cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polyamine derivatives as inhibitors of trypanothione reductase and assessment of their trypanocidal activities

Abstract Trypanothione reductase (TR) occurs exclusively in trypanosomes and leishmania, which are the etiological agents of many diseases. TR plays a vital role in the antioxidant defenses of these parasites and inhibitors of TR have potential as antitrypanosomal agents. We describe the syntheses of several spermine and spermidine derivatives and the inhibiting effects of these compounds on T. cruzi TR. All of the inhibiting compounds displayed competitive inhibition of TR-mediated reduction of trypanothione disulfide. The three most effective compounds studied were N 4 , N 8 -bis(3-phenylpropyl)spermine (12), N 4 , N 8 -bis(2-naphthylmethyl)spermine (14), and N 1 , N 8 -bis(2-naphthylmethyl)spermidine (21), with K i values of 3.5, 5.5 and 9.5 μM, respectively. Compounds 12, 14, and 21 were found to be potent trypanocides in vitro with IC 50 values ranging from 0.19 to 0.83 μM against four T. brucei ssp. strains. However, these compounds did not prolong the lives of mice infected with trypanosomes. This work indicates that certain polyamine derivatives which target a unique pathway in Trypanosomatidae have potential as antitrypanosomal agents.
Contribution of impervious surfaces to urban evaporation

Observational data and the Princeton urban canopy model, with its detailed representation of urban heterogeneity and hydrological processes, are combined to study evaporation and turbulent water vapor transport over urban areas. The analyses focus on periods before and after precipitation events, at two sites in the Northeastern United States. Our results indicate that while evaporation from concrete pavements, building rooftops, and asphalt surfaces is discontinuous and intermittent, overall these surfaces accounted for nearly 18% of total latent heat fluxes (LE) during a relatively wet 10 day period. More importantly, these evaporative fluxes have a significant impact on the urban surface energy balance, particularly during the 48 h following a rain event when impervious evaporation is the highest. Thus, their accurate representation in urban models is critical. Impervious evaporation after rainfall is also shown to correlate the sources of heat and water at the earth surface, resulting in a conditional scalar transport similarity over urban terrain following rain events.
On the luminosity function, lifetimes, and origin of blue stragglers in globular clusters

We compute theoretical evolutionary tracks of blue stragglers created by mergers. Two formation scenarios are considered: mergers of primordial binaries, and stellar collisions. These two scenarios predict strikingly different luminosity functions, which are potentially distinguishable observationally. Tabulated theoretical luminosity functions and lifetimes are presented for blue stragglers formed under a variety of input conditions. We compare our results with observations of the blue straggler sequences in 47 Tucanae and M3. In the case of 47 Tuc, the luminosity function and the formation rate are compatible with the hypothesis that the blue stragglers formed through the collision of single stars. Mergers of primordial binaries are only marginally cosistent with the data, and a significant enhancement of the collision cross section by binary-single-star encounters appears to be ruled out. In the case of M3, we find that the innermost blue stragglers have a luminosity function significantly different from that of the outer stragglers, thus confirming earlier suggestions that there are two distinct populations of blue stragglers in this cluster. The inner stragglers are preferentially brighter and bluer, as would be expected if they were made by collisions, but there are so many of them that the collision rate would need to be enhanced by interactions involving wide binaries. The luminosity function of the outer stragglers is almost identical to the predictions of mergers from primordial binaries and is inconsistent with the collision hypothesis.
Effect of puromycin and actinomycin D on glucose-stimulated protein and RNA labeling, in vitro, in rat testis.

Abstract 1. Glucose (9 mM) increases testicular RNA and protein labeling, in vitro. 2. In the absence of virtually all incorporation of uridine into RNA, glucose is still capable of enhancing testicular protein synthesis. 3. Conversely, in the absence of virtually all protein synthesis, glucose is still capable of stimulating incorporation of uridine into RNA. 4. It is concluded that the stimulatory effect of glucose on rat testicular protein and RNA labeling, in vitro, are independent phenomena. Furthermore, the stimulatory effect of glucose on protein labeling appears to involve primarily enhancement of protein synthesis per se, while the effect on RNA labeling appears to be principally the result of increased tissue uptake of the precursor.
On the relationship between Indian Ocean Sea Surface Temperature and Asian summer monsoon

Indian Ocean SST has been thought to play a weaker role in Indian summer monsoon rainfall than does the equatorial eastern Pacific SST. In this study we show that on the tropical biennial oscillation (TBO, 2–3 year) time scale the Indian monsoon rainfall has significant positive correlations with the Indian Ocean SST and moisture flux transport in the preceding winter and spring. The effect of this SST influence is quite different from the remote forcing of the Indian monsoon rainfall by the eastern Pacific SST, which is more dominant on the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO, 3–7 year) time scale. We conclude that while the eastern Pacific SST and the Eurasian land temperature both may affect the monsoon on the ENSO time scale, they are not important on the TBO time scale. Our results support the tropical and local feedback theories of TBO that this most important component of the monsoon variation is largely influenced by the Indian Ocean SST and interactions within the tropical atmosphere-ocean system (Chang and Li, Nichols).
Use of ultrasound in detection of sinus disease in children.

