cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OS054. Differential strain sensitivities to ischemia/reperfusion in two mouse models of fetal growth restriction.

Introduction Uterine ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rodents is a common model for the study of fetal growth restriction (FGR). It has been observed that different strains of mice vary in their response to uterine I/R. Objectives Our objective was to characterize fetal and placental growth, and uterine and placental inflammation, in pregnant mice from 2 strains (C3H/HeOuJ and C57BL/6J), in response to different uterine I/R modalities. Methods Timed-pregnant mice (6–8 in each experimental group) were subjected to unilateral uterine I/R by either total flow restriction (TFR,right ovarian and uterine arterial clamping,5 or 30min) or partial flow restriction (PFR,right ovarian artery clamping,30min), or to sham-operation, on the 14th (for C57 mice) or 15th (for C3H mice) day of gestation. Four days later, fetal and placental weights and fetal loss were evaluated, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was assayed in uterine and placental tissues. Data were analyzed by ANOVA with p Results In C3H/HeOuJ mice, TFR/30 min induced significantly ( p Conclusion Reliable FGR can be induced in different strains of mice by uterine I/R through adjustment of intensity, duration, and gestation day of the challenge. Mice of different strains have different tolerance to uterine I/R. These strain disparities would lend themselves to identifying the role of mouse strain-specific genetic determinants which form the bases for the observed differences in sensitivity to I/R-induced FGR.
Heterotaxy-spectrum heart defects in Zic3 hypomorphic mice.

Mutations in Zinc Finger Protein of the Cerebellum 3 (ZIC3) cause X-linked heterotaxy and isolated cardiovascular malformations. Recent data suggest a potential cell-autonomous role for Zic3 in myocardium via regulation of Nppa and Tbx5. We sought to develop a hypomorphic Zic3 mouse to model human heterotaxy and investigate developmental mechanisms underlying variability in cardiac phenotypes. Zic3 hypomorphic mice were created by targeted insertion of a neomycin cassette and investigated by gross, histologic, and molecular methods. Low-level Zic3 expression is sufficient for partial rescue of viability as compared with Zic3 null mice. Concordance of early left–right molecular marker abnormalities and later anatomic abnormalities suggests that the primary effect of Zic3 in heart development occurs during left–right patterning. Cardiac-specific gene expression of Nppa (atrial natriuretic factor) and Tbx5 marked the proper morphological locations in the heart regardless of looping abnormalities. Zic3 hypomorphic mice are useful models to investigate the variable cardiac defects resulting from a single genetic defect. Low-level Zic3 expression rescues the left pulmonary isomerism identified in Zic3 null embryos. Our data do not support a direct role for Zic3 in the myocardium via regulation of Nppa and Tbx5 and suggest that the primary effect of Zic3 on cardiac development occurs during left–right patterning.
An efficient and robust method for ring-oscillator simulation using the harmonic-balance method

A novel approach for simulating the periodic steady state of ring oscillators with the harmonic-balance method is described. This approach is efficient and robust compared with traditional approaches. The key idea exploited is the structure of the ring oscillator, in which the properties of a single delay cell are used to simulate the response of the overall oscillator. The proposed method yields an algorithm that is computationally efficient and readily converges for a wide variety of single-ended and differential ring-oscillator circuits.
Evidence of long term global decline in the Earth's thermospheric densities apparently related to anthropogenic effects

A study was performed of the long-term orbital decay of five Earth satellites with perigee altitudes averaging near 350km. To decouple long-term trend measurements from the effects of solar variability, measurements were evaluated during the years of solar minimum (1976, 1986 and 1996). Atmospheric densities derived from these essentially global measurements showed substantial evidence of a decline averaging 9.8 ± 2.5% in thermospheric density over 20 years pointing toward a long-term cooling of the upper atmosphere. Increases in greenhouse gases induced by human activity are hypothesized to warm the Earth's surface and lower atmosphere, but strongly cool the upper atmosphere. Assuming that the 10% increase in CO2 over these 20 years caused cooling resulting in the 10% decline in density, a doubling of CO2 could cause the thermospheric densities measured near 350km to decrease by a factor of 3. This decrease may shrink the altitude of a constant density surface by 40km before the end of the 21st century.
Judgments of shape orientation: a matter of contrasts.

A model is presented of the way in which judgments of the orientation of shapes may be made. It is proposed that orientation judgments can be made on different bases and at varying degrees of precision; three levels of precision are defined. A series of four experiments using a reaction-time paradigm explored the predictions of the model, and support for the three kinds of judgments was obtained. In addition, symmetry played a significant role only for those judgments in which the orientation of the top-bottom axis of the shape served to differentiate among orientations. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for judgments of shape orientation in general and left-right judgments in particular.
Similarity of dynamic mechanical transitions of thermotropic polyesters in extension and torsion

Abstract The frequency dependence of the dynamic mechanical transitions of several thermotropic polyesters were measured in tension on highly oriented fibres and in torsion on moulded bars. The transition temperatures were not affected by the differences in the mode of deformation and in the degree of orientation of the test specimens. It is concluded that the molecular motions responsible for the transitions, and the environment in which they occur, are independent of the macroscopic orientation. They are determined, rather, by the local state of orientation, which is highly ordered in both test specimens. The results are also consistent with other data, which suggest that the macroscopic tensile modulus of liquid-crystal polymers, over a range of time and of temperature, is strongly influenced by variation of the shear modulus.
Automated Scoring in Context: Rapid Assessment for Placed Students.

