cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in muscle fibers of the platyhelminth Dugesia tigrina.

Abstract The presence and function of voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels were examined in individual muscle fibers freshly dispersed from the triclad turbellarian Dugesia tigrina . Individual muscle fibers contracted in response to elevated extracellular K + in a concentration-dependent fashion. These depolarization-induced contractions were blocked by extracellular Co 2+ (2.5 mM), suggesting that they were dependent on depolarization-induced Ca 2+ influx across the sarcolemma. A voltage-gated inward current was apparent in whole cell recordings when the outward K + current was abolished by replacement of intracellular K + by Cs + . This inward current was amplified with increasing concentration (⩽10 mM) of extracellular Ba 2+ and was independent of extracellular Na + concentration suggesting the current was mediated by voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels. Further, and supporting the hypothesis that the inward current was mediated by these Ca 2+ channels, the Ba 2+ current was blocked by extracellular Co 2+ (2.5 mM) but not by tetrodotoxin (5 μM). Action potentials were generated by the muscle fibers in the presence of, but not in the absence of, extracellular Ba 2+ (5 mM). These data are the first clear demonstration of a voltage-gated Ca 2+ channel current in platyhelminth muscle, and they demonstrate a role for Ca 2+ influx in depolarization-induced contractions of muscle in these organisms.
Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 mutations induce BCL-2 dependence in acute myeloid leukemia

Mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 and 2 proteins alter the epigenetic landscape in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells through production of the oncometabolite (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG). Here we performed a large-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screen to identify genes that are synthetic lethal to the IDH1(R132H) mutation in AML and identified the anti-apoptotic gene BCL-2. IDH1- and IDH2-mutant primary human AML cells were more sensitive than IDH1/2 wild-type cells to ABT-199, a highly specific BCL-2 inhibitor that is currently in clinical trials for hematologic malignancies, both ex vivo and in xenotransplant models. This sensitization effect was induced by (R)-2-HG-mediated inhibition of the activity of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC); suppression of COX activity lowered the mitochondrial threshold to trigger apoptosis upon BCL-2 inhibition. Our findings indicate that IDH1/2 mutation status may identify patients that are likely to respond to pharmacologic BCL-2 inhibition and form the rational basis for combining agents that disrupt ETC activity with ABT-199 in future clinical studies.
Quality and efficiency for kernel density estimates in large data

Kernel density estimates are important for a broad variety of applications. Their construction has been well-studied, but existing techniques are expensive on massive datasets and/or only provide heuristic approximations without theoretical guarantees. We propose randomized and deterministic algorithms with quality guarantees which are orders of magnitude more efficient than previous algorithms. Our algorithms do not require knowledge of the kernel or its bandwidth parameter and are easily parallelizable. We demonstrate how to implement our ideas in a centralized setting and in MapReduce, although our algorithms are applicable to any large-scale data processing framework. Extensive experiments on large real datasets demonstrate the quality, efficiency, and scalability of our techniques.
Observations on the Voluntary Intake of Calcium Supplements by the Laying Hen

Abstract THE calcium needs of the laying hen can be met by furnishing the required calcium in the feed, by free-choice offering of a calcium supplement, or by a combination of both. The calcium requirement of a laying hen is largely determined by the fraction of dietary calcium retained and by the amount of egg shell secreted (Hurwitz and Griminger, 1962). Since the latter depends upon rate of egg production, size of eggs, and thickness of shell, considerable variability is to be expected among hens. When the calcium requirement is expressed as a percent of the ration, feed intake, and therefore caloric density of the ration, will constitute an additional factor (Griminger, 1961). In view of these variables adjustment of the calcium intake by a free-choice offering of calcium supplements appears to offer a logical solution to the problem of supplying the right amount of calcium for each hen, provided, of…
Adaptive multispectral CFAR detection of land mines

An automatic target detection algorithm which exploits spectral and spatial signatures of mines is described. Key features of this approach include the ability to adapt to unknown or changing background statistics and the capability to operate with unknown spectral signatures. Preliminary results of applying this algorithm for surface mine detection in video-based multispectral imagery covering the 400-900 nm region are presented. Tests on actual airborne data collected during 1992, 1993, and 1994 show that at 8-inch ground resolution (with 4x over-sampling), 12-inch diameter circular mines can be discriminated from natural backgrounds with a probability of detection around 85% with 3-4 false alarms per image in a relatively harsh clutter environment. This capability has been shown to be sufficient to meet COBRA minefield requirements during preliminary system testing.
The cyanogen bromide peptides of bovine soluble and insoluble collagens. II. Tissue specific cross-linked peptides of insoluble skin and dentin collagen.

