cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decoupling of two-time-scale linear systems

Abstract : Recent studies of two-time-scale linear systems have used a simple transformation of variables to block-diagonalize the system so that fast and slow modes are decoupled. A matrix used in this transformation satisfies an algebraic Riccati equation. In this study it is shown that this transformation is unique and its eigenstructure is described. Also, a new method of computing the decoupling transformation is presented and demonstrated using the 16th-order linear model of a turbofan engine. (Author)
Organometallic photochemistry photochemistry of some acyclic ketosilanes

Abstract Photolysis of a series of silyl ketones with the general structure (CH 3 ) 3 Si(CH 2 ) n COR with n = 0–4, R = C 6 H 5 and with n = 0–3, R = CH 3 has been investigated. When n = 3 or 4 a major course of reaction is the Type II cleavage. When R = CH 3 and n = 3 a substantial amount of cyclobutanol formation occurs; none is detected when R = C 6 H 5 . If n = 2 and R = C 6 H 5 the only photoreactions established are reductive alkylation (by solvent cyclohexane) and cleavage of the carbonylmethylene bond. If R = CH 3 all of the products isolated can be rationalized on the basis of initial cleavage of the carbonyl-methylene bond. Little photochemical decomposition occurred in an inert solvent with those compounds in which n = 1 or 0. However, each underwent facile photocatalyzed hydrolysis to form trimethylsilanol and the aldehyde or ketone.
The complete cDNA coding sequence and tissue-specific expression of the mouse laminin alpha 4 chain.

The full-length cDNA coding sequence is presented for the mouse laminin α4 chain. Comparison of the encoded amino acid sequence with human laminin α4 shows 88.3% identity. Northern blot analysis shows that mouse laminin α4 is strongly expressed in heart, lung and skeletal muscle, with only limited expression in brain, spleen, liver, kidney and testes.
Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) Produces Widespread Apoptosis in the Developing Central Nervous System

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a solvent that is routinely used as a cryopreservative in allogous bone marrow and organ transplantation. We exposed C57Bl/6 mice of varying postnatal ages (P0-P30) to DMSO in order to study whether DMSO could produce apoptotic degeneration in the developing CNS. DMSO produced widespread apoptosis in the developing mouse brain at all ages tested. Damage was greatest at P7. Significant elevations above the background rate of apoptosis occurred at the lowest dose tested, 0.3 ml/kg. In an in vitro rat hippocampal culture preparation, DMSO produced neuronal loss at concentrations of 0.5% and 1.0%. The ability of DMSO to damage neurons in dissociated cultures indicates that the toxicity likely results from a direct cellular effect. Because children, who undergo bone marrow transplantation, are routinely exposed to DMSO at doses higher than 0.3 ml/kg, there is concern that DMSO might be producing similar damage in human children.
Activation of Glut1 glucose transporter in human erythrocytes

Glut1, the only glucose transporter isoform expressed in the human red blood cell (RBC), binds to and is inhibited by cytochalasin B (CB). In the present study we show that incubation of RBC ghost membranes with 10 microM cytochalasin E (CE) results in a 1.8-fold increase in the number of glucose-sensitive cytochalasin B binding sites. Moreover, treatment with CE was associated with no observable change in the protein composition of RBC ghosts determined by SDS-PAGE. Removal of surface ("extrinsic") proteins from RBC ghosts by treatment with 0.2 mM EDTA (pH 12) for 30 min resulted in a similar 1.8-fold increase in the number of glucose-sensitive CB binding sites. Western blot analysis showed that treatment with CE or EDTA resulted in no change in the amount or mobility of Glut1 present in ghost membranes. Glucose transport, measured as CB-inhibitable 3-O-[3H]methylglucose uptake by resealed ghosts, was stimulated in CE-treated resealed ghosts, with the t1/2 to equilibrium decreasing from 6.8 +/- 0.5 to 3.9 +/- 0.3 s (P < 0.05). Treatment of ghosts with CE or EDTA followed by Western blotting of samples in the presence or absence of beta-mercaptoethanol resulted in no change in immunoreactivity or mobility of the major Glut1 band. The above results suggest that a significant fraction of Glut1 transporters exists in an inactive form ("masked") in RBC plasma membranes and that treatment of ghosts with CE or EDTA leads to an apparent activation of Glut1.
Anticoagulant Action of Heparin

ANTITHROMBIN III (heparin cofactor) is known to inhibit thrombin1 and Factor Xa1–3 (activated Factor X). We have purified antithrombin4 from human plasma by a series of chromatographic and electrophoretic separation techniques. The homogeneity of the final product is demonstrated by disc gel electrophoresis, SDS gel electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis4. Using this preparation, we have shown that antithrombin forms a 1 : 1 stoichiometric complex with thrombin which cannot be dissociated with denaturing and reducing agents. Addition of heparin dramatically accelerates the rate of formation of this complex. Complex formation is completely dependent on an interaction between the serine active centre of thrombin and an arginine reactive site of antithrombin. Furthermore, e-amino lysyl groups of antithrombin serve as binding sites for the highly negatively charged heparin. Based on these data and other evidence, we have proposed that heparin acts to accelerate inhibitor function by binding to antithrombin and inducing an allosteric modification in it, which renders the arginine in its reactive site more accessible to the serine in the active centre of thrombin4.
How to Appropriate Appropriately: A Comment on Baker and McCullough