Abstract This study investigated the use of automated essay scoring (AES) to identify at-risk students enrolled in a first-year university writing course. An application of AES, the Criterion ® Online Writing Evaluation Service was evaluated through a methodology focusing on construct modelling, response processes, disaggregation, extrapolation, generalization, and consequence. Based on the results of our two-year study with students ( N = 1,482) at a public technological research university in the United States, we found that Criterion offered a defined writing construct congruent with established models, achieved acceptance among students and instructors, showed no statistically significant differences between ethnicity groups of sufficient sample size, correlated at acceptable levels with other writing measures, performed in a stable fashion, and enabled instructors to identify at-risk students to increase their course success.
Hegel's Logic, Marx's Science, Rationalism's Perils:

Marx's use of Hegel's logic in the Grundrisse and Capital allows him to analyse society as objectively determined while avoiding the crudities of mechanistic explanation. However, when combined with its influence on his theory of history, the logic's influence on Marx's science precipitates a fracture between the ideas of a past governed by a hidden dynamic and a future governed by human reason; and between the methods required to make sense of a past whose participants have made the wrong sense of it and a future which perfectly mirrors its participants’intentions and beliefs. It is argued that what Marx sees as two temporally distinct forms of action are, in truth, internal moments of action: all action is, if in shifting proportions, relatively opaque and relatively transparent to its own authors.
Selective Epitaxy Of Quantum Well Structures By Atmospheric Pressure OMCVD

AlGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum well structures have been deposited on native oxide patterned GaAs substrates and characterized by low temperature photoluminescence (PL). Standard photolithography was used to generate patterns on the plasma-grown native oxides. Single crystal multiple quantum wells grown on areas where oxides were removed have comparable high quality with those on the unpatterned substrate. QW's with different well widths ranging from 25-73 A. show well-resolved distinct peaks in the PL spectra and the linewidths of the peaks are the same as those on the unpatterned wafer. Poly-QW's deposited on the oxide-covered regions also display a very strong luminescence signal. Instead of distinct peaks corresponding to each of the wells, a single wide band centered near the widest well transition energy was observed. There are potential applications of the polycrystalline material for ultrafast optical devices because of the short carrier lifetime. With the selective epitaxy technique, integration of active devices with single crystal QW's and others using polycrystalline is possible.
Spectroscopic studies of very old hot stars. I - NGC 246 and its exciting star

The planetary nebula NGC 246 and its exciting stars were studied, using an image-tube spectrograph at the Cassegrain focus of a 36-inch telescope. Observations of the central star indicate that it has one of the most highly excited spectra known to optical astronomers. The only lines definitely present in the spectrum are lines of C IV and O VI, although lines of He II are probably present. Since nitrogen lines (in any ionization state) are absent, the stellar spectrum suggests that the star has experienced the triple-alpha process. Nebular observations were used to estimate the atmospheric properties of the exciting star by the Zanstra method. The results are found to correlate well with the spectral appearance of the star. Comparison of the properties of the star and surrounding nebula with Paczynski's evolutionary tracks for planetary nuclei suggests that the star is very near the point of exhaustion of its nuclear fuels.
Selecting particles for fluidized-bed bioreactors with flocculent biomass.

Designing a fluidized bed reactor for wastewater treatment or ethanol production reduces to choosing the size and density of the support particle. The need to fluidize the particles then fixes the flow rate and the required substrate removal fixes the bed height. Specific recommendations, depending on the kinetics of the process, are discussed. 16 references.
Distinction between a Proximal Negative Response and the Local b Wave in the Retina

WHEN light is flashed on the retina, a spatial and temporal pattern of neural activity is produced among several types of retinal cells. The resulting pattern of extracellular voltage can be recorded by placing a microelectrode at various depths within the retina. Recently, most of the graded slow potentials recorded in this way have been identified with components of the intraretinal electroretinogram1–3. In this communication, I conclude that there is another major type of local extracellular slow potential in the frog retina. This potential, referred to here as the proximal negative response (PNR), is most clearly evident in the proximal (anterior) part of the retina4,5. In the past, it has been suggested that the PNR and the electroretinogram (ERG) are fundamentally different in nature4–6. It has never been clearly shown, however, that the PNR can be distinguished from the local, negative intraretinal b wave of the ERG. An alternative hypothesis3,7 that the PNR may simply be the local b wave therefore seems tenable and apparently prevails at present.
Characteristics of Low-Noise GaAs Mesfets from 300K to 20K

Measurements of the noise temperature and transconductance of a GaAs field-effect transistor at temperatures of 300K and 17K are reported as a function of drain current. These results are compared with theory and the contributions of various noise mechanisms to the total noise temperature are presented.
Meeting consumer needs — the basis for successful marketing of nutrition in foodservice

Abstract In this paper the need to base the design and marketing of nutrition in the hospitality industry upon consumer segmentation of the market is discussed. Characteristics of existing programs are summarized as are the factors contributing to their success or failure. An understanding of how to market nutrition programs successfully in the hospitality industry is essential, as nearly all hotel chains and many independent and chain restaurants have developed nutrition promotions or will be implementing nutrition programs in the next two years.
Persistence & transport of flowering stimulus in Xanthium.