Cyanogen bromide peptides were prepared from insoluble bovine skin and dentin collagens and compared by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecylsulphate, with those of the α1 and α2 chains of soluble type I and type III collagen. Both insoluble collagens yielded predominantly the peptides of type I collagen. Insoluble skin collagen was approximately 13% type III. Type III collagen, if present in dentin, is present in smaller quantity not detected by the technique used here. Several new fragments, different in each tissue, were obtained which could not be accounted for as uncleaved peptides. Three of those from dentin were isolated by gel chromatography and characterized by amino acid analysis. Two were found to contain 3-hydroxyproline, suggesting the presence of α1CB6. The recovery of only 25–30% of α1CB6 in the expected position on SDS gel electrophoresis indicated that it was involved in interactions with other peptides in these two tissues to the extent of one and a half cross-...
Dynamic fluctuations in optical bistability

We present results on the time correlation function of a system undergoing absorptive optical bistability. We first use the Zwanzig-Mori formalism to calculate time correlation functions both near marginal stability points and in the coexistence region. Near marginal stability the theory predicts large deviations from a single exponential form of the correlation function. The truncated continued fraction expansion is shown to become inapplicable close to the coexistence point. The difficulties are due to the presence of long time scales, viz. the very large mean first passage times between the two metastable steady states. When these scales are important we show that the memory kernel relaxation is no longer faster than that of a field fluctuation. An increase in the size of the system increases the disparity of the time scales and thus exacerbates the problems of the projection operator formalism as used here following reference [14]. We next present an ansatz for the correlation function incorporating the four major time scales important near coexistence, the two single branch relaxation times and the two mean first passage times for transitions between the stable states. This form of the correlation function avoids the difficulties cited in connection with the use of the projection operator method.
Summer Birth Date Children: Kindergarten Entrance Age and Academic Achievement.

AbstractAcademic achievement indices taken at fifth or sixth grade for summer birth date children who entered kindergarten at age 5 were compared with the academic achievement indices of summer birth date children who entered kindergarten at age 6. Scores on standardized achievement tests were analyzed for 45 pairs of subjects who were matched for ability and gender. All statistically significant differences favored those summer birth date children who entered kindergarten at age 6. Dependent t tests indicated a statistically significant difference (p < .05) in composite test battery scores favoring both older males and older females. Older males scored significantly higher than younger males did in total reading subscores (p < .01). Results of the study indicated a general academic advantage at fifth or sixth grade for summer birth date children who postponed kindergarten entrance 1 year. A particular advantage in reading at fifth or sixth grade was indicated for summer birth date males who postponed kin...
Jehovah's Witnesses, endangered languages, and the globalized textual community

Abstract This article explores Jehovah's Witnesses' use of Oaxaca Chontal, an endangered language spoken in Mexico. The Witness religion is highly centralized and standardized: Witnesses obeyed instructions to use Chontal because these instructions bore the authority of the Watch Tower Society institution. This article proposes the concept of the globalizing textual community, which synthesizes understandings of community from throughout social science literature, in order to explain how religious identity can supersede national, ethnic, and linguistic identities. A central mechanism of this community is the discourse of the “pure language,” which renders language choice irrelevant even as it provides a warrant for extensive translation.
Redistribution in a Bifurcated Welfare State: Quintile Shares and the U.S. Case

The present analysis is part of an ongoing study of the determinants, structure, and consequences of the U.S. welfare state. In this paper, we explore the bifurcated structure of U.S. social welfare spending, the differential growth of “social consumption” and “social expense” outlays, and the redistributional impact of these expenditures on quintile shares of personal income. Results of a time-series regression analysis (1949–1977) indicate that, in relative terms, social welfare expenditures have not been progressively redistributive.
Simultaneous quantification of dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptaine and four metabolically related compounds by means of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A method for simultaneously quantifying dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and four metabolically related compounds has been developed, permitting more efficient neurochemical examination of these often interrelated biogenic amine systems. The method uses high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of these compounds on a C18 reversed-phase column with a buffered mobile phase containing methanol as an organic modifier and heptanesulfonate as an ion-pair reagent. Using 5-hydroxy-N-methyltryptamine as an internal standard and electrochemical detection, chromatography time is less than 12 min. Sample preparation simply involves the addition of internal standard, homogenization in the mobile phase, centrifugation and injection of the supernatant into the chromatograph. The method is sensitive to a tissue content of these compounds of less than 1 ng. The utility of this method for neuropharmacological—neurochemical studies is illustrated with studies using inhibitors of monoamine oxidase (pargyline) and aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (RO 4-4602).
Structural, optical, and surface properties of WO3 thin films for solar cells

