cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New evidence for transmitter role of VIP in the airways: impaired relaxation by a catalytic antibody.

Abstract The identity of the transmitter(s) of nonadrenergic, noncholinergic airway smooth muscle relaxation has long been investigated. Recently, nitric oxide (NO) has been proposed as the main, if not the only transmitter. We earlier suggested vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) as a candidate transmitter and target for pathogenic catalytic autoantibodies (VIPases) found in certain humans. To re-examine the role of VIP, we studied the airway transport and effects of a model monoclonal antibody (Ab) capable of binding and cleaving VIP. In vitro receptor binding assays indicated the catalytic light chain subunit of the VIPase Ab to inhibit the saturable binding of (Tyr10-125I) VIP by guinea pig lung membranes, whereas a catalytically deficient mutant of the Ab light chain was without significant inhibitory activity. Systemically administered IgG preparations of the VIPase Ab accumulated in the airway lavage fluid of guinea pigs at levels close to those in blood, suggesting that the Ab reaches the airways freely. Electrical field stimulation (EFS)-induced relaxations of tracheal strips were weaker and shorter in VIPase-treated animals than in control nonimmune IgG-treated animals. The inhibitory effect of the VIPase was dose-dependent. VIPase-mediated inhibition of EFS-induced relaxation was evident both in the absence and presence of blockade of β-adrenergic and cholinergic receptors. Thus, circulating VIP binding and cleaving antibodies can reach the airways and attenuate the neurogenic relaxation of guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle, probably by neutralizing endogenously released VIP. The findings support a role for VIP as a major mediator of neurogenic relaxation of guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle. Lack of complete abrogation of relaxation is consistent with a co-transmitter role for NO.
The implications of multiple tumor induction in rodent skin for the biologic nature of neoplasia

The various factors that influence the biologic behavior of multiple tumors are discussed. Induced skin tumors in animals are used as a model system to illustrate these factors. Biologic behavior in multiple tumors can be determined by varying the carcinogen treatment, by manipulating the inducing stimuli, by changing the carcinogen used, and by stopping and restarting the treatment at different intervals. Such variations in treatment can result in tumor regression, influence the type of tumor produced, and determine whether it will be benign or malignant. The behavior of these tumors challenges the concept that cellular anarchy is the root problem in the development of cancer and that it is an irreversible change. It is more likely that neoplasia is a reactive cellular process with various endpoints. These behavior patterns follow the six Rules of Progression outlined by Leslie Foulds in 1949. These rules are generally applicable to neoplasia and are of immense importance in understanding the fundamental nature of the process. The growth of multiple neoplasms independently of one another in a single animal indicates that the chance of there being a systemic immune mechanism governing the progression of these lesions is most unlikely. It is suggested that additional studies are needed on the effect on multiple tumors of varying stimuli to provide further data on the development of neoplasms.
Commutators on Half-Spaces

We study the boundedness and compactness of commutators $$M_fI_k - I_kM_f$$ on $$L^p(\mathbb{R}^n_+, dv)$$ , where $$M_f$$ and $$I_f$$ are defined by $$M_f [g](x) = f(x)g(x)$$ and $$I_k[g](x) = \int_H k(x,y)g(y)\, dv(y)$$ respectively. If $$k$$ satisfies some upper and lower estimates, then we obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for $$M_fI_k - I_kM_f$$ to be bounded or compact on $$L^p(\mathbb{R}^n_+, dv)$$ for $$1 < p < \infty$$ . The reproducing kernel of the harmonic Bergman space of $$H$$ can be shown to satisfy all the required estimates. Our result is the real variable analogue of the complex variable one for commutators associated with an analytic reproducing kernel.
Role of Dosage-Sensitive Sex Reversal, Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita, Critical Region on the X Chromosome, Gene 1 in Protein Kinase A- and Protein Kinase C-Mediated Regulation of the Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein Expression in Mouse Leydig Tumor Cells: Mechanism of Action

