cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cloning and characterization of A-kinase anchor protein 100 (AKAP100). A protein that targets A-kinase to the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Abstract Differential localization of the type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is achieved by interaction of the regulatory subunit (RII) with A-kinase anchor proteins (AKAPs). Anchoring is a likely means to adapt PKA for regulation of cAMP-responsive events through colocalization of the kinase with preferred substrates. Using an interaction cloning strategy with an RIIα protein probe, we have identified a 655-amino acid protein (named AKAP100). Recombinant AKAP100, expressed in Escherichia coli, binds RIIα in a solid-phase overlay assay. The cellular and subcellular distribution of AKAP100 was analyzed by various methods. Northern blot analysis with the AKAP100 cDNA as a probe detected an 8-kilobase message in some human tissues including various brain regions; however, the message was predominately expressed in cardiac and skeletal muscle. Anti-AKAP100 antibodies confirmed expression in the rat cardiac and skeletal muscle cell lines, H9c2 and L6P, whereas immunohistochemical analysis revealed that AKAP100 was localized to the sarcoplasmic reticulum of both cell types. RII was also detected in these regions. AKAP100 was detected in preparations of RII purified from L6P cell extracts by cAMP-agarose affinity chromatography. Collectively, these results suggest that AKAP100 functions to maintain the type II PKA at the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
CPU reservations and time constraints: implementation experience on windows NT

This paper presents an implementation of scheduling abstractions originally developed for the Rialto real-time operating system within a research version of Windows NT called Rialto/NT. These abstractions, CPU Reservations and Time Constraints, as described in the 1997 SOSP paper [Jones et al. 97], are intended to allow: (1) activities to obtain minimum guaranteed execution rates with application-specified reservation granularities via CPU Reservations, and (2) applications to schedule tasks by deadlines via Time Constraints, with on-time completion guaranteed for tasks with accepted constraints. The Rialto/NT scheduler differs from the original Rialto scheduler in several key respects. First, it has been extended to schedule multiprocessors--this is the primary new intellectual contribution of this work. It has been adapted to operate with operating system clock services that only provide timing interrupts at regular periodic intervals measured in milliseconds, rather than being able to schedule clock interrupts at arbitrary sub-millisecond points of time. It coexists with the existing Windows NT scheduler, allowing it to schedule time not scheduled by itself. Finally, it has been implemented in a particularly non-intrusive manner, using rather than replacing the existing Windows NT priority-based scheduler. Results presented will demonstrate that CPU Reservations and Time Constraints can be effectively implemented on multiprocessors. We will also describe the implementation techniques chosen and tradeoffs made as a result of implementing within Windows NT. Finally, we will present performance results and execution traces.
A meta-analysis of cosmic star-formation history

A meta-analysis is performed of the literature on evolution in cosmic star-formation rate density from redshift unity to the present day. The measurements are extremely diverse, including radio, infrared, and ultraviolet broad-band photometric indicators, and visible and near-ultraviolet line-emission indicators. Although there is large scatter among indicators at any given redshift, virtually all studies find a significant decrease from redshift unity to the present day. This is the most heterogeneously confirmed result in the study of galaxy evolution. When comoving star-formation rate density is treated as being proportional to $(1+z)^{\beta}$, the meta-analysis gives a best-fit exponent and conservative confidence interval of $\beta= 2.7\pm 0.7$ in a world model with $(\Omega_M,\Omega_{\Lambda})=(0.3,0.7)$ and $\beta= 3.3\pm 0.8$ in $(\Omega_M,\Omega_{\Lambda})=(1.0,0.0)$. In either case these evolutionary trends are strong enough that the bulk of the stellar mass at the present day ought to be in old ($>6 \mathrm{Gyr}$) populations.
Will a partial posterior annuloplasty ring prevent acute ischemic mitral regurgitation

Background Acute posterolateral ischemia in sheep results in ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR). While complete ring annuloplasty prevents acute IMR, partial annuloplasty rings may offer a more physiologic repair, but are untested in animal models of IMR. Methods Radiopaque markers were placed on the LV, mitral annulus (MA), and leaflets in 13 sheep. Seven sheep served as controls, and 6 had a St. Jude Tailor partial flexible ring implanted (29 mm in 5, 31 mm in 1). After 8±1 day, the animals were studied with biplane videofluoroscopy and echocardiography before and during acute posterolateral LV ischemia (balloon occlusion of circumflex artery). Mitral annular area (MAA), septal-lateral annular diameter (SL), annular perimeters, and leaflet edge separation were calculated from 3-D marker coordinates. Results The average degree of mitral regurgitation increased from 0.0±0.0 to 2.1±0.7 (P=0.0006) in the control group during acute ischemia but remained unchanged in the Tailor group (0.1±0.2 for both condit...
A comparative performance analysis of ultrawideband and narrowband microwave imaging sensor arrays for early detection of breast cancer

