cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PROCESSING OF PRECURSOR PROTEINS BY PREPARATIONS OF OVIDUCT MICROSOMES

The signal peptidases from both chicken oviduct and dog pancreas microsomes have been detected by a post-translational assay and, in the case of dog microsomes, by a cotranslational assay. This proteolytic activity is not sensitive to a variety of conventional protease inhibitors under the conditions used in these assays. Using a synthetic ester substrate, two additional activities have been observed in oviduct microsomes, but neither appears to correspond to the signal peptidase activity. Using cDNA as a probe for specific mRNAs, it was shown that polysomes, in the process of synthesizing secretory proteins, bind to microsomal membrane vesicles. This binding appears to be dependent on the nature of the translation product (presumably the specific signal peptide) rather than on the mRNA itself. In addition, pretreatment of the membrane vesicles with N-ethyl maleimide prevents the vectorial discharge and processing of several secretory proteins but does not inhibit the binding of their polysomes to membranes.
RimO, a MiaB-like enzyme, methylthiolates the universally conserved Asp88 residue of ribosomal protein S12 in Escherichia coli

Ribosomal protein S12 undergoes a unique posttranslational modification, methylthiolation of residue D88, in Escherichia coli and several other bacteria. Using mass spectrometry, we have identified the enzyme responsible for this modification in E. coli, the yliG gene product. This enzyme, which we propose be called RimO, is a radical-S-adenosylmethionine protein that bears strong sequence similarity to MiaB, which methylthiolates tRNA. We show that RimO and MiaB represent two of four subgroups of a larger, ancient family of likely methylthiotransferases, the other two of which are typified by Bacillus subtilis YqeV and Methanococcus jannaschii Mj0867, and we predict that RimO is unique among these subgroups in its modification of protein as opposed to tRNA. Despite this, RimO has not significantly diverged from the other three subgroups at the sequence level even within the C-terminal TRAM domain, which in the methyltransferase RumA is known to bind the RNA substrate and which we presume to be responsible for substrate binding and recognition in all four subgroups of methylthiotransferases. To our knowledge, RimO and MiaB represent the most extreme known case of resemblance between enzymes modifying protein and nucleic acid. The initial results presented here constitute a bioinformatics-driven prediction with preliminary experimental validation that should serve as the starting point for several interesting lines of further inquiry.
Bullying Victimization among Underweight and Overweight U.S. Youth: Differential Associations for Boys and Girls

To examine the associations between body weight and physical, verbal, relational, and cyber victimization among U.S. boys and girls in grade 6 through 10. Underweight boys and girls were more likely to be physical and relational victims, respectively. Overweight boys and obese girls were more likely to be verbal victims.
Bilateral Burkitt Lymphoma of the Ovaries: A Report of a Case in a Child with Williams Syndrome

A 10-year-old female with Williams Syndrome (WS) presented with a two-month history of fatigue, weight loss, and bilateral ovarian masses. Histologic, immunophenotypic, and cytogenetic studies confirmed the diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma (BL). While there is no established association between the two disorders, this is the third case in the literature of Burkitt lymphoma in a patient with Williams Syndrome.
Analysis of a heuristic for full trie minimization

A trie is a distributed-key search tree in which records from a file correspond to leaves in the tree. Retrieval consists of following a path from one root to a leaf, where the choice of edge at each node is determined by attribute values of the key. For full tries, those in which all leaves lie at the same depth, the problem of finding an ordering of attributes which yields a minimum size trie is NP-complete.This paper considers a “greedy” heuristic for constructing low-cost tries. It presents simulation experiments which show that the greedy method tends to produce tries with small size, and analysis leading to a worst case bound on approximations produced by the heuristic. It also shows a class of files for which the greedy method may perform badly, producing tries of high cost.
Transport limitations on development times of LIGA PMMA resists

Analytical and numerical methods are employed to investigate the role of PMMA fragment transport in resist development for the LIGA process. We demonstrate that the overall development time can be expressed as the sum of the kinetic-limited development time and a time for fragment transport. The kinetic-limited time depends only on the resist thickness, dose profile and development temperature and is independent of feature size. The transport time grows as the square of the resist thickness and falls inversely with the Sherwood number. A new analytical model describing the Sherwood number for forced convective transport in deep cavities is also developed. This model, applicable to both resist development and electroforming, is compared with numerical simulations and with data previously reported. Based on this model, we find that forced convective transport can significantly reduce development times only for features having an aspect ratio less than about five. Acoustic agitation is also discussed, and sample calculations of the development time are presented for both forced convective transport and acoustic agitation over a wide range of feature sizes.
Buckling loads for variable cross-section members with variable axial forces

Abstract This work gives exact solutions for the buckling loads of variable cross-section columns, loaded by variable axial force, for several boundary conditions. Both the cross-section bending stiffness and the axial load can vary along the column as polynomial expressions. The proposed solution is based on a new method that enables one to get the stiffness matrix for the member including the effects of the axial loading. The buckling load is found as the load that makes the determinant of the stiffness matrix equal zero. Several examples are given and compared to published results to demonstrate the accuracy and flexibility of the method. New exact results are given for several other cases.
STUbLs in chromatin and genome stability.

