cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cerebral Cortex Evolution and the ASPM Gene

The cerebral cortex has diversified in many organisms despite having a similar basic plan. Neural cell division at one level and scaling laws at another level can explain interspecies differences in cerebral cortex sizes. Cerebral cortex components are also shaped by adaptive evolution, particularly by ecological and social factors. The genetic basis for brain development has only recently been probed. Guided initially by clinical studies of patients with reduced brain sizes (microcephaly), the gene ASPM has been identified as an important candidate involved in cerebral cortex development. Multiple lines of evidence from evolutionary genetics and functional studies have now implicated the gene in cerebral cortex size evolution across diverse organisms. Given the complexities associated with such a large organ, other genes and their expression patterns as well as noncoding DNA may also play a role in cerebral cortex evolution. Key concepts: Higher organisms such as mammals and birds show diversity in cerebral cortex size and organization. This diversity is explained partly by neural cell division and scaling laws that constrain the expansion of the cerebral cortex as a function of body size and development. Differences in cerebral cortex organization are also explained by adaptive evolution of animals in their unique niches. Mutations in the gene ASPM cause primary microcephaly or reduced brain size in humans. The gene ASPM controls cortical neurogenesis through cell cycle functions in the brain. There is evidence of accelerated evolution of ASPM in humans and other nonhuman primates with enlarged cerebral cortex sizes. In addition to ASPM, other genes particularly those underlying cellular energetics and regulation of gene expression may be involved in cerebral cortex evolution. The numerous single-gene, genomic scan and expression studies have its limitations in explaining cerebral cortex evolution. Keywords: cerebral cortex; ASPM; abnormal spindle-like; microcephaly associated; microcephaly; molecular evolution
Duality relations for the optimal two-disk H ∞ problem

Classical compensator design in the frequency domain amounts to chosing a linear controller which makes the sensitivity function S and the complementary sensitivity function T obey bounds on their gain, where the desired bounds in general vary with frequency and vector direction. The combination of the Youla Parameterisation and the concept of the Cartesian product of vector spaces allows the problem to be written in the form: Find a vector belonging to a subspace which minimises the distance from this vector to another given vector. The convexity of the underlying optimal synthesis problem follows immediately from the formulation given it. Function space duality theory is used to develop the duality relations for the problem. Bounds are established for the general case. For the case where the plant is both stable and minimum phase, the optimal achievable performance is explicitly determined.
Some Tendencies in Modern Econometrics

All analytical subjects, probably all scholarly fields of investigation, for the matter, should be exploring new avenues of research and seeking new findings. In economics, generally, there is an explosion of research activity, associated with new information, new devices, new scholarly journals, and new professional opportunities. Econometrics, which greatly expanded as a sub-dis? cipline of economics in the second half of this century, is presently branching out in many directions, some of which appear to be fruitful and some of which do not. There are now several books and articles on the historical development of econometrics from sparse early roots in the 19th century and much more significant growth activity in the 20th century. It is worth while to reconsider some earlier research, in relation to recent developments. The subject grew quite naturally as formal economics and mathematical statistics expanded, but a breakthrough occurred that came to be known as the 'Haavelmo Revolution'. A manuscript authored by Trygve Haavelmo circulated among academic economists and statisticians in the late 1930s and early 1940s; it was published as a supplement to Econometrica in 19441. An important interpretation of Haavelmo's contribution, viewed largely from the side of mathematical statistics, has been published by Theodore W. Anderson on the occasion of the award of the prize in memory of Alfred Nobel to Haavelmo in 1989.2 In order to assess some recent developments in econometrics, I want to emphasize a few important aspects of Haavelmo's contribution, which indeed has many facets. Essentially, Haavelmo placed econometric methodology in the midst of developments that were taking place, or had already taken place, in statistical inference. Statistics in economics, which was already well established, but under development at the time of Haavelmo's work, was largely concenrned with descriptive statistics. The main problems were those of describing the economy in quantitative terms. Haavelmo's approach showed how to relate mathematical specifications of economic relationships to probability interpretations of statistical estimates of the specified relationships. All econometrics does not deal with the estimation of behavioural relationships or economic decision-making, but a large portion of the discipline is involved in analyzing economic behaviour, and this forms the focus for the present discussion. To show how probability and economic relationships are involved together, let us consider the fundamental, but general, model that formed the basis for Haavelmo's approach.
Simplified Equation to Extract Diffusion Coefficients from Confocal FRAP Data

Quantitative measurements of diffusion can provide important information about how proteins and lipids interact with their environment within the cell and the effective size of the diffusing species. Confocal fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is one of the most widely accessible approaches to measure protein and lipid diffusion in living cells. However, straightforward approaches to quantify confocal FRAP measurements in terms of absolute diffusion coefficients are currently lacking. Here, we report a simplified equation that can be used to extract diffusion coefficients from confocal FRAP data using the half time of recovery and effective bleach radius for a circular bleach region, and validate this equation for a series of fluorescently labeled soluble and membrane-bound proteins and lipids. We show that using this approach, diffusion coefficients ranging over three orders of magnitude can be obtained from confocal FRAP measurements performed under standard imaging conditions, highlighting its broad applicability.
Is There A Doctor in the House? Using Failure-to-Warn Liability to Enhance the Safety of Online Prescribing