The article by Baker and McCullough in this issue posits that bioethics has generally applied moral theories to practical problems. They propose that, rather than this "application," bioethicists should "appropriate" aspects of ethical theory. This article disagrees that bioethical writing is primary "application." It agrees that "appropriation" is the most suitable approach to bioethical analysis but claims that the description of appropriation provided by Baker and McCullough is inadequate. It must be supplemented by the rhetorical concept of "invention."
Four-Regime Speed–Flow Relationships for Work Zones with Police Patrol and Automated Speed Enforcement:

This paper presents the development of a four-regime speed-flow relationship for highway work zones and the effects of police presence (police) and speed photo enforcement (SPE) on the speed-flow relationship and capacity. The base data were collected when signage typical of that shown in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for an Interstate highway work zone with no lane reduction was present. Police and SPE data were collected, respectively, when a police patrol car and an SPE van were added to the typical work zone. From each data set, the step-by-step progression from a three-regime model based on least-squares regression to a four-regime speed-flow curve is presented. The four-regime model comprises four equations: (a) horizontal line for free-flow regime that covered the volume levels up to 900 passenger cars per hour per lane, (b) fourth-degree spline for the upper transition part of the speed-flow curve, (c) another fourth-degree spline for the lower transitions part, and (d) equation in...
Excited State Interactions in Electropolymerized Thin Films of RuII, OsII, and ZnII Polypyridyl Complexes

Emission from thin films of poly[Ru(vbpy)3](PF6)2 (vbpy = 4-methyl-4‘-vinyl-2,2‘-bipyridine) prepared by reductive electropolymerization on ITO (Sn:In2O3) is dominated by time-dependent effects and dramatically reduced excited state lifetimes compared to related monomers. The origins of these effects have been investigated by photophysical measurements on a series of copolymeric films containing mixtures of the ZnII, RuII, and OsII forms of poly[M(vbpy)3](PF6)2. In copolymeric RuII and OsII films, facile energy transfer occurs from RuII to OsII. Dilution of RuII by ZnII in copoly-χ[Ru(vbpy)3](PF6)2,(1 − χ)[Zn(vbpy)3](PF6)2 (χ = mole fraction of RuII) mixtures is accompanied by an increase in emission energy and average excited state lifetime. These results point to a quenching mechanism in poly[Ru(vbpy)3](PF6)2 arising from facile energy transfer to low-energy, short-lived “trap sites”. The trap sites may be created by electronic coupling between special pairs of adjacent complexes present in small amount...
Failure of spleen cells from thymectomized mice to induce graft vs. host reactions.

Summary1. The capacity of spleen cells from mice thymectomized during neonatal life to elicit graft vs host reactions was studied using Simonsen's graft vs host assay of histocompatibility. 2. The reaction of A strain spleen cells from mice sham operated or thymectomized in the neonatal period was compared to that of isologous F1 cells in (A × C57B1)F1 recipients and Z strain spleen cells from similarly treated groups were compared in (Z × C57B1) F1 and in the (Z × DBA/2)F1 hybrids. 3. The results show that early complete thymectomy in both A and Z mice renders the spleen cells of these animals incapable of producing graft vs host reactions in Fl hybrids. 4. These data are interpreted as evidence that the cells themselves of the lympho-reticular system in mice thymectomized at or shortly after birth are immunologically defective. 5. These observations are considered as a further evidence that the thymus plays a key role in development of immunological capacity in mammals.
Spatial-temporal correlation filter for in-plane distortion invariance.

A new space and time correlation filter is described. This filter achieves full in-plane distortion invariance (shift, scale, and rotation) as well as intensity invariance. The use of nonconstant temporal signatures for multiclass recognition is suggested. Initial discrimination results as well as the results demonstrating the ability to estimate the orientation of the input object are provided.
New Bioinformatics Approach to Analyze Gene Expressions and Signaling Pathways Reveals Unique Purine Gene Dysregulation Profiles that Distinguish Between CD and UC

