cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Organization of Descending Serotonergic Projections to the Spinal Cord

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the organization of descending serotonergic projections to the spinal cord. The indolamine serotonin is believed to have important neurotransmitter and/or neuroregulatory roles in the descending pathways influencing various somatosensory, motor, and autonomic functions within the spinal cord. The autonomic preganglionic neurons of the thoracic spinal cord, as well as the motoneurons of the ventral horn, are also under the influence of descending serotonergic cell groups. Cells in these various motoneuron pools can be inhibited and/or excited by iontophoretic application of serotonin or by electrical stimulation of the descending serotonergic pathways. In recent years, the introduction of immunocytochemistry to neurobiology has provided a very sensitive method for studying the organization of descending serotonergic pathways. In contrast to the previously employed histofluorescence methods with which rapid photodecom-position of the yellow fluorescing cells and terminals was a constant problem, the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) immunochemical method results in a relatively permanent marker for 5-HT neurons and terminals.
Epitaxial growth of vertically aligned piezoelectric diphenylalanine peptide microrods with uniform polarization

Abstract Energy harvesting with piezoelectric nanomaterials spurred the development of self-powered nanosystems, and piezoelectric biomaterials are expected to play an important role in the biomedical field. Bio-inspired piezoelectric diphenylalanine (FF) peptide microstructures were fabricated on various substrates through a novel epitaxial growth approach. The low-temperature process produced vertically aligned FF peptide microrods with hexagonally arranged nanochannels and uniform polarization. Direct measurement of the piezoelectricity was achieved for the first time from a solid FF peptide single crystal and yielded an effective piezoelectric coefficient d 33 at 9.9 pm/V. The dense and aligned FF peptide microrods are advantageous for energy and sensing applications.
Guanine nucleotides in protein synthesis. Utilization of pppGpp and dGTP by initiation factor 2 and elongation factor Tu.

Abstract Guanosine 5′-triphosphate, 3′-diphosphate (pppGpp), and dGTP support the initiation factor 2 (IF-2) and elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) partial reactions of Escherichia coli protein synthesis. These natural analogs of GTP were as effective as GTP in supporting (1) IF-2-dependent binding of f-Met-tRNA to ribosomes, (2) IF-2-dependent formation of N-formylmethionylpuromycin, (3) EF-Tu-dependent binding of Phe-tRNA to a ribosome-polyuridylic acid-N-acetyl-Phe-tRNA complex, and (4) EF-Tu-dependent formation of N-acetyl-Phe-Phe-tRNA. GTP, pppGpp, and dGTP behaved similarly in time-course studies and across a broad concentration range with both enzymes. In addition, both GDP and guanosine 5′-diphosphate, 3′-diphosphate were found to be competitive inhibitors of both GTP and pppGpp in the IF-2- and EF-Tu-dependent reactions.
Nuclear physics in colourful worlds: Quantumchromodynamics and nuclear binding

Abstract When quantumchromodynamics (QCD) is generalized from SU(3) to an SU( N c ) gauge theory, where N c is the number of colours, it depends on only two parameters: N c and the bare quark mass m q . A more general understanding of nuclear physics can be achieved by considering what it would be like in worlds with the number of colours different from 3, and bare quark masses different from the “empirical” ones. Such an investigation can be carried out within a framework of meson-exchange interactions. The empirical binding energy of nuclear matter results from a very near cancellation between attractive and repulsive terms which are two orders of magnitude larger and may be expected to depend sensitively on the parameters of QCD. It is indeed found that our world is wedged into a small corner of the two-dimensional manifold of m q versus N c . If the number of colours were decreased by one, or the bare quark masses raised by more than 20%, nuclear matter would become unbound. By tracing the origin of this state of affairs, one obtains a clearer picture of the relative importance of various effects on the behaviour of the bulk nuclear matter. In particular, correlations like those embodied in the Coester band of saturation points appear to have a broader degree of validity than is implied by fits to the actual physical world only.
Purine N-oxides—XLI : The 3-acyloxypurine 8-substitution reaction: On the mechanism of the reaction

Abstract The 3-acyloxypurine 8-substitution reaction involves elimination of the 3-acyloxy group and nucleophilic substitution at C-8 to yield 8-substituted xanthines or guanines. In aqueous solutions the reaction of 3-acetoxyxanthine proceeds slowly below pH 2, but is greatly accelerated with an increase of the pH from 3 to 7. It is proposed that the slow reaction involves heterolytic cleavage of the 3-acetoxy moiety from 3-acetoxyxanthine to yield a nitrenium ion at N-3 followed by intermolecular nucleophilic substitution of the incipient carbonium ion at the allylic C-8 position, also the most probable mechanism in polar aprotic solvents. The beginning of the fast reaction coincides with the beginning of ionization of the imidazole hydrogen of 3-acetoxyxanthine. It is proposed that this ionization induces a similar but more rapid departure of the 3-acetoxy group from the anion of 3-acetoxyxanthine to produce dehydroxanthine. The latter, upon protonation, yields the same reactive carbonium ion at C-8 that is formed in the slow reaction. Some reduction of 3-acetoxyxanthine to xanthine accompanies the fast reaction. That reduction has the characteristics of a free-radical mediated reaction. It is proposed that reduction results from a homolytic cleavage of the NO bond in the 3-acetoxyxanthine anion to produce a radical-anion, which abstracts hydrogen from water to yield xanthine. These reaction mechanisms and possible alternatives are evaluated.
The Sigma-2 Receptor and Progesterone Receptor Membrane Component 1 are Different Binding Sites Derived From Independent Genes.