The ability to obtain prescription medications over the Internet without a proper prescription has inflamed regulators nationwide. Federal and state officials alike have proposed a host of new laws and regulations that attempt to limit this burgeoning phenomenon. Yet premature regulation of Internet prescribing could prevent consumers from realizing the tremendous benefits it might one day provide to the American health care delivery system. In this Note, Chester Chuang argues that subjecting Internet prescribing to a traditional failure-to-warn liability framework, rather than to additional regulations, adequately will ensure patient safety while allowing for the necessary innovations that will legitimize the distribution of prescription medications over the Internet. He suggests that pharmaceutical manufacturers can satisfy their duty to warn by contractually obligating websites that dispense prescription medications to implement comprehensive patient information systems. Chuang concludes that the proper application of this framework to these patient information systems will make certain that pharmaceutical manufacturers strike the proper balance between patients' health and safety concerns and the possibilities of Internet prescribing.
Skin graft vestibuloplasty exostosis: A report of two cases

Two cases of exostosis developing after mandibular vestibuloplasty and floor-to-mouth lowering with split thickness skin graft are presented, one with multiple recurrences. The lesion is clinically and microscopically described. Hypotheses with respect to the development of this phenomenon are proposed.
On the origin of pressure and magnetic perturbations ahead of dipolarization fronts

Dipolarization fronts (DFs), earthward-propagating structures in the Earth's magnetotail current sheet with sharp enhancements of the northward magnetic field Bz, are typically preceded by minor decreases in Bz. Other characteristic DF precursor signatures, including earthward flows and plasma density/pressure enhancements, have been explained in the context of ion acceleration and reflection at dipolarization fronts. In the same context here we simulate the spatial distribution of plasma pressure earthward of a convex DF. The resultant pressure distribution, which shows clear dawn-dusk asymmetries with greater enhancements at the DF duskside, agrees with statistical observations. The simulation further reveals that the reflected ions can carry a secondary current earthward of the advancing DF, which explains the characteristic signature of the Bz dip immediately ahead of the DF.
Windy Mars: A dynamic planet as seen by the HiRISE camera

With a dynamic atmosphere and a large supply of particulate material, the surface of Mars is heavily influenced by wind-driven, or aeolian, processes. The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provides a new view of Martian geology, with the ability to see decimeter-size features. Current sand movement, and evidence for recent bedform development, is observed. Dunes and ripples generally exhibit complex surfaces down to the limits of resolution. Yardangs have diverse textures, with some being massive at HiRISE scale, others having horizontal and cross-cutting layers of variable character, and some exhibiting blocky and polygonal morphologies. 'Reticulate' (fine polygonal texture) bedforms are ubiquitous in the thick mantle at the highest elevations.
The Impact of a Multiple Listing Service

This article offers a theoretical investigation of the impact of a multiple listing service (MLS) and its optimal size. We study a principal-agent model of real estate brokerage with multiple agents, where the entry of new agents imposes externalities on the other agents. We solve simultaneously for the equilibrium and socially efficient levels of agents’ effort choices, the size of the MLS and the commission rate. Introducing an MLS reduces the number of agents, increases agents’ effort levels and improves total surplus. Current commission rates of 5–7% appear much higher than the competitive commission rate, leading to too many agents, too much effort by agents and a lower overall surplus. We also find that giving a greater portion of the commission to the selling agent increases effort levels, reduces the number of agents and improves total surplus.
The neurosteroid 5β-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one enhances actions of etomidate as a positive allosteric modulator of α1β2γ2L GABAA receptors.

Background and Purpose Neurosteroids potentiate responses of the GABAA receptor to the endogenous agonist GABA. Here, we examined the ability of neurosteroids to potentiate responses to the allosteric activators etomidate, pentobarbital and propofol. Experimental Approach Electrophysiological assays were conducted on rat α1β2γ2L GABAA receptors expressed in HEK 293 cells. The sedative activity of etomidate was studied in Xenopus tadpoles and mice. Effects of neurosteroids on etomidate-elicited inhibition of cortisol synthesis were determined in human adrenocortical cells. Key Results The neurosteroid 5β-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (3α5βP) potentiated activation of GABAA receptors by GABA and allosteric activators. Co-application of 1 μM 3α5βP induced a leftward shift (almost 100-fold) of the whole-cell macroscopic concentration–response relationship for gating by etomidate. Co-application of 100 nM 3α5βP reduced the EC50 for potentiation by etomidate of currents elicited by 0.5 μM GABA by about three-fold. In vivo, 3α5βP (1mg kg-1) reduced the dose of etomidate required to produce loss of righting in mice (ED50) by almost 10-fold. In tadpoles, the presence of 50 or 100 nM 3α5βP shifted the EC50 for loss of righting about three- or ten-fold respectively. Exposure to 3α5βP did not influence inhibition of cortisol synthesis by etomidate. Conclusions and Implications Potentiating neurosteroids act similarly on orthosterically and allosterically activated GABAA receptors. Co-application of neurosteroids with etomidate can significantly reduce dosage requirements for the anaesthetic, and is a potentially beneficial combination to reduce undesired side effects.
ATP and UTP activate calcium-mobilizing P2U-like receptors and act synergistically with interleukin-1 to stimulate prostaglandin E2 release from human rheumatoid synovial cells.

