short (15-cm) dead time could be expected in the case of multiple scattering objects, indicating the possibility of seamless topographic/bathymetric mapping with minimal discontinuity at the waterline. LiDAR depth estimates from airborne profiles are compared to on-site measurements, and near-shore submerged feature identification is presented.
The improvement of end-boundary conditions for off-axis tension specimen use

Inaccuracies in using the off-axis tension test are caused by the nonuniform stresses produced by the end constraints. The purpose of this study is to show that these nonuniformities can be virtually eliminated by adjusting the amount of tab clamping and selectively locating the point about which the clamp may rotate.
Critical environmental considerations for particle-beam-driven ICF reactor materials☆

Abstract The magnitude of the chamber gas pressure required for beam propagation along low-density plasma channels in a particle-beam-driven ICF reactor (>6 KPa) results in a first wall environment very different from that expected either in a laser-driven reactor or a magnetic confinement reactor. The gas greatly attenuates the energy in x-rays and debris ions from the pellet, shielding the chamber wall from severe transient thermal loads. The presence of the gas is also a major consideration in power transmission and in mitigation of diode damage. In this paper, basic design information for gas-filled particle beam reactors is presented and an assessment of the critical materials environments is made. The nature of the materials-related problems is discussed and the areas in which research is most needed are specified.