Expression of purine genes is modulated by inflammation or experimental colitis and altered expression leads to disrupted gut function. We studied purine gene dysregulation profiles in IBD and determined whether they can distinguish between CD and UC using Pathway Analysis and a new Comparative Analysis of Gene Expression and Selection (CAGES) method. Raw datasets for 22 purine genes and 36 probe-sets from NCBI GEO (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ projects /geo/) were analyzed by NCI BRB array tools for random-variance of multiple/36 t-tests in colonic mucosal biopsies or PBMCs of CD, UC or control subjects. Dysregulation occurs in 59% of purine genes in IBD including ADORA3,CD73, ADORA2A,ADORA2B,ADAR,AMPD2,AMPD3,DPP4, P2RY5,P2RY6,P2RY13,P2RY14 and P2RX5. In CD biopsies, expression of ADORA3,AMPD3,P2RY13 and P2RY5 were negatively correlated with acute inflammatory score, CDAI or disease chronicity;P2RY14 was positively correlated in UC. In mucosal biopsies or PBMCs, CD and UC were distinguished by unique patterns of dysregulation (up- or down-regulation) in purine genes. Purine gene dysregulation differs between PBMCs and biopsies and possibly between sexes for each disease. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) revealed significant associations between alterations in the expression of CD73 (upregulation) or ADORA3 (downregulation) and inflammatory or purine genes (≤10% of 57 genes) as well as GPCR, cAMP-dependent and inflammatory pathways; IPA distinguishes CD from UC. In conclusion, CAGES and Pathway Analysis provided novel evidence that UC and CD have distinct purine gene dysregulation signatures in association with inflammation, cAMP or other signaling pathways. Disease-specific purine gene signature profiles and pathway associations may be of therapeutic, diagnostic and functional relevance.
Use of treatment guidelines in clinical decision making in bipolar disorder: a pilot survey of clinicians

ABSTRACTObjective: With recent attention to the importance of evidence-based medicine in psychiatry, a number of treatment guidelines have emerged to aid clinicians in clinical decision making. The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which such guidelines are used in the treatment of bipolar disorder.Methods: In November 2005, self-administered questionnaires were sent to 7000 psychiatrists who treat bipolar disorder in their clinical practice. An additional mailing of these questionnaires was done in January 2006 to a different group of 7000 psychiatrists who also treat bipolar disorder in their clinical practice. The first 312 completed surveys were analyzed. Eight questions relevant to clinical usage of, and attitudes toward, existing guidelines were asked.Results: Among the 312 respondents, 64.1% reported making routine use of treatment guidelines when making clinical decisions, including 19.6% who used the American Psychiatric Association treatment guidelines and 33.0% who used all pu...
Prostaglandins do not modulate the positive chronotropic and inotropic effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation and injected norepinephrine in the isolated blood perfused canine atrium.

Abstract In isolated canine atrium, perfused with blood from a donor dog, the infusions of both prostaglandins (PG)I 2 and E 2 (0.1–1 μg/min) into the sinus node arterial cannula neither altered the sinus rate and developed tension nor the positive chronotropic and inotropic responses elicited by either electrical stimulation or by injected norepinephrine. Infusion of arachidonic acid (10–100 μg/min), a precursor of PGs, or indomethacin (15–20 μg/min), an inhibitor of PG synthesis, into the sinus node arterial cannula also failed to alter the increase in sinus rate or developed tension produced by either adrenergic stimulus in the isolated atria. When arachidonic acid, 100–300 μg/kg or PGI 2 , 1 μg/kg, were injected into the jugular vein of the donor dog, they produced a fall in systemic blood pressure; this effect of arachidonic acid but not of PGI 2 was abolished by indomethacin, 1 mg/kg. During administration of either arachidonic acid or indomethacin to the donor dog, the positive chronotripic and inotropic responses to adrenergic stimuli in the isolated atria also remained unaltered. These data indicate that PGs do not modulate adrenergic transmission in the blood perfused canine atrium.
Identification of parents suitable for molecular mapping of immunity and resistance genes in solanum species

A survey of DNA polymorphisms and bacterial ring rot reactions inSolanum species was conducted to identify parents that when crossed would produce an F1 mapping population useful for identifying DNA markers tightly linked to genes for immunity or resistance to bacterial ring rot.Solanum tuberosum, S. acaule, diploidSolanum species, doubled monoploid lines ofS. phureja, and somatic fusion hybrids betweenS. tuberosum andS. brevidens were established in tissue culture from single true potato seeds or tubers and evaluated for bacterial ring rot reactions in greenhouse studies with root-inoculated tissue cultured plantlets. Establishment of tissue culture stocks insured the availability of homogeneous genetic material for use in bacterial ring rot assays and genetic analyses. Presence ofClavibacter michiganense subsp.sepedonicum was assessed in stems by an immunofluorescence antibody assay (IFAS). Two accessions were found to be immune to bacterial ring rot. DNA polymorphisms were detected within and among 24 accessions evaluated with 24 RFLP markers and 10 arbitrary oligonucleotide primers (RAPDs). These results identify parents suitable for future mapping of gene (s) for immunity or resistance to bacterial ring rot.
Banking on Social Entrepreneurship : The Commercialization of Microfinance