7. DERoPP, R. S. 1956. Kinetin & auxin activity. Plant Physiol. 31: 253-254. 8. DEROPP, R. S. & ELIZABETH MARKLEY. 1955. The correlation of different aspects of auxin action. Plant Physiol. 30: 210-214. 9. EDDY, B. P. & L. W. MAPSON. 1951. Some factors affecting anthocyanin synthesis in cress seedlings. Biochem. J. 49: 694-699. 10. HUMPHRIES, E. C. 1960. Inhibition of root development on petioles & hypocotyls of dwarf bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) by kinetin. Physiol. Plantarum 13: 659-663. 11. KLEIN, A. 0. & C. W. HAGEN, JR. 1961. Anthocyanin production in detached petals of Impatiens balsarnina L. Plant Physiol. 36: 1-9. 12. MOHR, H. 1959. Der Lichteinfluss auf die Haarbildung am Hypokotyl von Sinapis alba L. Planta 53: 109-124. 13. NOEL, R. 1951. Contribution a l'etude de la rhizogenese. Neoformation des racines dans les fragments d'hypocotyles d'Impatiens balsamina L. cultives "in vitro". Arch. Inst. Botan., Univ. Liege, Belgique 21: 1-164. 14. STRAUS, J. 1959. Anthocyanin synthesis in corn endosperm tissue cultures. I. Identity of the pigments & general factors. Plant Physiol. 34: 536-541. 15. THIMANN, K. V., Y. H. EDMONDSON, & B. S. RADNER. 1951. The biogenesis of the anthocyanins. III. The role of sugars in anthocyanin formation. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 34: 305-323. 16. WEBER, H. 1954. Uber Anthocyanfarbung von Wurzeln. Pharm. 9: 256-258. 17. WEIJER, J. 1959. Studies on Impatiens balsamina L. I. The inheritance of flower colour & its bearing on the phenomenon of cumulative linked isomery. Genetica 29: 358-384.
Adenylate cyclase activity in immature rabbit lung.

Extract: Adenylate cyclase activity of lung homogenates from fetal and neonatal rabbits is considerably higher than that found in adult animals. This activity does not change significantly between 21 and 31 days postconception, but maturational changes are observed in responses of adenylate cyclase activity to incubation with epinephrine, glucagon, and NaF. Epinephrine stimulated adenylate cyclase activity at all ages studied, 21, 24, 27, 30 and 31 days postconception. NaF depressed adenylate cyclase activity at 21 and 24 days but thereafter stimulated it at 27, 30, and 31 days. Glucagon stimulated adenylate cyclase activity only after delivery. We conclude that hormonally mediated responses in formation of adenosine 3′, 5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) occur in the lung of the fetal animal. Speculation: Adenylate cyclase may be important in regulating pulmonary phospholipid biosynthesis in fetal animals. Activity of adenylate cyclase can be augmented by epinephrine in fetal lung homogenates and may mediate growth of the lung or premature formation of pulmonary surface active phospholipids.
Separation of phosphatase activity from the bulk protein of leaves

Abstract It is possible to obtain from green leaves a phosphatase enzyme not integrally associated with either the bulk cytoplasmic protein as prepared by centrifugation, or the Fraction I protein of which the bulk protein is a major constituent. This separation has been achieved by differential ultracentrifugation, and by salt fractionation. The destruction of the bulk protein by heat or acid treatment with the concomitant retention of phosphatase activity in the soluble protein remaining also indicates that the enzyme and the bulk protein have radically different stability characteristics.
Oral Effects of Smokeless Tobacco Use by Professional Baseball Players

This is a review of studies conducted from 1988-90 on the oral consequences of snuff and chewing tobacco use among professional baseball players. About half of the players studied were smokeless tobacco (ST) users, the majority of whom used snuff. Compared with non-users, players who used ST showed a significantly higher prevalence of leukoplakia, which was related to placement of the ST quid, and the frequency, amount, duration, and type of ST used. Sites adjacent to these mucosal lesions showed an increased prevalence of gingival recession with associated attachment loss, cervical abrasion, and root caries than did comparable sites in non-users. Extrinsic stain and occlusal attrition were also more frequent in ST users than in non-users. While ST use placed players at significantly increased risk for mucosal lesions and other oral problems, no differences were found between ST non-users and users in measurements of batting, fielding, and pitching performance during the baseball season.
The ebbing of municipal documents and the flow of public information in New York