Dosage-sensitive sex reversal, adrenal hypoplasia congenita, critical region on the X chromosome, gene 1 (DAX-1) is an orphan nuclear receptor that has been demonstrated to be instrumental to the expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein that regulates steroid biosynthesis in steroidogenic cells. However, its mechanism of action remains obscure. The present investigation was aimed at exploring the molecular involvement of DAX-1 in protein kinase A (PKA)- and protein kinase C (PKC)-mediated regulation of StAR expression and its concomitant impact on steroid synthesis using MA-10 mouse Leydig tumor cells. We demonstrate that activation of the PKA and PKC pathways, by a cAMP analog dibutyryl (Bu)2cAMP [(Bu)2cAMP] and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), respectively, markedly decreased DAX-1 expression, an event that was inversely correlated with StAR protein, StAR mRNA, and progesterone levels. Notably, the suppression of DAX-1 requires de novo transcription and translation, suggesting that the effect of DAX-1 in regulating StAR expression is dynamic. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies revealed the association of DAX-1 with the proximal but not the distal region of the StAR promoter, and both (Bu)2cAMP and PMA decreased in vivo DAX-1-DNA interactions. EMSA and reporter gene analyses demonstrated the functional integrity of this interaction by showing that DAX-1 binds to a DNA hairpin at position -44/-20 bp of the mouse StAR promoter and that the binding of DAX-1 to this region decreases progesterone synthesis by impairing transcription of the StAR gene. In support of this, targeted silencing of endogenous DAX-1 elevated basal, (Bu)2cAMP-, and PMA-stimulated StAR expression and progesterone synthesis. Transrepression of the StAR gene by DAX-1 was tightly associated with expression of the nuclear receptors Nur77 and steroidogenic factor-1, demonstrating these factors negatively modulate the steroidogenic response. These findings provide insight into the molecular events by which DAX-1 influences the PKA and PKC signaling pathways involved in the regulation of the StAR protein and steroidogenesis in mouse Leydig tumor cells.
A Monte Carlo study of rainfall forecasting with a stochastic model

A procedure for short-term rainfall forecasting in real-time is developed and a study of the role of sampling on forecast ability is conducted. Ground level rainfall fields are forecasted using a stochastic space-time rainfall model in state-space form. Updating of the rainfall field in real-time is accomplished using a distributed parameter Kalman filter to optimally combine measurement information and forecast model estimates. The influence of sampling density on forecast accuracy is evaluated using a series of a simulated rainfall events generated with the same stochastic rainfall model. Sampling was conducted at five different network spatial densities. The results quantify the influence of sampling network density on real-time rainfall field forecasting. Statistical analyses of the rainfall field residuals illustrate improvement in one hour lead time forecasts at higher measurement densities.
Mutagenesis of the replication point by nitrosoguanidine: map and pattern of replication of the Escherichia coli chromosome.

Abstract The majority of the mutations induced by nitrosoguanidine in Escherichia coli are located in the replication point region of the chromosome. The treatment with nitrosoguanidine of successive samples from a synchronized culture produces a maximum of a given type of mutant at the time the corresponding gene is being replicated. This permits the construction of a replication map of the chromosome that describes the pattern of the replication of the genes. This map is in general agreement with the standard genetic map. The origin of replication is fixed at a determined position of the chromosome, that corresponds roughly to 50 minutes of the standard conjugation map and is the same for all strains tested (a 15 T − , a K12 Hfr and a K12 F − ). The direction of replication is clockwise, by reference to the same standard, and the cycles of DNA replication, under the conditions studied, succeed each other without delay or overlap. As an application of the method to the study of the control of DNA replication, a genetic demonstration is presented that thymine starvation leads to the initiation of a new round of DNA replication, even if the chromosome is already being replicated at the time thymine is withheld.
Rheology of Composite Restoratives

Cone and plate viscometry was used to characterize the viscosity and pseudoplastic nature of some setting composites and their components. A method for the determination of the end of the working time using the cone and plate results is also introduced.
Source-Specific Neutron Detection Efficiencies of the TAMU Neutron Ball

In this paper, we report neutron detection efficiencies for the TAMU Neutron Ball located at the Cyclotron Institute at Texas A&M University. The results discussed are for symmetric reactions of 70Zn, 64Zn and 64Ni at a beam energy of 35 MeV/nucleon. The overall neutron detection efficiency was found to be approximately 70%. We also briefly discuss the process of quasi-projectile (QP) reconstruction. The HIPSE-SIMON reaction simulation and de-excitation code is used in conjunction with a software filter which simulates the geometric and energetic acceptances of the Neutron Ball to provide QT (quasi-target) and QP-specific neutron detection efficiencies. These source-specific efficiencies can be used to estimate the number of free neutrons to associate with the QP during reconstruction of experimental data. With this information it is possible to study the decay processes of well-defined, exotic forms of nuclear matter.
Hepatic disease in patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

The spectrum of liver disease in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the clinical impact of diagnostic percutaneous liver biopsy in this population were evaluated by a retrospective review of hepatic histology, clinical features and laboratory data in 85 patients (26 biopsies, 59 autopsies). Only 1 (3.8%) biopsy and 9 (15%) postmortem livers were histologically normal. Macrosteatosis and nonspecific portal inflammation were the most common histologic abnormalities. Intrahepatic AIDS-specific opportunistic infections or malignancies were detected in 42% of both biopsy and autopsy groups, with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare the most frequent pathogen seen. Kaposi's sarcoma, although not detected on biopsy, was the most common postmortem AIDS-related hepatic finding. Intrahepatic lymphoma, cytomegalovirus hepatitis and hepatic mycoses were less frequently observed. In general, hepatic involvement represented part of a previously diagnosed, widely disseminated disease process, and liver biopsy led to new AIDS-specific diagnoses in only two patients. We conclude that while liver biopsy is a useful diagnostic tool in selected patients with AIDS, the information provided by biopsy rarely influences therapy or leads to improved survival.
IPS pini: The basis for interpopulational differences in pheromone biology