Chromatin structure and function is based on the dynamic interactions between nucleosomes and chromatin-associated proteins. In addition to the other post-translational modifications considered in this review issue of Biopolymers, ubiquitin and SUMO proteins also have prominent roles in chromatin function. A specialized form of modification that involves both, referred to as SUMO-Targeted Ubiquitin Ligation, or STUbL1, has significant effects on nuclear functions, ranging from gene regulation to genomic stability. Intersections between SUMO and ubiquitin in protein modification have been the subject of a recent comprehensive review.2 Our goal here is to focus on features of enzymes with STUbL activity that have been best studied, particularly in relation to their nuclear functions in humans, flies and yeasts. Because there are clear associations of disease and development upon loss of STUbL activities in metazoans, learning more about their function, regulation, and substrates will remain an important goal for the future.
Los Guastavino y la bóveda tabicada en Norteamérica

Rafael Guastavino Moreno (1842-1908) and his son Rafael Guastavino Exposito (1872-1950) gained fame for having built tile vaults in over 1,000 significant buildings in the United States from the 1880s to the 1940s (Figure 1). Engineering and architecture historians have shown a growing interest in their oeuvre in recent years. This paper discusses the Guastavinos' work in its historic context, illustrating the technical innovations they introduced. The objective is to show that these vaults owed their success largely to the designers' innovative improvements on the traditional construction techniques used to build Spanish tiled vaults.
Urokinase‐type plasminogen activator inhibits amyloid‐β neurotoxicity and fibrillogenesis via plasminogen

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) appears central to Alzheimer's disease (AD), aggregates spontaneously, and is neurotoxic to neurons in vitro. Recently, several groups reported a familial AD locus on chromosome 10. Here, we note that urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is located within this locus. Previously, we reported that uPA and its functional homolog, tissue-type plasminogen activator, are induced by Abeta treatment of neurons in vitro as well as in a mouse model of Abeta accumulation in vivo. Moreover, the target of plasminogen activators, plasmin, degraded nonaggregated and aggregated Abeta and modulated Abeta toxicity and deposition. Here, we have evaluated the effects of uPA and plasminogen on Abeta fibril formation and neurotoxicity. We report that the combination of uPA and plasminogen, but neither alone, inhibits Abeta toxicity, reduces Abeta deposition in vitro, and inhibits Abeta fibrillogenesis. We interpret these observations as suggesting that uPA represents a possible candidate gene for the chromosome 10 familial AD locus.
Using Temporal Logic to Specify Adaptive Program Semantics

Abstract Computer software must dynamically adapt to changing conditions. In order to fully realize the benefit of dynamic adaptation, it must be performed correctly. The correctness of adaptation cannot be properly addressed without precisely specifying the requirements for adaptation. This paper introduces an approach to formally specifying adaptation requirements in temporal logic. We introduce A-LTL, an adaptation-based extension to linear temporal logic, and use this logic to specify three commonly used adaptation semantics. Composition techniques are developed and applied to A-LTL to construct the specification of an adaptive program. We introduce adaptation semantics graphs to visually represent the adaptation semantics, which can also be used to automatically generate specification for adaptive programs.
Local government household battery collection programs: Costs and benefits☆

Nearly three billion dry-cell household batteries are discarded in the municipal waste stream annually. While the mercury content of newer batteries has been reduced, older batteries and the accumulated total of mercury and cadmium, as well as other metals in the newer batteries still constitute a potential health risk. Many communities have initiated collection programs to remove this source of contamination from the municipal waste stream, but most have not. Fourteen states have enacted legislation regulating the disposal of household batteries, while nine states require the collection of rechargeable batteries. This article describes the potential health risks associated with continued disposal and incineration of household dry-cell batteries, reviews a sampling of existing municipal collection programs in US communities, and examines the costs and benefits and program options of collection programs.
Phase shift contributions to the partition function of a system of interacting particles

Abstract A complete internal partition function requires scattering (phase shift) contributions in addition to the usual bound state sum. This requirement is applied to the static screened Coulomb (Yukawa) potential to demonstrate phase shift effects.
Identification of components of phospholipid metabolism in automated phosphate ester chromatography

Abstract By means of automated phosphate ester chromatography of rabbit heart ventricles, two compounds, glycerol-3-phosphorylcholine and phosphocholine have been separated and identified from very early eluting material. These two compounds among others (glycerol-3-phosphoethanolamine and phosphoethanolamine for instance) also comprise a significant percentage of the material extracted with perchloric acid from rat adult and embryo hearts and many other tissues as well. Automated phosphate ester chromatography should prove clinically useful in studies of diseases such as hereditary muscular dystrophy as the compounds named are known to be involved.
Experience with enteral nutrition in a hospital population of acutely ill patients