Abstract Local documents are an important element for effective communication between city hall and the citizen. The City of New York attempted to improve both the physical output, and the cost-savings of municipal publications through the establishment of a Central Publications Office. In this effort control would have been exercised over the issuance of all public documents. The program foundered for several reasons. Nonetheless, this and all other municipalities must continue to show innovation and aggressiveness if they are to adequately keep open the flow of public information. A variety of other methods that supplement a local publications program are discussed and weighed.
Coupled-cluster reference electron propagator calculations on the ionization energies of O2

Abstract Electron propagator calculations of various levels are compared with coupled-cluster and Fock-space coupled-cluster methods on O 2 ionization energies where final states are dominated by a single configuration. Among the electron propagator method is an approximation that employs correlations to reference state density matrices from a coupled-cluster singles and doubles calculation. The closest agreement between the two classes of methods occurs between renormalized electron propagator approximations and the Δ coupled-cluster singles and doubles method,e ven though the latter is not, like the Fock-space methods, a direct method for ionization energies. Basis set effects are also examined. Vertical ionization energies within 0.2 eV of experiment obtain with the coupled-cluster reference electron propagator calculations
Correlation of age-associated increases in follicle stimulating hormone secretion with decreases in antral follicles: failure of progesterone-induced acyclicity to prevent these changes.

Abstract It is well known that the number of follicles in the mammalian ovary decreases with age. In light of previous data from this laboratory showing age-related alterations in the secretion and production of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in rats by 5–6 months of age, one objective of the present study was to determine if alterations in FSH secretion were accompanied by changes in the number of antral follicles. A second objective of this study was to determine whether or not interruption of cyclic activity by continuous progesterone (P) treatment could decelerate age-associated changes in FSH secretion possibly by retarding the depletion of follicles through ovulation. For this study, one group of 4-day cycling, 7-week-old rats received one empty Silastic implant while another group received 3–40 mm implants containing 30 mm crystalline P. Implants were replaced every 2 weeks until the animals were 5 months old. Progesterone-implanted rats were acyclic during treatment exhibiting predominantly leukocytic vaginal smears. Regular 4-day cycles resumed when P implants were withdrawn (rats ≈5–6-months-old). A group of 2–3-month-old untreated rats were used for comparison. As expected from our previous results, serum FSH levels at 1600 h on estrus were significantly higher in 5–6-month-old rats receiving empty capsules than in younger rats. Serum FSH concentrations measured in P-treated rats at this time also were significantly higher than levels of this gonadotropin measured in younger rats. Ovaries of older control and P treated rats contained significantly fewer medium and large antral follicles (>250 μm) than the ovaries of younger rats despite the curtailment of etrous cyclicity and ovulation by continuous P treatment. Interestingly, P treatment prevented the age-associated decrease in thymus weight. Taken together, the present observation suggest that a decrease in the number of growing follicles may be a factor contributing to early age-related alterations in FSH secretion. Furthermore, the prevention (at least temporarily) of age-related thymic involution by P treatment may be indicative of an interrelationship between thymic and reproductive aging.
Progress in AB Initio Protein Structure Prediction.

I will discuss the application of the Rosetta method for ab nitio protein structure prediction to the prediction of protein structure and function on the genome scale. Rosetta is based on a picture of protein folding in which short segments of the chain flicker between different local structures consistent with the sequence and folding occurs when the segments adopt structures and orientations such that low free energy interactions are made throughout the chain. Results from the CASP4 protein structure prediction experiment and larger scale in house tests suggest that for roughly 50% of domains less than 150 residues in length at least one of the top five most commonly generated Rosetta models has sufficient similarity to the native structure to identify it in a structure based search of the PDB. While not suitable for applications such as ligand docking which require atomic level resolution, functional insights can be obtained from Rosetta models through structure based searches of the PDB and characterization of the positions of evolutionarily conserved residues. Rosetta models have been produced for all PFAM families less than 150 residues in length which do not currently have a representative of known structure and are now being generated for proteins in the yeast genome.
How word decoding skill impacts text memory: The centrality deficit and how domain knowledge can compensate.

We examined text memory in children with word reading deficits to determine how these difficulties impact representations of text meaning. We show that even though children with poor word decoding recall more central than peripheral information, they show a significantly bigger deficit relative to controls on central than on peripheral information. We call this the centrality deficit and argue that it is the consequence of insufficient cognitive resources for connecting ideas together due to these children’s resources being diverted from comprehension to word decoding. We investigated a possible compensatory mechanism for making these connections. Because a text representation is a synthesis of text information and a reader’s prior knowledge, we hypothesized that having knowledge of the passage topic might reduce or eliminate the centrality deficit. Our results support this knowledge compensation hypothesis: The centrality deficit was evident when poor readers did not have prior knowledge, but was eliminated when they did. This presents an exciting avenue to pursue for possible remediation of reading comprehension in children with word identification difficulties.
To Cultivate Piety, Learning and Liberty: The College of New Jersey and Queen's College, 1746-1794