Au-dela de leurs differences apparentes, l’entrepreneuriat social et la microfinance perenne sont deux domaines qui, au cours des vingt dernieres annees, se sont rapproches, faisant du deuxieme une application particulierement reussie du premier. La microfinance perenne prouve que les banques et les ONG a logique commerciale peuvent combiner succes financier et succes social : d’une part, elles generent des profits considerables tout en ayant, dans le meme temps, un impact positif en matiere de developpement. Les institutions de microfinance perennes sont creatrices de valeur sociale dans la mesure ou elles recherchent des opportunites qui combinent la performance financiere et l’impact social au lieu de les opposer. Elles appliquent des principes bancaires traditionnels d’une maniere non conventionnelle, creant des institutions financieres qui sont egalement des vecteurs de changements sociaux. Neanmoins, meme si les opportunites fournies par les scenarios d’approches commerciales de la microfinance sont nombreuses, il reste toutefois un role essentiel pour les organisations de microfinance a logique non commerciale. Il est donc essentiel d’assurer un equilibre entre le type d’institution (banque, societe financiere, organisation cooperative ou assimilee, ONG subventionnee) et la mission qui lui correspond. Les principes pour ce faire devraient etre la diversification des schemas institutionnels, la differenciation des produits et la segmentation du marche.
Parameter estimation in a tokamak transport model and application to L- and H-mode simulations

A systematic parameter estimation method has been established and applied to estimating a priori uncertain multipliers of flux formulas in a gyro-Bohm tokamak transport model. Results from simulating two tokamak discharge profiles with the model calibrated here are shown. The method used here can deal with limited and relatively uncertain experimental data by using estimates of prior knowledge concerning the accuracy of the data. Confidence regions are given to assess the accuracy of estimators. The estimated multipliers are much larger than in a similar study using a nongyro-Bohm transport model suggesting that mechanisms, in addition to early estimates of E/spl times/B driven fluxes from resistive ballooning and quasi-linear drift//spl eta//sub i/ turbulence, are needed for a complete theoretical model of flux surface-averaged transport in tokamaks.
Pharmacological manipulation of milk-induced behaviors in three-day-old rat pups

Abstract The effects of a variety of pharmacological agents on the ingestive and behavioral activating responses to intraoral milk infusion were investigated in three-day-old Sprague-Dawley rat pups. Results indicated that the ingestive component-typified by a mouthing response-was primarily influenced by serotonergic agents. Mouthing behavior was increased following administration of the serotonergic agonist, quipazine, and decreased following the serotonergic antagonists, methysergide and methiothepin. In contrast, the behavioral activating component was not found to be clearly influenced by drugs affecting any one neurotransmitter system, suggesting the tentative hypothesis that this activating response to milk infusion may in part be modulated by interactions between several neurotransmitter systems.
Plant callus as a source of biochemicals

This article presents a review of the recent literature describing the use of plant callus for the production of biochemicals, as well as specific examples of work done in our laboratory to analyze the production of ribosome inactivating proteins fromTrichosanthes kirilowii callus. The article discusses research advances in the development, characterization, and improvement of plant callus cell lines, including new cell lines and potentially useful products, influence of media composition, and environmental conditions on growth and product distribution, cell line selection strategies, and long-term stability.
INTRAPOPULATION KINETICS OF THE MITOTIC CYCLE

Data obtained with time lapse cinemicrographic techniques showed that the distribution of generation times for exponentially proliferating human amnion cells in culture is skewed to the right and that reciprocals of generation times appear normally distributed. As shown for bacteria, the true age distribution is much broader than theoretical distributions which fail to take into account the dispersion of generation times. By means of the technique utilizing autoradiographic detection of tritiated thymidine in cells whose mitotic histories were recorded by time lapse cinemicrography, it was shown that the G1 distribution is similar to the generation time distribution but is more variable. In our experiments, the G2 + prophase distribution resembled the generation time and G1 distributions. The data suggested two possibilities for S: either it is relatively constant, or it is inversely related to the lengths of G1 and G2 + prophase. Since G1 is more variable than the total cycle, and G2 + prophase more variable than the computed sum of S + G2 + prophase + metaphase, it was concluded that the relationships between parts of the cycle are non-random and that compensating mechanisms apparently help regulate the lengths of successive parts of the mitotic cycle in individual cells.
Plant-community characteristics of bahiagrass pasture during conversion to longleaf-pine silvopasture

Silvopasture is considered a sustainable agroforestry practice as a result of benefits the system offers for biodiversity, economic returns, and environmental quality. However, little is known about temporal and spatial dynamics of forage species composition of pastures being converted to silvopasture. Research objectives were to determine (1) the response of forage species composition to a young longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.)-bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) silvopasture versus open bahiagrass pasture, and (2) the impact that alley position relative to trees has on forage species composition in a young longleaf pine-bahiagrass silvopasture. The research was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications from 2003 to 2007 at Americus, Georgia, USA in a longleaf-pine silvopasture established in 2000 in an existing bahiagrass pasture and an adjoining bahiagrass open-pasture. Silvopasture forage-species composition was measured within alleys. Plant community diversity was greater in the silvopasture versus open-pasture early in the growing season, but open-pasture had greater diversity during the later growing season. Alley position in silvopasture also had a significant effect on understory forage species composition. This study indicated that conversion of bahiagrass pasture to longleaf-pine silvopasture in the Southern Coastal Plain can influence plant-community characteristics by the time trees are six to seven years old.
A generalized chemical processing model for the investigation of computer control