Ips pini from Idaho (ID) produce (−)-ipsdienol and respond to it in the laboratory.I. pini from New York (NY) produce (+) and (−)-ipsdienol in a 65∶35 ratio and respond much more strongly to the (+) than to the (−) enantiomer. Response byI. pini-ID to (−)-ipsdienol in the laboratory was inhibited by (+)-ipsdienol, while the field response byI. pini-NY was optimal to a 50:50 mixture of (+) and (−)-ipsdienol. This differential production and response to enantiomers of ipsdienol is sufficient to account for populational specificity observed in earlier experiments and confirmed by our current work. Reciprocal hybrids of the NY and IDI. pini populations did not differ in their patterns of attraction and response; those of both types of F1 were similar to NY beetles. Thus, it appears that (+)-ipsdienol is produced by the hybrids and is necessary for their maximum response, but this supposition was not tested. The genes controlling the pheromone biology ofI. pini are not sex linked. Since previous whole-antenna and single-cell electrophysiological data show that the receptor systems of the two populations are virtually identical, response behavior seems to be governed by the central nervous system rather than by the characteristics of the olfactory receptors.
Convention Center Operating Characteristics

Abstract While convention centers have continued to grow and expand, the basic facts about this segment of the hospitality industry have not been widely available. This article seeks to change that situation by undertaking exploratory research that takes the most important characteristics of convention centers (Adams, 1984; Fenich, 1992; Leo & Levite, 1986; Zia, 1988) and then provides descriptive statistics for them. This information should be useful to academics and practitioners alike, both to describe current business practices and for use in future analysis.
Expansions of multivariable Bessel functions

First kind multivariable Bessel functions are expanded in terms of . Parallely we expand many variable Hermite-Bessel functions and draw further consequences.
Ultrashort free-carrier lifetime in low-loss silicon nanowaveguides

We demonstrate reduction of the free-carrier lifetime in a silicon nanowaveguide from 3 ns to 12.2 ps by applying a reverse bias across an integrated p-i-n diode. This observation represents the shortest free-carrier lifetime demonstrated to date in silicon waveguides. Importantly, the presence of the p-i-n structure does not measurably increase the propagation loss of the waveguide. We derive a figure of merit demonstrating equal dependency of the nonlinear phase shift on free-carrier lifetime and linear propagation loss.
Failure Prognosis for Permanent Magnet AC Drives Based on Wavelet Analysis

Prognosis for failure of an electric machine can be achieved through the detection of non-catastrophic faults. As the frequency of these types of faults increases, the working life of the machine is decreased, leading to eventual failure. In this work, two types of stator faults are studied. The methods developed are based on analysis of the undecimated discrete wavelet transform of the field oriented machine currents. Linear discriminant analysis is used to classify between the fault types
Acute-phase reactants in sickle cell disease.

Etude prospective, chez 75 sujets drepanocytaires de 9 mois a 20 ans, de la numeration globulaire, de la vitesse de sedimentation et de 3 marqueurs (proteine-c-reactive, C 3 et α-antitrypsine), lors des visites de routine, en crise vaso-occlusive et en cours d'infection. Pas de valeur differentielle, entre crise occlusive et infection, des marqueurs. Ne pas hesiter a demarrer l'antibiotherapie en attendant les resultats de la bacteriologie et de l'evolution clinique
Approximate values of the multiplicities in the arm of the cocharacter sequence of M 2,1

In this paper we study the cocharacter sequence of M 2,1 and obtain estimates for the multiplicities of the irreducible S n -characters χλ, where λ is any partition with at most 5 parts.
ASD closure with the Amplatzer device

We report the safety and efficacy of the Amplatzer device for transcatheter closure of ASD and fenestrated Fontan in children and adults. One hundred and two patients underwent transcatheter occlusion of the defect. The median age of the patients was 18.2 years, the median size of the ASDs by TEE was 17.6 mm, the median balloon-stretched diameter was 19.9 mm, and the median size of the device implanted was 20 mm. Immediately after the release of the device, color Doppler echocardiography revealed no residual shunt in 92 (90.19%) of 102 patients. At 24 hours all the patients 101/101 (100%) had complete closure. The minor complications encountered after the procedure were atrial arrhythmias in 4 patients. The only major complication we had was a baby who died. In conclusion, the ASO device is a safe and effective device for catheter closure of most secundum ASDs and fenestrated Fontan.
Downstream bioprocessing: recent advances and future promise

Dramatic improvements in cell culture titers, product quality constraints, new regulatory directives, and the emergence of biosimilars have necessitated the development of more efficient downstream bioprocesses for biopharmaceuticals. This has resulted in significant improvements in traditional separation processes as well as the emergence of entirely new approaches. In this review, we highlight some of these recent advances. This includes chromatographic phases with elevated capacities and unique selectivities, new classes of monoliths and membrane adsorbers for the recovery of large bioproducts, high resolution membrane systems for polishing operations, continuous downstream processes for multicomponent separations, affinity tags with self-cleaving inteins, responsive biopolymers for single step separations, the implementation of high throughput process development, and designing proteins for biomanufacturability.
Flexible Spatial Orientation and Navigational Strategies in Chambered Nautilus