Abstract Transparent back contacts can be used in thin film solar cells facilitating their potential application in tandem cells, bifacial devices and solar windows. In this study, tungsten oxide (WO3) thin films were deposited by Radio Frequency (RF) reactive sputtering in Ar + O2 ambient. The effects of post deposition anneals in air on the structural, optical, and surface properties of the deposited films were investigated using X-ray diffraction, UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. As-deposited films exhibited amorphous structures with no change after annealing at 300 °C. Samples annealed at 400 and 500 °C were crystallized and identified as pure monoclinic WO3 phase with (2 0 0) and (0 0 2) preferred orientation, respectively, determined by XRD fiber texture analysis. Scherrer analysis of excess broadening indicated a coherency length of 50 and 65 nm for the 400 and 500 °C annealed films, respectively. High resolution XPS studies showed the presence of W6+ (WO3) oxidation states at the surface of the as-deposited and the 300 °C annealed films. Annealing at 400–500 °C led to an oxygen deficient surface with a sub-stoichiometric WO3−x phase. UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometry revealed that post processing decreased the optical bandgap from 3.30 eV for the as-deposited films to 3.17 eV for the 500 °C annealed films. Results are compared with MoO3 films deposited by a similar technique.
Scaffolded Instruction Improves Student Understanding of the Scientific Method & Experimental Design

Implementation of a guided-inquiry lab in introductory biology classes, along with scaffolded instruction, improved students’ understanding of the scientific method, their ability to design an experiment, and their identification of experimental variables. Pre- and postassessments from experimental versus control sections over three semesters showed that most students improved in their understanding of the scientific method and experimental design skills. Students exhibited improvement in their ability to create hypotheses and correctly identify controls and dependent variables. However, students in both groups struggled with the identification of independent variable and controlled variables.
Bank Attitude Toward Risk, Implicit Rates of Interest, and the Behavior of an Index of Risk Aversion for Commercial Banks

This paper presents an analysis of a quasi-risk-averse bank facing uncertainty with respect to demand deposit flows and default risk on loans. On the basis of a formal model, testable hypotheses of bank attitude toward risk and the qualitative behavior of the index of relative risk aversion for commercial banks are developed. Through the use of data on the member banks of the Tenth Federal Reserve District, the empirical tests that were conducted indicated that banks are strongly risk-averse and that their index of relative risk aversion is increasing in profits. These results suggest that favorable (unfavorable) environmental changes will generate income effects that will result in proportionately less (more) risk taking by banks.
6,12-Diarylindeno[1,2-b]fluorenes: Syntheses, Photophysics, and Ambipolar OFETs

Herein we report the synthesis and characterization of a series of 6,12-diarylindeno[1,2-b]fluorenes (IFs). Functionalization with electron donor and acceptor groups influences the ability of the IF scaffold to undergo two-electron oxidation and reduction to yield the corresponding 18- and 22-π-electron species, respectively. A single crystal of the pentafluorophenyl-substituted IF can serve as an active layer in an organic field-effect transistor (OFET). The important finding is that the single-crystal OFET yields an ambipolar device that is able to transport holes and electrons.
Broadening the Scope of Cultural Neuroscience

Chiao, Cheon, Pornpattananangkul, Mrazek, and Blizinsky offer a comprehensive review of cultural neuroscience research. For such a young field, cultural neuroscience has made great strides in the e...
Sunspot numbers forecasting using neural networks

A recurrent connectionist network has been designed to model sunspot data. The network architecture, sunspot data, and statistical models are described, and experimental results are provided. This preliminary experimental work shows that the network can produce competitive prediction results that compare with those of traditional autoregressive models. The method is not problem specific and could be applied to other problems in dynamical system modeling, recognition, prediction, and control fields. >
Multi‐scale effects of resource patchiness on foraging behaviour and habitat use by longnose dace, Rhinichthys cataractae

SUMMARY 1. We examined the response of a predatory benthic fish, the longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae), to patchiness in the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates on cobbles at three hierarchical spatial scales during summer and autumn 1996, and spring 1997 in a southern Appalachian stream. 2. At the primary scale (four to five individual cobbles separated by < 1 m), the intensity of foraging was not correlated with the biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates/cobble, regardless of season. 3. At the secondary scale (i.e. foraging patches < 5 m in diameter) we found that benthic macroinvertebrates were patchily distributed in summer, but not in autumn or spring. Concomitantly, in summer, longnose dace foraged on cobbles with a significantly higher biomass of benthic macronvertebrates than nearby, randomly selected cobbles with similar physical conditions (i.e. longnose dace tended to avoid low-prey foraging patches). In contrast, when benthic macroinvertebrates were distributed homogeneously (spring and autumn), dace did not select patches with a significantly higher biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates than that available on randomly selected cobbles. 4. At the tertiary scale (i.e. stream reaches 11-19 m long), the biomass of" benthic macroinvertebrates (per cobble per reach) was patchily distributed (i.e. differed significantly among reaches) in all seasons. Among reaches with physical characteristics preferred by longnose dace, (i.e. erosional reaches dominated by cobble '"boulder substratum and high current velocity), we detected a significant, positive correlation between the biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates/cobble and longnose dace density in all seasons. 5. Our results demonstrated that both spatial and temporal patchiness in resource availability influenced significantly the use of both foraging patches and stream reaches by longnose dace.
IN VITRO REPLICATION OF EPIZOOTIC HEMORRHAGIC DISEASE AND BLUETONGUE VIRUSES IN WHITE-TAILED DEER PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS AND VIRUS-CELL ASSOCIATION DURING IN VIVO INFECTIONS