The sigma-2 receptor (S2R) is a potential therapeutic target for cancer and neuronal diseases. However, the identity of the S2R has remained a matter of debate. Historically, the S2R has been defined as (1) a binding site with high affinity to 1,3-di-o-tolylguanidine (DTG) and haloperidol but not to the selective sigma-1 receptor ligand (+)-pentazocine, and (2) a protein of 18–21 kDa, as shown by specific photolabeling with [3H]-Azido-DTG and [125I]-iodoazido-fenpropimorph ([125I]-IAF). Recently, the progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1), a 25 kDa protein, was reported to be the S2R (Nature Communications, 2011, 2:380). To confirm this identification, we created PGRMC1 knockout NSC34 cell lines using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We found that in NSC34 cells devoid of or overexpressing PGRMC1, the maximum [3H]-DTG binding to the S2R (Bmax) as well as the DTG-protectable [125I]-IAF photolabeling of the S2R were similar to those of wild-type control cells. Furthermore, the affinities of DTG and haloperidol for PGRMC1 (KI = 472 μM and 350 μM, respectively), as determined in competition with [3H]-progesterone, were more than 3 orders of magnitude lower than those reported for the S2R (20–80 nM). These results clarify that PGRMC1 and the S2R are distinct binding sites expressed by different genes.
Farmland protection: a case of quality not quantity

This paper aims to critically re-examine the rationale for farmland preservation programmes. The author begins with a review of the National Agricultural Lands Study of the USA. He also discusses a supporting study briefly and proceeds to review a critique of the National Agricultural Lands Study by an urban economist, with the offer of a response from a soil quality perspective. The paper continues with the often overlooked, but related aspects of the farmlands preservation issue land productivity and land tenure, and concludes with the author’s thoughts on the proper role of planners in farmland preservation and the policy implications of this analysis.
Immunohistochemical Staining of ras p21: Staining in Benign and Malignant Prostate Tissue

ABSTRACTA total of 124 specimens of prostate tissue (25 normal prostate, 41 benign prostatic hyperplasia, 58 adenocarcinoma) was immunostained for ras p21 using a commercially available monoclonal antibody directed against a peptide sequence conserved among all members of the ras gene family. Of normal prostate specimens, 76% showed no staining while the remainder showed only weak epithelial (glandular) staining. No significant stromal staining was noted in any normal prostate specimen. In contrast most benign prostatic hyperplasia specimens showed abundant staining. Epithelial staining was observed in 88% and stromal staining in 73% of specimens. A majority of prostate carcinoma specimens also stained, with 62% and 36% showing epithelial and stromal staining, respectively. No association was noted between staining and either tumor grade or clinical stage. These data argue against any clinical usefulness of immunostaining for ras p21 in the diagnosis or grading of prostate cancer.
Contact inactivation of orthopoxviruses by household disinfectants.

ABSTRACT W. BUTCHER AND D. ULAETO. 2005. Aims: The aim of this study is to identify common household disinfectants that combine signiﬁcant activity againstthe type orthopoxvirus, vaccinia virus with minimal impact in terms of potential toxicity and/or damage tohousehold or personal items.Methods and Results: Laboratory scale experiments assessed common disinfectants containing anionic andnonionic detergents, oxygen-based bleach, potassium peroxomonosulfate, chloroxylenol or halogenated phenols.Disinfectants were assessed for their ability to inactivate the virus on contact or after a short incubation period in thepresence and absence of foetal bovine serum as a potential interferant. Signiﬁcant differences were observed rangingfrom negligible effect of detergents to complete inactivation on contact with chloroxylenol.Conclusions: At least one chloroxylenol-based household disinfectant is available, which inactivates vaccinia viruson contact.Signiﬁcance and Impact of the Study: In the event of a release or major outbreak of a pathogenic orthopoxvirusthere is likely to be signiﬁcant public demand for disinfectants with activity against these viruses. The identiﬁcationof common household disinfectants with such activity obviates any requirement to stockpile or distributelaboratory/industrial disinfectants for this purpose.Keywords: disinfection, monkeypox, orthopoxvirus, Reed–Muench, vaccinia, variola.
Humanizing “Alzheimer's” at the Opera: The Balance between Reductionist and Person-Centered Themes in Strawberry Fields

