cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Stages of Newcastle Disease Virus-HeLa Cell Interaction: An Electron Microscopic Study.

Abstract Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-HeLa cell complexes obtained by infection at low multiplicity at 2° were rapidly brought to 37° to achieve synchronous initiation of the earliest temperature-dependent stages of virus-cell interaction immediately succeeding virus attachment. Within the first 5 minutes of virus infection electron microscopic studies reveal a series of well-defined morphological events, logically reconstructed as follows: (1) virion attachment to the cell membrane; (2) engulfment of intact virus by pseudopods of the cell, with subsequent formation of a closely applied vacuolar membrane around the ingested virion; (3) swelling and concomitant increase in electron opacity of the virion within the vacuole; (4) loss of morphologic integrity of intravacuolar virus. Virus-cell complexes formed at 2° and warmed to 37° for 5 minutes in the presence of antibody to NDV showed a marked decrease in the number of surface-attached or intracellular particles. Much of the plasma membrane-bound virus was detached following treatment with antibody at 37°. The periphery of all surface-situated virus exposed to viral antibody characteristically assumed a fuzzy amorphous appearance. Surface-bound virus exposed to antibody was seen on occasion within the cell; this rare event revealed virus in close association with cytoplasmic bodies, whose possible lytic function is considered.
The effect of the length of the 3'-untranslated region on expression in plants

The effect of increasing the length of the 3'- untranslated region (UTR) on expression of luciferase mRNA was examined in transiently transfected carrot protoplasts. The effect of the 3'-UTR on both poly(A)- and poly(A) ÷ mRNA was examined. A nested set of constructs in which the 3'-UTR increased from 4 to 104 bases was generated by the introduction and reiteration of a 20 base sequence downstream of the luc stop codon. For poly(A)- mRNA, there was a consistent increase in expression when the length of the 3'-UTR was increased from 4 to 104 bases. For poly(A) + mRNA, expression increased 18-fold when the length of the 3'-UTR was increased from 7 to 27 bases. Further increases in the length of the 3'-UTR did not affect expression. The increase in expression was largely due to an increase in translational efficiency. These data suggest that the length of the 3'-UTR plays an important role in determining the extent to which a poly(A) tail can stimulate the translation of an mRNA.
Werkstoffprüfung mit der Schallemissionsanalyse (SEA)

Nach einer Darstellung der physikalischen Ursachen der Schallemission und der apparativen Verarbeitung und Auswertung der Signale werden an zahlreichen Beispielen die Einsatz- und Aussagemoglichkeiten der Schallemissionsanalyse aufgezeigt. Deren Vor- und Nachteile, besonders im Vergleich zu anderen zerstorungsfreien Prufverfahren, werden diskutiert. Die aufgefuhrten Anwendungsbeispiele umfassen: plastische Verformung von Metallen (Eisen- und Nichteisenmetallen) Risbildung beim Spannungsarmgluhen Risbildung bei Wechsellastbeanspruchung Uberwachung von Schweisungen Spannungsriskorrosion Mikrobruchvorgange in Faserverbundwerkstoffen aus verschiedenen Matrix- und Verstarkungsmaterialien. Non-Destructive-Testing by Acoustic Emission. After the discussion of the physical principles and the experimental procedures of acoustic emission (a. e.) techniques, numerous examples of its applicability and capability are presented. These concern: plastic deformation of metals (ferrous- and non-ferrous-), crack-formation during heat treatment for stress-relief, crack-formation during cyclic loading, control of weld-processes, stress-corrosion cracks and finally microcrack formation in different fibre-reinforced composite materials. Advantages and disadvantages of a. e. are compared with those of other n. d. t.- methods.
Involvement of the phosphotransferase system in the regulation of carbon metabolism

Abstract Bacteria impose regulatory mechanisms on metabolic processes in order to insure that the needs of the cell are met but not exceeded. Recent work has elucidated the mechanism by which carbohydrate catabolism in low GC Gram-positive bacteria is regulated. Although the physiological consequences of this regulation are the same as in enteric Gram-negative bacteria, the mechanism is entirely different. These regulatory processes evidently evolved late, after the divergence of Gram-positive from Gram-negative bacteria, even though the targets of regulation are universal. Since photosynthetic bacteria such as Rhodobacter diverged from enteric bacteria at about the same time as did Gram-positive bacteria, it can be anticipated that regulatory processes in these organisms will similarly differ.
Can the universe fragment into many independent causal patches at turnaround in cyclic cosmology

Infinitely cyclic cosmology is often frustrated by the second law of thermodynamics which dictates that the entropy increases from cycle to cycle so that extrapolation into the past will lead back to an initial singularity. It has been argued in the literature that the entropy problem can be resolved in a particular cyclic universe model through a deflation mechanism (i.e., the universe fragments into an astronomically large number of disconnected causal patches at the turnaround). We point out that in this cyclic model the Hubble distance will become infinity at the turnaround; thus the deflation scenario does not seem to be valid.
Effect of a potent GnRH antagonist and testosterone propionate on mating behavior and fertility in the male rat.