In vitro and in vivo infections were conducted to determine if the epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and bluetongue (BT) viruses would replicate in peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). All of the North American EHD and BT viruses (EHD virus serotypes 1 and 2, and BT virus serotypes 2, 10, 11, 13, and 17) replicated in vitro in cultures of white-tailed deer PBM cells. However, this replication appeared to be monocyte-dependent and was not enhanced by lymphocyte blastogenesis induced by the addition of concanavalin A. In white-tailed deer infected with either EHD virus serotype 2 or BT virus serotype 10, virus could be isolated consistendy from PBM cells only from postinfection day 4 through 8, although they remained viremic through post-infection day 21. In deer, highest viral titers were associated with the erythrocyte fraction, and in no cases did viral titers detected in the platelet, PBM cell or polymorphonuclear cell fractions approach titers observ...
Novel Bacteriophage Lysin with Broad Lytic Activity Protects against Mixed Infection by Streptococcus pyogenes and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus [GrAS]) cause serious and sometimes fatal human diseases. They are among the many Gram-positive pathogens for which resistance to leading antibiotics has emerged. As a result, alternative therapies need to be developed to combat these pathogens. We have identified a novel bacteriophage lysin (PlySs2), derived from a Streptococcus suis phage, with broad lytic activity against MRSA, vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA), Streptococcus suis, Listeria, Staphylococcus simulans, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus equi, Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus [GBS]), S. pyogenes, Streptococcus sanguinis, group G streptococci (GGS), group E streptococci (GES), and Streptococcus pneumoniae. PlySs2 has an N-terminal cysteine-histidine aminopeptidase (CHAP) catalytic domain and a C-terminal SH3b binding domain. It is stable at 50°C for 30 min, 37°C for >24 h, 4°C for 15 days, and −80°C for >7 months; it maintained full activity after 10 freeze-thaw cycles. PlySs2 at 128 μg/ml in vitro reduced MRSA and S. pyogenes growth by 5 logs and 3 logs within 1 h, respectively, and exhibited a MIC of 16 μg/ml for MRSA. A single, 2-mg dose of PlySs2 protected 92% (22/24) of the mice in a bacteremia model of mixed MRSA and S. pyogenes infection. Serially increasing exposure of MRSA and S. pyogenes to PlySs2 or mupirocin resulted in no observed resistance to PlySs2 and resistance to mupirocin. To date, no other lysin has shown such notable broad lytic activity, stability, and efficacy against multiple, leading, human bacterial pathogens; as such, PlySs2 has all the characteristics to be an effective therapeutic.
Illnesses, Accidents, and Alcohol Use as Functions of the Arousing Quality and Pleasantness of Life Changes:

Life changes were rated for their arousing quality and pleasantness-unpleasantness. Number of life changes and arousing quality of life changes correlated .92 and both were positively related to a ...
Effect of low-dose estrogen on hemodynamic response to stress☆

Abstract Objective: To determine the effect of low-dose esterified estrogen on hemodynamic responses at rest and during stress in postmenopausal women, and to compare the changes with those seen with conjugated equine estrogen. Design: Open-label study of esterified estrogen compared with a double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of conjugated equine estrogen. Setting: Healthy volunteers in an academic research environment. Patient(s): Postmenopausal women with normal endometrium, not currently using hormones. Intervention(s): Cardiovascular parameters at rest and in response to stressors were assessed in 11 postmenopausal women before and 6 months after receiving 0.3 mg esterified estrogen. Responses were compared with 42 postmenopausal women randomized to 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen or placebo. Main Outcome Measure(s): Changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and vascular resistance index from before to after treatment. Result(s): At rest, MAP increased 3.3 ± 1.5 mm Hg (±SD) in the placebo group, while declining 2.3 ± 1.5 mm Hg and 4.8 ± 1.4 mm Hg, respectively, in the esterified estrogen and conjugated equine estrogen groups after treatment. During mental stressors, MAP dropped significantly in both treatment groups. At rest and during mental stressors, vascular resistance index decreased with estrogen treatment. Conclusion(s): Low-dose esterified estrogen improved hemodynamic patterns similar to standard doses of conjugated equine estrogen in postmenopausal women.
Plasticizer-induced changes in the mechanical rate of response of film coatings: an approach to quantitating plasticizer effectiveness