Abstract Enteral feeding has unique metabolic and immune advantages. This article describes the successful use of enteral nutrition, alone or in combination with parenteral feeding, in a tertiary-care hospital. Study participants were 89 patients who received enteral feeding during a 6-month period. These critically ill patients (ranging in age from 55 to 71 years) had severity of illness levels of 7 to 25 according to the Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) system and lengths of hospital stay from 27 to 73 days. Mortality was as high as 50% in patients with liver disease (nonmalignant), 35% in patients with cardiothoracic and vascular diseases, and 17% in patients with cancer and other diseases. Despite the severity of illness, patients met their energy and protein intake goals through enteral or combined feeding with total parenteral nutrition. Serial weights (ie, obtained weekly) and serum albumin concentrations did not improve during hospitalization. Complications related to enteral feeding were minimal ( 3 /hour), inserting the feeding tube past the pylorus, and feeding according to sensible energy goals (25 kcal/kg of body weight), and using elemental then polymeric formulas.
Analysis of active control with on-line system identification on sound transmission through an elastic plate

An adaptive control algorithm with on-line system identification capability has been developed. One of the great advantages of this scheme is that an additional system identification mechanism such as an additional uncorrelated random signal generator as the source of system identification [Eriksson and Allie, Acoust. Soc. Am. 85, 797 - 802 (1989)] is not required. A time varying plate-cavity system is used to demonstrate the control performance of this algorithm. The time varying plate-cavity system is used to demonstrate the control performance of this algorithm. The time varying system consists of a stainless steel plate which is simply supported on a rigid cavity where the cavity temperature can depend on time. For a given externally located harmonic sound excitation, the system identification and the control are simultaneously executed to minimize the transmitted sound in the cavity. The control performance of the algorithm is examined for two cases. Keeping the cavity temperature constant for the first case, the external disturbance frequency is swept with 2 Hz/second from below to above a resonance frequency of the plate-cavity system. The simulation shows an excellent frequency tracking capability with cavity internal sound suppression of 40 dB. For the second case, the cavity temperature is lowered to a half of its original value in 60 seconds while the external sound excitation is fixed with a frequency. Hence, the cavity resonant frequency decreased and passes the external sound excitation frequency. The algorithm shows 40 dB transmitted noise suppression without compromising the system identification tracking capability.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Sensitivity Testing and Concentration Dependent Killing (CDK) in Mucoid-Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MPa)

Sensitivity Testing and Concentration Dependent Killing (CDK) in Mucoid-Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MPa)
Harvard v. Canada: the myc mouse that still squeaks in the maze of biopatent law.

The Canadian Supreme Court will soon make a decision about Harvard University's long-standing application for a Canadian patent on a mouse transgenic for the myc oncogene. That decision could reignite in North America the controversy that continues in Europe and elsewhere to surround the patenting of life forms. The tortuous steps in this 15-year patent maze are marked by the arguments about life patents that attended the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Diamond v. Chakrabarty. This patent dispute about oil-digesting bacteria cracked open the door for animal patents in the United States and other countries, even though the legal arguments involved were based on patent applications for corn seeds and oysters, not mammals. The patent challenge to the Harvard mouse by the Canadian government now threatens to close this door in Canada. The arguments against life patents are commonly based on moral and religious grounds that regard the sanctity of life and oppose its commodification. The most compelling arguments for such patents are based on the benefits they deliver through commercial exploitation of inventions. The debate about patenting animals has been more heated outside North America and cacaphonic in the Third World. However, the Canadian debate could be amplified by the U.S. Supreme Court's recent entry on the biopatent stage through the side door of a new corn seed patent dispute. A narrow legal analysis by the Canadian Supreme Court would award the mouse patent to Harvard, while a policy analysis might support the government's challenge of the patent. Although the impact of the Harvard mouse patent process in Canada could be just a squeak, opponents of patenting life can mount the myc mouse to once again roar their opposition to animal patents. And the sound could resonate through the arguments about both biopatents and human cloning, with potentially important effects for academia, industry, and the public.
Automated simultaneous determination of ammonia and total amino acids in ruminal fluid and in vitro media

Catalyzed phenol-hypochlorite and ninhydrin colorimetric procedures were adapted to the Technicon AutoAnalyzer for simultaneous determination of ammonia and total amino acids in ruminal fluid or ruminal in vitro media. The manifold developed was compatible with a sampling rate of 40/h without significant sample-to-sample carryover. With proper storage, reagents for both the phenol-hypochlorite and the air-stable ninhydrin systems were stable for 8 mo or more. Response of individual amino acids in the phenol-hypochlorite system were generally 1% or less than equimolar amounts of ammonia. Certain amino acids inhibited ammonia color yield 10 to 15% when with equimolar amounts of ammonia; however, the inhibitory effect of casein amino acids was only 2 to 3%. Although ninhydrin response, relative to leucine, of individual alpha-amino acids ranged from 62 (valine) to 151% (histidine), recoveries of casein amino acids from ruminal fluid had coefficients of variation of 1% or less. Coefficients of variation for ammonia recoveries from ruminal fluid by the phenol-hypochlorite procedure were about half of those for the Conway microdiffusion technique. Intraclass correlations for the adapted procedures indicated high degrees of accuracy and precision for both ammonia and amino acid analyses.
Hindlimb Motion during Steady Flight of the Lesser Dog-Faced Fruit Bat, Cynopterus brachyotis