Abstract A prospective study utilizing a small, portable A-Mode ultrasound apparatus (Sinus-V 2500 Radionics Medical) was undertaken to screen children with signs and symptoms of sinusitis. Fifty-three children (age 2–16 years) were tested both by ultrasound and compared to standard radiographs of the paranasal sinuses. The sensitivity of the ultrasound to evaluate small, developing paranasal sinuses in children was low (22%). Sinus pathology, particularly mucosal thickening, was difficult to confirm. However, even opacified sinuses were only detectable in 58% of the time. Therefore, portable ultasound devices to detect sinus disease in children, have limited usefulness for this particular population.
Insight in the gifted

We propose a subtheory of intellectual giftedness according to which giftedness is understood in terms of individuals' insight skills. Insight skills are proposed to be of three kinds: (a) selective encoding, by which relevant information in a given context is sifted from irrelevant information; (b) selective combination, by which relevant information is combined in a novel and productive way; and (c) selective comparison, by which new information is related in a novel way to old information. The article opens with an introduction to our point of view, and an historical overview of alternative views of giftedness. Next, we present the motivation for our subtheory. Then, we present and compare conventional notions of the nature of insight. We then present our own theory of insight and relate it to giftedness. We next show how the theory could be tested, and provide some preliminary data regarding it. Finally, we discuss the major ways in which our theoretical proposals, and their implications for assessmen...
Meridional Transport of Eddy Sensible Heat in Winters Marked by Extremes of the North Atlantic Oscillation, 1948/49–1979/80

Abstract Composite patterns of eddy sensible heat transport at 700 mb on the Northern Hemisphere are derived for winters [December, January, February (DJF)] marked by extremes of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) occurring in the 1948/49–1979/80 period. Statistically significant heat flux differences between the two NAO modes (GA: Greenland above; GB: Greenland below, normal temperatures relative to northern Europe) occur dominantly in the North Atlantic sector. These are connected to marked reversals in sea level pressure (SLP) and an out-of-phase behavior of the zonal component of the geostrophic wind related to changes in the amplitude of wavenumber 2. Teleconnections of the NAO, in terms of both pressure and eddy heat transport, to the North Pacific and east Asian regions are found to be weak for those extreme events occurring since 1948/49. Partitioning the total meridional heat flux into its transient and quasi-stationary components confirms the dominance of the latter for the hemisphere as a who...
The contribution of the solar aureole to the measurements of pyrheliometers

Abstract The fraction of the intensity measured by a currently manufactured Eppley Normal Incidence Pyrheliometer (N.I.P.), within three annular regions of the solar aureole, has been determined during 8 days. This fraction was determined by measuring the adjusted voltage difference between the N.I.P. and a modified N.I.P., divided by a corrected output voltage of the N.I.P. The fraction of intensity within the aureole was generally found to have little effect on the intensity measured by the N.I.P., even on hazy day. The data taken indicates a linear relationship between the fraction of the direct beam intensity scattered into the aureole and the total extinction coefficient of the atmosphere.
Computer Simulation Studies of Single Beam Stability

Single beam stability in large e+e- storage rings has been studied by computer simulation techniques. The inputs to the study are single particle equations of motion (including wakefield effects) and longitudinal and transverse wakefields. These wakefields are obtained by numerical integration of Maxwell's equations in the time domain. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons are made between the results of the simulation and data from PEP and PETRA, and the agreement is reasonable. Since the only numerical data needed for the simulation are lattice parameters and RF structure dimensions, it is now possible to predict beam stability in future accelerators.
Metastatic tumors of the hand.

During a 43-year period, 18 patients with 22 lesions metastatic to the hand were treated at our institution. Twelve lesions were located in the distal phalanges, and the remainder were found in the carpus, metacarpals, proximal phalanges, and soft tissues of the hand. The primary tumor was in the lung in five cases and in the kidney in five cases. Treatment consisted of local excision or radiation for proximal lesions and amputation for distal lesions. Although the median survival was only 5 months, five patients lived longer than 2 years, including two who had no further evidence of malignant disease. In two patients, hand metastasis was the first sign of malignant disease. Metastatic malignancy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of inflammatory lesions of the hand. Although in general, the goal of treatment should be palliation, in some patients long disease-free intervals can be provided by wide excision of the metastatic focus.
Event-Related Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Investigation of Executive Control in Very Old Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background Attentional control of executive cognitive function (ECF) decreases in older individuals with Alzheimer Disease (AD). In order to examine early AD-related changes in the neural substrates of ECF attentional control, we measured activation dorsolateral prefrontal (dLPFC), posterior parietal (PPC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in adults with mild cognitively impairment (MCI) and in cognitively normal (CN) adults. Methods Functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis of brain activation in MCI ( n = 8, mean age 79.5) and CN ( n = 8 mean age 81.5) during increasing loads of attentional demands. Results MCI and CN older adults performed with similar accuracy and reaction time. MCI had greater activation than CN in PPC (right p = .03 and left p = .05) and dlPFC areas (right p = .002 and left p = .004), while activation in ACC was similar in the two groups. Response to increasing loads of the task differed by group: MCI selectively engaged bilateral PPC (right p = .03, left p = .04), while CN subjects increased bilateral dlPFC activation (right p = .005 and left p = .02) and ACC activation ( p = .04). Among MCI, greater load-related changes in PPC activity were associated with smaller load-related changes in accuracy rates ( r = −.85, p = .07) and greater increases in reaction times ( r = .97, p = .01). In CN subjects, load-related change in PPC activation was associated with load-related change in reaction time ( r = .76, p = .02) but not with changes in accuracy rates. Conclusions PPC and dlPFC may show early functional changes associated with MCI.
Moral Competence, Moral Blame, and Protest