Summary The plasticization of Eudragit SlOO, a polymeric-based emetic coating, with polyethylene glycol 200 and dibutyl phthalate was investigated by analyzing changes in the time scale of mechanical response. Since all polymeric film coating solutions pass through the rubber-to-glass transition as solvent evaporates, this study focuses on the plasticization-induced changes in the rate of mechanical response in this region. Solvent cast films were mechanically analyzed using a low strain elongational creep compliance procedure and intrinsic mechanical response was analyzed via the application of a phenomenological approach of retardation spectrum analysis. Results indicate that at constant temperature, the addition of plasticizer changes the time scale of response by shifting the spectra negatively within the experimental time window. Using a free volume analysis, a plasticizing effectiveness term, B, was calculated for the plasticizers in this study with fiDap = 0.144 and PpEG = 0.108. The higher value of p indicates a greater propensity to relax stress in the rubber-to-glass transition. The application of this technique may yield more relevant mechanical information for film coating systems without relying solely on glass transition temperature changes.
Flammability limits of some polymer pyrolysate–air mixtures

Several textile fabrics have been heated in a closed cell and the flammability limits of the gaseous products produced determined. In addition the energy released on combustion of these gaseous products has been measured in order to obtain an indication of the heat feedback capabilites of the fabric. Comparison of the data obtained was made in order to provide an indication of the flash fire potential of the materials and their contribution to a potential fire hazard situation.
Entangled ethnography: imagining a future for young adults with learning disabilities.

Our article draws on one aspect of our multi-sited long-term ethnographic research in New York City on cultural innovation and Learning Disabilities (LD). We focus on our efforts to help create two innovative transition programs that also became sites for our study when we discovered that young adults with disabilities were too often “transitioning to nowhere” as they left high school. Because of our stakes in this process as parents of children with learning disabilities as well as anthropologists, we have come to think of our method as entangled ethnography, bringing the insights of both insider and outsider perspectives into productive dialog, tailoring a longstanding approach in critical anthropology to research demedicalizing the experience of disability.
Off-Label Use of Antiepileptic Drugs for the Treatment of Neonatal Seizures

Medically refractory neonatal seizures represent a major therapeutic challenge in neonatal intensive care units. Conventional antiepileptic drugs demonstrate limited efficacy. Previous studies documented a high frequency of off-label drug therapy in neonates. We sought to determine if pediatric neurologists are recommending treatment of neonatal seizures with newer agents, despite a lack of information about their safety or efficacy in this population. Surveys were distributed at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Child Neurology Society. Responses from 55 pediatric neurologists were analyzed. Seventy-three percent (40/55) recommended treatment of neonatal seizures with one or both of levetiracetam and topiramate; 47% (26/55) recommended levetiracetam; and 55% (30/55) recommended topiramate. Despite an absence of data on neonatal pharmacokinetics of either drug, neurologists made different dosing recommendations for these two drugs (P = 0.003, chi-square test). Respondents considered both agents to be efficacious in the majority of cases; adverse effects were recognized more frequently with topiramate. These results highlight the urgent need for rigorous clinical trials to understand the risks and benefits of new drug therapies for neonatal seizures.
Hydride transfer in liver alcohol dehydrogenase: quantum dynamics, kinetic isotope effects, and role of enzyme motion.

The quantum dynamics of the hydride transfer reaction catalyzed by liver alcohol dehydrogenase (LADH) are studied with real-time dynamical simulations including the motion of the entire solvated enzyme. The electronic quantum effects are incorporated with an empirical valence bond potential, and the nuclear quantum effects of the transferring hydrogen are incorporated with a mixed quantum/classical molecular dynamics method in which the transferring hydrogen nucleus is represented by a three-dimensional vibrational wave function. The equilibrium transition state theory rate constants are determined from the adiabatic quantum free energy profiles, which include the free energy of the zero point motion for the transferring nucleus. The nonequilibrium dynamical effects are determined by calculating the transmission coefficients with a reactive flux scheme based on real-time molecular dynamics with quantum transitions (MDQT) surface hopping trajectories. The values of nearly unity for these transmission coeff...
Description of the gluon condensate

We develop an effective Lagrangian for QCD in terms of order parameters of the gluon condensate. (A useful analogy to the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity may be made.) In this work the order parameters are identified with averages of the low-momentum components of the vector potential. The theory is formulated such that only a single order parameter, which describes the number of gluon pairs in the condensate (of all colors), is relevant. This order parameter becomes spatially dependent in the presence of quarks and one obtains a dynamical model for the formation of hadrons as nontopological soliton solutions of the effective Lagrangian of our model.
A novel apparatus for measuring rat locomotor behavior.