Objective To pharmacologically and functionally characterize calcium-mobilizing purine receptors on adherent human rheumatoid synovial cells. Methods Fura-2-loaded synovial cells were screened for changes in cytosolic calcium concentration after the addition of purine receptor agonists. Release of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmunoassay, respectively. The effect of IL-1 prestimulation on purine-mediated PGE2 release was determined. Results ATP (1-100 µM) and UTP (1-100 µM), but not 2-methylthio-ATP or adenosine, stimulated mobilization of calcium from intracellular stores in synovial cells. ATP and UTP stimulated a small, but significant, increase in PG release from resting synoviocytes and a dramatic increase in PG release from synoviocytes prestimulated with recombinant human IL-1α. Neither ATP nor UTP stimulated synoviocyte release of IL-1 as measured by specific ELISA. The effects of ATP and UTP on PG secretion were mimicked by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and thapsigargin, and blocked by BAPTA buffering of cytosolic calcium. Conclusion Adherent human rheumatoid synovial cells mobilize intracellular calcium via a P2U-like purine receptor. P2U receptor agonists stimulate PGE2 release from synoviocytes, an effect that is greatly enhanced by IL-1α prestimulation and blocked by intracellular calcium buffering.
Acute increases by p-chlorophenylalanine of apomorphine-induced stereotyped behavior in the rat.

The stereotyped behavioral syndrome induced in the rat by apomorphine was enhanced by acute systemic administration of PCPA. This effect was dependent on the dose of PCPA and half-maximal at approximately 150 mg/kg, i.p.; it occurred within 30 min, was greatest between 1 and 5 h and had nearly disappeared by 24 h after an acute dose of PCPA. A similar effect was not found at 24 or 48 h following 3 repeated doses of PCPA of 300 mg/kg/day. This effect of PCPA was not reversed by 5-HTP or by high doses of a decarboxylase inhibitor. PCPA alone did not produce stereotyped behavior, although it produced some behavioral excitation in high doses following inhibition of monoamine oxidase. This acute behavioral effect of PCPA to potentiate apomorphine-induced stereotyped responses is unexplained. It does not seem to be due to depletion of 5-HT or to the formation of an amine as an active metabolite. We suggest that PCPA can have behavioral excitatory actions independent of its 5-HT-depleting action.
The Utilization of 14C-Labeled Lactate, Pyruvate and Alanine by Prelactating Tissues and Hyperplastic Alveolar Nodule Outgrowths

SummaryThe utilization of 14C-labeled lactate, pyruvate and alanine by specimens of prelactating tissue taken from pregnant mice and hyperplastic alveolar nodule outgrowths from C3H mice was investigated. In the absence of glucose, CO2 production and fatty acid synthesis from these substrates was higher in the prelactating mammary gland than in the hyperplastic alveolar nodule outgrowths. Addition of glucose effected a decrease in CO2 production from all 3 carbons, but caused an increase in fatty acid formation from the second and third carbons of these substrates. This effect by glucose was proportionately similar in both tissues. Lactate uptake by the prelactating mammary gland was about 60% higher than that by the hyperplastic alveolar nodule outgrowths, but amino acid formation from this substrate was markedly higher in the latter tissue. The activity of the citrate condensing enzyme (EC 4.1.3.7) was considerably lower in the hyperplastic alveolar nodule outgrowths than in the prelactating mammary tis...
Lewis Acid Catalyzed Synthesis of Poly(pyrazolyl)borate Ligands

Lewis acids catalyze the reaction of Li[MeBH3] and Na[BH4] with pyrazoles to yield poly(pyrazolyl)borates under mild conditions. The reaction of Li[MeBH3] with 2 equiv of 3-mesitylpyrazole (HpzMs) at 23 °C (2 days) affords Li[MeB(3-mesityl-pz)2H] (Li[MeBpMs]) and Li[MeB(3-mesityl-pz)(5-mesityl-pz)H] (Li[MeBpMs*]) in 88% yield (3:1 isomer ratio) in the presence of MeB(OiPr)2 (5 mol % vs HpzMs) but only 28% yield without this additive. Similar enhancements in the yield of Li[MeBpR] products are observed in the reaction of Li[MeBH3] with 3-tBu-pyrazole, 3,5-Me2-pyrazole (Hpz*), and 3,5-tBu2-pyrazole. The reaction of Li[MeBH3] with 3 equiv of HpzMs (THF, 60 °C, 2 days) in the presence of 3 mol % MeB(OiPr)2 affords Li[MeB(3-Ms-pz)3] (75%), but only Li[MeBpMs] and Li[MeBpMs*] without this additive. Similar results were observed for the reaction of Li[MeBH3] with 3-CF3-pyrazole. The reaction of Na[BH4] and 3 equiv of Hpz* (THF, 60 °C, 4 h) yields Na[B(3,5-Me2-pz)2H2] in 93% yield in the presence of BF3·Et2O (5 m...
A scaling law for the dynamic strength of brittle solids

