cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uptake of 17β-trenbolone and subsequent metabolite trendione by the pinto bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris).

Abstract Manure from livestock feeding operations is commonly applied to agricultural fields as an alternative to commercial fertilizers. Trenbolone acetate (TbA) is a synthetic growth promoter frequently utilized in beef cattle feeding operations. Metabolites of TbA can be present in manure and subsequently applied to fields. Fate ofTbA metabolites 17β-trenbolone (17βTb), 17α-trenbolone (17αTb), and trendione (TbO) have been assessed in manure and soils, but plant uptake in agricultural fields is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to investigate potential plant uptake and biotransformation of 17βTb using the pinto bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris). Vegetated (n=20) and control sands (n=16) were amended with 17βTb at a level of 1 μg/g once per week for a total of four weeks. Sand, above-ground plant portion and below-ground plant portion were collected each week and then analyzed for 17βTb, 17αTb, and TbO. By week four, low concentrations of 17βTb (10±4.9 μg/g fresh weight) were taken up into the roots of plants and, to a much lesser extent, translocated throughout the plant (0.04±0.02 μg/g fresh weight). Extensive transformation of 17βTb to the metabolite trendione (TbO) occurred in vegetated sand, while minimal TbO was detected in control sand. These results suggest the biotransformation of 17βTb to TbO is predominantly through microbial degradation. Trenbolone (Tb) metabolites can then be taken up into plants but remain concentrated in the roots with only slight translocation to above ground portions of the plant. After four weeks, maximum observed concentrations of total Tb (parent+metabolites) in fresh plant tissues were 33.0 μg/g in roots and 0.25 μg/g in leaves. No phytotoxicity was observed to pinto bean plants throughout the four week study.
Internalism about reasons: sad but true?

Internalists about reasons following Bernard Williams claim that an agent’s normative reasons for action are constrained in some interesting way by her desires or motivations. In this paper, I offer a new argument for such a position—although one that resonates, I believe, with certain key elements of Williams’ original view. I initially draw on P.F. Strawson’s famous distinction between the interpersonal and the objective stances that we can take to other people, from the second-person point of view. I suggest that we should accept Strawson’s contention that the activity of reasoning with someone about what she ought to do naturally belongs to the interpersonal mode of interaction. I also suggest that reasons for an agent to perform some action are considerations which would be apt to be cited in favor of that action, within an idealized version of this advisory social practice. I then go on to argue that one would take leave of the interpersonal stance towards someone—thus crossing the line, so to speak—in suggesting that she do something one knows she wouldn’t want to do, even following an exhaustive attempt to hash it out with her. An internalist necessity constraint on reasons is defended on this basis.
Tight coordination of protein translation and HSF1 activation supports the anabolic malignant state.

A unifying characteristic of aggressive cancers is a profound anabolic shift in metabolism to enable sustained proliferation and biomass expansion. The ribosome is centrally situated to sense metabolic states but whether it impacts systems that promote cellular survival is unknown. Here, through integrated chemical-genetic analyses, we find that a dominant transcriptional effect of blocking protein translation in cancer cells is complete inactivation of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), a multifaceted transcriptional regulator of the heat-shock response and many other cellular processes essential for tumorigenesis. Translational flux through the ribosome reshapes the transcriptional landscape and links the fundamental anabolic processes of protein production and energy metabolism with HSF1 activity. Targeting this link deprives cancer cells of their energy and chaperone armamentarium thereby rendering the malignant phenotype unsustainable.
Effect of Loading Rate on Fracture Morphology in a High Strength Ductile Steel

Fracture experiments in a high-strength ductile steel (2.3Ni-1.3Cr-0.17C) were conducted under static and dynamic loading conditions in a three-point bend and a one-point bend configurations. A qualitative description of the influence of loading rate on the microscopic features of the fracture surfaces and their role in the fracture initiation process was considered. The fracture surfaces consist of tunneled region and shear lips. The size of the shear lips increases wit increasing loading rate and is characterized by microvoids and cell structures. The tunneled region consists of large voids and micro-voids that coalesce by impingement. At high loading rates, localized molten zones are observed at the tunnel-shear lip interface.
Conversion of diglyceride to triglyceride by rat liver microsomes: A requirement for the 105,000 × g supernatant

Abstract This paper describes a requirement for the 105,000 × g supernatant of rat liver for the synthesis of triglyceride from diglyceride and palmityl coenzyme A by rat liver microsomes. ATP and magnesium chloride are also required. The incorporation of both [1- 14 C]-palmityl coenzyme A and [1- 14 C]-diolein into triglyceride has been observed. The 105,000 × g supernatant has no enzymatic activity for this reaction when incubated in the absence of microsomes. The supernatant contains a soluble, essential protein which is nondialyzable, heat sensitive, and destroyed by trypsin. Net synthesis of triglyceride has been demonstrated by chemical analysis.
Animosity, collective memory, rumor and equity restoration: Consumer reactions to the Holocaust