About 250,000 cases of breast cancer were reported in 2014 in the United States alone. Such alarming statistics necessitate serious efforts for early detection of breast cancer. The existing breast cancer screening methods like mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging have a wide range of drawbacks from causing patient discomfort to emitting ionizing radiations. Overcoming these limitations of the current techniques paved way for the development and application of microwave imaging techniques to such health-related issues.
Death on Display

This article focuses on two sets of images sparked by the assassination of the Iranian ruler Nasir al-Din Shah in 1896—photographs of his murderer Mirza Riza Kirmani as a prisoner and photographs of his execution—as a significant episode in the history of photography in Iran. These images are more than mere illustrations of a historical event. Rather, they mark an important semantic shift both politically and photo-historically. These photographs thus allow us to interrogate how photographs visualized power relations in late Qajar Iran, and also how their deployment evolved in the rapidly changing social and political field. The photographs of Mirza Riza Kirmani should also be understood in the context of legal and penal reforms of the period, as they make visible the changing perceptions of the criminal as a particular historical subject.
Conversion of blackbody radiation into laser energy

By employing detailed kinetic models, three concepts which utilize a blackbody cavity for the conversion of solar energy into laser energy using a CO2 lasant are analyzed and compared. In the first, the blackbody radiation is used to excite flowing CO2 directly. The second and third employ a mixing laser concept with CO and N2 being the donor gases. The CO is optically pumped while thermal heating excites the N2. Blackbody temperatures ranging from 1500 deg K - 2500 deg K are considered. Based on calculated laser power output per unit flow rate of CO2, it appears that the N2-CO2 mixing laser is the most attractive system.
Clinical Assessment of Airway Function in Health and Disease

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe which pulmonary function tests can be used to measure tidal lung mechanics and forces of expiratory flow. 2. Describe the airway conditions that can be assessed radiographically. 3. Delineate clinical methods of diagnosing central airway collapse and quantifying airway wall stiffness. Clinical assessment of pulmonary function is a valuable tool in the identification and treatment of neonatal disease. As shown in the Table⇓, a multitude of tests is available to identify and measure airway function clinically in pediatric populations. These tests often identify functional abnormalities in the airways of preterm infants exposed to mechanical ventilation, including elevated resistance, decreased forced expiratory flow, airway hyperreactivity, and excessive central airway collapsibility. In addition to aiding in diagnosis, these procedures help predict the effects of early injury on future airway growth and function and can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of newer therapies. Serial evaluation of airway function is especially useful for infants who fail to improve as expected; who have frequent severe exacerbations of pulmonary dysfunction; or who demonstrate stridor, chronic wheezing, or focal areas of chronic atelectasis or hyperinflation. View this table: Table Clinical Evaluation of Airway Function With the simultaneous measurement of respiratory pressures, volumes, and air flow, pulmonary mechanics can be monitored relatively noninvasively. Pulmonary function profiles can be determined to assess initial disease etiology, the response to therapy, and disease sequelae during follow-up. For example, the pressure-volume relationship of a preterm infant can identify the degree of respiratory function and monitor the response following surfactant administration (Fig. 1). The evaluation of tidal breath pressure-volume relationships serves as a tool to optimize the parameters of mechanical ventilation (Fig. 2). Over time, sequential pulmonary mechanics can be used to monitor the progression and improvement in both lung and airway abnormalities (Fig. 3). Dynamic …
Identification of histidine as an axial ligand to P700

The primary electron donor in photosystem I (PSI), P700, is thought to be a dimeric Chl a species. Neither the electronic nor geometric structure of the cation radical is clearly understood. Magnetic resonance studies have indicated that the unpaired electron in P700+ is delocalized asymmetrically over the Chl dimer; however, the axial ligand to the central Mg2+ is not known. The recent development of a histidine tolerant mutant of Synechocystis PCC 6803 has allowed us to use a combination of isotopic labeling and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy to show the first definitive spectroscopic evidence of a histidine ligand to P700+. Peaks split symmetrically about the 15N Larmor frequency corresponding to an isotropic hyperfine coupling of 0.64 MHz were observed in the ENDOR spectra from P700+ globally labeled with 15N and specifically labeled with [15N]histidine. These peaks disappeared in "reverse" labeled samples in which all nitrogens are 15N except those of histidine, which contains natural abundance 14N. The dipolar contribution to the hyperfine coupling was determined by using electron spin echo envelope modulation spectroscopy (ESEEM). Numerical simulations of the ESEEM data suggest that the coupling is primarily isotropic and that the histidine is directly coordinated to the central Mg2+ of P700+. Taken together, these data are supportive of a model of P700+ in which the excited state molecular orbital makes a significant contribution to the electronic structure of the radical. Moreover, the methodology developed in this work can be extended to examine the magnetic properties of axial ligands in a variety of biologically relevant porphyrin/chlorin systems.
Effects of moisture limitation on tree growth in upland and floodplain forest ecosystems in interior Alaska