At present there is no direct method of comparing the relative applicability of the many computer-control schemes which have recently been proposed for use by the chemical and petroleum processing industries. While many of the computer manufacturers involved have undertaken joint study programs with several of the chemical and petroleum companies, proprietary considerations have to date prevented a direct comparison of the results obtained.
Chiral Steering of Molecular Organization in the Limit of Weak Adsorbate−Substrate Interactions: Enantiopure and Racemic Tartaric Acid Domains on Ag(111)

The influence of intermolecular interactions involving molecular chiral centers on two-dimensional organization in the limit of a weak adsorbate−surface interaction has been studied with low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT). A model system composed of a chiral organic molecule, tartaric acid, and an inert metallic surface, Ag(111), was employed. Dual component films formed from the serial deposition of (S,S)- and (R,R)-tartaric acid enantiomers onto this surface exhibit homochiral domain formation as revealed by molecularly resolved STM images. In contrast, a unique tartaric acid enantiomeric heteropair is experimentally and computationally verified as the basis unit of films formed via the deposition of both enantiomers simultaneously from a racemic (1:1) mixture. The molecular adsorption geometry relative to the Ag(111) lattice in both enantiomerically pure and racemic domains is determined primarily by the interaction of chiral centers between nearest ...
Diffraction theory of nanotwin superlattices with low symmetry phase

A nanotwin diffraction theory is developed. It predicts an adaptive diffraction phenomenon, where the Bragg reflection peaks are determined by coherent superposition of scattered waves from individual twin-related nanocrystals and adaptively shift along the twin peak splitting vectors in response to a change in the twin variant volume fraction. Application of this theory to tetragonal phase explains the intrinsic lattice parameter relationships of monoclinic ${M}_{C}$ phase recently discovered in ferroelectric $\mathrm{Pb}[{({\mathrm{Mg}}_{1∕3}{\mathrm{Nb}}_{2∕3})}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ti}}_{x}]{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ and $\mathrm{Pb}[{({\mathrm{Zn}}_{1∕3}{\mathrm{Nb}}_{2∕3})}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ti}}_{x}]{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$.
Supermarket Shopping: What is This Thing Called Customer Service?

What do shoppers want improved in their supermarkets? By any standard, supermarkets are earning a barely passing grade. This research looks at the systematic as well as the human interaction variables that contribute to customer service satisfaction. In this study Customer satisfaction is based on levels of customer service that have two primary drivers: customer expectations regarding service and customer experiences with service. Items representing various facets of customer service were generated via focus groups, executive interviews, and a review of various government and proprietary customer service surveys. This process resulted in the generation of 53 items. Using a quota sample of 100 adult food shoppers, the 53-item instrument was condensed into 21 items. Accurate check-out, speedy check-out, and uncluttered aisles are the three most important customer service attributes.
Thermodynamics of solution of linear and cyclic ketones in n-C36H74 at 373.15 K using gas-liquid chromatography

Abstract Thermodynamic properties of solution at 373.15 K in n -C 36 H 74 have been measured for 2-ketones and cyclic ketones containing 5 through 11 carbon atoms, using gas-liquid chromatography (g.l.c.). The differences between the solution properties of linear and cyclic polar solutes are qualitatively the same as those between normal and cyclic alkanes, but cannot be expressed quantitatively in as simple a manner. The presence of the carbonyl group in the ketone solutes introduces a nearly constant additive contribution to the enthalpy of solution, attributed to the induction interaction between it and the methylene chain of the solvent. The same interaction is responsible for more negative entropies of solution for the ketones relative to the alkanes, particularly for the smaller solutes.
Maneb-induced dopaminergic neuronal death is not affected by loss of mitochondrial complex I activity: results from primary mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons cultured from individual Ndufs4+/+ and Ndufs4-/- mouse embryos.

Primary cultures from embryonic mouse ventral mesencephalon are widely used for investigating the mechanisms of dopaminergic neuronal death in Parkinson's disease models. Specifically, single mouse or embryo cultures from littermates can be very useful for comparative studies involving transgenic mice when the neuron cultures are to be prepared before genotyping. However, preparing single mouse embryo culture is technically challenging because of the small number of cells present in the mesencephalon of each embryo (150,000-300,000), of which only 0.5-5% are tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) -positive, dopaminergic neurons. In this study, we optimized the procedure for preparing primary mesencephalic neuron cultures from individual mouse embryos. Mesencephalic neurons that are dissociated delicately, plated on Aclar film coverslips, and incubated in DMEM supplemented with FBS for 5 days and then N2 supplement for 1 day resulted in the best survival of dopaminergic neurons from each embryo. Using this optimized method, we prepared mesencephalic neuron cultures from single Ndufs4+/+ or Ndufs4-/- embryos, and investigated the role of mitochondrial complex I in maneb-induced dopamine neuron death. Our results suggest that maneb toxicity to dopamine neurons is not affected by loss of mitochondrial complex I activity in Ndufs4-/- cultures.
Length-dependent activation in three striated muscle types of the rat.