Alzheimer's disease has emerged as a major theme in recent motion pictures, literature, theater, and visual arts, but has not been a topic of significant import in the music world. Strawberry Fields, a one-act opera about a woman with mild dementia who wanders into the John Lennon memorial in Central Park expecting to see a Verdi opera, offers a surprisingly strong critique of reductionist approaches to brain aging, while also exploring themes central to the person-centered movement. This article contextualizes the decades-old debate between reductionism and person-centered dementia care, and explores how the opera balances elements of both movements.
Preconditioning the Kogut-Susskind fermion matrix

Preconditioning has been successfully used to accelerate the conjugate-gradient algorithm for inverting the lattice Dirac operator in the Wilson formulation. However, technical problems have arisen when trying to apply it in the Kogut-Susskind formulation. We discuss attempts to circumvent the technical problems and to find a successful way to precondition the Kogut-Susskind fermion matrix.
A review of the origins of metal-rich Pennsylvanian black shales, central U.S.A., with an inferred role for basinal brines

Abstract Compared to most shales, even most black shales, numerous thin Pennsylvanian marine black shales of the U.S. Midwest are very enriched in organic C (5–40wt%) and heavy elements. For example, instrumental neutron activation analysis of 74 samples of mostly black and dark gray Pennsylvanian shales of the U.S. Midwest average 1300 ppm Zn, 85 ppm U, 655 ppm Mo, 130 ppm Se and 55 ppm Cd—amounts sufficient to raise concerns about heavy element pollution. Direct precipitation of sulfides and fixation by abundant organic matter during sedimentation and early diagenesis may account for heavy metals contained by shales in most cases. Metal supply calculations, however, indicate that a special source would be needed to supply metals for a strictly syngenetic origin. Possible sources for such metals include submarine hot springs and Pennsylvanian seas that may have been more enriched in metals than modern ocean water. At least at some localities, additional metal values may have been added later from basinal brines (e.g. Zn) or from modern groundwaters (e.g. Mo, Se, U). The actions of modern supergene processes may fix metals, mitigating detrimental effects from black shales.
Environmental regulatory influence and product innovation: the contingency effects of organizational characteristics

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between environmental regulatory influence and product innovation in a multi-industry sample of manufacturing organizations. Our theory argues that the influence of environmental regulation on the level of product innovation in a manufacturing organization is at least partially contingent on the organization's internal characteristics—in particular, its structural flexibility and production process flexibility. Hypotheses are derived from our theory and tested, and the results are consistent with the conclusion that structural flexibility and production process flexibility moderate the environmental regulatory influence–product innovation relationship. Whether environmental regulation inhibits or promotes product innovation seems to depend at least in part on certain internal features of an organization. We discuss implications of our results for future organization studies research on environmental regulation, and for research on other types of external constraints on organizational performance.
Rethinking Competition in TIGER: Lessons for Federal Funding and Public Administration

Increasing the use of merit-based competition has become a popular policy idea for federal transportation funding. Focusing on a competitive program—the 2009 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program—this article asserts thatsuch competition does not guarantee transparency or that awards will actually maximize benefits. In addition, competitive award programs can widen gaps across places and among people. Rather than rush towards competition, careful program design is needed, and more debate on the federal role in transportation is warranted.
Subspace system identification for training-based MIMO channel estimation

The application of state-space-based subspace system identification methods to training-based estimation for quasi-static multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) frequency-selective channels is explored with the motivation for better model approximation performance. A modification of the traditional subspace methods is derived to suit the non-contiguous nature of training data in mobile communication systems. To track the time variation of the channel, a new recursive subspace-based channel estimation is proposed and demonstrated in simulation with practical MIMO channel models. The comparison between the state-space-based channel estimation algorithm and the FIR-based Recursive Least Squares algorithm shows the former is a more robust modeling approach than the latter.
A Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Biliary Anastomosis with or Without T-tube after Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Biliary reconstruction continues to be a major source of morbidity following orthotopic liver transplantation. We wished to determine if choledochocholedochostomy without a T-tube was associated with fewer biliary complications and was less costly than choledochocholedochostomy with a T-tube. A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent liver transplantation was performed. Patients were stratified into two groups: group I had bile duct reconstruction with T-tube and group II did not have a T-tube. The results were interpreted on an intention-to-treat analysis. We identified 147 adult patients who underwent initial liver transplantation. There were 76 patients in group I and 71 patients in group II. There were no statistical differences between the two groups regarding underlying cause of liver disease, patient age, gender or United Network for Organ Sharing status. As the decision to use a T-tube was made at the time of surgery, the two groups may not be strictly comparable. The mean hospital stay was longer in group I (31.1 +/- 27.9d) than in group II (18.8 +/- 15.5d) (p = 0.001). Biliary complications were statistically more frequent in patients from group I patients (25/76, 32.9%) than in patients from group II (11/71, 15.5%) (p = 0.01). There was a trend for the costs associated with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for the management of biliary complications to be greater for group I than for group II, although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.235). Our study suggests choledochocholedochostomy without T-tube reconstruction is the preferred strategy for biliary reconstruction in orthotopic liver transplantation. It is not only associated with fewer biliary complications, but also less costly than using choledochocholedochostomy over a T-tube. Randomized prospective studies are needed to confirm our results.
Contact Mechanics and Adhesion of Viscoelastic Spheres