Abstract A universal scaling relationship is developed that describes the dynamic compressive strength of brittle solids. The scaling is based on the micromechanics of the growth of cracks from populations of initial flaws, and captures the fundamental dynamics of rapidly growing and interacting cracks. A characteristic stress and a characteristic strain rate are defined in terms of material and microstructural properties. The resulting model compares well with the available experimental data for ceramics and geologic materials, and demonstrates specific scaling of strength with strain rate for compressive behavior.
Comment: But What Did You Go Out into the Wilderness to See?

When William Cronon delivered the preceding article as a paper, he told of environmentalists resisting earlier versions. They were, he said, dubious, and while they might admit there was something to his case, they were never comfortable with it. Some in the conference audience clearly shared that unease. It is easy to see why. Cronon says that the concept of wilderness is not reality but a social construction that is a flight from reality. Far from bringing people into communion with nature it creates a false dichotomy that separates them from it, dulling their appreciation of the daily beauty of the world, denying the appropriate middle ground of sustainable and responsible use, and encouraging an apocalyptic "end of nature" thinking that hinders action and draws attention away from pressing issues of environmental justice. Adverse reactions may be partly a case of, as Mother used to say, the hurt dog howling first. The environmental movement has long overlooked the people who suffered the most from the industrial economy. In pushing for wilderness and national parks its advocates have too often taken little account of those who lived on the land. Besides, sympathetic and nuanced as Cronon's approach is, it sounds too much like the extreme anti-environmentalist case. To admit he is right to any degree seems to open the gates to the enemy. The central problem, though, is that he analyzes one of the central emotional commitments of modern environmentalists -and finds it wanting. Wilderness is the modern environmental religion, and the only reason its more enthusiastic advocates have not deified it is that they are too secular to know how to do the job. Consider the emphasis placed on wilderness and species emblematic of that unfallen condition. Look at the pictures in environmental magazines-church architecture, sacred sites, and illustrations of pilgrimages. Leaf through the catalogs of nature's consumer goods, where one may purchase everything but pieces of the true wilderness. Those with a sardonic sense of humor can easily map the environmental movement onto American Protestantism. Earth First! becomes the Appalachian snake-handlers, the Sierra Club the Episcopal church (and its president the
Automatic scoring of non-native spontaneous speech in tests of spoken English

This paper presents the first version of the SpeechRater^S^M system for automatically scoring non-native spontaneous high-entropy speech in the context of an online practice test for prospective takers of the Test of English as a Foreign Language^(R) internet-based test (TOEFL^(R) iBT). The system consists of a speech recognizer trained on non-native English speech data, a feature computation module, using speech recognizer output to compute a set of mostly fluency based features, and a multiple regression scoring model which predicts a speaking proficiency score for every test item response, using a subset of the features generated by the previous component. Experiments with classification and regression trees (CART) complement those performed with multiple regression. We evaluate the system both on TOEFL Practice data [TOEFL Practice Online (TPO)] as well as on Field Study data collected before the introduction of the TOEFL iBT. Features are selected by test development experts based on both their empirical correlations with human scores as well as on their coverage of the concept of communicative competence. We conclude that while the correlation between machine scores and human scores on TPO (of 0.57) still differs by 0.17 from the inter-human correlation (of 0.74) on complete sets of six items (Pearson r correlation coefficients), the correlation of 0.57 is still high enough to warrant the deployment of the system in a low-stakes practice environment, given its coverage of several important aspects of communicative competence such as fluency, vocabulary diversity, grammar, and pronunciation. Another reason why the deployment of the system in a low-stakes practice environment is warranted is that this system is an initial version of a long-term research and development program where features related to vocabulary, grammar, and content will be added in a later stage when automatic speech recognition performance improves, which can then be easily achieved without a re-design of the system. Exact agreement on single TPO items between our system and human scores was 57.8%, essentially at par with inter-human agreement of 57.2%. Our system has been in operational use to score TOEFL Practice Online Speaking tests since the Fall of 2006 and has since scored tens of thousands of tests.
Influence of epidemiological factors on the bioherbicidal efficacy of Phomopsis amaranthicola on Amaranthus hybridus