Abstract A novel, inexpensive apparatus (locometer) was designed to measure behavioral activity of rats including gross locomotor activity, rearing, and structural characteristies of movement patterns (i.e., fractal dimension). Measurements were done in 3 dimensions at a resolution of approximately 1 cm. To test the sensitivity and specificity of the system, saline or d -amphetamine (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered to rats and locomotor activity, rearing and the structure of motor behavior calculated as the fractal dimension, were analyzed. The results obtained with the locometer were consistent with previous reports using other devices to measure basal and stimulant-induced behavior (i.e., infrared photobeam, visual observation, video tracking, etc.). Based on these data, the novel apparatus, described herein, provides a sensitive, versatile, and inexpensive tool for the analysis of locomotor behavior in the rat.
Design of a High-Temperature Skin-Friction Meter System

A system to measure skin-friction drag force is presented. Analytical, experimental, and design data are included. Satisfactory operation to 1400°F has been obtained. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of producing a closed-loop system capable of operating to temperatures of 2000°F.
Minimax controller and filter designs for discrete-time linear systems under soft-constrained quadratic performance indices

The authors study a class of deterministic discrete-time soft-constrained linear-quadratic minimax controller design problems, and present a general algorithm that would yield their solution under different information structures. As particular applications of the general algorithm, they consider linear noisy measurement schemes that depend on the state vector with a delay of d time units, where d is a nonnegative integer, and in this context obtain results for both minimax control and minimax filtering problems. >
Positive and Negative Intronic Regulatory Elements Control Muscle-Specific Alternative Exon Splicing of Drosophila Myosin Heavy Chain Transcripts

Alternative splicing of Drosophila muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) transcripts is precisely regulated to ensure the expression of specific MHC isoforms required for the distinctive contractile activities of physiologically specialized muscles. We have used transgenic expression analysis in combination with mutagenesis to identify cis -regulatory sequences that are required for muscle-specific splicing of exon 11, which is encoded by five alternative exons that produce alternative “converter” domains in the MHC head. Here, we report the identification of three conserved intronic elements (CIE1, -2, and -3) that control splicing of exon 11e in the indirect flight muscle (IFM). Each of these CIE elements has a distinct function: CIE1 acts as a splice repressor, while CIE2 and CIE3 behave as splice enhancers. These CIE elements function in combination with a nonconsensus splice donor to direct IFM-specific splicing of exon 11e. An additional cis -regulatory element that is essential in coordinating the muscle-specific splicing of other alternative exon 11s is identified. Therefore, multiple interacting intronic and splice donor elements establish the muscle-specific splicing of alternative exon 11s.
Antenna miniaturization using coupled microstrip lines emulating magnetic photonic crystals

Small and miniature antennas have been of continuing interest in recent years. A goal is to develop low-cost printed antennas that reach or approach the optimal Chu-Harrington limits [1, 2]. Anisotropic substrates provide additional degrees of freedom which can be exploited for optimal gain×bandwidth designs. However, their fabrication cost and lack of availability makes this approach impractical. Recently [3], printed coupled/uncoupled microstrip (MS) line sections were proposed to emulate anisotropy in a low-cost manner and using available fabrication methods. These coupled lines (see Fig. 1) were shown to realize degenerate band edge (DBE) antennas operating at much lower resonance frequencies when compared to single printed line loops. However, the demonstrated miniaturization is achieved at the expense of reduced bandwidths.
Fluorescent Antibody Test for the Rapid Diagnosis of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis

Abstract A fluorescent antibody test (FAT) was developed for the rapid detection of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). Both polyclonal and monoclonal antisera prepared against IHNV were evaluated. Test variables investigated included type of fixative, dilution rate of antibody reagents, staining time, and type of fluorescent conjugate that would be optimal for detection of IHNV. Specificity tests of the FAT indicated no cross-reactivity of the two antisera with other viruses or with cell lines of salmonid and nonsalmonid origin. All strains of IHNV tested, which included different electropherotypes, those isolated from selected salmonids at different life stages, and those from different geographic regions, reacted with both antisera. The FAT has been used for the detection of IHNV in blood smears and organ imprints from clinically infected juveniles, and in IHNV-infected cells in ovarian fluid from adult carriers. With this FAT, IHNV was detected after 48 h in cell lines inoculated with infe...
A ramsey‐theoretic result involving chromatic numbers

The following result is proved. A graph G can be expressed as the edge-disjoint union of k graphs having chromatic numbers no greater than m1,…,mk, respectively, iff χ(G) ≤ m1…mk.
Theologie und Literatur: Geschichte, Hermeneutik, Programm aus europäischer Perspektive

Religion and literature are two broad areas which are in origin connected with each other. On one hand, the great religious traditions rely on Sacred scripture. On the other hand, the modern national literatures emerged in the religious universe, and since the 17th century there was a fast detachment and growing autonomy of culture from Christianity. Below, It will be examined how this very tense relationship between literature and theology became the subject of scientific debate in Europe. Keywords : Theology and Literature; European Theology; Modernity and Postmodernity.
New hyphenated methodologies in high‐sensitivity glycoprotein analysis