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of summer throughfall on the growth of trees, at upland and floodplain locations, in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska. Corrugated clear plastic covers were installed under the canopy of floodplain balsam poplar/white spruce stands and upland hardwood/white spruce stands to control soil moisture recharge as a result of summer precipitation. The covers were installed in 1989 and tree growth measurements were conducted through 2005. Soil moisture dynamics were measured using TDR techniques. Tree basal area growth at dbh in the control plots was approximately twice as high on the floodplain compared to the upland. Summer throughfall exclusion significantly decreased white spruce growth on the floodplain sites but not in the upland sites. In upland sites the melting snow pack is a major moisture resource for tree growth although it is not clear if moisture limitation occurs during the summer in the control plots. However in the floodplain stands white spruce growth was highly dependent on seasonal throughfall even though the ground water table was within the rooting zone and the soils were supplied with a spring recharge due to snowmelt. A number of factors were suggested as a foundation for this strong relationship. These include rooting distribution, soil texture, and the electrical conductivity of the ground water.
An Improved Reaction Coordinate for Nucleic Acid Base Flipping Studies.

Base flipping is a common strategy utilized by many enzymes to gain access to the functional groups of nucleic acid bases in duplex DNA which are otherwise protected by the DNA backbone and hydrogen bonding with their partner bases. Several X-ray crystallography studies have revealed flipped conformations of nucleotides bound to enzymes. However, little is known about the base-flipping process itself, even less about the role of the enzymes. Computational studies have used umbrella sampling to elicit the free energy profile of the base-flipping process using a pseudodihedral angle to represent the reaction coordinate. In this study, we have used an unrestrained trajectory in which a flipped base spontaneously reinserted into the helix in order to evaluate and improve the previously defined pseudodihedral angle. Our modified pseudodihedral angles use a new atom selection to improve the numerical stability of the restraints and also provide better correlation to the extent of flipping observed in simulation...
PM source identification at Sunland Park, New Mexico, using a simple heuristic meteorological and chemical analysis

The causes for evening low-wind PM10 and PM2.5 peaks at Sunland Park, NM, were investigated by using wind sector analysis and by assessing relationships between PM loadings and meteorological parameters through canonical ordination analysis. Both PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations during the evening hours accounted for approximately 50% of their respective 24-hr averages, and the PM10 was mainly composed of coarse material (PM10-2.5 amounted to 77% of PM10). A wind sector analysis based on data from three surface meteorological monitoring stations in the region narrowed the potential source region for PM10 and PM2.5 to an area within a few kilometers south of Sunland Park. Canonical ordination analysis confirmed that the peak frequently occurred under stable conditions with weak southerly winds. Chemical analyses of PM showed that elemental and organic carbon (EC and OC, respectively) dominate PM2.5 and inorganic elements dominate PM10-2.5. The combined data for EC/OC, geologic elements, and various trace elements indicate that under low wind and stable conditions, traffic-related PM emissions (motor vehicle exhausts and re-suspended road dust) from the south of the site are the most likely sources for the evening PM10 and PM2.5 peaks.
Thought and action? Perspectives on Mazzini and Garibaldi on the bicentenaries of their births

Abstract The introduction provides a context for the six papers that were presented at two different symposia marking the birth bicentenaries of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi. The papers, revised for publication, address specific contributions made by these two founding figures of the modern Italian nation to the history of the Risorgimento, the ideologies of republicanism, democracy and nationality. The papers also make room for a discussion of their contrasting political modes, and look at their politics before and after Italy's political unification in 1860–61. The comparative approach highlights differences and similarities between Mazzini's and Garibaldi's political strategies and illuminates the choices available to those who wanted to unify the peninsula. The broad themes around which these papers are organized restore to these two figures the broad cosmopolitan dimensions that made the Risorgimento a movement of global impact.
Understanding the Role of Gender and Ethnic Oppression when Treating Mexican American Women for Eating Disorders

Gender, ethnicity, and weight issues are often the basis for internalized oppression. Mexican American women with eating disorders are subject to such internalization, complicated by cultural and family factors. Mexican American women (n = 136) were assessed. The resulting culturally discrepant gender identity theory describes the complicated set of relationships between weight, cultural weightism, gender identity, assimilation to U.S. culture, family factors, and eating disorder symptoms. Therapists treating eating disorders should consider ethnic and gender identity in addressing the conflicts between family, culture, and gender expectations; and demonstrate sensitivity to the complex inter-generational relationships in Mexican American families.
Reaction Chemistry of the U3+ Metallocene Amidinate (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr]U Including the Isolation of a Uranium Complex of a Monodentate Acetate

The reductive chemistry of U3+ in the metallocene amidinate coordination environment of (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]U, 1, has been explored. Two equivalents of 1 react with PhSSPh and 2,2′-dithiopyridine (pySSpy) to produce (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]U(SPh), 2, and (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]U(Spy), 3, respectively. Complexes 2 and 3 can also be synthesized through insertion of iPrN═C═NiPr into the methyl group in (C5Me5)2UMe(SPh) and (C5Me5)2UMe(Spy), 4, respectively. Complex 1 readily reduces the Cu1+ reagents, CuBr, CuI, and CuO2CMe, to produce the corresponding (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]UX complexes (X = Br, 5; I, 6; O2CMe, 7). X-ray crystallography established complex 7 as the first f element complex containing a monodentate acetate anion. Complex 7 can also be obtained by reaction of (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]UMe with CO2 at 80 psi. In contrast to the reactions above, 1 reduces TlC5H5 with the unusual loss of (C5Me5)− to form (C5Me5)(C5H5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]U, 8.
Reproduction, symbiosis, and the eukaryotic cell