In bats, the wing membrane is anchored not only to the body and forelimb, but also to the hindlimb. This attachment configuration gives bats the potential to modulate wing shape by moving the hindlimb, such as by joint movement at the hip or knee. Such movements could modulate lift, drag, or the pitching moment. In this study we address: 1) how the ankle translates through space during the wingbeat cycle; 2) whether amplitude of ankle motion is dependent upon flight speed; 3) how tension in the wing membrane pulls the ankle; and 4) whether wing membrane tension is responsible for driving ankle motion. We flew five individuals of the lesser dog-faced fruit bat, Cynopterus brachyotis (Family: Pteropodidae), in a wind tunnel and documented kinematics of the forelimb, hip, ankle, and trailing edge of the wing membrane. Based on kinematic analysis of hindlimb and forelimb movements, we found that: 1) during downstroke, the ankle moved ventrally and during upstroke the ankle moved dorsally; 2) there was considerable variation in amplitude of ankle motion, but amplitude did not correlate significantly with flight speed; 3) during downstroke, tension generated by the wing membrane acted to pull the ankle dorsally, and during upstroke, the wing membrane pulled laterally when taut and dorsally when relatively slack; and 4) wing membrane tension generally opposed dorsoventral ankle motion. We conclude that during forward flight in C. brachyotis, wing membrane tension does not power hindlimb motion; instead, we propose that hindlimb movements arise from muscle activity and/or inertial effects.
A survey of mini-data base management systems in 1977

A survey of minicomputer data base management systems was conducted to determine the current state of the industry. The results of the survey are highlighted in this paper to provide a broad view of the features of commercially available mini-data base systems. Among the topics presented are hardware requirements, software implementation, data independence, binding, integrity, privacy controls, installation base, availability, and user considerations. In addition, the relationship between the growth of the minicomputer market and mini-DBMS market in the second half of the 70's is emphasized.
A plethora of blennies

The Biology of Blennies. 2009. (R.A. Patzner, E.J. Goncalves, P.A. Hastings and B.G. Kapoor) Science Publishers, Enfield, NH., 482 pp., $139.50 Blennies are fascinating little creatures. In the course of their evolution they have modified themselves to take advantage of a wide variety of ecological niches. They are not active swimmers but are adept at finding and adapting to hiding places. Within their general environment, the tropical marine and warm-temperate waters, they may be found beneath rocks or gravel, on the fronds of kelp and the blades of sea grasses, on the roots of mangroves, within the tentacles of sea anemones, and occupying the vacant shells and tubes of a wide variety of invertebrates. Blennies are also found on coral reefs, where various species inhabit live corals, dead corals and sea fans. Many of the genera and families exhibit drastic structural changes that reflect their long-term adaptations to certain habitats. Blennies belong to the suborder Blennioidei, an exceedingly diverse clade with six families and almost 900 recognized species. It has a circumglobal distribution primarily in shallow, intertidal or subtidal waters. But some species have penetrated cold waters, freshwaters, and the pelagic realm. In the past, there has been considerable confusion as to exactly what a blenny is and how it is related to other fish groups that occupy similar habitats. This work serves to clear the confusion to some extent but many important questions remain unanswered. The book’s contents consist of six sections: systematics, biogeography, feeding and sensory systems, reproduction and development, ecology and behavior, and a list of the species. Compared to investigations published on other fish clades, there is little information on morphology or physiology. Within the systematics section, the first chapter by P.A. Hastings and V.G. Springer is devoted to the suborder Blennioidei and its six included families, although only four families are listed in the chapter title. The suborder is defined using a series of skeletal characters but unfortunately none of these are illustrated. Instead, the reader is referred to Springer (1993). There is an informative discussion of the outgroup relationships of the Blennioidei but, again, the various osteological and muscular characters described are difficult to visualize without illustrations. Within the first chapter, the systematics of four families (Dactyloscopidae, Clinidae, Chaenopsidae, Labrisomidae) are described in detail. The remaining two families (Blennidae, Tripterygiidae) are assigned individual chapters. Of the four families discussed in the first chapter, the Dactyloscopidae or sand stargazers are perhaps the most interesting. They live buried in the sand with only their protuberant eyes exposed. And they possess Environ Biol Fish (2010) 87:89–92 DOI 10.1007/s10641-010-9583-3
Nucleotide inhibition of mammalian liver galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase

Abstract Mammalian liver hexose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (UDP-glucose:α- d -galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.12) has been shown to be inhibited by various nucleotides. The nature of the inhibition has been examined with regard to the structural requirements of the inhibitory compounds and the possible regulatory function of intracellular nucleotides on enzyme activity. The most potent inhibitors were UTP and UDP which produced significant inhibition of the enzyme at concentrations normally found in liver tissue, UTP, UDP and UMP were linear competitive inhibitors of UDP-glucose with K i of 0.13, 0.35, and 2.3 mM, respectively, and uncompetitive inhibitors of galactose 1-phosphate UDP-glucoronic acid and UDP-mannose caused similar inhibition. The uridine moiety appeared necessary for competition with substrate UDP-glucose since substitution of cytidine, adenine or guanosine in the nucleotide as in CDP-glucose, ADP-glucose or GDP-glucose produced uncompetitive inhibition of UDP-glucose. Nucleotides containing glucose were competitive inhibitors of galactose 1-phosphate while those containing other sugars or without a sugar moiety caused uncompetitive inhibition of the sugar phosphate site.
Measurement and modeling of N‐atom behavior in the afterglow of a microwave plasma

Nitrogen-atom behavior in a low-pressure, nonisothermal microwave-generated nitrogen afterglow was studied. N-atom flux was measured by chemical titration. It was found that an increase in power or flow rate, or a decrease in pressure resulted in larger productions of N atoms. A one-dimensional mass-continuity equation was used to model N atoms' concentration field in the afterglow. The model, with no adjustable parameters, agreed closely with experimental measurements. The model shows that convection, diffusion, and wall recombination play important roles in the afterglow. In contrast, N-atom generation and homogeneous recombination are of marginal importance. The model was manipulated to assess the impact of the measuring technique, chemical titration, on the N-atom flux. It was found that the N-atom flux profile is only slightly impacted, although the concentration profile is strongly modified.
Work (if you can get it) and Occupations (if there are any)?: What Social Scientists can Learn from Predictions of the End of Work and Radical Workplace Change

L'A. se demande en quoi l'hypothese de la fin du travail et du changement radical du lieu de travail constitue un apport pour la sociologie. Il examine de facon critique les theses defendues par J. H. Boyett et de H. P. Conn, celles de R. Edwards, celles de J. Rifkin, celles de T. S. Moore, celles de M. Dunkerley et enfin celles parues dans un rapport special intitule : «The downsizing of America». Il compare les conceptions de ces divers specialistes concernant les changements qui affectent l'organisation du travail aux Etats-Unis notamment ceux lies au developpement des nouvelles technologies. Il passent en revue leurs analyses du discours neoliberal americain. Il montre de quelle maniere les differents auteurs presentes envisagent les phenomenes de stratification sociale, l'ethnicite, le sexe dans la periode actuelle
Ku-band slant-path radiometric measurements at three locations in Brazil

This paper presents results of the 12 GHz propagation experiment that is being conducted in Brazil. The data obtained are useful to investigate the impairment due to rain attenuation in satellite links operating in tropical and equatorial climates. Radiometric sky noise temperature and rainfall rate are being measured at three locations. At one location, site diversity measurements are also being conducted. Cumulative distributions of sky-noise temperature, equivalent attenuation and rainfall rate at each site are presented together with worst-month statistics. Also, the joint-probability distribution of equivalent attenuation at the diversity sites is shown. Finally, the measured probability distributions of attenuation are compared to those obtained from the measured rainfall rate distributions, using prediction models.
The amnesic action of benzodiazepines in man

A qualitative description of the amnesia produced by the benzodiazepines in man is presented. The benzodiazepines exert their greatest effects in tests of long-term episodic memory in which they cause a dose-related impairment in the acquisition of new information, do not appear to affect retention and may facilitate retrieval. Benzodiazepines do not appear to impair semantic memory or the acquisition of skills. Although state-dependent learning may be observed with benzodiazepine treatment it is a small effect and cannot account for most of the observed impairments. The amnesia appears to be characteristic of all benzodiazepines and may be related to the sedative action of these compounds but evidence on the latter point is inconclusive. The importance of the amnesic action in a population of clinically anxious outpatients taking benzodiazepines over an extended period remains to be investigated. The benzodiazepines may provide the cognitive psychologist with a useful tool to investigate the mechanisms of normal memory.
Intramolecular charge-transfer absorption spectra of formamide and acrolein

To test further Nagakura and Tanaka's conception of intramolecular charge-transfer absorption, an improved calculation based on Longuet-Higgins and Murrell's method was carried out for the π-electron structures of formamide and acrolein. This shows that the 1717 a band of formamide and 1935 a band of acrolein can be regarded as intramolecular charge-transfer absorption bands in the sense that the excited state wave functions for these two bands are mainly constructed of the charge-transfer configuration, and that the transitions corresponding to these bands are accompanied by a large amount of electron transfer from electron donor towards acceptor. The 1717 a band of formamide can not be interpreted as a shifted 1560 a formaldehyde band. The latter band must shift to shorter wavelengths as the result of interaction with non-bonding electrons of the nitrogen atom. Similar blue shifts occur in acrolein for the C = C and C = O π → π* bands relative to the corresponding bands of ethylene and formaldehyde. Sim...
New osmium cluster compounds containing the heterocyclic ligand 2,3-bis-(diphenylphosphino)quinoxaline (dppq): Ligand isomerization and crystal structures of dppq, the isomeric clusters Os3(CO)10(dppq), and HOs3(CO)9[μ-2,3-PhP(η1-C6H4)(Ph2P)quinoxaline]