On October 29, 1793, in a meeting of the board, the Trustees of Queen's College convened in New Brunswick to discuss a plan to merge with the College of New Jersey at Princeton. Queen's College was in a precarious state. In 1790 following the death of its first president, the Reverend Jacob R. Hardenbergh, the college was unable to secure a successor. Its finances were meager and any support from the General Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church was dependent upon the college's ability to attract a leader who would also serve as Professor of Divinity. The logical choice was the Reverend John Henry Livingston, architect of the 1773 Articles of Union, which united the two factions in the Dutch Reformed Church. When Livingston declined, the trustees found themselves hard pressed to continue instruction, and were forced to explore ways of keeping the doors of their fledgling institution open. A "Plan of Union," formulated by a joint committee of trustees from Queen's and Princeton in September 1793, called for the elimination of collegiate instruction in New Brunswick, to be replaced by a preparatory academy. Princeton would maintain a liberal arts college. Under this new arrangement the trustees of both colleges would surrender their respective charters and request a new one, to be issued by the State Legislature of New Jersey. This charter would call for a consolidated board of trustees, to include the governor of the state, the president of the college, and twenty-six members, selected evenly by the existing governing boards of Queen's and Princeton. Only inhabitants of New Jersey would be permitted to serve as trustees on the newly constituted governing body.
An Undermining Diagnosis of Relativism about Truth

The view that the basic statements in some areas of language are never true or false absolutely, but only relative to an assessment-perspective, has been advanced by several philosophers in the last few years. This paper offers a critique of that position, understood first as a claim about our everyday concept of truth, and second as a claim about the key theoretical concept of an adequate empirical semantics. Central to this pair of critical discussions will be an argument that the appeal of truth-relativism derives from a specific misconception: namely, that our ordinary concept of absolute truth is substantive � a form of metaphysical or epistemological determination. Building on this argument, the present paper aims to undercut relativism about truth both as a purely philosophical thesis and as an approach to the science of meaning.
838 MATERNAL HISTIDINEMIA: STUDY OF FAMILIES IDENTIFIED BY ROUTINE CORD BLOOD SCREENING

The adverse effect of maternal PKU on the fetus has led to concern about the potential for fetal damage in other maternal inborn errors of metabolism. Maternal histidinemia has been associated with lowered intelligence among offspring, and in mice, with a balancing defect and inner ear changes in offspring. We routinely screened filter paper cord blood specimens for histidine by the Guthrie assay and identified seven mothers with histidinemia among 230,362 specimens. Assuming 40% rescreening, this is a frequency of 1:20,000. Five families could be studied. Maternal plasma histidine ranged from 586 uM to 1023 uM. All mothers had absent skin urocanic acid. Among 14 untreated pregnancies, 13 produced liveborn full-term offspring, and one ended in spontaneous abortion. Eleven of 13 offspring had normal measurements at birth, including head circumferences; 2/13 were SGA. Congenital anomalies included bilateral clubfoot in one infant and hip dislocation in another. Three offspring in one family also had histidinemia. At the time of evaluation (age 4.4 ± 3.0 yrs), all offspring except one had normal weight, height, and head circumference; one was FTT. IQ among offspring (n=9) was 103.8 ± 18.0 (range 82-139) compared to maternal IQ (n=5) 102.0 ± 18.7 (range 80-130). Offspring DQ (n=3) ranged from 106-128. There were no physical defects, and neurological assessments were normal. Maternal histidinemia seems to have no adverse effect on the fetus.
Ontogeny of mammalian myocardial β-adrenergic receptors

Little information is available regarding the ontogenesis of the mammalian cardiac β-receptor and its relationship to physiological responses. In this study, β-adrenergic receptors were identified and characterized in the fetal, neonatal, and adult mouse heart using [3H]-(−)-dihydroalprenolol ([3H]-DHA). The fetal mouse heart (FMH) in organ culture was used to study the development of responsiveness to the β-agonist, (−)-isoproterenol. Whereas 13 day (d) fetal mouse hearts were insensitive to (−)-isoproterenol, hearts from 21 d fetal mouse responded to (−)-isoproterenol with an approximate doubling of the heart rate. The dissociation constant (KD) of [3H]-DHA for the β-adrenergic receptor (0.3 nM) remained unaltered during development. In contrast, β-adrenergic receptor density expressed as percentage of the adult receptor density was: 14% for 13 d FMH; 29% for 15 d FMH; 41% for 17 d FMH; 65% for 19 d FMH; 73% for 21 d FMH; 93% for 1 d neonate; 168% for 3 d neonate, and 173% for 14 d neonate. These data suggest that the β-adrenergic receptor, detected by [3H]-DHA binding, (1) appears prior to a detectable heart rate response, (2) has significant increases during the third trimester which parallel the increased adrenergic responsiveness, and (3) dramatically increases in the postnatal period before declining to the adult level.
Enzymes of Purine Biosynthesis and Catabolism in Glycine max I. COMPARISON OF ACTIVITIES WITH N2 FIXATION AND COMPOSITION OF XYLEM EXUDATE DURING NODULE DEVELOPMENT