This paper develops a conceptual framework for addressing questions about reproduction, individuality, and the units of selection in symbiotic associations, with special attention to the origin of the eukaryotic cell. Three kinds of reproduction are distinguished, and a possible evolutionary sequence giving rise to a mitochondrion-containing eukaryotic cell from an endosymbiotic partnership is analyzed as a series of transitions between each of the three forms of reproduction. The sequence of changes seen in this “egalitarian” evolutionary transition is compared with those that apply in “fraternal” transitions, such as the evolution of multicellularity in animals.
On three-Engel groups

The following conditions for a group G are investigated:(i) maximal class n subgroups are normal,(ii) normal closures of elements have nilpotency class n at most,(iii) normal closures are n–Engel groups,(iv) G is an (n+1 )-Engel group.Each of these conditions is a consequence of the preceding one. The second author has shown previously that all conditions are equivalent for n = 1. Here the question is settled for n = 2 as follows: conditions (ii), (iii) and (iv) are equivalent. The class of groups defined by (i) is not closed under homomorphisms, and hence (i) does not follow from the other conditions.
6-Methyluracil excretion in 2-methylacetoacetyl-CoA thiolase deficiency and in two children with an unexplained recurrent ketoacidaemia

6-Methyluracil (6MU) has been identified in urine collected during acute illness in two children with β-ketothiolase deficiency (approximately 1 mmol/L) and in two children with recurrent infection-related ketoacidaemia of unknown aetiology (levels of 6.3 and 7.1 mmol/mmol creatinine). Significant amounts of 6MU were not detected in children with fasting ketosis in whom a metabolic disorder was excluded (normal levels less than 25 µmol/mmol creatinine). We propose that the production of 6MU may be related to the accumulation of acetoacetyl-CoA and thus be a marker for disorders where this occurs.
Hypointense thrombus on T2-weighted MR imaging: a potential pitfall in the diagnosis of dural sinus thrombosis

Abstract Purpose: To determine the frequency of hypointense appearance of dural sinus thrombosis on T2-weighted images, which may mimic a normal flow void, and when possible correlate with appearance on T1-weighted images. Methods and Materials: Retrospective review of radiology files showed 51 patients with a discharge diagnosis of dural sinus thrombosis who underwent MR imaging during the period 1986–1998. These images were reviewed by an experienced neuroradiologist for appearance on T2-weighted images. This process yielded five cases in which a hypointense appearance on this pulse sequence simulated a normal flow void. An additional two cases were added from the teaching files of two other institutions giving a total of seven cases (13% of studies). The resulting study population consisted of five women and two men (mean age 27.1 years). T1 weighted images were available in five patients. In two patients MR venography was available, but not T1-weighted images. The diagnosis of dural sinus thrombosis was based solely on absence of flow void on T1-weighted images in one case, solely on absence of flow void on MR venography in two cases and absence of flow void on T1-weighted images in conjunction with MR venography or gradient echo findings in 4 patients. All images were obtained on a 1.5 T magnet (GE Medical Systems; Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Results: In all patients hypointense signal of thrombus was isointense with normal flow voids in other dural sinuses on T2-weighted images. In all cases in which T1-weighted images were available, the signal intensity of thrombus was isointense to gray matter. Conclusion: Hypointense appearance of thrombus on T2-weighted images is a potential pitfall in the MR diagnosis of dural sinus thrombosis. Because thrombus in this stage of evolution appears isointense to gray matter on T1-weighted images, careful attention must be paid to other sequences to avoid this pitfall.
Dizocilpine maleate, MK-801, but not 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo(f)quinoxaline, NBQX, prevents transneuronal degeneration of nigral neurons after neurotoxic striatal-pallidal lesion.

Abstract Unilateral neurotoxin lesion of rat caudate–putamen and globus pallidus resulted in delayed, transneuronal degeneration of GABAergic substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons. To explore whether the disinhibition of endogenous glutamate excitatory input played a role in the degeneration of substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons, animals with unilateral striatal–pallidal lesions received three daily intraperitoneal injections of either dizocilpine maleate (MK-801, 1 or 10 mg/kg), an N-methyl- d -aspartate glutamate receptor blocker, or 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo(f)quinoxaline (NBQX, 30 mg/kg), an α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptor blocker, that began 24 h after the striatal–pallidal neurotoxin lesion. Drug treatment affected neither the volume of the initial lesion nor the volume of striatal–pallidal glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity. Neuron number in the substantia nigra pars reticulata ipsilateral to the lesioned striatopallidum was reduced on average by 37% in untreated control rats, in low dose MK-801, and NBQX-treated rats (P These data demonstrate that dose-related treatment with N-methyl- d -aspartate glutamate receptor blockers protects substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons, and suggests that glutamatergic mechanisms play a role in delayed transneuronal degeneration.
Multiple and Integrated Paradigms of Design: A Case Study