Ethnic groups that have experienced violent and stressful events often have a reaction against the specific aggressor for future generations. This reaction is sometimes manifested in consumer behavior. Building on the Klein, Ettenson and Morris (1998) Animosity Model, this study utilizes depth interviews and netnographic discussion data to demonstrate the role animosity, collective memory, rumor and equity restoration play in consumption behavior among Jewish consumers living in the United States buying German‐made automobiles 60 years after the liberation of the concentration camps. This study shows how some consumers may attempt to respond to distressing ethnic‐related events in the arena of the marketplace. Both cultural and psychological implications are discussed.
Sometimes area counts more than number

Using an interference paradigm, we show across three experiments that adults' order judgments of numbers, sizes, or combined area of dots in pairs of arrays occur spontaneously and automatically, but at different speeds and levels of accuracy. Experiment 1 used circles whose sizes varied between but not within arrays. Variation in circle size interfered with judgments of which array had more circles. Experiment 2 used displays in which circle size varied within and between arrays. Between-array differences in the amount of “circle stuff” (area occupied by circles) interfered with judgments of number. Experiment 3 examined whether variation in number also interferes with judgments of area. Interference between discrete and continuous stimulus dimensions occurred in both directions, although it was stronger from the continuous to the discrete than vice versa. These results bear on interpretations of studies with infants and preschoolers wherein subjects respond on the basis of continuous quantity rather than discrete quantity. In light of our results with adults, these findings do not license the conclusion that young children cannot represent discrete quantity. Absent data on attentional hierarchies and speed of processing, it is premature to conclude that infant and child quantity processes are fundamentally different from that of adults.
Detection of upper mantle flow associated with the African Superplume

A continental-scale, low seismic velocity anomaly in the mid to lower mantle beneath Africa is a robust feature of global tomographic models. Assuming the low velocities are associated with warm, less dense material, the African seismic anomaly has been ascribed to a long-lived thermal upwelling from the lower mantle. Such a large-scale upwelling should also affect the regional horizontal flow field in the upper mantle. To test this model, we compare seismic anisotropy inferred from shear-wave splitting measurements with instantaneous flow calculations that incorporate mantle density structure inferred from seismic tomography. We calculate splitting parameters at 13 ocean island stations surrounding Africa. Splitting measurements from island stations are ideal for interpreting anisotropy induced by asthenospheric flow because they lack a thick overlying lithosphere that may also contribute to the observed anisotropy. We tested for a possible lithospheric contribution by comparing the splitting measurements with the fossil spreading directions. We find that although the fossil lithospheric fabric closely matches the observed fast polarization directions at stations <500 km from a ridge axis, they are a poor fit to the data at stations located farther off-axis. Thus, we conclude that far from a ridge axis, the observed anisotropy is dominated by asthenospheric flow. To test for an active component of mantle upwelling, we considered several models with varying assumptions about the velocity at the base of the asthenosphere: that it is (1) stationary below plates moving in the no-net-rotation (NNR) or hotspot reference frames, (2) driven by plate motions at the Earth's surface, or (3) driven by a combination of plate-motion and mantle density heterogeneity inferred from either seismic tomography or the history of subduction. We find that the best-fitting flow field is generated by plate motions and density heterogeneity associated with large-scale upwelling originating in the lower mantle beneath southern Africa and is manifest as a radial pattern of flow at the base of the asthenosphere. This model provides a significantly better fit to the observed anisotropy than a model in which mantle flow is driven through a passive response to subduction. The resulting sub-asthenospheric flow field is estimated to have velocities of 0–3 cm/year, and an asthenospheric viscosity of ∼3·1019 Pa·s is found to be most consistent with the regional anisotropy, geoid height, and dynamic topography.
Quantitative classification of tumor cell morphological changes on selectively functionalized biochips

Proteomics information of cancer has shown that abnormalities at the levels of growth factors, receptors, intracellular mediators and transcription factors play major role in the disease progression. We report a directly quantifiable approach to measure tumor cell behavior on functionalized chips. The chips were functionalized with aptamer molecules that were selective against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a commonly overexpressed cancer biomarker. The chip-bound aptamer selectively isolated tumor cells from cell mixture samples. The isolated cells were thus bound to the chip surface. However, some normal cells also got captured on the surface. The selectivity and sensitivity of tumor isolation changed when the surface of the chip was chemically treated to create nanoscale texture. The captured cancer cells showed distinctly different behavior on the surface of the chip than that for the normal cells. The behavior quantification can serve as a novel modality to detect cancer cells from simple samples like blood, saliva or urine.
Expression of major histocompatibility complex antigens on inflammatory peripheral nerve lesions.