Treatment of the labile cluster 1,2-Os{sub 3}(CO){sub 10}(MeCN){sub 2} (1) with the diphosphine ligand 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)quinoxaline (dppq) at room temperature affords 1,2-Os{sub 3}(CO){sub 10}(dppq) (2b) as the kinetic product of ligand substitution in 84% yield. 2b isomerizes to the thermodynamically more stable dppq-chelated cluster 1,1-Os{sub 3}(CO){sub 10}(dppq) (2c) as the sole observable product under CO at temperatures below 358 K. The kinetics for the conversion of 2b {yields} 2c have been investigated by NMR spectroscopy in CDCl{sub 3} over the temperature range 323-353 K, and the reaction was found to exhibit a rate law that is first order in 2b. The calculated activation parameters [{Delta}H{sup {ne}} = 25.4(4) kcal/mol; {Delta}S{sup {ne}} = -3(1) eu] support an intramolecular isomerization scenario, one that involves the migration of phosphine and CO groups about the cluster polyhedron. The disposition of the dppq ligand in the isomeric Os{sub 3}(CO){sub 10}(dppq) clusters has been established by X-ray crystallography and {sup 31}P NMR spectroscopy. Photolysis of 2c at 366 nm leads to CO loss and ortho metalation of one of the aryl groups on the Ph{sub 2}P moiety to furnish the hydride cluster HOs{sub 3}(CO){sub 9}[{mu}-PhP({eta}{sup 1}-C{sub 6}H{sub 4})(Ph{sub 2}P)quinoxaline] (3). The isomerization behavior exhibited by 2b followsmore » that of related diphosphine-substituted Os{sub 3} clusters prepared by us.« less
Designing Their Own: Increasing Urban High School Teacher Capacity for Creating Interim Assessments

This case study analyzes and documents factors that affect teacher learning and instructional practices in connection to the design your own (DYO) interim or periodic assessment process at one newly developed high school in New York City. Examining these factors through Riggan and Nabors Olah's (2011) conceptual framework offers insights into the complexity of using DYO periodic assessments to shift instructional practice and improve student achievement. Specifically, competing assessment purposes and teacher capacity in assessment development impacted assessment quality and resulting data and its use. Structures and systems for data reporting and use facilitated these processes. These insights can inform strategies for school leaders and policy makers seeking to support the use of DYO periodic assessments in school reform efforts.
A histidine/tryptophan pi-stacking interaction stabilizes the heme-independent folding core of microsomal apocytochrome b5 relative to that of mitochondrial apocytochrome b5.

The outer mitochondrial membrane isoform of mammalian cytochrome b5 (OM b5) is considerably more stable than its microsomal counterpart (Mc b5), whereas the corresponding apoproteins (OM and Mc apo-b5) exhibit similar stability. OM and Mc apo-b5 are also similar in that their empty heme-binding pockets (core 1) are highly disordered but that the remainder of each apoprotein (core 2) displays substantial hololike structure. Core 1 residue 71 is leucine in all known mammalian OM b5's and serine in the corresponding Mc proteins. Replacing Leu-71 in rat OM (rOM) b5 with Ser has been shown to (1) decrease apoprotein thermodynamic stability by >2 kcal/mol and (2) extend conformational disorder beyond core 1 and into core 2, as evidenced in part by loss of a near-UV circular dichroism signal associated with the side chain of invariant residue Trp-22. Herein we report identification of a conserved Mc b5 core 2 packing motif that plays a key role in stabilizing apoprotein conformation in the vicinity of Trp-22, th...
Role of glucagon suppression on gluconeogenesis during insulin treatment of the conscious diabetic dog.

In seven insulin-deficient (<3 mU/l) pancreatectomised dogs, the direct and glucagon-related indirect effects of intraportal insulin infusion (350 μU/kg-min; 12±1 mU/l) on glucose production were determined. Insulin was infused for 300 min during which time the plasma glucagon concentration was allowed to fall (314±94 to 180±63 ng/l) for 150 min before being replaced by an infusion intraportally at 2.6ng/kg-min (323±61 ng/l) for the remaining 150 min. Glucose production and gluconeogenesis were determined using arterio-venous difference and tracer techniques. Insulin infusion shut off net hepatic glucose output and caused the plasma glucose, blood glycerol and plasma non-esterified fatty acid levels to fall. It caused the hepatic fractional extraction of alanine (0.41 ±0.10 to 0.21±0.06) and lactate (0.32 ±0.09 to 0.04 ±0.03) to fall which increased their concentrations. When glucagon was replaced, all of these changes were fully or partly reversed with the exception of the changes in glycerol and nonesterified fatty acids. Indeed, 70% of the fall in hepatic glucose production and virtually 100% of the changes in lactate and alanine metabolism produced by basal insulin infusion were mediated by a fall in glucagon. However, the fall in hepatic uptake of glycerol was unaffected by changes in glucagon and thus gluconeogenesis from this substrate was inhibited by insulin per se probably as a result of reduced lipolysis. The latter effect of insulin may explain the incomplete restoration of hepatic glucose production when hyperglucagonaemia was re-established during insulin infusion.
Determinants of Physical Activity Initiation and Maintenance among Community-Dwelling Older Persons