Daily treatment with 1 mg of the GnRH antagonist [Ac-Δ3-Pro1,pCl-D-Phe2,D-Trp3,6,NαMeLeu7] -GnRH abolished mating behavior and disrupted spermatogenesis in male rats within 2 weeks. This was accompanied by a sharp decrease in plasma testosterone (T) levels as well as sexual organ weights while body weight remained normal. Following cessation of treatment, T levels returned to control values within 5 days, while sexual organ weights were still slightly depressed after 6 weeks. In rats having been treated for either 2 weeks or 4 months, mating behavior and fertility were restored between the 4th and 8th week after the last injection. Antagonist-treated animals who concomitantly received high doses of exogenous testosterone were sexually active as well as fertile, while lower doses of testosterone maintained sexual activity but not fertility. These data indicate that GnRH antagonists may be used to control male fertility
Merging the structural motifs of functionalized amino acids and α-Aminoamides: Compounds with Significant Anticonvulsant Activities

Functional amino acids (FAAs) and alpha-aminoamides (AAAs) are two classes of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) that exhibit pronounced anticonvulsant activities. We combined key structural pharmacophores present in FAAs and AAAs to generate a new series of compounds and document that select compounds exhibit activity superior to either the prototypical FAA (lacosamide) or the prototypical AAA (safinamide) in the maximal electroshock (MES) seizure model in rats. A representative compound, (R)-N-4'-((3''-fluoro)benzyloxy)benzyl 2-acetamido-3-methoxypropionamide ((R)-10), was tested in the MES (mice, ip), MES (rat, po), psychomotor 6 Hz (32 mA) (mice, ip), and hippocampal kindled (rat, ip) seizure tests providing excellent protection with ED(50) values of 13, 14, approximately 10 mg/kg, and 12 mg/kg, respectively. In the rat sciatic nerve ligation model (ip), (R)-10 (12 mg/kg) provided an 11.2-fold attenuation of mechanical allodynia. In the mouse biphasic formalin pain model (ip), (R)-10 (15 mg/kg) reduced pain responses in the acute and the chronic inflammatory phases.
Residual Stress in Sputtered Silicon Oxycarbide Thin Films

Silicon carbide (SiC) has received increasing attention on the integration of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) due to its excellent mechanical and chemical stability at elevated temperatures. However, the deposition process of SiC thin films tends to induce relative large residual stress. In this work, the relative low stress material silicon oxide was added into SiC by RF magnetron co-sputtering to form silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) composite films. The composition of the films was characterized by Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The Young’s modulus and hardness of the films were measured by nanoindentation technique. The influence of oxygen/carbon ratio and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperature on the residual stress of the composite films was investigated by film-substrate curvature measurement using the Stoney’s equation. By choosing the appropriate composition and post processing, a film with relative low residual stress could be obtained.
Norms for the Wingate anaerobic test with comparison to another similar test.

This study was undertaken in order to develop norms for the Wingate test for physically active young men and women, and also to compare mean power measures obtained from the Wingate test with those obtained from another similar cycle ergometer test. A total of 112 males and 74 females aged 18 to 28 years comprised the subject pool. Data collected from the Wingate test included mean power for 30 s, peak power for 5 s, and a percent fatigue index. Data from the second test (Katch test) included mean power for both 30 s and 40 s. Percentile norms and descriptive statistics were generated as were multiple regression equations for prediction of mean power between the two different tests. Correlations between the two tests ranged from .66 to .87. Comparisons among data derived from this study and those reported for other athletic groups are also given.
Normal fault corrugation: implications for growth and seismicity of active normal faults

Abstract Large normal faults are corrugated. Corrugations appear to form from overlapping or en echelon fault arrays by two breakthrough mechanisms: lateral propagation of curved fault-tips and linkage by connecting faults. Both mechanisms include localized fault-parallel extension and eventual abandonment of relay ramps. These breakthrough mechanisms produce distinctive hanging wall and footwall geometries indicative of fault system evolution. From such geometries, we can estimate the positions of tilted relay ramps or ramp segments and ramp internal deformation in incompletely exposed or poorly imaged fault systems. We examine the evolution of normal fault corrugations at Fish Slough (California), Yucca Mountain (Nevada), and Pleasant Valley (Nevada), in the Basin and Range province. We discuss how evolution of the Pleasant Valley and Yucca Mountain systems relates to seismicity. For example, the 1915 Pleasant Valley earthquake produced four en echelon ruptures that appeared as overlapping segments of a single immature fault at depth. At Yucca Mountain, we argue that an en echelon array, which includes the Solitario Canyon and Iron Ridge faults, should be considered a single source, such that western Yucca Mountain could experience up to a M w 6.9 earthquake compared to M w 6.6 estimates for the largest individual segment.
Preparation versus practice: How do teacher education programs and practicing teachers align in their use of technology to support teaching and learning?