Nautilus is a remnant of an externally shelled cephalopod lineage that flourished between 450 and 60 million years ago. It is a deep-water scavenger that lacks the complex brain and behavioural repertoire of its soft-bodied relatives, the coleoid cephalopods. Nautilus makes repeated, nightly migrations from deep to shallow water along coral reef slopes to forage, thus an ability to navigate to known locations may be selectively advantageous. Alternatively, drifting passively with the current may be sufficient to locate food and mates distributed randomly over a large area. The derived neural structures that support learning and memory in coleoids are absent from the nautilus brain, indicating that substantial differences between learning abilities in nautilus and coleoids are likely. However, our previous work has demonstrated both associative and spatial learning in nautilus. In laboratory experiments, we tested whether Nautilus pompilius could learn to navigate towards a goal location using either visual cues or motor responses. Results indicate that animals relied both on proximate and distant visual cues to orient but did not use egocentric cues, a somewhat surprising finding given that nautilus spends most of its time in near darkness. Animals learned visual information rapidly and in some cases were able to switch to other tactics when salient visual cues were removed or manipulated.
The epidemiology and selective identification of children at risk for preoperative anxiety reactions

This observational outpatient study was undertaken prospectively to assess the effect of age and gender on the frequency of children's difficulty with preoperative parental separation and to examine five simple clinical factors as predictors of problematic preoperative behavior. Although gender had no significant effect, 2- to 6-yr-old children were more likely than children 7 to 8 yr old to exhibit problematic behavior on parental separation (P < 0.05). In 2- to 6-yr-old children, three factors were significant predictors of problematic behavior: not taking a preoperative family tour (P < 0.05), having undergone previous surgery (P < 0.05), and preoperatively displaying a dependent or withdrawn affect (P < 0.05). Instead of implementing the routine use of a sedative, optimal management seems to involve sedating only 2- to 6-yr-old children who display one or more of these significant predictive risk factors.
Parametric Investigation of Liquid Jets in Low Gravity

An axisymmetric phase field model is developed and used to model surface tension forces on liquid jets in microgravity. The previous work in this area is reviewed and a baseline drop tower experiment selected for model comparison. This paper uses the model to parametrically investigate the influence of key parameters on the geysers formed by jets in microgravity. Investigation of the contact angle showed the expected trend of increasing contact angle increasing geyser height. Investigation of the tank radius showed some interesting effects and demonstrated the zone of free surface deformation is quite large. Variation of the surface tension with a laminar jet showed clearly the evolution of free surface shape with Weber number. It predicted a breakthrough Weber number of 1.
Service Barriers for Battered Women With Male Partners in Batterer Programs

Relativelyf ew women had extensive contact with additional services during a multisite evaluation of batterer intervention in four cities. At a 30-month follow-up, women were asked why they did not seek additional services (n = 278 of 618). The majority of the women (59%) indicated that they had no need for additional services from a battered women's program. The remaining women did not seek services because of negative views of battered women's programs (16%), practical barriers (12%), and other reasons (11%). More than half (56%) of the women who held negative views of women's programs based those views on prior experiences, as opposed to the remaining half (44%) who based their views on their perceptions only. The women responded in a similar way to a question about other kinds of social services. The most appropriate means and extent of outreach is uncertain, given the need to appreciate women's self-determination versus the possibility of denial.
An experiment to determine the structure of a planetary atmosphere.

Planetary atmosphere structure and mean molecular weight determination from onboard measurements tested at high altitude in earth atmosphere, based on NASA Program
Who Smokes in Hollywood? Characteristics of Smokers in Popular Films from 1940 to 1989

We examined how smokers were depicted in 100 popular films spanning 5 decades. Smokers were depicted as more romantically and sexually active than nonsmokers and as marginally more intelligent than nonsmokers. Smokers and nonsmokers did not differ in terms of attractiveness, goodness, socioeconomic status, aggression, friendliness, or outcome at film's end. Thus, if anything, smokers are depicted a bit more positively than nonsmokers. We compared Hollywood's depiction of smokers to real-world demographics on smoking and found that Hollywood's depiction of smoking tends to ignore the negative consequences and correlates (e.g., ill health, low socioeconomic status, aggressive behavior) of smoking.
Electrothermoelastic modeling of MEMS gripper

The design of many thermal Microelectromechanical (MEMS) actuators is often based on finite element analysis, but lacks analytical insight. In this paper we report a novel electro-thermal microgripper and a comprehensive thermal modeling of a general 5 lineshape microbeam’s actuator using 1-D steady state heat equations. Because of the variety of microgripper fabrication technologies and their applications, different thermal boundary conditions are considered for lifted off and attached grippers. Parametric and nonparametric electrothermomechanical identification models for silicon on insulator microgripper, fabricated on 100 μm device layer, are obtained.
Ascorbic Acid and Dehydroascorbic Acid Interconversion without Net Oxidation or Reduction