Abstract The expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens by cells of the rat peripheral nervous system (PNS) was studied using a model of peripheral nerve transplantation. Monoclonal antibodies to polymorphic determinants of MHC class I and class II (Ia) molecules were used to determine donor or recipient origin of MHC antigen-bearing cells in nerve allografts. The expression of class I and class II antigens by PNS parenchymal cells was modified during varying alloimmune conditions. Baseline, constitutive expression of class I antigens on endothelial and perivascular cells and class II antigens on interstitial cells were identified. Decreased MHC antigen expression was noted following in vitro culture of nerve allografts prior to implantation. After transplantation, enhanced donor-derived MHC antigen expression was demonstrated by both cultured and untreated allograft endothelial, perivascular and interstitial cells in a pattern which was distinct from isografts. This data supports a concept of perivascular monocytic and/or parenchymal cell (Schwann cell or resident macrophage-like cell) activity as the resident antigen-presenting cell for PNS immune processes.
Radar Backscattering by Large, Spongy Ice Oblate Spheroids

Abstract Calculations have been made of the radar backscattering, differential reflectivity, and circular depolarization ratio of large oblate spheroids composed of spongy ice. Results are compatible with laboratory measurements by earlier investigators. As expected, scattering of 10-cm radiation depends to an important extent on the size, water content, and axial ratios of the spheroids. Observations of differential reflectivities close to zero in hailstorms can be explained, as was done by V. N. Bringi and his associates, as resulting from the irregular shapes and tumbling of hailstones. But such observations could also be explained by size-distributed oblate spheroids with equivalent diameters greater than about 3.5 cm, falling with vertical symmetry axes.
RAROC AT BANK OF AMERICA: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

In 1993, Bank of America's Risk and Capital Analysis Group was charged with the task of developing and instituting a single corporate-wide system to allocate capital to all the bank's activities. Since 1994, that system has been providing quarterly reports of risk-adjusted returns on capital (RAROC) for each of the bank's 37 major business units. By 1995, B of A had also developed the capability to calculate RAROC down to the level of individual products, transactions, and customer relationships. RAROC systems allocate capital for two basic reasons: (1) risk management and (2) performance evaluation. For risk management purposes, the overriding goal of allocating capital to individual business units is to determine the bank's optimal capital structure–the proportion of equity to assets that minimizes the bank's overall cost of funding. This process involves estimating how much the risk (or volatility) of each business unit contributes to the total risk of the bank, and hence to the bank's overall capital requirements. For performance evaluation purposes, RAROC systems assign capital to business units as part of a process of determining the risk-adjusted rate of return and, ultimately, the “economic profit” of each business unit. The objective in this case is to measure a business unit's contribution to shareholder value, and thus to provide a basis for effective planning, capital budgeting, and incentive compensation at the business unit level. Concerns about capital adequacy, along with the Basel risk-based capital requirements, have played some role in the growth of RAROC among commercial banks. But the most powerful impetus to bankers' use of more systematic risk measures is coming from increasingly activist institutional investors. Besides giving senior management an economic basis for evaluating the bank as a portfolio of businesses and for making resource allocation decisions that improve the bank's risk/reward profile, RAROC systems are also expected to produce better performance by holding managers accountable for the amount of investor capital they are putting at risk.
Research aspects of endometriosis surgery.

: This paper asks various questions regarding endometriosis surgery. These address the research issues of the necessity of treatment, surgical technique, terminology, the definition of the rectovaginal septum, standards for research, and the impact of RBRVS/RDG.
Activity-Composition Relations in Co2SiO4-Fe2SiO4 Solid Solutions at 1180°C

Activity-composition relations of cobalt orthosilicate in cobalt-iron-orthosilicate solid solutions were determined at 1180°C by studying the equilibrium between these solid solutions, silica, metallic cobalt, and a gas phase of known oxygen pressures. The solution shows a slight positive deviation from ideality.
Detonation transmission and transition in channels of different sizes

Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate two types of detonation diffraction phenomena: (1) detonation transmission from a small two-dimensional channel to a large one, both filed with the same ethylene-based mixture; and (2) detonation transition from a small channel filled with a stoichiometic ethylene-oxygen mixture into a large channel filled with a stoichiometic, ethylene-air mixture. The transmission cases show that in the stoichiometic ethylene-oxyge mixture, the detonation originally generated in the small channel, containin eight pairs of triple points (8Λ), successfullytransmits into the large channel, and in the stoichiometric ethylene-air mixture, the detonation from the small channel, containing only four pairs of triple points (4Λ), fails after its transmission into the large channel. In the transition case, the detonation front from the small channel also containing eight pairs of triple points (8Λ), survives its transition into the stoichiometric ethylene-air mixture in the large channel. It is interesting to note that the mixture in the large channel is the same as the mixture used in the transmission case where the detonation fails to transmit into the large channel. After the transition, the triple-point spacing increases from that observed when the detonation was still in the small channel. In all cases, the expansion waves generated at the exit of the small channel weaken the detonation front from its edges. However, the expansion wave is onlyable to equench the detonation in the ethylene-air to ethylene-air case. Also, the reflected shocks from the channel walls can created local regions of high pressure and temperature and, therefore, re-ignite the mixture near the walls. However, the overall effect of the reflected shocks is quite limited in the casees studied here. The significance of these results to research on the pulse detonation engine is also discussed.
Atrial natriuretic peptides: anticancer agents.