The extension of the Johnson−Kendall−Roberts (JKR) theory of contact to viscoelastic materials is addressed. Because the energy flow to the material at the moving edge of contact is coupled to the ...
Ca2+ Regulation in Differentiating Lens Cells in Culture

Abstract In the ocular lens, cataract formation is associated with an elevated intracellular Ca 2+ concentration (Ca 2+ i ) resulting from the loss of lens cell Ca 2+ regulation. The mechanisms regulating Ca 2+ i have been characterized previously in lens epithelial cells, but have not been well characterized in the more differentiated lens fiber cells. The mechanisms regulating Ca 2+ i in clusters of fiber-like cells (lentoids) in a sheep lens primary cell culture system in which the epithelial cells differentiate into enlarged fiber-like cells were investigated. Only approximately 50% of the lentoids responded to thapsigargin and/or agonists (ATP and epinephrine), compared to > 95% of the epithelial cells. Remarkably, most (90%) lentoids exhibited a resting cytosolic Ca 2+ i that was approximately three-fold greater than that in epithelial cells (approximately 100 n M ). This elevated resting cytosolic Ca 2+ i was not affected by thapsigargin treatment, but decreased upon removal of extracellular Ca 2+ or addition of the Ca 2+ channel blocker Gd 3+ (5 m M ). These results suggest that a plasma membrane Ca 2+ channel is more active in lentoids than in epithelial cells. Indeed, when plasma membrane cation channel activity was monitored by Mn 2+ influx and quenching of fura-2 fluorescence, quenching was faster in lentoids than epithelial cells. Following thapsigargin treatment, capacitative Ca 2+ entry was activated in epithelial cells but not lentoids. In conclusion, during differentiation in primary cell culture, lens cells lose their ability to respond to agonists and exhibit an elevated resting Ca 2+ i that was dependent on the activation of a Ca 2+ influx pathway. The results of this study support the possibility that a sustained elevation in resting Ca 2+ i is one of the factors controlling lens cell differentiation, possibly by triggering events such as calpain activation.
Peptidic models for the binding of Pb(II), Bi(III) and Cd(II) to mononuclear thiolate binding sites.

Herein, we evaluate the binding of Pb(II) and Bi(III) to cysteine-substituted versions of the TRI peptides [AcG-(LKALEEK)4G-NH2] which have previously been shown to bind Hg(II) and Cd(II) in unusual geometries as compared with small-molecule thiol ligands in aqueous solutions. Studies of Pb(II) and Bi(III) with the peptides give rise to complexes consistent with the metal ions bound to three sulfur atoms with M–S distances of 2.63 and 2.54 A, respectively. Competition experiments between the metal ions Pb(II), Cd(II), Hg(II) and Bi(III) for the peptides show that Hg(II) has the highest affinity, owing to the initial formation of the extremely strong HgS2 bond. Cd(II) and Pb(II) have comparable binding affinities at pH > 8, while Bi(III) displays the weakest affinity, following the model, M(II) + (TRI LXC)33− → M(II)(TRI LXC)3−. While the relevant equilibria for Hg(II) binding to the TRI peptides corresponds to a strong first step forming Hg(TRI LXC)2(HTRI LXC), followed by a single deprotonation to give Hg(TRI LXC)3−, the binding of Cd(II) and Pb(II) is consistent with initial formation of M(II)(TRI LXC)(HTRI LXC)2+ at pH 8.
Migraine headaches and suicide attempt.

(Headache 2012;52:723-731) Background.— Previous cross-sectional studies reported an increased risk of suicide attempt in persons with migraine headache, which was sustained when psychiatric comorbidity was statistically controlled. Objective.— To estimate the risk of suicide attempt in persons with migraine vs controls with no history of severe headache, using prospective data and validated diagnostic assessment. To examine the specificity of the migraine-suicide attempt risk by comparing it to the risk associated with non-migraine headache of comparable severity and disability. Methods.— A cohort of persons with migraine (n = 496), non-migraine severe headaches (n = 151), and controls with no history of severe headache (n = 539) was randomly selected from the general community, assessed in 1997 and reassessed 2 years later. Results.— Persons with migraine had an increased risk of suicide attempt during the 2-year follow-up period, compared with controls. Odds ratio, adjusted for sex, psychiatric disorder, and previous history of suicide attempt at baseline was 4.43 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.93, 10.2). Persons with non-migraine headache of comparable intensity and disability also had an increased risk of suicide attempt, compared to controls: odds ratio, adjusted for the same covariates, was 6.20 (95% CI 2.40, 16.0). The difference between the 2 estimates was not significant. In the entire sample, headache severity at baseline predicted suicide attempt: a difference of 1 standard deviation (SD) in pain score increased the risk of suicide attempt by 79%, adjusting for sex and psychiatric disorders. Conclusions.— The results suggest the possibility that pain severity might account in part for the increased risk of suicide attempt associated with migraine.
Pancreatic elastase activates pulmonary nuclear factor kappa B and inhibitory kappa B, mimicking pancreatitis-associated adult respiratory distress syndrome.