The interconversion of ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid was examined in aqueous solution using unlabeled dehydroascorbic acid and nonlabile, stable isotope-labeled ascorbic acid by gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis. Although the formation of unlabeled ascorbic acid from unlabeled dehydroascorbic acid or labeled dehydroascorbic acid from labeled ascorbic acid did not occur to any significant extent when either solutions of unlabeled dehydroascorbic acid or labeled ascorbic acid were incubated alone, significant amounts of both labeled dehydroascorbic acid and unlabeled ascorbic acid formed when unlabeled dehydroascorbic acid was incubated with labeled ascorbic acid at acid pH. At alkaline pH, interconversion did not occur to any appreciable extent. Likewise, interconversion did not appear to occur in plasma at physiologic concentrations of ascorbic acid, but did occur with pharmacologic concentrations. These data show that ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid interconvert in acidic solution, suggesting the reducing hydrogen atoms are delocalized when ascorbic acid is paired with dehydroascorbic acid under these circumstances. Alkaline pH and plasma inhibit the interconversion.
Micellar liquid chromatography for the analysis of nucleosides and bases

Abstract A new high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of nucleosides and bases was developed in which a micellar mobile phase is used. Separation was achieved on a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) column by isocratic elution with micellar sodium dedecyl sulfate (SDS) as the mobile phase. The retention behavior of the nucleosides and bases was significantly different from that obtained by reversed-phase chromatography. Effect of pH, temperature, and concentration of SDS and the counter ion (Na+) on retention behavior were investigated. With the PVA column, the best conditions for an isocratic separation were 0.01 M SDS (pH 3.4) and a flow-rate of 2ml/min at ambient temperature. Mechanisms for the retention of the nucleosides and bases on the PVA column with a micellar mobile phase were proposed and an application of the separation was demonstrated by the analysis of human serum.
Raman imaging of cell wall polymers in Arabidopsis thaliana.

We present chemical images of Arabidopsis thaliana stem cross-sections acquired by confocal Raman microscopy. Using green light (532 nm) from a continuous wave laser, the spatial distributions of cell wall polymers in Arabidopsis are visualized for the first time with lateral resolution that is sub-lm. Our results facilitate the label-free in situ characterization and screening of cell wall composition in this plant biology and genetics model organism, contributing ultimately towards an understanding of the molecular biology of many plant traits.
The role of positive ethics and virtues in the context of sport and performance psychology service delivery.

Ethical principles developed for clinical/counseling psychologists are a useful, but incomplete, guide for sport and performance psychology (SPP) practitioners. Positive and virtue ethics are introduced to the SPP ethical literature as an additional resource. Positive ethics focus on practitioners’ reaching their fullest potential rather than avoiding risk (Knapp & VanDeCreek, 2006). Virtue ethics emphasize the character of the professional rather than situational variables (Newman, Robinson-Kurpius, & Fuqua, 2002). The context in which SPP practice occurs is described and commonly resulting ethical dilemmas are identified. The aspects of SPP context explored are: the domain of performance, SPP settings, SPP interventions, and expectations. The ethical issues discussed are: multiple relationships (including boundaries and dual agency), confidentiality, and self-regulation. Drawing from positive and virtue ethics as well as small community and military psychology, advice for managing the issues is provided. The inclusion of character and fitness requirements in training programs is explored to address the selfgovernance necessitated by the professional isolation of SPP practitioners. Suggestions for future professional practice and research are offered.
Lagrangian method for chiral symmetries

The method of phenomenological nonlinear Lagrangians is described in detail for the case of chiral $\mathrm{SU}(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}(2)$. The complete nonlinear Lagrangian is constructed for a theory of pions, nucleons, and vector and axial-vector mesons. The Lagrangian allows a study of the strong and weak interactions of the particles involved. Relations between masses and coupling constants emerge. A model containing only pions and nucleons is also described. Finally, the way to generalize the method to $\mathrm{SU}(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}(3)$ is indicated.
Using Expert Knowledge to Identify Visual Cues for Landmine Detection

Previous research on training and work analysis shows that expert knowledge represents a valuable resource for addressing use-inspired research questions and solving practical problems in these areas. Here, the body of principles, theory, and methods expertise research has accumulated were used to guide exploration of a new approach to a significant practical problem: Can human vision supplement the information that handheld landmine detection equipment provides its operators to increase detection rates and reduce the hazard of the task? The goal was to acquire objective, foundational knowledge on which visual detection training could be based. A representative set of defused landmines were buried at a field site with bare soil and vegetated surfaces using doctrinal procedures. High-resolution photographs of the ground surface were taken for approximately one month starting in April 2006. An analysis exploiting the perceptual sensitivity of expert observers showed signature photos to experts from related ...
Degradation of poly(acrylates) under SF5+ primary ion bombardment studied using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. 2. Poly(n-alkyl methacrylates)