I argue that wrongdoers may be open to moral blame even if they lacked the capacity to respond to the moral considerations that counted against their behavior. My initial argument turns on the suggestion that even an agent who cannot respond to specific moral considerations may still guide her behavior by her judgments about reasons. I argue that this explanation of a wrongdoer’s behavior can qualify her for blame even if her capacity for moral understanding is impaired. A second argument is based on the observation that even when a blameworthy wrongdoer could have responded to moral considerations, this is often not relevant to her blameworthiness. Finally, I argue against the view that because blame communicates moral demands, only agents who can be reached by such communication are properly blamed. I contend that a person victimized by a wrongdoer with an impaired capacity for moral understanding may protest her victimization in a way that counts as a form of moral blame even though it does not primarily express a moral demand or attempt to initiate moral dialogue.
Binding of chloride and a disulfonic stilbene transport inhibitor to red cell band 3.

The effect of chloride on 4,4′-dibenzamido-2,2′-disulfonic stilbene (DBDS) binding to band 3 in unsealed red cell ghost membranes was studied in buffer [NaCl (0 to 500mm) + Na citrate] at constant ionic strength (160 or 600mm). pH 7.4, 25°C. In the presence of chloride, DBDS binds to a single class of sites on band 3. At 160mm ionic strength, the dissociation constant of DBDS increases linearly with chloride concentration in the range [Cl]=450mm. The observed rate of DBDS binding to ghost membranes, as measured by fluorescence stopped-flow kinetic experiments, increases with chloride concentration at both 160 and 600mm ionic strength. The equilibrium and kinetic results have been incorporated into the following model of the DBDS-band 3 interaction: The equilibrium and rate constants of the model at 600mm ionic strength areK1=0.67±0.16 μm,k2=1.6±0.7 sec−1,k−2=0.17±0.09 sec−1,K′1=6.3±1.7 μm,k′2=9±4 sec−1 andk′−2=7±3 sec−1. The apparent dissociation constants of chloride from band 3,KCl, are 40±4mm (160mm ionic strength) and 11±3mm (600mm ionic strength). Our results indicate that chloride and DBDS have distinct, interacting binding sites on band 3.
The next generation of quick turn method for interfacial strength testing: High Speed Ball Shear

In High Volume Manufacturing (HVM) environment, maintaining assembly process stability is the outmost priority to meet quality and reliability requirement. In recent years of transitioning to Lead Free (LF) solder alloy, tighter ball pitch and increasing hostile use condition, thus the expectation of better and tighter control in Solder Joint Reliability (SJR) is increasing. The SJR concern is not a new phenomenon, numerous research works are published to share the learning and options to resolve SJR issues including introduction of new solder alloy, Stress Compensation Layer (SCL), alternate surface finish and etc. The implementations of LF solder alloy have been found to be more at risk to brittle failure in the intermetallic layers. In view of the Flip Chip (FC) design requirement expands and evolves, it is important that the test metrology should likewise continue to evolve. The High Speed Ball Shear (HSBS) and conventional Cold Ball Pull (CBP) results are compared and discussed in term of the ability to predict susceptibility to interfacial failures due to assembly process changes for Flip Chip Ball Grid Array (FCBGA) packages. Examples of assembly process studies are Ball Attach (BA) reflow profile, effect of multiple reflows on the growth of intermetallic that affects the strength of solder joint performance, substrate plating process skew and etc. In additional, detailed microscopic analysis on post HSBS was executed to study the distribution and thickness of Intermetallic compound (IMC) layer on solder pad for FCBGA packages. The result showed that a higher sensitivity was demonstrated by HSBS as compare to CBP in assembly process shifts detection. This paper also covers the course of the development of fracture energy metric and implementations of HSBS metrology into HVM environment as an in line BA process monitoring system. Lastly, a comparison of the facture energy between ENIG and improve surface plating is provided to show the margin gained by improve surface plating technologies.
Multi-view singular value decomposition for disease subtyping and genetic associations