Researchers have called for renewed efforts in exploring both what knowledge should be taught in preservice teacher education programs with regard to technology, and how to best prepare teachers to effectively use that knowledge to support teaching and learning. This study compared the importance of technology topics from teacher educators and teachers' perspectives. A two-phase mixed-methods research design utilized surveys and multiple case studies (interviews, documents) to collect data from both teacher educators and practicing teachers. Findings indicate that teachers and teacher educators demonstrated similarities in their views regarding the use of technology for personal productivity, information presentation, and the access and use of electronic resources to support teaching and learning. Teacher educators and teachers differed with regard to their use of technology for communication, analysis of student data, documenting professional growth, and facilitating higher-order thinking skills. Recommendations for how teacher education programs can incorporate and address technology topics in order to increase relevance for teachers are discussed.
Novel proteinaceous infectious particles cause scrapie

After infection and a prolonged incubation period, the scrapie agent causes a degenerative disease of the central nervous system in sheep and goats. Six lines of evidence including sensitivity to proteases demonstrate that this agent contains a protein that is required for infectivity. Although the scrapie agent is irreversibly inactivated by alkali, five procedures with more specificity for modifying nucleic acids failed to cause inactivation. The agent shows heterogeneity with respect to size, apparently a result of its hydrophobicity; the smallest form may have a molecular weight of 50,000 or less. Because the novel properties of the scrapie agent distinguish it from viruses, plasmids, and viroids, a new term "prion" is proposed to denote a small proteinaceous infectious particle which is resistant to inactivation by most procedures that modify nucleic acids. Knowledge of the scrapie agent structure may have significance for understanding the causes of several degenerative diseases.
Declarative updates of relational databases

This article presents a declarative language, called update calculus, of relational database updates. A formula in update calculus involves conditions for the current database, as well as assertions about a new database. Logical connectives and quantifiers become constructors of complex updates, offering flexible specifications of database transformations. Update calculus can express all nondeterministic database transformations that are polynomial time.For set-at-a-time evaluation of updates, we present a corresponding update algebra. Existing techniques of query processing can be incorporated into update evaluation. We show that updates in update calculus can be translated into expressions in update algebra and vice versa.
Eschatology: Eternal Now or Cosmic Future?

Paul Tillich's eternal now is the ground from which all things emerge and perish in each and every moment. A Tillichean eschatology involves the gathering of all things finite into the eternity of the present moment, into God. Salvation is present moment. But is the “eternal now” enough? This essay offers biblical and theological critiques of Tillich's present eschatology and posits an eschatology that combines Tillich's “eternal now” with Wolfhart Pannenberg's “end-oriented eschatology.” The result is an eschatology that recognizes the eternal now in which all things (including all time) belong to God yet with an eye toward the God-given possibilities of the next moment, the future. The end of being is not cessation; rather, it is the fulfillment of time, the consummation of all things.
INFLUENCE OF VARIATIONS OF MEDIA ON ACID PRODUCTION BY STREPTOCOCCI.

The results of variations in acid production in 1 per cent dextrose fermented and unfermented veal broth modified by the addition of 4 per cent of horse serum or 2 per cent of peptone have been recorded. Human streptococci and a group of low acid-producing streptococci from milk produce less acid in the simpler broths (fermented and unfermented). 2 per cent peptone fails to increase the amount of acid produced by these two groups. The bovine streptococci act much the same as those of human origin. The equine streptococci apparently do not require serum in addition to carbohydrate since they tend to produce less acid in serum media. The following figures indicate the average minimum and maximum acid production of the various streptococci under the conditions set forth in the experiment. Human: pH 4.97 to 5.66; titratable acidity 4.51 to 3.66 Bovine: pH 4.56 to 4.77; titratable acidity 7.0 to 5.74 Equine: pH 4.86 to 5.42; titratable acidity 5.38 to 4.24 Low acid-producing streptococci from milk: pH 6.28 to 5.14; titratable acidity 2.56 to 4.28
Faustmann in an uncertain policy environment

Abstract This paper deals with optimal forest rotation age and silvicultural investment under policy or regulatory uncertainty to which wasteful deforestation and lack of reforestation and afforestation efforts in the developing countries and loss of old growth forests and biodiversity in the developed countries are attributed. Incorporating a stochastic uncertainty factor into the familiar deterministic Faustmann formula yields a result that confirms with casual observations — when policy uncertainty is present, forest stands are harvested earlier and silvicultural investment is smaller than otherwise. The policy implication is that, in order to promote forest resource conservation, encourage afforestation and reforestation, and attack other forest-related problems effectively, the pervasive nature of policy uncertainty needs to be curbed.
Endopyelotomy for ureteropelvic junction stenosis

The authors review their experience with percutaneous endopyelotomy in the treatment of ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) stenosis. The method was used in 64 patients of whom 59 had also renal stones. There was only one patient with secondary UPJ stenosis following pyeloplasty. The total success rate was 61%. It is pointed ou that the results depend in a great part on the skill of the surgeon.
The Research on Failure Diagnosis Method for Engine Crooked Shaft Grinding Equipment