Greenhouse experiments were performed to determine the effect of dew period temperature and duration, plant growth stage, conidial concentration, and the addition of adjuvants on the bioherbicidal efficacy of Phomopsis amaranthicola on Amaranthus spp., using Amaranthus hybridus as test plant. P. amaranthicola infected A. hybridus at 20, 25, 30, and 35°C but the disease level achieved at 20°C may not be sufficient to cause high plant mortality. Plant mortality was also significantly lower in plants that were exposed to 4 h of dew. Plants at less than two- to two- to four-leaf stage were more easily killed than older plants, and increasing conidial concentration from 105 to 106 or 107 conidia ml-1 did not result in higher mortality levels. Among the adjuvants tested, polyalkyleneoxide-modified heptamethyltrisiloxane, algal polysaccharide, hyrdroxyethyl cellulose, and octylphenoxy polyethoxyethanol reduced conidial germination. Conidia applied with invert emulsion caused the highest plant mortality (74%) but invert emulsion alone caused 33% plant death due to phytotoxicity. Results indicate that P. amaranthicola can infect and kill Amaranthus spp. under a range of temperature, dew period, and inoculum levels and, therefore, has good potential as a bioherbicide agent.
Attitudes Toward the Insanity Defense in Capital Cases: (Im)partiality from Witherspoon to Witt

Changes in the death qualification process suggest an increasing probability that jurors in capital cases will reject an insanity defense. The present study of 312 college undergraduates compares demographics and attitudes of death-qualified participants with those of their excludable counterparts, by varying standards for exclusion. When demographics were considered together, only religion predicted bias against the insanity defense, which was higher in those who identified with some form of Christianity. Further, religious fundamentalism, Christian orthodoxy, sociopolitical conservatism, and pro-prosecution bias were associated with stronger negative attitudes against the insanity defense. Results also support the contention that seating a death-qualified jury under either the Witherspoon or Witt standards increases bias against the insanity defense, although the consideration of automatic–death penalty jurors eliminates this effect.
Black-white mortality inequalities☆

Abstract Racial inequality, particularly between blacks and whites, long has been of major concern in the United States. This inequality may take a number of forms, for example, with regard to schooling, housing, health, employment options, and income. In this paper we estimate how much of the 'observed' racial inequality in age-specific death rates in the Retirement History Survey can be attributed to observed differences in variables in hazard functions. The exact answer depends on what independent variables are excluded, but fairly standard explanatory variables explain 50% to much more of the observed greater death rates of black men.
Finite-Element Stress Analysis of a Multicomponent Model of Sheared and Focally-Adhered Endothelial Cells

Hemodynamic forces applied at the apical surface of vascular endothelial cells may be redistributed to and amplified at remote intracellular organelles and protein complexes where they are transduced to biochemical signals. In this study we sought to quantify the effects of cellular material inhomogeneities and discrete attachment points on intracellular stresses resulting from physiological fluid flow. Steady-state shear- and magnetic bead-induced stress, strain, and displacement distributions were determined from finite-element stress analysis of a cell-specific, multicomponent elastic continuum model developed from multimodal fluorescence images of confluent endothelial cell (EC) monolayers and their nuclei. Focal adhesion locations and areas were determined from quantitative total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy and verified using green fluorescence protein–focal adhesion kinase (GFP–FAK). The model predicts that shear stress induces small heterogeneous deformations of the endothelial cell cytoplasm on the order of <100 nm. However, strain and stress were amplified 10–100-fold over apical values in and around the high-modulus nucleus and near focal adhesions (FAs) and stress distributions depended on flow direction. The presence of a 0.4 μm glycocalyx was predicted to increase intracellular stresses by ∼2-fold. The model of magnetic bead twisting rheometry also predicted heterogeneous stress, strain, and displacement fields resulting from material heterogeneities and FAs. Thus, large differences in moduli between the nucleus and cytoplasm and the juxtaposition of constrained regions (e.g. FAs) and unattached regions provide two mechanisms of stress amplification in sheared endothelial cells. Such phenomena may play a role in subcellular localization of early mechanotransduction events.
Possibility of observing quantum size effects in the electromagnetic absorption spectrum of small metal particles

The possibility of observing quantum size effects in very small metal particles by absorption spectroscopy is reexamined. According to the Gor'kov-Eliashberg theory, nonquadratic frequency dependence of the absorption coefficient persists at sufficiently low frequencies even when there is a size distribution.
The measurement of pattern a behavior

Abstract Pattern A behavior can be measured objectively. The measures used in this study included a test battery made up primarily of performance measures and a questionnaire, the Jenkins Activity Survey. These measures in combination, yield a multiple correlation of 0.64 with the assessment of Pattern A behavior by interview techniques and correctly classify 72 per cent of the individuals in this study. The test battery and the questionnaire show no relationship with each other and the statistical technique employed showed that they make independent contributions to the measurement of Pattern A behavior. This finding implies that the questionnaire and test battery measure different aspects of Pattern A behavior. Both measurement approaches have their usefulness. The questionnaire is useful for rapid screening and does not require the presence of an examiner. It may be more subject to practice effects and to cultural influences. The test battery may yield more precise information and is relatively free from problems inherent in self report methods. However, the test battery requires more skill in administration and scoring and the physical presence of an examiner; it is less useful in large scale screening studies. The results of this study seems to warrant further development of both questionnaire and test battery approaches.
On the application of the method of Das in evaluating a multivariate normal integral

SUMMARY Das (1956) presented a method of evaluating pr (xl > al, ..., Xn > an) for a multivariate normal distribution which reduced the dimension of integration by the use of the univariate cumulative normal. This note investigates properties of the variance-covariance matrix that indicate how small this dimension of integration might be and presents a method of determining the coefficients for the expression of Das.
Production and purification of a recombinant Staphylococcal enterotoxin B vaccine candidate expressed in Escherichia coli.