Atrial natriuretic peptides (ANPs) consist of a family of six peptide hormones that are synthesized by three different genes and then stored as three different prohormones. Within the 126-amino acid ANP prohormone are four peptide hormones: long-acting natriuretic peptide (LANP), vessel dilator, kaliuretic peptide, and ANP, whose main known biologic properties are blood pressure regulation and maintenance of plasma volume. The newest discovered property of these peptide hormones is their anticancer effects. Vessel dilator, LANP, kaliuretic peptide, and ANP decrease the number of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells in culture by 65%, 47%, 37%, and 34%, respectively, within 24 hours at their 1 μM concentrations. Similar results have been found with breast adenocarcinomas, squamous cell lung cancer, and small cell lung cancer cells, each associated with an 83% or greater inhibition of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis by these four peptide hormones. Brain natriuretic peptide has no effects even when increased 100-fold (ie, 100 μM). C-type natriuretic peptide has no effects when increased 10-fold, but when increased 100-fold, it decreases 39% of the cancer cells. At this higher 100 μM concentration, vessel dilator kills 92% of the cancer cells within 24 hours. The four peptide hormones synthesized by the ANP gene given subcutaneously via osmotic pumps in athymic mice with human pancreatic adenocarcinomas completely stop the growth of these adenocarcinomas at 1 week. Vessel dilator, LANP, and kaliuretic peptide within 1 week decrease the volume by 49%, 28%, and 11% of the human pancreatic adenocarcinomas, which, with current anticancer treatment, have a mean survival of only 4 months.
Black iris-diaphragm intraocular lens for aniridia and aphakia ☆

We present the first reported use in the United States of a black iris-diaphragm intraocular lens (IOL) for the treatment of traumatic aniridia and aphakic bullous keratopathy. The patient presented to a university-based practice with contact-lens-intolerant aniridia and aphakia with painful bullous keratopathy from a failed corneal graft. He was treated with combined penetrating keratoplasty and transscleral fixation of an aniridia IOL. The patient's preoperative symptoms of debilitating glare and photophobia resolved substantially after surgery, despite mild postoperative inflammation that resolved. The symptoms associated with aniridia can be successfully treated with a black iris-diaphragm IOL; however, chronic low-grade inflammation has been reported with its use in some cases.
Author perceptions of journal quality

One of the most important issues facing scholarly communication today is what constitutes quality in the publishing and dissemination of research findings; the aim of this exploratory research study was to investigate author-perceived quality characteristics of science, technology and medicine journals. We triangulated data from a small number of volunteer full-time faculty members of Long Island University, using three different research techniques: (1) questionnaire survey, (2) focus groups, and (3) semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The study identified some significant differences by discipline, gender, and tenure status. Overall, the three most important attributes were the reputation of the journal, the estimated length of time to article publication, and the readership of the journal. Our findings bring new insight into this area for the scholarly research community as a whole.
Laboratory culture of the Nudibranch Tritonia diomedea bergh (Tritoniidae: Opisthobranchia) and some aspects of its behavioral development

Abstract Tritonia diomedea Bergh was reared from oviposition, through metamorphosis to reproductive maturity in the laboratory. The larvae of T. diomedea are planktotrophic and undergo considerable shell growth (from 144.6–329 μ average maximum shell length). Metamorphosis does not require induction, but there may be a preference to metamorphose in the presence of the probable adult prey, a small Virgularia sp. Larvae in cultures fed no food, Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher Isochrysis galbana Parke, or Monochrysis lutheri Droop did not achieve metamorphic competence at near ambient sea-water temperatures (11.9±1.3 and 13.0±0.8°C). Larvae from cultures fed Monochrysis at room temperature (20.8±1.5°C) or fed a 1 : 1 mixture of Isochrysis and Monochrysis at near ambient sea-water temperatures did metamorphose. Even so, only those larvae fed the 1 : 1 mixture survived more than a few days following metamorphosis. Adult behavioral patterns developed gradually, feeding being first observed at 5 days, swimming in response to NaCl crystals at about 60 days, copulation at about 272 days, and oviposition at about 277 days after metamorphosis. Growth rates were determined for field collected Tritonia diomedea; smaller animals gained and lost weight relatively faster than larger animals.
Detecting regions of disequilibrium in taxi services under uncertainty

Thousands of taxis cruise a metropolitan road network looking for passengers that may be scattered or clustered in highly active locations. Taxicab drivers tend to gravitate to the known clusters, often leading to supply and demand disequilibrium as areas become under or over served. Many cities monitor their taxi fleet's locations using GPS devices and track passenger occupancy through trip meters, thereby producing data streams of taxicab trajectories and passenger activities. This paper presents the Service Disequilibrium Detection (SDD) framework which aims at identifying regions of service disequilibrium using this information. The SDD framework models request wait time and taxicab location uncertainty inherent in the discrete data streams and identifies the disequilibrium regions using two methods: (1) Bayesian spatial scan statistics, and (2) Poisson-based hypothesis testing. We claim the SDD framework can detect emerging disequilibrium and validate this claim using a large Shanghai taxi GPS data set.
Reservoir simulation-based modeling for characterizing longwall methane emissions and gob gas venthole production