Crooked shaft grinder is the key machining equipment of engine Crooked shaft, as the principal axis system of grinder head failure occasionally, it influences the cutting precision greatly. So it has significance to research on failure diagnosis method for engine crooked shaft grinding equipment. The method, which diagnoses the causes and degree of failure, based on fuzzy logic and recognition theory is presented for the principal axis system of crooked shaft grinder. The mathematics model of fuzzy recognition and the conditional distribution function of fuzzy relationship between failure and symptom are given and the method of determining the function is simple and practicable. The method that is got through fuzzy reasoning and fuzzy recognition can be used not only to diagnose failure cause but also to determine failure level. The vibratory diagnosis for the principal axis system of crooked shaft grinder shows that it possessed a good rationality as well as availability.
Electron microscopy of unbroken DNA molecules

A method is described for transferring DNA from its solution to supporting films for electron microscopy as unbroken straight single molecules. The membrane used is a copolymer of styrene and vinylpyridine which has weakly basic ion exchange properties. DNA is transferred to the membrane when it is streaked along the solution. The amount transferred depends on the pH, ionic strength and concentration of the DNA solution.
Frequency of Surgery in Black Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Introduction. Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare disease, even less frequently described in minority patients. We used a large population-based dataset to study the role of race in MPM presentation, treatment, and survival. Methods. All cases of pathologically proven MPM were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Age, sex, diagnosis year, stage, cancer-directed surgery, radiation, and vital status were analyzed according to self-reported race (black or white). Results. There were 13,046 white and 688 black MPM patients (incidence: 1.1 per 100,000 whites; 0.5 per 100,000 blacks; age-adjusted, p = 0.01). Black patients were more likely to be female, younger, and with advanced stage and less likely to undergo cancer-directed surgery than whites, after adjustment by stage. On multivariable analysis, younger age and having surgery were associated with longer survival for both cohorts; female gender (HR 0.82 (0.77–0.88)) and early stage at diagnosis (HR 0.83 (0.76–0.90)) were predictive of longer survival in white, but not in black, patients. Conclusions. Surgery was associated with improved survival for both black and white MPM patients. However, black patients were less likely to undergo cancer-directed surgery. Increased surgical intervention in MPM black patients with early stage disease may improve their survival.
Effects of Cell Density on Lipids of Human Glioma and Fetal Neural Cells

: Gangliosides, phospholipids, and cholesterol of human glioma (12-18) and fetal neural cells (CH) were analyzed at specified cell densities, from sparse to confluent. Total ganglioside sialic acid, phospholipid phosphorus, and cholesterol increased in the glioma cells on a per cell, mg protein, or mg total lipid basis two- to threefold as cell density increased 25-fold. These same three constituents in the fetal cells increased with cell density on a per cell and mg protein basis but not on a per mg total lipid basis. In glioma cells, the di- and trisialogangliosides (GD2+ GDlb+ GT1) increased from 1–2% of total ganglioside sialic acid at sparse densities to 7–8% at intermediate (logarithmic phase) densities to 10–13% at confluent densities. The set of simpler gangliosides (GM4+ GM3+ GM2) decreased from 50% of total ganglioside sialic acid at sparse glioma cell densities, to 36% at intermediate and 30% at confluent densities. In the fetal neural cells, the set of gangliosides (GM4+ GM3+ GM2) had about 48% of total ganglioside sialic acid in both sparse and confluent preparations. The fetal cells were twofold higher in GM3 (32.4 ± 2.1%) than the glioma cells (16.8 ± 1.6%), but lower in GMt (9.1 ± 0.9% versus 18.2 ± 1.8%), cell densities notwithstanding. Confluent cell preparations of both cell lines were consistently higher in ethanolamine plasmalogen than sparse cells. We conclude that in these two neural cell lines quantitative changes in ganglioside and phospholipid species occurred correlatively as cell densities increased. Higher glioma cell densities were associated with greater proportions of complex ganglioside species. These changes in cell membrane constituents during growth may result from cell contact and may indicate a role for them in cell growth regulation and/or differentiation.
Early disappearance of lymphatics draining ischemic myocardium in the dog.

To assess myocardial lymphatics during the evolution of myocardial infarction we performed lymphangiographic studies thirty and three hundred sixty minutes after occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery in 92 dogs. A morphometric index was employed on a coded basis to assess the lymphangiograms. Well before myocardial necrosis was evident, at thirty minutes, a striking reduction was evident in lymphatic filling in the ischemic zone: similar changes were seen three hundred sixty minutes after occlusion. Heparin in doses that rendered blood incoagulable did not prevent the lymphatic occlusion or collapse, but they were prevented by two agents that act as cardiac lymphagogues, hyaluronidase and CLS 2210. Lymph flow from the heart was assessed in another 23 dogs. Lymph flow fell sharply after coronary artery occlusion in placebo-treated dogs but was well maintained in dogs treated with hyaluronidase and with CLS 2210. The reduction in cardiac lymphatic filling and lymph flow occurred too earl...
Academic Dishonesty: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of U.S. and Chinese Marketing Students:

Chinese as well as American business colleges are attempting to improve morality of their students due to recent scandals in both countries. This study investigates several beliefs and values, opportunism, and certain demographic variables that might contribute to the academic dishonesty of American and Chinese marketing students. The findings suggest that American marketing students who are young, tolerant, detached, relativistic, less religious, opportunistic, and negative tend to believe that academic dishonesty is more acceptable than do their counterparts exhibiting the opposite characteristics. Chinese marketing students who are male, detached, relativistic, less religious, opportunistic, and behaviorist oriented tend to perceive that academic dishonesty is more acceptable than do their counterparts. The results also reveal that the Chinese marketing students are more tolerant and detached than are the American marketing students, and they are less sensitive to the acceptance of academic dishonesty ...
New mass measurements of samarium and gadolinium and a mass table for the light rare earths

The 41-cm double-focusing mass spectrometer at the University of Minnesota has been used to measure the atomic masses of $^{152}\mathrm{Sm}$ and $^{154}\mathrm{Sm}$ and the isotopic mass differences of most Sm and Gd isotopes. Through the use of a new generalized error signal technique, measurements on the narrow doublets of Sm and Gd chlorides gave improved mass differences over previous work in this mass region. Where intense peaks were available, the results are consistent with errors of 0.4 to 1.0 \ensuremath{\mu}u. The conventional wide doublet technique was used to measured Sm-hydrocarbon doublets, yielding the masses of $^{152}\mathrm{Sm}$ and $^{154}\mathrm{Sm}$ with errors of less than 4 \ensuremath{\mu}u. This new mass data, when combined with other mass measurements and reaction data of comparable accuracy, is used in a least-squares mass adjustment in the range of 141 to 160 u.
Sunspots and magnetic and electric disturbances

The continued study of the correlations between solar activity and disturbances in the Earth's magnetic and electric condition is of special interest during the present period of increasing sunspottedness. Neither the number, area, nor position of spots on the Sun's visible disk may be taken, however, as a safe index for the prediction of the occurrence of magnetic storms, nor of the production of the electric currents in the Earth's crust which are responsible for interruptions in telegraphy. There have been notable magnetic storms when there were no spots on the Sun's visible disk. The Earth's magnetic activity does not cease during a year of minimum or of almost no sunspottedness.
Solubility and diffusivity of oxygen and chlorine in aqueous hydrogen peroxide solutions

In this work the solubility and diffusion coefficients of oxygen in aqueous hydrogen peroxide solutions have been measured. The solubility of chlorine in 0.1 N HCl and 1 N KCl/0.1 N HCl solutions was measured along with the diffusity of chlorine in aqueous hydrogen peroxide solutions. The measurements were conducted over the temperature range +20 to -10 o C. Methods are proposed to use the measurements of this work in order to predict the solubility and diffusivity of these gases in an aqueous solution of basic hydrogen peroxide
Molecular bases of the acute coronary syndromes

The acute coronary syndromes, including unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction, currently constitute a major preoccupation of clinical cardiology. This century has witnessed a remarkable evolution in our clinical concepts of these syndromes. Herrick1 described the survival of patients with acute coronary thrombosis early in the century. The introduction of the ECG led to major clinical advances in the definition of acute myocardial infarction during the first half of this century and furnished the basis of modern coronary care. In the latter half of this century, the advent of coronary arteriography permitted definition in the living patient of coronary stenoses due to atherosclerosis. The introduction of this diagnostic technique allowed the development of rational treatment modalities such as coronary artery bypass surgery and, subsequently, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Until recently, it seemed that we had achieved a firm understanding of the pathophysiology of human coronary artery disease and had devised appropriate modes of therapy for its major manifestations. Yet, recent clinical data suggest that we still have much to learn about the pathophysiology of the acute coronary syndromes. Bypass surgery and angioplasty aim to restore blood flow to sites beyond hemodynamically significant stenoses in the coronary arteries. These revascularization therapies effectively relieve angina pectoris in many cases (although often not permanently). Quite naturally, the availability of these modalities led the cardiology community to focus on high-grade coronary stenosis, visible by angiography, as the critical issue in coronary heart disease. Much of the basis of contemporary cardiology and cardiac surgery rests on the axiom: the greater the stenosis, the greater the risk of a clinical event such as myocardial infarction or unstable angina pectoris. However, data emerging from clinical and pathological studies over the past decade have occasioned a reassessment of this central dogma of clinical cardiology.2 First, the …
The Miscibility Gap in the Iron-Chromium System

i s h e s the chances of t h e r e be ing su i t ab le pos i t ions of P , A, B o r B' , and A 0 for BA o o r B ' A o = c, p a r t i c u l a r l y for A r r a n g e m e n t s I and IV. Thus, the l ike l ihood is g r e a t e r of having fewer a l t e r n a t i v e o r i en t a t i on s in a c co rd with the t r a c e s QR, RS, and SQ. It is t h e r e f o r e helpful to choose fo r the t r i a n g l e QRS the t h r e e of the four {111} t r a c e d i r e c t i o n s for which c /a is the l e a s t in va lue . In th is way, one would qui te often be involved with only two p o s s i b l e p a i r s of m i r r o r o r i en t a t i ons of {111} p lanes when a t o t a l l y a r b i t r a r y choice m a y have given r i s e to four p o s s i b i l i t i e s . The work is t h e r e f o r e r e d u c e d to some extent .
Metabolic conversion of retinol to retinoic acid mediates the biological responsiveness of human mammary epithelial cells to retinol.