Accurate classification of patients with a complex disease into subtypes has important implications for medicine and healthcare. Using more homogeneous disease subtypes in genetic association analysis will facilitate the detection of new genetic variants that are not detectible using the non-differentiated disease phenotype. Subtype differentiation can also improve diagnostic classification, which can in turn inform clinical decision making and treatment matching. Currently, the most sophisticated methods for disease subtyping perform cluster analysis using patients’ clinical features. Without guidance from genetic information, the resultant subtypes are likely to be suboptimal and efforts at genetic association may fail. We propose a multi-view matrix decomposition approach that integrates clinical features with genetic markers to detect confirmatory evidence for a disease subtype. This approach groups patients into clusters that are consistent between the clinical and genetic dimensions of data; it simultaneously identifies the clinical features that define the subtype and the genotypes associated with the subtype. A simulation study validated the proposed approach, showing that it identified hypothesized subtypes and associated features. In comparison to the latest biclustering and multi-view data analytics using real-life disease data, the proposed approach identified clinical subtypes of a disease that differed from each other more significantly in the genetic markers, thus demonstrating the superior performance of the proposed approach. The proposed algorithm is an effective and superior alternative to the disease subtyping methods employed to date. Integration of phenotypic features with genetic markers in the subtyping analysis is a promising approach to identify concurrently disease subtypes and their genetic associations.
Design considerations for computer-telephony application programming interfaces and related components

Discusses computer telephony integration (CTI) architecture, including the application programming interface (API) and underlying operating system components and the benefits they can bring to all segments of the computer telephone industry. Although CTI APIs have existed in various forms for more than two decades, the work of crafting the ideal interface continues. As operating systems and telecommunications network technology evolves, so do the APIs and system components that bring together the computing and communications worlds. The author presents some of the considerations that have gone into the design of the Windows telephony application programming interface (TAPI) and which will continue to guide the further evolution of the interface.
Ionic colloidal crystals: Ordered, multicomponent structures via controlled heterocoagulation.

W e propose a new type of ordered colloid, the Oionic colloidal crystalO !ICC ", w hich is stabilized byattractive electrostatic interactions analogous to those in atomic ionic materials. The rapid self-or ganization ofcolloids via this method should result in a diversity of orderings that are analogous to ionic compounds. Mostof these complex structures would be difÞcult to produce by other methods. W e use a M adelung summationapproach to evaluate the conditions where ICCO s are thermodynamically stable. Using this model, we comparethe relative electrostatic ener gies of various structures showing that the regions of ICC stability are determinedby two dimensionless parameters representing char ge balance and the spatial extent of the electrostatic inter -actions. Parallels and distinctions between ICCO s and classical ionic crystals are discussed. Monte Carlosimulations are utilized to examine the glass transition and melting temperatures, between which crystallizationcan occur ,of a m odel system having the rocksalt structure. These tools allow us to make a Þrst-order predictionof the experimentally accessible regions of surface char ge, particle size, ionic strength, and temperature whereICC formation is probable.DOI: 10.1 103/PhysRevE.73.01 1402 PA CS number !s": 61.43.HvI. INTRODUCTION
Cardiac echinococcal cyst: Diagnosis by two-dimensional echocardiography

A case of an intracardiac echinococcal cyst is presented. The diagnosis was made by two-dimensional echocardiography, which clearly identified a large multiseptated cystic structure in the right ventricular outflow tract. The findings were verified at surgery. It is suggested that two-dimensional echocardiography may be the procedure of choice in the diagnosis of cardiac echinococcal disease.
Spin correlation measurements for p- 3 He elastic scattering between 4.0 and 10.0 MeV

Measurements of the polarization observables for $^{3}\mathrm{He}$(p,p${)}^{3}$He elastic scattering have been obtained using a polarized proton beam in conjunction with polarized and unpolarized $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ targets. An unpolarized target was used to make high precision measurements of the proton analyzing power ${\mathit{A}}_{\mathit{y}0}$ at the energies of 4.01, 5.54, 7.03, 8.52, and 10.1 MeV. A total of 135 data points were obtained with accuracies of typically \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005 or better. A newly developed polarized $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ target was then used to make measurements of the $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ analyzing power ${\mathit{A}}_{0\mathit{y}}$, and the spin correlation coefficient ${\mathit{A}}_{\mathit{y}\mathit{y}}$ at the same five energies. A total of 48 data points were obtained for each observable. Finally, measuremments of the spin correlation coefficients ${\mathit{A}}_{\mathit{x}\mathit{x}}$, ${\mathit{A}}_{\mathit{x}\mathit{z}}$, ${\mathrm{A}}_{\mathrm{zx}}$, and ${\mathit{A}}_{\mathit{z}\mathit{z}}$ were made at the single energy of 5.54 MeV. The accuracy of the spin-correlation and $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ analyzing power measurements is typically on the order \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.01--0.03.
Embryonic and tissue-specific regulation of myostatin-1 and -2 gene expression in zebrafish.