Abstract Longwall mining alters the fluid-flow-related reservoir properties of the rocks overlying and underlying an extracted panel due to fracturing and relaxation of the strata. These mining-related disturbances create new pressure depletion zones and new flow paths for gas migration and may cause unexpected or uncontrolled migration of gas into the underground workplace. One common technique to control methane emissions in longwall mines is to drill vertical gob gas ventholes into each longwall panel to capture the methane within the overlying fractured strata before it enters the work environment. Thus, it is important to optimize the well parameters, e.g., the borehole diameter, and the length and position of the slotted casing interval relative to the fractured gas-bearing zones. This paper presents the development and results of a comprehensive, “dynamic,” three-dimensional reservoir model of a typical multi-panel Pittsburgh coalbed longwall mine. The alteration of permeability fields in and above the panels as a result of the mining-induced disturbances has been estimated from mechanical modeling of the overlying rock mass. Model calibration was performed through history matching the gas production from gob gas ventholes in the study area. Results presented in this paper include a simulation of gas flow patterns from the gas-bearing zones in the overlying strata to the mine environment, as well as the influence of completion practices on optimizing gas production from gob gas ventholes.
Correlation between Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Optical Intrinsic Signal Imaging (OISI) during Functional Brain Activation

Simultaneous OCT and OISI were performed on rat somatosensory cortex during forepaw stimulation. The depth-integrated OCT signal correlates well with OISI signal, while OCT resolves layer-specific dynamics in functional activation patterns indicating retrograde vessel dilation.
Thermal expansion hysteresis in polycrystalline graphite

Abstract The length of polycrystalline graphite samples was measured as a function of temperature while cycling from 1000° to 2400°C. A sample oriented perpendicular to the extrusion direction exhibited thermal expansion hysteresis for cycling to 2400° and 2200°C but little or no hysteresis for cycling to 2000° and 1800°C. A sample with parallel orientation displayed no measurable hysteresis when cycled to 2400°C. The results are discussed in terms of one dimensional models which allow simulation of crystallite cracking during cool down.
Evaluations of magnetic resonance imaging parameters with simple phantoms.

Imaging parameters associated with a clinical magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) system, evaluated with the use of simple and inexpensive phantoms, are described in evaluation of a clinical MRI system. Images, obtained with a Diasonics 0.35‐T MRI system using an elliptical whole‐body radio frequency coil, are presented which demonstrate geometric distortion, inaccuracy of image dimensions, and artifacts. Measurements of reproducibility and uniformity of both signal intensity and spin‐lattice relaxation times are presented for uniform phantoms. Replicate measurements are analyzed by two‐way analyses of variance to determine the significance of variations as a function of position and slice. Apparent T 1’s are not significantly different among the slices for the imagesanalyzed, but there is a significant effect due to position in the field. Direct measurement of the radio frequency field for the center slice follows a pattern which is similar. Spin‐lattice relaxation times are compared among two‐point calculations and nonlinear four‐point calculations, and the effects of pooling data are found to increase the precision of T 1 measurements.
Sulfation of mono- and diaryl oximes by aryl sulfotransferase isozymes.

Aryl sulfotransferases (3'-phosphoadenylsulfate:phenol sulfotransferase, EC 2.8.2.1) catalyze the sulfonation of a wide variety of hydroxyl-containing substrates, including numerous xenobiotics. The chemical diversity of aryl sulfotransferase substrates is in part attributable to the presence of multiple isozymes, each of which has broad substrate specificity. Of the aryl sulfotransferase isozymes in rat liver cytosol, two (designated isozymes I and II) have previously been shown to sulfonate phenolic compounds exclusively and, moreover, have very similar substrate specificity patterns. The recently reported unusually efficient, rapid isozyme I-catalyzed sulfonation of 9-fluorenone oxime (Mangold, J.B., Mangold, B.L.K. and Spina, A. (1986) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 874, 37-43) was therefore unexpected and suggested that aryl oximes may represent a useful class of model compounds to probe isozymic differences in substrate steric and electronic requirements. In the present study, several mono- and diaryl oximes have been prepared and tested as potential substrates for partially purified aryl sulfotransferases I and II from rat liver cytosol. The results indicate that steric factors, specifically planarity and hydroxyl group position, appear to be important requirements for enzyme-catalyzed sulfonation. In addition, although isozymes I and II had comparable activity with diaryl oximes, some striking differences in the ability of these two isozymes to sulfonate both substituted and unsubstituted monoaryl oximes were observed. This dissimilarity is consistent with distinct differences in the active sites of these isozymes.
Optimal parametric discrete event control: Problem and solution

We present a novel optimization problem for discrete event control, similar in spirit to the optimal parametric control problem common in statistical process control. In our problem, we assume a known finite state machine plant model G defined over an event alphabet Sigma so that the plant model language L = LM(G) is prefix closed. We further assume the existence of a base control structure MK, which may be either a finite state machine or a deterministic pushdown machine. If K = LM(MK), we assume K is prefix closed and that K C L. We associate each controllable transition of MK with a binary variable X1,..., Xnmiddot indicating whether the transition is enabled or not. This leads to a function MK(X1, ,...,- , Xn), that returns a new control specification depending upon the values of X1,..., Xnmiddot We exhibit a branch-and-bound algorithm to solve the optimization problem minx1 x,...xn m and, C(L) is the set of controllable sublanguages of L1.
Levels of lutenizing hormone, estradiol and progesterone in serum during the estrous cycle and pregnancy in the beagle bitch (38491).

Levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol-17 beta and progesterone were determined by specific radioimmunoassays in sera obtained from Beagle bitches during proestrus, estrus and diestrus. Concentrations of LH (expressed as NIH-LH-SI equivalents) were 2.8 plus or minus 0.1 ng/ml in proestrus, 35.5 plus or minus 10.0 ng/ml during early estrus and 2.2 plus or minus 0.1 ng/ml in early diestrus. Peak levels of estradiol-17beta (68.9 plus or minus 11.0 ng/ml) were detected 24 hr prior to the LH peak, declined rapidly and reached basal levels (17.8 plus or minus 6.3 ng/ml) by five days following the LH peak. Levels of progesterone were 1.7 plus or minus 0.3 ng/ml during proestrus, 3.5 plus or minus 0.3 ng/ml during early estrus and 23.3 plus or minus 2.8 ng/ml on day 5 after the LH peak . Progesterone levels remained elevated through day 28 of diestrus and pregnancy. A significant decrease (p smaller than 0.05) in levels of prosgesterone occurred between day 28 of pregnancy and one day prior to shelping (3.3 plus or minus 1.2 ng/ml, with a further decrease on the day of whelping (1.1 plus or minus 0.2 ng/ml). Levels of estradiol-17beta and LH did not change significantly (p smaller than 0.0k) during diestrus or pregnancy.
Pheromonal bile acid 3-ketopetromyzonol sulfate primes the neuroendocrine system in sea lamprey.

Background: Vertebrate pheromones are known to prime the endocrine system, especially the hypothalamicpituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. However, no known pheromone molecule has been shown to modulate directly the synthesis or release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), the main regulator of the HPG axis. We selected sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) as a model system to determine whether a single pheromone component alters the output of GnRH. Sea lamprey male sex pheromones contain a main component, 7α ,1 2α, 24-trihydroxy-5α-cholan-3-one 24-sulfate (3 keto-petromyzonol sulfate or 3kPZS), which has been shown to modulate behaviors of mature females. Through a series of experiments, we tested the hypothesis that 3kPZS modulates both synthesis and release of GnRH, and subsequently, HPG output in immature sea lamprey. Results: The results showed that natural male pheromone mixtures induced differential steroid responses but facilitated sexual maturation in both sexes of immature animals (χ 2 = 5.042, dF = 1, p < 0.05). Exposure to 3kPZS increased plasma 15α-hydroxyprogesterone (15α-P) concentrations (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.05) and brain gene expressions (genes examined: three lamprey (l) GnRH-I transcripts, lGnRH-III, Jun and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK); one-way ANOVA, p < 0.05), but did not alter the number of GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus in immature animals. In addition, 3kPZS treatments increased lGnRH peptide concentrations in the forebrain and modulated their levels in plasma. Overall, 3kPZS modulation of HPG axis is more pronounced in immature males than in females. Conclusions: We conclude that a single male pheromone component primes the HPG axis in immature sea lamprey in a sexually dimorphic manner.
PEYRONIE'S DISEASE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASE IN TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-beta PROTEIN EXPRESSION

ABSTRACTPurpose: Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been implicated in many chronic fibrotic conditions such as pulmonary and hepatic fibrosis. We postulated that TGF-beta may play a role in the pathogenesis of Peyronie's disease.Materials and Methods: Tissues from the tunica albuginea of 30 Peyronie's disease patients (study group) and from 6 patients without Peyronie's disease, who had undergone penile prosthesis surgery for organic impotence (control group), were subjected to histological examination using Hart and trichrome stains and Western blotting for the detection of TGF-beta protein expression.Results: The results of these experiments demonstrate that all tissue from Peyronie's disease patients showed a variety of histological changes of the tunica, ranging from chronic inflammatory cellular infiltration to complete calcification and ossification of the tissues. The most prominent changes observed in the majority of patients were focal or diffused elastosis, fenestration and disorgan...
Teacher Evaluation and Collective Bargaining Resolving Policy at a Local Level