The process whereby sarcomere length modulates the sensitivity of the myofilaments to Ca2+ is termed length-dependent activation. Length-dependent activation is a property of all striated muscles, yet the relative extent of length-dependent activation between skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle is unclear. Although length-dependent activation may be greater in fast skeletal muscle (FSM) than in slow skeletal muscle (SSM), there has not been a well controlled comparison of length-dependent activation between skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle (CM). Accordingly, we measured sarcomere length-dependent properties in skinned soleus (SSM), psoas (FSM) and ventricular trabeculae (CM) of the rat under carefully controlled conditions. The free Ca2+-force relationship was determined at sarcomere lengths (SL) of 1.95 μm, 2.10 μm and 2.25 μm and fitted to a modified Hill equation. FSM and SSM were more sensitive to Ca2+ than CM. Length-dependent activation was ordered as CM > FSM > SSM. Cooperativity as measured by the Hill coefficient of the Ca2+-force relationship was not significantly different between CM and FSM, both of which exhibited greater cooperativity than SSM. SL did not significantly alter this parameter in each muscle type. To establish whether the observed differences can be explained by alterations in interfilament spacing, we measured myofilament lattice spacing (LS) by synchrotron X-ray diffraction in relaxed, skinned muscle preparations. LS was inversely proportional to SL for each muscle type. The slope of the SL-LS relationship, however, was not significantly different between striated muscle types. We conclude that (1) length-dependent activation differs among the three types of striated muscle and (2) these differences in the length-dependent properties among the striated muscle types may not solely be explained by the differences in the response of interfilament spacing to changes in muscle length in relaxed, skinned isolated muscle preparations.
Conductivity exponent for stirred superconductor-insulator mixtures.

The conductivity exponent governing criticality of randomly stirred superconductor-insulator mixtures is estimated using a novel Monte Carlo simulation approach based on charge-density equilibration rather than random walks of individual charges. This approach is the most direct yet proposed for computing scaling properties in the limit of infinite charge mobility, a limit considered relevant to conductivity scaling for microemulsions. The results are compared to a previous computational estimate, scaling predictions, and microemulsion measurements.
Emergence of Yalom's Therapeutic Factors in a Peer-Led, Asynchronous, Online Support Group for Family Caregivers

Support groups fill a critical void in the health care system, harnessing the power of shared experiences to provide support to group members. Likewise, family caregivers fill a void in the health care system, providing billions in unpaid care to the chronically ill. Caregiver support groups offer an opportunity for alleviating the psychological burden of caregiving. The power of any group, including a support group, to foster psychological well-being lies in its ability to cultivate Yalom's therapeutic factors. Gaps in the literature remain regarding the ability of non-prototypical groups to promote therapeutic mechanisms of change. The purpose of this study was to determine if and when Yalom's therapeutic group factors emerged in a peer-led support group delivered in an asynchronous, online format. Qualitative content analysis utilizing deductive category application was employed. Participants' responses were coded and frequency counts were conducted. Results revealed that 9 of 11 therapeutic factors emerged over the course of the group, with Group Cohesiveness, Catharsis, Imparting of Information, and Universality occurring most often. Several factors, including Interpersonal Learning, Corrective Recapitulation of the Primary Family Group, Imitative Behavior, and Development of Socializing Techniques were absent or virtually absent, likely due to the peer-led format of the group. Progression of therapeutic factors over the course of the group is presented. Findings demonstrate the presence of a variety of Yalom's therapeutic factors in an asynchronous, peer-led online support group.
Validation Study of Two Continuum Granular Frictional Flow Theories

Granular kinetic theories are valid in both kinetic (dilute) flow regime and dense collisional (intermediate) flow regime. This is true as long as contacts between two colliding particles are instantaneous. Empirical theories derived from soil mechanics have been traditionally used in continuum modeling for dense granular flows dominated by enduring contact between particles. This study focuses on validating two continuum theories commonly used to model dense frictional granular flows. The first validation example is conducted for a granular bin discharge, and model predictions are compared with a well-known empirical correlation for the discharge rate. The second example involves a more detailed comparison of flow variables with predictions obtained using a discrete technique for granular flow in a simple shear cell. The frictional flow theory that is only activated at the quasi-static flow regime above maximum packing does not show accurate predictions. Better predictions are obtained using a frictional theory that extends in the intermediate flow regime below packing where both collisional and enduring contact between particles occur.
Use of total leukocyte and platelet counts to guide stem cell apheresis in healthy allogeneic donors treated with G-CSF.