During the period examined from 12 to 63 days after planting, the ureides, allantoin and allantoic acid, were the predominant nitrogenous solutes in the xylem exudate of soybeans (Glycine max [L.]) growing solely on symbiotically fixed nitrogen, accounting for approximately 60% and greater than 95% of the total nitrogen in the xylem exudate before and after the onset of active nitrogen fixation, respectively. For plants between 18 and 49 days of age, the apparent rate of ureide export estimated from concentrations of ureides in xylem exudate collected over a period of one hour was closely related to the rate of nitrogen fixation estimated from measurements of C(2)H(2) reduction by nodulated root systems. After this time, the apparent rate of ureide export per plant continued to increase, reaching a maximum value at day 63 of 12 micromoles per plant per hour, even though the rate of C(2)H(2) reduction per plant declined approximately four-fold. The most probable pathway for the biosynthesis of ureides involves the catabolism of purines. The levels of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) synthetase, which catalyzes the formation of the PRPP required for purine synthesis, increased in parallel with the rates of nitrogen fixation (C(2)H(2)) from day 18 reaching a maximum value of 13.9 micromoles per plant per hour at day 49, and then both activities declined rapidly. During the period of active nitrogen fixation the ratio of PRPP synthesis estimated from measurements of PRPP synthetase activity in cell-free extracts to the apparent rate of ureide export was between 1 and 2. The activities of the enzymes of purine catabolism, xanthine dehydrogenase, uricase, and allantoinase, increased in parallel with the increases in nodule mass and the export of ureides with maximum activities of 13, 119, and 79 micromoles per plant per hour, corresponding with apparent rates of ureide export in the range of 9.5 to 11.9 micromoles per plant per hour. These results demonstrate that there is a close association between nitrogen fixation, PRPP synthetase activity, and ureide export in soybeans and support the proposal that recently-fixed nitrogen is utilized in the de novo synthesis of purines which are subsequently catabolized to produce the ureides.
Role of the fusion peptide and membrane-proximal domain in HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-mediated membrane fusion.

The N-terminal fusion peptide and the interfacial sequence preceding the transmembrane anchor of HIV-1 gp41 are required for viral fusion. Studies with synthetic peptides indicated that these regions function by destabilizing membranes, which is regarded as a crucial step in the membrane fusion reaction. However, it is not clear whether membrane destabilization is induced by these sequences in the intact gp41. We address this question by examining fusion and destabilization of membranes expressing HIV-1 I I I B wild-type Env and two mutant Envs. (1) A Glu residue at position 2 of the gp41 fusion peptide is substituted for Val (V2E) to produce one mutant. (2) Residues 665-682 in the membrane-proximal domain are deleted to form the other. The process of membrane destabilization was monitored by the influx of Sytox, an impermeant fluorescent dye, into the Env-expressing cells following the interaction with CD4-CXCR4 complexes, and fusion was monitored by observing dye transfer between Env-expressing cells and appropriate target cells. We also monitored the conformational changes in the Envs following their interactions with CD4 and CXCR4 by immunofluorescence using an anti-gp41 mAb that reacts with the six-helix bundle. In contrast to the wild type, both Env mutants did not mediate cell fusion. The V2E Env did not mediate membrane destabilization. However, the Env with an unmodified fusion peptide but with a deletion of residues 665-682 in the membrane-proximal domain did mediate membrane destabilization. The wild type and both mutant Envs undergo conformational changes detected by the anti-gp41 six-helix bundle mAbs. Our results suggest that in intact HIV-1 Env the membrane-proximal domain is not required for membrane perturbations, but rather enables the bending of gp41 that is required for viral and target membranes to come together. Moreover, the observation that the Δ665-683 Env self-inserts its fusion peptide but does not cause fusion suggests that self-insertion of the fusion peptide is not sufficient for HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion.
Optimal Intervention Strategies for Therapeutic Methods With Fixed-Length Duration of Drug Effectiveness

Intervention in gene regulatory networks in the context of Markov decision processes has usually involved finding an optimal one-transition policy, where a decision is made at every transition whether or not to apply treatment. In an effort to model dosing constraint, a cyclic approach to intervention has previously been proposed in which there is a sequence of treatment windows and treatment is allowed only at the beginning of each window. This protocol ignores two practical aspects of therapy. First, a treatment typically has some duration of action: a drug will be effective for some period, after which there can be a recovery phase. This, too, might involve a cyclic protocol; however, in practice, a physician might monitor a patient at every stage and decide whether to apply treatment, and if treatment is applied, then the patient will be under the influence of the drug for some duration, followed by a recovery period. This results in an acyclic protocol. In this paper we take a unified approach to both cyclic and acyclic control with duration of effectiveness by placing the problem in the general framework of multiperiod decision epochs with infinite horizon discounting cost. The time interval between successive decision epochs can have multiple time units, where given the current state and the action taken, there is a joint probability distribution defined for the next state and the time when the next decision epoch will be called. Optimal control policies are derived, synthetic networks are used to investigate the properties of both cyclic and acyclic interventions with fixed-duration of effectiveness, and the methodology is applied to a mutated mammalian cell-cycle network.
Near field authentication for smart devices