An attenuated, recombinant form of Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (rSEB) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli under transcriptional control of the T7 promoter. The 28-kDa rSEB was partially purified from soluble, intracellular protein by tangential flow filtration and differential ammonium sulfate precipitation. The intermediate product was then further purified using low-pressure liquid chromatography including hydrophobic interaction, cation exchange, and size-exclusion matrices. The final vialed product was >95% pure as determined by Coomassie blue-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, high-pressure size-exclusion chromatography, and capillary zonal electrophoresis. The endotoxin level was <0.6 EU/mg. Final estimated yield of purified rSEB was 147 mg/L of starting culture. Purified rSEB was stable, elicited an immune response in mice, and protected mice against a lethal challenge with the native toxin.
Chemical reactivity of labile sulfur of iron-sulfur proteins. The reaction of triphenyl phosphine.

Abstract The reaction of triphenyl phosphine to iron-sulfur proteins from adrenal cortex mitochondria, spinach chloroplasts, and Clostridium pasteurianum was investigated. As ethanol concentrations in the reaction mixture increased, the rate of the reaction decreased. In the simultaneous presence of 1 M KCl and 5 M urea, the reaction rate reached at maximum. Under these conditions the initial rates of the decolorization reaction by the phosphine were found to be 8.7, 0.88, and 1.8 nmol of ferrodoxin per min at 25°C for adrenal, spinach, and clostridial ferredoxins, respectively. The kinetic curves for the reaction of the phosphine sulfide formation, the loss of labile sulfur, and the deterioriation of visible absorption showed a similar pattern with a comparable rate. During this reaction, the complete reduction of ferric ions present in ferredoxin was observed with a fast rate under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. These results suggest that the iron atoms in ferredoxin are first reduced by the intramolecular reductants in the presence of triphenyl phosphine with the concomitant formation of S22−, which then reacts with triphenyl phosphine resulting in the formation of triphenyl phosphine sulfide.
Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 modulates Nrf2-dependent transcription

The basic leucine zipper transcription factor Nrf2 has emerged as a master regulator of intracellular redox homeostasis by controlling the expression of a battery of redox-balancing antioxidants and phase II detoxification enzymes. Under oxidative stress conditions, Nrf2 is induced at the protein level through redox-sensitive modifications on critical cysteine residues in Keap1, a component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that targets Nrf2 for proteasomal degradation. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is historically known to function in DNA damage detection and repair; however, recently PARP-1 has been shown to play an important role in other biochemical activities, such as DNA methylation and imprinting, insulator activity, chromosome organization, and transcriptional regulation. The exact role of PARP-1 in transcription modulation and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. In this study, we report that PARP-1 forms complexes with the antioxidant response element (ARE) within the promoter region of Nrf2 target genes and upregulates the transcriptional activity of Nrf2. Interestingly, PARP-1 neither physically interacts with Nrf2 nor promotes the expression of Nrf2. In addition, PARP-1 does not target Nrf2 for poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. Instead, PARP-1 interacts directly with small Maf proteins and the ARE of Nrf2 target genes, which augments ARE-specific DNA-binding of Nrf2 and enhances the transcription of Nrf2 target genes. Collectively, these results suggest that PARP-1 serves as a transcriptional coactivator, upregulating the transcriptional activity of Nrf2 by enhancing the interaction among Nrf2, MafG, and the ARE.
[1-14C]oleate-labeled autoclaved yeast: a membranous substrate for measuring phospholipase A2 activity in vitro.

Abstract Radiolabeled, autoclaved yeast were tested as a substrate for mammalian phospholipase A2 activity because the only other membranous substrate used for this purpose, autoclaved Escherichia coli, totally lacks a major mammalian phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine. Candida albicans were grown in the presence of [1-14C]oleate and then autoclaved. Sixty three percent of the incorporated label was in yeast phospholipid, and more than 95% of that was in the 2-acyl position. The distribution of label in the yeast phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine and -ethanolamine, -serine + -inositol, and phosphatidic acid corresponded closely to the chemical distribution of phosphorus in those phospholipids. Snake venom (Naja naja) and human synovial fluid phospholipase A2 hydrolyzed yeast phospholipid exclusively to release14C-labeled fatty acid. When 50–60% of the yeast phospholipid was hydrolyzed, the radioactive fatty acids as determined by gas-liquid chromatographic analysis were predominantly oleate (45%) and linoleate (>54%). Hydrolysis of yeast phospholipid by both enzymes was near-linear with protein and time under conditions of optimal pH (neutral-alkaline) and Ca2+ (1–5 m m ) previously reported for optimal hydrolysis of autoclaved E. coli phospholipid. N. naja phospholipase A2 showed less preference for phosphatidyleth-anolamine than -choline as liposomes or yeast phospholipid as compared to human synovial fluid phospholipase A2 which clearly preferred phosphatidylethanolamine to -choline as a liposome or yeast phospholipid. These results illustrate that radiolabeled phospholipids of autoclaved yeast, enriched in phosphatidylcholine, are readily hydrolyzed by snake venom and human nonpancreatic phospholipases A2 and may, therefore, be useful in the measurement of in vitro enzymatic activity.
Gestational Choline Supply Regulates Methylation of Histone H3, Expression of Histone Methyltransferases G9a (Kmt1c) and Suv39h1 (Kmt1a), and DNA Methylation of Their Genes in Rat Fetal Liver and Brain