Use of total leukocyte and platelet counts to guide stem cell apheresis in healthy allogeneic donors treated with G-CSF
Developmental regulation of tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA expression and enzyme activity in the raphe and its target fields

Abstract Tryptophan hydroxylase is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of serotonin and during development, brain serotonin levels and tryptophan hydroxylase activities increase. Increased tryptophan hydroxylase activity could result from alterations in tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA levels, translation, and/or post-translational regulation. Tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA levels in the dorsal raphe nucleus increased 35-fold between embryonic day 18 and postnatal day 22, measured by quantitative in situ hybridization, then decreased by 40% between postnatal days 22 and 61. These changes correlated with tryptophan hydroxylase enzyme activities in the raphe nuclei as expected, but not in cortical or hippocampal targets. Tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA expression in the nucleus raphe obscuris increased 2.5-fold between postnatal days 8 and 22 but did not correlate with enzyme activity in the spinal cord. Using an in vitro model of serotonergic raphe neuron differentiation, serotonergic differentiation was associated with an increase in both tryptophan hydroxylase promoter activity and protein expression. In vivo , tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA levels per single cell and per brain section were correlated during development up to postnatal day 22, but not beyond for both the dorsal raphe nucleus and nucleus raphe obscuris. Between postnatal days 22 and 61 single cell levels of tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA in the dorsal raphe nucleus did not change yet the levels per brain section significantly decreased by 40%. During the same period in the nucleus raphe obscuris, tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA levels per single cell signifcantly increased by 30% yet levels per brain section did not change. Comparison of tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA levels per cell and per brain section indicated a serotonergic loss between postnatal days 22 and 61 in both the dorsal raphe nucleus and nucleus raphe obscuris and may reflect either a loss of neurotransmitter phenotype or cell death. This study is the first to characterize the expression of brain tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA during rat development. In addition, this study is the first to report the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase in the spinal cord and hippocampus in the embryonic and neonatal rat. Together, the data provide a better understanding of the intricate relationship between patterns of tryptophan hydroxylase messenger RNA expression and enzyme activity.
Intimate Territories and the Experimental Subject in Ladakh, India

AbstractThis paper explores the management of reproduction and sexuality as experimental political practice. In Leh District of India's Jammu and Kashmir State, vote bloc politics and a tenuous geopolitical context highlight the reproductive body's potential to maintain political and territorial control through demographic trends. Conflict between the Buddhist majority and Muslim minority is articulated partly through the regulation of fertility and sexuality. Population is described as a zero-sum game in which each side acquires or cedes territory; activists and religious leaders experiment with the body as a territorial tool. These projects collide with the hopes and fears of women and men considering love, marriage, pregnancy, and contraceptive use. This paper draws on research conducted in 2004 and 2007–2009 to explore how women's desiring and reproductive bodies are folded into geopolitical experiments, how women cope under this experimental regime, and the ways that they turn to a tactic of ‘not kno...
A cellular protein that competes with SV40 T antigen for binding to the retinoblastoma gene product

Tumour-suppressor genes, such as the human retinoblastoma susceptibility gene (Rb), are widely recognized as being vital in the control of cell growth and tumour formation. This role is indicated, in part, by the suppression of tumorigenicity of human tumour cells after retrovirus-mediated Rb replacement. How Rb acts to bring about this suppression is not clear but one clue is that the Rb protein forms complexes with the transforming oncoproteins of several DNA tumour viruses, and that two regions of Rb essential for such binding frequently contain mutations in tumour cells. These observations suggest that endogenous cellular proteins might exist that bind to the same regions of Rb and thereby mediate its function. We report here the identification of one such human cellular Rb-associated protein of relative molecular mass 46,000 (46K) (RbAP46). Two lines of evidence support the notion that RbAP46 and simian virus 40 T antigen have homologous Rb-binding properties: first, several mutated Rb proteins that failed to bind to T also did not associate with RbAP46; and second, both T antigen and T peptide (amino acids 101-118) were able to compete with RbAP46 for binding to Rb. The apparent targeting of the RbAP46-Rb interaction by oncoproteins of DNA tumour viruses strongly suggests that formation of this complex is functionally important.
Effects of parietal lesions on visual matching: Implications for reading errors

Abstract Three groups of subjects, left and right parietal patients and neurologically intact controls, performed a visual matching task. Two strings of letters that were either identical or differed by one letter were presented centrally; subjects were asked to make a same/different judgement. Response time and error data indicated that both left and right parietal patients had difficulty detecting mismatches at the end of the string contralateral to the lesion. The implications of these findings for other visual tasks are particularly important for the left parietal patients, who often display significant reading disorders. The reading performance of an individual left parietal patient is presented and the possible contribution of subtle spatial attention deficits to reading errors is discussed.
Suppression of sawtooth oscillations due to hot electrons and hot ions

Abstract The theory of m =1 kink mode stabilization is discussed in the presence of either magnetically trapped hot electrons or hot ions. For stability hot ions require particles peaked inside q =1 surface, while hot electrons require that its pressure profile be increasing at the q =1 surface. Experimentally observed sawtooth stabilization usually occurs with off-axis heating with ECRH and near axis heating with ICRH. Such heating may produce the magnetically trapped hot particle pressure profiles that are consistent with theory.
Testing the strong equivalence principle by radio ranging

Planetary range data offer the most promising means to test the validity of the Strong Equivalence Principle (SEP). Analytical expressions for the perturbation in the 'range' expected from an SEP violation predicted by the 'variation-of-G' method and by the 'two-times' approach are derived and compared. The dominant term in both expressions is quadratic in time. Analysis of existing range data should allow a determination of the coefficient of this term with a one-standard-deviation uncertainty of about 1 part in 100 billion/yr.
German trade policy in Eastern Europe, 1890–1990: preconditions for applying international trade leverage