Near field communication (NFC) systems provide a good location-limited channel so that many security systems can use it to force the participants to stay close to each other. Unfortunately, only a small number of smart devices in the market are equipped with NFC chips that are essential for NFC systems. The purpose of this paper is to provide the same feature, called near field authentication (NFA), without using NFC chips. We propose an easy-to-use system to achieve NFA by using human finger movement on the touch screens of two nearby smart devices. Our system does not need any prior secret information shared between two devices and generates the same high-entropy cryptographic key for both devices in a successful authentication. The efficiency of the system is demonstrated by our evaluation on a Motorola Droid smartphone.
An investigation into the Swan Island Honduras collecting event of Tiaporus fuliginosus Cope (Reptilia: Teiidae) and its systematic status

Abstract Confusion exists in the literature concerning the collecting event of the teiid lizard Tiaporus fuliginosus. We investigated the literature and documents stored at the Smithsonian Institution Archives involving the collector of those specimens in an effort to resolve that confusion. We conclude that the type series was collected on the Swan Islands of Honduras by Charles H. Townsend during 1887. We also provide a redescription of that nominal form and show that it is a valid species that should be called Ameiva fuliginosa. We also examined the type series of A. panchlora from Old Providence, Colombia and confirm that its 1950 placement as a junior synonym of A. fuliginosa is correct.
At the systemic edge

The point of inquiry in this book is the systemic edge. The key dynamic at this edge is expulsion from the diverse systems in play—economic, social, biospheric. The systemic edge is the point where a condition takes on a format so extreme that it cannot be easily captured by the standard measures of governments and experts and becomes invisible, ungraspable. In this regard, that edge also becomes invisible to standard ways of seeing and making meaning. Each major domain has its own distinctive systemic edge—thus this edge is constituted differently for the economy than it is for the biosphere or the social realm. This edge is foundationally different from the geographic border in the interstate system. The core hypothesis is that we are seeing a proliferation of systemic edges originating partly in the decaying western-style political economy of the 20th century, the escalation of environmental destruction, and the rise of complex forms of knowledge that far too often produce elementary brutalities. It is...
The associations between yogurt consumption, diet quality, and metabolic profiles in children in the USA.

Recent studies have shown that yogurt consumption was associated with better diet quality and a healthier metabolic profile in adults. However, such associations have not been investigated in children. The present study examined the associations in children using data from a nationally representative survey. Data from 5,124 children aged 2–18 years, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2003 and 2006 in the USA were analyzed. The frequency of yogurt consumption over 12 months was determined using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Diet quality was assessed by the Healthy Eating Index 2005 (HEI-2005) using one 24-HR dietary recall, and metabolic profiles were obtained from the NHANES laboratory data. It was found that only 33.1 % of children consumed yogurt at least once per week (frequent consumers). Adjusting for covariates, frequent consumers had better diet quality than infrequent consumers, as indicated by a higher HEI-2005 total score (P = 0.04). Frequent yogurt consumption was associated with a lower fasting insulin level (P 0.05). These results suggest that frequent yogurt consumption may contribute to improved diet quality and a healthier insulin profile in children. Future longitudinal studies and clinical trials in children are warranted to explore the health benefits of yogurt consumption.
The Irish Referendums on the Lisbon Treaty: Did the Recession Save Lisbon?

On 2 October 2009 Irish citizens voted in favour of the Lisbon Treaty, which they had rejected only sixteen months earlier. This article investigates the reasons for the shift from ‘no’ to ‘yes’ focusing on the economic recession and the legal guarantees provided to Ireland after the failed first referendum. The question this article tries to answer is: Did the recession save Lisbon? The recession is, however, not the only reason for the success of the yes-campaign. The legal guarantees provided to Ireland help the Government reduce fears about Lisbon in terms of sovereignty and military neutrality. The recession and the legal guarantees together defused the spirited no-campaign and put the yes-campaign on the road to success. In the conclusion I discuss the broader question of whether the failed referendums on Nice and Lisbon are a sign a growing Euroscepticism in Ireland. I conclude that the failed referendums do not forecast a growing Euroscepticism, but may point to a growing lack of trust in national...
A proton current associated with sour taste: distribution and functional properties

Sour taste is detected by taste receptor cells that respond to acids through yet poorly understood mechanisms. The cells that detect sour express the protein PKD2L1, which is not the sour receptor but nonetheless serves as a useful marker for sour cells. By use of mice in which the PKD2L1 promoter drives expression of yellow fluorescent protein, we previously reported that sour taste cells from circumvallate papillae in the posterior tongue express a proton current. To establish a correlation between this current and sour transduction, we examined its distribution by patch-clamp recording. We find that the current is present in PKD2L1-expressing taste cells from mouse circumvallate, foliate, and fungiform papillae but not in a variety of other cells, including spinal cord neurons that express PKD2L1. We describe biophysical properties of the current, including pH-dependent Zn(2+) inhibition, lack of voltage-dependent gating, and activation at modest pH values (6.5) that elicit action potentials in isolated cells. Consistent with a channel that is constitutively open, the cytosol of sour taste cells is acidified. These data define a functional signature for the taste cell proton current and indicate that its expression is mostly restricted to the subset of taste cells that detect sour.
Modification of eye movements by instantaneous changes in the velocity of visual targets.