The purpose of this paper is to review theoretical orientations and to advance an understanding of systematic inquiry in the design field. Multiple paradigms are reviewed utilizing Ritzer's (1975) model of paradigms: social facts, social definition, and social behavior. Research questions are formulated that identify paradigms and theories utilized, orientations to problem solving within the larger academic design field, and connections for future program development. This descriptive, introspective case study builds upon the breadth of research and creative endeavor being conducted over a two-year period in one environmental design program. Benefits are seen in rigorous integration of multiple paradigms in research/creative endeavor, teaching, and practice.
A set of inequalities in factor analysis

Inequalities relating the communalities to the multiple-correlation coefficients are derived. They are stronger than the well-known inequalities which have played an important role in factor analysis for the past thirty years. Necessary and sufficient conditions for equality are obtained.
Potential Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Pathways in the Rat Brain as Determined by Bilateral Electrolytic Lesions of the Central Amygdaloid Nucleus and the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus

The projection fields of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-containing perikarya in the rat central nervous system were studied using a combination of electrolytic lesions, microdissection and radioimmunoassay. The effects of bilateral electrolytic lesions of the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) or the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus were measured by a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay. Following lesions of the Ce, CRF concentrations in the locus ceruleus (LC) were significantly decreased. Following lesions of the PVN, CRF concentrations in the median eminence were markedly decreased (> 85%), with smaller but consistent reductions of CRF in the hippocampus as well. In contrast to the Ce lesions, PVN lesions resulted in increases in CRF concentrations in the LC. These results further confirm the projection of CRF-containing cells from the PVN to the median eminence, provide evidence for a PVN-hippocampal CRF pathway, and suggest that the PVN modulates CRF neurons innervating the LC. Moreover, the existence of a CRF-containing pathway from the Ce to the LC appears likely, and such a circuit may play a role in the behavioral and physiological responses to stress.
EBP50 inhibits the anti-mitogenic action of the parathyroid hormone type 1 receptor in vascular smooth muscle cells

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and the parathyroid hormone type 1 receptor (PTH1R) are important regulators of vascular remodeling. PTHrP expression is associated to increased proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). In contrast, signaling via the PTH1R inhibits cell growth. The mechanisms regulating the dual effect of PTHrP and PTH1R on VSMC proliferation are only partially understood. In this study we examined the role of the adaptor protein ezrin-radixin-moesin-binding phosphoprotein (EBP50) on PTH1R expression, trafficking, signaling and control of A10 cell proliferation. In normal rat vascular tissues, EBP50 was restricted to the endothelium with little expression in VSMC. EBP50 expression significantly increased in VSMC following angioplasty in parallel with PTHrP. Interestingly, PTHrP was able to induce EBP50 expression. In the clonal rat aortic smooth muscle cell line A10, EBP50 increased the recruitment of PTH1R to the cell membrane and delayed its internalization in response to PTHrP(1-36). This effect required an intact C-terminal motif in the PTH1R. In naive A10 cells, PTHrP(1-36) stimulated cAMP production but not intracellular calcium release. In contrast, PTHrP(1-36) induced both cAMP and calcium signaling in A10 cells over-expressing EBP50. Finally, EBP50 attenuated the induction of p27(kip1) and the anti-proliferative effect of PTHrP(1-36). In summary, this study demonstrates the dynamic expression of EBP50 in vessels following injury and the effects of EBP50 on PTH1R function in VSMC. These findings highlight one of the mechanisms leading to increased VSMC proliferation and have important implication in the understanding of the molecular events leading to restenosis.
Urethral circular smooth muscle in young and old women

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether thickness, fiber count, and density of urethral circular smooth muscle (CSM) differ in young and old women. Study Design Mid urethral hemiaxial sections from female cadavers aged 20-39 years (n = 12) and 70-89 years (n = 16) were stained for smooth muscle alpha actin. The CSM was studied at 0 degrees (pubic bone side) and 180 degrees (vaginal side) and in between at 45, 90, and 135 degrees. CSM layer width was measured; fibers were counted; density was calculated (fiber count/layer width). Results Density of urethral CSM was 25%-50% higher in specimens aged 20-39 years, compared with those aged 70-89 years. Differences were observed at 0, 135, and 180 degrees. In the younger group, higher fiber counts were observed at 135 and 180 degrees, and the CSM layer was thinner but not significantly so. Conclusion The density of CSM was lower among older women, which may account for age-related decline in urethral closure pressure.
Optimal hedging of uncertain and long-term foreign exchange exposure☆