High-sensitivity glycoprotein analyses are of particular interest in modern biomedical and clinical research, as well as in the development of recombinant protein products. The evolution of new hyphenated methodologies in high-sensitivity glycoprotein analysis is highlighted in this thematic review. These methodologies include, in particular, capillary LC/MALDI/TOF/TOF MS in conjunction with online permethylation platform, and silica-based lectin microcolumns interfaced to MS. The potential of these methodologies in glycomic and glycoproteomic analysis is demonstrated for model glycoproteins as well as total glycomes and glycoproteomes derived from biological samples. Additionally, the applications of CE-MS, CEC, and nanoLC with graphitized carbon in the areas of glycomics and glycoproteomics are described.
A Sasakawa approach to three-particle scattering

An idea introduced by Sasakawa is used to convert the Faddeev equations into integral equations in which the inhomogeneous term contains the amplitudes for inelastic scattering and rearrangement collisions. The kernels are thereby modified and made nonsingular for energies below the three-particle break-up threshold. The equations are derived for a system of three nonidentical spinless particles interacting through central two-particle potentials. An iterative method for solving the modified equations is developed. It is shown how to symmetrize the equations for a system of three identical spinless particles. The equations are written out in detail for the angular-momentum-zero state of three identical spinless particles interacting through ans-wave two-particle force which produces only one two-particle bound state. The lowest-order approximation to the solution of the equations for this simple system is worked out. It is found that this approximation satisfies unitarity for energies below the three-particle break-up threshold.
Low-Load Prolonged Stretch vs. High-Load Brief Stretch in Treating Knee Contractures

This study was designed to compare the results of a traditional method of stretching knee flexion contractures by high-load brief stretch (HLBS) with the results of an experimental method of prolonged knee extension by skin traction, low-load prolonged stretch (LLPS). End range of passive knee extension was measured by standard goniometry. Subjects were 11 nonambulatory residents of a nursing home who had demonstrated gradually progressive bilateral knee contractures. Each subject served as his or her own control with one lower limb receiving LLPS and the other limb receiving HLBS and passive range of motion (PROM). Sequential medical trials were used as the clinical research design. Whether comparing the LLPS limb PROM measurements pretreatment and posttreatment (p less than or equal to .05) or the HLBS to the LLPS limb PROM recordings posttreatment (p less than or equal to .05), the results demonstrated a preference for LLPS in the treatment of knee contractures in the immobile nursing home resident.
Discussion: Factors Influencing the Consumption of Southern Pine

The paper we have just heard brings together a number of the contributions Professor Zaremba has made in the area of timber products demand, price, and consumption. He has directed the attention of forest economists to a number of significant relationships that bear substantially on forest resource development and planning. Zaremba indicated that the demand for southern pine, in the form of both lumber and pulp products, can be expected to rise. The basis for this tendency lies chiefly in the anticipation of upward trends in population and income. A third determinant of demand, consumer preference, is critical, but can be forecast with less assurance. In the case of pulp and paper products, preference may add to the upward pressures on demand exerted by rising population and income. For lumber, on the other hand, weakening preferences may tend to modify the effect of other determinants. It remains to be seen how the lumber industry's recent aggressive measures to improve and promote their product will affect the demand for southern pine lumber. While the prospect of rising demand for southern pine was established, Zaremba's paper went well beyond the subject of demand. In turning from demand to consumption, that is bringing supply into the picture, the prospect we are given for southern pine lumber is drastically altered. Because of lagging productivity in the industry, supply is expected to continue to diminish. Even though demand will tend to rise, it is not anticipated that consumption will change appreciably. Unless rather drastic technological changes occur, consumption will be severely inhibited by steadily rising prices. Thus, the position of the southern pine lumber industry differs appreciably from the pulp and paper industry in which a fairly steady flow of technological advancements have the effect of increasing supply as demand rises. On the whole, the evidence Zaremba has brought together seems to indicate growing consumption of southern pine roundwood. Pulp products will undoubtedly comprise an increasing proportion of the volume of southern pine utilized. Within the lumber category, structural and similar applications may assume increasing significance relative to finish materials. In early projections of demand for timber products, greatest emphasis was placed upon population as the principal determinant of demand. Such estimates tended to be in error, generally on the conservative side, largely because forecasts of population growth were low and the positive effects of other factors were disregarded. On the basis of a rather limited
Current-Use Property Assessment and Land Development: A Review of Development Penalties

The author reviews current-use property tax assessment; it can defer, but not permanently prevent, development of land on the metropolitan fringe, he suggests. Because development penalties associated with current-use assessment programs vary significantly among the states, one would expect to observe interstate differences in the impact of current use on development decisions of private landowners, the author writes.
The Production and Exchange of Glass and Stone Beads in Southeast Asia from 500 BCE to the early second millennium CE: An assessment of the work of Peter Francis in light of recent research