The biological effects of vitamin A are mediated in part by retinoic acid (RA) modulation of gene transcription. In this study, we examined whether normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) are biologically responsive to retinol (ROH), the metabolic precursor of RA. While both ROH and tRA resulted in time- and dose-dependent decreases in total cell number, tRA was markedly more potent. Metabolically, treatment of HMECs with physiological doses of ROH resulted in rapid uptake and subsequent production of both retinyl esters and tRA. Although a comparatively minor metabolite, tRA levels peaked at 6 h and remained above endogenous levels for up to 72 h in proportion to cellular ROH concentrations. In HMECs transfected with an RA-responsive luciferase reporter gene, treatment with 3 microM ROH resulted in an increase in luciferase activity to a level intermediate between that observed with 0.001 and 0.01 microM tRA. Citral, an RA-synthesis inhibitor, was also used to examine the biological activity of ROH. Compared to ROH alone, ROH plus citral treatment resulted in three-fold less tRA synthesis and a > 65% attentuation of RA-responsive reporter gene activity which persisted through 72 h. Citral also significantly attenuated the extent of ROH-mediated reductions in total HMEC number. Thus, treatment with physiological concentrations of ROH results in fewer total numbers of HMECs and this response is a consequence of cellular tRA synthesis which can induce RA-responsive gene expression.
Family history of aortic disease predicts disease patterns and progression and is a significant influence on management strategies for patients and their relatives

Background While a positive family history (FH) is a known risk factor for developing an aneurysm, its association with the extent of disease has not been established. We evaluated the influence of a FH of aortic disease with respect to the pattern and distribution of aortic aneurysms in a given patient. Methods and Results From November 1999 to November 2011, 1263 patients were enrolled in physician-sponsored endovascular device trials to treat aortic aneurysms. Of the 555 patients who were alive and returning for follow-up, we obtained 426 (77%) family histories. Three-dimensional imaging studies were used to identify the presence of aneurysms; 36% (155/426) of patients had a FH of aortic aneurysms and 5% (21/155) had isolated intracranial aneurysms. A logistic regression model was used to compare aortic morphology between patients with a positive or negative FH for aneurysms. Patients with a positive FH of aortic aneurysms were younger at their initial aneurysm (63 vs 70 years; P P P P = .01) with over 50% of FH patients ultimately developing suprarenal aortic involvement ( P = .0001) and had a greater incidence of bilateral iliac artery aneurysm (OR, 1.8; P = .03). Conclusions FH is an important tool that provides insight into the expected behavior of the untreated aorta and has significant implications for the development of treatment strategies. These findings should be used to guide patient's management with regard to treatment, follow-up paradigms, genetic testing, and screening of other family members.
Space science: Waves from whistlers

In the auroral region, solitary plasma waves form in a low-density plasma when energetic electron beams hit and energize ambient ions to escape velocity. Electromagnetic waves from lightning trigger similar plasma behaviour in the equatorial ionosphere.
Investigation of the 35–62 conserved helix and disulfide loop of bovine prothrombin using an anti-peptide antibody

A 28-residue peptide corresponding to the 35-62 region of bovine prothrombin fragment 1 (BF1) was synthesized by solid-phase methods. In BF1 this region consists of three conserved aromatic residues within an alpha-helical region followed by a disulfide loop. This synthetic peptide was used to produce murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that would recognize and bind native BF1. Antibody AH.Ab.E3, an IgG1 antibody that was isolated and cloned, recognized and bound to both the synthetic peptide and the BF1 molecule. Residues 55-59 (REKLN) were shown to be critical for antibody binding. This MAb was subsequently used to study the 48-62 disulfide loop region of BF1. MAb AH.Ab.E3, which has been shown to bind the BF1 calcium-dependent conformation (BF1:Ca), does not appear to perturb the binding interaction between BF1:Ca and phospholipid (PL) vesicles as studied by light scattering methods.
Signal transduction and invasion of epithelial cells by S. typhimurium

Invasion of host cells is essential for the pathogenicity of Salmonella. We have recently shown that invasion of cultured epithelial cells by S. typhimurium is accompanied by activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor. In this report we show that S. typhimurium invasion stimulated a rapid increase in the levels of free intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in cultured epithelial cells. Mutants defective in invasion were unable to induce these calcium fluxes, and addition of calcium antagonists blocked wild-type S. typhimurium entry. These results indicate that [Ca2+]i increase is required for bacterial entry. Further analysis demonstrated that phospholipase A2 and 5-lipoxygenase activities resulting in production of leukotrienes are required for bacterial entry. Addition of the leukotriene D4 to Henle-407 cells caused both an increase in [Ca2+]i and the internalization of an invasion-defective mutant of S. typhimurium. Furthermore, S. typhimurium caused the activation of mitogen-activated protein (also known as extracellular signal-regulated protein) kinase in infected cells.
A modified, dual reporter TOXCAT system for monitoring homodimerization of transmembrane segments of proteins.