Abstract Background: Select pancreatic enzymes, primarily elastase, precipitate pulmonary injury similar to pancreatitis-associated adult respiratory distress syndrome and stimulate leukocyte cytokine production in vitro via nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation. This study explores the effect of systemic pancreatic enzymes on pulmonary NF-κB and inhibitory kappa B (IκB) proteins and their role in enzyme-induced pulmonary injury. Methods: Mice received pancreatic elastase, amylase, lipase, or trypsin intraperitoneally. Bronchoalveolar lavage IκBα/IκBβ proteins were measured by immunoblot. Pulmonary NF-κB activation, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene expression, and neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase) were determined and myeloperoxidase experiments repeated in p55 TNF receptor-deficient (TNF KO) animals. Additional animals received pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), an inhibitor of NF-κB activation, and TNF protein and pulmonary microvascular permeability were measured after elastase administration. Results: Pancreatic elastase induced pulmonary IκBα/IκBβ degradation (30 minutes), NF-κB activation (60 minutes), and TNF gene expression (60 minutes) with subsequent neutrophilic inflammation (4 hours) and microvascular leakage (24 hours), whereas amylase, lipase, and trypsin did not. Furthermore, lung injury was markedly reduced in TNF KO animals and PDTC significantly attenuated TNF production and pulmonary microvascular leakage. Conclusions: Pancreatic elastase induces cytokine-mediated lung injury and this pathway involves the NF-κB second messenger system, further supporting elastase as a factor linking pancreatic inflammation to systemic illness during severe acute pancreatitis. (Surgery 2000;128:225-31.)
One Kind of Freedom: The Economic Consequences of Emancipation

Preface Preface to the new edition Acknowledgements A note to the reader 1. What did freedom mean? 2. The legacy of slavery 3. The myth of the prostrate South 4. The demise of the plantation 5. Agricultural reconstruction 6. Financial reconstruction 7. The emergence of the merchants' territorial monopoly 8. The trap of debt peonage 9. The roots of southern poverty Statistical appendixes Epilogue A bibliography of literature on the South after 1977 Notes Bibliography Index.
Why or Why Not Foreign Languages

This article describes the first of three public fora which were designed to give the general public the opportunity to air opinions, both pro and con, on the value of foreign languages in public school curricula. Held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the fora were videotaped by the Arkansas Educational Television Network and shown statewide. Expressions from newspaper readers and television viewers, as well as from forum participants, suggested that there is a general belief in the value of foreign language study in public schools and a desire to extend such study, with the recognition that many problems will have to be overcome in order to do so.
TRENDS AND SYSTEMATICS IN MINERAL THERMODYNAMICS.

The stability of complex oxide and silicate phases can be understood in terms of equally important contributions of energy and entropy effects. The change in coordination number at high pressure in silicates has a profound effect on thermodynamic properties. Properties of spinel solid solutions can be systematized using a refined cation distribution model, while those of solid solutions involving no cation redistribution can be correlated with the volume mismatch of the end-members for a wide variety of structures and compositions. Ordering and exsolution in complex solid solutions is an important feature.
Effect of ethanol on extracellular 5-HT and glutamate in the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex: comparison between the Lewis and Fischer 344 rat strains.

Abstract The present study investigated the impact of systemic (i.p.) ethanol administration on extracellular levels of serotonin and glutamate in the prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens in Lewis and Fischer 344 rat strains using in vivo microdialysis. At 1.0 g/kg, ethanol elicited a significant increase in nucleus accumbens-dialysate levels of both 5-HT (44% ± 16, P = 0.002) and glutamate (90% ± 43, P = 0.009) in Lewis rats. In Fischer rats, there was no increase in 5-HT (6% ± 7; P = 0.5), and a trend toward an increase in glutamate (88% ± 46; P = 0.1). The 0.5 and 2.0 g/kg doses did not result in any significant change in extracellular 5-HT or glutamate in the nucleus accumbens or prefrontal cortex of either strain. The basal levels of glutamate, in both brain regions, were significantly lower in Lewis than in Fischer 344 rats. The basal levels of 5-HT were also lower in the nucleus accumbens of Lewis rats. These findings suggest that enhanced sensitivity of the mesoaccumbens 5-HT or glutamate systems to ethanol and/or inherent low basal levels of 5-HT or glutamate activity may be associated with the predisposition to alcohol-drinking behavior seen in Lewis rats.
METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF FIRMNESS IN CUCUMBER SLICES

A punch and die assembly was adapted to the Instron UTM for deter-mination of firmness of mesocarp and endocarp tissues in cucumber slices. A cylindricalpunch 0.315 cm diameter (0.200 to 0.635 cm diameter tested) and a cucumber slice thickness of at least 0.48 cm were found to be suitable for the method developed. Penetration force was about five times greater for mesocarp than endocarp in 4 to 5 cm diameter cucumbers. Mesocarp and endocarp were firmer near the stem end than near the blossom end of cucumbers. Force readings also declined for both tissues with increase in fruit diameter from about 2 to 6 em. Single slices taken from the center of 20 cucumbers and punched once each at specified locations in the mesocarp and endocarp provided sufficient sampling to limit the coefficient of variation to about 5%. The correlation coefficient between sensory analysis for firmness and puncture force readings of fermented cucumber slices was 0.88.
Radiation-induced ionization and excitation in liquid p-dioxane