Abstract The question of how information concerning the motion of targets becomes manifested in eye movements was answered in the following way. Monkeys, previously taught to track visual targets, were exposed to targets whose velocity was instantaneously changed at varying intervals after the onset of target movement. Both saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movements could be altered by changes in target velocity introduced during the first 90 msec of target movement. A change in the velocity of the target could affect the size of a saccade occurring only 50 msec later. Saccadic eye movements occurred with intersaccadic intervals as short as 20 msec. These results indicate that both saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movements are based on continuously processed information.
Compact Spectral Diversity Filters for Diffuse Source Spectroscopy using Spherical Beam Volume Holograms

We describe a new class of compact spectral diversity filters implemented using spherical beam volume holograms. Spectral diversity is improved by rotation multiplexing technique. Diffuse source spectroscopy enabled by using Fourier transform architecture is demonstrated.
Qualitative evaluation of health information exchange efforts

Because most health information exchange (HIE) initiatives are as yet immature, formative evaluation is recommended so that what is learned through evaluation can be immediately applied to assist in HIE development efforts. Qualitative methods can be especially useful for formative evaluation because they can guide ongoing HIE growth while taking context into consideration. This paper describes important HIE-related research questions and outlines appropriate qualitative research techniques for addressing them.
Structural Properties and Hamiltonicity of Neighborhood Graphs

Let G = (V, E) be a simple undirected graph. N(G) = (V, E N ) is the neighborhood graph of the graph G, if and only if $$E_N = \{\{a,b\}\,|\, a \neq b\,\wedge\,\exists\, x \, \in V: \{x,a\} \in E \, \wedge \, \{x,b\} \in E \}.$$ be the class of all k-edge connected 4-regular graphs with girth of at least g. For several choices of k and g, we determine a set $${\mathcal{O}_{k,g}}$$of graph operations, for which, if G and H are graphs in $${\Phi_{k,g}}$$, G ≠ H, and G contains H as an immersion, then some operation in $${\mathcal{O}_{k,g}}$$can be applied to G to result in a smaller graph G′ in $${\Phi_{k,g}}$$such that, on one hand, G′ is immersed in G, and on the other hand, G′ contains H as an immersion.
Surface-assisted one-dimensional self-assembly of a perylene based semiconductor molecule

Chloroform-vapor annealing of thin films of propoxyethyl perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PE-PTCDI, an n-type semiconductor) deposited on glass or mica leads to formation of well-defined one-dimensional self-assemblies (e.g. nanobelts), which show optically uniaxial properties as demonstrated by the linearly polarized emission.
Keckiella: New name for Keckia straw (Scrophulariaceae)

Keckia Straw, having been found to be a later homonym, is renamedKeckiella. The appropriate combinations are made for the seven species.
ATOM CONCENTRATION MEASUREMENTS USING ELECTRON PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE

Abstract Atom concentration measurements were made of N ( 4 S) and H ( 2 S) produced by microwave discharges in gaseous N2 and H2. Spectrometer drifts and fluctuations were corrected by calibrating with the high field spectrum of O2 at 1 mm Hg pressure. Atom surface recombination was prevented by conditioning the quartz tube with nitrogen atoms until the afterglow was plainly visible. Absolute comparisons were made with the intensity of a paramagnetic salt and with gas phase titrations. The EPR reproducibility is ± 5 per cent or better, whereas the absolute measurements are ± 25 per cent or better. The variation of atom density and concentration with pressure of each atomic species is given.
Synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of 3‐amino‐4(3H)‐quinazolinones

Several 3-amino-4(3H)-quinazolinones were prepared from o-aminobenzoylhydrazines and triethyl orthoformate or from isatoic anhydrides, hydrazines and triethyl orthoformate. o-Aminobenzoylhydrazine intermediates were obtained by reaction of isatoic anhydrides with hydrazines. Some of the aminoquinazolinones displayed anticonvulsant activity in mice.
Late Cainozoic explosive eruptions in the Aleutian and Kuril Island Arcs

THE rate at which major explosive eruptions have occurred in the Aleutian and Kuril Island Arcs is recorded in tephra layers recovered in cores of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP). Major tephra eruptions occurring with the frequency and intensity currently observed in the Aleutian and Kuril Arcs may have marked effects on world climate, especially through the production of dust veils and the consequent variation in the volume of ice in the polar seas and in general atmospheric circulation1.