Abstract Background. Understanding determinants of initiation and maintenance of an active lifestyle among older individuals is of great concern to public health because of the increasing evidence that lifestyle may alter the course of frequently occurring chronic diseases. Method. Two thousand five hundred seven community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and over were interviewed at three points over 4 years regarding their physical activity, defined as a self-report of walking briskly, gardening, or heavy housework at least three times a week. Extensive data were also collected on health status, health services use, sociodemographics, and, at the final interview, self-mastery, importance of various factors in the decision to be physically active, and interaction with their physician regarding physical activity. Determinants of initiation and maintenance of physical activity were identified using logistic regressions. Results. Forty-one percent maintained an active lifestyle; 12% initiated an active lifestyle; 22% declined to become sedentary; 25% were sedentary at all observation. Predictors of both initiation and maintenance of physical activity were younger age, moderate to excellent health, and the patient's belief that physical activity was important to his/her health. Among the 301 patients who initiated activity, 40% said their physician was a very important influence. Conclusions. Strengthening the belief of older individuals in the benefits to their health of physical activity holds promise for increasing the proportion of community-dwelling older persons who move from a sedentary lifestyle to a more physically active lifestyle and for maintaining such activity.
Cargo Pendulation Reduction on Ship-Mounted Cranes Via Boom-Luff Angle Actuation

The wave-induced motions of a ship can cause large pendulations of cargo being hoisted by a ship-mounted crane. In this paper, the authors show that controlling the boom-luff angle can reduce these pendulations significantly. A planar pendulum with a rigid massless cable and massive point load is used to model the system. A control law using delayed position feedback is developed, and the controlled system is simulated on a computer using the full nonlinear equations of motion. The computer simulation results are verified experimentally using a three-degree-of-freedom ship-motion simulation platform and a 1/24th scale model of a T-ACS crane.
DCLAD: Distributed Cluster based Localization Anomaly Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks using Single Mobile Beacon

In the last few years, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have emerged as a disrupting technology for myriad military and civilian applications. They demand an accurate location of the event detected and is done by using a mobile beacon node to provide accurate location and assume a benign environment. However, in a hostile military environment, such a node can be easily tampered by an adversary. In this paper, we propose a distributed cluster based anomaly detection scheme by assigning few randomly chosen cluster heads a critical task of estimating the reliability of the mobile beacon node. As localization of remaining nodes is cautiously performed only after verifying the authenticity of the mobile beacon node, a considerable overhead is saved in the incorrect localization of the entire network. We perform extensive simulation for different attacks and observe our scheme to have a high detection rate of 99% and a very less false positive rate of 20%.
Disc electrophoresis of citrus fruit proteins

Abstract A new preparative procedure was used in conjunction with disc electrophoresis to study proteins in vesicles, segment membranes, albedo, and flavedo of the Washington Navel orange, and vesicles and peels of lemon and grapefruit. A cationic gel system and an anionic gel system were applied to each tissue, and produced characteristic and reproducible patterns for each source. Diagrams and densitometric tracings of the gels are presented.
Antibiotic growth promoters enhance animal production by targeting intestinal bile salt hydrolase and its producers

The growth-promoting effect of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) was correlated with the decreased activity of bile salt hydrolase (BSH), an intestinal bacteria-produced enzyme that exerts negative impact on host fat digestion and utilization. Consistent with this finding, independent chicken studies have demonstrated that AGP usage significantly reduced population of Lactobacillus species, the major BSH-producers in the intestine. Recent finding also demonstrated that some AGPs, such as tetracycline and roxarsone, display direct inhibitory effect on BSH activity. Therefore, BSH is a promising microbiome target for developing novel alternatives to AGPs. Specifically, dietary supplementation of BSH inhibitor may promote host lipid metabolism and energy harvest, consequently enhancing feed efficiency and body weight gain in food animals.
The idea of cosmopolitanism: from Kant to the Iraq War and beyond

With the end of the Cold War the world approached the prospect of realizing what one might call the ‘Kantian moment’ in international relations. Auspiciously, 1995 marked both the 50th anniversary of the establishment of UN Charter, in which human rights guarantees prominently figured, as well as the 200th anniversary of Kant’s celebrated text on ‘Perpetual Peace.’ During the era of the EastWest political stalemate, the idea of effective world governance remained a chimera, as both political camps willfully exploited international governmental organizations (IGOs), such as the UN and UNESCO, for the self-serving ends of Realpolitik. Human rights claims were brazenly politicized. The Soviets lambasted American racism and the inadequacy of social rights. The USA and its allies, conversely, pilloried their opponent’s failure to minimally respect basic, first-generation civil and political liberties. (Published: 26 May 2010) Citation: Ethics & Global Politics, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2010, pp. 143-153. DOI: 10.3402/egp.v3i2.5213
Ecto-nucleotidases of the CD39/NTPDase family modulate platelet activation and thrombus formation: Potential as therapeutic targets