Myostatin is a member of the TGF-β superfamily and a potent negative regulator of muscle growth and development in mammals. Its expression is limited primarily to skeletal muscle in mammals, but occurs in many different fish tissues, although quantitative measurements of the embryonic and tissue-specific expression profiles are lacking. A recent phylogenetic analysis of all known myostatin genes identified a novel paralogue in zebrafish, zfMSTN-2, and prompted the reclassification of the entire subfamily to include MSTN-1 and -2 sister clades in the bony fishes. The differential expression profiles of both genes were therefore determined using custom RNA panels generated from pooled (100–150/sampling) embryos at different stages of development and from individual adult tissues. High levels of both transcripts were transiently present at the blastula stage, but were undetectable throughout gastrulation (7 hpf). Levels of zfMSTN-2 peaked during early somitogenesis (11 hpf), returned to basal levels during late somitogenesis and did not begin to rise again until hatching (72 hpf). By contrast, zfMSTN-1 mRNA levels peaked during late somitogenesis (15.5–19 hpf), returned to baseline at 21.5 hpf and eventually rose 25-fold by 72 hpf. In adults, both transcripts were present in a wide variety of tissues, including some not previously known to express myostatin. Expression of zfMSTN-1 was highest in brain, muscle, heart and testes and was 1–3 log orders above that in other tissues. It was also greater than zfMSTN-2 expression in most tissues, nevertheless, levels of both transcripts increased almost 600-fold in spleens of fish subjected to stocking stress. Myostatin expression was also detected in mouse spleens, suggesting that myostatin may influence immune cell development in mammals as well as fish. These studies indicate that zfMSTN-1 and -2 gene expression is differentially regulated in developing fish embryos and in adult tissues. The increased expression of both genes in spleens from stressed fish is further supportive of an immunomodulatory role and may explain increased disease susceptibility associated with stocking stress.
Head module control of mediator interactions.

Summary Yeast Mediator proteins interacting with Med17(Srb4) have been expressed at a high level with the use of recombinant baculoviruses and recovered in homogeneous form as a seven subunit, 223 kDa complex. Electron microscopy and single-particle analysis identify this complex as the Mediator head module. The recombinant head module complements "headless" Mediator for the initiation of transcription in vitro. The module interacts with an RNA polymerase II-TFIIF complex, but not with the polymerase or TFIIF alone. This interaction is lost in the presence of a DNA template and associated RNA transcript, recapitulating the release of Mediator that occurs upon the initiation of transcription. Disruption of the head module in a temperature-sensitive mutant in vivo leads to the release of middle and tail modules from a transcriptionally active promoter. The head module evidently controls Mediator-RNA polymerase II and Mediator-promoter interactions.
Maternal depressive symptoms and child temperament: Longitudinal associations with executive functioning

Abstract The present study investigated the contributions of maternal depressive symptoms and child temperament to youths' executive functioning (EF) across an 18-year longitudinal study. The primary hypothesis proposed that the association between youths' exposure to early maternal depressive symptoms (ages 3 & 5) and their EF (age 18) would be moderated by temperament in middle childhood (ages 8 & 10). Temperament was a significant moderator of the association between early maternal depressive symptoms and youth EF. Positive child temperament (high effortful control, EC, and low negative affectivity, NA) was associated with higher EF when maternal depressive symptoms during early childhood were low. In contrast, elevated maternal depressive symptoms overrode any associations between child temperament and later EF. Parallel analyses examining the interaction between child temperament and maternal depressive symptoms during middle childhood (controlling for earlier maternal depressive symptoms) revealed a different pattern of results. Clinical implications for prevention/intervention work on EF are discussed.
Frequency domain conditions for robust H/sub 2/ performance

Presents frequency domain conditions to analyze H/sub 2/ performance in the worst case over structured uncertainty in the system. These conditions are convex feasibility tests in terms of linear matrix inequalities across frequency, of the same nature as tests available for robust stability or H/sub /spl infin// performance. By introducing a deterministic generalization of the H/sub 2/ criterion, the different versions of this test are characterized as necessary and sufficient for robust performance under corresponding classes of dynamic uncertainty.
Ethanol extraction of soybean oil

Extraction of soybean flakes with 90, 95, 98 and 100% ethanol resulted in more rapid lipid and less rapid non-lipid removal with the increasing ethanol concentrations. There was little difference in the quality of the oil produced by the different solvents. Protein content of the residual meal averaged 52.1%.
R&D pipeline management: Task interdependencies and risk management