Abstract The fluorescence of neat liquid p-dioxane and p-dioxane-water mixtures has been studied as a function of wavelength in the range 200–110 nm, and in the system under beta irradiation. It is seen that the quantum yield of fluorescence declines from the absorption threshold to the ionization onset (∼ 160–170 nm), because of the increasing importance of the competing decomposition processes. Above the ionization onset, there is a slight increase in the quantum yield of fluorescence as a result of the occurrence of “recombination fluorescence”. However, it is estimated that in this region, neutralization does not always lead to a vibrationally equilibrated excited state. This explains in part why the G-value of thermally equilibrated S1 states is considerably lower than G(ion)(∼5), under conditions that fluorescence originates mainly from charge recombination. Auxiliary experiments carried out in the gas phase, in an ion cyclotron resonance spectrometer, elucidated the reaction of p-C4H8O2+ ions with p-dioxane molecules. The results indicate that in the gas phase, proton transfer between these reactants is thermoneutral, and occurs with a lowered efficiency (i.e. does not occur at every collision) in contrast with m-dioxane for which the corresponding proton transfer reaction is highly exothermic and kRn = kCollision. In the liquid phase, proton transfer is unimportant in the p-dioxane system, but probably is the predominant fate of the m-C4H8O2+ ion in m-dioxane. The well known shift of emission to lower energies in p-dioxane-water mixtures has been examined; the shift depends only on the concentration of water, and not on the type or energy of the radiation. In the presence of added 1-methylnaphthalene, it is seen that there is no change in the quantum yield of emission from methylnaphthalene at energies below the ionization onset, but that there is a decrease in the fluorescence yield with increasing water concentration above the ionization threshold. In p-dioxane: H2O: toluene mixtures, on the other hand, the toluene fluorescence diminishes with increasing water concentration at all energies. These observations are interpreted in terms of changes in the energy level of the electronically-excited p-dioxane-water aggregate and on proton transfer reactions involving dioxane-water aggregates.
DETERMINANTS OF PLASMA PARATHYROID HORMONE LEVELS IN YOUNG WOMEN

While the effects of calcium, phosphorus intake, and vitamin D on parathyroid hormone (PTH) have been well studied, less is known about other factors that impact PTH. Our goal was to delineate associations between demographic, dietary, and plasma factors and PTH. We conducted a cross-sectional study of intact PTH among 1,288 nonblack women in the Nurses Health Study II aged 33-53 with BMI or = 60 ml/min/1.73 m2. Median PTH was 30.7 pg/ml. After adjusting for 25-hydroxyvitamin D and other factors, PTH was 4.1 pg/ml lower (95% CI -7.7 to -0.5) in women who smoked 1-14 cigarettes/day and 6.4 pg/ml lower (95% CI -11.2 to -1.7) in women who smoked >15 cigarettes/day compared to nonsmokers. After multivariate adjustment, women whose BMI was 27-29 kg/m2 had PTH levels 2.0 pg/ml higher (95% CI 0.2-3.9) compared to BMI of 21-22 kg/m2 and women in the highest quartile of plasma phosphorus had PTH levels 4.1 pg/ml lower (95% CI -5.8 to -2.4) than women in the lowest quartile. Higher vitamin A intake was independently associated with lower PTH, whereas lower calcium intake, lower plasma calcium, lower plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and winter blood draw were associated with higher PTH. Intakes of phosphorus, animal protein, magnesium, alcohol, and caffeine were not associated with PTH. Factors not classically associated with calcium-phosphorus metabolism impact PTH. Additional research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms whereby smoking, vitamin A, and phosphorus affect PTH and to examine how body size and season may affect PTH independent of 25(OH)D.
Cost-benefit and outcome analysis: effect of prostate biopsy undergrading.

Objectives Brachytherapy is a widely used treatment for localized prostate cancer (CaP) and is only appropriate as monotherapy for low-risk cancer. The predicted response to therapy is defined by the pretreatment parameters, of which the biopsy Gleason grade is central. However, the biopsy grade often misrepresents the true pathologic grade. We examined the impact of incorrect biopsy grading on brachytherapy outcomes. Methods We constructed a decision analytic model to assess the theoretical performance of brachytherapy for a theoretical cohort of men with Gleason score 6 CaP who underwent radical prostatectomy. The variables regarding biopsy Gleason scores and the correlation with the surgical specimen findings were generated from the institutional data. The ranges for these variables, biochemical performance of brachytherapy, costs, and disease state utilities, were obtained from a data review. Results For the base case, 67% of biopsy grades correlated with the pathologic grade. With this concordance, 8% of failures could be attributed, in part, to undergrading. On the basis of the model assumptions, as concordance worsened to 50%, the rate of undergraded failures increased to 12%. After adjusting for the quality of life associated with higher-grade disease and the risk of biochemical failure, the aggregate cost of treatment of biopsy grade 6 disease was increased by 8% because of undergrading ($75,700 versus $81,500 per case). The bulk of this effect was the cost of failure among patients with undergraded disease. Conclusions Brachytherapy for Gleason score 6 disease is reported to have excellent results. Undergrading of prostate biopsies can negatively affect clinical outcomes and increase treatment costs. Although the risk is low, it should be considered when counseling patients with CaP.
NERVE FIBRILLAE IN THE PULMONARY ARTERY OF THE DOG.