Choline is an essential nutrient that, via its metabolite betaine, serves as a donor of methyl groups used in fetal development to establish the epigenetic DNA and histone methylation patterns. Supplementation with choline during embryonic days (E) 11–17 in rats improves memory performance in adulthood and protects against age-related memory decline, whereas choline deficiency impairs certain cognitive functions. We previously reported that global and gene-specific DNA methylation increased in choline-deficient fetal brain and liver, and these changes in DNA methylation correlated with an apparently compensatory up-regulation of the expression of DNA methyltransferase Dnmt1. In the current study, pregnant rats were fed a diet containing varying amounts of choline (mmol/kg: 0 (deficient), 8 (control), or 36 (supplemented)) during E11–17, and indices of histone methylation were assessed in liver and frontal cortex on E17. The mRNA and protein expression of histone methyltransferases G9a and Suv39h1 were directly related to the availability of choline. DNA methylation of the G9a and Suv39h1 genes was up-regulated by choline deficiency, suggesting that the expression of these enzymes is under negative control by methylation of their genes. The levels of H3K9Me2 and H3K27Me3, tags of transcriptionally repressed chromatin, were up-regulated by choline supplementation, whereas the levels of H3K4Me2, associated with active promoters, were highest in choline-deficient rats. These data show that maternal choline supply during pregnancy modifies fetal histone and DNA methylation, suggesting that a concerted epigenomic mechanism contributes to the long term developmental effects of varied choline intake in utero.
Effective Viscosity Measurement of CuO and ZnO Nanofluids

Nanofluid has the promising potential for enhancing the heat transfer performance of conventional fluids. Several experimental and numerical attempts have been made earlier to investigate its important thermo physical properties like thermal conductivity and viscosity. The findings and results are quite disperse instead of reaching a definitive agreement. This paper presents effective viscosity measurements of CuO and ZnO nanofluids experimentally. A Brookfield viscometer model DV-I Prime with a CPE 40 cone has been used to determine the effective viscosity of nanofluids. The measurements have included the effect of volume concentration of nanoparticles and temperature. The experimental results are compared with several experimental and theoretical models available in the existing literature. From the obtained experimental results it can be concluded that the viscosity values of the above mentioned nanofluids has a tendency to increase with increase of nanoparticle concentration and follows a decreasing trend with an increase in temperature. Presented results can be used to define the above mentioned nanofluids within the experimental volume concentration range in CFD software package and hence to predict overall heat transfer performance using these nanofluids.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Changes in the quality of US soybeans exported to Japan and Europe

Grain quality changes between origin and destination have continued to be important to grain importers and exporters. This article quantifies the quality losses during shipment of soybeans from US ports to European and Japanese destinations and estimates the decrease in value based on these losses. Handling and impact explain the consistent increase in foreign material and splits. The statistically significant increase in oil content is left as a topic requiring additional research. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Glutamate and potassium stimulation of hippocampal slices metabolizing glucose or glucose and pyruvate

Abstract Using 2-deoxyglucose phosphorylation as an index of glucose use and concentrations of selected intermediates to monitor metabolic pathways, responses of rat hippocampal slices to glutamate and K+ stimulation were examined. With glutamate, the glucose phosphorylation rate (GPR) increased, and the slices accumulated glutamate at a constant rate, for 10 min. The uptake rate at each glutamate level was matched, approximately, by the increase in GPR at that level, with 4 or 5 glutamate molecules accumulated for every glucose molecule phosphorylated. Phosphocreatine and ATP levels fell abruptly, and lactate rose, probably reflecting neuronal activity, found by others to be very brief in the presence of glutamate. K+ stimulation produced responses of phosphocreatine, ATP and lactate levels and of GPR similar to those due to glutamate. There were also prolonged changes in the levels of other metabolites: with both stimulants glucose 6-phosphate fell, and malate rose. The changes in malate may be the result of the participation of mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase in both citrate cycle and malate shuttle. Citrate and α-ketoglutarate rose only with K+. When pyruvate was added to the medium, resting GPR was reduced, but for both stimulants the relative increases in GPR with stimulation were the same as without pyruvate. The changes in metabolic intermediates in response to K+ were like those with glucose alone. But with glutamate, the rise in lactate was greatly diminished, and malate fell instead of rising. Glutamate interference with the transfer of both 3-carbon as well as 4- and 5-carbon intermediates from glia to neurons may explain these results. If so, this interference is greater with pyruvate supplementation than with glucose alone.
“Empyrean”, an alternative paradigm for pattern recognition☆