Abstract Maintaining a rich research and development (R&D) pipeline is the key to remaining competitive in many industrial sectors. Due to its nature, R&D activities are subject to multiple sources of uncertainty, the modeling of which is compounded by the ability of the decision maker to alter the underlying process. In this paper, we present a multi-stage stochastic programming framework for R&D pipeline management, which demonstrates how essential considerations can be modeled in an efficient manner including: (i) the selection and scheduling of R&D tasks with general precedence constraints under pass/fail uncertainty, and (ii) resource planning decisions (expansion/contraction and outsourcing) for multiple resource types. Furthermore, we study interdependencies between tasks in terms of probability of success, resource usage and market impact. Finally, we explore risk management approaches, including novel formulations for value at risk and conditional value at risk.
Synthesis and accumulation of DNA-like RNA during embryogenesis of Xenopus laevis

Abstract A technique has been developed which quantitates the DNA-like RNA (dRNA) which is synthesized during embryogenesis of the amphibian Xenopus laevis . The technique utilizes [ 32 P]phosphate as a precursor and relies on the fact that the synthesis of ribosomal RNA is low compared to that of dRNA for a considerable period of early embryogenesis. Radioactivity in dRNA at each stage has been converted into dRNA content by measuring the specific activities of the α-phosphates of RNA precursors in the acid-soluble pool and assuming that they are the same as the specific activity of the dRNA. The results show that a mature oocyte synthesizes about 1 to 6 mμg of [ 32 P]dRNA during ovulation, an amount equal to about 0.02 to 0.1% of the total RNA in the egg. During development, the content of [ 32 P]dRNA in embryos increases relative to ribosomal RNA until about 2% of the total RNA in swimming embryos is [ 32 P]dRNA. During early embryogenesis when dRNA increases relative to ribosomes, the content of [ 32 P]dRNA in the embryo approximately doubles with each doubling of the DNA content.
Superconductivity of Vanadium at 24 000 Mc/sec

The high-frequency resistance of vanadium was measured at frequencies in the vicinity of 24 000 Mc/sec in both the normal and superconducting states using resonant cavity techniques.
Development and Optimization of a Two-Valve Spark-Ignition Direct-Injection (SIDI) Small Block Engine

A systems approach is implemented to fully optimize the overall performance of a gasoline SIDI two-valve “small block” engine. The objective is to maximize fuel economy while achieving significant improvements in idle stability, cold-start emissions, and torque and power performance relative a baseline port-fuel-injected (PFI) engine. The scope includes the optimization of the fuel injector, piston, cylinder head, cams, in-cylinder charge motion, and the intake-manifold. The results show that the SIDI engine provides the potential to achieve 6.5% better fuel economy; a result of higher efficiency when implementing a higher geometric compression ratio and significantly better combustion performance. A multiple fuel-injection strategy is examined to provide lower HC emissions at a representative cold-start operating condition. The engine’s idle stability is improved by a factor of three; the individual contributions from a better combustion system design and from multiple fuel injections are identified. The new SIDI engine concept demonstrated significantly better wide-open-throttle (WOT) performance, including up to 10% higher torque and 6% more power when using premium fuel. This document further demonstrates the performance sensitivity to engine design variables while emphasizing the importance of using a systems approach to achieve optimized performance for the direct-injection engine technology.Copyright © 2013 by General Motors
L’Eruzione di Santorino del 1925

Actuellement, le Stromboli passe par une periode de calme reltaive; la veritable activite « strombolienne ». It a 6 bouches, toutes en activite plus ou moins intenses. Elles peuvent etre divisees en 3 groupes
Postkeratoplasty Astigmatism With Single Running Suture or Interrupted Sutures

In a prospective randomized clinical trial we compared astigmatism after penetrating keratoplasty with two different suture techniques between two groups of patients (38 patients). The first group (18 patients) had a 24-bite single running 10-0 nylon suture (single running suture) with postoperative suture adjustment to decrease astigmatism. The second group (20 patients) had a combination of a 16-bite running 10-0 nylon suture and eight interrupted 10-0 nylon sutures (combined running and interrupted sutures) with selective postoperative removal of interrupted sutures to decrease astigmatism. The single running suture resulted in a lower postoperative astigmatism than a combined running and interrupted suture technique (single running suture, 2.7 ± 2.2 diopters; combined running and interrupted sutures, 3.9 ± 2.5 diopters; P
Role of the Ah Receptor in Homeostatic Control of Fatty Acid Synthesis in the Liver

We have previously demonstrated a role for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in the attenuation of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. This regulation did not require that the AHR binds to its cognate response element. Based on these observations and other reports depicting a role for AHR in lipid metabolism, we chose to investigate the involvement of the receptor in the regulation of the fatty acid synthesis pathway in mice and humans. For this purpose, C57BL/6J, liver-specific transgenic DRE-binding mutant AhR (A78D-Ahr Ttr Cre Alb Ahr fx/fx) and Cre Alb Ahr fx/fx mice were treated with an AHR ligand, and hepatic mRNA expression levels of key fatty acid genes (e.g., Acaca, Fasn, Scd1) were measured. The basal levels of those genes were also compared between C57BL6/J and hepatic AHR-deficient mice, as well as between Ah b and Ah d congenic mice. To extend these results to humans, fatty acid gene expression in human cells were compared with AHR-silenced cells. In addition, primary human hepatocytes were treated with an AHR ligand to assess alterations in gene expression and fatty acid synthesis. These studies indicated that the AHR constitutively attenuates the expression of key fatty acid synthesis genes in the absence of binding to its cognate response element. In addition, activation of AHR led to further repression of the expression of these genes and a decrease in overall fatty acid synthesis and secretion in human hepatocytes. Based on our results, we can conclude that increased AHR activity represses fatty acid synthesis, suggesting it may be a future therapeutic target.
Instabilities in Double Dielectric Structures