Abstract Stone and glass beads are important artifacts in Southeast Asia as they are amongst the earliest objects from South Asia found in the region, and frequently seen as symbols of Indian influence and increasing socio-political complexity. Peter Francis Jr.'s writings regarding the production and exchange of beads in Southeast Asia have been influential to archaeologists who have viewed beads as prestige objects that were traded widely and produced at important urban centers in Southeast Asia. However, the field of beads studies in Southeast Asia has greatly expanded in the past 15 years and benefitted from new excavations and scientific techniques. In this article, I review Peter Francis' hypotheses regarding the production and exchange of beads in Southeast Asia from 500 BCE to the early second millennium CE. I then synthesize recent work by scholars that has transformed our understanding of the manufacture and trade of beads. I argue that this work has largely disproven Francis' model of bead production and interaction between South and Southeast Asia. Instead, there appear to have been multiple phases of bead production and exchange between the two regions, which reflect complex interaction networks between South and Southeast Asia and within Southeast Asia.
Wilderness and political ecology : aboriginal influences and the original state of nature

Environmental law and philosophy assume the existence of a fundamental state of nature: Before the arrival of Columbus, the Americas were a wilderness untouched by human hand, teeming with wildlife and almost void of native peoples. In "Wilderness and Political Ecology "Charles Kay and Randy Simmons state that this "natural" view of pre-European America is scientifically unsupportable.This volume brings together scholars from a variety of fields as they seek to demonstrate that native people were originally more numerous than once thought and that they were not conservationists in the current sense of the term. Rather, native peoples took an active part in managing their surroundings and wrought changes so extensive that the anthropogenic environment has long been viewed as the natural state of the American ecosystem.
Contralateral Masking in Bilateral Cochlear Implant Patients: A Model of Medial Olivocochlear Function Loss

Contralateral masking is the phenomenon where a masker presented to one ear affects the ability to detect a signal in the opposite ear. For normal hearing listeners, contralateral masking results in masking patterns that are both sharper and dramatically smaller in magnitude than ipsilateral masking. The goal of this study was to investigate whether medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferents are needed for the sharpness and relatively small magnitude of the contralateral masking function. To do this, bilateral cochlear implant patients were tested because, by directly stimulating the auditory nerve, cochlear implants circumvent the effects of the MOC efferents. The results indicated that, as with normal hearing listeners, the contralateral masking function was sharper than the ipsilateral masking function. However, although there was a reduction in the magnitude of the contralateral masking function compared to the ipsilateral masking function, it was relatively modest. This is in sharp contrast to the results of normal hearing listeners where the magnitude of the contralateral masking function is greatly reduced. These results suggest that MOC function may not play a large role in the sharpness of the contralateral masking function but may play a considerable role in the magnitude of the contralateral masking function.
Bioassay of the Synthetic Female Sex Pheromone of the Cabbage Looper

A Y-tube apparatus was developed for quantitative bioassay of the synthetic sex pheromone of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner). When 3- to 7-day-old (inclusive) male cabbage looper moths were used, the attractive concentration for 50% response (AC50) was 1.08µg pheromone on filter paper. Based on the dissipation rate of 5µg on filter paper, the actual concentration of pheromone in the airstream at AC50 was calculated to be about 91 ng/m3 air. No increase in response was noted between 5 and 5000µg.
Metabolism of the Transplanted Dog Kidney

SummaryOxygen consumption and para-aminohippurate accumulation have been studied in slices of renal cortex from second-set kidney transplants in dogs. The organs were removed for evaluation 24 hours after transplantation, at a time when they show gross hemorrhagic reactions and reduced rates of urine secretion. In spite of advanced rejection, these second-set transplants still accumulated PAH in vitro to the same high level as autotransplant controls. Oxygen uptake also remained within normal limits. Further, the turnover of phosphorus in the acid and lipid soluble fractions remained unaffected by the acute rejection process. A small increase in the specific activity of the nucleic acid phosphorus was observed. We interpret these observations to indicate that cytotoxic reactions are not a major factor in transplant rejection. An interruption of the vascular supply, or a mechanical interference with the nutritional exchange of the tissue, are suggested as more likely causes of transplant destruction.
Clinical Pharmacy Practice in the Operating Room

An operating room pharmacy has traditionally been focused on the provision of controlled substance accounting and drug distribution services. Clinical pharmacy can be practiced in this setting as well, to the benefit of patients and operating room staff. The operating room pharmacist can provide such services as drug information, drug use evaluation, participation in patient care rounds, adverse drug reaction reporting, assistance in emergency drug therapy, formulary management, research collaboration, pharmacokinetic and pain management consultation, and education regarding drug therapy. The clinical expertise of the operating room pharmacist can be gained through literature review, surgical case observation, attendance and participation in anesthesia conferences, and direct patient care. By providing clinical services appropriate to a given institution's needs in the operating room setting, and delegating direct distributive functions to pharmacy technicians whenever possible, the pharmacist can move in...