This case study analyzes controversial teacher evaluation policies in the context of collective bargaining. Dr. Jill Abrams, a new superintendent in a struggling school district, is at the center o...
Developmental Changes in Histone macroH2A1-Mediated Gene Regulation†

macroH2A histone variants have been implicated to function in gene silencing by several studies, including ones showing a preferential association of macroH2A on the inactive X chromosome. To examine macroH2A function in vivo, we knocked out macroH2A1. macroH2A1 knockout mice are viable and fertile. A broad screen of liver gene expression showed no evidence of defects in X inactivation but did identify genes that have increased expression levels in macroH2A1 knockouts. macroH2A1-containing nucleosomes are enriched on the coding and/or upstream regions of these genes, suggesting that their increased expression levels are a direct effect of the absence of macroH2A1. The concentrations of macroH2A1 nucleosomes on these genes are low in the livers of newborn mice, and the macroH2A1 knockout had little effect on the expression levels of these genes in newborn liver. Our results indicate that an increase in liver macroH2A1 during the transition from newborn to young-adult status contributes to a decrease in the expression levels of these genes. These genes cluster in the area of lipid metabolism, and we observed metabolic effects in macroH2A1 knockouts. Our results indicate that the function of macroH2A1 histones is not restricted to gene silencing but also involves fine tuning the expression of specific genes.
Deriving the anisotropic atmospheric point spread function of ASAS off-nadir images and removal of the adjacency effect

Because of its off-nadir viewing, the Advanced Solid-State Array Spectroradiometer (ASAS) presents a new challenge for atmospheric correction. One of the main differences between the atmospheric effect on nadir and off-nadir observations is the adjacency effect. To remove the adjacency effect on 45/spl deg/ viewing ASAS images, we extracted a first-order analytic approximation of the atmospheric point spread function (PSF) using the relationship between the physical quantities and the geometry of the sensor, target pixel and environmental pixel. The correction results by a Wiener filter based on the PSF demonstrate that this method of removing the adjacency effect is feasible and effective.
Intestinal events and nutritional dynamics predispose Clostridium perfringens virulence in broilers

Clostridium perfringensA (CPA) entering the gastrointestinal system depends on favorable conditions to develop and subsequently extend pathogenicity. Reduction in digestive dynamics progressing from the duodenum decreases lumen oxygen, leading to anaerobic conditions in the distal lumen that favor CPA. When nutritional support is concurrently provided, an expanding population threatens the mucosa. Dietary nonstarch polysaccharides that increase viscosity further impair oxygen transfer from the mucosa, improving the ability of CPA to thrive. Incompletion of feed digestion early in the small intestine along with endogenous N provide additional support for population expansion. Glucosidase versatility with mucin elicited by distal CPA concurrently erodes the villus unstirred water layer at the apex, providing access to underlying binding sites for colonization. Proteolytic destruction within the lamina propria supports colonization to create subclinical necrotic enteritis. Eventual vascular entry of CPA and toxins provides a portal path for instituting cholangiohepatitis. Liver condemnations from inspection detect acute flock infection compared with preceding marginal losses in nutrient absorption that decrease feed efficiency. Enterocyte lysis by coccidia enable CPA access to binding sites, thereby extending villus necrosis and further impairing feed conversion. Loss of BW and increased mortality follow as mucosa involvement proceeds. In practice, supplemental feed hemicellulases that reduce digesta viscosity minimize a favorable environment for CPA, while superimposing a combination of amylase, phytase, and protease avoids nutritional support. Physical dynamics of the small intestine together with characteristics of feed that modify digesta viscosity and nutritional availability are central to establishing transient CPA as a pathogen.
Rapid bedside diagnosis of pyomyositis with ultrasound-guided needle aspiration

A 62-year-old male with a past medical history of cirrhosis presented to the emergency department with left thigh pain and swelling 2 weeks after trauma to the left lower extremity due to a ground level fall. On arrival, physical exam revealed significant edema, erythema and warmth of the left thigh concerning for infection. Point-of-care soft tissue ultrasound by the emergency physician revealed multiple complex fluid collections deep within the quadriceps muscle. Ultrasoundguided needle aspiration of these fluid collections was performed at the bedside while waiting for surgical consultation and MRI. Copious amounts of purulent fluid were aspirated prompting the early diagnosis of pyomyositis. Therapeutic management was expedited as a result of these findings. Point-of-care ultrasound is a valuable tool for the early and rapid detection of pyomyositis and can expedite definitive treatment.
Limitations of hyperbaric oxygenation in occlusive arterial disease.

Thus, one might postulate that oxygen atraised ambient pressure inhibits or modifiesthe inflammatory response of marginal tissueto anoxic injury bymeans as yetnot complete-ly understood.Further investigation into the complex bio-logic actions of HPO is warranted to insurerational and effective clinical utilization inthe management of peripheral vascular is-chemia.
Clinical Approach to Fecal Soiling in Children