Double dielectric structures are used in devices and integrated circuits for the purposes of stabilization and encapsulation, increased breakdown strength, or for active operation as in MNOS and MAOS memory transistors. Instabilities are shown to arise from polarization, alkali migration and fixed interface charges, conductivity differences and the formation of slow and fast oxide states due to the application of high electric fields in memory devices.
Visualizing program execution using user abstractions

A practical system that uses visualization for understanding the execution of complex programs must offer the user views of the execution that are specific to the program being understood and the particular problem at hand without significantly slowing down or perturbing the system being examined. This paper describes a visualization data model and its implementation that accomplishes this. The model starts with program events that can be instrumented efficiently and with little overhead. It uses extended finite state automata to model program behaviors in terms of events. It builds time-varying data structures based on these automata. The data structures are then made available to various visualizations through a set of mappings that let the user dynamically control the visualization. The model and its implementation have been demonstrated on a range of specific understanding problems with a variety of different visualizations.
Mastoid subperiosteal abscess in children: drainage or mastoidectomy?

ENT Department, ‘P & A Kyriakou’ Children’s Hospital of Athens, GreeceAbstractObjective: To evaluate the management of mastoid subperiosteal abscess using two different surgical approaches:simple mastoidectomy and abscess drainage.Method: The medical records of 34 children suffering from acute mastoiditis with subperiosteal abscess wereretrospectively reviewed. In these cases, the initial surgical approach consisted of either myringotomy plussimple mastoidectomy or myringotomy plus abscess drainage.Results:Thirteenchildrenweremanagedwithsimplemastoidectomyand21childrenwereinitiallymanagedwithabscessdrainage.Ofthesecondgroup,12childrenwerecuredwithoutfurthertreatmentwhile9eventuallyrequiredmastoidectomy. None of the children developed complications during hospitalisation, or long-term sequelae.Conclusion: Simple mastoidectomy remains the most effective procedure for the management of mastoidsubperiosteal abscess. Drainage of the abscess represents a simple and risk-free, but not always curative, option.It can be safely used as an initial, conservative approach in association with myringotomy and sufficientantibiotic coverage, with simple mastoidectomy reserved for non-responding cases.Key words: Mastoiditis; Abscess; Complications; Child; Disease Management; Mastoidectomy
A Computer Model for Gas Turbine Blade Cooling Analysis

A computer model for gas turbine blade cooling analysis has been developed. The finite difference technique over the chord and span of the blade is employed. A flow balance and an energy balance program are included in the model. The model is capable of predicting cooling flow characteristics (mass flow rate and internal pressure distribution) and metal temperature profiles of multipass coolant passages in rotating blades with local film cooling. The paper first presents the analytical model of coolant flow and heat transfer, then the computer program is discussed. Finally, the computed results of a sample blade at engine conditions is presented and discussed.Copyright © 1982 by ASME
Cytomegalovirus-associated periodontitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Background: Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune disorder of the peripheral nervous system, is characterized by rapidly ascending neural paralysis, hyporeflexia, and areflexia. The polyneuropathy of the GBS affects one to four humans per 100,000 of the population annually throughout the world (adults and children). The pathogenesis of GBS remains unclear. However, there are increasing indications that the disease is triggered by a preceding well-established febrile infection by cytomegalovirus (CMV). The present report describes active CMV within the periodontium of a 37-year-old patient affected by GBS.Methods: Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) was performed to detect CMV, Epstein-Barr virus-1 (EBV-1), herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2) virus, and enteroviruses (polio-, coxsackie-, echo-, and enteroviruses 68 and 71) from periodontal sites demonstrating advanced attachment loss. Healthy sites and sites with inflamed gingival tissue were not included ...
Regression methods for assessing familial aggregation of disease.