Abstract This paper employs stochastic dynamic programming to analyze two hedging problems which arise frequently, especially in international finance. One is the hedging of an uncertain exposure when the arrival of new information is anticipated. It is shown that a risk-averse agent will hedge a fraction of his maximum potential exposure to reduce risk. The second problem concerns hedging an exposure which extends beyond the delivery date of the available forward contract. The solution yields a rule by which successive contracts can be linked to form an optimal hedging strategy. A short empirical study illustrates this rule.
High-Resolution Climatic Analysis and Southwest Biogeography

Meteorologists and climatologists have produced significant new data on the fluid dynamics of the atmosphere, thus allowing biologists to examine more closely the cause-effect relation between the large-scale structure of the atmosphere and the dominant patterns of global biogeography. The inability to characterize the high-frequency variability of the weather has constrained such efforts. A method that allows year-to-year patterns of weather variability to be characterized in the contexts of global warming and cooling trends is applied in a combined analysis of long-term monthly weather records and data from an ecological monitoring project in southern New Mexico. The analysis suggests a cause-effect hypothesis of recent desertification in the North American Southwest. The links between the atmosphere and the biosphere are based on the fundamentally different responses to specific weather regimes of semidesert grasses with a C(4) photosynthetic pathway and desert shrubs with a C(3) photosynthetic pathway. The hypothesis appears to be of sufficient generality to explain the complex, but well-documented, floristic changes that have occurred in the same region since the last glacial maximum.
Emerging role of WNK1 in pathologic central nervous system signaling

WNK1 (with no lysine (K)) is a widely expressed serine/threonine protein kinase. The role of this kinase was first described in the kidney where it dynamically controls ion channels that regulate changes in cell volume. WNK1, through intermediates oxidative stress-responsive kinase-1 (OSR1) and STE20/SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase (SPAK), phosphorylates the inwardly directed Na+-K+-Cl---cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) and the outwardly directed K+-Cl--cotransporter 2 (KCC2), activating and deactivating these channels, respectively. WNK1, NKCC1 and KCC2 are also expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). Growing evidence implicates WNK1 playing a critical role in pathologic nervous system signaling where changes in intracellular ion concentration in response to γ-aminobutyric-acid (GABA) can activate otherwise silent pathways. This review will focus on current research about WNK1, its downstream effectors and role in GABA signaling. Future perspectives include investigating WNK1 expression in the CNS after spinal cord injury (SCI), where altered neuronal signaling could underlie pathological states such as neuropathic pain (NP).
Transcriptional regulation of podocyte disease

The podocyte is a highly specialized visceral epithelial cell that forms the outermost layer of the glomerular capillary loop and plays a critical role in the maintenance of the glomerular filtration barrier. Several transcriptional factors regulate the podocyte function under normal and disease conditions. In this review, the role of Wilms tumor 1 (WT1), LIM homeobox transcription factor 1, beta (Lmx1b), pod1, pax-2, kreisler, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), smad7, and zinc fingers and homeoboxes (ZHX) proteins in the development of podocyte disease is outlined. The regulation of several important podocyte genes, including transcriptional factors, by ZHX proteins, their predominant non-nuclear localization in the normal in vivo podocyte, and changes in ZHX expression related to the development of minimal change disease and focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis are discussed. Finally, some future therapeutic strategies for glomerular disease are proposed.
Intellectual Ability as a Predictor of Performance on the Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between intelligence and executive functioning in youth. More specifically, the authors hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition General Ability Index (GAI) and understanding of sorting principles as measured by percent conceptual-level responses on the Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST). One hundred eighty-five children and adolescents completed neuropsychological evaluations. Results revealed a curvilinear regression with bright youth (GAI = 115-129) and gifted youth (GAI ≥130) performing better than average youth (GAI = 90-114) and no difference in performance between bright and gifted youth. Additionally, post-hoc analyses revealed intelligence in children 5 to 8 years of age and 12 to 16 years of age did not significantly predict percent conceptual-level responses, while intelligence predicted more than 19% of the variance in percent conceptual-level responses for children ages 9 to 11 years old. Findings revealed new evidence about the role of intellectual ability in executive functioning among different age ranges and have important implications for psychologists, caregivers, educators, and other professionals working with this population.
A 220-to-275GHz traveling-wave frequency doubler with −6.6dBm Power at 244GHz in 65nm CMOS

There is a growing interest in using CMOS technology in the mm-Wave and terahertz frequency ranges for applications such as spectroscopy, imaging, compact range radars, and remote sensing [1]. Tunable signal sources are one of the main blocks in any such systems. Fundamental frequency voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) are widely employed for signal generation. However, CMOS VCOs suffer from low tuning range and low output power due to poor quality factor of varactors at high mm-Wave frequencies [2]. To alleviate these drawbacks CMOS frequency multipliers have been proposed for frequencies below 150GHz [2,3]. At higher frequencies, multipliers are implemented using compound semiconductors [4,5]. In this paper we propose a traveling-wave frequency doubler that operates from 220 to 275GHz in a 65nm CMOS process. Output power of −6.6dBm and conversion loss of 11.4dB are achieved at 244GHz.
Multiple integrals and expansion of solutions of differential equations driven by rough paths and by fractional Brownian motions