Fecal soiling is common in childhood and can be caused by stool toileting refusal, fecal incontinence due to organic disease, or encopresis due to functional constipation. Anatomical, neurologic, and inflammatory causes for fecal soiling are ruled out by history and physical examination and, if necessary, by anorectal manometry, barium enema, and rectal biopsy. The initial treatment suggestion for children with stool toileting refusal is to put the child back into pull-ups or diapers. Most children with fecal soiling due to organic disease continue with some degree of incontinence despite optimal medical management. Antegrade enema administration helps those with severe fecal incontinence due to organic causes who do not respond to medical management. Successful treatment of constipation and encopresis requires a combination of medical therapy, nutritional intervention, behavioral intervention, and long-term compliance with laxative use. The combined treatment approach improves the constipation and encopresis in all patients who comply with the treatment program. In some children, cow's milk protein intolerance may be the cause. In them, cow's milk protein needs to be eliminated.
Three‐dimensional Surface Area of the Distal Biceps Enthesis, Relationship to Body Size, Sex, Age and Secular Changes in a 20th Century American Sample

This study quantifies the influence of body size, sex, age and birth year (secular changes) on the 3D rugose surface area of the biceps brachii attachment site in a sample of 85 White individuals from the Robert J. Terry Collection. Entheseal surface areas were collected using a NextEngine ™ 3D scanner. Several osteometric measurements of the upper limb were used in the initial analysis to determine which were most suitable for use as a body size proxy. In general, articular dimensions correlate more strongly with biceps entheseal surface area than long bone lengths. The distal articular breadth of the humerus shows the strongest correlation with biceps surface area for men (n = 48, r = 0.504) and women (n = 37, r = 0.646). Men are larger bodied and have larger entheseal surface areas; however, women have larger biceps entheses relative to body size. Although the study sample was limited to individuals between the ages 30 and 49 years, age at death still explains approximately 8% of the variation in enthesis size for women (r = 0.284). Men are unequally distributed by age across birth years, and the results for age and secular change are ambiguous because their effects cannot be separated. Birth year explains about 30% of the variation in female rugose entheseal surface area (r = −0.552). Age and birth year together explain about 34% of the variation in enthesis size for men. Overall, body size is the single most significant variable for both men and women, while the combined effects of age and secular change present a nearly equivalent influence on 3D surface area of the biceps brachii enthesis in this 20th century American sample. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Solar Irradiance Climate Data Record

AbstractWe present a new climate data record for total solar irradiance and solar spectral irradiance between 1610 and the present day with associated wavelength and time-dependent uncertainties and quarterly updates. The data record, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Data Record (CDR) program, provides a robust, sustainable, and scientifically defensible record of solar irradiance that is of sufficient length, consistency, and continuity for use in studies of climate variability and climate change on multiple time scales and for user groups spanning climate modeling, remote sensing, and natural resource and renewable energy industries. The data record, jointly developed by the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), is constructed from solar irradiance models that determine the changes with respect to quiet sun conditions when facular brightening and sunspot darkening features...
The Neurodegenerative Properties Of Intracerebral Quinolinic Acid And Its Structural Analog Cis-2,3-Piperidine Dicarboxylic Acid

Experiments using intracerebral injections in rodents of kainic (KA) or ibotenic (IBO) acid, two amino acids of plant and fungal origin, respectively, have led to the hypothesis that human neurodegenerative diseases, e.g. Huntington’s disease (HD) and temporal lobe epilepsy, may be related to a pathological overproduction of endogenous neuroexcitatory amino acids (Coyle et al., 1977; Divac, 1977; Olney and de Gubareff, 1978; French et al., 1982). Of these, glutamate, aspartate and cysteine sulfinate, all putative neurotransmitters in the central nervous system (Roberts et al., 1981; Recasens et al., 1982), do not appear to posses pronounced neurotoxicity, even when introduced into the brain at very high concentrations (Olney and de Gubareff, 1978; Mangano and Schwarcz, 1983). Also, examinations of acidic amino acids in tissues and body fluids of patients suffering from HD or epilepsy have merely yielded equivocal results (Perry et al., 1975; Gray et al., 1980; Perry and Hansen, 1981; Mangano and Schwarcz, 1981, 1982). Their dysfunction in neuro-psychiatric disorders has as yet not been established.
The Utility and the Evolving Role of the Congressional Black Caucus

Using elite interviews with members of the CBC, this research explores the utility and the evolving role of the CBC from its inception in 1969, to the presidential election of Barack Obama (a former member of the CBC). Further, this research examines historical, political and institutional factors that have influenced the modern African American membership in Congress to transform from a position of speaking through a "single voice" to "multiple voices" on issues pertaining to the underserved and their constituents.
A virtual public sphere and its limitations – microblog, online civic engagement in China and its interplay with the state

ABSTRACTThis article uses a number of mainland China case studies from 2009 to 2013 to investigate specific social and political conditions that both enable and limit the power of the Internet in an authoritarian society. Drawing on German scholar Jurgen Habermas’ thesis of the public sphere, we argue that the digital revolution has the potential to create a kind of ‘virtual public sphere’, a realm relatively independent of both the state and dominant corporate economic institutions. However, the full exploration of the democratic function of this virtual public sphere depends upon its interplay with the real world and is conditioned by actual political and social structures. Therefore, this virtual sphere is a battleground upon which both the state and online democratic forces negotiate power and strive for the control of discourse.