Polyatomic primary ions offer low penetration depth and high damage removal rates in some polymers, facilitating their use in the molecular depth profiling of these polymers by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). This study is the second in a series of systematic characterizations of the effect of polymer chemistry on degradation under polyatomic primary ion bombardment. In this study, time-of-flight SIMS (ToF-SIMS) was used to measure the damage of ∼90 nm thick spin-cast poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(n-butyl methacrylate), poly(n-octyl methacrylate) and poly(n-dodecyl methacrylate) films under extended (∼2 × 1014 ions cm−2) 5 keV SF5+ bombardment. The degradation of the poly(n-alkyl methacrylates) were compared to determine the effect of the length of the alkyl pendant group on their degradation under SF5+ bombardment. The sputter rate and stability of the characteristic secondary ion intensities of these polymers decreased linearly with alkyl pendant group length, suggesting that lengthening the n-alkyl pendant group resulted in increased loss of the alkyl pendant groups and intra- or intermolecular cross-linking under SF5+ bombardment. These results are partially at variance with the literature on the thermal degradation of these polymers, which suggested that these polymers degrade primarily via depolymerization with minimal intra- or intermolecular cross-linking. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ESL, Ideology, and the Politics of Pragmatism

This article discusses how all forms of ESL instruction are ideological, whether or not educators are conscious of the political implications of their instructional choices. Those choices can encourage students to think critically about their education and about society, or they can discourage questioning the status quo in and out of school. This article asserts that ideology is unavoidable, a position supported by various L1 and L2 scholars whose work is surveyed here. Finally, the "accommodationist" politics of apparently neutral pragmatism in English for academic purposes is discussed.
SOLID-PHASE SYNTHESIS OF HYDROXYETHYLAMINE ANGIOTENSIN ANALOGUES

Three hydroxyethylamine analogues of angiotensins II, III, and IV were prepared by solid-phase methods. The resin-bound peptide was alkylated with the iodomethylketone derivative of the N-terminal amino acid, followed by reduction to the alcohol using sodium borohydride. The iodomethylketones can be made in good yields from commercially available N-protected amino acids. The compounds were evaluated for their ability to displace labeled angiotensins from bovine adrenal membranes, and their metabolic stability tested in kidney homogenates and aminopeptidase M preparations. The hydroxyethylamine amide bond replacement reduced the affinity of the analogues; however, they were substantially more stable to enzymatic degradation.
Near-IR Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy and Kinetics of the Isomers and Conformers of the Butyl Peroxy Radical

Cavity ringdown spectra of butyl peroxy radicals have been obtained for their A-X electronic transition in the near-IR. The radicals were produced by two independent chemical methods, allowing unambiguous assignment of the spectra of the four butyl peroxy isomers with probable conformer assignments also possible for a number of cases. Using the analyzed spectra semiquantatively, isomer specific rate constants for butyl peroxy self-reaction were measured, as was the relative reactivity of the various sorts of H atoms in butane to Cl atom attack.
Social group work: Past, present, and future

Abstract Social group work has evolved from fostering democratic group processes among members experiencing normal life problems (often associated with low economic status) to focusing on therapeutic individual change through group participation.
Effect of stratospheric ozone depletion on terrestrial ultraviolet radiation: a review and analysis in relation to polymer photodegradation

Abstract Current satellite and ground-based data indicate a long-term decrease in global ozone levels of 2·7 ± 1·4% per decade, although recently the rate may have increased to about 4% per decade outside of the tropics. There is yet little evidence of an accompanying wide-spread increase in terrestrial UV levels, but calculations predict increases of a similar magnitude in coming years. The manifestation of increased UV will be as a broad band centered about 310 nm with only very little absolute increase in wavelengths shorter than 295 nm. Unless sustained ozone losses exceed 15% during the summer months, the effect should be inconsequential for most polymers. The effects of sun position on daily and seasonal variations in UVB are discussed.
Corticosteroidogenesis in Vitro: Effects of Parathyroid Hormone, ACTH, and Calcium

AbstractIsolated rat adrenocortical cells were incubated with bovine parathyroid hormone (PTH) in the absence and presence of ACTH and CaCl2. PTH had no effect on corticosterone production. but CaCl2 induced steroidogenesis in the absence or presence of ACTH. Maximal corticosterone production in the absence of ACTH occurred with 1.25 mM CaCl2 and in the presence of ACTH with 5.00 mM CaCl2. These results show that PTH does not directly affect acute corticosterone production by isolated adrenocortical cells. They also show that ACTH raises the maximal steroidogenesis inducible by CaCl2.
Fret-Based Approach to Probe Domain Motions upon ProRS/YbaK/tRNA_Pro Ternary Complex Formation