Multiple integrals with respect to several Holder continuous functions of exponent are studied by using fractional calculus. They are applied to obtain the Volterra expansion (with remainder) for the solution of a differential system driven by rough paths. The results are applied to stochastic differential equations driven by fractional Brownian motions of Hurst parameter . For the solution of a stochastic differential equation driven by fractional Brownian motion, we obtain its chaos expansion, as well as the finite chaos expansion with remainder. To this end, we study the multiple Ito integral with random kernels. The Hu–Meyer formulas between multiple Ito and multiple pathwise integrals with random kernels are also obtained.
A regional mixed refinement procedure for finite element mesh design

Abstract A practical algorithm is developed for automated mesh design in finite element stress analysis. A regional mixed mesh improvement procedure is introduced. The error control, algorithm implementation, code development, and the solution accuracy are discussed. Numerical examples include automated mesh designs for plane elastic media with singularities. The efficiency of the procedure is demonstrated.
Degradation of histones during the manipulation of isolated nuclei and deoxyribonucleoprotein

Abstract 1. 1. Incubation of isolated nuclei or deoxyribonucleoprotein for an hour at 37° in a neutral medium generated new components at the expense of the authentic histones. The amino acid composition of these artifacts indicated that they were derived from authentic histone, and their relative electrophoretic mobilities in polyacrylamide gels showed that they were somewhat smaller than the authentic histone. N-Terminal analysis confirmed that proteolysis occurred during the incubation which produced the artifacts. 2. 2. Many degradation products could be resolved from authentic histones electrophoretically or chromatographically, but all the resolving systems tried (perhaps except one) failed in one case or another to resolve some artifacts. The chromatographic behavior of the degradation products which were resolved resembled components normally found in histone preparations derived from rapid, strong-acid extraction. 3. 3. It was concluded that many degradation products could easily escape detection, and that those which were resolved could easily be mistaken for endogenous histones since they fit the general definition of histone very well.
Abortion trends in European socialist countries and in the United States.

Book reviewed in this article: Available abortion statistics from Czechoslovakia and Hungary are compared with findings from the United States. Cultural and psychosocial factors are believed to account for some of the observed differences in abortion-seeking behavior. It is likely that in the foreseeable future such differences will diminish rather than widen.
Determination of extraterrestrial solar spectral irradiance from a research aircraft.

Extraterrestrial solar spectral irradiance at earth mean solar distance within 300 to 2500 nm wavelength region, from NASA CV-990 aircraft research flights
Depressurization Experiment in a Sodium-Heated Steam Generator Tube

Large-capacity steam generators for electric power plants are designed to operate over a wide range of condition, including normal and off-normal steady-state loads and plant transient. One of the more severe transients for the steam genertors is the waterside isolation and dump transient, which is a planned transient designed into the plant control system. The purpose of the transient is to minimize the water inventory in the steam generator suring a sodium-water reaction resulting from a tube or weld leak. The transient is initiated by closing water valves at the steam generator inlet and outlet thus isolating it from the remainder of the water in the steam generator to flow into auxiliary vessels at atmospheric pressure. This sequence of events results in relatively fast depressurization and removal of the water in the steam generator and is often termed the blowdown transient. A blowdown experiment was performed in this study using a sodium-heated test section with geometry and parameters typical of LMFBR steam generators. Water boiling inside a tube at 16 MPa was depressurized to atmospheric pressure in 30 s with the objective of determining the severity of the transient in terms of flow, temperature, and pressure gradients. The experiment wasmore » unique in terms of the full-scale test section size, the high pressures and temperatures, and the speed of the depressurization. Quantitative results presented show that the very large pressure and flow gradients that occur are confined to the initiation stage of the transient where system control could be used to mitigate the severity.« less
Aflatoxin accumulation in maize hybrids of different maturities

The incidence and severity of preharvest aflatoxin is greater under drought conditions, which commonly occur late in the growing season of south and central Texas. To determine if early maturation could be used as a means of disease escape, aflatoxin contamination was measured in early-, intermediate-, and full-season commercial hybrids at two Texas locations, Weslaco and College Station. The early and intermediate hybrids chosen are primarily marketed in midwestern USA while the full-season hybrids are primarily marketed in southeastern USA. Hybrids were evaluated by inoculating ears 6 to 10 d after midsilk with Aspelgillus flavus NRRL 3357 using the silk channel technique and measuring aflatoxin in harvested grain using the VICAM Aflatest procedure. Across locations, full-season hybrids had lower aflatoxin (mean = 777 ng g -1 ) levels than intermediate (mean = 1668 ng g -1 ) and early (mean = 1899 ng g -1 ) hybrids. There was an inverse correlation between silking date and aflatoxin levels at both locations (r = -0.59, P = 0.01 at College Station and r = -0.58, P = 0.01 at Weslaco). Early and intermediate hybrids had looser husk coverage than full-season hybrids, a characteristic that was positively correlated with aflatoxin levels at both locations, At both locations, grain yield was lower with early and intermediate hybrids than with full-season hybrids. Early maturation in hybrids was insufficient by itself to reduce aflatoxin contamination, but it should be re-evaluated using early maturing hybrids that have good agronomic adaptation to these two Texas growing conditions.
Objective Self Awareness and the Perception of Others