This paper reviews methods for assessing familial aggregation of disease based on simple logistic regression models. Studies are based on a case-control sampling design, where the disease status of the first degree relatives of both cases and controls are obtained. Both 'proband predictive' and 'family predictive' models are discussed, and an example is given using a case-control sample from a lung cancer study in non-smokers. The methods are extended to characterize co-aggregation of two disorders, that is, presence of one disorder in the proband increases the risk of a second disorder in the relative. An example involving eating disorders and depression is given.
Endocrine and gene expression changes following forced swim stress exposure during cocaine abstinence in mice

Rationale Stress can reinstate previous cocaine-seeking long after drug is no longer present. However, little is known regarding the effect of chronic drug exposure and subsequent drug abstinence on responsivity to stress.
Plant-Enhanced Remediation of Glycol-Based Aircraft Deicing Fluids

To ensure passenger safety during flight operations, the Federal Aviation Administration demands the use of glycol-based aircraft deicing fluids (ADFs) at airports. However, from the deicing process a significant amount of ADF runoff enters storm-water collection systems and/or finds its way to soil and ground-water ecosystems. The environmental impact of the ADF mixture is a combination of the extremely high biological oxygen demand from glycols and the toxicity to bacteria, aquatic organisms, and plants of the corrosion inhibitor tolyltriazole. The present paper discusses some alternatives that have been proposed to manage ADF waste and the need for an environmental management technology able to deal with both kinds of contaminants. Phytoremediation has been explored because a rhizosphere effect improves the efficiency of land treatment for many substances and only fungi and vegetation have been reported to be able to degrade the corrosion inhibitor (Wu et al. 1998). Below a toxic threshold of about 100 mg of methyl benzotriazole/L in the aqueous phase, plants can degrade approximately about 2 mg of methyl benzotriazole/(g dry root·day). Some of the advantages, difficulties, and conditions to apply the technology are outlined.
An examination of support department cost allocations.

Abstract This study examines three factors that influence support cost allocations: the complexity of the support service usage, the accounting system capability, and management beliefs about the usefulness of allocations. Critics believe that any allocations are arbitrary and cause incorrect decisions; however, allocations are integral to new cost systems such as Resource Consumption Accounting (RCA) and Granzplankostenrechnung (GPK). We find that support cost allocations are inadequately incorporated into most cost systems. The reason is not that there is little cross-departmental use of services or that accounting systems are inadequate. Rather, the belief of financial managers that the information is useful is the main factor critical to firms' use of support cost allocation systems. These results have implications for systems implementation and education.
Posterior fossa inflammation resulting from contiguous mastoid disease demonstrated by computerized tomography

Abstract Inflammatory mastoid disease with adjoining localized posterior fossa empyema was detected and demonstrated by cranial computed tomography. The patient's hospital course was followed through his antibiotic and eventual definitive surgical therapy by computerized tomography.
Dimensions and morphology of the cornea in three strains of mice.

For many years, the rabbit was generally the preferred animal model for ophthalmic research, but recently the mouse has become widely used in corneal research and studies involving other ocular regions, such as the retina and the crystalline lens.1,2 The main reason for the increased utilization of the mouse is that its genome has been sequenced, and there are many different transgenic and knockout strains available for different types of research. Additional advantages of using the mouse are that it is easy to breed, it grows rapidly, and it is cost effective.3–5 An obvious disadvantage with the mouse as a model is that its corneal diameter is much smaller than that of the human. However, the mouse cornea contains five layers (epithelium, anterior limiting lamina [ALL], stroma, posterior limiting lamina [PLL], and endothelium) as described by Smith et al.,4 although the presence of an anterior limiting lamina has been disputed.6,7 The literature also contains conflicting data on the dimensions of the mouse cornea. For instance, there are large discrepancies between different reports on the overall central corneal thickness and central stromal thickness that may be related to variations in the measuring techniques and strains of mice used. Zhang et al.3 reported a central corneal thickness of 170 μm in the BALB/c mouse, detected by confocal microscope (Helmut Hund, Wetzlar, Germany). They also reported a central epithelial thickness of 51 μm and a central stromal thickness of 119 μm. These measurements were obtained from cryostat sections photographed by microscope (Photomicro-scope OM-2; Olympus, Tokyo, Japan).3 In contrast Schulz et al.8 based their thickness assessment on optical low coherence reflectometry and reported the central corneal thickness to be 106 ± 3.45 μm in the same strain of mice, the BALB/c. Jester et al.9 used yet another technique, in vivo confocal microscopy by a tandem scanning confocal microscope (Tandem Scanning Corp., Reston, VA) to determine corneal thickness and reported a central corneal thickness of 112.9 ± 7.0 μm in wild-type littermates of PEPCK-TGFβ1 transgenic mice. Song el al.10 used the same in vivo confocal microscope to measure the central epithelial and stromal thickness in the wild-type CD1 mouse and reported values of 49.3 ± 5.7 and 81.5 ± 10.7 μm, respectively. In addition to these discrepancies, available literature provides only central corneal measurements, and no information is available about the mouse peripheral cornea. An understanding of the normal corneal structure together with normative data is desirable for future comparisons when using the mouse model for anterior segment research. The purpose of this study was to use a histologic approach to provide needed normative morphometric data on the dimensions of the overall cornea and its components, both centrally and peripherally, while assessing the mouse corneal morphology in three commonly used strains of mice, the BALB/c, C57BL/6, and 129/SVJ.