The work reported in this paper has been conducted intermittently during the past two years in conjunction with studies of Dr. Horatio C. Wood, Jr., on the physiology of the arterial nerves of the pulmonary circuit. The nerve supply of the lungs comes from the small anterior pulmonary plexus and the larger posterior pulmonary plexus, these plexuses being formed by branches from the vagi and sympathetic nerves. Branches from the plexuses accompany the lung roots into the organs and are there distributed to the bronchi and blood-vessels. The coarser distribution of the nerves is easily demonstrable; it was pointed out in man by Stifling in I876, and since then has been reported by various observers in many of the higher mammalia. The problem of the finer distribution, however, has been the subject of less satisfactory research. Arnold claimed that there were three nerve plexuses in the arterial walls of the general circulatory system, an outer or adventitial network loosely arranged and often containing medullated fibers, a second network loosely arranged in the muscle layer and made up of fine but regularly outlined fibrils, and a third network finely arranged and made up of varicose nonmedullated threads which end in nodular or knob-like thickenings. This description was supported by numerous writers, among the most recent being Michailow, who used methylene blue dissolved in the Ringer-Locke solution. Barbieri, however, having worked with the arteries of dogs, thinks that Arnold's plan is too diagrammatic
Transition radiation in QCD matter

In ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions a finite-size QCD medium is created. In this paper the radiative energy loss is computed to zeroth order in opacity by taking into account finite-size effects. Transition radiation occurs on the boundary between the finite-size medium and the vacuum, and we show that it lowers the difference between medium and vacuum zeroth-order radiative energy loss relative to the infinite-size medium case. Further, in all previous computations of light parton radiation to zeroth order in opacity, there was a divergence caused by the fact that the energy loss is infinite in the vacuum and finite in the QCD medium. By including the transition radiation, we show that this infinite discontinuity is naturally regulated.
How Do Family Ownership, Control, and Management Affect Firm Value?

Using proxy data on all Fortune 500 firms during 1994-2000, we establish that, in order to understand whether and when family firms are more or less valuable than nonfamily firms, one must distinguish among three fundamental elements in the definition of family firms: ownership, control, and management. Specifically, we find that family ownership creates value only when the founder serves as the CEO of the family firm or as its Chairman with a hired CEO. Control mechanisms including dual share classes, pyramids, and voting agreements reduce the founder's premium. When descendants serve as CEOs, firm value is destroyed. Our findings further suggest that the classic owner-manager conflict in nonfamily firms is more costly than the conflict between family and nonfamily shareholders in founder-CEO firms. However, the conflict between family and nonfamily shareholders in descendant-CEO firms is more costly than the owner-manager conflict in nonfamily firms.
Multiscale Modeling and Data Integration in the Virtual Physiological Rat Project

It has become increasingly evident that the descriptions of many complex diseases are only possible by taking into account multiple influences at different physiological scales. To do this with computational models often requires the integration of several models that have overlapping scales (genes to molecules, molecules to cells, cells to tissues). The Virtual Physiological Rat (VPR) Project, a National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) funded National Center of Systems Biology, is tasked with mechanistically describing several complex diseases and is therefore identifying methods to facilitate the process of model integration across physiological scales. In addition, the VPR has a considerable experimental component and the resultant data must be integrated into these composite multiscale models and made available to the research community. A perspective of the current state of the art in model integration and sharing along with archiving of experimental data will be presented here in the context of multiscale physiological models. It was found that current ontological, model and data repository resources and integrative software tools are sufficient to create composite models from separate existing models and the example composite model developed here exhibits emergent behavior not predicted by the separate models.
Piperidine Alkaloids in Sitka Spruce with Varying Levels of Resistance to White Pine Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Our objective was to evaluate piperidine alkaloids as potential resistance factors in Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr, at risk to attack by white pine weevils, Pissodes strobi (Peck). We sampled 72 seedlings in each of two replicated field trials in the Oregon Coast Range. The seedlings were grown from open-pollinated seeds of putatively “resistant” or “susceptible” off-site parental sources. Alkaloid concentrations in bark and foliage were measured in previously unattacked trees at the time of weevil host selection. Leader mortality was evaluated in the fall to gauge actual resistance in the sample trees. Five families had ≤25% topkill and seven sustained >50% topkill. Alkaloid concentrations differed significantly among families, but the major alkaloids did not appear to be functionally linked with topkill or useful indicators of resistance. However, our study design did not address all potential resistance mechanisms. Therefore, before concluding that Sitka spruce alkaloids have no influence on white pine weevils, complementary laboratory and field experiments are needed.
Elastic properties of composites with fiber waviness