To obtain a high level of accuracy during protein synthesis, several different quality control steps are employed by the cellular machinery. The aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) play a critical role in identifying amino acids and pairing them with their cognate tRNAs. Prolyl-tRNA synthetase (ProRS) from all three domains of life has been shown to mischarge alanine and cysteine onto tRNAPro. Most bacterial ProRSs have an editing domain that deacylates mischarged Ala-tRNAPro. However, this double-sieve editing mechanism is not sufficient to clear Cys-tRNAPro. Instead, a free-standing homolog of the ProRS editing domain called YbaK deacylates mischarged Cys-tRNAPro species.We have demonstrated that tRNAPro, ProRS and YbaK form a ternary complex in vitro and in vivo, but the details of this complex are not known.Based on preliminary computational studies, we hypothesize that the alanine editing domain of ProRS undergoes a conformational change to facilitate YbaK binding. In addition, the CCA-3′ end of the tRNA must also be involved in significant conformational changes, translocating between the synthetic active site, the ProRS editing domain active site located 35 A away, and YbaK. To probe these protein and RNA domain movements, we devised a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based approach. To date, using ensemble time-resolved FRET, we have measured an ∼20 A conformational change in the ProRS editing domain upon YbaK binding, confirming our hypothesis of a large conformational change to accommodate YbaK. Moreover, the distance between tRNA and YbaK differ by ∼15 A in the presence and absence of ProRS, further verifying a conformational change. Current studies are aimed at obtaining additional distance constraints between components of the ternary complex.
Enhancing NTIS database access at a multi-campus university

Abstract The Pennsylvania State University Libraries and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) are collaborating on a project to stimulate technical report use at an academic institution. The Libraries have brought on-line the entire NTISbibliographic database on the University-wide LIAS information system and it is available for searching at all 21 Penn State campuses. This paper reviews the project and the level of database and technical report use that occurred during the initial phase of implementation.
Contiguous States, Stable Borders and the Peace between Democracies

Park and Colaresi find that border stability does not apply to non-contiguous states. This just confirms, again, an argument I have been making in numerous publications since my original “Bordering on Peace” article. Nevertheless, I use this response to present a replication of my original argument, as it applies to contiguous states, and I find strong support for the contention that the democratic peace can better be understood as a stable border peace. I also discuss several different replications of the original argument using different proxies for stable borders. Each confirms that joint democracy is not a statistically significant predictor of conflict once stable borders are also included in the model. In sum, arguments from the territorial peace have been confirmed in multiple analyses, with multiple data sets, using multiple levels of analysis, and this renders Park and Colaresi's attack on the original “Bordering on Peace” a non sequitur in the debate over stable borders as an explanation of democracy and peace.
The Seigniorage Gain of an International Currency: An Empirical Test

I. The concept of seigniorage, 495. — II. Its practical significance in the British case, 496. — III. The gross seigniorage gain from sterling, 498. — IV. The offsetting interest cost of the sterling balances, 502.
Effects of flavonoids on immune and inflammatory cell functions

No doubt can remain that the flavonoids have profound effects on the function of immune and inflammatory cells as determined by a large number and variety of in vitro and some in vivo observations. That these ubiquitous dietary chemicals may have significant in vivo effects on homeostasis within the immune system and on the behavior of secondary cell systems comprising the inflammatory response seems highly likely but more work is required to strengthen this hypothesis. Ample evidence indicates that selected flavonoids, depending on structure, can affect (usually inhibit) secretory processes, mitogenesis, and cell-cell interactions including possible effects on adhesion molecule expression and function. The possible action of flavonoids on the function of cytoskeletal elements is suggested by their effects on secretory processes. Moreover, evidence indicates that certain flavonoids may affect gene expression and the elaboration and effects of cytokines and cytokine receptors. How all of these effects are mediated is not yet clear but one important mechanism may be the capacity of flavonoids to stimulate or inhibit protein phosphorylation and thereby regulate cell function. Perhaps the counterbalancing effect of cellular protein tyrosine phosphatases will also be found to be affected by flavonoids. Some flavonoid effects can certainly be attributed to their recognized antioxidant and radical scavenging properties. A potential mechanism of action that requires scrutiny, particularly in relation to enzyme inhibition, is the redox activity of appropriately configured flavonoids. Finally, in a number of cell systems it seems that resting cells are not affected significantly by flavonoids but once a cell becomes activated by a physiological stimulus a flavonoid-sensitive substance is generated and interaction of flavonoids with that substance dramatically alters the outcome of the activation process.
Fossil Membranes and Cell Wall Fragments from a 7000-Year-Old Black Sea Sediment

Lamellar and tubular membranes and orgacnic fragments resemnbling bacterial cell walls were abundant in Black Sea sediments deposited between 3000 and 7000 years ago. This time period was marked by a gradual transition from a freshwater to a seawater environment. The resulting salinity gradient in the interstitial solutions probably promoted natural chromatography and dissolution, redeposition, and preservation of organic molecules. The preservation of organic structures may have resulted from the lack of dissolved oxygen, high concentrations of metal ions, and structural reorganization during compaction.
Metallothionein protects against the cytotoxic and DNA-damaging effects of nitric oxide