Abstract It is pointed out that along with the measurement subproblem and the decision subproblem of pattern recognition, there exists the feature-extraction subproblem. A general structure is proposed, consisting of an “ascending hierarchy” of sequential machines which transduce the input word (measurement vector) to a set of pattern description vectors, and a descending hierarchy of finite state pattern recognizers (automata). An iterative procedure for constructing the latter for prescribed statistical performance is given, with certain heuristics employed in state reduction of the resulting automata to yield certain types of extrapolations. A comparison is made with the analogous approach of Hunt, Marin and Stone .(4)
A study of 64Cu, 66Cu, 68Cu and 70Cu by (t, 3He) reactions

Abstract Levels in 64,66,68,70 Cu that are populated in the 64,66,68,70 Zn (t, 3 He) reactions at 24 MeV triton energy have been studied. Mass excesses for the lowest states observed in 68 Cu and 70 Cu are found to be −65576±20 keV and −62982±20 keV, respectively. A multiplet of states, populated with large intensities, is observed to move systematically towards decreasing excitation energy as the neutron number approaches 40. It is concluded that this multiplet has a π p 3 2 ν g 9 2 configuration.
Defiled Trades and Social Outcasts: Honor and Ritual Pollution in Early Modern Germany

List of illustrations Acknowledgments List of abbreviations Glossary Introduction: defiled trades Part I. The Meaning of Dishonor in Early Modern Society: 1. Medieval versus early modern dishonor 2. Honor, status and pollution Part II. The Dishonorable Milieu: 3. The status of executioners and skinners, 1500-1700 4. Living on the periphery of dishonor Part III. Paradoxical Dishonor: Punishment and Healing: 5. The infamous fur coat, or the unintended consequences of social discipline 6. The executioner's healing touch: health and honor in early modern German medical practice Part IV. Artisanal Honor and Urban Politics: 7. Guardians of honor: artisans versus magistrates 8. Honor and dishonor in the eighteenth century Conclusion: dishonor and the society of orders Select bibliography Index.
Lung Cancer Imaging

J.G. Ravenel, Ed. New York, NY: Springer, 2013, 300 pages, $229 Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and in developed countries worldwide. The prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer will continue to be of major importance in the coming
A modification of the special theory of relativity

Light, when constructed in terms of the elementary quanta of light, may be viewed in particle‐like or wave‐like terms. The elementary quanta of light, when placed in motion through space/time at a speed of a constancy of c forms a light path through the space or reference frame viewed. The light path formed is curved, as space/time is curved. The curvilinear light path formed is a function of the gravitational potential within the viewed frame of reference. The linear description of this light path, termed the geodesic (Riemannian), does not describe the curvilinear light path, but rather the chord of the curvilinear path described by the inscribed arc. This linear description of the light path is the manner in which we describe the coordinate system involved, and is the same manner in which we determine the “speed of light”. The arc length of the light path, compared to the lesser value as described by the chord length, allows for a displacement to be determined, if both measures are applied to a linear measure. A displacement of linear coordinates then occurs, with this displacement a result of the gravitational potential occurring within the frame viewed. This displacement, derived via observation and predictions of the quantum model, resolves Maxwell as well as Newton. The theory concludes that the Special Theory of Relativity, suitably modified to account for gravitational displacement within one particular frame, derives a precise relative model of gravitation within the special frame. This model satisfies Newton, as the model arrives at an exact description of the three‐body problem.
Surface fatigue life of M50NiL and AISI 9310 gears and rolling-contact bars

Spur gear endurance tests and rolling-element surface fatigue tests were conducted to investigate vacuuminduction-melted, vacuum-arc-remelted (VIM-VAR) MSONiL steel for use as a gear steel in advanced aircraft applications, to determine its endurance characteristics, and to compare the results with those for standard VAR and VIM-VAR AISI 9310 gear material. Tests were conducted with spur gears and rolling-contact bars manufactured from VIM-VAR MSONiL and VAR and VIM-VAR AISI 9310. The gear pitch diameter was 3.5 in. Gear test conditions were an inlet oil temperature of 116°F, an outlet oil temperature of 170°F, a maximum Hertz stress of 248 ksi, and a speed of 10,000 rpm. Bench rolling-element fatigue tests were conducted at ambient temperatures with a bar speed of 12,500 rpm and a maximum Hertz stress of 700 ksi. The VIM-VAR MSONiL gears had a surface fatigue life that was 4.5 and 11.5 times that for VIM-VAR and VAR AISI 9310 gears, respectively. The surface fatigue life of the VIM-VAR MSONiL rolling-contact bars was 13.2 and 21.6 times that for the VIMVAR and VAR AISI 9310, respectively. The VIM-VAR MSONiL material was shown to have good resistance to fracture through a fatigue spall and to have fatigue life far superior to that of both VIM-VAR and VAR AISI 9310 gears and rolling-contact bars.