Abstract The TOXCAT assay system developed by Russ and Engelman [TOXCAT: a measure of transmembrane helix association in a biological membrane, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96 (1999) 863–868] provides an in vivo means of selecting for and evaluating the strength of interaction between identical transmembrane α-helices. In the course of utilizing TOXCAT to study the architecture of a sodium channel hNaV1.5, an apparently strong dimerization of two of its putative transmembrane segments was revealed. Following random mutagenesis of these regions, several amino acids critical for the observed dimerizations were identified. In order to develop a more efficient means of isolating mutations which specifically disrupt dimerization of these transmembrane segments without affecting their membrane-targeting properties, we developed a modification to the original TOXCAT design in which the C-terminal maltose binding protein moiety is replaced by the β-lactamase. We show that this assay system is capable of simultaneously monitoring the integrity of the chimeric protein, its membrane insertion activity, and the ability of the transmembrane segment under study to dimerize.
Pain management barriers in critical care units: A qualitative study

Background: Uncontrolled pain in intensive care units triggers physical and emotional stress responses, inhibits healing, increases the risk of other complications, and increases the length of ICU stay. Aim: To explore pain management barriers as identified by Jordanian critical care units. Method: This study employed qualitative content analysis with 37 participant nurses from Jordanian critical care units. Data were obtained through semi-structured serial interviews. Purpose nonprobability sampling was used for the initial interviews. Results: Several themes emerged to describe barriers to managing pain identified by the critical care nurses. These were grouped into three main themes: (1) Barriers related to patients with subgroups such as patient did not want to bother nurses, patients’ difficulty with completing pain scales, patients’ reluctance to take pain medications because of side-effects, patients reporting their pain to the doctor, but not to the nurse, and fatalistic beliefs. (2) Barriers related to nurses that included patient sedation, frequent complaints from patients, inconsistent practices around administering if necessary medications, time limitations, limited communication, the fear of side effects of pain drugs, physicians' lack of trust in the nursing assessment of pain in critically ill patients, inadequate staff knowledge of pain management, and fear of causing delirium or confusion. and (3) Barriers related to hospital policies includes: policies and rules of hospital, lack proper pain assessment tool, nursing shortages, powerlessness ,interruptions of activities relating to pain, lack of psychosocial support services, lack of alternatives non-pharmacologic therapy , and lack of pain management drugs. Conclusion: The results identify potential pain management barriers which can be considered when developing and disseminating policies and procedures in managing the pain in Jordanian critical care settings.
Exchange rate policy and price level changes: Casualty tests for Turkey in the post‐liberalisation period

The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between exchange rate changes and price level changes in Turkey during the 1980s using some modified Granger causality tests. During this period, Turkish exchange rate policy was characterised by considerable flexibility, in contrast to the long‐standing policy of fixing the exchange rate until a foreign exchange crisis necessitated devaluation. The weight of the evidence presented suggests that Granger causality runs from price level changes to exchange rate changes but that there is not feedback causality from exchange rate changes to price level changes. This conclusion is not altered by the inclusion of a money supply variable. Thus, for Turkey, exchange rate adjustment does not seem to have created a vicious cycle of currency depreciation leading to inflation as is often feared. Whether this result will hold for other developing countries which adopt flexible exchange rate regimes will require further testing.
Analysis of Thermal Interfacial Resistance Between Nanofins and Various Coolants

Molecular dynamic simulations are performed to study the thermal interfacial resistance between a (5,5) carbon nanotube (CNT) and different matrix materials (water, ethyl alcohol, and 1-hexene). After the matrix-CNT ensemble is equilibrated to a base temperature of 300K, the temperature of the nanotube is raised to 750K by scaling the velocities of the carbon atoms. The system is then allowed to relax under constant energy. The exponential decay of temperature is used to calculate the thermal interfacial resistance. The interfacial resistance for water, ethyl alcohol and 1-hexene are found to be 2.13 × 10−8, 4.74 × 10−8, and 7.29 × 10−8 m2K/W, respectively, from the analysis.
Visual backward masking as measured by voice reaction time

Instead of using percent correct identifications or detections as the dependent variable, latency in voicing the target stimulus was measured in a backward masking paradigm. Reaction time (RT) to target letters was reliably increased when they were simultaneously encircled by a black ring mask of a size found to produce masking using an identification or detection criterion. The masking function in terms of RT was typical in shape, a decreasing function of stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) over an interval of 150 msec. Since the target remained “on” when the mask appeared, the results are incompatible with an erasure interpretation of masking effects. Analyses of the variances of the RTs supported an interpretation of a progressive decrease in masking effects as SOA increased.
Spatial-concentration effects and the importance of local enhancement in the evolution of colonial breeding in seabirds.