The effect of objective self awareness on interpersonal discrimination was examined. Subjects viewed several videotapes, each presenting a different female being interviewed for a job. Objective self awareness was induced in half the subjects by training cameras on them as they viewed the tapes. Because of a divided focus of attention associated with objective self awareness, self aware subjects were expected to demonstrate less discrimination among stimulus persons than were non self aware subjects. This hypothesis was supported.
Percentage-Avoiding, Northwest Shapes and Peelable Tableaux

We prove three results for Specht and Schur modules associated tonorthwest shapesand the more general class of%-avoiding shapes. The first result (conjectured for northwest shapes in by the authors) is a generalization the Littlewood?Richardson rule, giving an explicit combinatorial description for the multiplicities of irreducibles in the Specht and Schur modules of a %-avoiding shapeD, in terms ofD-peelable tableaux. The second result gives three involutions on the set of peelable tableaux which exhibit the symmetries of these multiplicities corresponding to three natural involutive operations on the set of %-avoiding shapes. The third result gives branching rules for the Specht and Schur modules of northwest shapes. The proofs are all combinatorial, with the exception of a key step in the first result, which requires results of Magyar on configuration varieties and characters of flagged Schur modules.
A longitudinal investigation of gestural communication in young chimpanzees

A longitudinal study of chimpanzee gestural communication is reported. Subjects were seven 5- to 8-year-old members of a semi-natural group at the Yerkes Field Station. These were the same individuals observed byTomasello et al. (1985) four years previously. Nearly identical operational definitions and observational procedures were used in the two studies. Longitudinal comparisons between the two observation periods revealed that the development of chimpanzee gestural communication is best characterized as a series of ontogenetic adaptations: as particular social functions (e.g., nursing, playing, grooming, etc.) arise, decline, or change, gestural communication follows suit. Most gestures seem to be conventionalized by individuals in direct social interaction with conspecifics. Some gestures may be learned by “second-person imitation”—an individual copying a behavior directed to it by another individual. No evidence was found for “third-person imitation”—an individual copying a gesture used between two other individuals. Implications for the concept of chimpanzee “culture” are discussed.
Vanishing susceptibilities, fluctuations and generalized Nernst theorem

Abstract We prove a generalization of Nernst's theorem: The extensive parameter X takes its extreme value X 0 , which is a constant, in the region of vanishing susceptibility ( ∂X ∂Y ) R , provided all other susceptibilities are finite. We also consider the effect of fluctuations and show that X ) 2 >→0 and Y ) 2 >→∞ in this region. The results are no longer restricted to T =0 only.
Reliability of sputter deposited aluminum-doped zinc oxide under harsh environmental conditions

Abstract We report the reliability of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films exposed to harsh environmental conditions of damp heat. Identical sets of the AZO films grown on float glass substrates were subjected to four different controlled environments of temperature and relative humidity. The selected high and low levels of the temperature were 100 °C and 20 °C respectively and the selected high and low relative humidity levels were 100% and 20% respectively. The total exposure time for this controlled environment was 120 h. Electrical resistance was measured every 24 h for each sample. Material composition, crystallinity, optical transmittance and surface morphology of the films were investigated after 120 h exposure time. A mixed, full-factorial design of experiment was used in this study, with the response being the electrical resistance. The factors were exposure time, temperature and humidity. The ANOVA results showed that all the considered factors were significant. Although the electrical resistance of the film exposed to high temperature and high relative humidity increased by 20%, the microstructure in the bulk of the film, crystallinity and optical properties of the films exposed to all combinations of temperature and humidity were unchanged.
Metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene by lung microsomes from rabbits pretreated with polychlorinated biphenyls and 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran.

Abstract The polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) mixture, Aroclor 1254, is a weak inducer of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity in rabbit lung. In contrast, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8-pentachlorodibenzofuran (PCDF), like 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC), caused a 3-fold increase in pulmonary AHH activity. An important finding of the present studies was that AHH activity, whether assated by the flourometric or HPLC methods, was dependent on the buffer used in the incubation mixture. The metabolism of benzo (a) pyrene (BP) to its oxidative metabolites, as assayed by HPLC, revealed that PCBs, PCDF and 3-MC pretreatments caused greater than 15-fold and about 3- to 4-fold increase in the formation of the tumorigenic metabolites 9, 10- and 7, 8-dihydrodiols, respectively. In contrast to 3-MC and PCDF, PCBs caused a 75% decrease in the formation of the K-region metabolite, BP-4, 5-dihydrodiol. These studies strongly suggest that the catalysis of BP metabolism is mediated by more than one isoform of cytochrome P450 (P450).