Over the past century, Germany has repeatedly attempted to use trade as a tool of foreign policy vis-a-vis Imperial Russia, the Soviet Union, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Against the background of continual German economic superiority, this article analyzes Germany's ability to apply trade leverage in terms of four other factors: the nature of the prevailing international trade regime, government views of trade leverage as a tool of statecraft, the degree of German state autonomy in setting trade policies, and the availability of an effective bureaucratic mechanism for controlling German imports and exports. The historical record demonstrates that beyond economic superiority, the application of trade leverage requires a permissive international trade regime, state acceptance of trade-based economic statecraft, an autonomous domestic regime, and a rigorous trade control bureaucracy. Surprisingly, this conjunction of factors, as they applied to Eastern Europe, occurred during both the Nazi period and the early years of the Federal Republic. The article closes by pointing out how two important factors—the politicized nature of the East-West trade regime and the Federal Republic's high degree of state autonomy in setting Eastern trade policy–are being eroded by political and economic change in Eastern Europe.
Coal transportation: An undervalued aspect of energy modeling?

Abstract Changes in the supply of, and demand for, energy are reflected by the spatial pattern of energy flows. Review of energy modeling research indicates that while supply and demand variables are highly disaggregated, other aspects, such as transportation, are represented in more generalized form. Consistent economic and geographic scales are vital to the successful application of energy models to policy formulation and decision-making. Consistency of scale is examined between models and within models. Internal inconsistency of scale is demonstrated in two complex coal models which fail to provide sufficient detail on transportation characteristics. Since transportation characteristics are a major influence on the allocation of coal, insufficient disaggregation introduces error components that result in regional bias. Solutions may be found in improved model specification, transportation submodels, and rigorous sensitivity analysis of spatial error distribution.
An assessment of the aquatic and wetland vegetation of the Upper Mississippi River

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin have strong botanical traditions that have resulted in a macrophyte literature which documents the identity, taxonomy, floristics, and ecology of aquatic macrophytes and wetland vegetation of the Upper Mississippi River and its floodplain. These findings are reviewed with respect to floristics, vegetation dynamics (patterns, history, production and management), and environmental changes that impact vegetation. Aspects requiring future study are noted to direct subsequent investigations.
Effect of lipids on soy protein isolate solubility

Reduced-lipid soy protein isolate (SPI), prepared from soy flour treated so that most of the polar lipids have been removed, exhibited an increase in protein solubility of 50% over that of the control SPI prepared from hexane-defatted flour. Adding lipids from a commercial SPI during processing of reduced-lipid SPI decreased SPI solubility by 46%. The 19% decreased solubility caused by the lipids (primarily phospholipids) was largely recovered by treating the protein with a reducing agent (2-mercaptoethanol). The balance of protein insolubility, caused by the lipids, was attributed to a smaller lipid fraction (approximately 5% of the total lipids). Adding lipids during SPI processing contributed to both the formation of oxidized protein sulfhydryls, incapable of being reduced by 2-mercaptoethanol, and to oxidative deterioration of protein as determined by protein carbonyl contents.
Comparing buprenorphine induction experience with heroin and prescription opioid users

Prescription opioid (PO)-dependent treatment presentations are becoming increasingly common; however, most research on the treatment of opioid-dependent populations has been conducted in heroin users. The aim of this secondary data analysis was to compare the buprenorphine induction experience of 167 heroin and 61 PO users. Results demonstrate that although the groups differed on some baseline characteristics, many of the key induction experience variables were comparable between the groups. Heroin users were found to have significantly higher preinduction Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) scores (p = .014) and postinduction COWS score (p = .008) compared with the PO users. No differences between groups were found for self-reported craving and withdrawal scores, mean buprenorphine dose on Day 1, or retention at the end of the first week. The findings of this study suggest that existing buprenorphine induction practices developed for heroin users appear to be equally effective with PO users.
Barrington Moore on obedience and revolt

When Hegel called history a slaughterbench, he knew what he was talking about. The record of the human past is soaked with the traces of suffering and exploitation, famine and plague, conflict and privation. Anyone who ponders the meaning of this record is filled with admiration at the species' capacity to endure, but at the same time he must be dismayed by people's reluctance to rebel. How did they endure their sufferings and, more important, why? those millions who slaved to build the tombs of selfish kings, who worked the fields for ungrateful masters, who died in battle for threadbare slogans, who folded their clothes and waited for the gas. Why didn't more of them turn on their tormentors, struggle against their fate, or at least make one final angry or hopeful gesture? The question is legitimate because at times people have rebelled; it is poignant because these rebellions are so rare. The complex interplay of suffering, endurance, and rebellion has been the central theme in Barrington Moore's published work. From his first book on the Soviet Union until Injustice, he has considered the causes, character, and consequences of revolutionary change. This thematic unity makes it worthwhile to use Moore's earlier work as a backdrop against which Injustice can be seen.