In inflammatory states, nitric oxide (.NO) may be synthesized from precursor L-arginine via inducible .NO synthase (iNOS) in large amounts for prolonged periods of time. When .NO acts as an effector molecule under these conditions, it may be toxic to cells by inhibition of iron-containing enzymes or initiation of DNA single-strand breaks. In contrast to molecular targets of .NO, considerably less is known regarding mechanisms by which cells become resistant to .NO. Metallothionein (MT), the major protein thiol induced in cells exposed to cytokines and bacterial products, is capable of forming iron-dinitrosyl thiolates in vitro. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that overexpression of MT reduces the sensitivity of NIH 3T3 cells to the .NO donor, S-nitrosoacetylpenicillamine (SNAP), and to .NO released from cells (NIH 3T3-DFG-iNOS) after infection with a retroviral vector expressing human iNOS gene. There was a 4-fold increase in MT in cells transfected with the mouse MT-1 gene (NIH 3T3/MT) compared to cells transfected with the promoter-free inverted gene (NIH 3T3/TM). NIH 3T3/MT cells were more resistant than NIH 3T3/TM cells to the cytotoxic effects of SNAP (0.1-1.0 mM) or .NO released from NIH 3T3-DFG-iNOS cells. A brief (1 h) exposure to 10 mM SNAP caused DNA single-strand breaks that were 9-fold greater in NIH 3T3/TM compared to NIH 3T3/MT cells. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of NIH 3T3 cells revealed a greater peak at g = 2.04 (e.g., iron-dinitrosyl complex) in NIH 3T3/MT than NIH 3T3/TM cells. These data are consistent with a role for cytoplasmic MT in interacting with .NO and reducing .NO-induced cyto- and nuclear toxicity.
Tunable MEMS Actuated Microring Resonators

A simplified process has been developed to fabricate MEMS tunable microring resonators on six-inch silicon-on-insulator wafers. Deep UV lithography is used to create 220-nm-wide waveguides and microrings. The process is CMOS compatible. The transmission spectra change from a double resonance dip (under-coupling) to a broader single resonance dip (over-coupling) when the waveguide is moved closer to the microring. This is explained by coupled mode theory that includes the effect of backscattering in the microring.
Multiple camera image acquisition models for multi-view 3D display interaction

Multi-view autostereoscopic (AS) displays are a recently developed technology that allows several viewers to see stereo 3D images without the use of glasses or goggles. Our system enables users to interact with real or virtual 3D displayed objects by means of a hand-held cursor or (in the future) through hand gestures. In this paper we mathematically derive two multicamera image acquisition models for multi-view AS displays. These models describe the relationship of object coordinates to camera, screen and image coordinates. We present some examples of virtual objects rendered using the models.
Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation—Checklist: Development and Factor Structure:

Two studies examined the validity and factor structure of the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation—Checklist, an instrument used to evaluate school-based programs. The checklist is a cost-ef...
Measuring the Interface Stress: Silver/Nickel Interfaces

Interface stress is a surface thermodynamics quantity associated with the reversible work of elastically straining an internal solid interface. In a multilayered thin film, the combined effect of the interface stress of each interface results in an in-plane biaxial volume stress acting within the layers of the film that is inversely proportional to the bilayer thickness. We calculated the interface stress of an interface between {111} textured Ag and Ni on the basis of direct measurements of the dependence of the in-plane elastic strains on the bilayer thickness. The strains were obtained using transmission x-ray diffraction. Unlike previous studies of this type, we used freestanding films so that there was no need to correct for intrinsic stresses resulting from forces applied by the substrate that can lead to large uncertainties of the calculated interface stress value. Based on the lattice parameters of the bulk, pure elements, an interface stress of −2.02 ± 0.26 N/m was calculated using the x-ray diffraction results from films with bilayer thicknesses greater than 5 nm. This value is somewhat smaller than previous measurements obtained from as-deposited films supported by substrates. For smaller bilayer thicknesses the apparent interface stress becomes smaller in magnitude, possibly due to a loss of layering in the specimens.
Organizing Instruction for Struggling Readers in Tutorial Settings

In this article, the authors suggest that many of the problems struggling readers encounter while reading stem from distinct yet fundamental sources of difficulty related to the types of text read (print or online), the task or activity readers engage in, and the sociocultural context of reading. The authors further argue that although these problems are multidimensional, they can and should be addressed simultaneously. Using a case scenario of a third-grade struggling reader, the authors share guidelines with an example of how her tutor planned, organized, and monitored instruction in a one-on-one tutorial setting—here defined as a setting in which a single teacher or tutor, usually not the classroom teacher, plans and delivers instruction to one student. The authors anticipate that the insights shared will be helpful to professional educators, paraprofessionals, and volunteer or peer tutors who work with struggling readers in similar settings.