Extracellular nucleotide P2-receptor-mediated effects on platelets, leukocytes and endothelium are modulated by ecto-nucleotidases. These ecto-enzymes hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides to the respective nucleosides. The dominant ecto-nucleotidase expressed by the endothelium, by monocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells is CD39/NTPDase1. Ecto-nucleotidase biochemical activity of CD39 is lost at sites of acute vascular injury, such as in ischemia reperfusion and immune graft rejection. CD39L(Like)1/NTPDase2, a related protein, is associated with the basolateral surface of endothelium, the adventitia of vessels and microvascular pericytes. CD39/NTPDase1 hydrolyzes both tri- and diphosphonucleosides and blocks platelet aggregation responses to ADP. In contrast, CD39L1/NTPDase2, a preferential nucleoside triphosphatase, activates platelets by preferentially converting ATP to ADP, the major agonist of platelet P2 receptors. Spatial and temporal expression of NTPDases in the vasculature appears to control platelet activation, thrombus size and stability by regulating phosphohydrolytic activity and consequent P2 receptor signaling. Constitutively circulating microparticles appear to be associated with functional NTPDases, and accumulation of these at sites of vascular injury might influence local thrombus formation and evolution. The phenotype of the cd39-null mouse is in keeping with disordered thromboregulation with heightened susceptibility to inflammatory vasculary reactions, increased permeability and high levels of tissue fibrin. Paradoxically, these mutant mice also exhibit a bleeding phenotype with differential platelet P2Y1 desensitization. Over-expression of CD39 at sites of vascular injury and inflammation by adenoviral vectors, by transgenesis or by the use of pharmacological modalities with soluble derivatives has been shown to have major potential in several animal models tested to date. Future clinical applications will involve the development of new therapeutic strategies to various inflammatory vascular diseases and in transplantation.
Mouse models of nitric oxide synthase deficiency

Knockout mice for each of the three nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) genes have been generated. Their phenotypes reflect the roles of each NOS isoform in physiologic and pathologic processes. This article reviews how neuronal NOS (nNOS) and endothelial NOS (eNOS) knockout mice have contributed to our knowledge of the roles of NO in cerebral ischemia, cardiovascular processes, and the autonomic nervous system. In some instances, the effects of NO produced by one isoform antagonize the effects of NO produced by another isoform. For example, after cerebral ischemia, the nNOS isoform is involved in tissue injury, whereas the eNOS isoform is important in maintaining blood flow. All three isoforms are expressed in the respiratory tract, but only the nNOS isoform appears to be involved in modulating airway responsiveness and only the inducible NOS isoform appears to respond to antigen stimulation. In the cardiovascular system, endothelial NO is important for vascular tone, systolic and diastolic cardiac function, vascular proliferative responses to injury, platelet aggregation, and hemostasis.
Racial and ethnic differences in primary, unscheduled cesarean deliveries among low-risk primiparous women at an academic medical center: a retrospective cohort study

Cesarean sections are the most common surgical procedure for women in the United States. Of the over 4 million births a year, one in three are now delivered in this manner and the risk adjusted prevalence rates appear to vary by race and ethnicity. However, data from individual studies provides limited or contradictory information on race and ethnicity as an independent predictor of delivery mode, precluding accurate generalizations. This study sought to assess the extent to which primary, unscheduled cesarean deliveries and their indications vary by race/ethnicity in one academic medical center. A retrospective, cross-sectional cohort study was conducted of 4,483 nulliparous women with term, singleton, and vertex presentation deliveries at a major academic medical center between 2006–2011. Cases with medical conditions, risk factors, or pregnancy complications that can contribute to increased cesarean risk or contraindicate vaginal birth were excluded. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate differences in delivery mode and caesarean indications among racial and ethnic groups. The overall rate of cesarean delivery in our cohort was 16.7%. Compared to White women, Black and Asian women had higher rates of cesarean delivery than spontaneous vaginal delivery, (adjusted odds ratio {AOR}: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.91, and AOR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.17, respectively). Black women were also more likely, compared to White women, to undergo cesarean for fetal distress and indications diagnosed in the first stage as compared to the second stage of labor. Racial and ethnic differences in delivery mode and indications for cesareans exist among low-risk nulliparas at our institution. These differences may be best explained by examining the variation in clinical decisions that indicate fetal distress and failure to progress at the hospital-level.
On the Equivalence of Spearman-Karber and Maximum Likelihood Estimates of the Mean

Abstract In this article, we show that two methods of estimating the mean of a distribution using quantal response data are often equivalent. The two estimates considered are the Spearman-Karber and an estimate discussed in a previous article by the authors [4]. The latter is based on a maximum likelihood solution for a nonparametric problem.