An investigation was conducted of the effects of fiber waviness on the elastic properties of composite materials theoretically and experimentally. Unidirectional and crossply carbon/epoxy composites with uniform, graded and localized fiber waviness were studied. An analytical constitutive model was developed to determine the elastic properties as a function of fiber waviness. Compression tests were conducted to verify the constitutive relations. Experimental results were in good agreement with predictions based on the constitutive model.
Employment Behaviors Among Drug Using Welfare Recipients

The goal of this study was to examine how drug using welfare recipient's employment behaviors (i.e. expectations, employment commitment, job search self-efficacy, job-seeking support from friends, economic hardship and anxiety) effected employment-seeking behavior and its effect on their welfare to work mandate. Regression analyses were used to estimate the effect of the above seven psychosocial domains on employment-seeking behaviors and job search intensity on a sample of 222 welfare-to-work recipients. The results show that psychological domains affected drug users and non-drug users differently as they searched for employment. Specifically, the results showed that self-efficacy and anxiety were negatively related to job seeking behaviors, but economic hardship was positively related to job seeking behavior. In addition, job expectations and economic hardship were both positively related to job-search intensity. This paper has shown that psychosocial domains such as motivation and job search efficacy a...
Determination of plasma erythropoietin levels. An early marker of tumor activity

A young female patient developed erythrocytosis during the third recurrence of a cerebellar hemangioblastoma. Elevated erythropoietin levels were found in the patient's plasma with normalization after resection of the tumor. High erythropoietin titers were also found in the tumor saline extract. A fourth recurrence of the tumor was heralded by a rising plasma erythropoietin level and gradual erythrocytosis despite the absence of change in the clinical picture or the brain scan. In this case, serial plasma erythropoietin determinations served as a useful early marker of the tumor activity.
Morphometry of cardiac hypertrophy induced by experimental renal hypertension

Abstract A method for determining the mean volume of cells within a tissue has been applied to the measurement of endocardial and epicardial myocytes in the left ventricle of normal and hypertensive rats. The technique is based on nuclear counts per unit area in tissue slices of different known thicknesses. It measures the mean cell volume per nucleus and has been combined with electron microscopic morphometry. Compared with the epicardial regions, the normal endocardial regions contained 30 percent more myocytes, 27 percent less interstitial space, 48 percent less capillary volume, 17 percent less capillary surface and the same capillary length per unit of tissue volume. In terms of both the relative and absolute volumes and surface areas of their organelles, the cytoplasmic composition of normal endocardial and epicardial myocytes was nearly identical. After 1 to 4 weeks of hypertension induced by renal arterial constriction, endocardial myocytes enlarged from 10,370 ± 410 to 12,520 ± 490 μ m 3 whereas epicardial myocytes enlarged from 12,600 ± 1,600 to 17,300 ± 1, 100 μm 3 . The number of myocytes and the total length of capillaries remained constant. The epicardial region enlarged 37 percent with proportional increases of myocyte and interstitial volumes. In contrast, the endocardial enlargement was only 26 percent, consisting of 21 percent hypertrophy of myocytes and a 55 percent increase in interstitial components. Expansion of capillary lumens accounted for much of the interstitial enlargement throughout the myocardium. Hypertrophy of myocytes in the epicardial region was accompanied by a reduced mitochondria to myofibril ratio and disproportionately large increases (two- to three-fold) in both smooth endoplasmic reticulum and T system volume and surface area. On a cell basis the morphometric characteristics of myocytes from hypertensive rats are significantly different from normal, and significant differences occur between the inner and outer layers of the myocardium for practically every cytoplasmic component.
Comprehensive Challenges for the Well Being of Young Children: A Population-based Study of Publicly Monitored Risks in a Large Urban Center

This population-based study investigated the unique and cumulative relations between risks that are monitored by public surveillance systems and academic and behavioral outcomes for an entire cohort of third graders in a large, urban public school system. Using integrated, administrative records from child welfare, public health, housing, and education for a population of over 10,000 students, this study documented the disproportionate prevalence of early risks that included low birth weight or preterm birth, inadequate prenatal care, teen mother, high lead exposure, low maternal education, child maltreatment, and homelessness. Multiple logistic regression analyses demonstrated that low maternal education (i.e., mothers without a high school degree) had the strongest association with third grade reading and math achievement, attendance, and school suspensions, controlling for child demographics, poverty, and all other risks. Classroom behavior was significantly influenced by familial and social risks (i.e., teen mother, low maternal education, homelessness, and maltreatment), but not biological risks (i.e., preterm or low birth weight and high lead). The cumulative number of risk experiences was significantly related to both academic and behavioral outcomes and was most strongly associated with school attendance problems. Implications of the study for national child welfare and educational policy are discussed.