Abstract The information center hypothesis (ICH) suggests that birds breed in colonies because this behavior favors information exchange at the colony about the location of food patches. However, the complex suite of behaviors the ICH requires implies that information center following is more likely to evolve after colonial breeding has become established than to promote its initial development. A simpler hypothesis to explain the evolution of colonial breeding is that coloniality concentrates foragers in space, which leads to more rapid discovery of food patches and, by means of local enhancement, more efficient transfer of information about the location of patches than if foragers bred in a dispersed fashion. To assess the effects of breeding dispersion on foraging success, I simulated the foraging behavior of cliff‐breeding seabirds (nesting either solitarily or colonially) searching for patchily distributed prey. Results show that colonial breeding is favored when food patches are sufficiently large o...
Fluorescence Characteristics of Cure Products in Bis(maleimide)/Diallylbisphenol A Resin

Curing bis(maleimide) (BMI) with diallylbisphenol A (DABPA) results in the formation of a high-performance thermoset resin. A variety of reactions in which maleimide units are converted to succinimide moieties have been proposed. In order to make spectral assignments for the fluorescence behavior observed during the cure of BMI/DABPA resin and to assess the likelihood that certain types of reactions take place during resin cure, several succinimide model compounds were synthesized from N-phenylmaleimide (NPM) and characterized. These model compounds gave fluorescence signals which were red-shifted by 40 nm or more from the emission maximum in DABPA resin, while no fluorescence was observed from the BMI. The BMI was found to quench the fluorescence from DABPA and a Stern−Volmer quenching constant was determined for this pair. Relative fluorescence quantum yields were determined for the model compounds. The DABPA resin component was found to have the highest quantum yield and is likely to be responsible for...
Can the Interband Tunnel FET Outperform Si CMOS

This paper presents simulations on tunnel field-effect transistors (TFET) and comparisons carefully to assess their impact at the same supply voltage. Current-voltage characteristics are simulated for n and p TFETs with different channel materials:Si,Ge,InGaAs, and InAs. Results show that InAs has the highest current for its smallest bandgap and effective mass, but it can not meet the off-state leakage requirement for the significant thermal emission across its narrow bandgap; Ge and InGaAs have high channel currents at 0.5 V and have much lower off-state current than MOSFETs due to their higher off-state thermal barrier between source and drain. The speed, power and energy comparisons at 0.5 V supply voltage of n-TFETs with different channel materials and scaled NMOS are also examined. The p-TFET compares even more favorably with the pMOSFET, having higher speed. TFETs with proper channel material have the potential for high-performance relative to Si at the same supply voltage.
Variable-temperature, variable-field magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopic study of the metal clusters in the ΔnifB and ΔnifH MoFe proteins of nitrogenase from Azotobacter vinelandii

Deletion of nifB results in the formation of a variant nitrogenase MoFe protein (ΔnifB MoFe protein) that appears to contain two normal [8Fe-7S] P clusters. This protein can be reactivated to form ...
Feasibility of a Cost-Effective, Video Analysis Software–Based Mobility Protocol for Objective Spine Kinematics and Gait Metrics: A Proof of Concept Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of a high-throughput, easily implemented, cost-effective, video analysis software–based mobility protocol to quantify spine kinematics. This prospective cohort study of clinical biomechanics implemented 2-dimensional (2D) image processing at a tertiary-care academic institution. Ten healthy, able-bodied volunteers were recruited for 2D videography of gait and functional motion. The reliability of a 2D video analysis software program for gait and range of motion metrics was evaluated over 2 independent experimental sessions, assessing for inter-trial, inter-session, and inter-rater reliability. Healthy volunteers were evaluated for simple forward and side bending, rotation, treadmill stride length, and more complex seated-to-standing tasks. Based on established intraclass correlation coefficients, results indicated that reliability was considered good to excellent for simple forward and side bending, rotation, stride length, and more complex sit-to-standing tasks. In conclusion, a cost-effective, 2D, video analysis software–based mobility protocol represents a feasible and clinically useful approach for objective spine kinematics and gait metrics. As the complication rate of operative management in the setting of spinal deformity is weighed against functional performance and quality of life measures, an objective analysis tool in combination with an appropriate protocol will aid in clinical assessments and lead to an increased evidence base for management options and decision algorithms.
Higher-order asymptotic crack-tip fields in a power-law creeping material

Abstract The higher-order asymptotic crack-tip fields are considered for a mode-I crack in a power-law creeping material under the plane strain conditions. Based on the three-term solution of Yang et al. (1993) and Chao et al. (1994) for hardening materials, this paper develops a three-term solution near a crack tip in creeping materials only with two parameters: C(t)-integral and a constraint parameter A2(t). This solution is then discussed for conditions of small-scale creep, transient creep and extensive creep. In addition, detailed finite element analysis is performed for four specimens, namely, single-edge notched tension, three point bend, center-cracked panel and compact tension. Good agreement, in both angular and radial stresses, with finite element results confirms that the three-term asymptotic solution is universally valid for specimens possessing various crack-tip constraints and from small-scale creep to extensive creep. This statement is especially true for shallow cracked (or low constraint) specimens, where the dominant region for the HHR-type singularity does not practically exit.